Quentin Tarantino Once “Considered” Remaking His Iconic Robbery Thriller ‘Reservoir Dogs’ As His Last Movie; “I Won’t Do It, Internet”

Quentin Tarantino is making the press rounds to promote his new novelization of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood that expands upon the Oscar-winning pic and stopped by the stages of Real Time With Bill Maher last night. The director briefly reiterated his plan to retire after completing his tenth and final feature film, while also teasing something interesting at the same time.

Tarantino revealing that, at one time, he considered remaking Reservoir Dogs as his tenth and final movie.

“I’ve actually considered about doing a remake of Reservoir Dogs as my last movie. I won’t do it, internet, alright, but I considered it,” Tarantino said when asked if Reservoir Dogs would be different if he had made the film with his current level of experience as a filmmaker.

RESERVOIR DOGS – Six criminals with pseudonyms, and each strangers to one another, are hired to carry out a robbery. The heist is ambushed by police and the gang are forced to shoot their way out. At their warehouse rendezvous, the survivors, realizing that they were set up, try to find the traitor in their midst.

It’s interesting because he’s been talking up a Vega Brothers movies for decades, but since Michael Madsen’s Vic Vega and John Travolta’s Vincent Vega were killed in their respective movies it would make things unbelievable as the actors are much much older at this point. A remake could have potentially scratched that itch.

He’s mentioned in the past his desire to return the world of gangsters and thieves, with a Pretty Boy Floyd-type film, but never executed on that idea. His favorite director Sergio Leone tackled the genre with Once Upon A Time In America starring Robert De Niro, the title of Tarantino’s last film was an obvious nod to both Leone’s western Once Upon A Time In The West and the aforementioned gangster flick.

Tarantino has previously said he’s written but a bunch of episodes of his Bounty Law spinoff series, and has suggested he’ll tackle that before attempting his final movie. Although, retirement to Quentin Tarantino is likely going to look a little different than what most would imagine, as he plans to write books and potentially write/produce/direct television projects.

Reservoir Dogs was my first introduction to Quentin Tarantino slightly before Pulp Fiction landed in rental stores and cable. I have a huge attachment to Tarantino’s first directorial debut but can also see how it could be improved or expanded with a reboot, given it’s scope could have been more on the level of a Martin Scorsese gangster epic if it had a larger budget to work with. However, the original is still extremely charming and even more impressive when you learn it was only made for $1.2 million when it feels like it cost significantly more.

He wouldn’t be the first filmmaker to attempt to revisit or reboot their own material, director Michael Mann famously turned his television pilot L.A. Takedown into the fantastic Al Pacino and Robert De Niro flick Heat. The latter is obviously the superior of the two, becoming one of the best crime films ever made and Heat is easily one of the films that Mann is best known for.

It is worth noting that he’s talked about these projects and nothing really becomes of them. Something like Kill Bill 3 has been another thing he’s talked-up for ages and was said to be speaking with Uma Thurman about it not too long ago. I still have major doubts it’ll ever get made outside of a book or series.

Tarantino had been working with screenwriter Mark L. Smith (The Revenant) on a Star Trek film at Paramount Pictures, but seemingly won’t be happening as development has stalled.

SOURCE: REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER

‘Halo’ Showrunner Steven Kane Exiting Paramount+ Series Once Season 1 Is Complete

One of the more interesting video game adaptations is a new live-action series based on Microsoft’s Halo franchise from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television, the project having multiple production shake-ups from losing director M.J. Bassett and even one of it’s showrunners Kyle Killen.

Well, even before it has aired on Paramount+ after switching from Showtime, the sci-fi series has lost a second showrunner. Variety reports that Steven Kane (The Last Ship) is exiting once Season 1 has been completed, star Pablo Schreiber (plays Master Chief) had teased on Instagram that filming in Budapest, Hungary, was wrapping-up and has since been travelling with family.

Halo’s cast also consists of Bookem Woodbine, Charlie Murphy, Olive Gray, Kate Kennedy, Yerin Ha, Jen Taylor, Shabana Azmi, Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac, and Danny Spani.

Otto Bathurst, Jonathan Liebesman, Roel Reine, and Jessica Lowery are directing various episodes.

Amblin could certainly find a new showrunner to handle Season 2, but there hasn’t even been a sign that Halo is even going to get a second season. The show I imagine is extremely pricey as it filmed in Budapest where other high-profile sci-fi projects have shot such as Blade Runner 2049, Terminator: Dark Fate, and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune remake. It’ll be interesting to see how audiences react to the series when it debuts on Paramount+ in 2022 and if it becomes their flagship series at Paramount+ or they simply finish with a single season.

In the meantime, it was announced that Amblin would partnering with Netflix on a wave of new feature films and The Ronin revealed that Halo director Otto Bathurst is attached to helm/produce an Aurthian show Warlord Chronicles for Epix based on the Bernard Cornwell novels. This development came after his period gangster series Peaky Blinders has ended it’s run. So, it might be difficult to coax Bathurst to return as well.

It’s been an abnormally long production for everyone involved with Halo due to the pandemic that started back in the fall of 2019 and only recently wrapped, which likely has exhausted a lot of people involved with Halo. It’s crew includes production designer Sophie Becher (Mars) alongside cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub (Stargate, Independence Day, Black Book, Ninja Assassin) handling the bulk of the show’s episodes. There is also the expectation the action will be great after hiring stunt coordinator Tom Struthers, who has a laundry list of credits such as The Dark Knight, Dunkirk, Dune, Inception, and The Dark Knight Rises.

SOURCE: VARIETY

Warner Bros. Bumps Release Of Denis Villeneuve’s Sci-Fi Epic ‘Dune’ To October 22

While folks will get a chance to see early screenings of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune at the Venice and Toronto film festivals, Warner Bros. has officially delayed the film’s mainstream release from October 1 to October 2. The news mentioned by Aaron Couch from The Hollywood Reporter on his Twitter account.

This release date update likely won’t make sci-fi fans like myself happy but folks need to understand that studios will continue to shift release dates over 2021. I wouldn’t be shocked if we see even more changes from Warner Bros. in the coming weeks and months.

Legendary is hoping that Dune becomes a big hit for them as they’re already developing Dune: Part Two based on the second half of the original Frank Herbert novel and an HBO Max series, Dune: The Sisterhood, is also in the works. There are six books in the original run from Frank Herbert and countless other books set within the Dune universe to pull from if Legendary wants to make a heap of sequels and shows. They have plenty of source material to work with.

DUNE – A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, DUNE tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

The film stars Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet (“Call Me by Your Name,” “Little Women”), Rebecca Ferguson (“Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep,” “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”), Oscar Isaac (the “Star Wars” franchise) Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (“Milk,” “Avengers: Infinity War”), Stellan Skarsgård (HBO’s “Chernobyl,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron”), Dave Bautista (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, “Avengers: Endgame”), Stephen McKinley Henderson (“Fences,” “Lady Bird”), Zendaya (“Spider-Man: Homecoming,” HBO’s “Euphoria”), David Dastmalchian (“Blade Runner 2049,” “The Dark Knight”), Chang Chen (“Mr. Long,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”), Sharon Duncan-Brewster (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” Netflix’s “Sex Education”), with Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years,” “Assassin’s Creed”), with Jason Momoa (“Aquaman,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men,” “Skyfall”).

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

EXCLUSIVE: Cinematographer Dan Laustsen Confirmed For ‘John Wick 4’

The Ronin can confirm that cinematographer Dan Laustsen is set to return for John Wick 4 and will reunite with director Chad Stahelski. He previously worked on John Wick: Chapter 2, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, The Shape of Water, and most recently tackled Guillermo del Toro’s Searchlight Pictures thriller Nightmare Alley that had been finishing up production in Toronto during the pandemic.

Laustsen’s return was assumed but it’s now set in stone as production is about to begin in Germany.

Casting has been underway for John Wick 4 with some impressive new additions joining Keanu Reeves such as Japanese action star Horiyuki Sanada as Watanabe, Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen playing Wick’s old pal, Atomic Blonde’s Bill Skarsgard, Stowaway’s Shamier Anderson, and the film’s female lead played by Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama. While it’s unknown if we’ll see Asia Kate Dillion, Common or Halle Berry return, franchise stars Laurence Fishburne and Ian McShane are set to reprise their roles.

Blade star Wesley Snipes bad been in discussions for a part in the fourth installment but it reportedly didn’t work out.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum ended with John Wick surviving the fall from the roof of The Continental hotel after Ian McShane’s Winston shot him. Winston’s motivations weren’t entirely clear as he didn’t seem shocked that Mr. Wick got away and could be giving The High Table a false sense of security. Wick eventually lands at the feet of Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King, who had his organization taken away from him by The High Table and convinces John to go to war with him against the mysterious group of criminal syndicate puppet masters. 

The sequel will begin filming soon at Studio Babelsberg just outside Berlin, Germany, where franchise star Keanu Reeves shot The Matrix 4 last year with director Lana Wachowski. Other locations are said to include Paris, New York City, and Japan.

John Wick 4 will hit the big screen on May 27, 2022 and Lionsgate had confirmed plans to make John Wick: Chapter 5, but will no longer shoot back-to-back with the next installment. Franchise creator and architect, Derek Kolstad, stated that he won’t be involved in the next two films and suggested John Wick 5 could be the final pic.

‘True Love’: Gemma Chan, Danny McBride & Benedict Wong Joining John David Washington In Original Sci-Fi Movie From ‘Godzilla’ & ‘Rogue One’ Director Gareth Edwards

British director Gareth Edwards is set to return to the sci-fi genre after helming films such as Monsters, Godzilla (Legendary’s first Monsterverse installment), and Lucasfilm’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He’ll be writing and directing an original project titled True Love for New Regency and already has Tenet’s John David Washington attached as the film’s male lead.

There is news of a three more exciting additions to True Love’s cast, as Deadline says they’re in talks to have Gemma Chan (Humans, Captain Marvel, Eternals, Crazy Rich Asians), Danny McBride (Alien: Covenant, Eastbound & Down, This Is The End), and Benedict Wong (Prometheus, Doctor Strange, Annihilation, Sunshine, The Martian) take undisclosed roles in the secretive sci-fi flick.

Chan is playing Sersi in Marvel’s Eternals from Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao and the project will increase her profile with international audiences after briefly appearing in Captain Marvel before landing bigger MCU role, as Sersi is said to be the film’s main protagonist. We shouldn’t be shocked if Gemma Chan ends up playing the female lead opposite John David Washington.

Details on True Love is scarce but is going to take place in the near-future and I have to assume the title is alluding to a romance angle. It’ll be interesting to see if the film will have extensive special effects or slightly scaled-back than Edwards’ previous feature films. Gareth Edwards famously shot Rogue One for Lucasfilm only to have Tony Gilroy to come in at great expense to Disney as he rewrote and reshot multiple scenes, leading to Gilroy being tapped to oversee the Andor series (expected to get a second season) that stars Diego Luna as his Rebellion spy character Cassian Andor. Having more creative control will likely be important to the filmmaker and why it’s taken this long for Edwards to finally pick his next project.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

New ‘Shang-Chi’ Trailer Includes A Fight Scene With Hulk Villain Abomination; Are We Going Back To Madripoor?

A brand new trailer for Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings has been released by Marvel Studios and is seems to reveal some big things. Such as Tim Roth’s Emil Blonsky aka Abomination in some sort of illegally fighting ring, which might just be located in Madripoor. The seedy island nation recently introduced in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier. and the hide-out for people ducking the U.S. government.

Also, Blonsky seems to be fighting someone connected to Doctor Strange and they were smart enough to hide his face, so we can’t confirm if it’s Benedict Wong’s character Wong or someone else. Although, it’s likely Wong.

I’m curious if Shang-Chi will have connections to the She-Hulk series.

I did theorize that in the last trailer we saw a flag of Madripoor in the background, while others assumed it was related to Captain America/John Walker. The lawless country would certainly be a place where Blonsky could hide from U.S. government just like Sharon Carter aka The Power Broker. I’m curious if the Ten Rings/Madripoor will be showing up in things like Armor Wars and She-Hulk.

There is also a glimpse of the dragon, The Great Protector.

Check out the new trailer below.

SHANG-CHI & THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS – Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings” stars Simu Liu 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.

Joining Simu Liu in the Marvel cast includes Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chi’s friend Katy, and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan, as well as Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu, and Ronny Chieng. Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and produced by Kevin Feige and Jonathan Schwartz, with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Charles Newirth serving as executive producers. David Callaham & Destin Daniel Cretton & Andrew Lanham wrote the screenplay for the film, and experience it in theaters on September 3, 2021.

James Gunn Reveals Universal Rejected His ‘Creature From The Black Lagoon’ Remake After The Success Of ‘Dawn Of The Dead’

Many know James Gunn thanks to directing credits on projects like Guardians of The Galaxy and his upcoming DC Comics film The Suicide Squad, but made waves because of his writing work on the hit Zack Snyder-directed zombie flick Dawn of The Dead, a remake of the classic George A. Romero movie.

During a fan Q&A on Instagram, James Gunn (taking a break from the filming of Peacemaker) revealed that in the wake of Dawn of The Dead’s success in 2004 he tried to get a Creature From The Black Lagoon remake (based on the 1954 film) that was ultimately turned down by Universal Pictures.

“I tried to do Creature From The Black Lagoon right after Dawn of The Dead, but they didn’t want me to do it,” James Gunn said when responding to a fan question on Instagram.

Remake plans at Universal go back to the early 1980s with various directors getting in the mix such as John Landis (An American Werewolf In London), John Carpenter (The Thing, Memoirs of An Invisible Man), Peter Jackson (The Frighteners, King Kong), Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters), and Guillermo del Toro (Crimson Peak, Blade II).

More recently, the studio had directors Breck Eisner (The Crazies, The Last Witch Hunter, The Expanse) and Carl Rinsch (47 Ronin) attached at various stages. Back in 2015, there were rumors from The Tracking Board that actress Scarlett Johansson was wanted for a lead role with a script from Jeff Blitz, Gary Ross, Tedi Sarafian and Paul Schering.

After plans for their Dark Universe collapsed, there was chatter that the Universal was considering to continue with a Black Lagoon remake, but concrete updates haven’t been announced.

CREATURE FORM THE BLACK LAGOON – Remnants of a mysterious animal have come to light in a remote jungle, and a group of scientists intends to determine if the find is an anomaly or evidence of an undiscovered beast. To accomplish their goal, the scientists (Antonio Moreno, Richard Carlson, Richard Denning, Whit Bissell) must brave the most perilous pieces of land South America has to offer. But the terrain is nothing compared to the danger posed by an otherworldly being that endangers their work and their lives.

While Universal was twiddling their thumbs with those remake plans, Guillermo del Toro made his own creature feature for Searchlight Pictures, The Shape of Water, that ended up becoming a commercial success and landed Oscar statues for Best Picture and Best Director.

James Gunn would go on to direct Slither and Super before getting hired by Marvel Studios to help launch their successful Guardians of The Galaxy franchise. He recently completed work on The Suicide Squad that has an August 6 release date and will begin shooting Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.3 before the end of 2021.

SOURCE: JAMES GUNN

‘Loki’ Director Kate Herron Confirms The God Of Mischief’s Bisexuality Is MCU Canon After The Big Reveal In Episode 3

While we won’t spoil anything else from the third episode of Loki, director Kate Herron took to Instagram yesterday to double-down on comments made by Tom Hiddleston’s character Loki about his sexual preference for both would-be princes and princesses.

A huge revelation that Loki is now canonically bisexual.

“From the moment I joined [the Loki series] it was very important to me, and my goal, to acknowledge Loki was bisexual. It is a part of who he is and who I am too. I know this is a small step but I’m happy, and heart is so full, to say that this is now canon in [the MCU],” the director said in a post on Instagram (See below).

Marvel has previously tipped-toed with same thing with Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie off-screen bisexuality by Thompson herself and endorsed by Kevin Feige, but this feels like the first time a major character has been established as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Will this be the only time it will be referenced? We’ll have to wait and see, but given that the character hasn’t really been given love interests in the past, it’s possible we might not see Loki establish same-sex relationships. But I would love to be wrong here.

One of the big things announced about Chloe Zhao’s Eternals is that Brian Tyree Henry’s character Phastos will be part of a loving same-sex family, establishing the Marvel Comics character as openly gay. I think fans are going to be excited to see themselves on the big and small screen as Marvel continues to grow their tent of representation, I’m sure folks are going to be watching carefully about how Marvel hopes to continue these character’s stories within the MCU beyond these reveals.

Loki still has more episodes to air on Disney+ and we’ll be curious to see if that comment is all we end up getting concerning his bisexuality. It’s certainly an encouraging start.

SOURCE: KATE HERRON

David Fincher’s Action Thriller ‘The Killer’ Starring Michael Fassbender Aiming To Begin Shooting This November In Paris; Oscar-Winning Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt Confirmed

We couldn’t be more excited about David Fincher returning to the thriller genre and his upcoming film The Killer sounds like something fans can really get behind. It will see him work with actor Michael Fassbender as an assassin in adaptation of the Alexis Nolent’s graphic novel that will have a script from Se7en’s Andrew Kevin Walker.

A man solitary and cold, methodical and unencumbered by scruples or regrets, the killer waits in the shadows, watching for his next target. And yet the longer he waits, the more he thinks he’s losing his mind, if not his cool. A brutal, bloody and stylish noir story of a professional assassin lost in a world without a moral compass, this is a case study of a man alone, armed to the teeth and slowly losing his mind.

Spanish outlet El Diario Vasco (via The Film Stage) spoke with Mank’s Oscar-winning cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, who confirmed his involvement and that they’re hoping to begin shooting this November in Paris, France. Messerschmidt’s previous credits include Raised By Wolves, Legion, Fargo, and Mindhunter.

While not officially attached for a role, Mank actress Lily Collins was spotted meeting with David Fincher in Paris and could signal she’ll join Michael Fassbender in the thriller.

Fassbender has completed production on Taika Waititi’s sports drama Next Goal Wins and David Sandberg’s satirical action flick Kung Fury 2. His recent films Dark Phoenix, The Snowman, Alien: Covenant, and Assassin’s Creed haven’t be huge box office successes, I’m sure the actor is hopeful The Killer will have a greater impact with audiences.

While this is the first graphic novel/comic book adaptation for David Fincher, it won’t be his first attempt to tackle genre material as his first feature film was Alien 3 and had been trying to direct a sequel to Brad Pitt’s World War Z until things fell apart.

A release date has yet to be announced but the film is produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, and will hit Netflix at some point in 2022.

SOURCE: EL DIARIO VASCO

‘Indiana Jones 5’: Harrison Ford Reportedly Injures Shoulder During Fight Scene Rehearsal

Indiana Jones 5 started shooting earlier this month at Pinewood Studios and other spots in the United Kingdom, however, there seems to be a bit of hiccup in filming and isn’t related to COVID-19. There is now a report coming from Deadline that Harrison Ford has injured his shoulder during a rehearsal of an upcoming fight scene. Director James Mangold is said to be shooting around Ford until it’s clear what his status and recovery looks like.

Harrison Ford hurt himself rehearsing a fight scene in Indiana Jones 5, sources tell Deadline. The extent of his injury wasn’t immediately known, but it involves his shoulder. Director James Mangold will continue to shoot around him while the appropriate course of treatment is evaluated. The filming schedule will be reconfigured as needed in the coming weeks.

This wouldn’t be the first injury for Ford, as he got hurt shooting J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens and given that he’s 78, various injuries along the way are expected on an action-centric sequel like Indiana Jones 5. Hopefully, Harrison Ford can have a speedy recovery and production can chug along.

The rest of the cast consists of British actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Solo: A Star Wars Story, Fleabag), Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (Fantastic Beasts 3, Casino Royale, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Another Round), German actor Thomas Kretschmann (King Kong, Valkyrie, Blade II).  Boyd Holbrook (The Predator, Narcos, Logan), Shaunette Renée Wilson (The Resident), and Toby Jones (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Captain America: The First Avenger).

Details have yet to be confirmed but a flashback scene that involves a Nazi train and Toby Jones had been shot recently, something most likely that will end up as the film’s opening sequence echoing Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade.

Indiana Jones 5 is set for release on July 29, 2022.

SOURCE: DEADLINE