Author: Christopher Marc

Posted on in Television News

Alexander Siddig Joins Charlie Hunnam In Apple’s Gangster Series ‘Shantaram’ – From ‘Punisher’ Showrunner Steven Lightfoot

Apple is developing a series adaption of the novel Stantaram by author Gregory David Roberts, the story focuses on escaped Australian prison now living in India and getting himself embedded into the criminal underworld.

The series is being written and showrun by Steven Lightfoot, likely best known for his work on the two seasons of the Netflix series The Punisher starring Jon Bernthal as the Marvel Comics vigilante Frank Castle. British actor Charlie Hunnam is set to play the show’s protagonist, Lin, the escape convict.

A new casting report from Deadline has revealed that Star Trek and Game of Thrones alum Alexander Siddig will be playing Lin’s father figure and Bombay underworld kingpin, Khader Khan.

Shot across two continents, Shantaram tells the story of Lin (Hunnam), a man on the run from an Australian prison looking to get lost in the teeming city of Bombay. Cut off from family and friends by distance and fate, he finds a new life in the slums, bars and underworld of India.

Hunnam’s more recent acting credits include Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen and the Netflix thriller Triple Frontier.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

‘The Gray Man’: Russo Brothers Recruit ‘Inhumans’ Actor Eme Ikwuakor & ‘Venom’s Scott Haze For Their Epic Spy Flick

The Russo Brothers are busy shooting their massive Netflix spy film The Gray Man in California and they’ve enlisted two more Marvel alumni to their cast.

The siblings have hired Eme Ikwuakor (Inhumans, Moonfall) and Scott Haze (Venom, Jurassic World: Dominion, Minari) to take roles in the epic action-thriller that is budgeted at over $200 million, making it the most expensive Netflix original movie to date. The casting news comes from Deadline but who they’ll be playing isn’t mentioned in the report.

To those who lurk in the shadows, he’s known as the Gray Man. He is a legend in the covert realm, moving silently from job to job, accomplishing the impossible and then fading away. And he always hits his target. Always. But there are forces more lethal than Gentry in the world. Forces like money. And power. And there are men who hold these as the only currency worth fighting for. And in their eyes, Gentry has just outlived his usefulness. But Court Gentry is going to prove that, for him, there’s no gray area between killing for a living and killing to stay alive…

The rest of the cast consists of Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans Ana De Armas, Wagner Moura, Jessica Henwick, Dhanush, Rege-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard, and Julia Butters.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

Helen Mirren To Play Villain In ‘Shazam! Fury of The Gods’

Shazam! is one of the more kid-friendly comic book franchises and I had a lot fun with the original, partly thanks to director David F. Sandberg having a great sense of humor and not taking himself too seriously. It didn’t hurt that it shot mostly in Toronto.

Sandberg is returning for the sequel, titled Shazam! Fury of The Gods, and there is news about who is playing the film’s villain. As they’ve secured Oscar-winner Helen Mirren to play the role of Hespera according to The Hollywood Reporter. Hespera is the daughter of Atlas and the sister of Rachel Zegler’s character.

Mirren has tipped her toes into the world of these types of films in the past with Bruce Willis’ RED movies and she played Mother Shaw in the last couple of Fast & Furious films including the upcoming release F9.

Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam is set to begin shooting next month in Atlanta and fans are curious when they’ll see a crossover between Shazam! and Black Adam because the two characters are directly connected in the comics However, both Johnson and Zachary Levi have downplayed the possibility of that happening before Black Adam 2 or Shazam! 3.

It makes sense as Black Adam is going to be too busy introducing the Justice Society.

Fury of The Gods is set for release by Warner Bros. on June 2, 2023.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Television News

‘Lord of The Rings’: Wayne Yip Officially Directing 4 Episodes

Filming is still happening in New Zealand on Amazon’s Lord of The Rings series and the streamer has just announced a new director.

Today, it was revealed by Amazon that British director Wayne Yip will be directing four episodes and also nabbed an executive producer credit. Yip joins fellow director J.A. Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), J.A. directed the first two episodes of the fantasy series.

Wayne’s massive amount of credits include Utopia, Doctor Who, Hunters, Misfits, Preacher, and Doom Patrol. The director recently working on Amazon’s The Wheel of Time, another large fantasy world from author Robert Jordan and likely had a lot to do with his hiring for The Lord of The Rings.

They’ve committed to at least five seasons which means Amazon is going to be spending a heap of money on this show. Considering they’ll be covering the The Second Age they have multiple events to cover including the fall of the ancient kingdom of Númenor, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth take on the Atlantis myth. Along with Sauron manipulating various kingdoms in the wake of The Dark Lord Morgoth’s banishment.

Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-Earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

SOURCE: AMAZON

Posted on in Film News

‘John Wick 4’: Filming Reportedly Begins This June With Locations That Include NYC, Paris, Berlin & Japan – ‘Predators’ Mike Finch Writing It

We’re all anticipating the next installment of the John Wick franchise as John Wick: Chapter 3 ended with Wick agreeing to work with the Bowery King to go to war with The High Table. The powerful shadowy group that oversees the world of assassins that consists of international criminal syndicate leaders.

There is a bit of an update from Collider as they reveal that production is expected to begin this June and named a heap of filming locations for John Wick: Chapter 4. They include Japan, Berlin, Paris, and New York City.

With recent news that franchise creators Derek Kolstad won’t be writing with the next two films, they’ve discovered that Mike Finch (American Assassin, Predators) will be the main writer on the script.

Also, it looks like the film won’t be shooting back-to-back with John Wick: Chapter 5 as previously promised by Lionsgate and it will be just the fourth installment. The studio has given John Wick 4 a release date of May 27th, 2022.

SOURCE: COLLIDER

Posted on in Film News

Zac Efron, Russell Crowe & Bill Murray In Talks For Peter Farrelly’s Vietnam War Pic ‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever’ – Eyes Production Start In August

Director Peter Farrelly is going to follow-up his Oscar-winning film Green Book with an adaptation of the novel The Greatest Beer Run Ever by Chick Donahue and J.T. Molloy.

The filmmaker is now assembling his cast as Deadline reports that actors such as Zac Efron, Russell Crowe, and Bill Murray are in talks. The first two being eyed for lead roles and Bill being wanted for a supporting role. Efron could end up playing Chick Donahue, the story’s main character that thought it was a bright idea to search a war zone for his buddies to have a couple beers.

Beer Run tells Donohue’s story of leaving New York in 1967 to bring beer to his childhood buddies in the Army — while they are fighting in Vietnam. Donohue took a good idea to the extreme, hitching a ride on a Merchant Marine ship, then carrying the beer through the jungle as he tried to track down his three friends. Dressed in shorts and Hawaiian shirts, he was mistaken for CIA, which made his effort a bit easier. Finally, when he completed his beer run, the Tet Offensive happened.

They add that filming is eyeing a start this August possibly in Australia or New Zealand.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

‘Kingsman’ Prequel ‘The King’s Man’ Bumped From August To December

Matthew Vaughn’s The King’s Man is yet another summer film be pushed to a later date.

Disney/20th Century Studios has moved the Kingsman prequel from August 20th to December 22nd.

The film’s cast includes Ralph Fiennes as Duke of Oxford, Harris Dickinson as Conrad, Gemma Arterton as Polly, Djimon Hounsou as Shola, Charles Dance as Arthur, Daniel Bruhl, Stanley Tucci, Matthew Goode as Tristan, Tom Hollander, Rhys Ifans as Rasputin, an Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Marv, the studio behind the franchise has teased ambitious plans for 10 Kingsman films and multiple series.

THE KING’S MAN – As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them. Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in The King’s Man.

Posted on in Film News

Pixar’s ‘Luca’ Officially Skipping Theaters & Becomes Disney+ Exclusive Coming June 18th

As Disney is adjusting their 2021 release date, there is official word that their upcoming Pixar film Luca will be heading directly to Disney+ as an exclusive instead of becoming a hybrid release, which we saw with Raya & The Last Dragon.

It will still be coming out on June 18th.

Pixar’s Soul had a similar fate last year and seemed to a huge hit for Disney+.

LUCA – Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, Disney and Pixar’s original feature film “Luca” is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.

Posted on in Film News

‘Black Widow’ Officially Heads To Premier Access & Theaters On July 9th – ‘Shang-Chi’ Delayed To September 3rd

In an official post by Marvel Studios on Twitter, the studio announced that Black Widow is getting another delay to further in the summer. As it will take Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings’ theatrical release spot on July 9th and will also be able to purchase on Disney+’s Premier Access for an extra fee.

They aren’t saying how much they’ll be charging for Black Widow, but the last couple of movies such as Mulan and Raya have cost $30. There is a possibility Disney+ might ask for even more than that given it’s a Marvel Studios project.

BLACK WIDOW – In Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. Directed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige, the movie stars Scarlett Johansson reprising her role as Natasha Romanoff. Florence Pugh stars as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov aka Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff.

Marvel also announced on their website that Shang-Chi is moving to September 3rd but there isn’t word if Eternals will be moving from it’s spot on November 5th.

Additionally, Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has received a new release date, now arriving on September 3, 2021. Simu Liu stars as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. The film’s cast also includes Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chi’s friend Katy, and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan. Additionally, Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng appear in the upcoming movie, which is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.

Below is a new Black Widow poster with the July release date on it.

Posted on in Television News

Naomie Harris Nabs Lead Role Opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor In Showtime’s Sci-Fi Series ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’

A series reboot of the David Bowie sci-fi film The Man Who Fell To Earth finally landed at Showtime after moving from Paramount+ and there is news of another high-profile casting addition. According to Deadline, Oscar-nominee Naomie Harris (Moonlight) is taking the role of Justin Falls opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor, a brilliant engineer and scientist.

Based on the Walter Tevis novel of the same name and the iconic film that starred David Bowie, The Man Who Fell to Earth will follow a new alien character (Ejiofor) who arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine our future.

Harris isn’t a stranger to genre projects playing Moneypenny in three Daniel Craig era Bond movies and Callisto in Disney’s Pirates of The Caribbean franchise.

Alex Kurtzman is co-writing/co-showrunning and will also direct multiple episodes. 

THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH – Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie) is an alien who has come to Earth in search of water to save his home planet. Aided by lawyer Oliver Farnsworth (Buck Henry), Thomas uses his knowledge of advanced technology to create profitable inventions. While developing a method to transport water, Thomas meets Mary-Lou (Candy Clark), a quiet hotel clerk, and begins to fall in love with her. Just as he is ready to leave Earth, Thomas is intercepted by the U.S. government, and his entire plan is threatened.

SOURCE: DEADLINE