Author: Christopher Marc

Posted on in Film News

‘John Wick 4’: Hiroyuki Sanada Joins Keanu Reeves & Donnie Yen; Will He Play A High Table Member?

John Wick 4 is quickly becoming one of the most anticipated action films alongside The Matrix. Another big name in action films has joined the upcoming sequel, as Collider reports that veteran Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada has joined the growing cast and plays a mysterious character named Watanabe.

While Sanada better known to western audiences for his Hollywood parts in projects like The Wolverine, Westworld, The Last Samurai, and Avengers: Endgame, he started in Japanese cinema as an action star similar to Sonny Chiba and would likely be able to do action scenes with limited help from a stunt double. 

The cast already consists of Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Laurence Fishburne, Donnie Yen, Shamier Anderson, Bill Skarsgard, and British singer-turned-actress Rina Sawayama.

He previously worked with Keanu Reeves in the fantasy film 47 Ronin.

It wouldn’t be shocking if Sanada is playing a member of The High Table as there is a seat from the Japanese Yakuza. Hiroyuki Sanada had been linked for a villain role in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, but had to drop out over scheduling issues. That part was High Table assassin Zero, who was played by Mark Dacascos.

Japan is also a confirmed filming location.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum ended with John 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. 

Production will kick-off this month at Germany’s Babelsberg Film Studios and has a release date from Lionsgate for May 27, 2022.

Franchise director Chad Stahelski returns for the four installment as the studio is pursuing John Wick 5 and having Stahelski tackle a Highlander reboot that may star Henry Cavill.

SOURCE: COLLDIER

Posted on in Film News

EXCLUSIVE: Matthew Vaughn’s Next Feature Film Enlists ‘Tetris’ Production Designer Daniel Taylor & ‘Fantastic Beasts 3’ Cinematographer George Richmond

The Ronin can confirm that Matthew Vaughn as hired Tetris production designer Daniel Taylor for next feature film at MARV Films, which is going under the working tile Argyle (all MARV Films projects use working titles giving a nod to the tailoring/clothing trade).

Matthew Vaughn has been notably been involved with comic book adaptations such as X-Men: First Class, Kick-Ass, Kingsman 1-2, and the upcoming Kingsman origin flick The King’s Man.

Daniel Taylor joins a production team that already has cinematographer George Richmond (Fantastic Beasts 3) on the roster, who we previously confirmed for the new project. Richmond worked on Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the Elton John biopic Rocketman, and the sports comedy Edddie The Eagle.

The pair recently worked with MARV Films biopic about the creation of the iconic video game Tetris, which stars British actor Taron Egerton (Kingsman 1-2, Rocketman, Eddie The Eagle).

A rumor from Giant Freaking Robot, suggests the film is a spy project. However, we cannot confirm those details or the potential casting information they are sharing in the report.

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 Film News

Paramount’s New ‘Power Rangers’ Movie Aiming For A 2023 Release Date According To Hasbro

Paramount Pictures and Hasbro are teaming up for a new feature film reboot of the Power Rangers, after Hasbro was able to get their hands on the rights from Saban alongside various stuff like My Pet Monster. The project won’t be continuation of the previous installment from Lionsgate and will likely see a new group of actors in the lead roles instead of having the previous lineup reprise their roles.

Jonathan Entwistle had been hired to direct the Power Rangers reboot, who is currently working on Lucasfilm’s Willow series that is filming in Wales and will debut on Disney+ sometime next year. He’s also apparently going to be involved in a Power Rangers series as well.

Well, it sounds like Hasbro has an idea of when Paramount might release the new movie.

What looks to be like an official press release from Hasbro for a Licensing Convention in Brazil (spotted on by fans on Twitter), briefly mentions that the next film will be released in 2023. The screenshot comes of the event’s website.

Here is a rough English translation.

Power Rangers is a global phenomenon! A unisex brand with more than 90% knowledge, present in over 180 countries since the 90s! With more than USD 10 billion in retail sales in the most diverse categories, Power Rangers has in its DNA a lot of Action, Emotion, Teamwork, Diversity and Humor! With a movie release planned for 2023, Power Rangers is a streaming success, with more than 26 seasons and 900 episodes available on Netflix and has a very active fan community with over 2.8 million followers on Facebook, 330,000 on Instagram and another 140,000 on Twitter! Its 29th season, called Dino Fury is ready to be released!

However, until Paramount Pictures adds the film to their 2023 release slate we should treat this as a rumor for the moment.

SOURCE: LICENSING CON

Posted on in Film News

‘Predator 5’ May Have Added Three Unknowns To The Sci-Fi Action Film’s Cast

The Ronin is hearing that a trio of unknowns might have roles in 20th Century Studios’ next installment of the Predator franchise. The project directed by Dan Trachtenberg shares the same casting director as Martin Scorsese’s Killers of The Flower Moon, which hinted to unknowns potentially joining Predator 5’s cast. Production began recently in Calgary and creature effects house Studio ADI confirmed their return to the franchise.

Those three unconfirmed names are model/activist Quannah Chasinghorse, musician Dakota Beavers, and Harlando Khat.

UPDATE: We’ve learned two more names with Cree actor Tymon Carter and Skye Pelletier.

The Ronin mentioned almost a full month ago they might be pursuing unknowns for the sci-fi movie.

We’re still waiting on casting announcements concerning who’ll be playing the humans in the new film, but we’re hearing that Dan might end up hiring unknowns for some of the lead roles.

Filming is expected to wrap in August.

We’ve confirmed a while ago that Kyle Strauts (The Predator) would be back in the predator suit and mentioned Amber Midthunder (Legion, The Ice Road) as the potential lead actress on the project, the latter was backed-up by Discussing Film.

The film is reportedly going to involve a group of Comanche warriors with a female protagonist, assumed to be played by Amber Midthunder and would suggest this could be the first Predator installment that entirely takes place before the events of John McTiernan’s original installment. Given the project’s setting, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them fill out roles with a bunch of new actors.

Predator 5’s production team consists of cinematographer Jeff Cutter (10 Cloverfield Lane), production designer Kara Lindstrom (Den of Thieves), and stunt coordinator Steven McMichael (Damnation).

A big thanks to Nicholas Whitcomb, who has been helping with our recent Predator and Alien franchise coverage. Please give him a follow over on Twitter and subscribe to his channel on YouTube. Nick and I previously worked together at HN Entertainment, we both share a mutual passion for these two sci-fi franchises.

Disney hasn’t given Predator 5 an official release day but trades had suggested a possible drop next summer.

PREDATOR – Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a soldier of fortune, is hired by the U.S. government to secretly rescue a group of politicians trapped in Guatemala. But when Dutch and his team, which includes weapons expert Blain (Jesse Ventura) and CIA agent George (Carl Weathers), land in Central America, something is gravely wrong. After finding a string of dead bodies, the crew discovers they are being hunted by a brutal creature with superhuman strength and the ability to disappear into its surroundings.

Posted on in Film News

Sony Pictures Says ‘Morbius’ Isn’t Part Of The MCU After Jared Leto’s Co-Star Tyrese Gibson Mistakenly Said It Was

Yesterday, Comic Book spoke with Fast & Furious franchise actor Tyrese Gibson, as he is on the promotional tour for Universal’s F9. The outlet is known for poking and prodding actors for any kind of tidbit about upcoming comic book films and television shows, along with the exhausting task of asking everyone they interview what superheroes they want to play if they’re not already doing so or grilling them about various internet rumors.

Gibson happens to be playing Simon Stroud in Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff, Morbius, and this led to a misleading comment from the actor declaring the upcoming Jared Leto film was indeed part of the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Something that sounded extremely perplexing because Marvel Studios, as far as we know, has zero involvement in projects like Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, and Kraven The Hunter. Sony Pictures had previously made it publicly known that their Spider-Man spinoffs would be part of a cinematic universe adjacent to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Gibson’s statement was indeed incorrect, as GameSpot reached out to Sony Pictures and the studio confirmed Morbius is still in their own splinter cinematic universe and not part of the MCU.

GameSpot has confirmed that Morbius is still slated to come out on January 28, 2022. Additionally, the movie is not part of the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is a part of Sony Pictures’ Universe of Marvel characters, contrary to what Tyrese Gibson said in the interview below.

We’ll have to chalk it up to Gibson being part of another franchise with spinoffs and just assuming everything Marvel is under the same umbrella. Fans seem to be just as confused as they tend to listen to online theories instead of the studios making the films in question, as mentioned above Sony clarified this months ago.

This comes after Venom: Let Them Be Carnage director Andy Serkis said their film is set in it’s own world and the characters aren’t even aware of Spider-Man. Seemingly confirming that the Venom sequel won’t be part of the MCU either.

The confusion likely stems from Michael Keaton’s Vulture showing up at the end of the film’s trailer, a character that appeared in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, but is ultimately owned by Sony Pictures to do with what they’d like.

MORBIUS – One of Marvel’s most compelling and conflicted characters comes to the big screen as Oscar-winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero, Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed and transforms this healer into a hunter.

SOURCE: GAME SPOT

Posted on in Television News

Disney+ Will Continue Dropping Original Series Episodes On Wednesdays & Original Films On Fridays

When Marvel’s Loki series moved from the traditional Fridays to Wednesdays, it felt like a shift in how Disney+ would be dropping original programming as Fridays had been traditionally meant for their big Star Wars and Marvel shows.

However, Deadline is reporting that the streaming is planning to keep original shows for Wednesdays as Fridays will be for original films. The news seems to stem from a new press release of show release dates.

Going forward, the streamer will drop all of its originals on Wednesdays. This will include all original scripted, unscripted and animated series. ..Disney+ Original Movies will continue to premiere on Fridays.

I have to assume this will include Premier Access films are continuing to stick with Fridays such as Marvel’s Black Widow and other projects that will be heading to that added pay service in the future. I’m slightly curious if this means they’ll be aiming to release a greater number of original films weekly and could suggest some stuff that was meant for the big screen could be tossed on Disney+ instead, like the last two Pixar films, Soul and Luca.

Upcoming Disney+ original series coming in the not too distant future include Willow, What…If?, Ms. Marvel, The Book of Boba Fett, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, Moon Knight, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Secret Invasion, Armor Wars, The Guardians of The Galaxy Holiday Special, Ironheart, Echo, and much much more.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

‘Alien’ Series Creator Noah Hawley Wanted To Watch Neill Blomkamp’s ‘Alien 5’ Movie; “I Would Have Paid Money To See That”

There has been lots of fantastic artwork from Niell Blomkamp’s Alien 5 aka Red Harvest making the rounds online thanks to concept artist Geoffroy Thoorens (new concept art pictured above). It looks like the former Blomkamp project is getting some support from another creative working within the Alien franchise.

Deadline sat down with Fargo’s Noah Hawley and the subject of his new Alien series was brought up, but he wasn’t dishing details. However, when talking about the franchise’s legacy of directors, Noah mentioned that he wanted to have seen Neill Blomkamp’s unmade Alien 5 starring Sigourney Weaver in the Ellen Ripley role. A sequel that would have acted as a direct companion to James Cameron’s Aliens, resurrecting characters that died early on in David Fincher’s Alien 3.

“For five minutes Neill Blomkamp was going to make an Alien movie, I would have paid money to see that,” Hawley told Deadline during a video podcast chat.

As far as we know, Neill Blomkamp doesn’t have a desire to return after 20th Century Fox pulled-the-plug to make Ridley Scott’s lackluster Alien: Covenant. Scott has mentioned in previous interviews that he’s speaking with the studio about a third prequel film and is attached as a producer on the new streaming series led by Hawley.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

‘Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania’ May Have Already Started Shooting In London According To Paul Rudd

As Tom Hiddleston’s Loki series could help introduce audiences to Jonathan Major’s Ant-Man 3 villain Kang The Conqueror, the sequel shooting under the working title Dust Bunny might have already started filming in England.

Ant-Man actor Paul Rudd mentioned on an Instagram post on NFL player Tyreek Hill’s account (spotted by The Direct) that he’s filming the sequel in London (Pinewood Studios UK). Franchise co-star Evangeline Lilly had previously stated on Instagram it would have a July production start, so, it’s possible Paul Rudd meant he’s simply in London to film Ant-Man 3 (actually filming happening later as he doesn’t say it specifically started) or it may have indeed already started production. Either way it’s exciting stuff for Ant-Man fans.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQHcrvRhfxb/

SOURCE: TYREEK HILL

Posted on in Film News

Vin Diesel Comments On Rumored Role In James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ Sequels; “I Have Not Filmed Yet”

You might remember a cheeky video that was posted by Vin Diesel on Instagram back in April 2019 that had the Fast & Furious actor visiting director James Cameron on the Manhattan Beach Studios set of the Avatar sequels, where they shoot the motion-capture sequences. This originally gave fans the impression that Diesel could be joining the Cameron’s new Avatar movies in some capacity but nothing was ever officially announced, only speculated.

This was only bolstered because Vin’s Fast & Furious franchise co-star Michelle Rodriguez played SecOps pilot Trudy Chacon in the first Avatar installment.

Well, MTV News caught-up with Diesel during the promotional rounds for F9 and asked him directly about joining the massive sci-fi franchise. However, it sounds like if we’ll see Diesel in these movies, it won’t be until Avatar 4 or Avatar 5 as he says he hasn’t filmed anything “yet.” It’s been well established that James Cameron has completed motion-capture/live-action photography on Avatar 2 an Avatar 3.

Diesel responded with the following when asked if he’ll appear in the sequels, “I have spent time with [James Cameron], but I have not filmed yet. [smiles while pausing] I love James Cameron, and I love the series, and I think it’s safe to say that we will be working together.”

Hopefully, Avatar 2 will stick to it’s current release date of December 16, 2022.

AVATAR – On the lush alien world of Pandora live the Na’vi, beings who appear primitive but are highly evolved. Because the planet’s environment is poisonous, human/Na’vi hybrids, called Avatars, must link to human minds to allow for free movement on Pandora. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paralyzed former Marine, becomes mobile again through one such Avatar and falls in love with a Na’vi woman (Zoe Saldana). As a bond with her grows, he is drawn into a battle for the survival of her world.

SOURCE: MTV NEWS

Posted on in Film News

‘The Marvels’: South Korean Actor Park Seo-Joon Rumored For Role; Played Min In Oscar-Winner ‘Parasite’

We might be getting an actor from Best Picture winner Parasite in Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels, if a new casting rumor ends up getting confirmed. South Korean actor Park Seo-Joon, who had a small role as tutor Min in Parasite is being mentioned by a local outlets as landing an offer/in talks for an undisclosed role in the Captain Marvel sequel.

Forbes points out mainstream news outlets haven’t chimed-in on the casting alongside the actor’s agency or Marvel Studios.

International outlets have been able to land these types of casting stories in the past, however, we should be cautious until there is further confirmation.

He wouldn’t be the first South Korean actor to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Claudia Kim played Dr. Helen Cho (mother of Amadeus Cho) in Avengers: Age of Ultron and has Train To Busan’s Don Lee taking the role of Gilgamesh in Chloe Zhao’s Eternals.

If confirmed, Park Seo-Joon would join Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, newcomer Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, and Zawe Ashton is reportedly playing the film’s villain. There is also an expectation the sequel will share cast members with the Disney+ series Secret Invasion as the cosmic organization S.W.O.R.D. will have a large role in both MCU projects.

I’m sure fans are curious if we’ll see other characters join the roster such as Blue Marvel leading to the MCU version of The Ultimates and if it will have a larger connection to the Skrull invasion. It remains to be seen if villains like Jonathan Major’s Kang The Conqueror or Skrull Queen Veranke could be the threats or something else entirely.

The Marvels has a production team that includes cinematographer Sean Bobbitt (Judas & The Black Messiah) and production designer Cara Brower (Candyman). It’s confirmed to shoot primarily at Longcross Studios in Surrey, England under the working title of Jambalaya.

The sequel will be released on November 11, 2022.