Another Game of Thrones project might come together at HBO Max and this time would be an animated series as revealed today by The Hollywood Reporter. However, they failed to mention any details or who would be working on the show.
They’re also protecting themselves as mentioning in the report that things could fall apart, the warning seems to be in reaction to their premature story concerning a live-action Harry Potter series being in the works at HBO Max as well.
An animated Game of Thrones drama is in the early stages of development at HBO Max, multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Meetings with writers for the adult-leaning project, which would be similar in tone to HBO’s Emmy-winning flagship, are already under way. No deals have been made and there’s still a possibility that the animated series never comes to fruition.
Live-action spinoff series coming soon include the prequels House of The Dragon and Talesof Dunk & Egg.
Deadline is reporting that Spider-Man franchise actor Tony Revolori is now in talks with Lucasfilm to take an unknown role in their Disney+ series Willow. A direct sequel to the 1988 film directed by Ron Howard, who will executive produce the series and will see the return of Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood.
Tony is currently working Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 and will be seen next in Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch.
Others starring in the series include Erin Kellyman (The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Green Knight) is said to be up for the role of Jade, Cailee Spaeny (Pacific Rim: Uprising, Bad Times At The El Royale) playing Kit and English actress Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals) as Dove.
According to circulated casting information for the series, it revolves around a group on a mission to save a kidnapped prince. The members of the team include Dove (Bamber), whose backstory resembles that of Willow from the movie. Dove is an unassuming kitchen maid who proves that she is the “chosen one” as she embarks on the journey. She is joined by Kit (Spaeny), the princess whose twin brother was abducted. She is destined to be a leader and ultimately the queen. Kellyman plays Jade, a servant who is Kit’s best friend and moral compass. She is on her way to becoming the best young warrior in the kingdom. Also part of the group is a guy who echoes Val Kilmer’s character in the movie. A thief and liar, he joins the quest in exchange for getting out of prison.
Filming was supposed to begin this March in Wales before they lost director Jon M. Chu.
WILLOW – Enter the world of “Willow.” Journey to the far corners of your imagination, to a land of myth and magic, where dream and reality live side by side … to a place that never existed, a time that never was. It is a world where a young man named Willow lives out an adventure that explodes beyond the boundaries of his own hopes and fears.
So, is Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson not the shoe-in to become the next Captain American we originally thought?
Some new comments made but the actor while speaking on The Rich Eisen Show seems to reinforce previous statements made by Anthony Mackie that The Falcon & The Winter Soldier will reveal who ultimately becomes the next Captain America, but stops short from giving the impression that Falcon aka Sam Wilson is going to be that “right person” for the job.
MACKIE: “At the end of [Avengers: Endgame], Sam didn’t accept the shield. If you remember he told Steve ‘it doesn’t feel right because this shield is your’s’. So, you know, the show is a long way of figuring around who is going to be Captain America and where the shield is going to end up. And if Captain America, if that moniker come back and somebody is going to hold that moniker again.”
Traditionally, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier took over that mantle but there had been hints that wouldn’t be case. As fans would know that in the recent comics Sam took that spot on a new Avengers lineup. We also clearly saw in footage and set photos that Wyatt Russell’s John Walker aka U.S. Agent will have his hands on the shield or version of it.
There is an expectation that whoever takes the mantle will continue to carry the shield into Captain America 4 as they wouldn’t spend all this time on Steve Rogers’ successor unless they planned on continuing the film franchise as well.
The Falcon & The Winter Soldier debuts on Disney+ on March 19th.
Following the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities—and their patience—in Marvel Studios’ “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.” The all-new series is directed by Kari Skogland; Malcolm Spellman is the head writer. Streaming exclusively on Disney+.
The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that WarnerMedia is in early development on a Harry Potter/Potterverse series for HBO Max. Plot details aren’t mentioned, where it will take place in the franchise timeline, characters it will focus on or who will work on the series.
Essentially, it sounds like the series hasn’t exactly come together just yet and there is a chance it doesn’t even happen if these “exploratory meetings” don’t go anywhere.
A Harry Potter live-action TV series is in early development at HBO Max. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that executives at the WarnerMedia-backed streamer have engaged in multiple conversations with potential writers exploring various ideas that would bring the beloved property to television. Sources say broad ideas have been discussed as part of the early-stage exploratory meetings.
Filming is currently underway on Fantastic Beasts 3 in Watford, England, as the studio replaced Johnny Depp with Mads Mikkelsen for the role of villain Gellert Grindelwald. There are also two more Fantastic Beasts sequels also in the works at the studio.
It would be interesting if they’ll attempt another prequel series potentially set even before Fantastic Beasts or will attempt something more contemporary with new characters.
HBO Max has been looking to mine a bunch of film spinoff series including James Gunn’s Peacemaker, The Batman series focusing on Gotham PD, Dune: The Sisterhood, Overlook, and heap of other DC Comics projects.
We’ll keep our fingers crossed they’ll eventually announce other off-shoot shows such as one set in Godzilla vs. Kong‘s Monsterverse or taking place in the worlds of The Matrix and Mad Max. I’d personally would love to see a Matrix origin series that takes place during the war between humans and the machines.
It’s unknown how much involvement that J.K. Rowling will have on the untitled series, considering the franchise creator has been doubling-down on multiple anti-trans comments and endorsements. Making Rowling increasingly toxic to have attached to future projects.
Deadline is reporting that Nightflyers and Without Remorse actress Jodie Turner-Smith has been tapped for a lead role in The Witcher prequel series The Witcher: Blood Origin from streaming giant Netflix.
Declan de Barra is the show’s executive producer and showrunner.
Set in an elven world 1,200 years before the world of The Witcher, Blood Origin will tell a story lost to time – the creation of the first prototype Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal “conjunction of the spheres,” when the worlds of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one.
Turner-Smith will play Éile, an elite warrior blessed with the voice of a goddess, who has left her clan and position as Queen’s guardian to follow her heart as a nomadic musician. A grand reckoning on the continent forces her to return to the way of the blade in her quest for vengeance and redemption.
Jodie will be seen next in the Tom Clancy feature film adaptation Without Remorse opposite Michael B. Jordan, the film will focus on the journey of Jack Ryan cohort/Navy SEAL John Clark (Jordan) to become a field agent for the C.I.A. and the movie recently moved from Paramount Pictures to Amazon Prime Video to become a streaming release.
Netflix is currently shooting the second season of The Witcher and last year secured the film/television rights to Robert E. Howard’s Conan The Barbarian franchise allowing them to explore another adult-oriented sword and sorcery world.
House of The Dragon won’t be the only Game of Thrones prequel series in the works at HBO based on established work written by George R.R. Martin. Today, Variety reports that HBO is in early development on Tales of Dunk & Egg, a new series adaptation based on Martin’s A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms, a collection of the three novellas focused on characters Ser Duncan The Tall (Dunk) and a young Aegon V Targaryen (Egg).
A young, naive but courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals – in stature if not experience. Tagging along with him is his diminutive squire, a boy called Egg – whose true identity must be hidden from all he and Dunk encounter: for in reality he is Aegon Targaryen, and one day he will be king. Improbable heroes though they be, great destinies lie ahead for Dunk and Egg; as do powerful foes, royal intrigue, and outrageous exploits.
There had been rumblings for ages that the duo would be perfect fodder for an HBO series adaptation. Their adventures takes place 90 years before the events of the main novels and the Game of Thrones series.
Writers and showrunners aren’t mentioned but there is an expectation that Martin will be closely involved creatively along with being the show’s executive producer.
House of The Dragon, another prequel that has been given a full series order at HBO for a debut in 2022 with a cast that consists of Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen, Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, and Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. Directors on the first season of that show are Miguel Sapochnik, Clare Kilner, Geeta Patel, and Greg Yaitanes.
Despite being announced alongside Rogue One: A Star Wars Story co-star Diego Luna for the prequel Disney+ series Andor, a new quote from K-2S0 actor Alan Tudyk suggests he might not be as involved with the series as previously thought or originally promoted by Lucasfilm.
Alan was speaking with Collider and revealed that while Andor is filming at the moment he hasn’t shoot any scenes giving the impression he might not be showing up in future seasons. The actor revealing he’s not in Season 1, but that seems odd for a multitude of reasons.
TUDYK: “They’re shooting it right now, I’m not in it. But, if it stays on the air, stories keep getting told, I’ll end up in there.”
“I’m going to be in the show. It’s just that the story that Tony [Gilroy] is telling doesn’t involve K-2SO until later on… I can’t be too specific, but I can definitely say that I’m not going to be in the first season.”
It’s a little perplexing since Alan was on stage with Luna for the series announcement giving us the impression his role was likely minimized during the show’s rewrites. The show takes place five years before the events of Rogue One and maybe they wanted to explore Cassian Andor’s origins before pairing him with the surly droid.
Alan’s name was missing in a recent press release announcing new cast members on the official website, a possible first clue that he wasn’t going to be showing up after a potential retooling.
Star Diego Luna will be joined by Genevieve O’Reilly, who will reprise her role as Mon Mothma (Rogue One, Tin Can), as well as newly-announced co-stars Stellan Skarsgard (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Good Will Hunting), Denise Gough (Collett, Angels in America) and Kyle Soller (Anna Karenina, The Titan).
Tony Gilroy, who co-wrote Rogue One, will write, direct and serve as showrunner for the series, which takes place five years before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Additional writers on the series include Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler), Beau Willimon (House of Cards), and Stephen Schiff (The Americans).
Filming is underway and is expected to drop sometime in 2022 on Disney+.
After Katee Sackhoff reprised the role of Bo-Katan in The Mandalorian, there has been some speculation that other voice actors from the animation side of Star Wars might make the jump to playing live-action incarnations of their characters.
Collider recently spoke with fellow Star Wars: Rebels voice actor Jason Isaacs about the possibility of him playing The Grand Inquisitor in undisclosed live-actions projects for Lucasfilm and he sounds open to idea. It sounds like the quality of the script and the limited amount of prosthetics would be conditions for Jason to do it.
ISAACS: “I think it was because of his lightsaber. I’d like to use that spinning red lightsaber. I have the coolest wand in the Harry Potter world and I have the cool lightsaber in the Star Wars world.”
“I’m open to anything. It’s always about the script. I don’t want to just turn up so that I can take some photographs and go to conventions. I’d like to play parts. The Inquisitor was a great part when I played it and if the Inquisitor was a great part again, I’d be up for it. I’m not sure I’ve got the patience of Doug Jones who plays Saru in Discovery, who was the creature in The Shape of Water and stuff. I don’t now how many hours I’d like to spend in prosthetics. But yeah, Katee had a very good time. I know Katee and I’ll say, I’ve loved being part of the Star Wars world. They’ve invited me in although I’ve only ever been an animated character before.”
“It’s always the script and what you get to do. I know that for other people they go, ‘I’d love to see you in this,’ or, ‘I’d love to see you in that.’ Mostly it’s people would like to see me do something they’ve seen me do before. They go, ‘There’s a character just like that in this. Wouldn’t you like to be in Outlander playing so and so?’ And I go, ‘Well, not really because you’re just saying I should bring that character over from The Patriot,’ or whatever.”
However, given his character’s death in Star Wars: Rebels, he’d likely have to appear in things that take place before those events such as the Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series starring Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen. Considering Darth Vader is confirmed for the Disney+ show, having a version of The Inquisitors appearing is a strong possibility given that they’d still be hunting down Jedi at this point in the timeline.
It looks like we finally have our second new cast member on Marvel’s She-Hulk series!
Deadline reports that Space Force and Kidding actress Ginger Gonzaga as been tapped to play Jennifer Walter’s best friend in the show, calling it a co-starring role. Emmy-winner Tatiana Maslany is playing Jennifer Walters, the defense lawyer cousin of Bruce Banner, who in the comics is given an emergency blood transfusion from Banner leading to her becoming a Hulk herself empowered with similar strength and abilities.
UPDATE: The actress has confirmed her involvement on Twitter.
Filming is said to begin this March in Atlanta, Georgia under the working title Libra.
Rick & Morty‘s Jessica Gao is the lead writer on the MCU series with Kat Coiro and Anu Valia directing.
The series is described as a superhero workplace comedy and will also feature MarkRuffalo as the Hulk and Tim Roth making his triumphant return as The Incredible Hulk‘s Abomination. There are also expectations that other actors from that film be returning, but have yet to be confirmed officially. William Hurt‘s Thunderbolt Ross has been popping-up in multiple projects since The Incredible Hulk and almost appeared as his second comic book persona, Red Hulk, in Captain America: Civil War.
Kevin Feige has also teased other superhero cameos which some fans have assumed could mean either Peter Parker or Matt Murdock.
We should be getting a couple more casting additions before production starts.
She-Hulk is expected to begin airing on Disney+ in late summer/fall of 2022 given the extensive special effects needed for the multiple Hulks on the show.
The Ronin can confirm that production designer Marcus Rowland has joined Lockwood, the Netflix series based on the books from author Jonathan Stroud will be directed by Joe Cornish (Attack The Block) with Edgar Wright‘s Complete Fiction producing.
Books in Stroud’s Lockwood & Co. series include The Screaming Staircase, The Dagger in The Desk, The Whispering Skull, The Hollow Boy, The Creeping Shadow, and The Empty Grave. Allowing them to make multiple seasons if they’re inclined to.
THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE – For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .
The project was first announced back in May 2020.
Marcus Rowland is best known for collaborating with Edgar Wright on his films Shaun of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The World’s End, Baby Driver, and most recently Last Night In Soho. He also worked with Cornish on his feature films Attack The Block and The Kid Who Would Be King.
This would be the production designer’s first return to television since Edgar’s series Spaced from 2004.
You might remember that Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish co-wrote the original script for Marvel’s Ant-Man before Edgar dropped-out over creative differences with the studio leading to Peyton Reed to be hired as it’s director.
THE RONIN 