Author: Christopher Marc

Posted on in Film News

‘Bullet Train’: Oscar-Winner Sandra Bullock Joins Brad Pitt In Assassin Flick

Sony’s action movie Bullet Train currently filming Los Angeles has reportedly added Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock (Gravity) according to Deadline. Bullock returning to the action genre after starting her career in movies like Speed and The Net.

Starring fellow Oscar-winner Brad Pitt and directed by David Leitch (Atomic Blonde, John Wick, Deadpool 2), the Tokyo-set film will focus on a group of assassins with varying motivations on a Japanese bullet train.

The rest of the cast consists of Joey King (The Dark Knight Rises), Andrew Koji (G.I. Joe Origins: Snake Eyes), Michael Shannon (Knives Out, Man of Steel), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Godzilla, Kick-Ass, Avengers: Age of Ultron), Karen Fukuhara (The Boys, Suicide Squad), Brian Tyree Henry (Godzilla vs Kong, Widows, Joker, Eternals), Hiroyuki Sanada (The Wolverine, Avengers: Endgame, Sunshine, Westworld, The Last Samurai), Logan Lerman (Fury, Hunters), Lady Gaga (Gucci, A Star Is Born, Machete Kills), Masi Oka (Heroes), Zazie Beetz (Joker, Deadpool 2), and rapper Bad Bunny.

As previously revealed, film’s production team will include production designer David Scheunemann (Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Hobbs & Shaw, Gunpowder Milkshake), cinematographer Jonathan Sela (John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Hobbs & Shaw, Transformers: The Last Knight), and stunt coordinator Greg Rementer (The Mandalorian, Nobody, Hobbs & Shaw).

Leitch is also lining-up his next film Fast & Loose starring Will Smith and produced the upcoming Bob Odenkirk actioner Nobody.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

The Russo Brothers Still Keen To Tackle Wolverine & Advises Marvel Take Some Time Before Rebooting

While promoting their upcoming film Cherry, directors Joe and Anthony Russo spoke with the Lights Camera Barstool podcast (spotted and transcribed by The Playlist) and revealed they’d still love to get their hands on Marvel’s reboot of Wolverine. The pair continually brings up Wolverine and Secret Wars as things that could draw them back to Marvel Studios.

JOE RUSSO: “Wolverine has always been such a special character for me. To realize him on screen, it’s very hard because Hugh Jackman‘s performance is definitive. It’s like Batman; you have to really think of a way to, you have to really find the right actor to come in and give a really different take to that character. But I would really love to see him on screen.”

However, Joe advises that the studio give the franchise some time before jumping into a reboot.

JOE RUSSO: “I think the best thing is to take a break, without question. You need a [palate cleanser], you need to rinse the towel a little bit, let everyone enjoy what was, and then come up with something new. But I’d love to take a crack at Wolverine at some point.”

We already got some signs from Marvel’s Kevin Feige they’re not in any rush to reboot as they’ve chosen to go with Fantastic Four first. It’s still unknown what they ultimately plan to do with Wolverine and the X-Men reboots. Even though, they’ve introduced things like S.W.O.R.D. and Madripoor that are directly connected to the X-Men comics.

There is a good chance they could be able to convince Marvel Studios to allow them direct a Wolverine or X-Men project if they’re that persistent about being able to play with the characters. They were able to bring new blood to both the Captain America and Avengers franchises, with the latter Marvel now hold the box office record for the highest grossing film as Avengers: Endgame toppled James Cameron’s Avatar.

Given their experience working with large groups of heroes and villains, The Russo Brothers could be alongside screenwriters Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus might be the team to reboot the X-Men. We’ve already seen Marvel look at their existing directing bench for the Fantastic Four reboot as they announced in December that Spider-Man 3 director Jon Watts would be tackling it.

Wolverine certain could deserve to have his origin retold for the Marvel Cinematic Universe either connected to Alpha Flight or the Weapon X Program. I also believe that a project set during WWII giving them an excuse to have Wolverine in a period action-film. A solo project could give a new actor a great entry point and give the main X-Men reboot some space, as one of the big gripes that fans had with the Fox franchise is that Wolverine was the predominate character when he isn’t supposed to be.

Ryan Reynolds revealed on Twitter last month that one of the ideas they had for Deadpool 3 before the merger was convincing Hugh Jackman to end his retirement as they wanted Logan and Wade to do a road trip movie. They could also eventually meet up in an X-Force film.

Mark Ruffalo has also voiced his own desire to have Hulk interact with Wolverine in a project as the mutant debuted in the pages of Hulk comic books.

SOURCE: LIGHTS CAMERA BARSTOOL

Posted on in Film News

‘Watchmen’ Director Nicole Kassell Tapped For ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ – Will It Become A Film Franchise For New Line Cinema?

Deadline reports that New Line Cinema has hired Watchmen director Nicole Kassell to direct a new Wizard of Oz project based on the Frank L. Baum American fantasy novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Kassell recently worked on the HBO series Watchmen where she directed three episodes of the limited series including it’s powerful pilot that explored the real-life Tusla race massacre.

The novel published in 1900 is in the public domain which would explain why Disney was able to make the super scary Return To Oz and Sam Raimi’s prequel Oz, The Great & Powerful. However, since the 1939 is owned by Warner Bros., elements they invented for the film were their intellectual property such as the ruby slippers (silver in the book).

They also note that previous screenplay drafts were written by Darren Lemke and the duo of Neil Widener and Gavin James.

It’s kind of nuts that New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. had been sitting a potential franchise that could be on par with Harry Potter/Narnia as Frank L. Baum wrote fourteen books for source material and has always been a build-in franchise waiting to be made. There is a treasure trove of characters New Line Cinema can explore.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Television News

‘The Last of Us’: HBO Series Is A ‘Game of Thrones’ Reunion With Pedro Pascal & Bella Ramsey Nabbing Lead Roles

Despite previous casting rumors for The Last of Us, Deadline has revealed that HBO has hired Game of Thrones alumni Pedro Pascal as Joel and The Hollywood Reporter adding that fellow Thrones actress Bella Ramsey for the role of Ellie. Based on the Naughty Dog video game, The Last of Us focuses on Joel and his young companion Ellie has they navigate a post-apocalypse United States.

Twenty years after a fungal infection obliterated most of the U.S. population and turned the victims into infected monstrosities, Joel is tasked with escorting Ellie to the Fireflies to help reverse engineer a cure. However, this isnt easy for either of them, since Joel has been left almost permanently bitter after the death of his daughter, and Ellie is distrusting of him.

The series is being developed by Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann.

Pedro Pascal is the lead of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and his commitments to The Last of Us likely explains why Season 3 is seemingly going to be delayed. The Book of Boba Fett is reportedly shooting in California and Ewan McGregor confirmed Obi-Wan Kenobi will begin shooting there in late spring.

Deadline also pointing out that Pedro will be making the HBO series before moving on to The Mandalorian, however, it’s unknown when Lucasfilm will start shooting or if they’ll start without him.

He will continue on the Star Wars series, where he is used sparingly because of the nature of his character, though The Last Of Us has him in first position.

Lucasfilm just announced they had fired actress Gina Carano for an antisemitic post on social media and pausing production for a little bit might be a good call.

SOURCE: DEADLINE & THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News

Tom Holland Denies Rumors ‘Spider-Man 3’ Will Feature Tobey Maguire & Andrew Garfield – “They Will Not Be Appearing In This Film”

Despite rampart rumors for Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 that included unconfirmed rumblings that former Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would be reprising their roles in a Spider-Verse-type event film, actor Tom Holland is denying that is happening.

In a recent interview with Esquire posted this week, the young actor while promoting his crime drama Cherry states that he’s unaware of Tobey and Andrew being involved with the project. The outlet noting the disappointment in his voice while delivering the bad news.

This particular Spider-Man installment has been subject to a host of rumors about casting decisions. When we talk in December, several outlets are reporting that Holland’s forebears, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, will appear alongside him in some kind of ultimate Spider-verse moment. When I ask Holland about this possibility, he is suddenly positive he knows what he’s talking about.

“No, no, they will not be appearing in this film. Unless they have hidden the most massive piece of information from me, which I think is too big of a secret for them to keep from me. But as of yet, no. It’ll be a continuation of the Spider-Man movies that we’ve been making.”

While Holland could be lying here, none of the trades who have been actively covering the casting of the Spider-Man sequel have corroborated the rumors of their involvement. Even unconfirmed rumblings they’ve been spotted on set, however, no photographic proof of that has materialized. Tom Holland would be the first person to tell you that he can’t keep a secret as his persona is that of someone who inadvertently spoils things.

Holland also said they’re about eight weeks into the production and still have much more to go.

What we do know about the film is that Benedict Cumberbatch will be appearing as Doctor Strange with former franchise actors Jamie Foxx and Alfred Molina reprising their roles as Spider-Man villains Electro and Doctor Octopus.

It’s possible we might end up with a version of The Sinister Six though.

Sony Pictures has given the film a release date of December 17th, 2021 but that might be moved if they need to find a new spot for Venom sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage, as the studio might bump it’s July release to another date.

SOURCE: ESQUIRE MAGAZINE

Posted on in Television News

Lucasfilm Has Officially Terminated Gina Carano’s Employment Amid Antisemitic Post On Social Media

Yesterday, it was finally announced by Lucasfilm (owned by Disney) that they have severed the employment of The Mandalorian actress and former UFC fighter Gina Carano.

This comes after a massive online campaign with the hashtag #FireGinaCarano being sparked after an antisemitic post was revealed and circulated on Twitter. I guess comparing her social media backlash to the six million Jews who were persecuted and murdered in the Holocaust at the hands of the Nazis was apparently a step too far for Disney and Lucasfilm.

It’s worth noting that Jon Favreau, essentially her boss on the series, is Jewish.

Here is what a Lucasfilm spokesperson had to say via The Hollywood Reporter.

“Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”

She’s also been dropped by her agency.

Carano has also been dropped as a client by UTA, an agency spokesperson confirms.

This late move is coming after the actress rightfully saw public backlash for posting similar antisemitic imagery, sharing/liking anti-vaxxer and anti-mask postings along with initially teasing the trans community for asking people to use pronouns in their bios as a form of support. Her co-star Pedro Pascal had only this week announced support for his sister Lux Pascal, who has come out as trans.

The public “backlash” led the actress to announce she would be joining the Alt-Right social media platform Parler.

It’s unknown at this time if Lucasfilm will recast the role of Cara Dune or stop using the character altogether because of Carano’s association. I had mused during the start of Season 2 airing on Disney+ that Lucasfilm might have opted to kill-off her character to end the relationship.

However, The Hollywood Reporter mentions they had scrapped plans to announce a spinoff series for her character Cara Dune during the December presentation after her November tweets sparked outrage and might have still considered adding her to Dave Filoni’s series Rangers of The New Republic before the final straw.

SOURCE: LUCASFILM VIA THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News

Michael B. Jordan Won’t Say If He’ll Appear In ‘Black Panther 2’ But Keen On Returning To The Franchise

There have been multiple unconfirmed rumors that Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger would be returning for Black Panther 2, however, this has yet to be supported officially.

Michael B. Jordan today spoke with ABC’s Good Morning America while promoting his upcoming Amazon action flick Without Remorse. During his chat with the morning show, he was asked if he’d return for the sequel but wasn’t confirming his involvement while reaffirming a previous desire to return to the Black Panther franchise and Marvel Cinematic Universe if asked by the studio.

JORDAN: “I can’t say too much about that one, man. Honestly, with the year that we’ve had and the loss of a dear friend. They were figuring out whatever they need to do or what’s best for the franchise. They’re family, so if I ever have the opportunity to get back into that franchise, I would.”

Marvel Studios and Ryan Coolger have yet to reveal what their ultimate plan would be in the wake of the death of Chadwick Boseman, as Kevin Feige has repeatedly said they wouldn’t recast the T’Challa role or use a digital-double.

Fans have speculated the Multiverse could open the door to heroic (also alive) incarnation of Killmonger, allowing the character to take the franchise reigns from T’Challa. However, this is only a theory as characters such as Shuri and M’Baku have also been fan-favorites to take the mantle.

Coolger is developing multiple series for Marvel and Disney+ starting with one set within the Kingdom of Wakanda.

Production on Black Panther 2 is said to begin this June in Atlanta, Georgia with a release date of July 8th, 2022.

SOURCE: GOOD MORNING AMERICA

Posted on in Television News

‘The Falcon & The Winter Soldier’: Marvel Drops A Fantastic Full Trailer For Their Action-Packed Disney+ Series

Marvel Studios revealed a full trailer for The Falcon & The Winter Soldier during the Super Bowl yesterday and it certainly revealed how action-focused the Disney+ series will be. Highlighting that Baron Zemo is indeed the big-bad of the show and is returning to his anti-superhero schemes. It’ll be interesting to see whatever villains are introduced in the show beyond the return of Batroc The Leaper.

We also see Bosch actress Amy Aquino seemingly in some therapist or case worker role.

Don Cheadle revealed he’ll be appearing as War Machine in the show before his solo series Armor Wars, but how big the cameo is hasn’t been revealed.

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier will kick-off on Disney+ starting on March 19th.

Fans had been anticipating first looks at Shang-Chi and Eternals, but everyone was attempting to save money this year. Having Disney focus on next month releases such as Raya & The Last Dragon and The Falcon & The Winter Soldier made the most sense from a spending stand point. However, unless there is another delay for Shang-Chi we should be seeing some footage in the very near future for the summer flick.

SOURCE: MARVEL

Posted on in Film News

‘Guardians of The Galaxy 3’: James Gunn Reveals He Is Reuniting With Cinematographer Henry Braham After He Shoots ‘The Flash’

Last week, director James Gunn has revealed on Twitter that he is planning on reuniting with cinematographer Henry Braham for Guardians of The Galaxy 3 after he finishes work on The Flash. Adding that he is working with Michael Bonvillian (Cloverfield, Zombieland) for his HBO Max series Peacemaker, a spinoff of The Suicide Squad.

Henry previously worked with Gunn on The Suicide Squad and Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.2.

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1357478747201368070?

While when production begins in Atlanta is a little uncertain but it’s aiming for a release in 2023. Also, James is expected to complete filming on Peacemaker this June in Vancouver and suggests filming on Guardians 3 could begin later this year.

Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love & Thunder will see a Guardians reunion before the third movie as a bulk of the cast is currently in Sydney, Australia for that shoot.

SOURCE: JAMES GUNN

Posted on in Film News

‘Fast & Loose’: Will Smith Teaming Up With ‘Deadpool 2’ Director David Leitch For Memory-Loss Action Flick

Deadline reports that a bidding war is underway for an upcoming action film titled Fast & Loose from John Wick co-director David Leitch and starring Oscar-winner Will Smith. The outlet says that studios in the mix for the bidding include Warner Bros., MGM, Paramount Pictures, and Sony Pictures.

It’s script was penned by Jon and Eric Hoeber with Leitch expected to direct.

After the leader of an upper-echelon criminal organization suffers memory loss from an attack, he reunites with his crew, only to find that things aren’t what he thinks they are. When John Riley (Smith) wakes up in Tijuana after being left for dead with absolutely no memory, he follows a string of clues to uncover his identity discovering he’s been living two different lives: one, as a super-successful crime kingpin, surrounded by beautiful women, expensive toys, and a lavish lifestyle and the other as an undercover CIA agent, but with a puny salary, no family or home life whatsoever, and zero trappings of success. The problem is, he can’t remember which of these two personas is his true identity, and, more importantly, which life he really wants to live.

Leitch’s action credits go deep with Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Hobbs & Shaw, and is currently shooting the Brad Pitt assassin movie Bullet Train in Los Angeles. He’s also behind the upcoming Bob Odenkirk movie Nobody as one of the film’s producers.

Smith recently had a hiccup with his film Gemini Man becoming a bit of a box office flop. However, Bad Boys For Life became one of the most profitable films of 2020 earning an impressive $426.5 million on a budget of $62.5 million, it’s box office success led Sony Pictures to quickly put Bad Boys 4 into development.

SOURCE: DEADLINE