It was confirmed recently that Charlize Theron wouldn’t be reprising the Furiosa role in George Miller’s upcoming prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road as the writer/director wasn’t sold on the current de-aging CGI effects and their limitations. Leading to him now seeking a younger actress to play the role with Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, The New Mutants) and Jodie Comer (Killing Eve, The Last Duel) reportedly among the many ladies auditioning.
Theron’s co-star Zoe Kravitz has now commented about the sitution while being interviewed on the podcast Happy Sad Confused, giving Miller the benefit of the doubt.
KRAVITZ: “If I recall correctly, he always spoke about wanting to do a Furiosa prequel. I didn’t know he was going to recast her. If I learned anything from being in Fury Road, it’s shut up and trust George Miller. I’m just gonna shut my mouth and say go to work maestro because I don’t know what else I can say to that, man.”
I don’t think the door is nesscarily closed concerning Charlize returning to the Furiosa role down the road as Miller also wanted to make a direct sequel to Fury Road which would allow Theron to appear as the badass character once more.
When filming on Furiosa will begin is a little unclear as Miller was in the middle to starting up Three Thousand Years of Longing when his star Idris Elba contracted the coronavirus and the country-wide outbreak led to the industry to pause all productions in Australia including Marvel’s Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings.
George has suggested in previous interviews that he hopes to shoot the Fury Road prequel once Three Thousand Years of Longing is completed.There had been rumors of Furiosa beginning this fall or sometime in 2021, neither projected start seems realistic at this point given delays on Miller’s current film.
Zoe has had production woes too as she was recently cast as Selina Kyle aka Catwoman in Matt Reeves’ new Batman film. Matt had revealed a while back that they had only completed a quarter of filming before the pandemic paused production in the United Kingdom.
Jurassic World: Dominion is reportedly aiming to be the first major production to resume in the UK at Pinewood Studios UK sometime between early to mid-July. Despite false online rumors, The Batman isn’t cancelled nor is Robert Pattinson being fired. Instead, the DC Comics movie will resume filming shortly as soon as the studio feels it’s safe to do so.
Another director has confirmed their involvement with the upcoming Season 2 of The Mandalorian. While speaking to Collider in a recent interview, Bryce Dallas Howard has confirmed that she indeed has directed an episode of The Mandalorian for Season 2. Bryce having previously helmed the episode titled Sanctuary in Season 1.
She joins a directing group that includes Robert Rodriguez (confirmed by myself at HN Entertainment), Jon Favreau, Carl Weathers, Peyton Reed (first revealed by Charles Murphy), and a returning Dave Filoni.
It remains to be seen if others will be confirmed as James Mangold debunked a rumor that he was involved with Season 2. Bryce had also been previously rumored for a return but this is the first official confirmation.
Also, Collider was able to speak with Extraction director Sam Hargrave earlier in the month, who confirmed to them he handled the second unit directing on the series.
HARGRAVE: “They actually came to me. It’s crazy. I was in the middle of post [-production on Extraction] and I’m editing my movie and I got a call from my buddy Colin Wilson, one of the line producers, who said, ‘Jon [Favreau] and the people over here are looking for someone to bring into the team or add to the family who has experience with action.’ The team that was there did a great job in the first season and it was just all fun. But they wanted to build on that and bring a new perspective and take it to another level for the next season. So, I was like, ‘That sounds like a fun challenge.'”
“I like the people over there — Favreau’s great — so I went over and it was a really fascinating adventure. They have a crazy way of shooting. Some of the stuff is traditionally shot, with the live-action and blue screen on the backlot, but they’ve also got this technology called ‘The Volume’ where it’s just, like, the inside of a live game engine. It’s quite insane what technology nowadays is available to filmmakers. It was really eye-opening, the potential of this technology that Jon and they guys had been working on. It was a really fun learning experience.”
Sam is best known as a stuntman/stunt coordinator but recently had his directorial debut with the Netflix action film Extraction starring Chris Hemsworth that had a script penned by Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo.
Hargrave’s previous second unit work includes films such as Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde, and The Accountant.
Photography on the Star Wars series luckily wrapped up back in March before the pandemic essentially shut down most of the film and television industry. According to recent comments from Jon Favreau, post-production is moving smoothly and they’ll likely hit their targeted release date in October on Disney+.
Season 3 of The Mandalorian is said to be already in development stages with Jon Favreau returning.
Variety reports that Netflix is about to buy another high-profile awards contender with Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of The Chicago Seven. The streaming service is negotiating to secure the domestic rights from Paramount Pictures and Cross Creek Productions.
The Chicago Seven, a group of seven activists who were charged by the federal government with conspiracy, inciting to riot and other charges stemming from anti-Vietnam War protests that broke out during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. It’s a hot-button story, one that is sure to resonate in a presidential election year and at a time when protests over racial injustice are breaking out across the country.
Aaron Sorkin previously made his directorial debut with the Jessica Chastain film Molly’s Game. His screenwriting credits includes A Few Good Men, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Social Network, Moneyball, and Steve Jobs.
The film’s impressive cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Jeremy Strong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Frank Langella, William Hurt, Michael Keaton, and Mark Rylance.
They had luckily wrapped production on The Chicago 7 before the pandemic hit and was originally set to be released on October 16th, 2020. It’s said to be aiming to get a release before the election in November.
Reporting out of the Cannes Virtual Market via Deadline has revealed that Michael Mann’s upcoming film Ferrari is now seeking distribution partners next week.
They’re also expected to begin shooting Ferrari by next spring.
The film will chart the summer of 1957 when all the forces in Ferrari’s life – which were often as combustible and volatile as the iconic race cars he built – collided. The now legendary car company he and his wife Laura built was at the time going broke. Their tempestuous marriage had already suffered the death of their son, Dino, and Ferrari’s other son, 12-year old Piero, the product of a wartime romance, was struggling to find his place in the world.
The entrepreneur rolled the dice for all their futures on one race – 1,000 miles across Italy, the brutal and infamous 1957 Mille Miglia. The film will be framed so that during the highly dangerous race, Laura discovers long kept secrets, we see opportunities rise and fade, and drivers, who are like surrogate sons, are pushed beyond the edge.
X-Men actor Hugh Jackman is currently in discussions to play the Enzo Ferrari role, but there isn’t word about who will play Laura.
They also reveal that Mann has reworked the script that was originally penned by Italian Job and Kelly’s Heroes screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin, who passed in 2009. Michael has been trying to get the film made for almost two decades.
Ferrari’s resurgence certainly comes at the right time after James Mangold’s own racing biopic Ford v Ferrari from 2019 did okay at the box office and earned a handful of Oscar nominations including Best Picture. I’m sure both Mann and Jackman see the film as potential awards contender.
STX will distribute Ferrari in the UK and Ireland.
STX is now handling international sales and will directly distribute the film in the UK and Ireland. We understand Amazon is tying up a deal to bolster international with STX and has been integral in the process. CAA Media Finance arranged the financing and is repping domestic.
Mann was in the middle of shooting the pilot episode of HBO Max’s Tokyo Vice in Japan before the Coronavirus pandemic paused filming. Hugh Jackman most recently starred in the HBO film Bad Education and had wrapped on the Warner Bros. sci-fi thriller Reminiscence directed by Westworld’s Lisa Joy.
Theater chains Cinemark, Regal, and AMC have released their new “safety policies” for reopening theaters but none are making masks worn by patrons a requirement.
UPDATE: AMC is reversing their policy via Variety and are now requiring guests to wear masks after backlash from CEO Adam Aron’s comments from yesterday.
“This announcement prompted an intense and immediate outcry from our customers, and it is clear from this response that we did not go far enough on the usage of mask. At AMC Theatres, we think it is absolutely crucial that we listen to our guests. Accordingly, and with the full support of our scientific advisors, we are reversing course and are changing our guest mask policy. As we reopen theatres, we now will require that all AMC guests nationwide wear masks as they enter and enjoy movies at our theatres. The speed with which AMC moved to revise our mask policies is a reflection of our commitment to the safety and health of our guests.”
UPDATE: Regal Cinemas via Deadline has also reversed their policy and will now require patrons to wear masks.
“As related to our employees, guests will also be required to wear masks. Disposable masks will be made available as needed.”
In a new Cinemark reopening video, CEO Mark Zoradi completely omits the mentioning of wearing masks in the actual theater space where it actually counts the most.
CINEMARK: “We welcome you to wear face masks in lobbies, hallways and restrooms.”
Six patrons pictured in Cinemark’s safety video only two are wearing masks.
You can watch that video below and you’ll notice that he doesn’t once mention wearing masks in the screening room.
This is odd since they’re requiring employees to wear masks at all times and it clearly is still a key CDC recommendation on their website (cloth face coverings) as a preventative measure to stop the spread of COVID-19. Cinemark, Regal, and now AMC aren’t requiring masks of patrons, it comes off as they’re willfully ignoring a key safety measure.
Dr. Anthony Fauci still is advising Americans to wear masks.
It’s also worth mentioning that social distancing alone isn’t as effective in an enclosed indoor space because you don’t have the same airflow as outdoors and a study from the Journal of American Medical Association that 6 feet might not even be enough to be safe from droplets as they can travel as far as 23-27 feet. If you consider that masks would help prevent this, why gamble and not make it a requirement?
Here are some reasons why that is happening.
Sitting at the top of the list is simply making sure theaters are still able to make money from concession sales. If they promote the idea it’s dangerous to not to wear masks inside the theater it will discourage patrons from feeling comfortable enough to buy food and drinks at concession, then removing their masks to consume those concession products. One of the biggest ways theaters earn revenue is from concession sales and it comes off like they’re willing to risk the health of patrons for popcorn sales.
This is extremely counterproductive and straight-up dangerous.
The biggest glaring issue seems to be that theaters are more worried about offending a small segment of anti-science patrons that don’t believe in the preventative measure or even that COVID-19 is even real/that bad. We’ve all seen the videos of people freaking out when they’re told to wear masks at grocery stories and restaurants.
That’s the thing, businesses make the policy and it’s their responsibility to keep costumers safe.
This idea has been circulated by Trump and the White House that wearing a mask isn’t important or necessary. Trump actively refusing to wear a mask in public (on camera) even when it was required of him like a Ford planet he visited during the thick of the pandemic. President Trump has also been sharing months of incorrect theories and life-threatening treatments have added to the confusion leading to armed protests against the lockdown measures meant to protect Americans from dying.
Trump is asking his rally attendees in Tulsa, Oklahoma to sign COVID-19 waivers to not sue the campaign if they get sick or die. Also, making masks “optional” while his own CDC and medical experts believe it’s dangerous. They’re also likely going to ignore social distancing which the President seemingly doesn’t believe in.
The reality of the situation is that the American death troll from COVID-19 is currently 120,000+ and is expected to reach 200,000 by September/October. People are dying and asymptomatic people (those that feel fine without symptoms) are spreading it more rapidly leading to the recent spike in new cases across the country.
Masks are meant to protect others and if people aren’t willing to be that considerate for human life, why take their money?
AMC CEO Adam Aron during a recent interview with Variety claims that requiring patrons to wear masks would be placing the company into a “political controversy”, instead of backing a preventive measure during a massive public health crisis. Adding to the idea they’re more concerned about offending than keeping people safe.
Here is the CEO’s exact quote and some context provided by Variety.
AMC will not mandate that all guests wear masks, although employees will be required to do so. Nor will AMC perform temperature checks on customers, though it will monitor its employees’ temperatures and have them undergo screenings to check for signs of coronavirus. The situation will be different in states and cities that require residents to wear a mask when they’re in public, but Aron said that AMC was wary of wading into a public health issue that has become politicized.
ARON: “We did not want to be drawn into a political controversy. We thought it might be counterproductive if we forced mask wearing on those people who believe strongly that it is not necessary. We think that the vast majority of AMC guests will be wearing masks. When I go to an AMC feature, I will certainly be wearing a mask and leading by example.”
AMC will also sell masks for a dollar to guests who forgot to bring one. Both Cinemark and Regal are encouraging guests to wear masks, but not requiring it in states and areas where it is not mandated.
AMC is said to be on the brink of bankruptcy and being extremely desperate to make money again might be why they’re cutting corners to get as many dollars through their doors as possible even if it puts others at risk and in harm’s way. Their motivations are most likely are short term and monetary.
At the end of the day, they can clean all they want but if asymptomatic patrons aren’t properly protecting others in public spaces by required mask wearing, theaters are opening themselves to outbreaks of coronavirus and lawsuits.
Public heath isn’t political it’s about keeping everyone safe and wearing masks will help preventing more Americans dying as pointed out by medical experts and the government. This only makes theaters less appealing and myself less likely to support them in the future.
Screenwriter Drew Goddard is reportedly returning to the world of novelist Andy Weir, previously landing an Oscar-nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay after adapting the novel The Martian for director Ridley Scott.
The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Goddard will be tackling a second Weir adaptation with Project Hail Mary. MGM recently spent an impressive $3 million to secure a deal for the science fiction film that has Ryan Gosling attached for the lead role with Chris Miller and Phil Lord directing.
Centers on an astronaut who wakes up to find himself millions of miles away from home, in a tiny craft with two dead crewmates for company, with no recollection of his mission or even his name. But this man will soon discover he is humanity’s only hope for survival from an extinction-level threat.
Goddard is a director himself as he made The Cabin In The Woods and Bad Times At The El Royale. He had been previously attached to direct Marvel projects such as Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff Sinister Six and X-Men/Deadpool spinoff X-Force, those projects have since fell into development limbo.
Project Hail Mary seems like a perfect paring of creatives and I think it could end up extremely special.
Today, it was officially announced via Variety that Weta Digital will be expanding it’s operations with a new animation division called Weta Animated. Peter Jackson’s company based in New Zealand has been one of the leading forces in digital visual effects along industry peers such as Industrial Light & Magic.
They’ve hired Prem Akkaraju to lead Weta Animated as the company’s chief executive officer.
Weta Digital got it’s start with Jackson’s 1994 film Heavenly Creatures. They’ve been working on various films since which includes projects such as The Lord of The Rings trilogy, King Kong, The Hobbit trilogy, Avatar, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Alita: Battle Angel, District 9, Mulan, and Black Widow.
It’s also been revealed that owners Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will write, produce, and direct many animated projects for newly formed company. However, details weren’t mentioned on what those projects could be.
I’m curious if they’ll attempt to use Weta Animated to make the Tintin sequels.
Deadline has revealed that Universal Pictures has optioned the film rights to the Adrian McKinty novel The Chain with Edgar Wright set to direct and Jane Goldman hired to adapt the book into a script.
The Chain tells the story of Rachel, who learns that her 11-year-old daughter has been kidnapped. The only way to get her back is to kidnap another child. Her daughter will be released only when that next victim’s parents kidnap another child. If Rachel doesn’t kidnap another child, or if that child’s parents don’t kidnap a child, her daughter will be murdered. She is now part of The Chain, a terrifying and meticulous chain letter-like kidnapping scheme that turns parents from victims into criminals.
Wright is set to release his psychological horror film Last Night In Soho starring Anya Taylor-Joy on April 23rd, 2021, and is also developing the sci-fi film based on the novel Set Heart To Five from Simon Stephenson.
Jane is best known for films such as Stardust, X-Men: First Class, Kick-Ass, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, The King’s Man, and had been hired as the showrunner for the first Game of Thrones prequel spinoff series that didn’t move forward beyond a pilot episode.
It’ll be interesting to see if Edgar ever gets around to making his Baby Driver sequel because he keeps signing on for other projects in the meantime.
Deadline has revealed that Denis Villeneuve’s Dune will be returning to Budapest, Hungary to film an unknown amount of additional photography. The film is the latest adaptation of the sci-fi novels written by Frank Herbert.
Filming had previously taken place at Origo Film Studios in Budapest along with exterior shoots in Norway and Jordan.
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.
It’s cast includes Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Zendaya, and David Dastmalchian.
Legendary is already developing a sequel will act as Part 2 of the first novel with screenwriter Jon Spaihts currently working on the script. There is also an HBO Max series in the works titled Dune: The Sisterhood.
The release date has been set for December 18th, but with all the various shifting dates for Warner Bros. movies, it’s hard to assume that they’ll ultimately stick to that holiday spot.
Today, it was announced by Hulu via the Solar Opposites Instagram account that their mature animation series has been given two more seasons. Which means we can expect the show to become important in attracting new audiences at the streaming service.
SOLAR OPPOSITES – Co-created by Justin Roiland (Rick & Morty) and Mike McMahan (ex-writer’s assistant on Rick & Morty), Solar Opposites centers around a team of four aliens who escape their exploding homeworld only to crash land into a move-in ready home in suburban America. They are evenly split on whether Earth is awful or awesome. Korvo (Justin Roiland) and Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone) only see the pollution, crass consumerism, and human frailty while Terry (Thomas Middleditch) and Jesse (Mary Mack) love humans and all their TV, junk food and fun stuff. Their mission: protect the Pupa, a living supercomputer that will one day evolve into its true form, consume them, and terraform the Earth.
THE RONIN 