Author: Christopher Marc

Posted on in Television News

Amazon’s ‘The Boys’ Is Getting A Spinoff Series – Takes Place At A Superhero College

Variety reports that Amazon is moving forward with a spinoff of their popular mature comic book series The Boys with Craig Rosenberg set to write and showrun the pilot. This news comes on the heels that Amazon claims that the second season is their most popular original series, although this is coming from Amazon and this data can’t be verified.

Craig Rosenberg is writing the pilot and will serve as showrunner and executive producer under his overall deal with Sony Pictures Television, with Rosenberg currently serving as writer and executive producer on the original series.

The new series is said to focus on a college of superheroes run by Vought International.

The spinoff is set at America’s only college exclusively for young adult superheroes (or “supes”) that is run by Vought International. It is described as an irreverent, R-rated series that explores the lives of hormonal, competitive supes as they put their physical, sexual, and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the best contracts in the best cities. Part college show, part Hunger Games — with all the heart, satire and raunch of The Boys.

The Boys is heading for a third season with Supernatural actor Jensen Ackles playing the character Soldier Boy.

Filming takes place in Toronto and is expected to return there for Season 3.

SOURCE: VARIETY

Posted on in Film News

Jonathan Majors Responds To Report He’s Playing Marvel Villain Kang The Conqueror In ‘Ant-Man 3’

It was recently reported by the trades that Lovecraft Country star Jonathan Majors has signed on to play the time-traveling Avengers villain Kang The Conqueror in Ant-Man 3. 

The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon has now asked Majors if he had heard this rumor about playing Kang in the MCU and Jonathan responded as follows. 

MAJORS: “It’s just you and me? Man, I heard the same thing, bro. I heard the same thing bro and was like ‘What, what, what?’. We apparently have the same source cause I heard it too.”

You can watch the cheeky exchange below. 

Peyton Reed is officially returning to direct Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily. 

Filming is expected to take place in the United Kingdom at Pinewood Studios UK and the studio is aiming for a 2022 release date, but that isn’t set in stone. 

SOURCE: THE TONIGHT SHOW

Posted on in Film News

Sega Developing Live-Action Movie Based On ‘Yakuza’ Video Game Franchise

Another video game feature film adaptation is on the way!

Variety is reporting that after their success with the film Sonic The Hedgehog, video game developer Sega is looking to make a feature film based on their gangster video game franchise titled Yakuza and are now seeking screenwriters. The multiple installments are games that balance soap opera and brawler elements set in the Japanese underworld. 

Erik Barmack, Roberto Grande and Joshua Long will produce. 1212 and Wild Sheep are searching for writers for the script.

The first game follows the story of Kazuma Kiryu being released from a 10-year prison sentence after taking the fall for the murder of his family’s patriarch. After the entire Japanese underworld is pulled into the search for $100 million stolen from the vault of his former clan, Kiryu is forced back into the lawless world of the yakuza.

In Japan, yakuza movies are extremely popular and have their own sub-genre similar to American mafia films. 

The world-famous Japanese tattoo artist named Horitomo designed the elaborate irezumi tattoos (traditional Japanese tattoos) that the Yakuza characters wear in the games and I’ll keep my fingers crossed they will ask him to consult on the film. 

SOURCE: VARIETY

Posted on in Film News

James Cameron Says ‘Avatar 2’ Has Finished Filming In New Zealand and ‘Avatar 3’ Is 95% Done

During a one-on-one chat with Arnold Schwarzenegger on Arnold’s YouTube channel, director James Cameron has announced how much of his Avatar sequels (four of them) have completed filming at this point. You might remember that production halted just before everyone in the crew was going to return to New Zealand’s Stone Street Studios in Wellington, to do some extensive live-action shooting for Avatar 2 and Avatar 3. 

Here is what Jim had to say about the status of the two upcoming Avatar films during his chat with the Terminator franchise actor. As it sounds like the filming portion for both films is almost completed. 

CAMERON: “Well, COVID hit us like it hit everyone. We lost about four and a half months of production as a result of that we’ve rolled around one more full year for a release in December of 2022. That’s been announced already but that doesn’t mean I have an extra year to finish the film because the day we deliver Avatar 2 we’ll just start working on Avatar 3.”

“So, where we are right now, I’m down in New Zealand shooting the remainder of the live-action we’ve got 10% left to go. We’re 100% complete on Avatar 2 and we’re sort of 95% compete on Avatar 3. 

“We’re very lucky in that we chose [New Zealand] as our production site years ago.”

There is still a heap of post-production work to finish on the two massive movies and Cameron will then expectedly move into making Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 next. 

Avatar 2 has new release date of December 16th, 2022 and Avatar 3 is set for December 20th, 2024. 

SOURCE: ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER 

Posted on in Television News

Marvel’s ‘Loki’ Series Resumes Filming In Atlanta According To Gugu Mbatha-Raw

While speaking with Forbes, Loki actress Gugu Mbatha Raw revealed that the cast of the Marvel Studios series have returned to work in Atlanta, Georgia to resume production and talked about what she’s been up to since the pandemic paused production earlier in the year. 

MBATHA-RAW: “I was in the middle of filming when the pandemic happened, so I had a real break, I’ve been painting and reading. Like so many others, I was at home for a long time. Not to make light of the suffering going on, but in some ways, it has been an opportunity for me to get a fresh perspective on things. It is downtime that perhaps I might not have had, and now I’m thankful to be back to work. It’s been a journey for everyone, but it’s all for a greater reason and the greater good.”

“I’m obviously sworn to secrecy about everything to do with Loki, but it feels great to be back. Everyone is trying to do it as safely as possible under the circumstances, and it feels good. I’m excited. It’s a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to see it.”

The series will explore the Multiverse and is expected to help establish characters/plot points for upcoming films like Thor: The Dark World and Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness. 

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier has officially returned to Atlanta for filming as there are a bunch of set photos to prove it.

Loki is still expected to begin airing sometime in 2021. 

SOURCE: FORBES

Posted on in Film News

‘RoboCop’ Co-Creator Ed Neumeier Gives An Update On ‘RoboCop Returns’ – Praises New Director Abe Forsythe

While RoboCop co-creator and screenwriter Ed Neumeier (Starship Troopers) has talked up the potential of a prequel series featuring OCP’s Dick Jones, he also mentioned to SyFy Wire this month about the current status of RoboCop Returns. The direct sequel to the original 1987 film that recently saw Neill Blomkamp (District 9) exit and replaced with Aussie director Abe Forsythe (Little Monsters).

Ed talked about working with Abe and how he’s tackling the sequel.

NEUMEIER: “We had a deal, Neill came on, then Abe Forsythe came on and I think he’s using a lot of the stuff Neill had and some of the original stuff [from the 1998 script]. But Abe is doing his own version, which is what I wanted. I needed a fresh voice and he had a really interesting idea. We’re hoping when the next draft comes in we’ll be in a position to make it.”

“Abe made a really interesting movie in Little Monsters, but he made a really interesting Australian film about the race riots [Down Under] I was really impressed with, it was kind of a pseudo-documentary and had an ’80s style. I didn’t want to say too much, I wanted him to have the ideas and not worry about any other version of it, including ours, and just do his own thing. It was very nice to be able to say that to someone like Abe with confidence. What he came back with was really interesting, it felt relevant and really crackled. I expect to see a script any day now.“

According to Ed the studio hasn’t greenlit the film as they’re still trying to nail-down a script.

NEUMEIER: “No, we’re still trying to get a script right. We went on some wild rambles with Mr. Blomkamp, so Abe has his work cut out for him.”

It’ll be interesting to see if MGM Studios will end up making the film given all the hiccups. I recently watched Little Monsters and can fully support Abe tackling the world of RoboCop.

ROBOCOP – In a violent, near-apocalyptic Detroit, evil corporation Omni Consumer Products wins a contract from the city government to privatize the police force. To test their crime-eradicating cyborgs, the company leads street cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) into an armed confrontation with crime lord Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith) so they can use his body to support their untested RoboCop prototype. But when RoboCop learns of the company’s nefarious plans, he turns on his masters.

SOURCE: SYFY WIRE

Posted on in Film News

James Gunn Assures Fans ‘Peacemaker’ Series Will Not Delay ‘Guardians of The Galaxy 3’ Shoot

It was announced yesterday by WarnerMedia that James Gunn would write an eight-episode Peacemaker series for HBO Max based on the DC Comics character played by John Cena, which will be first seen in The Suicide Squad. 

Here is that official press release. 

Oh f*ck, it’s Peacemaker! HBO Max is set to explore the origins of the Peacemaker character, the master of weapons from the highly anticipated upcoming The Suicide Squad film, in the new Max Original action-adventure-comedy series Peacemaker. HBO Max has given a straight-to-series order of eight episodes for the first season of the show. John Cena will reprise his role from The Suicide Squad movie to star in the series, and the film’s acclaimed writer/director James Gunn will write all eight episodes of Peacemaker and will direct multiple episodes, including the first. Gunn and The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran will serve as executive producers of the series, with Cena as co-executive producer. Based on characters from DC, Peacemaker will be produced by Gunn’s Troll Court Entertainment and The Safran Company in association with Warner Bros. Television. Peacemaker is scheduled to begin production in early 2021, prior to Gunn beginning work on the next Guardians of the Galaxy film.

James has responded to fan concerns on Twitter that Peacekeeper could lead to further delays to Guardians of The Galaxy 3 because he’s set to direct multiple episodes next year. 

GUNN: “I’m doing Peacemaker in the time always allotted between The Suicide and Guardians of Galaxy Volume 3. Normally I would have been taking more of a break in this space but it’s Covid, I’m stuck at home, so I wrote a TV series.”

The Suicide Squad will be released on August 6th, 2021 and James wouldn’t likely be able to begin shooting the Guardians sequel until the promotional tour completes. 

SOURCE: JAMES GUNN

Posted on in Film News

Netflix Spends $30M To Secure Remake of Danish Thriller ‘The Guilty’ Directed By Antoine Fuqua and Starring Jake Gyllenhaal

Deadline reports that Netflix is spending a massive $30 million on securing the worldwide rights to an English remake of the Danish film Den skyldige aka The Guilty from Training Day director Antoine Fuqua and True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto.

Nightcrawler’s Jake Gyllenhaal will play 911 dispatch operator Joe Bayler. 

It takes place over the course of a single morning in a 911 dispatch call center. Call operator Joe Bayler (Gyllenhaal) tries to save a caller in grave danger—but he soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out.

Here is the trailer for the original Danish film. 

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

Ryan Gosling and Director David Leitch Team On Stuntman Drama For Universal – Penned By ‘Iron Man 3’ Screenwriter Drew Pearce

Deadline is reporting actor Ryan Gosling has signed on to star in an untitled stuntman drama for Universal Pictures that will be directed by David Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 3) from a script penned by Drew Pearce (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Iron Man 3, Hotel Artemis, Hobbs & Shaw). 

Plot details on the project are currently tight-lipped but Ryan previously played a stuntman in the thriller Drive for director Nicolas Winding Refn.

Universal landed the project with a seven-figure deal after reported interest from Netflix, Paramount Pictures, and MGM Studios.  

Leitch is currently making the Brad Pitt action flick Bullet Train for Sony Pictures. 

Gosling recently attached himself to a new Wolfman film from Invisible Man writer/director Leigh Whannell that is at Universal Pictures as well. 

Ryan is also set to co-star with Captain America actor Chris Evans on the Netflix spy thriller The Gray Man directed by The Russo Brothers, one of the most expensive films ever produced at the streaming service. 

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

Marvel Studios Movies Delayed Again As ‘Black Widow’ Heads To May 7th, ‘Shang-Chi’ To July 9th and ‘Eternals’ Moves To November 5th

Not so fast with those predictions of Black Widow heading to VOD or Disney+!

Disney has announced new release dates for multiple Marvel Studios films via Variety which include moving Black Widow from November 6th to May 7th, a move that will likely disappoint fans expecting the film to head to Disney+ by the end of the year.

Eternals also will move from February 12th, 2021 to November 5th, 2021 with Matthew Vaughn’s The King’s Man taking their old spot.

Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings heads to July 9th, 2021 after Black Widow took it’s May 7th spot. The film is still shooting in Australia but seemingly won’t be getting as much of a delay as we had been bracing for all things considered.

There is a good chance that is way more visual effects work and possibly extra shooting that needs to be done on Eternals that would see the film getting bumped all the way to later part of 2021. The Deviants still haven’t been revealed by the studio who are most likely going to be motion-capture/CGI characters in the film.

SOURCE: DISNEY VIA VARIETY