Category: Film News

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‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ Has Wrapped Filming After More Than 18 Months

Today, director and co-writer Colin Trevorrow has announced via Twitter that they’ve finally wrapped filming on Jurassic World: Dominion. The film’s impressive cast includes Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Daniella Pineda, Justice Smith, DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, Dichen Lachman, Scott Haze, Isabella Sermon, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, and Campbell Scott.

TREVORROW: “Wrap on Jurassic World Dominion. All my gratitude to our extraordinary crew and cast. We made a family.”

Production took place at Pinewood Studios UK, Vancouver, and Malta.

Deadline adding some significant information on the shoot’s COVID-19 protocols.

Jurassic World: Dominion began pre-production more than 18 months ago when the world was a very different place. The $165M Universal blockbuster wrapped this morning at the UK’s Pinewood Studios after an unprecedented shoot, which required 40,000 COVID tests, millions of dollars spent on protocols, and for cast and key crew to isolate in a bubble for months.

Universal commissioned a private medical facility called Your Doctor to manage the entire production’s medical requirements. Testing was the backbone of the safety measures. Deadline can reveal that more than 40,000 COVID-19 tests were conducted, with .25% returning positive. That’s around 100 positive results. Some of these were false positives and some were returned prior to employment at Pinewood.

Universal Pictures recently announced a new release date of June 10th, 2022 a day before filming had to be paused due to COVID-19.

SOURCE: COLIN TREVORROW & DEADLINE

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Marvel Studios Inching Closer To Making Their ‘Fantastic Four’ Reboot?

A while back it first reported by Murphy’s Multiverse that Disney had listed a new LLC called Solve Everything Productions, that we were able to back-up. The claim made was that it was likely hinting to the studio moving forward with their Fantastic Four reboot before tackling X-Men.

A small update from Charles Murphy further confirms that the Disney-owned LLC is indeed at Marvel Studios. This would mean that they’re going into production on the project which is most likely going to be Fantastic Four given the LLC’s name is connected to the Marvel Comics property.

However, it’s worth noting that Marvel/Disney and trades have yet to announce any screenwriters or directors have joined the project, let alone they are moving forward with a Fantastic Four film or series. All signs are pointing towards a Fantastic Four project will be announced in the near future and could be primarily filming in the United States.

The Fantastic Four has had four live-action films starting with the Roger Corman-produced film from 1994 that was ultimately never released and then 20th Century Fox released two installments from director Tim Story then attempted a reboot from Josh Trank in 2015.

The film rights shifted back to Marvel once Disney finalized their acquisition of 21st Century Fox (included 20th Century Fox). Marvel now has access to Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom, The Brood, The Shi’ar Empire, Alpha Flight, X-Force, New Mutants, X-Men, Deadpool, Wolverine, Silver Surfer, Galactus, Super-Skrulls, and many many more characters to use for their MCU projects.

A one time, writer/director Adam McKay (Ant-Man, Vice, The Big Short) was interested in pitching a Silver Surfer film to Marvel’s chief creative officer Kevin Feige.

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‘The Martian’ Production Designer Arthur Max Confirmed For Ridley Scott’s Thriller ‘Gucci’ – Stars Lady Gaga, Jared Leto, Adam Driver, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro

The Ronin can now confirm independently that veteran production designer Arthur Max will be reuniting with director Ridley Scott for his thriller Gucci. The MGM project stars Lady Gaga, Jared Leto, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jack Huston, Robert De Niro, and Reeve Carney according to a previous casting report from Deadline.

In the new film, Gaga will play Patrizia Reggiani, the ex-wife of Maurizio Gucci, who was tried and convicted of orchestrating her ex-husband’s assassination on the steps of his office in 1995. Maurizio had two daughters with Reggiani, but he left her for another woman. She’d had a brain tumor removed, and her children blamed it for her actions; the media took a darker view of her during a sensationalized affair, depicting her as a hot-blooded woman scorned and dubbing her “Black Widow.” She was originally drew a sentence of 29 years.

Max’s credits include Gladiator, Se7en, The Martian, Robin Hood, Prometheus, American Gangster, Black Hawk Dowan, All The Money In The World, and worked on Ridley’s most recent film The Last Duel that recently has wrapped in Belfast after pausing for COVID-19.

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Tom Holland Posts First Official ‘Spider-Man 3’ Set Photo Confirming Filming Has Finally Started In Atlanta

After multiple production delays due to the Coronavirus outbreak and deal hiccups between Sony/Marvel, Spider-Man 3 is finally shoot with it’s lead Tom Holland back as Peter Parker!

Tom Holland made the announcement today on his Instagram account posting the first official set photo with himself in the costume wearing a mask, supporting calls for people to embrace mask wearing as new American COVID-19 cases have exploded (hitting 100,000+ daily cases).

HOLLAND: “Wear a mask, I’m wearing two…”

Tom had recently completed filming his Uncharted feature film co-starring Mark Wahlberg before arriving in Atlanta, Georgia to begin production on the untitled Spider-Man sequel others that have been spotted in the area getting ready to shoot include Zendaya and Jacob Batalon.

It’s also expected that Tony Revolori, J.K. Simmons, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, and Angourie Rice will reprise their roles.

Returning to direct is Jon Watts, who previously helmed Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. There have been reports that Jamie Foxx will be reprising his role as villain Electro (potentially a new MCU version) along with Benedict Cumberbatch shooting his scenes as Doctor Strange before moving on to Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness at Longcross Studios in Surrey, England.

Marvel Studios has yet to confirm any new additions but more casting announcements via trades are assumed in the coming weeks given that filming has started officially.

The new deal between Sony and Marvel allows for Holland to appear as Spider-Man in one more Disney film before they have return to the table and examine if they want to continue the beneficial relationship, which most likely could be the Doctor Strange sequel given Benedict’s participation in Spider-Man 3.

Marvel’s next big productions are Doctor Strange 2 in the UK and as Shang-Chi has wrapped in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia will see Thor: Love & Thunder move into those stages at Fox Studios Australia.

Both Ant-Man 3 and Captain Marvel 2 were aiming to shoot in England next year but COVID-19 may have delayed that shooting schedule. Director James Gunn is also going be returning for Guardians of The Galaxy 3 once he finishes his work on The Suicide Squad and his Peacemaker series for HBO Max. Black Panther 2 is more of an unknown for the time being after the sudden death of franchise lead Chadwick Boseman due to colon cancer. Everyone involved including the cast seems to be focusing on grieving that loss rather than rushing a sequel.

Sony Pictures has set Spider-Man 3’s release date for December 17th, 2021.

SOURCE: TOM HOLLAND

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Neon Distributing Ben Wheatley Horror Flick ‘In The Earth’ – Secretly Shot During The Pandemic

Neon, best known for the domestic release of Oscar-winner Parasite will be distributing a new horror film titled In The Earth directed by Ben Wheatley (Free Fire, Rebecca, A Field In England) secretly during the pandemic according to Deadline via the American Film Market.

As the world searches for a cure to a disastrous virus, a scientist and park scout venture deep in the forest for a routine equipment run. Through the night, their journey becomes a terrifying voyage through the heart of darkness, the forest coming to life around them.

In The Earth is said to be aiming for release sometime next year and I’ll be keeping my fingers-crossed that this pandemic project will a bit more tasteful than the Michael Bay-produced Songbird (feels super exploitative from the trailer).

It’s cast consists of Joel Fry, Ellora Torchia, Hayley Squires, and Reece Shearsmith.

The director is no stranger to horror tackling films such as Kill List and Sightseers, the latter skewing more in the realm of satire.

Ben Wheatley is attached to direct Tomb Raider 2 and The Meg sequel for Warner Bros. but when those will shoot is a little unclear.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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Johnny Depp Officially Resigns Grindelwald Role In ‘Fantastic Beasts 3’ – WB Will Recast

Johnny Depp won’t be in Fantastic Beasts 3 after all, the actor took to his Instagram account to make a public statement about the studio asking him to resign the role of villain Gellert Grindelwald.

You can read Johnny’s post below.

The studio is said to be looking to recast the role as filming has been underway at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Watford, England making it a little difficult to pivot to a new villain given how Grindelwald was being lined-up to be a baddie in the next three films.

Colin Farrell had played a version in the first installment before morphing into Johnny Depp and we’ll keep our fingers crossed they’ll go back to him, given how much hype the Irish actor is getting for playing The Penguin in The Batman with heavy special effects makeup.

It feels like Warner Bros. was waiting on the results of Johnny Depp’s libel court case against The Sun (concerning articles calling him a “wife beater”) before making any concrete calls, Depp had recently lost that trial and alludes in his statement to that being a reason for the exit.

There has also been some behind the scenes chatter that Depp will also be removed from Disney’s Pirates of The Caribbean franchise as well, despite two separate projects in the works from the studio.

Warner Bros. has also had to deal with multiple anti-trans comments from Fantastic Beasts franchise screenwriter and Harry Potter author/creator J.K. Rowling, the writer sticking to guns and seemingly inflaming upset fans by doubling-down on that transphobia.

Rowling and director David Yates had previously stood by Depp.

SOURCE: JOHNNY DEPP

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Olivia Wilde Thriller ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Halts Due To Positive COVID-19 Test – Had Been Filming In Los Angeles

Yesterday, Deadline confirmed that Los Angeles filming on the New Line Cinema thriller Don’t Worry Darling has temporarily paused due to a positive COVID-19 test from an undisclosed member of the production, not to be part of the main cast. The period film being directed by Booksmart’s Olivia Wilde has an impressive cast that includes Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, KiKi Layne, Gemma Chan, Nick Kroll, and Olivia Wilde.

Production will pause for 14 days.

New Line tonight temporarily shut down production on the Olivia Wilde-directed film Don’t Worry Darling when a member of the production tested positive for COVID-19. The studio confirmed it happened, something that is an occupational hazard for any film or TV show that is shooting right now. They shut down right away.

With the United States hitting 103,000+ single day new positive COVID-19 cases, an all-time record, there is a good chance that other productions in and outside of California are likely going to see more productions hit with positive tests. Even with aggressive safety protocols in place.

The New Line project isn’t the only project filming stateside that has had hiccups due to positive tests as Dwayne Johnson (along with his family) tested positive just weeks before Netflix’s Red Notice was set to resume filming in Atlanta. Speaking of Atlanta, Marvel Studios has a huge presence in the area with Disney+ shows wrapping up alongside Spider-Man 3, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk all set to film there.

In mid-October, filming on the Netflix western The Harder They Fall starring Idris Elba and Regina King that was taking place in New Mexico paused for COVID-19 tests as well. Elba famously had previously dealt with the Coronavirus while in Australia and shared his experience on social media.

There were reports that Spyglass Media’s Scream 5 had three crew members contract COVID-19 in North Carolina but kept on filming anyways which sounds extremely risky from an insurance perspective and to the safety of their cast/crew.

Production bubbles seem to be where things are headed and might be a way to curb potential future shut downs. Bubbles limit the contact of people working on the film to outsiders and hinder the chance of positive tests, the NBA bubble was a huge success story over the summer.

Director Olivia Wilde is expected to follow-up Don’t Worry Darling with an untitled Sony/Marvel film which is reportedly focusing on Jesscia Drew aka Spider-Woman.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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Netflix WWII Spy Thriller ‘Munich’ Adds ‘Watchmen’s Jeremy Irons and ‘1917’s George MacKay – Filming Underway

The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Netflix’s thriller Munich has landed an interesting cast that includes Jeremy Irons (Watchmen), George MacKay (1917), Jannis Niehwöhner (Mute), Liv Lisa Fries (Babylon Berlin), Erin Doherty (The Crown), Sandra Hüller (Toni Erdmann), August Diehl (A Hidden Life), Robert Bathurst (Downton Abbey), Marc Limpach (Bad Banks), and Martin Wuttke (Inglourious Basterds).

The Crown’s Christian Schwochow will be directing the thriller that takes places on the eve of WWII based on the Robert Harris book being adapted by Ben Power

The spy thriller is set in fall 1938 as Europe stands on the brink of World War II. As Adolf Hilter prepares to invade Czechoslovakia, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Irons) is desperate to find a peaceful solution.  British civil servant Hugh Legat (McKay) and German diplomat Paul von Hartmann (Niehwöhner), travel to Munich for an emergency conference. As they see if war can be averted — and at what cost — the two old friends find themselves at the center of a political plot, with their own lives in danger.

Filming is said to be underway with an expectation it will drop sometime in 2021 on Netflix.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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New ‘Resident Evil’ Movie Adds ‘Blade’ Actor Donal Logue

Deadline reports that Blade and Gotham actor Donal Logue has joined the cast of the Resident Evil reboot currently filming in the Toronto area.

Chad Rook and Lily Gao also are also new additions.

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, and Neal McDonough (Yellowstone, Band of Brothers, Captain America: The First Avenger) as William Birkin.

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 film is a hard-reboot of the Resident Evil film franchise that originally focused on the original character Alice, created by director Paul W.S. Anderson for his string of feature films that barely resembled the Capcom video games.

There is a live-action Netflix series in the works as well.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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Tom Hardy Leading Vietnam War Film ‘The Things They Carried’ From ‘Ghost In The Shell’ Director Rupert Sanders – Aims For Early 2021 Shoot In Thailand

Deadline reports that Rupert Sanders (Foundation, Ghost In The Shell) will be directing a new Vietnam War film titled The Things They Carried with an all-star cast that includes Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road), Tye Sheridan (Mud, X-Men: Apocalypse), Pete Davidson (The Suicide Squad), Bill Skarsgard (IT), Ashton Sanders (Moonlight), Martin Sensmeier, Moises Arias, and Angus Cloud.

The news comes from sales at the American Film Market.

Blue chip firm MadRiver has boarded world sales rights and will launch the buzz title this week for the AFM ahead of a planned early 2021 shoot in Thailand. CAA Media Finance is arranging financing and will co-rep North American rights.

Tom Hardy is no stranger to war projects previously having roles in Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down, HBO’s Band of Brothers, and Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk.

The film is being adapted from the writings of Tim O’Brien by screenwriter Scott B. Smith (Westworld, A Simple Plan).

Pulitzer Prize-finalist O’Brien served in Vietnam in the late 1960s and his experiences course through his work. In The Things They Carried, which is often taught in middle schools and high schools across America, he tells the story of the young men of Alpha Company, a platoon of soldiers sent to fight on the ground during the War. Trekking from village to village amidst chaos and confusion, the young men struggle to navigate a growing labyrinth of physical, mental, and emotional terrains as they battle for the survival of their sanity, innocence, and each other.

Filming is said to begin early next year in Thailand.

SOURCE: DEADLINE