Category: Film News

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J.J. Abrams Says The ‘Portal’ Movie Is Being Actively Written For Warner Bros.

J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot recently signed a massive development deal with Warner Bros. which has led to a new Superman film that will focus on a black incarnation of the DC Comics hero and an HBO Max series version of the Justice League Dark.

It looks like Abrams is going to be indeed tackling a live-action film based on the video game Portal as he mentioned in an interview with IGN, that the project is being actively written for Warner Bros. and they have a script on the go.

ABRAMS:”We actually do have a script that’s being written for the Portal movie now at [Warner Bros.]. We’re really excited about the take and the pitch, so it feels like that thing’s finally on the rails.”

In Portal, the player controls the protagonist, Chell, from a first-person perspective as she is challenged to navigate through a series of test chambers using the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, or portal gun, under the watchful supervision of the artificial intelligence GLaDOS.

A live-action short was directed by 10 Cloverfield Lane’s Dan Trachtenberg, the filmmaker is about to begin shooting Predator 5 next month in Calgary, Alberta.

SOURCE: IGN

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Amazon’s Purchase of MGM For $9 Billion Could Be Announced This Week

There have been reports circulating for a while now that streaming giant Amazon is looking to buy Hollywood studio MGM Studios, it would be their first entry into making a huge push into major feature film development.

A deal could be announced as early as this week according to a report from The Wall Street Journal and point towards a figure close to $9 billion. People have pointed out that valuation is a bit steep as the company was valued at around $5.5 billion back in December.

Amazon.com Inc. is nearing a deal to buy the Hollywood studio MGM Holdings for almost $9 billion, said people familiar with the matter, a pact that would turn a film operation founded in the silent era into a streaming asset for the e-commerce giant. An agreement could be announced as early as this week, people close to the situation said, assuming the talks don’t fall apart at the last minute.

MGM is the partner of EON Productions on the James Bond franchise and could mean that Amazon could become the streaming home of the franchise. They’re also behind the Candyman remake from Nia DaCosta (The Marvels), the Creed films with Michael B. Jordan set to direct Creed III, and they’ve been developing a new RoboCop film as well.

Amazon landing a real and established Hollywood studio means that the streaming service could branch-out to global theatrical distribution, as I don’t imagine EON would want to see their Bond franchise become some Prime Video exclusive and could see Amazon originals turn into box office earners.

SOURCE: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

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Adam Wingard & Robert Kirkman Team For Universal’s Feature Film Adaptation of Sci-Fi Comic Book ‘Hardcore’

Director Adam Wingard’s profile has risen thanks to the box office success of Godzilla Vs. Kong, the crossover film set in Legendary’s Monsterverse has become the biggest box office earner since the pandemic began as it crossed $400 million globally and is inching towards reaching $100 million domestically.

Another genre project has arrived.

Universal is also trying to get on team Wingard as there are reports via The Hollywood Reporter that the filmmaker will co-write and direct a feature film based on the comic book Hardcore with co-creator Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Invincible) writing the film’s story and producing. The script will be worked on by Wingard and Will Simmon, which is based on the comic created by Kirkman and Marc Marc Silvestri.

The Hardcore Program can turn anyone—your neighbor, your co-worker, your spouse—into a human drone to get to targets normal soldiers can’t. Agent Drake is the best soldier Hardcore has to offer, until he’s stranded in a body with only 72 hours to discover who’s hijacked the Program. But who can he trust when his enemy can change their appearance as easily as you change your shirt?

It’s unknown where Hardcore lands on the project pecking order as Adam Wingard has other movies he’s attached to. The filmmaker has since been reportedly linked to another Monsterverse film, possibly Son of Kong, and is making a hybrid animated/CGI feature film for Warner Bros. based on the cult hit cartoon ThunderCats.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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‘Wonka’: Timothee Chalamet Lands The Role of Young Willy Wonka In Paul King’s Prequel Film For Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. has been attempting to remake some of the classic Roald Dahl films as there was new version of The Witches from director Robert Zemeckis released back in 2020 that starred Anne Hathaway and Octivia Spencer. The Witches didn’t make a huge impact as it was strictly released as an HBO Max exclusive and didn’t leave the biggest impression on audiences as it wasn’t able to surpass the quality of the original film from 1990.

The studio is hoping that their Willy Wonka prequel Wonka is going have a different result as they’ve hired Paddington director Paul King to direct and Deadline reports that they’ve added actor Timothee Chalament in that Wonka role. Chalament is leading Legendary’s Dune remake from Denis Villeueuve and plays the role of Paul Atreides, the cosmic messiah of the sci-fi franchise starter. Warner Bros. is still set to distribute Dune in October.

Mr. Wonka is the mysterious inventor and owner of the Wonka candy company known for keeping a low public profile as a way to keep his factory’s secrets. Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp have previously played Willy Wonka on the big screen.

This new film will be a prequel that will focus on Wonka before he creates the world famous chocolate factory. The latest draft of the script was penned by director Paul King and Paddington 2’s Simon Farnaby, the latter screenwriter recently worked on Disney’s new Pinocchio movie that is being helmed by Robert Zemeckis after Paul King exited to focus on Wonka.

Deadline states that Chalamet will get to sing and dance in the new film.

Sources also tell Deadline that Wonka will mark the first time Chalamet gets to show off his singing and dancing skills with several musical numbers set to appear in the film. 

Wonka as we’ve confirmed will primarily shoot at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Watford, England. The facility is currently being used for The Flash and is expected to be used for Aquaman 2 over the summer.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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‘Transformers 7’ Expected To Shoot Scenes In NYC

While it’s been confirmed Paramount’s untitled Transformers 7 from director Steven Caple Jr. will shoot in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, The Ronin has learned the newest entry in the franchise is expected to shoot scenes in New York City.

The only issue is due to the pandemic and current border restrictions, if actors and crew leave Canada in order to shoot in other countries they have to quarantine again when they return, so, it’s possible the NYC scenes are going to be either without the human cast present or shot once the film is done in Montreal.

Director Steven Caple Jr. is best known for his work on MGM’s Creed II starring Michael B. Jordan, Sly Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren, and Florian Munteanu.

The latest incarnation of the script was penned by Joby Harold (Army of The Dead, Obi-Wan Kenobi) with a human cast confirmed to include Brooklyn actors Anthony Ramos (Godzilla: King of The Monsters, In The Heights) and Dominique Fishback (Project Power, Judas & The Black Messiah). Previous reports claimed the project is expected to involve Optimus Prime and could potentially be the Beast Wars movie the studio has been developing, details that have yet to be confirmed by the studio.

Travis Knight’s Bumblebee was the last installment that hit theaters back in 2018 and the period action film acted as a soft-reboot to the Michael Bay films. The film’s opening had a fantastic sequence that took place on Cybertron featuring G1 designs of the Autobots and Decepticons, a huge upgrade from the messy designs from previous movies directed by Bay.

BUMBLEBEE – On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee the Autobot seeks refuge in a junkyard in a small California beach town. Charlie, on the brink of turning 18 years old and trying to find her place in the world, soon discovers the battle-scarred and broken Bumblebee. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns that this is no ordinary yellow Volkswagen.

Transformers 7 is set for release by Paramount Pictures on June 24, 2022.

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‘Dungeons & Dragons’: British Actress Daisy Head & Stunt Coordinator Brad Martin Join Fantasy Film

Filming is underway on Paramount’s new Dungeons & Dragons movie but there is yet another casting announced that has arrived. Game Night directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are behind the project.

British actress Daisy Head, the daughter of Buffy’s Anthony Head, has landed a role in project led by Chris Pine, according to Deadline. Daisy is likely best known from Underworld: Blood Wars, the new Wrong Turn film, and the Netflix series Shadow & Bone.

A potential plot synopsis was spotted online and an Icelandic outlet confirmed last month the country is being used as a filming location. Other filming locales include Belfast and France.

An ex-Harper turned thief escapes from prison with his partner, a female barbarian, and reunites with a no-talent wizard and a druid new to their team in an effort to rob the cheating conman who stole all their loot from the heist that landed them behind bars, and used it to install himself as the Lord of Neverwinter. Only the traitor is allied with a powerful Red Wizard who has something far more sinister in store.

On the crew front there is another impressive addition.

Brad Martin confirmed on his Instagram account that he’s officially the second unit director and supervising stunt coordinator on the fantasy remake. He was the second unit director on the Underworld franchise and was the stunt coordinator on action flicks such as Underworld, Live Free or Die Hard, Tropic Thunder, The Other Guys, Safe, The Expendables 3, Gemini Man, Greenland, and Martin most recently tackled the stunts on Marvel’s series The Falcon & The Winter Soldier.

The rest of the fantasy film’s production team consists of cinematographer Barry Peterson (Game Night) and production designer Raymond Chan (The Falcon & The Winter Soldier).

Other Dungeons & Dragons cast members are Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar, F9, Alita: Battle Angel), Rege-Jean Page (Bridgerton, The Gray Man), Justice Smith (Detective Pikachu, Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom), Sophia Lillis (It), Chloe Coleman (Avatar 2, Gunpowder Milkshake) and Hugh Grant (The Gentlemen, Five Eyes) is reportedly playing a villain.

Paramount will unleash Dungeons & Dragons on March 3, 2023.

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‘Knives Out 2’: Kate Hudson Is The Newest Addition To Rian Johnson’s Murder Mystery

Rian Johnson has reportedly added rom-com queen Kate Hudson to the growing cast of Knives Out 2.

According to The Hollywood Repoter, Johnson has given Hudson an undisclosed role as she becomes one of the many new additions to the whodunit sequel. Kate joins a fantastic cast that 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), and Leslie Odom Jr. (Murder On The Orient Express, One Night In Miami).

I have to assume they’ll continue to add more actors, because why not?

Craig plays detective Benoit Blanc and is likely going to solve some sort of murder on a cruise ship or hotel in Greece, given all the Americans among the cast.

Filming on Knives Out 2 begins next month in Greece and Netflix has yet to give it a release date, the streaming service normally doesn’t announce dates until they’re about to begin promotion.

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: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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‘Indiana Jones 5’ Aiming To Shoot Scenes On The East Coast

I think we’ve been all waiting long enough for Lucasfilm to finally begin shooting the long-delayed Indiana Jones 5 as they’ve finally started adding new cast members alongside Harrison Ford such as 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), and Shaunette Renée Wilson (The Resident).

Lucasfilm is currently in pre-production on the next installment of the Indiana Jones franchise. At the helm is James Mangold, director of the Academy Award-winning Ford v Ferrari, and Indy himself, Harrison Ford, will be back to continue his iconic character’s journey. Indy will begin shooting late spring of 2021 and will arrive July 2022.

James Mangold took-up directing duties once Steven Spielberg exited the sequel and also wrote the latest incarnation of the script.

While the main stage facility is likely going to be Pinewood/Shepperton in the United Kingdom (a UK shoot is confirmed), The Ronin has learned that Lucasfilm is indeed planning to shoot some sequences on the East Coast of The United States, most likely New York/New Jersey. It’s worth mentioning that Yale University was used in Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull to double for Marshall College as they shot other various scenes in Connecticut as well.

This comes after writer and director James Mangold teased on Twitter back January that the film could be taking place in 1960’s era New York City.

MANGOLD: “I’m mentally living in 60’s NYC right now cause that’s where all the movies I’m working on take place.”

Confirmed crew members include legendary composer John Williams, production designer Adam Stockhausen (The French Dispatch, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Widows, Ready Player One), and cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (Ford v Ferrari, Walk The Line, 3: 10 To Yuma).

Disney has chosen to give Indiana Jones 5 a release date of July 29, 2022.

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‘Predator 5’: Amber Midthunder From ‘Legion’ In The Mix For The Lead Role?

The Ronin has come across information that points at actress Amber Midthunder as being in the mix for the upcoming Predator 5 from director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane). Amber is likely best known from her roles in shows such as the X-Men series Legion, the western thriller Hell or High Water, and the new Roswell reboot.

The actress posted a bunch of blood droplets on a image post from Trachtenberg’s Instagram account for some special effects test they were conducting behind the scenes. A post that that happened to be liked by the president of 20th Century Studios, Steve Asbell, which feels like a strong hint she is indeed involved with the film.

Amber isn’t a stranger to productions shot in Canada both Legion (Vancouver) and the upcoming Liam Neesen action flick The Ice Road (Winnipeg) were shot in the country, which means she likely won’t have a lot of issues working in Calgary, Alberta. Apparently, the third season of Roswell, New Mexico was supposed to complete filming in April and could mean Amber has an opening in her schedule.

UPDATE (AUGUST 14, 2021): Amber Midthunder posted these images a few weeks back on Instagram that are likely from the Calgary Stampede (a huge yearly event in the city), and would confirm she’s in Alberta.

Filming on Predator 5 is set to begin early next month in Calgary, Alberta as Dan has assembled a nifty production team that consists of cinematographer Jeff Cutter (10 Cloverfield Lane), production designer Kara Lindstrom (Den of Thieves), and stunt coordinator Steven McMichael (Damnation).

Given how soon production begins I have to assume casting announcements are going to be made in the next couple of weeks. Interestingly enough, the new film shares the same casting director that is also working on Martin Scorsese’s Killers of The Flower Moon, another film expected to have a large cast of native actors and could signal that Dan might be aiming to fill other roles with unknowns.

It likely means that the lawsuit that is reportedly coming from the original screenwriters of the 1987 film likely won’t have a huge impact on delaying the fifth installment’s shoot.

A release date has yet to be announced by Disney or 20th Century Studios but there had been teases from trades about it potentially being released 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.

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‘The Predator’ Actor Kyle Strauts Expected To Suit-Up For ‘Predator 5’

The Ronin has learned that Canadian actor and stuntman Kyle Strauts is most likely going to be reprising the role of the alien hunter in Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator 5, although we weren’t able to confirm. Kyle previously suited-up in Shane Black’s The Predator and posted a heap of behind-the-scenes images of the Emissary Predators that got cut out of the final cut, which Kyle played.

Kyle recently worked with Kick-Ass 2 director Jeff Wadlow on the revival of Are You Afraid of The Dark? in British Columbia.

Filming on Predator 5 is set to begin early next month in Calgary, Alberta as Dan has assembled a nifty production team that consists of cinematographer Jeff Cutter (10 Cloverfield Lane), production designer Kara Lindstrom (Den of Thieves), and stunt coordinator Steven McMichael (Damnation).

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.

There is also a good chance that ADI is working on the creature/special effects.

While trades have teased a Summer 2020 release for the film, Disney/20th Century Studios haven’t announced a date for the sci-fi action flick.