Writer/director Zach Cregger is finally gearing up on his next film after a sensensational reaction to his horror pic “Barbarian.” The new project titled “Weapons” landed at New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. after a heated bidding war, however, it recently lost their main star and they’ve now found a potential replacement. The Hollywood Reporter states that Josh Brolin (“Sicario”) is now in talks to take the role originally meant for Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”) after the actor had to leave due to scheduling issues.
Pascal had to exit because of his commitment to Marvel‘s upcoming reboot of the “Fantastic Four” which is expected to shoot at Pinewood Studios UK over the summer with director Matt Shakman (“Wandavision”) casting Pascal as Dr. Reed Richards, aka, Mister Fantastic. The rest of the cast includes Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (The Thing), and Joseph Quinn as Sue’s brother Johnny Storm (The Human Torch).
Not much is known about “Weapons” but is said to be an interrelated, multistory horror epic that tonally in the vein of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia.” This wouldn’t be Brolin’s first entry into horror with projects such as Guillermo del Toro’s “Mimic,” Robert Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror,” Paul Verhoeven’s modern take on “The Invisible Man” with “Hollow Man,” and the serial killer thriller “Nightwatch” where he co-starred with young Ewan McGregor.
This month saw the finale of “True Detective: Night Country” wrap up the fourth season of the acclaimed crime anthology series. Well, now, HBO has made the official announcement that “True Detective” is coming back for a fifth season with showrunner Issa López returning as well, who replaced series creator/writer Nic Pizzolatto and ended up writing/directing the new season that starred Oscar-winner Jodie Foster and newcomer Kali Reis dealing with a group of murders in a rural mining town in Alaska during the time of the year where the area is in constant darkness without the sun.
López also has signed an overall deal with HBO, allowing her to keep working on the series for years to come and could see her develop other projects in the future as well.
It’ll be interesting to see where the fifth season goes and who they end up putting together for the next whodunnit. Traditionally, the series moves on to new locations and characters but they might consider doing a follow-up to “Night Country,” yet, that’s doubtful given what audiences/fans would expect from the next season. The crux of the show is that each season does something completely different which allows creatives to play in the genre but not repeat themselves.
I binge-watched the series this week in a single sitting and had a great time trying to figure out who committed the murders. However, some story elements didn’t get fully explained leaving some holes that didn’t get filled and the paranormal aspect didn’t always work for me. But, the overall experience was on par with the other seasons, including the finale, while I think the mystery of it all seemed to be a little more compelling than the last two seasons. It stands to reason why the show ended up being the most-watched season out of the four.
Sadly, executive producer Pizzolatto recently threw shade on the new season online and has sort of signaled bitterness toward his replacement and not being allowed to continue with the show on a creative level. Hopefully, his nasty attitude will change over time but we won’t be holding our breath.
Yesterday, Lionsgate announced that the studio would be delaying their highly anticipated cinematic spinoff to the “John Wick” franchise. The upcoming film titled “Ballerina” will focus on a deadly assassin named Rooney from Wick’s adoptive family, The Ruska Roma, a criminal syndicate that takes in orphans like John to train them over years into skilled killers that will end up earning for the organization. Cuban-American actress Ana De Armas (“No Time To Die,” “The Gray Man”) will be leading the film as Rooney, the titular ballerina, with a supporting cast that consists of Norman Reedus (“Boondock Saints,” “The Walking Dead”), Gabriel Byrne (“The Usual Suspects”), Anjelica Huston returning as The Director, Keanu Reeves appearing as John Wick, franchise alumn Ian McShane back in the Winston part, and the late Lance Reddick having shot scenes as Charon.
The studio revealed that “Ballerina” has moved from its prime June 7, 2024, spot to June 6, 2025. This would delay the action pic an entire year. It’s directed by Len Wiseman (“Live Free or Die Hard,” “Underworld” franchise), and multiple trade reports, such as the one from Deadline, are citing the delay is that newly minted franchise overseer Chad Stahelski can amp up the spinoff with some additional action scenes.
A big reason for the return of Wick and Charon is the events of the spinoff are set between “John Wick 3” and just before “John Wick 4.”
This popular action franchise is known for adding actors from various beloved action movies from the past and “Ballerina” is no different. We’re expected to have a cameo from French actress Anne Parillaud, who played the lead role in Luc Besson‘s own iconic 1990 assassin film “La Femme Nikita.” An action movie we’ve long assumed had a huge impact on Stahelski’s visual style for the franchise and could be a reason why the last installment took place in Paris.
Taking that open June 7 spot will be Rupert Sanders‘ (“Ghost In The Shell”) remake of “The Crow” which has Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård (“John Wick 4,” “Atomic Blonde”) playing Eric Draven, a talented rock musician murdered alongside his girlfriend Shelly on Devil’s Night only for Draven to be brought back to life by a crow to enact revenge against their killers. Speaking of Stahelski, the stuntman turned director worked on the original 1994 feature incarnation of the comic book film that sadly saw the death of star Brandon Lee after a stunt with guns went wrong. Lee’s death led filmmakers like Stahelski to engage in greater safety standards on sets when it comes to weapons like firearms. While you might not realize this at first glance, most of the gunfire in the “John Wick” movies is mostly done with digital effects to achieve the muzzle flashes and smoke.
If you weren’t aware Quentin Tarantino (“Pulp Fiction”) is looking to hang up his feature film director spurs once he completes his tenth and final film, “The Movie Critic.” The pic is set in 1970s Los Angeles and is said to focus on a cynical movie critic that writes for an unnamed “porno rag” (This could easily be a publication owned by mobsters who had a financial interest in the porn industry) that takes inspiration from Travis Bickle, the lead character from the film “Taxi Driver” alongside potential elements from the revenge thriller “Rolling Thunder.” Telegraphing a violent angle to the film, which tends to be Tarantino’s calling card with his projects. We previously learned that Brad Pitt will be taking the lead role in the film, assumed to be the aforementioned movie critic. There is an equally exciting name that could show up in the film as well.
Not too long ago journalist Jeff Sneider had suggested that Tom Cruise could be potentially vying for a small role in the final Tarantino film. And now, Variety is backing up that claim as well in a new report outlining Cruise’s new attempts to get back to acting-focused projects not just action blockbusters like his popular “Mission: Impossible” movies. Stating the actor has “had discussions” about joining the upcoming production. Again, the size and character angle for the potential role haven’t been revealed in any great detail.
This wouldn’t be all that surprising given that Tarantino sang high praises to “Top Gun: Maverick” when he saw it and seemingly, on paper, the two cinephiles could be a great pairing. Of course, Crusie isn’t a stranger to working with famed Oscar-caliber directors like Tarantino. Some of his previous directors include Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Thomas Anderson, and the late iconic Stanley Kubrick on the thriller “Eyes Wide Shut.”
Pitt and Tarantino had worked together before on “Inglorious Basterds” and “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,” with the latter earning him a Best Supporting Actor statue at the Oscars. Cruise and Pitt co-starred in the vampire drama “Interview With A Vampire” based on the Anne Rice novel of the same name. More big names are expected to be mentioned for parts in the film and we’ll have to wait until we learn if Cruise ultimately takes a part or not. I also think it’s safe to say longtime muse that Samuel L. Jackson will have a part waiting for him as well.
The Ronin can independently confirm THR/Deadline’s recent report that Gareth Edwards has been hired to direct “Jurassic World 4,” aka, “Jurassic Park 7.” We had been tipped off just before the outlet dropped their report on the hiring. Edwards isn’t a stranger to working on existing studio IP he previously worked on “Godzilla” for Legendary helping them launch their Monsterverse lineup of films and did the “Star Wars” prequel film “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” that spawned into two seasons of “Andor” on Disney+. The filmmaker also has an established working relationship with ILM, the visual effects company that works on the “Jurassic” franchise. Their recent film together, “The Creator,” was nominated for the Best Achievement In Visual Effects Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony going up against the likes of the scrappy Japanese film “Godzilla Minus One.”
UPDATE: Collider was able to get this quote from Edwards last night at their FYC event saying “This opportunity is like a dream” and said this was the only thing that would make him “drop everything” including his next movie idea.
“I was about to take a break and I started writing my next idea for a film and this is the only movie that would make me drop everything like a stone and dive right in. I love ‘Jurassic Park.’ I think the first movie is a cinematic masterpiece…so this opportunity is like a dream to me. And to work with Frank Marshall and Universal and David Koepp, who’s writing the script, I think they’re all legends. So I’m just very excited.”
Author Michael Crichton is the creator of “Jurassic Park” with two novels published before his death. The franchise focuses on a bio-engineering company that discovers a way to clone dinosaurs for a new amusement park attraction until human error leads to the aggressive creatures being freed from their electrified cages/pens. “Jurassic World: Dominion” had dinosaurs living off the island and cohabitating with humans in different parts of the world. We’re still waiting on concrete plot details but we likely won’t have to too much longer with an expected summer production to meet Universal’s set release date of July 2, 2025. Although, given that both “Fantastic Four” and “Superman: Legacy” are taking spots in that month, we suspect that Universal will either move up or delay the film’s release, It all depends on when filming actually begins as Edwards will now have to jump feet first into production design and prep for this next installment.
Marvel Studios is busy these days after the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes were resolved last year allowing them to finish “Deadpool & Wolverine” with “Fantastic Four” and “Thunderbolts” next on deck. Another project that has been quietly in development is a sequel to “Shang Chi.” A less-than-stellar update came from the film’s main star Simu Liu (“Barbie”) suggesting that there wouldn’t be any real movement on the sequel until after the next “Avengers” installment that had director DestinDaniel Cretton attached. Well, Cretton is no longer making “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” as he exited with that project currently undergoing rewrites by Michael Waldron (“Loki,” “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness”) after he replaced Jeff Loveness (“Ant-Man 3”). Reports said the filmmaker would instead focus on his Disney+ series “Wonder Man” and the “Shang-Chi” sequel.
While speaking with ComicBook, the Canadian actor echoed previous media reports that Cretton would be focusing on “Shang-Chi 2” after his exit from “Avengers 5.”
“Oh man, I don’t know to be honest,” Liu responded to questions on when the sequel is coming. “I mean, those things are so above my pay grade. I just wanna continue to be a fan of it. You know, when I get a call of like, ‘Hey, this is what you’re in and this is where you’re going to show up. And, this is when you’re going to need to be blacked out for.’ That’s kind of generally what tends to happen. But, you know Destin is such a special filmmaker and we’re very happy to have him on the sequel. So, he’ll be working on that and we’re really excited to see what he comes up with. I think he’s going to do a brilliant job.”
Previously, Cretton told Cinema Blend that it would be a dream to land legendary action star Jackie Chanfor the next installment. This wouldn’t be an insane notion as the last installment included two key actors from Chan’s “Police Story 3,” aka, “Supercop” with Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh and Yuen Wah (“Kung Fu Hustle”) taking supporting roles. A film that obviously influences the Marvel pic.
“If we could ever get Jackie [Chan] into a movie that would be a lifelong dream of mine. Yeah. Let’s put it out there.”
Marvel Studios has yet to date the sequel, but we shouldn’t be all too surprised if it ends up getting released between 2026-2027. Given that Marvel has a heap of dates in that range that haven’t been announced what titles would be in those spots to the public.
While we’ve all been anticipating any sort of casting update concerning Amazon‘s live-action “Blade Runner” spinoff series “Blade Runner 2099,” there has been a bit of a creative shake-up as Deadline reports that “Shōgun” director Jonathan Van Tulleken has joined the sci-fi thriller streaming series and there is an expectation that filming might finally begin in Prague around the spring/summer of this year after multiple production delays. Moving from its original production home of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Van Tulleken will replace the series’ previous director Jeremy Podeswa of “Station Eleven,” who is said to have exited over “scheduling issues.” His mature samurai series reboot, “Shōgun,” is already getting some major buzz from critics ahead of its late February debut on Hulu and on Disney+ internationally.
As the title suggests, the Amazon series will take place 50 years after the events of Denis Villeneuve‘s impressive sequel “Blade Runner 2049” which starred Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, and Robin Wright. Silka Luisa is the writer and showrunner with Michael Green (“Blade Runner 2049”) serving as an executive producer. Details are unknown, but in 2049 it’s revealed that there are nine off-world colonies none of which we have explored in live-action, so far. Given the 50-year time jump there is the potential for “Blade Runner 2099” to explore both Los Angeles and these off-world colonies that have been consistently teased over the last 40+ years. They are considered a hellish place for replicants as they’re used as slave labor in various mining operations and end up being also used as pawns in various off-world wars. In “2049,” there were hints of a replicant uprising being planned that could see Wallace’s new wave of androids rebelling against their human overlords across the galaxy.
The series hails from Alcon Entertainment and Ridley Scott’s production company Scott Free Productions. Scott as you might remember helped launch the “Blade Runner” franchise in 1982 with the first film (A loose adaptation of the Philip K. Dick story “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”) becoming a bit of a cult smash on home video after a disastrous theatrical release which could be due to the horrendous voice-over element from Harrison Ford that would be removed from subsequent television and director cuts of the cyberpunk classic.
“Shōgun” looks to be just as big of a technical giant for a director to execute which could be a strong reason why Van Tulleken was selected as the new helmer. Now, with a director firmly set, the next phase will be filling out the show’s cast.
While we’re going to have to be patient for Marvel’s hard reboot of the “X-Men” franchise, we do have a couple of mutant-focused projects on the horizon. This July will see Wade Wilson return to the big screen in “Deadpool & Wolverine” an R-rated Multiverse romp that is already planting seeds for “Avengers: Secret Wars” (Although, to what extent is clearly unknown). But before that, Marvel is resurrecting an old favorite with the Fox Kids animated series via a continuation called “X-Men ’97” which will debut March 20 on Disney+. Alongside that date confirmation, they’ve released a first-look teaser trailer (See Below) giving us a minor glimpse at the animation style and look of the revival.
The trailer connects the new show to the old one as it had Magneto overseeing Xavier’s school and the new de facto head of the X-Men. Magneto, of course, is well known to many as one of the main antagonists of the franchise but has a conflictive streak that doesn’t make him “all that bad.” Will he be a great mentor to the team or revert to his dastardly plans? I guess we’ll have to watch and find out for ourselves.
It’s unclear despite being a series coming from Marvel Studios and the newly formed Marvel Animation, if the animated show is going to have any impact on how they conduct their upcoming “X-Men” reboot and we’re unsure if it’ll have any genuine influence other than the character/costume designs (The iconic Jim Lee/Chris Claremont era being one of the most popular versions of this Marvel team). They could always jump to a live-action incarnation here, but given that a heap of storylines already used up was either skipped over entirely or mangled during the Singerverse years at 20th Century Fox, it would feel odd to brush over those events given that Marvel can now start with a clean slate.
Marvel Animation is also behind “Marvel Zombies” and the upcoming Spidey show “Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man.” Although, I’m still a little surprised they didn’t attempt a revival of the 1990s animated “Spider-Man” series alongside “X-Men ’97.” Perhaps, it was simply too much of a headache or a cameo for “X-Men ’97” is in the cards?
The teaser trailer features an article from The Daily Bugle questioning if Spidey is a mutant himself (There were crossovers between the two Fox Kids shows in the 1990s, so that version of Spider-Man exists in “X-Men ’97”). Also, it mentions Eddie Brock, aka, Venom in that paper as well. A crossover cameo wouldn’t be all that shocking since “Spider-Man: The Animated Series” had Parker running into X-Men remembers in a couple of episodes. This paper could suggest that Brock and Peter will be showing up to the Hellfire Gala, as the Hellfire Club are expected to be villains in the new show.
Also, to chime in on the question that the paper asks: “Is Spider-Man A Mutant?” In comic book lore, Peter Parker and Bruce Banner are considered mutates, not mutants. That simply means their DNA/genetics have been mutated but through technology and not by birth. So, technically, their children like Banner’s son Skaar would be mutants because their mutations would have been passed down genetically. Namor is actually considered Marvel’s “first mutant” and we’ll see if that angle is ever explored in the future. The mutant gene is likely going to play a HUGE role in the MCU moving forward and oddly enough is connected to the Celestials, last seen in “The Eternals.”
Anyways, you can watch that brand-new trailer with our first real look at the show’s animation below.
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Marvel Studios has made it official by announcing the three main leads of their “Fantastic Four” reboot from director Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) and seemingly have also confirmed a 1960s-setting (1963?) alongside their robotic companion H.E.R.B.I.E. (Something I’ve been teasing on social media for years).
The lineup so far is Pedro Pascal as Dr. Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (The Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (“The Thing”). Journalist Jeff Sneider was the first to report the subsequent names of the cast with industry insider Daniel Richtman being the first to mention that Pascal was in talks to play Richards.
Marvel made the announcement via their social media accounts and even posted a fun promo poster revealing that aforementioned 60s-setting. “Fantastic Four” is set to be released on July 25, 2025, and will begin shooting at the Pinewood Studios stages in the United Kingdom in the not-too-distant future.
We’re still waiting for the reveal of a villain and who will play them. Rumors have suggested that we could end up seeing a new incarnation of Doctor Doom, but that has yet to be made official by Marvel.
Check out that awesome teaser poster artwork below.
Happy Valentine’s Day from Marvel’s First Family! Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn are The Fantastic Four.
One of the more disappointing aspects of recent Marvel Studios projects was the deaths of Cobie Smulders‘ Maria Hill and Ben Mendelsohn‘s Talos (strained leader of The Skrulls on Earth) in the critical disaster “Secret Invasion.” The uneven Disney+ series seemingly ended Mendelsohn’s MCU run and is now giving hints about who he’d like to play if given a second Marvel role in the future.
While speaking with GQ Magazine (via The Playlist) the Aussie actor revealed he’d really like a shot at playing Victor Von Doom, aka, Doctor Doom if allowed to nab a secondary part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A traditional “Fantastic Four” villain that also rules over the fictional country of Latveria and has become a rogue more on the level of a major Marvel supervillain such as Loki or Thanos.
“I would almost give my eyes and teeth to play Doctor Doom,” said Mendelsohn as his dream Marvel role. “I think Doctor Doom is the great unread Marvel character that could and should be done. But it is what it is. I got to work with Spielberg, and I got to work with Terrence Malick, and I got to work with Ridley Scott. It’s been incredible. I didn’t think this ship was coming.”
There is also an expectation that Doom could end up potentially playing a pivotal role in future MCU installments even beyond “Avengers: Secret Wars” and would be a villain role that could give an actor multiple chances to return, not unlike Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. Mendelsohn isn’t a stranger to villain roles having played baddies in Christopher Nolan‘s “The Dark Knight Rises” and Krennic in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” one of the more memorable villains from the modern era of “Star Wars.”
It wouldn’t be unheard of for Mendelsohn to play another character in the MCU as we’ve seen actors such as Gemma Chan and Benedict Cumberbatch come to mind who have played both MCU heroes and villains. Doom wearing a mask as part of his operatic costume could also obscure his face for most if not all of his screen time and make it even easier for Mendelsohn to not be recognized as appearing in “Captain Marvel” and “Secret Invasion” previously.
When it comes to “Fantastic Four” we really only have one actor set for the MCU reboot as fellow “Star Wars” alumn Pedro Pascal is all but confirmed to play Dr. Reed Richards, aka, Mister Fantastic. It doesn’t hurt that Pascal and Mendelsohn recently worked together on the film “Freaky Tales,” helmed by “Captain Marvel” directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. We’re still waiting on some trade reports or announcements from Marvel Studios to give an idea of who will actually round out the cast of director Matt Shakman‘s reboot of Marvel’s first family after endless rumors/speculation on who else will join the film.
THE RONIN 