Posted on in Film News, News

SPECULATION: Rumor Taylor Swift Is Playing Dazzler In ‘Deadpool 3’ Heating Up?

A while back there had been a rumor online that singer and sometimes-actress Taylor Swift (“Cats,” “Amsterdam”) could be potentially showing up in “Deadpool 3” in the role of mutant pop star Alison Blaire, aka, Dazzler (Swift keeps getting connected to the character). A lesser-known mutant in the “X-Men” comics but one tailor-made for Swift, pun intended.

Interestingly enough, Swift was spotted this weekend at the Kansas City Chiefs game (See video below) by sports reporter Dianna Russini alongside friend Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman, and “Deadpool 3” director Shawn Levy. While this, of course, could all be a coincidence as this group of people is linked via Ryan/Blake. Still, it does seem to help fuel those earlier rumblings given that a lot of people involved with “Deadpool 3” are hanging out with Swift in public.

Most fans might not be aware but in the original pilot for the 1990s “X-Men” cartoon, Dazzler was supposed to be one of the main team members in the 1989 episode “Pryde of The X-Men” before the revamped Jim Lee era team was used years later for the main series. A live-action version of Dazzler briefly appeared in “Dark Phoenix,” the final main “X-Men” installment in the Singerverse before Marvel Studios took over the rights post-acquisition. The mutant role had been played by Halston Sage (“The Orville’) but it’s been unclear if we’d ever see the character again.

Swift’s biggest acting role to date was in Universal’s disastrous theatrical take on the musical “Cats” which saw the singer transformed into an unsettling cat-creature with the help of some extremely sketchy CGI that set off the uncanny valley. However, considering the rumor mill has already suggested an OVERLOAD of Foxverse cameos such as Jennifer Garner’s Elektra (One of the less annoying cameos that has been confirmed by trades) and the possible return of many many many more of these Fox-era superheroes. It might actually be nice to see something new in the mix too like a new actor playing a version of Dazzler.

It’s also worth noting that Celine Dion appeared in “Deadpool 2” to sing the introduction song, establishing the idea of landing a big-name singer for these films.

Folks might remember the time Taylor borrowed the Deadpool suit from Reynolds for a Halloween party leading to some snaps of her wearing it. Circling back to that friendship Swift has with Ryan’s wife, Blake Lively.

Marvel Studios’s Kevin Feige once mused he was a big fan of Dazzler, according to Fandango’s Erik Davis.

Currently, the “Deadpool 3” production that was taking place in/around London is on hiatus until the SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved with the AMPTP as the union that represents 160,000 actors is seeking a fair deal for its membership.

SOURCE: DIANNA RUSSINI

Posted on in Film News, News

Gareth Edwards Clarifies Involvement In ‘Rogue One’ Reshoots, Shot Darth Vader Action Sequence

Director Gareth Edwards is finally back with a new feature film, “The Creator,” after the haphazard production of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” While on the press tour for the futuristic film about artificial intelligence, Edwards is trying to clear the record about what exactly did or didn’t happen during the filming and subsequent reshoots for the “Star Wars” film. Tony Gilroy famously was brought on to help with the extensive reshoot, and ultimately, led to him landing the chance to flesh out Rebellion spy Cassian Andor’s backstory with the acclaimed Disney+ series “Andor.” When Gilroy was brought on there had been rumblings that Edwards was replaced completely and stopped working on the film, according to the director that just isn’t true.

Speaking with the KCRW’s The Business Podcast (via GamesRadar), the British filmmaker denied speculation/rumors that he had been thrown off “Rogue One” by Lucasfilm. Countering that narrative by stating it was a collaborative situation until the “last minute” and hammering home that point by revealing the last thing they had shot was the Darth Vader hallway action sequence, which Edwards says he shot himself.

“The stuff that’s out there on the internet about what happened on that film… there’s so much inaccuracy about the whole thing, and Tony [Gilroy] came in and he did a lot of great work for sure, no doubt about it. But we all worked together till the entire last minute of that movie…”

 “The very last thing that we filmed in the pickup shoot was the Darth Vader corridor scene,” Edwards added. “I did all of that stuff.”

After watching “The Creator,” a film with a lot of over-the-top violence with a focus on the visuals, it’s hard to argue with the man.

If you don’t remember the final events of the billion-dollar hit, the sequence in question saw Darth Vader being let loose on a group of Rebel soldiers/crew members as the Sith Lord is trying to get the Death Star plans back before they ultimately reach Princess Leia and directly into the start of “A New Hope,” the first film in the original trilogy. Some corners of the internet tried to push the idea that Dave Filoni (Only known for shooting animated scenes at this point in his career) had secretly directed the scene, not the case.

The action scene got such a segment of the “Star Wars” fandom pumped, and a handful of fans (alongside some blogs) began a small online campaign for Lucasfilm to make a solo Vader project simply based on that scene alone (Not exactly a great basis for a spinoff but okay). With that in mind, we did see prequel actor Hayden Christensen reprise the role of Anakin Skywalker in both “Obi-Wan Kenobi” (playing Anakin and Vader) and having some cameo scenes in the new series “Ahsoka” as well. Perhaps, the reaction to that sequence helped convince the studio to at least bring back Anakin/Vader? It’s a strong possibility given that it does seem that Lucasfilm does use internal polling to figure out what characters they should bring back or which ones could make the jump to live-action/canon.

“The Creator” is out in theaters and we recommend you check it out on the biggest screen available to you.

SOURCE: THE BUSINESS PODCAST

Posted on in Film News, News

‘X-Men’ Reboot: Marvel Studios Reportedly To Hear Pitches From Writers Soon

With “Deadpool 3” (Hugh Jackman finally in the Wolverine suit) expected to resume production once the SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved, it looks like Marvel Studios is aiming to get their “X-Men” reboot going as well with the WGA strike ended we’re now expected to see various writers meet with the studio and figure out how exactly to tackle mutants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the events of “Deadpool 3” (expected to deal with the Foxverse/Singerverse).

Without naming any screenwriting contenders or what the film could possibly be about, Deadline has given us the first real hint that development on the reboot is in the works. Stating that Marvel will be taking pitch meetings for writers this fall with the tease of a potential announcement by early 2024 of who they’ve selected.

Keep in mind, that nearly all Marvel films go through multiple drafts and rounds of writers. So, in theory, whoever ends up getting announced first might not be the person working on the shooting draft or final version of the script.

What the mutant lineup ends up looking like is unknown and if the upcoming animated series “X-Men ’97” (a continuation of the Fox Kids series from the 1990s) will have a direct connection to it. Previously, the “What-If…?” animated series gave us Captain Peggy Carter, who got her live-action debut in “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness.”

Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson, aka, Deadpool is expected to make the major leap into the main MCU as previously announced when Disney acquired the X-Men rights after gobbling up 21st Century Fox. However, it isn’t clear if anyone from the previous “Deadpool” movies or the upcoming one will be making the jump with him. Marvel Studios is now in a unique position to get comic-accurate versions of their characters on the big screen by erasing all the mistakes of the Singerverse as director Bryan Singer and producer Simon Kinberg took plenty of liberties with the characters to the point some of them didn’t match with their comic book counterparts in any real way other than their powers.

Starting fresh with a brand-new cast of actors seems like the best plan of attack here.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News, News, Trailers

‘Argylle’ Trailer: Matthew Vaughn Returns This February With A Twisted Star-Studded Take On The Spy Genre

It looks like the cat is finally out of the bag. The writer Elly Conway is indeed a fictional character and didn’t actually write the new spy film “Argylle” from director Matthew Vaughn (“Layer Cake”) as Universal Pictures and Apple Studios have released the first-look trailer for the upcoming action-comedy revealing the film’s main twist. What Conway (played by Bryce Dallas Howard) writes in her series of spy novels has an odd way of actually happening in the real world which has now caught the attention of various good and bad folks within the spy community including Sam Rockwell‘s Aiden.

Also revealed in the trailer is that the characters played by Henry Cavill and John Cena are actually from her books, and remains to be seen if they’ll ultimately be making the jump to reality. Changes are good though. “Argylle” seems to mix adventure, supernatural, and comedic elements something alien to Vaughn’s second film, “Stardust.” But with a bit of “Romancing The Stone” and “Knight & Day” thrown into the blender.

Another wild tidbit is that the new film hilariously features the real-life cat of Vaughn’s supermodel wife, Claudia Schiffer.

Here is the official logline of the film via Universal:

The greater the spy, the bigger the lie. From the twisted mind of Matthew Vaughn (“Kingsman” franchise, “Kick-Ass”) comes “Argylle” a razor-witted, reality-bending, globe-encircling spy thriller. Bryce Dallas Howard (“Jurassic World” franchise) is Elly Conway, the reclusive author of a series of best-selling espionage novels, whose idea of bliss is a night at home with her computer and her cat, Alfie. But when the plots of Elly’s fictional books—which center on secret agent Argylle and his mission to unravel a global spy syndicate—begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization, quiet evenings at home become a thing of the past. Accompanied by Aiden (Oscar® winner Sam Rockwell), a cat-allergic spy, Elly (carrying Alfie in her backpack) races across the world to stay one step ahead of the killers as the line between Elly’s fictional world and her real one begins to blur. The top-flight ensemble cast features Henry Cavill (“The Witcher”), John Cena (“Fast X”), Oscar® winner Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”), Grammy-winning pop superstar Dua Lipa (“Barbie”), Emmy winner and Oscar® nominee Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”), Emmy winner and comedy icon Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”), Sofia Boutella (“Kingsman: The Secret Service”), and the legendary Samuel L. Jackson. Alfie is played by Chip, the real-life cat of supermodel Claudia Vaughn (née Schiffer). Argylle is directed and produced by Matthew Vaughn, from a screenplay by Jason Fuchs (“Wonder Woman”).

There’s been chatter about the film potentially becoming a franchise starter for Apple and could lead to multiple installments given the main crux of the film is that Elly can predict various missions and their outcomes. Also, the staggering $200 million Apple reportedly paid to secure the film. Perhaps, she ends up choosing a side or an organization by the end of the film.

“Argylle” will be heading to theaters on February 2 and you can watch that new trailer below.

SOURCE: UNIVERSAL/APPLE

Posted on in News, Television News, Trailers

‘Rick & Morty’ Season 7 Trailer: Teases New Main Voice Actors & ‘Blade’ Parody Episode

Next month will see the return of one of the most popular animated satire series. Adult Swim has released a first-look trailer for the seventh season of “Rick & Morty” as they hope to move from co-creator Justin Roiland voicing the titular characters. This gives fans a chance to first hear the new voice-over actors as they’ve decided to pursue unnamed “soundalikes” rather than a celeb stunt casting like how Hulu picked British actor Dan Stevens (“Legion”) to replace Roiland in “Solar Opposites.”

Also, a noticeable element seen in the footage is that they’re circling back to previous teases of the duo becoming vampire hunters in some sort of parody episode of the 1998 film “Blade.” The film had been linked to a sword with built-in A.I. that had studied “Blade” to beat anyone in combat and another episode had teased them looking like badasses killing vampires in an alternate reality.

We’ve seen the show take on superheroes multiple times with their lampooning of “The Avengers” with “The Vindicators” along with a Captain Planet-type character, Planetina, who ended up having a tension-filled romantic relationship with Morty. It’ll be interesting to see if the “Blade” stuff is a full episode or simply a visual nod. Not to mention various writers from the show have made the jump to Marvel Studios working on high-profile MCU projects such as “Loki,” “She-Hulk,” “Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania,” “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness,” “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” and “Avengers: Secret Wars.”

Here is the official logline for the upcoming seventh season:

“’Rick & Morty’ are back and sounding more like themselves than ever! It’s season seven, and the possibilities are endless: what’s up with Jerry? EVIL Summer?! And will they ever go back to the high school?! Maybe not! But let’s find out! There’s probably less piss than last season. Rick and Morty, 100 years! Or at least until season 10!”

Folks involved with writing/producing the show have previously indicated that on the creative side, they won’t see much impact with the co-creator’s exit suggesting Roiland really hadn’t been contributing that much to recent seasons. This shouldn’t be that shocking given the growing group of writers working on the show (many leaving for Marvel Studios) has been the main creative force since Adult Swim made a deal to bankroll episodes until Season 10.

“Rick & Morty” will officially return to the airwaves as it premieres October 15 on Adult Swim and you can watch the aforementioned new trailer below.

SOURCE: ADULT SWIM

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Sicario 3’: Producers Promise “Awesome Idea” For Planned Third Installment Of Benicio Del Toro Franchise

Actor Benicio Del Toro landed himself a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role in Denis Villeneuve‘s “Sicario” which had a script penned by rising talent Taylor Sheridan (“Yellowstone”) and led to a sequel directed by Stefano Sollima that took a slight dip at the box office earning $75.8 million (Compared the original’s take of $84.8 million). Without spoiling the ending of “Sicario: Day of The Soldado,” Del Toro’s character Alejandro Gillick (An ex-Mexican prosecutor who became a CIA-trained assassin after his family was murdered by the kingpin) survived the brutal events of the film and would be expected to be the protagonist of the third installment. That third film is now officially in the works.

Producers Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee are now confirming development on “Sicaro 3” while speaking with The Messenger, the duo are known for working on the previous two films alongside the successful “John Wick” franchise including the upcoming spinoff “Ballerina” that stars Ana de Armas and Norman Reedus.

“When we can continue writing it. It was pencils down, but the idea is awesome,” Iwanyk said of the status of “Sicario 3.” Adding, “I can’t wait for ‘Sicario 3,’ I could watch Benicio play that guy forever. I mean, I can watch Benicio in anything, but with that character, it doesn’t get old.”

While Sheridan wrote the scripts for the last two installments, it’s unclear if he’ll be returning for “Sicario 3” given his attention has been focused on a growing television empire at Paramount with multiple shows actively shooting and being developed all at the same time. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that producers can convince Sheridan to take a directing role after tackling feature thrillers like “Wind River” and “Those Who Wish Me Dead.” Then again, he’s extremely busy.

Even less clear if we’re ever going to see the return of Emily Blunt’s FBI Agent Kate Macer, who had been the original protagonist and before the sequel switched to the perspective of Del Toro’s Alejandro. The second film seemed to indicate that Alejandro would see his story continued in a future installment.

SOURCE: THE MESSENGER

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Expendables 4’ Lands Franchise Low Opening With $8.3M After A Nearly Decade Absence

“The Expendables” was a bit of a curiosity when it originally hit theaters in 2010 as the Sly Stallone-directed action film looked to not only resurrect the careers of various action stars but also tried to bring back a certain type of R-rated action film that got popularized in the 1980-1990s. Echoing the ultra-violence that Stallone had previously brought with his film “John Rambo.” In the wake of the superhero genre, it was a nice bit of counterprogramming to see Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and others assembling including cameos from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. This would continue with the second installment seeing Jean Claude Van Damme and Scott Adkins playing villains with Willis and Schwarzenegger getting boosted action-focused scenes also with a cameo of sorts from former martial artist Chuck Norris leaning into his legendary badass status.

However, when it came to “The Expendables 3” the studio decided to court a younger audience by throwing off the mature rating for a more box office friendly PG-13. That didn’t seem to work out for the sequel as it ended up only earning $214.6 million at the global box office, a near hundred million dip from what “The Expendables 2” had made in 2012 and seemed to be a cautionary tale about switching ratings during a successful run in the quest for more box office dollars.

Nearly a decade later Lionsgate/Millineum Media is finally back with “The Expendables 4” as they hoped to coax back that mature audience. An audience that has since been entertained by four “John Wick” installments (“John Wick 4” earning Lionsgate $426.5 million earlier in the year) and expecting a lot more from action leads delivering actual fights alongside inventive sequences, an increasing issue with Stallone pushing 80 and other co-stars not getting any younger. The studio being aware of this seemingly pivoted to Jason Statham’s Lee Christmas stepping up as the franchise lead with new additions like Megan Fox and Curtis Jackson (50 Cent), who aren’t exactly action-genre royalty like Statham has become.

Well, it looks like the opening domestic numbers are in and they’re already drastically behind “The Expendables 3” ($15.8 million) with an estimated $8.3 million and nabbing the #2 spot behind “The Nun II,” which is much lower than the projected $15 million and is now a franchise low for the studio. For some perspective, the original film from 2010 opened to an impressive $34.8 million and given an assumed $90-100 million production budget this isn’t exactly good news for Lionsgate.

This doesn’t bode well for future installments and it’s unclear if the overseas markets can make up these hiccups. Statham isn’t always seen as a box office champ, but earlier this year his blockbuster shark pic “Meg 2: The Trench” at Warner Bros. was able to rake in $390.7 million.

SOURCE: BOX OFFICE MOJO

Posted on in News

Tentative Three-Year Deal Reached Between WGA & AMPTP, Needs To Be Ratified By Members

After a strike lasting 146 days, there is a glimmer of hope as the Writers Guild of America and AMPTP (studios/streamers) over the weekend reached a tentative deal with a three-year contract. Nothing is concrete just yet as members of the WGA still have to vote on the deal. The limited contract would mean the two sides would have to reunite in a couple of years. But, fingers crossed, if the membership accepts this means writers will be able to get back to work as they did seemingly get what they were asking for.

In an official statement from the union posted on Twitter: “The WGA and AMPTP have reached a tentative agreement. This was made possible by the enduring solidarity of WGA members and extraordinary support of our union siblings who stood with us for over 146 days. More details coming after contract language is finalized.”

“We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional — with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership,” the WGA negotiating committee on Sunday night in a message to its 11, 500 members.

As pointed out by the Los Angeles Times, the proposed three-year contract would boost pay rates, residual payments for streaming shows, and impose new rules surrounding the use of artificial intelligence. However, it still needs to be ratified by the union’s 11,500 members. More specific details about the contract are expected to come in the following days leading up to the membership vote.

This comes as the biggest actors’ union SAG-AFTRA (membership said to be 160,000) is also still on the picket line and has yet to make its own deal with the AMPTP.

SOURCE: WGA/LOS ANGELES TIMES

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Star Wars’: David S. Goyer Wrote A Jabba The Hutt Movie Script For Guillermo del Toro & Jedi Origin Film Set 25,000 Years In The Past

The volume of unmade “Star Wars” projects keeps growing as we’ve now learned of TWO other films that had been in development by screenwriter David S. Goyer (“Blade,” “Batman Begins”). The longtime comic book film writer has now dished to the Happy Sad Confused podcast (See video below) that he not only was involved with a “Star Wars” film for Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape of Water”) “four years ago” but also another film that would have explored the origins of the Jedi set 25,000 years before the events of the original film from 1977.

The latter movie sounds a lot like what the “Game of Thrones” showrunners D.B Weiss and David Benioff had been reportedly developing at Lucasfilm before their own exit and what currently writer/director James Mangold (“Logan”) is trying to put together with his own take on the early days of The Force/Jedi.

Goyer and del Toro had previously worked together on the first big Marvel Comics sequel, “Blade II.”

There was once a time when del Toro had mused in an interview with Yahoo! back in 2015 about potentially tackling a Jabba The Hutt movie comparing it to a gangster film within the “Star Wars” universe by citing the “Godfather” saga as his inspiration.

“I would do the sort of ‘Godfather’ saga that Jabba the Hutt had to go through to gain control,” he said. “One, because it’s the character that looks the most like me, and I like him. I love the idea of a Hutt type of mafia, a very complex coup. I just love the character.”

However, given the poor reception of “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” gestating plans for other spinoff films that had been in the works such as Kenobi and Boba Fett feature films were scrapped. Later on, they were both resurrected as Disney+ miniseries. It’s possible whatever del Toro/Goyer was cooking up ultimately got shelved when the studio decided to focus on their streaming series.

UPDATE: Guillermo has confirmed on Twitter that it was indeed his Jabba project.

I’m not exactly sure what Lucasfilm was thinking by turning down a Jabba film from a recent Oscar-winning filmmaker, but you have to imagine that now with this information out in the wild people are going to be questioning that choice on the stuido’s part.

You can watch/listen to that exchange below.

SOURCE: HAPPY SAD CONFUSED

Posted on in Film News, News, Trailers

‘Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom’ Trailer: Black Manta Is On A Mission Of Revenge This December

There had been suspicions that Warner Bros. was holding back a trailer for their “Aquaman” sequel because of a potential release date shift amid moving “Dune: Part Two” from November to March of next year. The studio has dropped a first-look trailer for the DC Comics film that is a follow-up to the billion-dollar hit and looks like “Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom” will indeed make that December 20 date as promised.

We’re not expecting too much in the way of plot and character depth, but it looks like director James Wan has cooked up something that doubles down on the spectacle. We now see Black Manta has the means and power via The Black Trident to get revenge for the death of his father. The villain was slowly being set up in the first installment as a future antagonist. As Black Manta threatens Atlantis and the other kingdoms, Arthur will have to team up with his villainous brother, Orm, to save their people from this deadly menace from the surface.

“Aquaman 2” is now the last feature film from the previous regime as James Gunn and Peter Safran look to reset the DCU with “Blue Beetle” confirmed to be part of that new vision. Gunn is gearing up to shoot “Superman: Legacy” next year in Atlanta with actors David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nathan Fillion as Guy Garnder/Green Lantern, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.

It’ll be interesting to see if Jason Momoa ends up getting a second DC Comics role in the new DCU as there have been hints that he may just happen to end up landing to Lobo if his tenure as Aquaman is truly finished. Momoa is the spitting image of the alien bounty hunter and certainly would be a comedic/mature character that fits nicely alongside Gunn’s own “The Suicide Squad.” A “Lobo” movie has been in the works for ages with a string of directors being involved/wanted at different points such as Guy Ritchie, Michael Bay, and Brad Peyton.


Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction. All returning to the roles they originated, Jason Momoa plays Arthur Curry/Aquaman, now balancing his duties as both the King of Atlantis and a new father; Patrick Wilson is Orm, Aquaman’s half-brother and his nemesis, who must now step into a new role as his brother’s reluctant ally; Amber Heard is Mera, Atlantis’ Queen and mother of the heir to the throne; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is Black Manta, committed more than ever to avenge his father’s death by destroying Aquaman, his family and Atlantis; and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, a fierce leader and mother with the heart of a warrior. Also reprising their roles are Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus and Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin.

SOURCE: WARNER BROS PICTURES