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‘Neuromancer’: Apple’s 10-Episode Series Based On William Gibson’s Seminal Cyberpunk Novel Coming From Director JD Dillard & Showrunner Graham Roland

Yesterday, it was announced by Apple that they’ll be working with Skydance Television and Anonymous Content on finally moving forward with a streaming series incarnation of the cyberpunk novel “Neuromancer” authored by American-Canadian writer William Gibson, who is considered a godfather of the sci-fi subgenre that marries noir, advanced computer technology, and dystopian elements. Sort of taking things that fellow writer Philip K. Dick was doing with his mind-bending sci-fi stories and the aesthetics of Ridley Scott’s first “Blade Runner” movie into a full-on sci-fi setting that would later influence everything from video games like “Cyberpunk 2077,” movies like “The Matrix,” and plenty of other works of fiction.

In Apple’s announcement about the series, they’ve secured director JD Dillard to helm the show’s pilot, and Graham Roland (“Jack Ryan”) is set as the show’s creator/showrunner.

Neuromancer: Gibson, William, Gaiman, Neil: 9780143111603: Books - Amazon.ca

“We’re incredibly excited to be bringing this iconic property to Apple TV+,” said creators and executive producers Roland and Dillard. “Since we became friends nearly 10 years ago, we’ve looked for something to team up on, so this collaboration marks a dream come true. ‘Neuromancer’ has inspired so much of the science fiction that’s come after it and we’re looking forward to bringing television audiences into Gibson’s definitive ‘cyberpunk’ world.”

Here is the synopsis for the show directly from Apple:

The series will follow a damaged, top-rung super-hacker named Case who is thrust into a web of digital espionage and high-stakes crime with his partner Molly, a razor-girl assassin with mirrored eyes aiming to pull a heist on a corporate dynasty with untold secrets.

Dillard is likely best known for the WWII film “Devotion” which starred Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell as U.S. pilots and had once been attached to direct a mystery “Star Wars” movie for Lucasfilm before it just vanished into thin air. This isn’t the first big sci-fi series for Apple based on an iconic string of books as their popular show “Foundation” is an adaptation of the Isaac Asimov property and also hails from Skydance Television. Gibson’s ‘The Peripheral‘ had been previously turned into a series at Amazon Prime Video with Chloe Grace Moretz and Jack Reynor starring.

Last year, there was a rumor that Miles Teller (“Top Gun: Maverick”) was being eyed to play Case, but that has yet to be made official. At one point, director Tim Miller (“Deadpool”) had been trying to make a feature film incarnation at 20th Century Fox around the time he dropped out of making “Deadpool 2” but that never really materialized.  Based on the 1984 Gibson book, it’s part of the “Sprawl” trilogy and was followed by “Count Zero” and “Mona Lisa Overdrive.” This gives Apple plenty of source material from Gibson if they want to keep the cyberpunk series going beyond the first story.

Amazon is also working on its own high-profile cyberpunk streaming series with “Blade Runner 2099” which recently landed “Shogun” director Jonathan van Tulleken.

SOURCE: APPLE

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‘Deadpool & Wolverine’: Emma Corrin’s Villain Role Seemingly Confirmed As Professor X’s Evil Twin Sister Cassandra Nova

This summer’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” will be the only big MCU feature film installment this year from Marvel Studios peppered in with Sony’s bootleg Marvel universe installments “Kraven: The Hunter” and “Venom 3” hoping to squeeze a few more dollars out of an exhausted audience that has caught-on to their attempts to cash-in on rushed and poorly planned superhero movies. There is some genuine excitement for “Deadpool 3” after the recent trailer drop earlier in the month, and something long suspected might have just been confirmed about the sequel’s villain.

A filing with the U.S. Copyright Office, a new harbinger of information and speculation for fan sites, has quietly mentioned that Emma Corrin‘s villainess character is going to be Cassandra Nova. A mutant telepath that just happens to be connected to Professor X in a big way.

The tidbit, filed by Disney/Marvel themselves, would confirm a longstanding online rumor that Corrin is playing a version of Professor Charles Xavier’s evil twin sister from the comics. However, how Cassandra will be presented to the audience in her cinematic incarnation has yet to be made official. She could simply be a variant of the X-Men character as the sequel is confirmed to feature variants (We’re already getting different takes on both Wade and Logan) of all sorts of characters and might be a more suitable angle rather than having her an elderly sibling to Patrick Stewart‘s version from previous films. Corrin’s role has long been established as a villain just like Matthew Macfadyen‘s TVA bureaucrat, Paradox.

Why Failure Became Elektra: 15 Things to Know

This posting would also back up previous trade reports that Jennifer Garner is indeed reprising the Elektra role. However, we’re still unclear how large that part is ultimately going to be. Promo artwork for the film has also sort of teased the inclusion of The Hand, which are primarily known as Marvel antagonists but Elektra finds herself controlling the group at a point in the comics.

Garner had recently worked with both director Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds on the time-traveling action flick “The Adam Project” which also featured Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo, as Garner and Ruffalo played the parents of Reynolds’ Adam. Fingers crossed we’re getting more of a cameo as the Fox incarnation of Elektra was sort of done horribly in both the “Daredevil” film led by Garner’s future husband Ben Affleck and the long-forgotten disastrous solo spinoff movie that ended the actress’ run as the Marvel heroine.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is officially set to hit theaters on July 26, 2024, and we’re hopeful the next trailer will help to explain more of the actual plot as the teaser trailer mostly just established that the TVA and the Multiverse would indeed be playing a major role in the film’s story.

You can view a screenshot of that posting below.

r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers - New file on the US Copyright Office reveals a new synopsis for Deadpool and Wolverine and officially confirms Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova in the movie

SOURCE: U.S. COPYRIGHT OFFICE

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‘Star Wars’: Jon Favreau’s ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ Movie Confirmed For California Shoot As Production Nabs $21.8M In Tax Credits

As soon as Lucasfilm and Disney announced that Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”) would be directing the next big “Star Wars” feature film with “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” it was expected that production would pretty much stick to the same stages and crew working on the Disney+ shows in and around the Manhattan Beach/Los Angeles area in California. Now, that has been cemented with new tax breaks as The Hollywood Reporter revealed the Disney production has landed $21.8 million.

What’s interesting about all this is that star Pedro Pascal is about to begin shooting on Marvel‘s big “Fantastic Four” reboot at Pinewood Studios in England over the summer. This would likely mean his part as Din Djarin will continue to be voice-over related with Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder expected to do the in-suit acting for Mando. Unless he shoots scenes with his helmet off during reshoots ahead of the film’s May 22, 2026 release date, that was inferred by Disney CEO Bob Iger.

Pedro Pascal: The Mandalorian Season 3 Was 'Mostly a Voice Over Gig' - Comic Book Movies and Superhero Movie News - SuperHeroHype

“The Mandalorian” is still getting a fourth season but it’s unclear when that will shoot given the upcoming film shoot.

Directors Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, James Mangold, Dave Filoni, Taika Waititi, and Shawn Levy also have their own feature films in the works. The former will continue the story beyond “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” with the return of Daisy Ridley as Rey Skywalker and the expectation of her training a new generation of young Jedi. There’s been an assumption that Obaid-Chinoy’s movie will debut on December 18, 2026.

Favreau isn’t a stranger to helping build a cinematic universe as his two “Iron Man” movies helped establish the MCU and became important lead-ups to “The Avengers” in 2012. Along with Lucasfilm’s new CCO Filoni, Favreau has been fleshing out their own corner of the “Star Wars” universe and is expected to contribute creatively to most things moving forward.

The next big “Star Wars” project to be released is said to be “The Aloclyte” this summer on Disney+ and takes place during the end of The High Republic era.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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‘John Wick’ Actor Ian McShane Says ‘Ballerina’ Reshoots In Budapest Meant To Hit Chad Stahelski’s Standard & Protect The Franchise: “They Want To Make It Better”

This week it was announced by Lionsgate that their high-profile “John Wick” spinoff “Ballerina” would be getting a full-year delay as they hope to beef up the action sequences on the pic led by Oscar-nominee Ana De Armas (“Blade Runner 2049,” “No Time To Die”) and directed by Len Wiseman (“Underworld”). News came not too soon after the reveal that director Chad Stahelski would be the main overseer of both “Highlander” and “John Wick” franchises for Lionsgate moving forward.

The BBC chat show “The One Show” was able to speak with actor Ian McShane, who has been playing the character of Winston for four “John Wick” installments and will be reprising the part alongside Keanu Reeves and the late Lance Reddick in the spinoff. McShane gave some brief insight into the reshoots that will have Stahelski’s involvement, and they’re adding new scenes to, as he put it, “protect the franchise.”

“Then we go on to Budapest. It’s not reshoots it’s new shoots, new shooting for ‘Ballerina’ which is the spinoff with Ana de Armas of the ‘John Wick’ franchise. It’s like they’ve got to protect the franchise and…I did it a year ago, we did the movie, ‘Ballerina,’ and they’ve looked at it and Chad’s come in. The guy who directed all the ‘John Wick” movies and they want to make it better because…Keanu is in it as well and it takes place between ‘John Wick 3’ and ‘John Wick 4.'”

If you’re not aware of what the spinoff is about it will focus on the character of Rooney, who was briefly seen in “John Wick 3” but played by a different actress. Like John, she was adopted into the Ruska Roma, a criminal syndicate connected to Russian/Belarusian organized crime. They take in orphans and turn them into skilled assassins over decades, in the case of Rooney she was trained as a ballerina, hence the title. We’ll see Rooney navigating her own path in this world of assassins including the return of Anjelica Huston as The Director alongside new additions like Norman Reedus (“The Boondock Saints”) and Gabriel Bryne (“The Usual Suspects”).

When asked about the Starz spinoff prequel series “The Continental,” McShane had a surprise reveal about how little participation the film folks had on the show despite it focusing on a younger version of his character.

The Continental: From the World of John Wick (TV Mini Series 2023) - IMDb

“They never asked anyone about it, they just went and did it…they never asked us about it.”

“Ballerina” has been delayed a full year with the release date pushed to June 6, 2025. You can view that brief segment on The One Show with McShane below, thanks to Twitter user Adam Khan.

SOURCE: THE ONE SHOW VIA TWITTER

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Vin Diesel Confirms Return For Universal’s ‘Fast & Furious’ Grand Finale Despite Lawsuit From Former Assistant Accusing Him Of Sexual Battery

The “Fast & Furious” franchise is chugging along with screenwriters Christina Hodson and Oren Uziel tasked to write the script for the next film with French action director Louis Leterrier (“The Incredible Hulk”) returning after being a replacement for longtime franchise creative/helmer Justin Lin (“Star Trek Beyond”) when he exited “Fast X” over creative differences leading the studio to hire a new director while in the middle of an expensive production.

Franchise star/executive producer Vin Diesel, who is facing a lawsuit from his former assistant Asta Jonasson surrounding sexual battery allegations, took to Instagram to reveal that he’s part of creative meetings with the studio and writers for the eleventh installment that is being referred to as the “grand finale.”

There had been some questions if Diesel would be kept on the franchise moving forward as we’ve seen some Hollywood studios dumping actors from high-profile projects due to racist, antisemitic, violent, and criminal behavior/allegations to avoid PR nightmares or end working relationships before further revelations are revealed. Diesel had been keeping a low profile since the lawsuit was announced last year and Universal had previously etched in the release for “Fast X: Part 2/Fast & Furious 11” for April 4, 2025. That date would signal a shoot starting up this spring or summer unless the studio decided to delay it.

You can see that post from Diesel below.

SOURCE: VIN DIESEL VIA INSTAGRAM

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‘The Hedge Knight’: HBO’s Latest ‘Game Of Thrones’ Spinoff Series Exploring The ‘Tales Of Dunk & Egg’ Aiming To Premiere In Late 2025

While HBO has a fleet of “Game of Thrones” spinoffs in various stages of development alongside the second season of “The House of Dragon,” we got a great update on when we can expect “A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight” (We assume the title could be knocked back to something simpler like “The Hedge Knight“) will premiere.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav shared the update via The Hollywood Reporter stating we could be getting the show that already had a full series order to premiere sometime in late 2025. The show is based on George R.R. Martin’s trio of novellas referred to as “Tales of Dunk & Egg” which focused on the adventures of Sir Duncan The Tall (Dunk) and Egg (The future King, Aegon V Targaryen).

“[Creator and executive producer] George R.R. Martin is in preproduction for the new spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which will premiere in late 2025 on Max,” Zaslav said.

Here is the show’s official logline from HBO:

“A century before the events of ‘Game of Thrones,’ two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros … a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.”

We’re still waiting on writers besides Martin alongside a list of actors and directors for “The Hedge Knight” as the 2025 premiere would suggest that filming could begin by the end of the year.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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‘Shang-Chi’ Director Destin Daniel Cretton Turning Beloved Manga/Anime ‘Naruto’ Into A Live-Action Movie At Lionsgate

While just the other day it was reiterated by “Shang-Chi & The Ten Rings” actor Simu Liu (“Barbie”) that writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton would still be developing/directing “Shang-Chi 2” for Marvel Studios once he wraps up with his Disney+ series “Wonder Man.” It sounds like Cretton has landed another big martial arts project and this time it’s a manga/anime adaptation.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Cretton, who recently exited “Avengers 5,” has been hired by Lionsgate to write and direct a live-action film based on “Naruto.” Given Cretton’s experience with “Shang-Chi” and “American Born Chinese,” he seems like one of the best choices to put together this feature film adaptation.

Naruto Fans Are Toasting the Series' 21st Birthday

A coming-of-age story focused on a young and enthusiastic ninja named Naruto Uzumaki who wants to grow up to be the leader of his ninja village but also happens to have the spirit of a dragon inside him. 

“Naruto” creator Masashi Kishimoto had the following to say about the hiring of Cretton for the live-action feature film incarnation:

“When I heard of Destin’s attachment, it happened to be right after watching a blockbuster action film of his, and I thought he would be the perfect director for ‘Naruto,’” said Kishimoto in a statement mentioned in THR’s article. “After enjoying his other films and understanding that his forte is in creating solid dramas about people, I became convinced that there is no other director for Naturo. In actually meeting Destin, I also found him to be an open-minded director who was willing to embrace my input, and felt strongly that we would be able to cooperate together in the production process.”

However, the one questionable aspect of the project is that Avi Arad is producing, who has been behind a string of dud “Spider-Man” spinoff movies and a “Metal Gear Solid” movie at Sony that keeps stalling despite having scripts, a director with Jordan Vogt-Roberts, and Oscar Isaac playing the lead role of Snake. We’re a little more hopeful that “Naruto” doesn’t linger in limbo with Cretton now involved.

Lionsgate of late has been really making a push to bring back their status as the action genre studio with things like a “Highlander” reboot from Chad Stahleski (“John Wick” franchise) expected to shoot this year with Henry Cavill in a lead role, Guy Ritchie‘s WWII commando action-comedy “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” led by Cavill, their “Guardians of The Galaxy” proxy film “Borderlands” (Had reshoots from “Deadpool” director Tim Miller after Eli Roth bailed to make “Thanksgiving” instead of finishing his film), “The Crow” remake from Rupert Sanders (“Ghost In The Shell”), their “John Wick” spinoff movie “Ballerina” led by Ana de Armas, and a new satirical action flick “Boy Kills World” starring Bill Skarsgård.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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Oscar-Winning Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu & Tom Cruise Teaming Up For New Mystery Film That May Land At Legendary/WB

After reports that action star Tom Cruise is looking to book roles with more acting-focused projects and working with auteur filmmakers, a new report from Deadline seems to have revealed what one of those first movies could end up being. Legendary and Warner Bros. are said to be in negotiations to acquire the newest English-language film from Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu (“The Revenant”) with Crusie attached to star.

This news comes after Cruise signed a deal with Warners and is expected to include the long-delayed sequel to “Edge of Tomorrow” from director Doug Liman. Cruise and Liman are also partnering on a sci-fi film at Universal that is going to film sequences in space at the International Space Station. Other projects on Cruise’s plate are finishing up the titleless “Mission: Impossible 8” and Paramount is already developing “Top Gun 3” that will see director Joseph Kosinski return for the follow-up to the billion-dollar hit, “Top Gun: Maverick.” There have been indications that Quentin Tarantino‘s “The Movie Critic” might have a role for the actor as well.

Iñárritu has won four Academy awards for his previous English films “Birdman” (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay) and “The Revenant” (Nabbed a second Best Director statue). Plot details about this new film are unknown but the director co-wrote the script from 2023 with Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris, and Nicolas Giacobone. “The Revenant” was a bit of a financial hit as the period survival thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio ended up making a hefty $500 million at the global box office and with a star like Cruise attached they could end up replicating that success.

It wouldn’t be the first time Oscar-caliber directors have worked with Cruise as some of his acclaimed credits include Martin Scorsese‘s “Color of Money,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Outsiders,” Paul Thomas Anderson‘s “Magnolia,” and the late iconic Stanley Kubrick on the thriller “Eyes Wide Shut.”

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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‘Boy Kills World’ Trailer’: Bill Skarsgård Stars In Wildly Inventive Blood-Soaked Satirical Action Flick Coming To Theaters In April

Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions has released a first-look trailer for their upcoming action flick “Boy Kills World.” A mature satirical fantasy actioner that sees Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård (“John Wick 4”) playing a deaf-mute protagonist (Bill’s brother Alexander sort of played a similar character in Duncan Jones’ cyberpunk thriller “Mute”) who is on a path of revenge in a wild violent sci-fi world that would perfectly fit within an episode of “Rick & Morty.” It debuted last year at the Toronto International Film Festival and hails from German director Moritz Mohr, who is obviously going to be on a lot of studio radars after “Boy Kills World.”

The rest of the cast of this awesome-looking action pic includes Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman, Andrew Koji, Isaiah Mustafa, Famke Jensen, Sharlto Copley, and Yayan Ruhian. Also, Boy’s inner dialogue showcased in the trailer is provided by comedian H. Jon Benjamin, who you will likely recognize from the popular Fox cartoon “Bob’s Burgers” and the goofball animated spy series “Archer.”

Boy Kills World (2023) - IMDb

Here is the film’s official logline:

Bill Skarsgård stars as “Boy” who vows revenge after his family is murdered by Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a corrupt post-apocalyptic dynasty that left the boy orphaned, deaf, and voiceless. Driven by his inner voice, one which he co-opted from his favorite childhood video game, Boy trains with a mysterious shaman (Ruhian) to become an instrument of death and is set loose on the eve of the annual culling of dissidents. Bedlam ensues as Boy commits bloody martial arts mayhem, inciting a wrath of carnage and blood-letting. As he tries to get his bearings in this delirious realm, Boy soon falls in with a desperate resistance group, all the while bickering with the apparent ghost of his rebellious little sister.

This isn’t the only big action project starring Skarsgård, as he’s also leading Lionsgate‘s remake of “The Crow” from director Rupert Sanders (“Ghost In The Shell”) that will be heading to theaters this summer on June 7. After taking over the release date of “John Wick” spinoff “Ballerina” it was pushed to June 6, 2025, as there are additional reshoots that are being planned for later this year.

“Boy Kills World” will be unleashed on April 26 in theaters and you can watch that aforementioned trailer below.

SOURCE: LIONSGATE/ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

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‘The Gentlemen’ Trailer: Guy Ritchie Expands His British Crime Comedy With New Spinoff Series Coming To Netflix On March 7

Netflix is behind a series spinoff of the Guy Ritchie film “The Gentlemen” focusing on a drug cartel that uses the properties of British aristocrats to help hide their pot operations to keep the law off the sent of these criminal enterprises. The streaming giant has released a new trailer (See below) that gives more insight into the new story and cast led by Theo James, who plays the Duke of Halstead, Eddie Horniman, the estranged son of an English aristocrat who finds himself embroiled in a world of criminality.

“The Gentlemen” reunites Ritchie with footballer turned actor Vinnie Jones, who played witty street-tough characters in “Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch.” We’ll also see veteran actor Ray Winstone (“Sexy Beast”) in the role of a heavy in the show named Bobby Glass, the father of Kaya Scodelario‘s Susie Glass, and Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad”) is showing up as well. New footage from the trailer revealed that Peter Serafinowicz (“John Wick 2”) is appearing too.

Here is the British gangster show’s official synopsis via Netflix:

THE GENTLEMEN sees Eddie Horniman (Emmy-nominated Theo James) unexpectedly inherit his father’s sizeable country estate – only to discover it’s part of a cannabis empire. What’s more, a host of unsavory characters from Britain’s criminal underworld want a piece of the operation… Determined to extricate his family from their clutches, Eddie tries to play the gangsters at their own game.

You can watch that brand-new trailer for “The Gentlemen” below and all 8-episodes will drop on March 7.

SOURCE: NETFLIX