Category: Film News

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‘The Flash’: ‘Band of Brothers’ Actor Ron Livingston Replaces Billy Crudup As Barry’s Father Henry Allen

There had been talk that Warner Bros. wasn’t able to secure Billy Crudup to reprise the role of Henry Allen, Barry’s father, in the upcoming solo film shooting in the United Kingdom.

Yesterday, it was revealed by Variety that the studio has landed on character actor Ron Livingston to replace Billy Crudup as Henry. Ron is likely best known for the Mike Judge comedy film Office Space and his supporting role in HBO’s beloved WWII series Band of Brothers.

Henry has been wrongfully convicted of killing his wife and Barry’s mother leading to Flash using his powers to go back in time to prevent her murder leading to the Flashpoint story. Barry changing the timeline and saving his mother leads to a disastrous future, think the Butterfly Effect. However, it sounds like the feature film version of Flashpoint is going to be different than the other versions of it.

Despite reports of Michael Keaton returning to play Bruce Wayne aka Batman in the film, in a new interview with Deadline the actor suggested that COVID-19 in the UK and scheduling issues may end up preventing him from reprising the superhero role. It was exciting to see concept art from DC FanDome last summer that revealed bother Keaton and Ben Affleck incarnations of Batman were planned to appear in the film.

Sasha Calle had been previously announced as playing the film version of Supergirl, which could lead to her starring in her own solo film as the studio has been developing a Supergirl movie for a couple of years.

SOURCE: VARIETY

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‘Black Adam’: Former James Bond Actor Pierce Brosnan Tapped To Play Dr. Fate Opposite Dwayne Johnson

The other day it was announced that New Line Cinema had hired Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren to play the villain Hespera in David F. Sanberg’s Shazam! sequel Shazam! Fury of The Gods.

Another big name has been selected for another key role in a DC Comics film.

Former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan has been tapped to play DC Comics hero and Justice Society member Dr. Fate in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam solo film according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Brosnan will play Kent Nelson, aka the good Dr. Fate, a son of an archaeologist who was taught sorcery skills and given the magical Helmet of Fate. The character, created by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman, is one of DC’s oldest characters, having first appeared in 1940’s More Fun Comics #5.

The Irish actor joins a cast that includes Aldis Hodge as Carter Hall aka Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Al Rothstein aka Atom Smasher, Quintessa Swindell as Maxine Hunkell aka Cyclone, Sarah Shahi as Adrianna Tomaz aka Isis, and Marwan Kenzari expected to play the film’s villain.

There is some hope from fans that there will be teases of a future crossover between Johnson’s Black Adam and Zachary Levi’s Shazam! as the two DC characters have come to blows in the comics.

Filming will begin next month in Atlanta with Jungle Cruise director Jaume Collet-Serra behind the camera and Warner Bros. has yet to give it a new release date.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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Guy Ritchie & Jason Statham Action-Thriller ‘Wrath of Man’ Takes ‘Black Widow’s Former Release Date In May

Director Guy Ritchie had shot a English remake of the 2004 French film Le Convoyeur that has been re-titled as Wrath of Man, the film would be his first reunion with action star Jason Statham since the pair worked together on the long-forgotten thriller Revolver that was released back in 2005. The action-thriller also stars Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice, Sicario), Josh Harnett (Penny Dreadful, Pearl Harbor), Scott Eastwood (Fury, Fate of The Furious), Holt McCallany (Mindhunter), Niamh Algar (Raised By Wolves), Laz Alonso (Avatar), and rapper Post Malone.

We finally know when to expect a release date for Wrath of Man.

There is word from Deadline that the MGM and Miramax flick has swooped-in to take the vacated May 7-9 weekend release spot after Black Widow was moved by Disney to July 9.

Wrath of Man, written by Ritchie and Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies, follows a mysterious and wild-eyed new cash truck security guard (Statham) who surprises his co-workers during a heist in which he unexpectedly unleashes precision skills. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman’s ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.

Despite a May release, the studio has yet to reveal a first-look trailer for the Guy Ritchie flick and there are plans to release one on Monday. Below is a teaser poster for the film.

Statham and Ritchie are currently re-teaming for the international spy flick formerly known as Five Eyes. Guy is also trying to develop a series based on his film The Gentlemen and will make a WWII movie about the first British special forces unit.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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‘The Gray Man’: Russo Brothers Recruit ‘Inhumans’ Actor Eme Ikwuakor & ‘Venom’s Scott Haze For Their Epic Spy Flick

The Russo Brothers are busy shooting their massive Netflix spy film The Gray Man in California and they’ve enlisted two more Marvel alumni to their cast.

The siblings have hired Eme Ikwuakor (Inhumans, Moonfall) and Scott Haze (Venom, Jurassic World: Dominion, Minari) to take roles in the epic action-thriller that is budgeted at over $200 million, making it the most expensive Netflix original movie to date. The casting news comes from Deadline but who they’ll be playing isn’t mentioned in the report.

To those who lurk in the shadows, he’s known as the Gray Man. He is a legend in the covert realm, moving silently from job to job, accomplishing the impossible and then fading away. And he always hits his target. Always. But there are forces more lethal than Gentry in the world. Forces like money. And power. And there are men who hold these as the only currency worth fighting for. And in their eyes, Gentry has just outlived his usefulness. But Court Gentry is going to prove that, for him, there’s no gray area between killing for a living and killing to stay alive…

The rest of the cast consists of Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans Ana De Armas, Wagner Moura, Jessica Henwick, Dhanush, Rege-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard, and Julia Butters.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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Helen Mirren To Play Villain In ‘Shazam! Fury of The Gods’

Shazam! is one of the more kid-friendly comic book franchises and I had a lot fun with the original, partly thanks to director David F. Sandberg having a great sense of humor and not taking himself too seriously. It didn’t hurt that it shot mostly in Toronto.

Sandberg is returning for the sequel, titled Shazam! Fury of The Gods, and there is news about who is playing the film’s villain. As they’ve secured Oscar-winner Helen Mirren to play the role of Hespera according to The Hollywood Reporter. Hespera is the daughter of Atlas and the sister of Rachel Zegler’s character.

Mirren has tipped her toes into the world of these types of films in the past with Bruce Willis’ RED movies and she played Mother Shaw in the last couple of Fast & Furious films including the upcoming release F9.

Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam is set to begin shooting next month in Atlanta and fans are curious when they’ll see a crossover between Shazam! and Black Adam because the two characters are directly connected in the comics However, both Johnson and Zachary Levi have downplayed the possibility of that happening before Black Adam 2 or Shazam! 3.

It makes sense as Black Adam is going to be too busy introducing the Justice Society.

Fury of The Gods is set for release by Warner Bros. on June 2, 2023.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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‘John Wick 4’: Filming Reportedly Begins This June With Locations That Include NYC, Paris, Berlin & Japan – ‘Predators’ Mike Finch Writing It

We’re all anticipating the next installment of the John Wick franchise as John Wick: Chapter 3 ended with Wick agreeing to work with the Bowery King to go to war with The High Table. The powerful shadowy group that oversees the world of assassins that consists of international criminal syndicate leaders.

There is a bit of an update from Collider as they reveal that production is expected to begin this June and named a heap of filming locations for John Wick: Chapter 4. They include Japan, Berlin, Paris, and New York City.

With recent news that franchise creators Derek Kolstad won’t be writing with the next two films, they’ve discovered that Mike Finch (American Assassin, Predators) will be the main writer on the script.

Also, it looks like the film won’t be shooting back-to-back with John Wick: Chapter 5 as previously promised by Lionsgate and it will be just the fourth installment. The studio has given John Wick 4 a release date of May 27th, 2022.

SOURCE: COLLIDER

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Zac Efron, Russell Crowe & Bill Murray In Talks For Peter Farrelly’s Vietnam War Pic ‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever’ – Eyes Production Start In August

Director Peter Farrelly is going to follow-up his Oscar-winning film Green Book with an adaptation of the novel The Greatest Beer Run Ever by Chick Donahue and J.T. Molloy.

The filmmaker is now assembling his cast as Deadline reports that actors such as Zac Efron, Russell Crowe, and Bill Murray are in talks. The first two being eyed for lead roles and Bill being wanted for a supporting role. Efron could end up playing Chick Donahue, the story’s main character that thought it was a bright idea to search a war zone for his buddies to have a couple beers.

Beer Run tells Donohue’s story of leaving New York in 1967 to bring beer to his childhood buddies in the Army — while they are fighting in Vietnam. Donohue took a good idea to the extreme, hitching a ride on a Merchant Marine ship, then carrying the beer through the jungle as he tried to track down his three friends. Dressed in shorts and Hawaiian shirts, he was mistaken for CIA, which made his effort a bit easier. Finally, when he completed his beer run, the Tet Offensive happened.

They add that filming is eyeing a start this August possibly in Australia or New Zealand.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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‘Kingsman’ Prequel ‘The King’s Man’ Bumped From August To December

Matthew Vaughn’s The King’s Man is yet another summer film be pushed to a later date.

Disney/20th Century Studios has moved the Kingsman prequel from August 20th to December 22nd.

The film’s cast includes Ralph Fiennes as Duke of Oxford, Harris Dickinson as Conrad, Gemma Arterton as Polly, Djimon Hounsou as Shola, Charles Dance as Arthur, Daniel Bruhl, Stanley Tucci, Matthew Goode as Tristan, Tom Hollander, Rhys Ifans as Rasputin, an Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Marv, the studio behind the franchise has teased ambitious plans for 10 Kingsman films and multiple series.

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.

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Pixar’s ‘Luca’ Officially Skipping Theaters & Becomes Disney+ Exclusive Coming June 18th

As Disney is adjusting their 2021 release date, there is official word that their upcoming Pixar film Luca will be heading directly to Disney+ as an exclusive instead of becoming a hybrid release, which we saw with Raya & The Last Dragon.

It will still be coming out on June 18th.

Pixar’s Soul had a similar fate last year and seemed to a huge hit for Disney+.

LUCA – Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, Disney and Pixar’s original feature film “Luca” is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.

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‘Black Widow’ Officially Heads To Premier Access & Theaters On July 9th – ‘Shang-Chi’ Delayed To September 3rd

In an official post by Marvel Studios on Twitter, the studio announced that Black Widow is getting another delay to further in the summer. As it will take Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings’ theatrical release spot on July 9th and will also be able to purchase on Disney+’s Premier Access for an extra fee.

They aren’t saying how much they’ll be charging for Black Widow, but the last couple of movies such as Mulan and Raya have cost $30. There is a possibility Disney+ might ask for even more than that given it’s a Marvel Studios project.

BLACK WIDOW – In Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. Directed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige, the movie stars Scarlett Johansson reprising her role as Natasha Romanoff. Florence Pugh stars as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov aka Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff.

Marvel also announced on their website that Shang-Chi is moving to September 3rd but there isn’t word if Eternals will be moving from it’s spot on November 5th.

Additionally, Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has received a new release date, now arriving on September 3, 2021. Simu Liu stars as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization. The film’s cast also includes Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chi’s friend Katy, and Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan. Additionally, Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu and Ronny Chieng appear in the upcoming movie, which is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.

Below is a new Black Widow poster with the July release date on it.