The Canadian shoot of the Resident Evil reboot film has officially completed production according to a tweet from Sony Pictures, which you can see below.
Johannes Roberts will be directing and it’s been confirmed that it will be an origin story taking place at Raccoon City in 1998. The last six Resident Evil films were very loosely based on the video games as it focused on Alice, a character created for the movies. The new film will take cues from the video games released by Capcom.
Previously announced cast members include Kaya Scodelario (Crawl) as Claire Redfield alongside Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp, Ready Player One) as Jill Valentine, Robbie Amell (Upload) as Chris Redfield, Tom Hopper (The Umbrella Academy) as Albert Wesker, Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap) as Leon S. Kennedy, Neal McDonough (Yellowstone, Band of Brothers, Captain America: The First Avenger) as William Birkin, Donal Logue, Chad Rook and Lily Gao.
Resident Evil may release in September 9, 2021, although Sony has yet to announce a domestic release date.
In a new article from the New York Times, where they speak with DC Films president Walter Hamada and it’s revealed that they are going to make superhero films that will become HBO Max exclusives.
The outlet speculating that “risker characters” like Batgirl and Static Shock could be some projects that ultimately head to HBO Max. However, it reads more like their opinion rather sourced information.
The most expensive DC movies (up to four a year, starting in 2022) are designed for release in theaters, Mr. Hamada said. Additional superhero films (two annually is the goal, perhaps focused on riskier characters like Batgirl and Static Shock) will arrive exclusively on HBO Max, the fledgling streaming service owned by WarnerMedia.
It’ll be interesting if Warner Bros. and DC Films feels like diverse projects like these would only be viable on streaming rather than theatrical. Only time will tell as this isn’t official news or anything.
There is already some feathers ruffled with WarnerMedia’s day-and-date model coming in 2021 and are signs that future directors are making sure their movies won’t be suddenly thrown on HBO Max. Making sure directors are aware that films are heading to streaming ahead of time is likely a good thing rather than what recently happened to filmmakers.
It was announced not too long ago via Warner Bros. that they are indeed moving forward with the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel dating it for June 23, 2023. They also confirmed the official title is simply Furiosa with director George Miller co-writing the film alongside Doug Mitchell. A summer 2023 release date suggests they might expect filming to begin sometime in 2022.
Here is an excerpt from the studio press release that confirms that the prequel’s lead actors will include Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Up first in the lineup will be writer/director/producer George Miller’s “Furiosa,” a prequel to his hit “Mad Max: Fury Road” that introduced the wildly popular character. Set for June 23, 2023, it will star Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role, alongside Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Miller penned the script and produces alongside his longtime partner, Oscar-nominated producer Doug Mitchell (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Babe”).
George Miller is currently busy shooting in Australia with his fantasy film titled Three ThousandYears of Longing that had been delayed earlier in the year when the film’s main lead Idris Elba got COVID-19 and documented his experience on social media leading to a hiatus. Filming recently resumed down under with Elba and co-star Tilda Swinton.
Despite Furiosa being a “prequel”, all four movies have been considered standalone features in the franchise which could mean, technically, another version of Max could appear in the film. Charlize Theron originally played the role but was recast with Anya because Miller wasn’t thrilled with the digital de-aging visual effects technology.
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD – Years after the collapse of civilization, the tyrannical Immortan Joe enslaves apocalypse survivors inside the desert fortress the Citadel. When the warrior Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) leads the despot’s five wives in a daring escape, she forges an alliance with Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), a loner and former captive. Fortified in the massive, armored truck the War Rig, they try to outrun the ruthless warlord and his henchmen in a deadly high-speed chase through the Wasteland.
Despite some wishy-washy comments made by Patty Jenkins during the promotion of Wonder Woman 1984 about possibly not coming back to make a third film, the filmmaker is officially returning for Wonder Woman 3, an announcement that been expected since the success of the first film. The studio adhering to her demand of a traditional theatrical release as well.
The announcement made by the studio hit multiple trade outlets including Variety.
Gal Gadot is also returning with Jenkins writing and directing the third installment of their trilogy.
There is still an expectation this third film will be set in the present as it had been rumored going back to the first film that the first two movies would be period projects with the third film using a contemporary setting. The scale could also be increased. It’ll be interesting to see if they will attempt to make a crossover with other DC Comics heroes since a bunch are running around in modern times and could open the door for Diana to team-up with Jason Momoa’s Aquaman or the film could even have a connection to Ava DuVernay’s New Gods movie via Granny Goodness.
Using the term “fast-tracking” is a little misleading as Jenkins is busy with her Cleopatra film for Paramount Pictures and recently was announced for Disney’s Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. The Star Wars pic is expected to being shooting in 2022 as it has a release date of December 22, 2023 and there could be a year’s worth of prep/development for that project giving it’s scale. Seeing Patty jump into making a massive studio film beforehand like Wonder Woman 3 when the pandemic is expected to continue well into 2021, seems like a fan wish rather than a reality given the logistical nightmare that would end up becoming.
In theory, Warner Bros. may have to wait until Patty has finished-up on Star Wars: RogueSquadron since that deal seemingly was secured first.
However, this news should relieve fans that have caught the wave of comments from Jenkins about taking a pause on the Wonder Woman franchise.
If Patty Jenkins ever decided to tackle other superheroes beyond Wonder Woman, we now have a pretty good idea of who she’d want to use. As a fan on Twitter has asked Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins that very question and her answer consisted of Superman, Spider-Man, and even Black Widow.
JENKINS: “Thank you for the question. Probably Superman, Spiderman, or Black Widow! So much potential with all of them, always.”
Thank you for the question. Probably Superman, Spiderman or Black Widow! So much potential with all of them, always. https://t.co/zDtxgZuwM9
You might remember that Patty Jenkins is currently assigned to direct Star Wars: Rogue Squadron for Lucasfilm making her part of that family of studios under the Disney umbrella. It’s expected to begin production sometime before the end of 2022 as the release date is set for December 22, 2023.
There are a handful of examples of crossovers between Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios with Thor franchise’s Taika Waititi tackling both The Mandalorian and an untitled live-action feature film. Also, Ant-Man trilogy director Peyton Reed ended up directing two episodes in Season 2 even the emotional season finale. We can’t forget that Jon Favreau, who help usher-in the Marvel Cinematic Universe via Iron Man and Iron Man 2, spearheaded The Mandalorian series with Dave Filoni, producing three spinoffs that include The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Rangers of The New Republic. Jon also continues to play the role of Happy Hogun, most recently appearing in the post-Avengers: Endgame film Spider-Man: Far From Home back in 2019.
Despite rumors, there hasn’t been any official word of how Warner Bros. would like to pursue another Superman film beyond having the character potentially have cameos in other projects. There had been development on a Supergirl film but that seemingly has stalled.
Concerning Spider-Man, we don’t know if Sony/Marvel will extend their production deal despite some signals that could be happening behind closed doors as Olivia Wilde‘s Spider-Woman movie could be Sony/Marvel co-production. With Spider-Man 3 director Jon Watts announced for Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot there is now an expectation he could be moving on to make a trilogy there making it less likely he’d return to make Spider-Man 4 and beyond leaving room for a new director to make a second trilogy, that’s if Sony/Marvel can play nice for another batch of movies.
Having Patty get involved with Black Widow is an interesting proposition as it seems like Florence Pugh may end up taking that mantle as Yelena Belova in future MCU projects. Such as her reported involvement in the upcoming Hawkeye series that will be airing on Disney+ in late 2021. Yelena could lead a Black Widow franchise of films moving forward because of the death of Natasha during the events of Avengers: Endgame.
I think it’ll be a long time before we know for sure if Patty will make Wonder Woman 3 or any other superhero films given the next couple of years will be dedicated to Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.
WarnerMedia may end up backing down thanks to the threat of lawsuit from Legendary after it was announced their pricey Dune remake was being thrown on to HBO Max (day-and-date model) without their consent or knowledge. The production company who had spent their own money on 75% of the budgets of both Dune and Godzilla vs Kong were not consulted before their films were added to the domestic streaming service putting their films in direct competition with the theatrical release.
Deadline seemingly has some sort of vague update concerning the fate of Dune, however, the outlet is making sure to use the word “rumors” when stating WarnerMedia may end up keeping the traditional theatrical release. We have to assume this would be a way to avoid further legal issues with Legendary, who certainly have the legal grounds to take them to court.
Battles big and small are being fought on numerous films: Legendary is in a big fight that might result in lawsuits after it financed 75% of tent poles Dune and Godzilla vs. Kong and was completely blindsided. Rumors have the solution to that breach being to preserve Dune as a traditional theatrical to preserve its franchise potential and since its October 1 release date falls well after the estimated late spring date when Covid vaccines should achieve herd immunity. Godzilla vs. Kong might stay an HBO Max hybrid in its May 21 slot, but only if Warner Bros makes a deal with Legendary that uses as a base the $250 million value established when the film was shopped earlier to Netflix.
Legendary wasn’t the only party upset over the HBO Max announcement, director Denis Villeneuve penned a strongly worded editorial condemning the move. Denis happens to be producing and directing a Dune spinoff series for HBO Max titled Dune: The Sisterhood that would most likely be put into chaos over a falling-out between WarnerMedia and Legendary/Villeneuve.
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”).
The Ronin has been able to confirm that director Guy Ritchie will be reuniting with cinematographer Alan Stewart for his upcoming spy thriller formerly titled Five Eyes. Stewart has previously worked on Ritchie’s Aladdin, The Gentlemen, and his other upcoming Jason Statham action project Wrath of Man.
Jason Statham and Aubrey Plaza are attached for the lead roles with more casting news on the horizon. Filming is expected to begin sometime next year in Europe, hopefully, once the pandemic is a little more manageable as London is currently under a new lockdown and European countries not allowing entry from the United Kingdom.
The story follows MI6 guns-and-steel agent (Statham) who is recruited by a global intelligence alliance to track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology that threatens to disrupt the world order. Reluctantly paired with CIA high-tech expert, Fortune sets off on a globe-trotting mission where he will have to use all of his charm, ingenuity and stealth to track down and infiltrate billionaire arms broker.
The Fives Eyes is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, which was founded back in 1941. This should give you an idea of the nationalities of the other characters in the film.
We previously revealed Ritchie would also working with Wrath of Man production designer Martyn Johns on the action pic.
Guy is developing a television series for Miramax based on The Gentlemen and has been attached to direct Aladdin 2 for Disney.
Blumhouse is zeroing-in on a director for their sequel to The Exorcist.
According to Observer (backed-up by trades), David Gordon Green is in talks to direct the horror project. David you might remember is behind the successful Halloween soft-reboot/sequel along with the two sequels Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends.
Details are a little scarce and if they’ll be attempting to make a film with returning characters or simply reworking the existing mythology for something new but establishing the events of the original film still happened.
The Exorcist is considered a benchmark film in the horror genre as it was a massive box office hit and also helped elevate the quality of horror films that could be made by filmmakers beyond the B-movie. The previous sequels have never really match the bar set by the original and this new project will have rather large shoes to fill.
THE EXORCIST – One of the most profitable horror movies ever made, this tale of an exorcism is based loosely on actual events. When young Regan (Linda Blair) starts acting odd — levitating, speaking in tongues — her worried mother (Ellen Burstyn) seeks medical help, only to hit a dead end. A local priest (Jason Miller), however, thinks the girl may be seized by the devil. The priest makes a request to perform an exorcism, and the church sends in an expert (Max von Sydow) to help with the difficult job.
The original film’s director William Friedkin took to Twitter recently to debunk an IMDB listing that suggested he was involved with the new project and makes it clear he never would be part of it. I guess they won’t get a blessing similar to John Carpenter on their Halloween sequels.
FRIEDKIN: “There’s a rumor on IMDB that I’m involved with a new version of The Exorcist. This isn’t a rumor, it’s a flat-out life. There’s not enough money or motivation in the world to get me to do this.”
There’s a rumor on IMDB that I’m involved with a new version Of The Exorcist. This isn’t a rumor, it’s a flat-out lie. There’s not enough money or motivation in the world To get me to do this.
Some Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker artwork revealed officially by Industrial Light & Magic’s website reveals plans to further make Legends sith from The Old Republic era canon. At one point, it was revealed that the Sith Trooper legions on Exegol were named after Legendary sith and those plans seemed to have once extended to the Sith Citadel on the planet as well.
The engraving artwork below seemingly includes homages to sith such as Darth Revan, Darth Nihilus, Darth Malak, and Darth Malgus. It’s certainly disappointing
Lucasfilm is expected to explore The Old Republic at some point in the future. Kathleen Kennedy has confirmed Lucasfilm has talked about making projects within The Old Republic but wasn’t sure when they’d happen and there was a report from BuzzFeed that Laeta Kalogridis (Altered Carbon, Shutter Island) was developing a trilogy of films set in The Old Republic era.
I’m sure eventually they’ll consider making canon video games like Star Wars Jedi: FallenOrder set in The Old Republic.
That point in the Star Wars timeline would allow Lucasfilm to finally make original content that wasn’t beholden to previous trilogies and could ignore the video games to create brand new canon while possibly creating new characters and retrofitting established Legends characters as well. Because most of it is Legends they can redo things for live-action incarnations.
It was announced that Leslye Headland’s Star Wars series The Acolyte would be taking place at the end of The High Republic and the female-centric project is expected to focus on Sith characters. We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed that this could where Lucasfilm finally uses Legends character Darth Talon, who almost appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as a villain. I think it would be amazing to see Lucasfilm finally explore the Sith Empire from The Old Republic as that would give hardcore Star Wars all the lightsaber battles they’ll ever need.
A new report from Deadline is suggest that the California production start on Netflix’s $200+ million budgeted spy flick The Gray Man from Avengers: Endgame directors The Russo Brothers might be seeing a production delay pushing the film’s start into early February or late January from it’s original planned start in mid-January due to positive COVID-19 tests. Netflix is hoping the expensive project could become a franchise on the level of James Bond.
The script was penned by the Russos with help from Marvel Studios alumni Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.
The Gray Man is the debut novel by Mark Greaney, published in 2009 by Jove Books. It also is the first novel to feature the Gray Man, freelance assassin and former CIA operative Court Gentry. The action thriller will follow Gentry (Gosling) as he’s hunted across the globe by Lloyd Hansen (Evans), a former cohort at the CIA. The film is based on the first installment of the best-selling Gray Man book series.
It’s impressive cast already consists of Ryan Gosling (The Nice Guys, Drive, Blade Runner 2049), Chris Evans (Snowpiercer, Avengers franchise, Captain America franchise), Ana de Armas (No Time To Die, Knives Out, Blade Runner 2049), Jessica Henwick (The Matrix 4, Godzilla vs Kong, Game of Thrones, Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Wagner Moura (Narcos, Elysium), Dhanush, and young actress Julia Butters (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood).
The Ronin has also learned that 2nd unit director and veteran stunt coordinator Spiro Razatos is expected to join the spy movie’s production team. Razatos’ extensive credits include The Expendables, Fast Five, X-Men: First Class, Fast & Furious 6, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Furious 7, Captain America: Civil War, Kong: Skull Island, The Fate of The Furious, Venom, 21 Bridges, Bad Boys For Life, and F9.
The Russo Brothers are busy bees as they’ve wrapped on their Tom Holland (Spider-Man 3) crime drama Cherry and are already lining up their next film The Electric State for Universal Pictures starring Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things, Godzilla vs Kong). They’ve also been developing a live-action feature film based on the anime series Battle of The Planets and have considered returning to Marvel Studios to direct an event film such as Secret Wars.
A release date for The Gray Man has yet to be set by Netflix.
THE RONIN 