Category: Film News

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Kevin Feige Seemingly Regrets Casting Tilda Swinton As The Ancient One In ‘Doctor Strange’ Instead of Modernizing The Asian Mentor

Marvel has a limited amount of Asian superheroes and villains, so, it was sort of a one-two gut punch when the studio decided to avoid casting Asian actors with The Mandarin in Iron Man 3 and The Ancient One in Doctor Strange.

Luckily, Marvel Studios used Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings to modernize the Mandarin as the father of Simu Liu’s Asian-American superhero taking the place of Dr. Fu Manchu, an even bigger Asian stereotype villain. This reworking was thanks in part to the film’s writing team of Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton, and Andrew Lanham.

In retrospect, it sounds like studio head Kevin Feige is owning up to that mistake concerning The Ancient One while speaking with Men’s Health (spotted by The Playlist) he admitted that could have done better reworking the character instead of simply hiring a white actor to avoid a stereotype landmine.

FEIGE: “We thought we were being so smart, and so cutting-edge. We’re not going to do the cliché of the wizened, old, wise Asian man. But it was a wake-up call to say, ‘Well, wait a minute, is there any other way to figure it out? Is there any other way to both not fall into the cliché and cast an Asian actor?’ And the answer to that, of course, is yes.”

Shang-Chi having a mostly Asian cast and the hiring of Gemma Chan as Sersi in Chloe Zhao’s Eternals when the major role could have gone to a white actor are signs the studio is committed to incremental change to give audiences stronger Asian characters in their superhero blockbusters. Hiring more Asian creatives is just as important as hiring more Asian talent to star in these projects.

SOURCE: MEN’S HEALTH

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‘Dune’ Reportedly Releasing Exclusively In Theaters This October – Will Debut At Venice Film Festival

With Discovery and WarnerMedia’s new merger news it seems like the future of the day-and-date model is seemingly already eroding. There had been an announcement back in December that WarnerMedia would be releasing their 2021 slate in theaters and HBO Max (for a month) on the same day. This model was used for most of their films already and is expected to be used on other upcoming releases, excluding one.

Deadline is echoing previous talk that Dune would avoid the HBO Max day-and-date model and debut at the Venice Film Festival in September before it’s domestic release on October 1, heading to HBO Max on a later date.

Deadline hears that Dune, the high-profile Denis Villeneuve sci-fi remake out this fall, will not adhere to the day-and-date release pattern established for the entire 2021 slate. Instead, it will premiere in Venice in September and then enter theaters for a time before finding its way to streaming service HBO Max.

WarnerMedia seems to be refuting the report as seen with the Twitter below, causing further confusion.

It’s worth noting that the official Legendary website only lists a theatrical release for Dune in October and zero mention of HBO Max.

Legendary wasn’t notified about the day-and-date before AT&T/WarnerMedia decided to throw Godzilla Vs. Kong and Dune into that mix. There had been reports that Legendary was ready to bring a lawsuit against the distributor after they squashed a $200 million offer from Netflix for Godzilla Vs. Kong and then turned around to dump the film on streaming without a premium fee. The movies released on HBO Max does not require anything but a subscription to the service which doesn’t exactly bring any real revenue to Warner Bros. Pictures, but luckily Godzilla Vs. Kong had a great box office run when other films have been struggling before and after its’ release.

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: DEADLINE

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Mark Strong Confirms Dr. Thaddeus Sivana Won’t Appear In ‘Shazam! Fury of The Gods’ As Production Is About To Begin In Atlanta

The DCEU is chugging along with David F. Sandberg is set to direct Shazam! Fury of The Gods with a release date of June 2, 2023. Returning cast members include Zachary Levi as Shazam, and Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman, Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley, Grace Fulton as Mary Bromfield, Jovan Armand as Pedro Pena, Ian Chen as Eugene Choi, Cooper Andrews as Victor Vasquez, Marta Milans as Rosa Vasquez, Meagan Good, Michelle Borth, Ross Butler, D.J. Cotrona, and Adam Brody.

The new additions are Helen Mirren as Hespera, Lucy Liu as Kalypso, and Rachel Zegler.

It doesn’t look like Mark Strong’s Dr. Thaddeus Sivana will be coming back for the next film as he revealed to Den of Geek and is happy to see a group of female villains stepping up for the sequel.

STRONG: “Dr. Sivana isn’t in Shazam! 2. What’s happened is, I think Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu and perhaps someone else — they’ve got some female villains in. And to be honest with you, I’m very happy to take a back seat to some female villains and let them have a go, because judging by the work that Emma Thompson and Emma Stone have done in Cruella, it’s about time.”

However, Mark didn’t close the door on Shazam! 3.

STRONG: “Who knows? He’s still got unfinished business with Mister Mind.”

Filming on Fury of The Gods is confirmed for Atlanta, Georgia as the film’s lead Zachary Levi officially landed in the city not too long ago as revealed by a recent Instagram post. The same city that is being used to shoot Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, a foe of Levi’s Shazam! and will introduce the Justice Society to DCEU. The proximity to the two productions could see a crossover sooner than expected, but we’ll have to wait and see.

SHAZAM! – We all have a superhero inside of us — it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In 14-year-old Billy Batson’s case, all he needs to do is shout out one word to transform into the adult superhero Shazam. Still a kid at heart, Shazam revels in the new version of himself by doing what any other teen would do — have fun while testing out his newfound powers. But he’ll need to master them quickly before the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana can get his hands on Shazam’s magical abilities.

SOURCE: DEN OF GEEK

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John Boyega Officially Returns To Kick More Alien Ass In Joe Cornish’s ‘Attack The Block 2’

Folks might be unfamiliar with how British actor John Boyega developed his career in Hollywood and it all started with Joe Cornish’s alien invasion comedy Attack The Block, the 2011 R-rated parody saw a group of London toughs led by Boyega’s Moses as animal-like alien invade their estate block. The group of hoodlums pivot to become protectors of fellow residents when it’s clear the aliens aren’t terribly friendly.

Attack The Block had a similar tone to Edgar Wright’s fantastic zombie flick Shaun of The Dead, which wasn’t that surprising as Edgar was a producer and has a longstanding working relationship with Joe Cornish. You might remember that the pair once co-wrote the original script of Marvel’s Ant-Man only to exit over creative differences.

The success of the cult film helped push John towards the chase for a franchise role as he had teased an interest in playing Marvel’s Blade in Attack The Block press interviews, taking the mantle from Wesley Snipes, almost a decade before Mahershala Ali was announced as the new Eric Brooks. It ultimately led to John auditing for J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm to play Finn in Star Wars: The Force Awakens officially launching his career to a completely different level.

There has been talk from director Joe Cornish was considering about making Attack The Block 2 and there is now confirmation by Deadline that Boyega is set to return with Joe also returning to write and direct the mature sci-fi comedy. Edgar Wright is back as producer as well via Complete Fiction Pictures.

The original co-starred Nick Frost (Shaun of The Dead, Hot Fuzz) and Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who), but it remains to be seen if they’ll reprise their roles.

It’s unknown when they’ll want to begin production as Joe is a tad busy shooting the Netflix series Lockwood over the summer.

ATTACK THE BLOCK – Trainee nurse Sam is walking home to her flat in a scary South London tower block when she’s robbed by a gang of masked, hooded youths. She’s saved when the gang are distracted by a bright meteorite, which falls from the sky and hits a nearby parked car. Sam flees, just before the gang are attacked by a small alien creature that leaps from the wreckage. The gang chase the creature and kill it, dragging its ghoulish carcass to the top of the block, which they treat as their territory. While Sam and the police hunt for the gang, a second wave of meteors fall. Confident of victory against such feeble invaders, the gang grab weapons, mount bikes and mopeds and set out to defend their turf. But this time, the creatures are bigger. Much bigger. Savage, shadowy and bestial, they are hunting their fallen comrade and nothing will stand in their way. The estate is about to become a battleground. And the bunch of no-hope kids who just attacked Sam are about to become her and the block’s, only hope.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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‘Knives Out 2’: Rian Johnson Casts ‘Murder On The Orient Express’ Actor & Oscar-Nominee Leslie Odom Jr.

The cast for Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 2 continues to grow as The Hollywood Reporter revealed yesterday that Oscar-nominee Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night In Miami) has landed a role in the whodunit sequel opposite Daniel Craig. It’s quickly becoming a game itself trying to figure out who will Rian will add next, which is almost as fun as when the filmmaker and the Knives Out Twitter account asked film fans to come up with a title for Knives Out 2.

He’ll be joining a stacked cast with actors such as  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), and Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision) already on the film’s the call-sheet.

Despite this being a sequel, the Greece setting will make it difficult for characters from the first film to appear as there has been signs that Daniel Craig’s detective Benoit Blanc is going to be working on a completely different case and group of murder suspects.

Leslie is an interesting pick considering that he appeared in 20th Century Studios’ Murder On The Orient Express, based on the Agatha Christie novel that Johnson has been attempting to homage with Knives Out and it’s untitled sequels. I guess this means that other actors from Murder On The Orient Express and Death On The Nile are fair game.

Rian and Daniel made a historical deal with Netflix for the next two films for a massive $400 million, the two earning $100 million each. The streamer is aiming to turn Knives Out into a their own high-end franchise aimed directly at an adult audience and it’ll be interesting to see if they pursue further installments beyond the next two movies.

Netflix hasn’t given Knives Out 2 a release date but will begin shooting next month in Greece.

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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‘Aquaman 2’: Jason Momoa Wrote The Sequel’s Story Treatment & Confirms A July Production Start – Shooting At Warner Bros. Studios In Watford, England

Warner Bros. is in an interesting position with their DCEU franchise as The Batman has seemingly finished-up production, The Suicide Squad releases this summer, with production started on The Flash and Black Adam respectively. Shazam: Fury of The Gods is also set to begin shooting soon as well.

The next big DC Comics film will be James Wan’s sequel to the billion-dollar hit Aquaman and Jason Momoa has confirmed during an interview with The Drew Barrymore Show that production will begin this July, adding that he contributed to the film as a writer working on the sequel’s story treatment and originally pitching the idea to the studio.

The Ronin can confirm that production will be taking place at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Watford, England. It’s a facility commonly used for DC Comics shoots including Wonder Woman 1984, The Flash, The Batman, and Justice League. The previous Aquaman film was shot mostly under in Australia at Village Roadshow Studios and it’s unclear why they decided to stick with Watford, England this time around.

Amber Heard is confirmed to reprise the role of Mera with Danish actor Pilou Asbæk (Game of Thrones, Overlord, Ghost In The Shell) joining the sequel’s cast.

Momoa has been filming projects in Canada recently such as the Netflix film Slumberland.

Aquaman 2 is still set to be released by Warner Bros. on December 16, 2022.

AQUAMAN – Once home to the most advanced civilization on Earth, the city of Atlantis is now an underwater kingdom ruled by the power-hungry King Orm. With a vast army at his disposal, Orm plans to conquer the remaining oceanic people — and then the surface world. Standing in his way is Aquaman, Orm’s half-human, half-Atlantean brother and true heir to the throne. With help from royal counselor Vulko, Aquaman must retrieve the legendary Trident of Atlan and embrace his destiny as protector of the deep.

SOURCE: THE DREW BERRYMORE SHOW

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Warner Bros. Taps Director Angela Robinson To Remake Tony Scott’s Erotic Vampire Thriller ‘The Hunger’

Warner Bros. has reportedly found a director and writer for their remake of the sexually-charged vampire thriller The Hunger. The original film released in 1983 had early hallmarks of goth culture added to an erotic tale of a female vampire seeking a new lover.

Deadline has revealed that Angela Robinson (D.E.B.S., True Blood) is in final talks to direct from a script penned by American Horror Story’s Jessica Sharzer.

There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of details on the reboot but the Tony Scott film is easily one of the best vampire films of the 1980s and helped to further expand upon the sexual narrative of the vampire lore. I have to assume they’ll set this version in a modern setting and I’m curious how erotic they’ll go with this one, as the original featured a lesbian affair between Miriam and Sarah.

THE HUNGER – John (David Bowie) is the lover of the gorgeous immortal vampire Miriam (Catherine Deneuve), and he’s been led to believe that he’ll live forever, too. Unfortunately, he quickly deteriorates into a horrible living death, and Miriam seeks a new companion. She soon sets her sights on Sarah (Susan Sarandon), a lovely young scientist, who quickly falls under Miriam’s spell. However, Sarah doesn’t warm up to the concept of vampirism easily, leading to conflict with Miriam.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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Paul King’s Prequel Film ‘Wonka’ Confirmed To Shoot At Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden

The Ronin has been able to confirm that director Paul King’s Willy Wonka prequel, Wonka, is set to film on the stages of Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Watford, England. Affectionately known as the Harry Potter studio, as it was the home of the Harry Potter films alongside the three installments of Fantastic Beasts.

The facility was most recently used for Mission: Impossible 7, The Batman, Fantastic Beasts 3, and The Flash. There is still an expectation that Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie will return to the stages in Watford when they start filming Mission: Impossible 8 as there had been multiple production delays on the recent installment due to the pandemic.

Despite the production plans being set alongside a release date the studio has yet to officially announce an actor for the role of the young Willy Wonka. The iconic character created by children’s author Roald Dahl had been previously played on the big screen by Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp.

Paul King was behind the first two Paddington movies and worked on the British comedy series The Mighty Boosh.

The had been reports that filming was hoping to begin by September and with a release date of March 17, 2023 it gives Warner Bros. plenty of wiggle-room if they have to push the production start to early 2022.

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Mark Millar Announces Oscar-Winner Emerald Fennell Has Finished Writing Her Draft For The ‘Nemesis’ Movie

It was recently reported that Promising Young Woman’s Emerald Fennell would be tackling a script for a feature film focusing on DC Comics heroine Zatanna for producer J.J. Abrams.

Now, Mark Millar has announced/confirmed on Forbidden Planet TV’s YouTube channel that the Oscar-winning screenwriter will also pen the Nemesis movie based on his mature comic book published by Icon Comics for Warner Bros. as well and revealing that Fennell finished her draft before winning the Oscar last month. Nemesis has been in development for years and seemingly stuck in development hell until this announcement.

Fennell was reportedly attached to the film last year as mentioned by Collider back in August. The outlet also added that Project Power’s Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman are directing.

It’s interesting that Warner Bros. is making the project because the crux of the comic was “What if Batman was The Joker?” and seemingly ruffled feathers over at DC Comics. Most of Millar’s work is parodying existing comic book characters and franchises then placing them in mature hyper-violent settings.

At one point. Joe Carnahan (The Grey) was attached to write and direct.

Millar’s comics such as Kick-Ass, Kingsman, Wanted, and Jupiter’s Legacy have all been adapted to live-action alongside a Millarworld deal with Netflix. Screenwriter Jane Goldman (X-Men: First Class) previously helped adapt Millar’s comics Kick-ass and Kingsman to the big screen.

SOURCE: FORBIDDEN PLANET TV

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‘Snake Eyes’: Paramount Releases First Trailer & Featurette For ‘G.I. Joe’ Reboot Starring Henry Golding

Last night, Paramount Pictures released the first big promo push for their G.I. Joe reboot summer flick Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins showcasing footage in a trailer and featurette. This is a huge deal as Paramount and Hasbro is looking to reboot the franchise with Snake Eyes being the first step in that pivot as the film will also explore characters such as Storm Shadow, The Baroness, and Scarlett.

A third G.I. Joe movie has been in the works but the studio hasn’t officially moved forward with it and likely might be waiting to see how audiences react to Snake Eyes before spending money on multiple new films.

Snake Eyes will release on July 23, 2021.

SNAKE EYES – Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins stars Henry Golding as Snake Eyes, a tenacious loner who is welcomed into an ancient Japanese clan called the Arashikage after saving the life of their heir apparent. Upon arrival in Japan, the Arashikage teach Snake Eyes the ways of the ninja warrior while also providing something he’s been longing for: a home. But, when secrets from his past are revealed, Snake Eyes’ honor and allegiance will be tested – even if that means losing the trust of those closest to him. Based on the iconic G.I. Joe character, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Originsalso stars Andrew Koji as Storm Shadow, Úrsula Corberó as The Baroness, Samara Weaving as Scarlett, Haruka Abe as Akiko, Tahehiro Hira as Kenta and Iko Uwais as Hard Master.

SOURCE: PARAMOUNT