Writer Alex Garland (“Civil War”) and director Danny Boyle (“Trance”) have had a long-established working relationship going back to the late 1990s (first working on “The Beach”) and will be reuniting for a sequel to their action-horror pic, “28 Days Later,” with a continuation movie that will launch a trilogy at Sony Pictures. A new report from Deadline has revealed that Jack O’Connell is the latest addition to this third movie, “28 Years Later,” joining Aaron Taylor-Johnson (“Bullet Train”), Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”), and Ralph Fiennes (“No Time To Die”).
Details about the sequel and these new characters are being kept under wraps, but it is said to be a direct sequel to the original and could skew toward a military angle, given that most of the United Kingdom has been overrun by the infected (hosts of the rage virus). While “28 Weeks Later” (could be removed from franchise canon) was indeed a sequel, the project didn’t have Garland or Boyle’s creative involvement as they would be focusing on their sci-fi thriller “Sunshine,” which also starred Cillian Murphy (attached to executive produce this new trilogy and might return as Jim alongside co-star Naomie Harris).
The Ronin previously revealed the film’s crew will consist of cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (“Dredd”) and production designer Mark Tildesley (“No Time To Die,” “Sunshine”), who previously worked on the original installment.
O’Connell most recently signed on to play the villain in Ryan Coogler’s period vampire action pic that stars Michael B. Jordan and takes place in the South in the 1930s. Other credits include the WWII pic “Unbroken” helmed by Angelina Jolie, “Starred Up,” Michael Mann’s “Ferrari,” the military thriller “’71,” “Black To Black,” and “300: Rise of An Empire.”
Sony Pictures has yet to give “28 Years Later” an official release date, but stay tuned for that update down the line.
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.
Filming on Christopher Nolan’s next movie has begun, as his WWII drama Oppenheimer will focus on J. Robert Oppenheimer and the development of the atomic bomb for the U.S. military that was unleashed on Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing thousands and in the process ending the war.
The high-profile project has added even more interesting names.
The latest additions to the call-sheet include Kenneth Branagh, Jason Clarke, Alden Ehrenreich, Jack Quaid, and David Krumholtz.
They join a stacked cast that already consists of Cillian Murphy playing the titular Oppenheimer alongside Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Josh Hartnett, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Dane DeHaan, Dylan Arnold, and Matthew Modine.
It’ll be interesting to see if Christopher Nolan will attempt to document the Pacific War and the Japanese side of the story along with the civilians that were essentially erased from the planet as part of a power move by the United States to end the bloody South Pacific campaign with an extreme show of force before having to invade the mainland of Japan. It was one of the darkest moments in human history.
However, hiring a mostly all-white group of actors would suggest they’ll only be coming from allies’ perspective of the war.
Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema will reunite with Nolan after working on, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Tenet along with Oscar-winning Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson (Tenet, Black Panther, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) being part of the crew.
Universal Pictures will release Oppenheimer on July 21, 2023.
Christopher Nolan is returning to World War II after tackling Dunkirk, with a new biopic that will focus on J. Robert Oppenheimer that helped create the atomic bomb for the United States military.
J. Robert Oppenheimer’s development of the atomic bomb in the Manhattan Project ultimately led to the surrender of the Japanese after two atomic bombs were unleashed upon the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. military, killing countless civilians in an instant and even more than that slowly/painfully over time.
Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt have previously taken key roles on the project and two other actors have reportedly joined.
Deadline reveals that Matt Damon and Robert Downey Jr. are in talks to take unnamed roles. Damon previously worked with Nolan on the sci-fi drama Interstellar.
Cameras are expected to roll in early 2022. Universal Pictures won a bidding war to secure Oppenheimer after Christopher Nolan decided to part ways with Warner Bros. and the pic has an exclusive theatrical release window. It debuts on July 21, 2023.
It’ll be interesting to see if Christopher Nolan will attempt to document the Pacific War and the Japanese side of the story along with the civilians that were essentially erased from the planet as part of a power move by the United States to end the bloody South Pacific campaign with an extreme show of force before having to invade the mainland of Japan. It was one of the darkest moments in human history.
Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema will reunite with Nolan after working on, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Tenet along with Oscar-winning Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson (Tenet, Black Panther, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) joining the film too.
Christopher Nolan is reportedly zeroing in on the female lead for his new WWII film Oppenheimer, which focuses on J. Robert Oppenheimer’s creation of the atomic bomb that was unleashed upon Japan. Irish actor Cillian Murphy (Inception, Dunkirk, The Dark Knight Trilogy) is playing Oppenheimer.
Deadline reports that actress Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow, Looper, Sicario) is now in talks to play Kitty Oppenheimer, the wife of Murphy’s character.
Blunt and Murphy recently co-starred together in the sci-fi horror flick A Quiet Place Part II.
J. Robert Oppenheimer’s development of the atomic bomb in the Manhattan Project ultimately led to the surrender of the Japanese after two atomic bombs were unleashed upon the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. military, killing countless civilians in an instant and even more than that slowly/painfully over time.
I’m extremely curious if Christopher Nolan will attempt to document the Pacific War and the Japanese side of the story along with the civilians that were essentially erased from the planet as part of a power move by the United States to end the bloody South Pacific campaign with an extreme show of force before having to invade the mainland of Japan. It was one of the darkest moments in human history.
Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema will reunite with Nolan after working on, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Tenet along with Oscar-winning Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson (Tenet, Black Panther, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) joining the film too.
The project recently found a home at Universal Pictures (after a bidding war) with production said to begin in early 2022 and the studio recently committed to a 100-day theatrical release.
Director Christopher Nolan had been shopping around a new World War II film project to multiple studios about J. Robert Oppenheimer’s development of the atomic bomb in the Manhattan Project. His work ultimately led to the surrender of the Japanese after two atomic bombs were unleashed upon the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. military, killing countless civilians in an instant and even more than that slowly/painfully over time.
The project, Oppenheimer, found a home at Universal Pictures (after a bidding war) with production said to begin in early 2022 and the studio recently committed to a 100-day theatrical release.
Now, it’s been confirmed by Deadline that Irish actor Cillian Murphy has indeed landed the Oppenheimer lead role and the drama has nabbed the release date of July 21, 2023.
Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema will reunite with Nolan after working on, Interstellar, Dunkirk and Tenet along with Oscar-winning Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson (Tenet, Black Panther, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) joining the film too.
Murphy had been long in the mix for the role and has previously worked with Nolan on The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, and Dunkirk.
Director Christopher Nolan has been shopping around a new World War II film project to multiple studios about J. Robert Oppenheimer’s development of the atomic bomb in the Manhattan Project. His work ultimately led to the surrender of the Japanese after two atomic bombs were unleashed upon the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. military, killing countless civilians in an instant and even more than that slowly/painfully over time.
Deadline has an update that Universal Pictures has landed the new project with production expected to begin shooting in the first quarter of 2022. This would end Nolan’s run with longtime studio partner Warner Bros. Pictures and remains to be seen if Universal will get first dibs on future films.
The report adds that Warner Bros. wasn’t in the mix for the WWII film, but Universal, Sony, and MGM were.
Nolan’s muse Cillian Murphy (Inception, Batman Begins, Dunkirk) had been previously mentioned for the role of Oppenheimer, but it doesn’t sound like it’s a lock.
I’m extremely curious if Christopher Nolan will attempt to document the Pacific War and the Japanese side of the story along with the civilians that were essentially erased from the planet as part of power move by the United States to end the bloody South Pacific campaign with an extreme show of force. One of the darkest moments in human history.
It’s really not that shocking that Christopher Nolan would attempt to explore this part of history, all you have to do is look at Nolan’s films The Dark Knight Rises and Tenet to understand the filmmaker’s obsession with nuclear armament.
You might remember that Christopher Nolan wasn’t terribly happy how Tenet was released during the pandemic in 2020 (conflicting trade reports blame both Warner Bros. and Nolan for that hiccup with various “sources” finger pointing to each other’s camp). However, when WarnerMedia announced their plans for a hybrid release for all 2021 releases to promote HBO Max, that seemed to be the final straw for the filmmaker and signs that his longtime relationship with Warner Bros. has come to an end.
Universal Pictures recently released F9: The Fast Saga (Nolan is admittedly a fan of Tokyo Drift), are distribution partners on No Time To Die (Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond), and behind the upcoming horror flick Halloween Kills.
A release date for the untitled film is likely heading towards 2023.
A new report is giving us an idea of what the next film from Christopher Nolan will look like and seemingly confirms that he’s indeed looking to leave Warner Bros. for a new studio home or at least considering it.
Deadline has revealed that Nolan is currently shopping around a new World War II film project about J. Robert Oppenheimer’s development of the atomic bomb in the Manhattan Project. His work ultimately led to the surrender of the Japanese after two atomic bombs were unleashed upon the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. military, killing countless civilians in an instant and even more than that slowly/painfully over time.
They also allude that longtime Nolan muse Cillian Murphy (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, Dunkirk) might be in the mix to play Oppenheimer. It doesn’t hurt that Murphy has a striking resemblance to him.
I’m extremely curious if Christopher Nolan will attempt to document the Pacific War and the Japanese side of the story along with the civilians that were essentially erased from the planet as part of power move by the United States to end the bloody South Pacific campaign with an extreme show of force. One of the darkest moments in human history.
You might remember that Christopher Nolan wasn’t terribly happy how Tenet was released during the pandemic in 2020 (conflicting trade reports blame both Warner Bros. and Nolan for that hiccup with various “sources” finger pointing to each other’s camp). However, when WarnerMedia announced their plans for a hybrid release for all 2021 releases to promote HBO Max, that seemed to be the final straw for the filmmmaker and signs that his longtime relationship with Warner Bros. has come to an end.
No studios are being brought-up in the article, but we have to assume that Nolan isn’t interested in a streaming platform or a deal that doesn’t include theatrical exclusivity for the film.
UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter mentions that Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and even Warner Bros. have been talking with Nolan’s camp about the untitled movie. Although, a frontrunner wasn’t named.
It’s really not that shocking that Christopher Nolan would attempt to explore this part of history, all you have to do is look at Nolan’s films The Dark Knight Rises and Tenet to understand the filmmaker’s obsession with nuclear armament.
Earlier in the week, I mentioned a desire to see Loki series director Kate Herron tackle Marvel’s X-Men reboot. Keeping with the mutant topic, I’ve been watching the Aussie hitman series Mr. Inbetween from FX (now it’s in it’s third season) lately and I can’t help to get huge Wolverine vibes from this show. I’m come to the conclusion that the show’s creator/writer Scott Ryan (also stars as Ray) and director Nash Edgerton (brother of actor Joel Edgerton) could be the perfect duo to bring a solo Wolverine series to life for Marvel Studios.
The show is dark, emotional, funny and action-packed something that I believe would be extremely attractive to Marvel. Nash Edgerton, like the John Wick fellas Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, is a director with a background as a stuntman.
If you’re unfamiliar with the show here’s a rundown and trailer from Mr. Inbetween.
Mr. Inbetween stars Scott Ryan as Ray Shoesmith, a hitman for hire who makes a life out of balancing his criminal activities with his obligations to friends and family. He tries to be a father to Brittany (Chika Yasumura), his daughter with his ex-wife, a loving boyfriend to Ally (Brook Satchwell), and a good caretaker to his sick brother Bruce (Nicholas Cassim). Ray also covers for his friend Gary (Justin Rosniak) when needed, and follows his boss Freddy’s (Damon Herriman) orders without question.
Marvel hasn’t officially announced any upcoming plans for any Wolverine projects despite online rumors of a Wolverine show potentially being in the works. Officially, they are indeed moving forward Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 3 with writers working on the script and lacking any real updates are expected to reboot the X-Men movies sometime in the future.
Giving Wolverine his own series could be a way to properly tackle his military service during World War II that has been teased a couple of times, a real version of the Weapon X Program, Logan’s connections to Department H/Alpha Flight, his time in Japan/Madripoor, and potentially what he was up to during the Cold War against the Soviet Union. It could also help give other characters on the X-Men roster to take more leading roles in the MCU reboot.
We don’t have any idea who’ll ultimately take the Wolverine role from Hugh Jackman, but I’m leaning towards former Batman contender Cillian Murphy (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Peaky Blinders, 28 Days Later, Dunkirk, A Quiet Place Part II). The Irish actor has rubbed shoulders with plenty of MCU stars co-starring with Brie Larson in Free Fire, Chris Evans in the sci-fi thriller Sunshine alongside appearing with Thor’s Chris Hemsworth and Spider-Man’s Tom Holland in Ron Howard’s In The Heart of The Sea.
He’s a little bit older, however, not too much older than Moon Knight’s Oscar Isaac (42) or Doctor Strange’s Benedict Cumberbatch (44). While Cillian is slightly younger than Marvel’s new Blade actor Mahershala Ali (47).
Murphy is one of the few cast members from Danny Boyle’s Sunshine that hasn’t landed an MCU role as Chris Evans became Captain America, Benedict Wong plays Doctor Strange pal Wong, Hiroyuki Sanada briefly appeared as sword wielding Yaukza boss killed by Clint Barton in Avengers: Endgame, and Michelle Yeoh will be seen in Shang-Chi this September.
If they wanted to hire a younger actor, Aussie lad Dacre Montgomery (Power Rangers, Stranger Things, Baz Lurman’s Elvis Biopic) wouldn’t be a horrible choice and he happens to have family connection to Canada. His Power Rangers co-star Naomi Scott took the Princess Jasmine role in Disney’s live-action Aladdin movie with Stranger Things leads playing Marvel characters as David Harbour is The Red Guardian in Black Widow and Charlie Heaton played Cannonball in The New Mutants.
I can’t help but be reminded that Legion and Fargo showrunner Noah Hawely was developing a Doctor Doom film for 20th Century Fox before the merger, who knows if that will ever see the light of day. However, Hawley has since pivoted to an Earthbound series set within the Alien universe for FX On Hulu that has Ridley Scott (Raised By Wolves, Prometheus, Alien, Blade Runner, Alien: Covenant) attached to produce. I wouldn’t be shocked if we eventually saw Marvel Studios also look at the creatives at FX and Hulu to develop shows for them like Scott Ryan and Nash Edgerton.
Hiring a couple of Aussies could help the idea of shooting a would-be Wolverine series at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Fox Studios also happens to be where Mr. Inbetween is shot.
It’s the same studio facility used for The Matrix, Star Wars: Attack of The Clones, Star Wars: Revenge of The Sith, Superman Returns, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine, Mad Max: Fury Road, Alien: Covenant, Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings, Thor: Love & Thunder, and George Miller’s upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa.
Anyways, we’ll keep our fingers crossed Marvel will consider them for a hypothetical Wolverine series.
It’s hard to deny that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the landscape for various films to earn top-dollar and with the American box office struggling over the last year, you can’t blame movie fans for getting excited about the small victories concerning the box office slowly coming back to life. This weekend saw A Quiet Place Part II have an exceptional weekend at the box office despite all that and illustrates that appointment viewing is still key to getting asses in seats.
Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.
The John Krasinski-directed horror sequel was able to muster an estimated $57 million over four days, according to Variety. This gives A Quiet Place Part II the new pandemic era domestic opening weekend record surpassing Godzilla Vs. Kong’s five day opening total of $48.5 million. It’s release had been delayed a full year because of the pandemic.
For some comparison, A Quiet Place opened to $50.2 million in the summer of 2018 and went on to earn $341 million on a budget of $17 million. There is a good shot that the second film is able to cross the $300 million, if not earn the studio even more.
This box office performance with these two installments should help bolster John Krasinski’s directing career and ability to get original projects picked-up by studios in the future. Krasinski hasn’t given up on acting as he’s still playing Jack Ryan on the popular Amazon Prime Video series with Season 3 coming out sometime this year.
A third movie is already in the works with filmmaker Jeff Nichols (Mud, Midnight Special, Loving, Take Shelter) attached to write and direct it, as reported by Deadline last fall. Nichols had once been developing a feature film reboot of the sci-fi buddy cop film Alien Nation for 20th Century Fox before the merger with the Walt Disney company placed the project into limbo, he’s currently hoping to repackage Alien Nation as a series.
Disney also decided to release Emma Stone’s 101 Dalmatians prequel, Cruella, over the weekend using a hybrid model having it drop in both theaters and on Disney+’s Premier Access at the same time. Cruella was able to earn a projected $27 million for a solid second place spot given the Disney project was being marketed to an older audience, although, I’m sure Disney was hoping for a bigger turnout.
The other big movies coming this summer include F9, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, In The Heights, Black Widow, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, Space Jam: Legacy, Jungle Cruise, The Green Knight, Free Guy, The Suicide Squad, and Candyman.
THE RONIN 