Author: Christopher Marc

Posted on in Film News, News

Universal’s Animated ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Movie Voice Cast To Include Chris Pratt & Coming Out December 2022

Nintendo, Illumination (animation studio behind Despicable Me), and Universal Pictures have been developing an animated film based on the iconic Super Mario Bros. video game franchise.

Yesterday, Nintendo made huge waves by announcing the film’s voice cast lineup and a December 21, 2022 release date. The former news seemingly landed a negative reaction, mainly, with Marvel actor Chris Pratt voicing Mario. Pratt previously lending his voice to Pixar’s Onward and the two LEGO movies from Warner Bros., the first installment being a mega hit.

As you can see below, Illumination has hired seasoned actors that have done voice work for animation before.

  • Chris Pratt as Mario 
  • Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach 
  • Charlie Day as Luigi 
  • Jack Black as Bowser 
  • Keegan-Michael Key as Toad 
  • Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong 
  • Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong 
  • Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek 
  • Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike 
  • Surprise Cameos From Charles Martinet (Mario voice actor)

Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go!, Teen Titans Go! To The Movies) are directing from script penned by screenwriter Matthew Fogel (The LEGO Movie: The Second Part, Minions: The Rise of Gru).

Illumination founder Chris Meledandri and Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto are also producing the project.

I wouldn’t be terribly shocked if a Donkey Kong movie starring Seth Rogen is announced between now and Mario’s release in late 2022, given how popular that Nintendo character is and how Illumination has been handling spinoffs with the Minion movies.

Chris Pratt’s next big feature for Universal Pictures will be Jurassic World: Dominion, the third installment in the Jurassic World trilogy and sixth in the larger Jurassic Park franchise, which might have a part in why the actor was selected for the role. This fall he’ll reunite with writer/director James Gunn for Marvel’s long-delayed Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.3.

Mario has had other non-video game counterparts in the past with live-action and animated versions on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and with the box office flop feature film Super Mario Brothers: The Movie led by Bob Hoskins.

SOURCE: NINTENDO

Posted on in Film News

‘Bullet Train’: Channing Tatum Expected To Show Up In The New Brad Pitt Action Flick

Oscar-winner Brad Pitt (Troy, Inglourious Basterds, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) is stepping into a genre he dips his toe in from time-to-time, action. His upcoming film Bullet Train features a wave of assassins on a Tokyo bullet train, it was helmed by director David Leitch and there are claims that Pitt is doing a majority of his own stunts.

Bullet Train is based on the Kôtarô Isaka novel Maria Beetle with a script penned by Zak Olkewicz (Last Voyage of The Demeter).

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), Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock (Gravity, Speed), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Tenet, Kraven The Hunter, 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, Shogun), Logan Lerman (Gamer, Fury, Hunters), Masi Oka (Heroes), Zazie Beetz (Joker, Deadpool 2, Atlanta), and rapper Bad Bunny.

An IMDB listing The Ronin has spotted might suggest another casting addition, with Lucas Hyde doing body double work in Bullet Train for actor Channing Tatum (The Hateful Eight, 21 Jump Street, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, This Is The End, Free Guy) in the role of “Burly Man.” Hyde also recently worked on the film Dog which is co-directed by Tatum and longtime partner Reid Carolin.

Sandra Bullock (plays Maria Beetle in Bullet Train) and Channing Tatum recently shot The Lost City of D, that just happens to reportedly feature a cameo from Brad Pitt.

David Leitch is quickly becoming action film royalty as he co-directed the original John Wick only to move on as a solo filmmaker with credits such as Charlize Theron’s Atomic Blonde, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 2, Hobbs & Shaw, and his next project is the memory loss thriller Fast & Loose starring Oscar-winner Will Smith. He also produced Bob Odenkirk’s Nobody and Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Kate at Netflix, which both came out in 2021.

Bullet Train will hit theaters on April 8, 2022 and we’ll be excited to get some first-look footage/images in the near future.

SOURCE: IMDB

Posted on in Film News

Warner Bros. Sinking Teeth In New ‘Lost Boys’ Movie Starring Noah Jupe & Jaeden Martell

Yesterday, it was revealed by The Hollywood Reporter that Warner Bros. is moving forward with a new Lost Boys film after the CW series didn’t get a series order.

While it’s not stated if this new movie will be hard-reboot or a continuation of the 1987 film helmed by the late Joel Schumacher, they’ve named that young actors Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place Part II, No Sudden Move, Ford v. Ferrari) and Jaeden Martell (Knives Out, IT, IT: Chapter Two, Defending Jacob) have nabbed lead roles.

The modern day incarnation will be penned by Static Shock screenwriter Randy McKinnon with Jonathan Entwistle set to direct. Entwistle recently worked on Lucasfilm’s Willow sequel series that will air on Disney+ in 2022 (was filming in Wales) and is attached for a brand new film/television reboot of Power Rangers for Hasbro and eOne Entertainment.

It’ll be interesting if the new pic will keep it’s R-rating or attempt to be a more kid-friendly project, then again, Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema haven’t shied aware from making mature horror movies. Warner Bros. recently released James Wan’s gory/weird Malignant and are behind a new Salem’s Lot film based on the Stephen King vampire novel.

When Lost Boys will begin production is unclear, but we should hear more about the project in the coming weeks/months.

THE LOST BOYS – Teenage brothers Michael (Jason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim) move with their mother (Dianne Wiest) to a small town in northern California. While the younger Sam meets a pair of kindred spirits in geeky comic-book nerds Edward (Corey Feldman) and Alan (Jamison Newlander), the angst-ridden Michael soon falls for Star (Jami Gertz) — who turns out to be in thrall to David (Kiefer Sutherland), leader of a local gang of vampires. Sam and his new friends must save Michael and Star from the undead.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News

EXCLUSIVE: Henry Cavill Spy Flick ‘Argylle’ Using Working Title ‘Tartan’ & Hires ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ VFX Supervisor

Matthew Vaughn’s next feature film made some big headlines over the summer when it was revealed, Argylle, had been reportedly picked-up by Apple for hefty $200 million.

Not only that, but the spy flick’s impressive cast would include Henry Cavill (The Witcher, Man of Steel), Sam Rockwell (Iron Man 2, Moon, Seven Psychopaths, Three Billboards), Bryce Dallas Howard (Black Mirror, Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Dominion), Bryan Cranston (Godzilla, Breaking Bad), Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone, SCTV, Schitt’s Creek), John Cena (Bumblebee, F9: The Fast Saga, Peacemaker, The Suicide Squad), Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained, Secret Invasion, The Marvels), and singer Dua Lipa making her acting debut.

The Ronin can update with some exclusive production updates such as the working title being Tartan during the film’s London area shoot and that they’ve added visual effects supervisor Jody Johnson (Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Rush, In The Heart of The Sea) to the massive action flick’s production team.

Previously, we first revealed the film’s title along with multiple reports confirming key crew members such as cinematographer George Richmond (Fantastic Beasts 3, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Rocketman, Eddie The Eagle), production designer Daniel Taylor (Tetris), and costume designer Stephanie Collie (Layer Cake, Silent Night, Hellboy, Peaky Blinders).

Argylle is based on the upcoming novel by Ellie Conway with a script from Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman, Pan).

It’s expected to debut sometime in 2022 as suggested in official teaser posters.

Apple is also behind the big Napoleon Bonaparte historical epic Kitbag from director Ridley Scott film with a cast already consisting of Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix and Jodie Comer. They’re working with director Martin Scorsese on his upcoming thriller Killers of The Flower Moon (said to have wrapped production), which will likely help Apple become a strong awards contender.

The next film from Matthew Vaughn will be the Kingsman franchise prequel The King’s Man that will hit theaters on December 22, which explores the origins of the secretive British spy agency.

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 Television News

‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’: Sung Kang Says He Wields A Lightsaber Adding Fuel To Fifth Brother/Inquisitors Rumors 

Lucasfilm’s “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series directed by Deborah Chow (“The Mandalorian”) brings back Scottish actor Ewan McGregor as the beloved Jedi alongside Hayden Christensen in the Darth Vader role reuniting the prequel co-stars. Others among the cast include Indira Varma, Kumail Nanjiani, Sung Kang, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Benny Safdie, Rupert Friend, Joel Edgerton as Uncle Owen, Moses Ingram, Bonnie Piesse as Aunt Beru, Maya Erskine, and Simone Kessell.

While speaking with Screen Rant to promote the upcoming home video release of “F9: The Fast Saga,” franchise actor Sung Kang has suggested (See video below) that he’s interacted with Darth Vader on the set of “Kenobi” and admits to his character wielding a lightsaber. 

“To be on set and see Darth Vader and see the Star Wars universe in front of me, just as a fan to be part of that history is pretty amazing. I kept pinching myself saying ‘How did I get here?’ My character has a lightsaber and to go ‘It’s not a toy, it’s a real thing,'” Kang teased his Star Wars role to Screen Rant. 

These comments would support a previous report from the reliable Cinelinx that Sung Kang would be playing a live-action incarnation of The Fifth Brother, a villain introduced in the animated series “Star Wars: Rebels.” 

Actress Moses Ingram had teased on Instagram that she would also be using a lightsaber on the show using the caption: “I play with lightsabers.” 

Giving fans live-action versions of the Jedi-hunting Inquisitors would certainly add an exciting action element to the streaming series. 

The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Kenobi faced his greatest defeat, the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.

We’ll likely get a better idea of when “Obi-Wan Kenobi” will begin airing from the upcoming Disney+ Day event in November. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNAfK-dDAWh/

SOURCE: SCREEN RANT

Posted on in Film News

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Black Panther 2’ Enlists ‘Inception’ Supervising Art Director Brad Ricker

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been filming over the summer in Atlanta with Ryan Coogler back as director and co-writer. The sequel will be released on July 8, 2022, with a returning cast that consists of Danai Gurira as Okoye, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, Angela Bassett as Romonda, and Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross.

Oscar-winning production designer Hannah Beachler is officially back for the sequel and The Ronin can confirm she’ll get help from veteran supervising art director Brad Ricker.

The art director’s extensive credits include a solid amount of action projects such as The Tomorrow War, Christopher Nolan’s Inception, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Michael Bay’s Bad Boys II, J.J. Abrams’ Mission: Impossible III, Suicide Squad, and a portion of Ghost In The Shell.

Fellow Oscar winners Ruth E. Carter (Coming 2 America) and Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson (Turning Red, The Mandalorian) are set to return too.

Loki’s director of photography, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, will take over duties from Rachel Morrison.

Dominique Thorne (Judas & The Black Messiah) will make her MCU debut as Riri Williams (getting her own Disney+ series Ironheart) alongside new additions to the cast like Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You, Black Mirror) and Tenoch Huerta (Narcos: Mexico) their roles have yet to be officially named by the studio.

Online rumors have suggested that Namor McKenzie and The Kingdom of Atlantis will feature heavily in the movie. Wakanda and Atlantis have fought each other in the comic books, so it makes sense from that standpoint.

There have been teases that Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character Valentina Allegra de Fontaine will make an appearance in the new film after showing up in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier and in a button scene from Black Widow.

One glaring issue is how Marvel Studios and the writers will deal with the death of star Chadwick Boseman, as the studio has stated they won’t be bringing him back with CGI or recasting the T’Challa role. A common assumption is that the film will feature the choosing of a new king/queen and Black Panther.

A Wakanda focused Disney+ series is also on the way from Ryan Coogler.

BLACK PANTHER – After the death of his father, T’Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king — and as Black Panther — gets tested when he’s drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people.

Posted on in Film News

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Ant-Man 3’ Filmed At The White Pocket Trail In Arizona

Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, aka, Ant-Man 3 is currently shooting in the London area with a cast that includes Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, Evangeline Lilly as Hope, Kathryn Newton as the newest incarnation of Cassie Lang, Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym, Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet, and Jonathan Majors playing the villain big bad, Kang The Conqueror.

We can now share another filming location for the Marvel Studios pic.

The Ronin has exclusively learned that the sequel spent time filming in Arizona at the White Pocket Trail, however, unlikely involved any cast members as it look place months before filming had officially started at Pinewood Studios UK in July.

What exactly the footage is going to be used for is unclear, but you could easily imagine it being used for the Quantum Realm or even an alien planet. The area is gorgeous and might have been shot for plates, perhaps, for Pinewood’s version of The Volume.

Director Peyton Reed confirmed they would be using The Volume on the next Ant-Man installment and he previously worked with the fantastic technology from Industrial Light & Magic during the shoot on Season 2 of The Mandalorian for Lucasfilm.

Back in April, we first reported that a portion of filming would be returning to San Francisco, which was later confirmed by local postings.

The superhero film’s impressive crew is expected to consist of production designer Will Htay (No Time To Die, Rogue One, Solo, Andor), cinematographer Bill Pope (The Matrix Trilogy, Shang-Chi Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy, Alita: Battle Angel), second unit director Dan DeLeeuw (Eternals, Avengers: Endgame), and costume designer Sammy Sheldon Differ (Eternals, Jurassic World: Dominion, Ant-Man, X-Men: First Class, Hellboy II: The Golden Army).

There have been signs the next installment will be much bigger in scope than the previous two movies and having Kang’s true introduction will likely be part of that. It’ll be interesting to see if the Quantum Realm and the Multiverse will intersect.

Nia DaCosta’s Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, is currently shooting at Longcross Studios (recently used for Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness) in Surrey, England and the Secret Invasion series also began shooting in the area with an expectation to spend time in Scotland.

Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania will debut in theaters on February 17, 2023.

Posted on in Television News

Antony Mackie Joins Live-Action ‘Twisted Metal’ Series From ‘Deadpool’ Screenwriters

PlayStation Productions is a newly formed production company meant to bring various Sony PlayStation IP/characters to film and television incarnations. One of those upcoming projects is a live-action television series based on the classic video game Twisted Metal, from Sony Pictures Television.

Deadline reports that Marvel Studios alumni Anthony Mackie (Altered Carbon, Black Mirror) has nabbed the lead role of John Doe in the series. Mackie recently became the new Captain America by the end of the Disney+ series The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, with the expectation he’ll reprise the superhero role in Captain America 4.

The project is based on a new take from Rhett Reese and Paul Wenrick (Deadpool) that will be written by Michael Jordan Smith (Cobra Kai), all three will executive produce.

Twisted Metal is a high-octane action comedy based on an original take by Deadpool scribes Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick about a motor-mouthed outsider offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. With the help of a trigger-happy car thief, he’ll face savage marauders driving vehicles of destruction and other dangers of the open road, including a deranged clown who drives an all too familiar ice cream truck.

Doe is a smart-ass milkman who talks as fast as he drives. With no memory of his past, he gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make his wish of finding community come true, but only if he can survive an onslaught of savage vehicular combat.

Other PlayStation properties getting live-action adaptations includes an Uncharted movies led by Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, an HBO series version of The Last of Us, and a feature film based on Ghost of Tsushima from John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

‘Eternals’: Kit Harington Suggests Dane Whitman Won’t Have Powers & Isn’t Aware Of Black Knight’s Future In The MCU

Chloe Zhao’s Eternals will be introducing the god-like heroes, The Deviants, and explaining The Celestials in bigger way than previous MCU projects. She’ll also give us an odd character as well, Dane Whitman played by Game of Thrones star Kit Harington.

Dane Whitman in the comics is known as the Avengers member Black Knight, however, in the trailer he seems like a normal human without any powers to speak of.

Well, that seems to be the case according to Harington in a new interview with Total Film suggesting that he’s a “normal” human and doesn’t giving the impression he’ll have powers, rather that his relationship with Gemma Chan’s Sersi will be the focus (there have been reports of a love triangle plot).

“The human character of the story. He’s not an Eternal. He’s a character who works with the Natural History Museum in London. But he’s not an Eternal – that’s the main takeaway!”

“I’ve got no idea whether my character goes on or not. I had read up on who he could be, or might be. So there’s the possibility for a longer trajectory. And hopefully, I think this is the tip of the iceberg for my character. I hope. But I just don’t know, you know? I’m as in the dark as anyone else. And I try not to live too far ahead in the future with anything. Even when I was in Game of Thrones, even on the sixth season, I presumed the seventh season wasn’t going to happen!”

Harington could certainly be playing coy, but officially there haven’t been any announcements concerning a Black Knight series or film project being in the works. That doesn’t mean that couldn’t change in the near future.

Maybe they’ll attempt to tease Black Knight at the end of Eternals with The Ebony Blade?

A magical blade forged by Merlin and Sir Percy from the Starstone meteorite. The Ebony Blade was enchanted to cut through any object, to prevent the death of its wielder, and to deflect any magic, but it also carried a curse that would slowly corrupt any user and cause a lust for violence, bloodshed, and death.

Black Knight could allow Marvel to venture more into the world of Arthurian/Sword & Sorcery genres, a big departure for the studio as a majority of MCU projects skew in the realm of action sci-fi. Shang-Chi had one of the first examples of true fantasy with the Ta-Lo sequences.

ETERNALS – The immortal heroes, the Eternals, came here 7,000 years ago, since the dawn of man, to “protect humans from the Deviants.” Sersi reveals that she hasn’t seen some of the other Eternal teammates for centuries. With the monstrous creatures, the Deviants, long thought lost to history, mysteriously return, Ikaris decides that it’s time for them to “find the others” and defend humanity once again. As the epic story unfolds, Sersi and Ikaris reunite with Kingo (played by Kumail Nanjiani), Sprite (played by Lia McHugh), Gilgamesh (played by Don Lee), Thena (played by Angelina Jolie), Makkari (played by Lauren Ridloff), Phastos (played by Brian Tyree Henry), and Druig (played by Barry Keoghan).

SOURCE: TOTAL FILM

Posted on in Television News

‘Armor Wars’: Walton Goggins Returning As Villain Sonny Burch?

Armor Wars is an upcoming Disney+ series from Marvel Studios that will give Don Cheadle’s War Machine his own solo project after years of teases of the character getting a spinoff pic going back to the press tour for Iron Man 2 back in 2010.

With head writer Yassir Lester (Black Monday) attached it looks like things will finally moving forward and as the title suggests will adapt the iconic Iron Man storyline from Marvel Comics, instead placing Rhodey in the lead role.

Armor suit technology gets into the hands of the black market and various villains, allowing for a multitude of unused Iron Man villains to finally get moment in the spotlight like Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man among others. One of the key characters in the comic was Justin Hammer, a villain played by Oscar-winner Sam Rockwell and is expected to return in some capacity.

A listing on IMDB from stuntman Rex Reddick now suggests that Walton Goggins’ Sonny Burch from Ant-Man & The Wasp might be returning for the series, as Reddick will apparently double for Goggins on the show for at least one episode.

Reddick isn’t a stranger to Marvel projects and has previously done stunt work on Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.2, Ant-Man, Ant-Man & The Wasp, Agent Carter, and WandaVision.

We still should totally take the listing with a pinch of salt for the moment until there is further confirmation.

Goggins is no stranger to genre projects with credits such as Predators, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, Tomb Raider, Machete Kills, The Shield, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, and the hit Amazon animated superhero series Invincible.

Could Sonny Burch have been working for Justin Hammer the entire time while he was stuck behind bars? Burch could also take the Hammer role if they’re not able to wrangle Rockwell back due to scheduling. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

There is a possibility that Riri Williams (debuting in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) could appear in the show as she builds her own armor and might get on the radar of War Machine.

SOURCE: IMDB