‘Doctor Strange’s Scott Adkins To Kick People To Death In ‘John Wick 4’

Production on John Wick 4 is officially underway in Germany and another action star is expected to join the film’s lineup. According to Deadline, British martial arts actor Scott Adkins (The Expendables, Doctor Strange, Zero Dark Thirty) is in negotiations with director Chad Stahelski and Lionsgate to take an undisclosed role.

Adkins is best known for his impressive kicks and acrobatics. It’ll be interesting to see if he’ll be playing a villain working on behalf of the High Table.

Others joining Keanu Reeves in the sequel include 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.

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 Ronin recently confirmed cinematographer Dan Laustsen would be back behind the camera.

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.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Quentin Tarantino Reveals Jennifer Lawrence Almost Appeared In ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ As Squeaky Fromme

Quentin Tarantino and Jennifer Lawrence have been trying to work together since he was trying to assemble a cast for his western The Hateful Eight, as the actress was once being eyed to play the foul-mouthed outlaw Daisy Domergue. Tarantino confirmed the potential casting to Entertainment Weekly in 2015 and spoke about the missed opportunity being due to her extremely busy schedule.

“I can see her doing a good job with this role, so we went to talk about it and everything. She was just doing me a courtesy to see me, I think. She was doing Joy. She had to do all this publicity on the Hunger Games movies. There was just no fucking way in the world that she was available,” the filmmaker said.

They reportedly tried again to work together on Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, but that didn’t happen either. Tarantino briefly mentioned during an interview on the podcast WTF With Marc Maron (via The Playlist), that Jennifer Lawrence was supposed to play Manson Family mamma bear Squeaky Fromme in the film before Dakota Fanning ultimately took the part.

“Early on, in the pre-production of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, I flirted around with the idea of—and [by the way], I couldn’t be happier with what Dakota Fanning did, it’s one of the best performances in the movie, she’s amazing as Squeaky Fromme, she becomes [her]. But early on, I investigated the idea of Jennifer Lawrence playing Squeaky, so she came down to the house to read the script cause I wasn’t letting it out,” Tarantino told host Marc Maron about his early idea to cast Jennifer Lawrence as Fromme.

Considering that Quentin Tarantino is going to hang up his spurs as a feature film director with his tenth and final film, the pair are going to have to make sure they align their schedules or this might happen a third time.

SOURCE: WTF WITH MARC MARON

Quentin Tarantino Muses About A 3 Hour & 20 Minutes Cut Of ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ If He Had Been Able To Make It Longer

Quentin Tarantino fans like myself have longed for extended cuts of his films, case in point, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, is a version where the two movies are combined. However, this version hasn’t been released or if it has I certainly missed out on it.

This idea of extended cuts is more or less directors being allowed to show the film without studio expectations of runtime, the longer a movie if the theory is that audiences will get bored or will limit the amount of screenings that can be played in a theater.

When it came to Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, Tarantino left out a bunch of footage but decided to write a novelization of the film to expand those characters and the world they inhabit. During a chat with comedian/actor Marc Maron on his podcast WTF With Marc Maron (via The Playlist), Quentin revealed that if he were to assemble a longer cut with the footage he took out it could end up around 3 hours and 20 minutes.

“I think if I were to put it all together, in a way where I would use everything that I wanted and didn’t have to worry about time, it would probably be around 3 hours and 20 minutes or something,” Tarantino said to host Marc Maron.

Hopefully, that version can see the light of day but I wouldn’t count your chickens, just yet.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD – Actor Rick Dalton gained fame and fortune by starring in a 1950s television Western, but is now struggling to find meaningful work in a Hollywood that he doesn’t recognize anymore. He spends most of his time drinking and palling around with Cliff Booth, his easygoing best friend and longtime stunt double. Rick also happens to live next door to Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate — the filmmaker and budding actress whose futures will forever be altered by members of the Manson Family.

SOURCE: WTF WITH MARC MARON

Director Rian Johnson Announces He’s Started Shooting ‘Knives Out 2’ In Greece

Director Rian Johnson has taken to Twitter to officially announced that cameras have started rolling on Knives Out 2 in Greece.

The impressive cast of Knives Out 2 already consists of Daniel Craig (No Time To Die), Dave Bautista (Blade Runner 2049, Spectre, Guardians of The Galaxy, Army of The Dead), Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk, Rounders, Moonrise Kingdom), Janelle Monae (Moonlight, Hidden Figures), Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision), Jessica Henwick (The Matrix 4, Game of Thrones), Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), Madelyn Cline, and Leslie Odom Jr. (Murder On The Orient Express, One Night In Miami).

The Ronin previously confirmed that cinematographer Steve Yeldin would reuniting, yet again, with Johnson for the sequel.

The setting of Greece would suggest that the sequel will likely focus on a murder in a hotel, cruise ship, or possibly among a group of American tourists.

The Knives Out sequels made headlines when Netflix closed a massive deal with Johnson and Craig worth a massive $400 million to secure the next two installments.

KNIVES OUT – The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure — everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.

SOURCE: RIAN JOHNSON

Filming On ‘John Wick 4’ Has Officially Started In Germany; Lionsgate Releases First Set Photo

Well, it’s official! Lionsgate has announced on Twitter that their next installment of the John Wick franchise has officially started filming at Babelsberg Studios in Germany.

John Wick 4 will see 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.

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 Ronin recently confirmed cinematographer Dan Laustsen would be back behind the camera.

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.

SOURCE: LIONSGATE

Tom Hardy Action Pic ‘Havoc’ Taps Timothy Olyphant & Jessie Mei Li For Roles; Helmed By ‘The Raid’ Director Gareth Evans

Netflix is developing a new crime action film from director Gareth Evans, the main man behind the two fantastic installments on The Raid franchise. The new project, Havoc, sounds like it will be a solid crime flick with Tom Hardy and Forest Whitaker headlining the project.

The action pic takes place after a drug deal gone wrong and centers on a bruised detective who must fight his way through a criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son, while unraveling a deep web of corruption and conspiracy that ensnares his entire city.

Variety reports a string of casting additions have joined Havoc, they include Timothy Olyphant (The Mandalorian, Justified, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood), Justin Cornwell (Training Day, Umbrella Academy), Jessie Mei Li (Shadow & Bone, Last Night In Soho), Malaysian actress Yeo Yann Yann, Quelin Sepulveda, character actor Luis Guzmán (Boogie Nights, Carlito’s Way), Sunny Pang (Heatshot), and UFC MMA fighter Michelle Waterson.

The project is part of Evans’ exclusive deal with Netflix.

SOURCE: VARIETY

Chris Pratt Reveals That ‘Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.3’ Will Shoot November To April

As Marvel Studios has wrapped on Doctor Strange 2, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Thor: Love & Thunder, and a handful of their live-action shows. They still have a bunch of things that will begin shooting this year. It’s going to be a big year for Marvel sequels with The Marvels, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania are on deck alongside James Gunn’s potentially last Guardians installment, Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.3.

Franchise lead Chris Pratt (Star-Lord) appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote his upcoming Amazon Prime Video film The Tomorrow War and confirmed the third film’s production scheduling will be November to April. However, despite already reading the script the actor couldn’t dish any details.

“We will be shooting at the end of this year to beginning of next year, like November to, maybe, April,” Chris Pratt old the late night talk show host when asked about the sequel’s production schedule.

It’s been confirmed that Guardians 3 will be filming in the United Kingdom under the working title Hot Christmas and was given a prime release date of May 5, 2023.

SOURCE: JIMMY KIMMEL

‘Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom’ Has Officially Started Filming & Cinematographer Don Burgess Confirmed

Director James Wan has taken to Instagram to announce that the Aquaman sequel, Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom, has begun filming on the United Kingdom stages and the photo also confirmed that cinematographer Don Burgess is back after shooting the last installment.

Wan’s photo below showcases an icy set and reiterates the sequel’s working title of Nercus, a reference to King Mongo’s kingdom aka The Black City.

Filming will be taking place at Warner Bros. Studios. Leavesden in Watford, England and a bit of a change-up of shooting location as the first film was shot at Village Roadshow Studios in Australia. The English facility is also being used for The Flash movie alongside recently wrapped Warner Bros. pics such as The Batman and Fantastic Beasts 3.

Other DC Comics films in production include Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam that is about finish up soon and David F. Sandberg’s Shazam!: Fury of The Gods recently just started down in Atlanta.

Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom is set for release on December 16, 2022 pitting it against James Cameron’s Avatar 2.

SOURCE: JAMES WAN

‘Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts’ Adds Ron Perlman As The Voice Of Maximal Leader Optimus Primal

As production as begun on the seventh Transformers film, Transformers: Rise of The Beasts, a new voice actor has been enlisted by Paramount Pictures for a key role in the giant robot vs robot big screen saga. The latest installment will be bringing various characters from the Beast Wars cartoon to the film franchise.

Character actor Ron Perlman, likely best known as the actor behind the original toy Hellboy movies has joined the project playing Maximal leader, Optimus Primal, a Prime that transforms into a giant gorilla instead of a semi-truck. The news comes from the folks over at Collider.

Perlman’s other credits include Pacific Rim, Blade II, Sons of Anarchy, Drive, Enemy At The Gates, Alien Resurrection, The Lost City of Children, Cronos, and Monster Hunter.

Returning to the action and spectacle that first captured moviegoers around the world 14 years ago with the original Transformers, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure and introduce the Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons to the existing battle on earth between Autobots and Decepticons. Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, the film arrives in theatres June 24, 2022.

SOURCE: COLLIDER

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