Tag: Godzilla vs Kong

Posted on in Film News, News

Legendary Entertainment Reportedly Exploring Sale/Merger; Behind ‘Dune’ & ‘Godzilla Vs. Kong’

After reports of Apple inquiring a potential purchase of A24 and Amazon picking up MGM Studios for a hefty $8.45 billion, it looks like another major production studio might end up on the auction block. Variety is reporting that Legendary Entertainment could be looking to be sold or merge with another company,. This comes after Bloomberg revealed that Legendary was working with investment bank LionTree LLC to develop possible deals.

Any deal would likely be for less than than the $3.5 billion that Dalian Wanda paid to acquire Legendary in 2016 from founder Thomas Tull, because that pact included the assumption of substantial debt. 

Legendary is behind recent releases such as Godzilla vs. Kong and the upcoming sci-fi epic Dune from director Denis Villeneuve. In the past, the company has had distribution deals with Universal Pictures and Warner Bros., however, there have been tension with the partnering companies over the years. There were multiple reports that Legendary was on the cusp of suing WarnerMedia over blocking a deal to offload Godzilla vs. Kong at Netflix for around $200 million. Instead, WarnerMedia with little notice announced plans to add Godzilla vs. Kong and Dune to their big day-and-date slate, that would the two pricey films dropped on HBO Max at the same time as theaters.

A sale could essentially dissolve distribution deals, meaning that future Dune and Monsterverse (pending Toho extending their rights deal) franchise installments could find a new home depending if there is a sale or merger on the horizon. That is unless WarnerMedia believes they want to acquire Legendary.

There a bunch of projects still in development including Dune: Part Two and a handful of Monsterverse movies such as the rumored Son of Kong from director Adam Wingard. It remains to be seen what this could mean for those films and other various things being worked on behind the scenes.

SOURCE: VARIETY

Posted on in Film News

WarnerMedia’s Hybrid Release Model Shaping Up To Become A $1 Billion Loss – Called A “Major Misstep”

In December, WarnerMedia announced plans to release all of their 2021 slate in theaters and on their streaming service HBO Max (free for one month with subscription) on the same day, the hybrid release model was controversial and led to reports of their partner Legendary Entertainment gearing-up for a lawsuit. Legendary attempted to sell-off Godzilla Vs. Kong to Netflix for a massive $200 million but Warner Bros. blocked the deal only to announce they would be giving the film away to HBO Max subscribers for free. Directors Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve also were vocally upset that directors weren’t properly informed about the move and mentioned how harmful the hybrid release would be to the industry.

The plan seemed to be sacrifice the Warner Bros. Pictures slate to coax a boost in domestic subscriber numbers for the floundering HBO Max that launched last year, however, the numbers haven’t been stellar in comparison to other streaming competitors.

It’s now May, and it was recently announced there would be a WarnerMedia-Discovery merger with rumblings from business news outlets that WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar was kept in the dark about the deal and is getting ready to exit. There is also chatter that the merger could signal an easier sale of WarnerMedia in the future, however, no potential buyers have been mentioned.

New information suggests that the hybrid release model at Kilar’s direction wasn’t as lucrative as hyped-up to be, mentioned in an Variety report they state industry sources believe the hybrid model may end up a billion-dollar loss due to high license feeds paid and sluggish subscriber sign-up.

Moreover, industry sources say the strategic move that made such a splash last December — when WarnerMedia at Kilar’s direction opted for simultaneous releases in theaters and on HBO Max for Warner Bros.’ 2021 movie slate — is seen as a major misstep because it is shaping up to cost the studio over $1 billion in lost box office revenue, talent profit participation payments and in high license fees paid for the movies from HBO Max. Unless the pace of HBO Max subscriber additions pick up significantly in the coming months, the high cost of the movie content for the streamer will be hard to justify.

While WarnerMedia insists that other films such as Dune are still sticking to the hybrid release in October, there have been conflicting trade reports that we could see exclusive theatrical windows return before 2022.

SOURCE: VARIETY

Posted on in Film News

Adam Wingard & Robert Kirkman Team For Universal’s Feature Film Adaptation of Sci-Fi Comic Book ‘Hardcore’

Director Adam Wingard’s profile has risen thanks to the box office success of Godzilla Vs. Kong, the crossover film set in Legendary’s Monsterverse has become the biggest box office earner since the pandemic began as it crossed $400 million globally and is inching towards reaching $100 million domestically.

Another genre project has arrived.

Universal is also trying to get on team Wingard as there are reports via The Hollywood Reporter that the filmmaker will co-write and direct a feature film based on the comic book Hardcore with co-creator Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Invincible) writing the film’s story and producing. The script will be worked on by Wingard and Will Simmon, which is based on the comic created by Kirkman and Marc Marc Silvestri.

The Hardcore Program can turn anyone—your neighbor, your co-worker, your spouse—into a human drone to get to targets normal soldiers can’t. Agent Drake is the best soldier Hardcore has to offer, until he’s stranded in a body with only 72 hours to discover who’s hijacked the Program. But who can he trust when his enemy can change their appearance as easily as you change your shirt?

It’s unknown where Hardcore lands on the project pecking order as Adam Wingard has other movies he’s attached to. The filmmaker has since been reportedly linked to another Monsterverse film, possibly Son of Kong, and is making a hybrid animated/CGI feature film for Warner Bros. based on the cult hit cartoon ThunderCats.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News

‘ThunderCats’ Movie Coming From ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ Director Adam Wingard & Warner Bros.

Coming off a massive international debut of Godzilla vs Kong earning an impressive $123 million, director Adam Wingard is attached to direct another huge IP project.

Warner Bros. has spent ages trying to figure out how to turn the ThunderCats franchise into a movie and Deadline reports that Wingard will be developing a feature film with his writing partner Simon Barrett. They’ll rewrite a previous script from David Coggeshall and Adam is attached to direct the hybrid project a combination of CGI and animation.

The project had been developed by Rideback’s Dan Lin and Vertigo’s Roy Lee (they were producers on the Wingard-directed Death Note), with an early script by David Coggeshall. Wingard will rewrite a script with Simon Barrett, and will turn all this into a hybrid of CGI and animation.

Adam Wingard also spoke with Deadline about ThunderCats being his dream project and how he approached Warner Bros. about making it after they loved Godzilla vs Kong. It’s looking like a good move after the Monsterverse movie might end up being one of the highest grossing films of 2021 and the pandemic era.

WINGARD: “I’m in a place where Godzilla vs. Kong has gone well with Warner Bros. They love the movie, as we were wrapping it. I heard there was a ThunderCats script out there and it happened to be set up with some of my producers on Death Note. I asked them, I want to rewrite this script with my friend Simon Barrett. This is a huge passion thing for me. Nobody on this planet knows or has thought as much about ThunderCats as I have. They gave me the reins. I saw this as an opportunity to do a new type of fantasy sci-fi spectacle film that people have never seen before. It’s got a rich mythology; the characters are fantastic. The colors. I want to do a ThunderCats film that takes you back to that ‘80s aesthetic. I don’t want to reinvent the way they look; I want them to look like ThunderCats. I don’t want to do it live action, either. I don’t want it to look like Cats, I don’t want those kinds of issues — no disrespect to that director, whom I don’t mean to throw under the bus any more than everyone else has. I want to do a movie you’ve never seen before. A hybrid CGI film that has a hyper real look and somehow bridges the gap between cartoon and CGI. That’s the starting point, and Simon Barrett and I are getting into the script now.”

The filmmaker is about to launch the domestic release of Godzilla vs Kong this week and is attached to make a sequel to Face/Off.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

UPDATE: ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ Earns Estimated $70M In China & $122M Internationally

Despite multiple countries still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a handful staring down the barrel of a fourth wave because of the increased variants (alongside folks ignoring medical recommendations), the international box office seems to be returning in some markets.

Legendary’s Godzilla vs Kong made a big splash when it’s first trailer dropped and the marketing campaign has seemingly resonated with audiences that had been previously lukewarm about previous installments like Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of The Monsters.

Will this equate into a huge box office hit?

Well, internationally that seems to be the case and is becoming the biggest debut since the pandemic started. Deadline is reporting that after the film had a spectacular Friday opening of $21.1 million in China it seems to be lumbering towards an estimated haul of $70.4 million in the Middle Kingdom. This means the kaiju showdown is expected to cross $100+ million opening weekend internationally and has surpassed the Chinese opening of Godzilla: King of The Monsters. It’s worth mentioning that foreign movies don’t tend to stick around very long in the Chinese market compared to their local releases and the studio hopes to make hay as long as they can.

UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter adds that the intentional estimate is now $121.8 million.

Godzilla vs Kong won’t be debuting domestically until March 31.

However, WarnerMedia is offering the film free for a month on HBO Max which will certainly have an impact on domestic box office earnings. While there has been positive estimates, we’ll have to wait and see if folks will be piling into indoor theaters as a fourth wave of COVID-19 looms or will opt for the free alternative available on HBO Max with a subscription.

Bob Odenkirk’s action flick Nobody took the top spot this weekend domestically with $6.7 million which is good for a movie budgeted at $16 million. This isn’t exactly the sign of box office strength you want to see with Godzilla vs Kong’s release on the horizon later in the week.

With a budget of $165 million, Godzilla vs Kong will need to continue to be successful overseas to turn a profit when movies like Wonder Woman 1984 were reportedly said to take $100 million loss. The hybrid release model from WarnerMedia has yet to be seen as box office benefit to the Warner Bros. division, but we’ll see if this changes with films such as Godzilla vs Kong.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Director Adam Wingard & ‘The Guest’ Screenwriter Simon Barrett Reuniting For A Direct Sequel To John Woo’s ‘Face/Off’

Deadline broke the news yesterday that Paramount Pictures has hired Adam Wingard (Godzilla vs. Kong) and screenwriter Simon Barrett to rework a Face/Off film that had been in development at the studio. The project is based on the 1997 film directed by Hong Kong action director John Woo that had actors John Travolta and Nicolas Cage in the main roles.

FACE/OFF – Obsessed with bringing terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) to justice, FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) tracks down Troy, who has boarded a plane in Los Angeles. After the plane crashes and Troy is severely injured, possibly dead, Archer undergoes surgery to remove his face and replace it with Troy’s. As Archer tries to use his disguise to elicit information about a bomb from Troy’s brother, Troy awakes from a coma and forces the doctor who performed the surgery to give him Archer’s face.

Adam and Simon previously worked together on the underrated Dan Stevens action-thriller The Guest.

Wingard’s latest film Godzilla vs. Kong broke records for online views for it’s first-look trailer and debuts on March 31.

However, while the reports claimed that the project was a remake, Adam Wingard took to Instagram to clarify that the film they are writing is actually a direct sequel and not a remake/reboot.

You can see that post below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLK_-uUFVqY/

SOURCE: DEADLINE & ADAM WINGARD

Posted on in Film News

Rundown of 2021 Movies That Have Been Given New Release Dates

No Time To Die wasn’t the only studio film to get a bump to later in the year as there were a wave of release changes yesterday. The COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t seem to be letting up over the spring or possibly the summer meaning that theatrical releases are going to be further delayed.

Here is a rundown of those releases changes that took place over the week.

  • Godzilla vs. Kong – March 26th, 2021 (moved up)
  • Nobody – April 2nd, 2021
  • BIOS – August 13th, 2021
  • The Many Saints of Newark – September 24th, 2021
  • No Time To Die – October 8th, 2021
  • Last Night In Soho – October 22nd, 2021
  • Antlers – October 29th, 2021
  • Ghostbusters: Afterlife – November 11th, 2021
  • Nightmare Alley – December 3rd, 2021
  • Morbius – January 21st, 2022
  • Uncharted – February 11th, 2022
  • Ambulance – February 18th, 2022

We’re likely to get more release date changes in the coming weeks as summer movies alongside other spring films might be getting pushed later in the year or to 2022. I wouldn’t be terribly shocked if we saw new dates for films such big films as Black Widow, Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Spider-Man 3, F9, The King’s Man, Top Gun: Maverick, Jungle Cruise and others.

I know people are going to assume that studios will simply throw these projects on streaming services, however, considering the large budgets involved they will be more interested in turning a profit than offloading the films from their slates, they are still businesses that need to generate revenue. Until we get those official announcements it seems a little premature to speculate which projects will end up on streaming as plenty of these releases escaped that fate in 2020 and might continue that in 2021.

I personally believe the best way to go is with reasonable prices for multiple digital renting and buying options along with great access to those choices. Having access to these films suck behind a paywall then given high price of $30 like with what Disney did with Mulan meant that Disney+ subscribers still had to pay a premium price alongside their monthly subscription. At the very least, they should have given a discount to subs asking for $10-20.

We’ll certainly update when further changes are announced.

Posted on in Film News

Deal Nearing For ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ With Legendary Poised To Distribute In China – ‘Dune’ May Keep Theatrical Window

A new report from The Hollywood Reporter suggests that WarnerMedia and Warner Bros. Pictures may avoid an incoming lawsuit from production partner Legendary Entertainment as they’re nearing a new distribution deal for Godzilla vs Kong and possibly Dune as well.

Last year, it was announced by WarnerMedia they would be throwing the 17 feature films from their 2021 slate on HBO Max with a day-and-deal model, allowing HBO Max subscribers to view new releases exclusively on the streaming service for a month. This led to backlash as none of the filmmakers, talent or production partners like Legendary were informed about the decision in a timely manner ahead of the public announcement.

Godzilla vs Kong will keep it’s theatrical release on May 21 with Legendary handling the distribution in China, the company has Chinese ownership and makes sense they’d want to tackle the local roll-out. It also seems to be heading to HBO Max.

Legendary is still negotiating with talent on Godzilla but that is not expected to derail a deal. The movie will keep its May 21 release date in theaters, including IMAX, as well as HBO Max. Legendary will release the film in China.

Legendary along with Dune director Denis Villeneuve had voiced their opposition as the studio has reportedly sided with Denis as they rallied against WarnerMedia’s announcement. It’s pointed out the film could end up landing a theatrical window and another hiccup has been revealed as WarnerMedia may have used Dune “images” to promote HBO Max without permission from Legendary.

According to a source, conversations regarding various theatrical windowing approaches are ongoing and it remains unclear which option will be acceptable to Villeneuve. Another potential issue: It appears Warners may have been using Dune images to promote its streaming service without approval.

They also hypothesize that other filmmakers like Matrix 4 director Lana Wachowski could also demand theatrical window, like Villeneuve, that could help dissolve the day-and-date model for bigger films.

If Warners gives Dune an exclusive release, that could set a precedent allowing others, such as Matrix 4 filmmaker Lana Wachowski, to demand similar treatment. As talks continue, it is unclear whether Warner Media will be able to hold the line on its day-and-date strategy to bolster its streaming service. Wachowski is said to be adamant about an exclusive theatrical run.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News

Millie Bobby Brown Tapped To Lead Sci-Fi Film ‘The Electric State’ For Universal – The Russo Brothers To Direct

The Electric State has new directors after Deadline reports that Andy Muschietti (IT, The Flash) has stepped aside as the film’s potential director due to scheduling conflicts with his upcoming Flash movie starring Ezra Miller. However, Andy and sister Barbara Muschietti will stay on as producers.

READ MORE: First Concept Artwork From ‘The Flash’ Features Michael Keaton’s Batman and New Costume

Producers Joe Russo and Anthony Russo will instead take up the role of directors on the sci-fi film that has been picked-up by Universal Pictures. The pair are best known for the directing a bunch of films for Marvel Studios such as the highest-grossing film Avengers: Endgame.

READ MORE: Russo Bros. To Direct Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans In Netflix’s $200M+ Budgeted Spy Flick ‘The Gray Man’ – Eyeing January Start In L.A.

They’ve also tapped Millie Bobby Brown (Godzilla vs Kong, Stranger Things, Enola Holmes) to play the lead role.

READ MORE: Legendary May Sue WarnerMedia Over HBO Max Announcement For ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ and ‘Dune’ – Didn’t Give Them Advance Notice

Adapting the graphic novel from Simon Stalenhag into a feature film script will be Marvel screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who are also working with the directing duo’s massive Netflix film The Gray Man.

Set in an alternative future, it tells the story of a teenage girl (Millie Bobby Brown) who realizes that a strange but sweet robot who comes to her has actually been sent by her missing brother.  She and the robot set out to find the brother in an imaginative world of humans mixing with all manner of robots, uncovering a grand conspiracy in the process.

Looking at the artwork from the graphic novel it’ll certainly have a unique visual style.

It’s unclear when The Electric State will begin shooting given that the Russo Brothers begin shooting The Gray Man next month in Long Beach, California and Millie is busy with the fourth season of Stranger Things.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Television News

‘Buck Rogers’: Legendary Hires Brian K. Vaughn To Write New Series Based On Pulp Sci-Fi Hero

It was announced not too long ago that Legendary Entertainment landed the film and television rights to the classic sci-fi hero Buck Rogers. Now, there is word from The Hollywood Reporter that Legendary has hired comic book and screenwriter Brian K. Vaughn (Lost, Y: The Last Man, Saga) to tackle a new television series.

Brian K. Vaughan, the comics author behind Y: The Last Man and Saga, has been tapped to pen Legendary’s television series adaptation of classic pulp hero Buck Rogers. Don Murphy and Susan Montford, whose credits include TransformersandReal Steel, will produce via their Angry Films banner along with Flint Dille, the grandson of the original Buck Rogers creator.

Rogers first appeared in a story titled Armageddon 2419 and published in a 1928 issue of pulp mainstay, Amazing Stories. Written by Philip Francis Nowlan, the story told of a man who is trapped in a coal mine during a cave-in, falls into suspended animation, and Rip Van Winkle-style, wakes up almost 500 years into the future. There, he is enlisted to help fight a war between several gangs in what was once America.

Where the show will land is up-in-the-air but most recently Dune spinoff series Dune: The Sisterhood is at HBO Max. However, there could be issues with working with WarnerMedia at the moment as Legendary is reportedly on the cusp of suing them over placing Dune and Godzilla vs Kong on HBO Max, something that the production company wasn’t consulted on after WarnerMedia blocked a $250 million offer from Netflix to secure Godzilla vs Kong.

They’re also said to be developing a film and anime series.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER