Author: Christopher Marc

Posted on in Film News

Edgar Wright To Direct New Faithful Version of Stephen King’s ‘The Running Man’ For Paramount

Deadline is reporting that Edgar Wright is set to direct a new/faithful version of Stephen King’s The Running Man for Paramount Pictures, taking more cues from the original King story than the 1987 film that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film took liberties with the source material to make it conform into a Schwarzenegger action pic.

Wright will co-write the story with Scott Pilgrim collaborator Michael Becall, who will ultimately write the script. The novel published under the faux name Richard Bachman had elements that weren’t used in the film including Ben’s sick daughter and how he signs up for the game show to pay her medical bills.

The Running Man is set within a dystopian future in which the poor are seen more by the government as worrisome rodents than actual human beings. The protagonist of The Running Man, Ben Richards, is quick to realize this as he watches his daughter, Cathy, grow more sick by the day and tread closer and closer to death. Desperate for money to pay Cathy’s medical bills, Ben enlists himself in a true reality style game show where the objective is to merely stay alive.

Given how well Wright handles action I’m sure it will be a substantial modern upgrade.

The original film version became a bit of a cult hit and one of the better Arnold flicks that aged reasonably well given it’s rocky production and a few problematic scenes.

THE RUNNING MAN – In the year 2019, America is a totalitarian state where the favorite television program is “The Running Man” — a game show in which prisoners must run to freedom to avoid a brutal death. Having been made a scapegoat by the government, an imprisoned Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has the opportunity to make it back to the outside again by being a contestant on the deadly show, although the twisted host, Damon Killian (Richard Dawson), has no intention of letting him escape.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Features

SPOILERS: ‘WandaVision’ Episode 7 Busted More Fan Theories This Week & Opened Up New Ones

WARNING HEAVY SPOILERS FOR WANDAVISION IN THIS ARTICLE

Despite multiple calls for fans ease back on the huge character cameos, fans still believed this episode was going to be an entry point for folks like Reed Richards, Hank McCoy, or even Magneto. That has been dashed as those cameos didn’t happen and Wanda doubled-down on Evan Peters version of Pietro not being real. Sorry, Fox era X-Men fans the show won’t be carrying over the Singerverse to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

One of the earlier character rumors has turned out to be spot-on.

We’ve known for a while that Agnes was possibly going to be revealed as Agatha Harkness, however, we don’t know what the character’s intentions are. Which I have to assume will be touched-upon in the next episode given that she’s outed herself to Wanda. The twins also vanish as they were used by Agatha to lure Wanda into her basement.

They panned over to a book that may or may not be the MCU version of The Darkhold, which could cause a lot of trouble if used incorrectly or for the wrong reasons. As it has deep connections to the horror side of the Marvel Comics universe but with anything shown to us in this show looks can be deceiving. It’s a McGuffin that could be the next Infinity Gauntlet, equally as dangerous too.

Monica Rambeau also seemingly got her powers from entering the Hex, but we’ll see if those hold as things keep changing moment-to-moment in the Westview bubble. The mid-credit scene she discovers the basement and bumps into whoever Peters is actually playing.

Posted on in Film News

Hugh Jackman’s Dystopian Sci-Fi Movie ‘Reminiscence’ Directed By ‘Westworld’s Lisa Joy Coming To Theaters & HBO Max On September 3rd

Today, Warner Bros. has announced that their upcoming sci-fi drama Reminiscence has landed a late summer release as it will drop on September 3rd in theaters and on HBO Max.

The project is part of WarnerMedia’s controversial day-and-date release model.

Directed by Westworld’s Lisa Joy, the film stars X-Men actor Hugh Jackman, who plays a private eye who deals in recapturing vivid cherished memories for clients. He becomes vexed by one of those clients played by Mission: Impossible’s Rebecca Ferguson. The setting takes place slightly in the future as Miami has been transformed by climate change as much of the city submerged underwater.

Other actors in the film include Thandie Newton and Cliff Curtis.

A trailer is likely just around the corner as we’ve seen a glimpse of footage from a recent HBO Max promo. I’m curious if Reminiscence will skew more in the realm of Inception.

SOURCE: WARNER BROS.

Posted on in Film News

Daisy Ridley Starring In Neil Burger’s Thriller ‘The Marsh King’s Daughter’ – Begins Shooting This Summer

Star Wars franchise alumni Daisy Ridley has secured a leading role in an upcoming thriller from director Neil Burger (Limitless), titled The Marsh King’s Daughter, which will see Ridley playing a woman that has to deal with her past as her violent father escapes from prison.

The project is a joint collaboration between Black Bear and STX.

Screenwriters Mark L. Smith and Elle Smith adapted the Karen Dionne novel for the screen.

Helena Pelletier has a loving husband, two beautiful daughters, and a business that fills her days. But she also has a secret: she is the product of an abduction. Her mother was kidnapped as a teenager by her father and kept in a remote cabin in the marshlands of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Helena, born two years after the abduction, loved her home in nature, and despite her father’s sometimes brutal behavior, she loved him, too…until she learned precisely how savage he could be. More than twenty years later, she has buried her past so soundly that even her husband doesn’t know the truth. But now her father has killed two guards, escaped from prison, and disappeared into the marsh. The police begin a manhunt, but Helena knows they don’t stand a chance. Knows that only one person has the skills to find the survivalist the world calls the Marsh King–because only one person was ever trained by him: his daughter. 

Filming is said to begin this summer after the project has been trying to get off the ground for years.

Daisy’s next film is Doug Liman’s sci-fi flick Chaos Walking, where she co-stars with Spider-Man actor Tom Holland.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

Timo Tjahjanto To Direct New Line Cinema’s ‘Train To Busan’ Remake Produced By James Wan

New Line Cinema and producer James Wan have seemingly found the director for their remake of the South Korean zombie flick Train To Busan as Deadline reports that Timo Tjahjanto is currently in negotiations for the gig.

Timo is likely known for the action film Headshot that starred Iko Uwais.

Sang-Ho Yeon was behind the original that spawned a action-packed sequel that released in 2020. They’ll really have to knock it out of the park with this remake given that the original is beloved and most people are puzzled why a studio is even attempting it.

TRAIN TO BUSAN – Life-or-death survival in train bound to Busan. A divorced man, Seok-woo is always caught up at work, leaving him no time to spare with his daughter Su-an. He offers to take her on the train to see her mother in Busan. As the train departs, an abnormal virus spreads from a girl who is infected, and people start to transform to zombies. Will Seok-woo and Su-an make it out alive? 

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Television News

HBO & George R.R. Martin Teaming For Series Adaptation of Sci-Fi Novel ‘Roadmarks’

Game of Thrones franchise creator/author George R.R. Martin is developing a new series at HBO according to Deadline. The outlet is reporting that he’ll executive produce a series adaptation of Roger Zelazny’s Roadmarks with Kalinda Vazquez (Fear The Walking Dead, Star Trek: Discovery) set to write, showrun, and executive produce the series.

The Road runs from the unimaginable past to the far future, and those who travel it have access to the turnoffs leading to all times and places–even to the alternate time-streams of histories that never happened. Why the Dragons of Bel’kwinith made the Road–or who they are–no one knows. But the Road has always been there and for those who know how to find it, it always will be!

Switching gears from fantasy to sci-fi isn’t much of a stretch for George as one of his novels, Nightflyers, was adapted into a feature film and recent television series, neither were terribly successful but it’ll be interesting to see where this one goes.

Martin is also behind a whole wave of Game of Thrones spinoffs including House of The Dragon, Tales of Dunk & Egg, and an animated project that is in development.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

Oscar-Winner Joaquin Phoenix Confirmed For Ari Aster’s Next Film ‘Disappointment Blvd’

Back in November, Discussing Film was the first to reveal that Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix was planning on joining Ari Aster’s next feature film, referred to as a surliest horror film. Aster being the filmmaker behind horror films Hereditary and Midsommar.

Deadline now supports that report without citing the original outlet adding that the new title is Disappointment Blvd and that A24 will finance the project.

An intimate, decades-spanning portrait of one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time.

Phoenix is also involved with Ridley Scott’s Napoleon film Kitbag at Apple, that was said to begin shooting in early 2022. Ridley and Joaquin previously working together on the Oscar-winner Gladiator.

The film is an original and personal look at Napoleon’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine. The intention of the film is to capture Napoleon’s famous battles, relentless ambition and astounding strategic mind as an extraordinary military leader and war visionary.

There is an expectation that Disappointment Blvd will shoot before Kitbag as Scott is expected to begin shooting his crime thriller Gucci soon in Italy.

Posted on in Film News

‘Mortal Kombat’: Watch Bone-Breaking First Trailer For The R-Rated Reboot Produced By James Wan

Today, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. dropped the first trailer for their R-rated reboot of the Mortal Kombat franchise in an attempt to revitalize the property for a new generation of fans. The reboot is produced by James Wan’s Atomic Monster and is the feature film debut of director Simon McQuoid.

It will feature different incarnations of fan-favorite characters along with Lewis Tan playing Cole Young, a brand new heroic figure created for the film.

Mortal Kombat will debut on April 16th in theaters alongside HBO Max.

Take a look at the new red-band trailer below which reveals that Goro is officially in the film.

In “Mortal Kombat,” MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?

The diverse international cast reflects the global nature of the brand, with talent spanning the worlds of film, television and martial arts. The ensemble includes Lewis Tan (“Deadpool 2,” Netflix’s “Wu Assassins”) as Cole Young; Jessica McNamee (“The Meg”) as Sonya Blade; Josh Lawson (“Bombshell”) as Kano; Tadanobu Asano (“Midway”) as Lord Raiden; Mehcad Brooks (TV’s “Supergirl”) as Jackson “Jax” Bridges; Ludi Lin (“Aquaman”) as Liu Kang; with Chin Han (“Skyscraper”) as Shang Tsung; Joe Taslim (“Star Trek Beyond”) as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero; and Hiroyuki Sanada (“Skyscraper”) as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion. Also featured are Max Huang as Kung Lao; Sisi Stringer as Mileena; Matilda Kimber as Emily Young; and Laura Brent as Allison Young.

McQuoid directed from a screenplay by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham (“Wonder Woman 1984”), from a story by Oren Uziel (“Mortal Kombat: Rebirth”) and Russo, based on the videogame created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Victoria Palmeri, Michael Clear, Jeremy Stein and Larry Kasanoff served as executive producers.

SOURCE: WARNER BROS.

Posted on in Film News

‘Black Adam’: ‘Aladdin’ Actor Marwan Kenzari Joins Dwayne Johnson In DC Comics Movie

The Hollywood Reporter is confirming a fall report from The Illuminerdi that Aladdin and The Old Guard actor Marwan Kenzari is joining the New Line Cinema film Black Adam, a solo DC Comics film starring Dwayne Johnson in the titular role.

The original report from October claimed that Kenzari was being considered to play DC villain Sabbac, however, the new update isn’t mentioning the part actually is.

Marwan joins a growing cast that includes Noah Centineo as Al Rothstein aka Atom Smasher, Aldis Hodge as Carter Hall aka Hawkman, and Quintessa Swindell as Maxine Hunkell aka Cyclone.

Filming is set to begin this April in Atlanta, Georgia.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER & ILLUMINERDI

Posted on in Film News

Jesse Plemons To Play FBI Agent In Martin Scorsese’s Thriller ‘Killers of The Flower Moon’ – DiCaprio Takes Smaller Supporting Role

There is news via The Hollywood Reporter that Leonardo DiCaprio will be taking a different role in Martin Scorsese’s expensive thriller Killers of The Flower Moon as Jesse Plemons is reportedly taking over Leo’s part of FBI Agent Tom White.

DiCaprio will instead play Ernest Burkhart, the nephew if powerful rancher played by Robert De Niro and the husband of Lily Gladstone’s Mollie.

Based on David Grann’s best-selling book, the Apple Original Film adaptation takes place in 1920s Oklahoma and depicts a string of brutal murders of Osage Nation Native Americans, which came to be known as the Reign of Terror. The Osage Nation, who were the richest people per capita in the world, were killed one by one after oil was discovered on their land. As the death toll rose, the newly-created FBI took up the case and unraveled a chilling conspiracy and one of the most monstrous crimes in American history.

Plemons is best known for his television work on shows such as AMC’s Breaking Bad and FX’s Fargo, he recently worked on the Netflix drama I’m Thinking of Ending Things and Martin Scorsese’s gangster flick The Irishman.

Filming is said to begin this May and could become a conflict with making Jordan Peele’s secret project for Universal, as the outlet confirms Plemons is indeed being eyed for a lead role there as well.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER