Category: Film News

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‘Normal’: Action Western Flick From ‘John Wick’ Creator Teams Bob Odenkirk With ‘Free Fire’ Director Ben Wheatley

“John Wick” creator/screenwriter Derek Kolstad has countless projects in the works including a sequel to the Bob Odenkirk action pic “Nobody,” but that won’t be the only project with Odenkirk on the horizon as Deadline has revealed he’s written a western project for the “Better Call Saul” and “Breaking Bad” actor with the project heading into the European Film Market as it seeks financier/distribution partners. The kicker is that British genre filmmaker Ben Wheatley (“Kill List”) is attached to direct the movie.

The outlet included the following synopsis of the western actioner that sees Odenkirk in the role of a small-town sheriff:

Thrust into the temporary role of the sheriff for the small sleepy town Normal after the previous one’s untimely death. When the town’s bank is robbed by an out-of-town couple, Ulysses arrives on the scene to find that the town is hiding much more sinister deep-seated secrets under its surface and everyone – from the bartender to the priest – is in on it. And now Ulysses, who’s up-till-now focused only on running away from the demons of his past, must uncover the full extent of this criminal conspiracy.   

Wheatley isn’t a stranger to the action genre with “Free Fire” which starred Cillian Murphy and Brie Larson, an A24 action-comedy focused on an illegal gun sale in 1970s Boston that goes south real quick. He also recently worked with Jason Statham on the gonzo Megalodon movie, “The Meg 2.”

Other than being the architect of the popular “John Wick” franchise Kolstad is also involved with a “Hitman” series, a standalone “Dungeons & Dragons” series, a “Streets of Rage” movie adaptation at Lionsgate, a feature film based on manga/anime “Hellsing,” a potential reunion with director Chad Stahelski for a remake of “Man From Nowhere,” and was one part of the writing team on Marvel’s “The Falcon & The Winter Soldier.”

Production details and a timeline is unclear at the moment as there had been some signals that “Nobody 2” would be heading in front of cameras shortly.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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‘Predator 6’: Dan Trachtenberg Reportedly Directing New Installment Called ‘Badlands’ With Future Setting & Another Female Lead

“Prey” seemed like a big success for both 20th Century Studios and director Dan Trachtenberg as they attempted to infuse new blood into the “Predator” franchise after Shane Black‘s “The Predator” seemed to feel like they were running on fumes. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that a second film from Trachtenberg and the sixth franchise installment is indeed on the way under the working title of “Badlands.”

While details are scarce they are quick to point out that the film isn’t a direct sequel to “Prey” (Set in 1719) but will continue the last film’s angle of using a female protagonist and is said to jump into the future, which seems like a cue to the studio’s “Alien” franchise. This should give “Predator” fans hope that the franchise might start pushing toward the comic book and video game incarnations of the “Alien vs Predator,” where the hunters would bump into humans trying to colonize planets that happened to be gaming preserves.

How far into the future remains to be seen and if this will be another Earthbound adventure.

Patrick Aison (“Prey”) wrote the screenplay for “Badlands” with Trachtenberg working with Aison on the story. The report also mentions that more “Predator” projects are in the works that involve Trachtenberg, without dishing on exact details of what that means. Perhaps, we could end up getting a streaming series on Hulu/Disney+ not unlike what is happening with the “Alien” prequel show that hails from Noah Hawley (“Legion,” “Fargo”), but that is just an early assumption on our part.

UPDATE: Deadline adds in their version of the story that while it’s only in early development, “Prey 2” is still in the works and that Midthunder is expected to reprise the Naru role in it.

Rumors had pegged that a “Predator 6” would be a direct sequel to “Prey” with actress Amber Midthunder returning after a cliffhanger ending that teased the alien hunters’ return and potentially inducting Naru into one of the clans. Mirroring other humans that have joined Predator clans after proving themselves to be great warriors, similar to Machiko Noguchi (A character from the “AVP” comics). Given this reported time-jump there is nothing stopping them from bringing back Midthunder to play an ancestor of Naru, depending on the actual setting of the film as there is a good chance with a “future setting” they could move forward enough into this universe where there are off-world colonies (“Alien: Romulus” will feature a colony of humans fighting off a Xenomorph).

We’ll keep our fingers crossed that we’ll eventually get “Prey 2” but sounds like “Badlands” might be moving the franchise in a different direction. Perhaps, the ultimate goal is to lead directly in a futuristic off-world crossover between the “Alien” and “Predator” universes after the lackluster attempts with less-than-impressive “AVP” movies that took place in a contemporary Earthbound setting (Yawn, boring).

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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Warner Bros. Wins Bidding War For Period Genre Flick That Reunites Ryan Coogler & Michael B. Jordan With Filming Starting In April

Warner Bros. has beat Universal Pictures to land the next big project from director Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) as his untitled film will see the successful director reunite with actor Michael B. Jordan. The news hails from Deadline after a heated bidding war that saw a group of studios and streamers vying for the mysterious genre film that Coogler will also write.

While there have been reports of the project centering around vampires, none of these new trade reports commenting on the deal are mentioning that aspect as plot details are still being kept under lock and key. But, the period genre aspect is indeed in place. Production is reportedly set to begin as early as this April in New Orleans, a setting that has indeed been used for vampires and other horror-focused ghoulies.

The pair have worked together on “Creed” (Michael B. Jordan is said to be gearing up to direct “Creed 4”), “Black Panther” as the rising talent played the film’s compelling villain Erik Killmonger with Jordan making a brief cameo in “Wakanda Forever” as the fallen baddie, and got their start together on “Frutivale Station.” Alongside this project, Jordan is said to be reprising the John Clark role in “Rainbow Six” from director Chad Stahelski (“John Wick” franchise) once he wraps up his “Highlander” remake at Lionsgate and is attached for an “I Am Legend” sequel at Warners that is expected to involve Will Smith.

Coogler hasn’t telegraphed his future film plans at Marvel Studios, but there has been some expectation after a bit of a break he’ll be ready to return to direct or simply write/produce “Black Panther 3” for Marvel Studios given the franchise’s popularity under his creative stewardship.

We’ll have to be patient for the film’s title and release date but being released in 2025 is a good prospect given the upcoming shoot.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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‘Fantastic Four’: SAG-AFTRA Seemingly Confirms Pedro Pascal Casting For Marvel’s Upcoming Reboot From Director Matt Shakman

Last month, the internet was buzzing when Daniel Richtman revealed that Pedro Pascal (“The Mandalorian,” “The Last of Us”) was in talks to take on the role of Dr. Reed Richards in Marvel’s reboot of the “Fantastic Four” with trades backing up that claim. However, we’re still waiting on Marvel Studios to comment on that front but in the meantime, there seems to be a confirmation of sorts coming from the major actors’ union as SAG-AFTRA (via our longtime pal PJ Campbell) has revealed the actor is indeed part of the cast without naming his specific role.

The union’s website has a profile of the actor and revealed that he’s not only wrapped “Gladiator 2” (A sign of the recency of the posting) but he’s also expected to be shooting “Fantastic Four” soon. However, since the spotting, the line about “Fantastic Four” has been removed from the site (likely at the request of Marvel/Disney), but you can see the unaltered version of the paragraph below.

Matt Shakman, who helmed the popular DIsney+ series “WandaVision,” is set to direct with a script that has undergone a multitude of rewrites and polishes.

While there have been promises of the full cast being announced, it’s been weeks since that and we’re likely just going to have to be patient for trades/Marvel to reveal who is playing the other three members. “Fantastic Four” has a tentative release date of May 2, 2025, but that date could easily move up or get pushed back considering how often Disney changes their tentpole lineup.

SOURCE: SAG-AFTRA

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Disney Dates Two ‘Star Wars’ Movies For 2026 With Bob Iger Hinting Jon Favreau’s ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ Up First In May 2026

There have been some rather big updates concerning the “Star Wars” universe with small screen confirmations that “The Mandalorian” is still getting a fourth season despite a feature film on the way and Dave Filoni (Lucasfilm’s new Chief Creative Officer) is already working on getting “Ahsoka” season two in the bag before pivoting to his own “Star Wars” movie set during that television timeline allowing him to play with both original saga and his own animation characters. We now have an idea of when to expect the next TWO movies thanks to Disney.

During an earnings call yesterday, Disney’s Bob Iger confirmed that Jon Favreau‘s “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” a continuation of the Disney+ series, would be the first new “Star Wars” movie to be released in 2026. That comes after Disney updated their main release slate (via Fandango’s Erik Davis) to include two 2026 spots for “Star Wars” films including May 22, 2026, and December 18, 2026.

Seemingly, Iger was giving us the impression that the “Mando” movie is most likely heading toward that May spot and the new Rey Skywalker installment “Star Wars: New Jedi Order” (Given how far along development is) could be heading toward that December release with director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (“Ms. Marvel”) attached alongside Daisy Ridley‘s return to the franchise. Considering the previous films in the Rey Skywalker saga took December spots, it’s not all that surprising to us that would end up landing the holiday spot.

There have been hints that both of the films could be ready to shoot as early as this summer/fall but we’ll have to wait for some casting news to know for sure when they’re gearing up for production.

SOURCE: DISNEY/BOB IGER

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Rebecca Ferguson Explains Her Exit From ‘Mission: Impossible’ Franchise & Downplays Miraculous Return For Ilsa Faust

The “Mission: Impossible” franchise is in a very odd place at the moment after “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning” didn’t do as well as expected compared to “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” and took a bit of a nosedive in regards to the film’s global box office earnings. It made about $222.3 million less than the last movie leading Paramount to ditch the “Dead Reckoning Part 2” title for the 8th installment they have nixed that entirely for a new/unknown title to be revealed at a later date. Production is still underway on “Mission: Impossible 8” and one franchise alum has indicated they won’t be magically coming back anytime soon.

Rebecca Ferguson, who has played the rogue British spy Ilsa Faust for three installments for writer/director Christopher McQuarrie starting with “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” is now doing the promotional tour for “Dune: Part Two” and might have explained the reasoning behind Faust’s death in “Dead Reckoning.” The actress dished to Entertainment Tonight (See video below) that her three-picture deal with the studio had expired and decided it was her time to leave to focus on other projects.

“Do you remember when we talked about those three-picture deals in Hollywood? So, sometimes they end and actors have the possibility to saying ‘yes or no.’ We were at that point and ‘Mission’ is such a huge dedication. I’ve done it and it’s fantastic. [McQurrie] and Tom wrote this fantastic character but there is only so much you can do with a character, I find. You know, I’m entitled to my own opinion in this. I want her to go rogue I’m interested in the dark side I don’t want a ‘team member’ it’s not interesting for me and I felt that was where we were heading. It takes a lot of time to make ‘Mission’ it is blood, sweat, and tears doing those films. And by now I’ve done a TV show and two movies, they’re still on [‘Mission: Impossible 8’].”

When asked if she is totally out, “That’s it, you never know.”

Faust had been a character many fans and journalists had assumed could have taken over the franchise, had star/producer Tom Cruise decided to end his tenure of Ethan Hunt given that the aging action star has been mulling over plans elsewhere including a new development deal at Warner Bros. that could lead to new franchise ventures. That said, Ferguson isn’t struggling for work with the Apple TV+ series “Silo,” could be returning to Arrakis for Denis Villeneuve‘s “Dune Messiah,” and previously lined up the lead role in the fantasy revenge flick “Best Served Cold” from director Tim Miller (“Deadpool”).

“Dune: Part Two” will debut in theaters on March 1 and is expected to open with a much larger fanfare than the original one.

SOURCE: ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT

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David Leitch In Early Negotiations To Direct ‘Jurassic World 4’ For Universal

There was a report last month that veteran screenwriter David Koepp (“Mission: Impossible“) would be returning to the “Jurassic” franchise after tackling the first two Steven Spielberg films in the 1990s and would be writing a script for “Jurassic World 4,” aka, “Jurassic Park 7.” Now, a director has been mentioned for being in the mix for the next big installment that is said to be moving on from the established cast (Giving the impression of a potential soft reboot).

Deadline has revealed that action director David Leitch (“Deadpool 2“) is in the mix to take on “Jurassic World 4,” as the stuntman-turned-director is in early negotiations with Universal. This possible hiring wouldn’t be all that shocking given that Leitch and Universal have a longtime relationship after working together on a string of films such as “Nobody,” “Atomic Blonde,” “Hobbs & Shaw,” “The Fall Guy,” and the upcoming feature film reboot of “Kung Fu” that stars Donnie Yen. He also has a first-look deal with Universal that was struck back in 2019, which could explain the recent streak with the studio.

UPDATE #2: Deadline has updated their original report that Leitch has passed on the project and that a director search is still underway. The filmmaker is still working alongside Universal for his upcoming remake of “Kung Fu” which has Donnie Yen (“John Wick 4”) attached to be the main star. In the report, the parting of ways was “amicable” as the two had different visions for the film penned by David Koepp (“Jurassic Park,” “Jurassic Park: The Lost World”). Given the film’s release date of July 2, 2025, it would indicate that Universal needs someone to get cameras rolling very soon.

UPDATE #1: Universal/Amblin has confirmed the July 2, 2025 release date which means the director confirmation and casting are likely coming together extremely soon with an expected 2024 shoot.

The question remains if the extremely busy Leitch will have the time in his schedule to make the dino flick since he’s expected to shoot “Kung Fu” next unless this project becomes the priority. “Jurassic World 4” eyeing a July 2, 2025 release date would suggest that it is so far along that production could begin this year.

Hopefully, with this early chatter of a soft reboot that the studio is aiming to push much further into the future where dinosaurs have started to outnumber humans taking a page from projects like “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Kingdom of The Planet of The Apes,” and “Cadillacs & Dinosaurs.” A time jump could help the franchise move past repetitiveness and staleness.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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‘Attack Of The Fifty Foot Woman’: Tim Burton To Remake Classic B-Movie At Warner Bros. With ‘Gone Girl’ Writer Gillian Flynn

A trailer for Tim Burton‘s “Beetlejuice” sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is on the horizon and there is already news about the filmmaker’s reunion with Warner Bros. on another horror hybrid project. Deadline has learned that Burton has found his next big project and will remake the 1958 film “Attack of The Fifty Foot Woman” for the studio with the help of novelist/screenwriter Gillian Flynn (“Gone Girl”). As the title alludes to, a woman is exposed to alien technology that leads to her growing to an astonishing fifty feet and wreaking havoc on a city. Burton has an established obsession with these kinds of schlock movies and previously worked with the studio on the 1996 sci-fi comedy “Mars Attacks!” which was based on the gore-fest trading cards from Topps harkening back to 1950s b-movies.

There was previous a HBO remake of the project in 1993 to less fanfare with comedian Christopher Guest (“Best In Show”) directing and “Kill Bill” actress Daryl Hannah starring/producing. The giant-woman trope in genre films has slowed down in recent memory but the b-movie-themed animated film, “Monsters vs. Aliens,” attempted to use the “Fifty Foot Woman” angle as the protagonist voiced by Reese Witherspoon was another giantess creation via aliens.

Jenna Ortega | Wednesday | Jenna ortega, Wednesday addams, Wensday

What will be next is finding an actress to play this new version of Nancy Archer. I don’t think it would be hard to imagine if modern a Scream Queen like Jenna Ortega is considered for the main role in the remake given her recent working relationship with Burton on the “Addams Family” revival series “Wednesday” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”

This isn’t the only classic monster movie getting a modern incarnation at Warners as a third version of “The Blob“ is coming from David Bruckner (“Hellraiser”) after previous versions from Rob Zombie and Simon West had trouble coming together. Composer turned director Michael Giacchino (“Werewolf By Night”) is also attached to remake the 1954 film “Them!” about giant monster ants. It’s starting to feel like the new studio heads, Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, are understanding that the studio has some legacy horror projects that could be resurrected in a similar way to what Universal is doing with their Universal Monsters lineup.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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‘The Movie Critic’: Brad Pitt To Reunite With Quentin Tarantino For 1970s-Set Final Film

Today, there was a big casting update for Quentin Tarantino‘s next and final theatrical effort, “The Movie Critic.” The movie is said to be focused on a film critic that writes for a “porno rag” during the 1970s in California, however, other major key details are being kept under lock and key and we likely won’t get the full picture until there is a bigger press release about the project. Now comes the big casting update as Deadline reports that Oscar-winning actor Brad Pitt has joined “The Movie Critic” in what the outlet claims is a “lead role.” But any real specifics about his character haven’t been expanded upon.

Pitt has previously worked with the filmmaker on “Inglourious Basterds,” and “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.” The latter role earned the actor his Best Supporting Actor Oscar statue. While it wasn’t a film directed by Tarantino, one of Pitt’s early film roles was a small supporting role as a stoner roommate in Tony Scott’s “True Romance,” which had a script penned by a young Tarantino before “Pulp Fiction” made him an international sensation.

Filming on “The Movie Critic” is expected to begin this year and could be ready by the end of the year if the turnaround on post-production is quick enough as the film getting a prime fall/winter release date could help its awards consideration. Then again, the report mentions a possible 2025 date instead and that Sony Pictures might be involved the studio worked with Tarantino on “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.”

“The Movie Critic” is said to be Tarantino’s final feature film and would mean that plans for things like “Kill Bill 3” or other projects he’s mused about over the years might be saved for the small screen or the books he is aiming to write during his retirement from filmmaking. One of the current television projects he hopes to do is a series version of “Bounty Law,” which is a spinoff of the faux Western series from “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” that starred Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Usually, the casting news for Tarantino projects comes together rather quickly once the main actors are assembled. So, in theory, with Pitt announced we could be hearing about the rest of the cast very soon.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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David Leitch & Universal’s Feature Film Reboot Of ‘Kung Fu’ Will Be Led By Veteran Action Star Donnie Yen

Universal Pictures and producer David Leitch have reportedly found their lead actor for a feature film reboot of the beloved martial arts western series “Kung Fu.” Deadline says that veteran action star and director Donnie Yen has been selected to lead the new incarnation. Yen, known for his martial arts abilities, has been a versatile actor moving between Hollywood, China, and Hong Kong productions throughout the last 20-plus years (working decades longer in Asian cinema before nabbing Hollywood parts) with his Western credits including “Blade 2,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “John Wick 4,” and “Shanghai Knights.” He’s likely most known for leading the “IP Man” franchise which focuses on a dramatized version of the life of the famous Wing Chun Master, who taught a young Bruce Lee in Hong Kong before he moved to California to pursue an acting career and opening his own martial arts school.

“Kung Fu” has a script penned by Stephen Chin (“War Dogs”) and Leitch is expected to potentially direct the martial arts film having an extensive stunt background himself. Some of the many projects Leitch has worked on in the past include the original “John Wick,” “Bullet Train,” “Hobbs & Shaw,” “Deadpool 2,” and the upcoming Ryan Gosling pic “The Fall Guy.” The latter film due to be released on May 3 is also a feature film based on an older television show.

The original series in retrospect is steeped in controversy as the legendary Bruce Lee saw “Kung Fu” as the perfect project to help transition into leading roles after having done supporting stuff including playing the sidekick Kato in the popular “Green Hornet” series in the 1960s. Instead, the main role would go to David Carradine, the son of veteran actor John Carradine, who had zero martial arts training at the time. Once Lee was passed over, the actor decided to return to Hong Kong where he originally started out as a child actor in movies such as “The Kid,” and created a new action persona for himself with “Enter The Dragon” before his untimely death in 1973 at the young age of 32. Launching a new wave of modern martial arts movies to counter The Shaw Brothers’ period films within the genre of wuxia that quickly became extremely popular in the West.

Some of the controversy stems from Carradine, a white actor, playing a Shaolin monk named Kwai Chang Caine. In the show, Caine’s European ancestry was explained with the character being an orphaned American boy living/raised in China who would leave the temple as a young man to wander the American West but obviously, the part was meant for an Asian actor. The series would eventually get a revival in the 1990s with a descendent of Caine navigating a modern New York City alongside his son, who worked for the NYPD, but like his father had also trained at the Shaolin temple.

More recently there was the CW series reboot starring Olivia Liang that ran from 2021-2023.

It’s unclear when “Kung Fu” will begin shooting but with Yen attached, the movie is now in great shape to go in front of cameras very soon. This isn’t the only big project Yen is expected to be looked at as there had been some chatter within Lionsgate that his “John Wick 4” character Caine could end up getting his own movie spinoff and he’s been attached for ages to a feature film adaptation of the cops vs. Triads video game “Sleeping Dogs.”

SOURCE: DEADLINE