Category: Film News

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WB’s ‘Mortal Kombat 2’ Casts Johnny Cage, Jade & Princess Kitana

Fans of the “Mortal Kombat” video game franchise learned this month of a bit of shakeup as the upcoming release of “Mortal Kombat 1” is expected to be a hard reboot rather than a continuation. When it comes to the theatrical side, New Line Cinema is putting together a new cast for their second new live-action film that sees director Simon McQuoid and producer James Wan returning for “Mortal Kombat 2.”

The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively revealed that the latest casting addition will be Adeline Rudolph (“Hellboy: The Crooked Man”) as Princess Kitana joining her “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” co-star Tati Gabrielle (“Uncharted”) who plays the deadly Jade and Kiwi actor Karl Urban (“The Boys”) as beloved big-mouth Hollywood action star, Johnny Cage.

If you’re not familiar with the video game lore a group of skilled fighters from Earth realm have to protect it from a group of monstrous and god-like fighters from Outworld that will eventually gain complete control over our realm if they win a certain amount of to-the-death tournaments. The video game first burst onto the scene in the early 1990s which was strictly an arcade game that eventually was ported for home consoles and was the violent competitor to Capcom’s extremely popular “Street Fighter.”

Filming will take place in Australia again like the first installment which boasted a hefty cast that included Lewis Tan (“Deadpool 2”) as Cole Young; Jessica McNamee (“The Meg”) as Sonya Blade; Josh Lawson (“Bombshell”) as Kano; Tadanobu Asano (“Kate”) as Lord Raiden; Mehcad Brooks (“Supergirl”) as Jackson “Jax” Bridges; Ludi Lin (“Aquaman”) as Liu Kang; with Chin Han (“The Dark Knight”) as Shang Tsung; Joe Taslim (“Star Trek Beyond”) as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero; and Hiroyuki Sanada (“Skyscraper”) as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion. Also featured are Max Huang as Kung Lao and Sisi Stringer as Mileena.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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Lionsgate Chairman Confirms ‘John Wick 5’ In Development & Teases More Wickaverse Films

This month the “John Wick” franchise has earned an impressive $1 billion at the global box office, which is a huge achievement given the R-rated franchise has been able to increasingly grow it’s audience which each installment. The studio is already working on a handful of spinoffs but finally confirmed that a fifth installment is going ahead.

During a Lionsgate earnings call via SlashFilm, studio chairman Joseph Drake has revealed that “John Wick 5” is indeed in development and suggests even more films are coming beyond the sequel and the spinoff “Ballerina,” starring Oscar-nominee Ana de Armas.

“We’re in development on 3 others, including [John Wick 5] and including a television series, ‘The Continental,’ will be airing soon. And so we’re building out the world and when that 5 movie comes, will be an organic — will be organically grown out of how we’re starting to tell those stories. But you can rely on regular cadence with John Wick.”

On the film side, Drake stopped short of revealing what what is coming other than “Ballerina” and “John Wick 5.” However, given how “John Wick 4” ended there is an expectation we could be seeing a film about Rina Sawayama‘s Akira or Donnie Yen’s Cane as a end credit scene teases that those two will finally come to blows. There had also been previous calls from fans to give Halle Berry‘s Sofia from “John Wick 3” her own film too and Laurence Fishburne‘s Bowery King could be further explored alongside other side characters.

Keanu Reeves will appear in “Ballerina” as that film takes place in during the six months between the third and fourth movies as Wick recovers from his injuries. That spinoff is set to be released in theaters with a prime summer date of June 7, 2024.

When it comes to “John Wick 5” the last film ***SPOILER ALERT*** seemingly kills John off-screen. Although, nothing says they didn’t fake his death potentially to avoid further retribution. Then again, if Wick is indeed dead another way to go would be hand off the franchise to Ana de Armas’ Rooney, who just happens to be another assassin from the Ruska Roma. Originally, it was said that the fourth and fifth film would be shot back-to-back but that ultimately didn’t happen.

We’re unsure when exactly “John Wick 5” might begin shooting as director Chad Stahelski is likely going to pursue one of his many other films in development such as the “Highlander” reboot and his samurai flick “Ghost of Tsushima” for Sony Pictures based on the acclaimed PlayStation video game.

SOURCE: LIONSGATE

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Renate Reinsve To Star Opposite Pedro Pascal In Zach Cregger’s New Horror Flick ‘Weapons’ At New Line

Last year, the twisty satirical horror film “Barbarian” made waves as filmmaker Zach Cregger made quite the critic and crowd pleasing film that not only provided some quality jump scares but also a decent commentary on modern society with was likely unexpected. The success of the streaming film led to a huge bidding war for his upcoming projects including a new “Magnolia” inspired horror film called “Weapons” that ultimately landed at New Line Cinema.

There is now some traction on the casting side of things with another interesting name being added to the original horror project. Earlier this week, it was revealed by The Hollywood Reporter that Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve (“The Worst Person In The World”) has nabbed a leading role in “Weapons” opposite Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”) in the new horror flick from Cregger.

Although, it’s unclear what their roles are and we’re still waiting on a more detailed plot synopsis as the only details about the film are sort of cryptic in nature. Then again, given the big twist of “Barbarian” it might be simply how they plan on keeping things secret until the film’s eventual theatrical release.

That aforementioned nod to Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 drama “Magnolia” is said to be more of the structure of the film as it’ll have interconnected stories taking place through the runtime, which likely means we’ll see these characters either interact at points or have some sort of connective tissue leading to the film’s climax. Whatever the actual execution or plan is for “Weapons” it certainly sounds like an ambitious endeavor on Cregger’s part.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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‘Thunderbolts’ Is Latest MCU Film Paused Due To WGA Strike, ‘Deadpool 3’ Next?

The Writers Guild of America strike is still ongoing as a deal still hasn’t been made between writers and studios. This has led to a handful of high-profile projects pausing until the strike has been resolved. One of those recent projects was Marvel’s big “Blade” reboot starring Mahershala Ali and just last night more MCU delays were announced.

Deadline revealed that both “Thunderbolts” and the Disney+ series “Wonder Man” have been paused alongside “Blade.” This is happening as writers from “Agatha: Coven of Chaos” and “Vision Quest” have been spotted on the picket line, which suggests those projects are currently without their writing staff.

“Captain America: New World Order” has been shooting in Atlanta but doesn’t look like principal photography is going to be halted for now (that could change). Although, any reshoots or pickups are said to be only taking place until after the strike is over, which makes perfect sense as those scenes tend to be rewritten or altered during the editing process.

“Deadpool 3” remains a big question mark but all signs are pointing that film is heading towards a production pause during the strike as well. There are also some rumblings from those working on the film that despite what fan sites and Twitter accounts have been claiming over the past week, “Deadpool 3” might not actually have started production and is said to begin filming sometime in June. As of this posting Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds nor Hugh Jackman have made any official announcement that filming is underway on social media accounts, which is odd as you might expect them to that given how active they are and had used social media to announce Jackman’s big return as Wolverine for the sequel. However, costume and camera tests are mostly likely what are happening at this stage ahead since cast members are only now arriving in England. It could help explain why Jackman was recently spotted in a production van with a trimmed beard but never mentioned the film.

Regardless if filming has started or not, next month is going to make shooting “Deadpool 3” even messier as the DGA deal comes to an end on June 30 and someone like guild member, Shawn Levy, isn’t expected to cross the picket line. So, it does feel like it’s only a matter of time before Marvel makes a similar announcement as they did for their other big summer productions like “Blade” and “Thunderbolts.” Given that we don’t see Marvel completing production in a month it’s not hard to imagine that “Deadpool 3” getting delayed too.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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Taika Waititi May Indeed Direct Scarlett Johansson In Disney’s ‘Tower Of Terror’ Movie

Disney is looking to release a new horror-themed film “Haunted Mansion,” which is loosely based on the popular theme park attraction. That’s isn’t the only project on the horizon that is connected to the parks as there had been plans on making a “Tower of Terror” movie and there seems to be confirmations of sorts that it’s still in some sort of development at the studio.

In a recent profile of actress Scarlett Johansson, Variety briefly supports a previous report from The DisInsider that Waititi is attached to direct the horror pic for Disney as the two worked together on the WWII movie “Jojo Rabbit.” But Variety failed to give any new concrete details of when that is exactly going to happen. The ride is directly connected to the “Twilight Zone” series and would certainly be a neat way for Disney to keep making horror films.

Step uneasily inside the infamous Hollywood Tower Hotel and find a dusty lobby frozen in time. Even the subdued hotel staff seems strangely out of another era. Suddenly a television set springs to life and Rod Serling welcomes you on a journey into the Twilight Zone. He reveals that on a gloomy Halloween night in 1939, some hotel patrons were riding the elevator when a violent storm struck the building… and they were never seen again. The hotel closed down and has stood empty ever since.

There had been some assumptions that after the actress’ legal headaches with Disney over money tied to Marvel’s “Black Widow” that something like “Tower of Terror” might have soured on her. However, given that Waititi is attached it could delay things even further given how busy the filmmaker is these days with multiple films he’s already attached to including a “Star Wars” film, a remake of “Flash Gordon,” and a new sci-fi pic “Klara & The Sun.”

SOURCE: VARIETY

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Kathryn Newton & Dan Stevens Nab Roles In Radio Silence’s Mysterious Universal Monsters Film

Universal Pictures once attempted to give their Universal Monsters franchise it’s own cinematic universe, which spectacularly failed after Tom Cruise’s “The Mummy” ended up a flop leading to the studio to pivot. Instead, they decided on allowing various filmmakers and writers to play within the sandbox, however, without all these new projects needing to inhabit the same cinematic space. This has led to a few mysterious projects that include one from the directing team of Radio Silence who previous made “Ready Or Not” and the last two “Scream” movies. They’ve been gearing up to shoot their film and have added some interesting names to the call-sheet.

One of the latest additions to the untitled film is “Ant-Man 3” actress Kathryn Newton according to The Hollywood Reporter. However, given the secrecy surrounding the mysterious film it is unclear what her role will be. Newton, of course, isn’t a strange to the horror genre after the body-switching slasher comedy “Freaky” and will be seen in Zelda Williams’ “Lisa Frankenstein” that has a script penned by Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody (“Juno,” “Jennifer’s Body”).

Other actors assembled the for the upcoming horror project includes Dan Stevens (“The Guest,” “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire”), Melissa Barrera, Angus Cloud, Alisha Weir, Kevin Durand, and Will Catlett.

We’re still unclear who or what the “monster” is going to be and how exactly it ties into the greater Universal Monsters mythology, but those details are likely to trickle-out eventually. It’s said the project was once called “Dracula’s Daughter” that involved kidnappers scooping up a bunch of youngsters with the Count’s daughter being in that group. But it’s unknown if that is still what is happening in this incarnation from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.

The untitled horror movie has been given a release date of April 19, 2024 by Universal.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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Tim Burton’s ‘Beetlejuice 2’ Cast Adds Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci & Catharine O’Hara

Tim Burton‘s “Beetlejuice” came out a year before he revitalized the superhero genre with “Batman.” After a nearly three decade attempt to make a sequel, it is finally coming to fruition with “Beetlejuice 2.” Warner Bros. is about to being shooting the sequel soon in London and it comes after star Michael Keaton had recreantly returned to the Bruce Wayne/Batman role for “The Flash” film. Burton, who back in the director’s chair, is slowly assembling quite the interesting cast and the newest acquisition is no different.

Backing up previous rumblings online, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that actor Willem Dafoe (“Poor Things”) has indeed joined the cast alongside fellow new additions such as Jenna Ortega (“Scream 6”), Justin Theroux (“Leftovers”), and Monica Bellucci (“Spectre”). Returning cast members include Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catharine O’Hara is now confirmed to be reprising the role of Lydia’s mother from the original pic.

In the first movie, Beetlejuice was more of an adversary than his cartoon counterpart and with Bellucci said to be playing the ghost’s wife in the sequel it could quell some of the more icky aspects of the 1988 installment. Mainly, Beetlejuice trying to marry a minor and could see the sequel lean more into the mythology established in that aforementioned cartoon series that explored the Netherworld (Land of The Dead) in more depth.

A script for the sequel was penned by Al Gough and Miles Millar, who had recently worked with Burton on his popular Netflix series “Wednesday” that starred Ortega as the titular character in the “Addams Family” revival.

The studio recently gave “Beetlejuice 2” a prime release date of September 6, 2024.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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Keanu Reeves Still Laments Not Landing Wolverine Role In Original ‘X-Men’ Film

X-Men fans are excited that Aussie actor Hugh Jackman is returning to play Wolverine one more time with Deadpool 3 giving the actor a second chance to say goodbye after previously having a deeply emotion death scene in Logan. It also gives director Shawn Levy an excuse to give Fox’s Singerverse a proper send-off after the franchise previously ended with thud during the wake of Disney acquiring 21st Century Fox. Jackman landing the beloved mutant part in the late 1990s is of the more interesting Hollywood stories as the mostly unknown stage actor had some stiff competition but ultimately landed the part once Scottish Dougray Scott had to exit the superhero flick to focus on John Woo’s Mission: Impossible 2. One of those more notable contenders that was in the mix was Canadian actor Keanu Reeves after having starred in the wildly popular cyberpunk flick The Matrix.

Today, during a Reddit Ask Me Anything session to promote the upcoming release of John Wick 4, Reeves reaffirmed losing out to Jackman for the Wolverine role in the original X-Men films was something his still laments.

When directly asked by a fan were any roles he regrets turning down the actor said, “No…but I did always want to play Wolverine.”

It’s a little heartbreaking to hear that over 20 years later that Reeves still considers it the one that got away. Also, a bit ironic that Reeves didn’t get the part since X-Men shot in Toronto, a city where he grew up, and Fox decided to pick an Australian to play a Canadian character.

Reeves is now pushing 60 and just is too long in the tooth to be playing the main version of Wolverine in the MCU once the studio actually hard-reboots the X-Men franchise after Deadpool 3 releases. The actor has been keen to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe since and studio head Kevin Feige has reiterated they’ve been trying to find a role for him multiple times. It does feel like he’ll end up finding something other than Wolverine and we’ll just have to wait to see that is.

SOURCE: REDDIT AMA

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Nosferatu: Aaron Taylor-Johnson & Ralph Ineson Join Robert Eggers’ Vampire Flick

Filmmaker Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse) has been trying to get his vampire film Nosferatu off the ground for a while now and it’s now currently in production in Prague with the names of the cast tricklingly out slowly. A lovely bit of casting for the period horror film was just revealed by Deadline as Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train, Outlaw King, Tenet) has been tapped for an undisclosed part in the remake of the classic 1922 German silent film. He’s also set for a second Marvel Comics role with the Sony film Kraven The Hunter, after playing the MCU version of Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron. One his more interesting parts was playing John Lennon in the biopic Nowhere Boy and sort of got on everyone’s radar after the R-rated comic book flick Kick-Ass.

Yorkshire actor Ralph Ineson (The Green Knight, Game of Thrones) is also said to have a role making this the third project he’s worked with Eggers. Ineson had a major role in The Witch, playing the family’s patriarch that leads them from their established community to build a life in the middle of the forest. He also shows up in The Northman in a small cameo towards the film’s climax.

The pair join a cast that consists of Lily-Rose Depp, Bill Skarsgard, Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, and Simon McBurney.

In the town of Wisbourg, estate agent Mr. Knock is pleased to receive a commission from Count Orlok to find a house for him. He dispatches his young assistant, Hutter, to Orlok’s castle in the far off Carpathians. He tells Hutter to get him to buy the vacant house just opposite Hutter’s own. Hutter arrives at his destination safely and the Count is all too eager to buy the proposed property especially after he sees a photo of Hutter’s pretty young wife Ellen. Hutter soon realizes the evil he’s dealing with and is locked away while Orlok makes his way by ship to Wisbourg. As Orlok travels to Wisbourg, plague descends in his wake and the people of Wisbourg begin to sense the coming of evil. Hutter eventually escapes Orlok’s castle determined to return home as quickly as possible but exhausted and ill, finds himself in hospital. Hutter nonetheless arrives home the same day as Orlok and the townsfolk begin to panic over the increasing number of deaths.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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‘Alien: Romulus’ Adds ‘Madame Web’ Actress Isabela Merced

The Alien franchise is in a really odd place these days as the theaterical IP is being mined for streaming with an Earthbound series coming from Noah Hawley and seventh feature film (not counting the the AVP installments) hailing from director Fede Álvarez (Don’t Breathe, The Evil Dead). The latter is ramping up production with casting in full-swing and we’ve finally got a second name attached to Alien: Romulus.

Another rising actress has been tapped for a lead role as Deadline reports that Isabela Merced (Sicario: Day of The Soldado, Madame Web, Sweet Girl) and will co-star alongside Cailee Spaeny (DEVS, Pacific Rim: Uprising). Merced isn’t a stranger to the horror genre as she was seen not too long ago in The Craft remake.

Production designer Naaman Marshall (Underwater, Mortal Kombat, Knock At The Cabin) and cinematographer Galo Olivares (Gretel & Hansel) are the main department heads on the sci-fi horror pic with more actors expected to be named in the coming weeks. We’re still waiting on concrete plot details for Alien: Romulus, where the film takes place within the Alien timeline, and when we can expect the film to drop on Hulu.

Álvarez helming the film was a bit of surprise given that current franchise producer Ridley Scott has long been trying to get a third prequel film, Alien: Awakening, off the ground as a follow-up to Alien: Covenant. At the end of that film, we saw David (Michael Fassbender) now in control of the ship along with the colonists that could be used for his xenomorph experiments. Daniels (Katherine Waterston) and Tennessee (Danny McBride) had survived their horrific ordeal as they’ve been placed back into hyper-sleep. However, it remains to be seen if we’ll ever see that third project come to fruition as Scott is getting ready to shoot his Gladiator sequel starring Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal (Aftersun) over the summer and will likely have more film projects to focus on beyond that as the filmmaker is very busy.

SOURCE: DEADLINE