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Judge Rules A.I. Art Can’t Be Copyrighted Landing Huge Blow To Hollywood Studios Itching To Phase-Out Humans

With the WGA strike recently crossing the 100-day mark and the possibility that the SAG-AFTRA strike might follow suit, it’s starting to feel like it’s only a matter of time before the AMPTP (Hollywood studios/streamers) end up coming to their senses by returning to the bargaining table. However, one of those sticking points, both writers and actors have been decrying the use of new artificial intelligence bots/programs in the industry. Writers could see themselves either replaced entirely or forced to rewrite haphazard scripts created by sketchy programs that are already getting dinged for plagiarism. Actors on the other hand are directly seeing what bleak future they’re up against, as some background/extras have been subjected to digital scans that would allow studios to use their likeness/image without future consent or even payment impacting a majority of the union’s membership.

It looks like a federal judge (U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell) yesterday (via The Hollywood Reporter) has ruled that AI-created art isn’t able to be copyrighted, upholding a finding from the U.S. Copyright Office. This essentially means that art/image, writing, music, and potentially even footage cannot be protected under the same laws that studios have long used for their film/shows. Likely making any dominating involvement with AI potentially a risk to their copyright.

This comes after challenges were made when the government refused to issue copyrights for AI-generated material. Judge Howell’s opinion from the ruling stressed that “Human authorship is a bedrock requirement” and that copyright “protects only works of human creation.” Howell added, “Human involvement in, and ultimate creative control over, the work at issue was key to the conclusion that the new type of work fell within the bounds of copyright.”

Making it clear that Hollywood executives/CEOs won’t have that blanket financial incentive to replace humans working behind and in front of the camera. Without copyright protections anyone can steal, reproduce, and sell that work without fear of legal ramifications from those actions (think public domain media). However, what will likely be up for debate next is the human involvement threshold needed for work to be copyrighted, if there indeed are major A.I. contributions to that material. It simply might be safer to avoid that altogether and continue to work in a traditional manner to keep the copyright strong from the jump.

In a previous case, it was found that neither work produced by animals was subject to being granted copyrights either.

SOURCE: THR

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‘Fantastic Four’: Cillian Murphy Open To Playing Marvel Villain Doctor Doom But Says “It’s Always About The Script”

Irish actor Cillian Murphy is getting a lot of early Oscar buzz for his performance of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan‘s atomic bomb drama “Oppenheimer” along with decent box office success. Beyond the upcoming awards season, it also means studio offers could be around the corner for big tentpole projects. Murphy has previously dabbled with leading genre films with “28 Days Later,” the action-comedy “Free Fire” which co-starred Brie Larson, and the sci-fi thriller “Sunshine.” Of course, the actor isn’t a stranger to the world of superhero blockbusters either as he once auditioned to play Batman/Bruce Wayne in Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” trilogy but ended up coming away with the role of Dr. Jonathan Crane, aka, The Scarecrow in “The Batman Begins” returning in subsequent installments in brief cameos.

When speaking recently with Josh Horowitz on his podcast Happy Sad Confused, the host specifically asked Murphy if he would be open to the return to the superhero genre by asking if he’d be specifically open to the idea of playing Victor von Doom, aka, Doctor Doom for Marvel Studios’ new “Fantastic Four” movie.

“Yeah, I think you’ve answered the question. Yeah, I mean, I’m always… It’s always about the script. So, I’ll read… If someone sends a script, I’ll read it. And you never know what turns up,” Murphy responded to the Doom question.

Director Matt Shakman (“WandaVision“) is set for the reboot with script rewrites coming from “Avatar: The Way of Water” screenwriter Josh Friedman. Currently, the casting process has hit pause as both the actors’ and writers’ strikes are ongoing making it tough to get those “Fantastic Four” roles filled until the studios get back to the table to resolve the strikes.

Nothing says that Murphy would get an offer for roles like Doom or Reed Richards but he’s certainly the type of actor that Marvel tends to pursue. It doesn’t hurt he has a link to former Reed Richards actor Jonathan Krasinski (“Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness”) as he directed him in “A Quiet Place Part II” and fan-favorite actress for Sue Storm, Emily Blunt (Murphy worked with on “Oppenheimer” and “A Quiet Place Part II”).

“Fantastic Four” recently had its release date bumped from February 14, 2025, to May 2, 2025. Production had been originally planned to begin next year, but it’s unclear when cameras could begin rolling as the strike is looking like it might extend beyond the summer.

SOURCE: HAPPY SAD CONFUSED PODCAST

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‘Lando’: Lucasfilm Hires Donald & Stephen Glover To Write ‘Star Wars’ Series As Justin Simien Exits

Back in December 2020, Lucasfilm had first announced early plans to develop a new Disney+ series that would focus on Donald Glover‘s incarnation of Lando Calrissian from “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” An infamous smuggler pilot and card shark turned businessman that first appeared as a former acquaintance of Han Solo in “The Empire Strikes Back.” Affectionally titled “Lando,” there really hasn’t been much in the way of updates on the streaming series until now.

Yesterday, it was revealed by a report from Variety that the show is very much still alive as Lucasfilm has replaced Justin Simien (“Haunted Mansion,” “Dear White People”) after the creative had exited the “Star Wars” spinoff series. They’ve now hired Glover and his brother Stephen Glover (“Swarm,” “Atlanta”) to write the series, which isn’t that entirely shocking since the pair are currently working together over at Amazon as part of the overall deal which includes the upcoming “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” series at Prime.

While there is going to be plenty of speculation of the series being a sequel surrogate to “Solo,” it’s unclear if some or any of those characters will make their grand return to the “Star Wars” universe. The show is expected to mainly focus on Lando’s own adventures and potentially explore how he ends up running Cloud City, an iconic franchise location that is a tibanna gas mining colony on the planet of Bespin.

Given that show is starting with new writers it’s unlikely going to begin shooting anytime soon given the writers’ strike is still ongoing. “Ahsoka” is the next big “Star Wars” show to debut on Disney+ next month on August 23.

SOURCE: VARIETY

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Christopher Nolan Praises David Fincher’s Critically-Panned Debut ‘Alien 3’ As “Great” & “Remarkable”

I think we’re all extremely fascinated by filmmaker Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”) and knowing what films he enjoys is very much going to be something hardcore fans are going to over-analyze given how much he openly homages cinematic benchmarks. In the past, Nolan has spoken out about his love for the “Fast & Furious” franchise, specifically “Tokyo Drift.” More recently he said both Stanley Kurbick’s sci-fi masterpiece “2001: A Space Odyssey” and Adam McKay’s sports comedy “Tallagada Nights” were movies he’d always stop to watch if he saw them playing on television.

Another perplexing but still interesting selection was briefly praised by Nolan during his interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast (See below). The subject of trailers came up along with Ridley Scott’s original 1979 “Alien” being referenced and host Josh Horowitz was quick to mention how the original teaser for David Fincher‘s “Alien 3” got ahead of what they were actually doing it teased an Earthbound setting that never happened.

Nolan would go on to say the following about the third installment, “And you know, Fincher has famously talked about how unhappy he was with it and how it changed. I think it’s a great movie but I think his work on that is remarkable.”

David Fincher and Sigourney Weaver on the set of “Alien 3” – 20th Century Studios/Disney

Of course, it wasn’t just Fincher unhappy with the producers/20th Century Fox’s everchanging ideas before, during, and in the final version. “Alien 3” was both a critical and financial failure, with the brass throwing the first-time feature director under the bus instead of self-reflection for all their micromanaging and narrative mistakes. You could forgive Fincher for trying to speak on the subject for the better half of 30 years.

Given the commercial success of the first two films, it was seen as a franchise low-point until “Alien Resurrection” ultimately became the final nail in the coffin despite three separate attempts to get an “Alien 5” going with Sigourney Weaver. Since 1992, a lot of sci-fi fans have warmed up to the film for its fantastic production design and painstaking attempt to honor that universe overseen by the evil corporation Weyland-Yuanti. Although, the movie does have some glaring issues like the mixed performances of the supporting cast and extremely wonky visual effects of the Xenomorph.

We already know Nolan’s affinity for both the James Bond movies and “Star Wars,” but it’s certainly interesting to hear him talk about the “Alien” franchise. While under Disney’s new ownership, there is an Earthbouth streaming series at FX/Hulu currently filming in Thailand and theatrical film on the horizon. I don’t think many fans would be terribly upset if Nolan eventually tried to tell a story within that universe, at some point, but hasn’t suggested there is any pressing desire to do so.

SOURCE: HAPPY SAD CONFUSED PODCAST

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Kurt Russell Joins Matthew McConaughey In Oklahoma-Set Indie Crime Thriller ‘The Rivals Of Amziah King’

On the heels of Matthew McConaughey (“True Detective”) leading the new “Yellowstone” spinoff series, the actor is finally making a return to movies with “The Rivals of Amaziah King” which has been shooting in Alabama. He’s getting quite the interesting co-star as the Alabama-based outlet AL has revealed that veteran actor Kurt Russell has joined the crime thriller he was spotted on the set this week in Marshall County and posted a handful of photos of Russell.

Details are scarce about the project but it hails from filmmaker Andrew Patterson (“The Vast of Night”) and Variety had previously described it as a “deeply atmospheric, character-focused crime thriller set against the unique backdrop of remote Oklahoma.” While there is a heap of industry work stoppage due to the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike, “Rivals” (from Black Bear Productions) is said to be exempt from the strike because it’s an indie film.

McConaughey hasn’t done a live-action film role since Guy Ritchie’s 2019 British gangster-comedy “The Gentlemen.” The “Yellowstone” spinoff came about after main star Kevin Costner decided to exit the mothership series, which was “disappointing” to show creator Taylor Sheridan.

Russell’s recent run of theatrical film projects includes brief appearances in “F9: The Fast Saga” and “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.” A neat little factoid is that his son and fellow actor Wyatt Russell played hockey at the University of Alabama in Huntsville as he aimed to become a professional before a career-ending injury. After that Wyatt pivoted to acting in things like “22 Jump Street” and “Black Mirror.” The pair will be seen together in the Monsterverse series at Apple TV+ called “Godzilla & The Titans.”

SOURCE: AL

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Christopher Nolan Calls Hypothetical Opportunity To Direct Next James Bond Movie “An Amazing Privilege”

Christopher Nolan‘s massive atomic bomb biopic “Oppenheimer” is out in theaters and it’s already gathering quite the following as the writer/director famously took the project to auction after exiting his longtime working relationship with Warner Bros. and the pricey R-rated drama landed at the feet of Universal Pictures. While Nolan is in an excellent position to keep developing original projects and putting each on to auction to get the best possible situation (theatrical windows, budget, casting freedom, and final cut) it looks like he’s still very much open to the idea of tackling James Bond.

While speaking with host Josh Horowitz on his fantastic podcast Happy Sad Confused (Listen below), the director was asked about his current feelings about potentially tackling the next incarnation of Bond as the looming reboot affectionately referred to as “Bond 26” or any future installment. This comes after years of expressing his love for the franchise and tempted interest in actually getting involved.

“The influence of those movies in my filmography is embarrassingly apparent. It would be an amazing privilege to do one,” Nolan told the podcast when Bond was brought up. “At the same time, when you take on a character like that you’re working with a particular set of constraints.”

“It has to be the right moment in your creative life where you can express what you want to express and really burrow into something within the appropriate constraints because you would never want to take on something like that and do it wrong.”

He continued, ““You wouldn’t want to take on a film without being fully committed to what you bring to the table creatively. So as a writer, casting, everything — it’s a full package. You’d have to be really needed and wanted in terms of bringing the totality of what you bring to a character. Otherwise, I’m very happy to be first in line to see whatever they do.”

As a fan of Nolan’s work, it’s extremely hard to watch his action-focused projects like “The Dark Knight Trilogy,” “Inception,” and “Tenet” without seeing the obvious influence the Bond franchise has had on him when it comes to bombastic blockbuster filmmaking.

Nolan isn’t the only one that has expressed a large interest in tackling the James Bond character over the years and it’s worth highlighting that French-Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve (“Dune,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “Sicaro”) stated that getting a crack at 007 was a big dream for him as well.

Despite various tabloid rumblings, EON Productions and MGM Studios (now owned by parent company Amazon) haven’t officially decided on either a director or the next actor to portray the iconic MI6 agent. Although, there had been some indication that Aaron Taylor-Johnson “might” be in the mix given he’s actually in the age range for the role (EON says they’re aiming for someone in their 30s ruling out a heap of longtime rumored “contenders”). Interestingly enough, Nolan and Taylor-Johnson have previously worked together on “Tenet” and a reunion wouldn’t be that terribly shocking.

“Oppenheimer” is currently in theaters and you can listen to that full interview with Nolan below.

Posted on in Film News, News

WB Reportedly Might Delay Releases Of ‘Dune 2,’ ‘The Color Purple’ & ‘Aquaman 2’ To Due To Strike

While there have been ups and downs during the wave of studio blockbusters this summer. The fall and winter film season is a little less crowded, however, we might not have as many big films to look forward to later this year, specifically from Warner Bros. Pictures.

Variety is now claiming that Warners is potentially considering moving their three big 2023 movies “Dune Part Two,” the musical remake of “The Color Purple,” and their DC Comics film “Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom” into 2024. Although, they stop short from sharing details of when those projects could be added to the 2024 slate and suggest it’s also possible they could stick to their intended dates as well. Respectively those previously etched-out dates were November 3, December 20, and December 25.

Citing the ongoing labor strike in Hollywood as the main cause of the potential disruption. Given that the actors’ union is requiring members not to do promotion for upcoming films after the strike. Many studios rushed to get junkets and interviewers completed ahead of the SAG-AFTRA strike to make sure promos were recorded and could be pushed-out at a later date. Actors aren’t looking to cross picket lines to attend red carpets or do interviews which would make things increasingly difficult for studios (strikes are meant to be disruptive for a reason) to promote their films in the manner they’re used to.

Also, it might be worth mentioning that “Dune 2” boasts a massively popular young cast such as Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, and Austin Butler who would all be key to getting younger audiences to support the expensive sci-fi fantasy sequel.

This news comes after reports that the James Wan sequel to the billion-dollar hit has undergone three rounds of reshoots. If you consider the superhero pic’s budget already started out in the $200 million-plus range, those reshoots are expected to have been pricey. I think it was obvious that “Aquaman 2” wasn’t going to be making that December 20 release given the studio still hasn’t even released a teaser trailer for the sequel.

SOURCE: VARIETY

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‘The Marvels’: New Trailer For ‘Captain Marvel’ Sequel Highlights The Latest MCU Cosmic Adventure

While Marvel Studios seems to be struggling to find an audience for their latest series on Disney+, “Secret Invasion,” we won’t have to wait that long to see Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury make his glorious return to the big screen. Nia DaCosta’s “The Marvels” is still on track to be released in the fall and the studio released a brand new trailer (See below) last night that highlights the “Captain Marvel” sequel’s exciting team-up between Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and teen superhero, Kalama Khan.

It also looks like S.W.O.R.D. is being replaced with the inter-species alliance organization S.A.B.E.R. as an alien first seen in the “Guardians of The Galaxy” movies is spotted on the space station alongside Fury. Hopefully, we’ll eventually see X-Men/Avenger member Dr. Hank McCoy, aka, Beast, and Abigail Brand join their ranks down the line.

Cosmic villains The Kree Empire is looking to make a triumphant return after being thwarted in both the aforementioned “Guardians” and the original “Captain Marvel.” We’ll keep our fingers crossed that Marvel ends up showcasing the Kree Sentry, a massive alien robot, that nearly was used in the original film but obviously got scrapped.

The rest of the cast aside from Jackson include Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Park Seo-joon, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, and Saagar Shaikh.

Check out the film’s official synopsis below:

Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team-up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as “The Marvels.”

“The Marvels” is set to be released in theaters on November 10.

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Earthbound ‘Alien’ Series Filming Moving Ahead In Thailand Despite Strike, Adds ‘Andor’ Actor Alex Lawther

Between the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike, there isn’t much in the way of productions going on in the United States as film/television workers are looking to get a fair deal in the wake of streaming and the increasing threat of artificial intelligence. While multiple shows and movies have halted some are pushing through such as the upcoming/untitled Earthbound “Alien” prequel streaming series coming from Noah Hawley (“Fargo,” “Legion”)

A new report from Deadline is now confirming that filming in Thailand is going ahead as planned with the addition of actors such as “Andor” supporting cast member Alex Lawther (“Black Mirror”) and Samuel Blenkin (“Black Mirror,” “The Sandman”). The rest of the cast includes Sydney Chandler (“Don’t Worry Darling”), Essie Davis, and Adarsh Gourav. All the deals had reportedly been secured before the strike and Equity performers (the UK union for actors) have been told if they walk they would be sued. Sounds like a totally normal and not all bizarre environment to be shooting a show in.

The outlet adds shooting has already started this week with none of the actors on set being SAG-AFTRA, which allows them to shoot the show without crossing the picket line. Actors like Chandler, who are part of the union, are said to be not involved in the current round of filming as it’s expected their scenes will be shot at a later date once the actors’ strike is resolved.

Of course, is sort of an odd time for the “Alien” franchise as the newest feature film from filmmaker Fede Alvarez had recently wrapped filming as that project had been upgraded from a Hulu-exclusive to landing a prime August 16, 2024, theatrical release date from 20th Century Studios/Disney. The thinking likely is that given how big of a hit “Prey” has been they didn’t want to lose an opportunity to actually make some cash off the sci-fi horror film.

It’s still unclear when the FX on Hulu series will be airing as the scheduling for shooting scenes with the attached SAG-AFRTRA actors will likely be determined by how long the strike goes on back in the United States. What hypothetically could end up happening if the studio runs out of patience is that those striking actors could end up being recast, although, that seems like an extremely stupid move on their part.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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Simu Liu Confirms ‘Shang-Chi 2’ Is Delayed At Marvel Because Of Next ‘Avengers’ Installment

I think most of us were excited to experience how enjoyable and action-packed Marvel’s “Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings” turned out to be when it was released back in 2021. While it was a crowd-pleaser the announced sequel has seemingly been stuck on the back-burner as the studio navigates a heap of release delays along with a potential actors’ strike this month impacting productions as the writers’ strike is also causing some headaches as well (but in a good way when it comes to their ability for collective bargaining). Not to mention, a growing backlog of event films Marvel needs to shoot, like the next two “Avengers” films and their “Fantastic Four” reboot.

Well, it looks like Meta’s new social media app Threads will now be a new source of information sharing as the film’s star, Canadian actor Simu Liu, has revealed to fans there that “Shang-Chi 2” is still happening but unlikely going to be ready until after director Destin Daniel Cretton‘s finishes up on “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” The filmmaker is still officially attached to direct both the MCU installments and is also involved with the upcoming Disney+ series, “Wonder Man,” as well.

“Was told it would follow ‘Avengers’ but that keeps pushing back due to circumstances beyond my control. Hope to have more concrete news to share soon,” the actor responded to a fan on Threads inquiring about the status of the “Shang-Chi” sequel.

The next “Avengers” film isn’t set to be released until May 1, 2026, after being bumped from a May 2025 spot, and would suggest “Shang-Chi 2” likely won’t be coming out until sometime after 2026. Although, if Marvel decided to bring on a different director that could speed things up a little.

Another hiccup could arise as well, as Jonathan Majors is defending himself in court against assault/domestic abuse charges and more allegations of violent/unprofessional behavior are coming to light from a RollingStone article. Majors’ fate as the titular Kang The Conqueror in that upcoming installment of “Avengers” is currently unknown and the assumption is that Marvel, for now, will keep the actor in the role until otherwise announced.

We’re still waiting on an official release date from Marvel concerning “Shang-Chi 2.”

SOURCE: SIMU LIU VIA THREADS