Tag: Netflix

Posted on in Film News

Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, David Bradley, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, and Others Join Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pinocchio’ Movie

Today, the bulk of the voice cast for Guillermo del Toro’s animated Pinocchio film for Netflix has been finally announced. The Hollywood Reporter first reported the casting additions but their website is currently having technical issues.

A handful of actors have previously worked with del Toro but there are also plenty of newcomers as well. Ewan McGregor had previously outed himself for the project months back during an interview.

This version of the classic Carlo Collodi tale will take more of a grim setting than the Disney counterpart as it will take place during the rise of fascism in Mussolini’s Italy.

Here is the full cast list for the stop-motion animation feature film.

  • Gregory Mann as Pinocchio
  • Ewan McGregor (Kenobi, Doctor Sleep) as Cricket
  • David Bradley (Harry Potter franchise, Game of Thrones) as Geppetto
  • Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer)
  • Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained)
  • Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things, IT, Ghostbusters: Afterlife)
  • Cate Blanchett (Nightmare Alley, Thor: Ragnarok)
  • John Turturro (The Batman)
  • Ron Perlman (Nightmare Alley, Hellboy)
  • Tim Blake Nelson (Watchmen)
  • Burn Gorman (Pacific Rim, Game of Thrones)

Production on Pinocchio started last fall at ShadowMachine’s studio in Portland, Oregon with Mark Gustafson co-directing alongside del Toro from a script penned by Guillermo and Patrick McHale.

Alexandre Desplat will be handling the film’s music and score.

Guillermo is expected to resume production on his thriller Nightmare Alley on September 16th in Toronto and complete principal photography by late November.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News

Tig Notaro Will Replace Chris D’Eila In Zack Snyder’s ‘Army of The Dead’ With A Round of Reshoots

In a bold move by director Zack Snyder and Netflix, The Hollywood Reporter has learned that they have decided to replace scenes with stand-up comedian Chris D’Elia with fellow stand-up comedian Tig Notaro (Star Trek Discovery, Transparent, One Mississippi) in the action-horror film Army of The Dead via some unexpected reshoots. 

Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.

Tig’s most recent film role was in Noah Hawley’s Lucy In The Sky. 

Chris had been embroiled lately in controversy after multiple claims from underage girls that he was sexually harassing and grooming them for sex. This led to Netflix to end an upcoming prank show that Chris was developing with pal Bryan Cullen (Joker, Warrior, Mad TV). Cullen is being accused of full-out sexual assault. 

This certainly sees both Zack Snyder and Netflix take a strong stance on sexual misconduct along with putting extra money into their production to have him removed/replaced. 

The reshoots will likely lead to a delay in the film’s release on Netflix. 

Army of The Dead is Snyder’s return to the horror genre after his debut film Dawn of The Dead, a remake of George A. Romero film that was written by James Gunn. 

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News

Cyberpunk Sequel To ’47 Ronin’ Heading To Netflix – Original Starred Keanu Reeves

Deadline reports that Universal 1440 and Netflix are teaming up for a sequel to the Keanu Reeves samurai fantasy film 47 Ronin, inspired by the Japanese historical event from the 18th Century but added fantasy elements to it. The new film is said to be set 300 years in the future and will be set in the exotic world of cyberpunk adding science fiction elements to the fantasy/horror from the original.

Mulan actor Ron Yuan will be directing with an expectation that filming could begin in the first quarter of 2021.

It’s unknown if they’ll attempt to bring any original cast members to play new characters but it certainly allows them to hire a majority of Asian actors to lead the film.

47 RONIN – In feudal Japan, Lord Asano rules his province with fairness. However, jealous Lord Kira (Tadanobu Asano) fears that the shogun favors Asano over him and hatches a plot that ends with Asano’s ritual suicide. After Asano’s death, his samurai, led by Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), are forced to live as outcasts. Oishi wanders for several years but realizes that he must turn to Kai (Keanu Reeves), a mixed-blood warrior he once rejected, to help him and his ronin comrades take revenge on Lord Kira.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Television News

Netflix Announces New Series ‘The Witcher: Blood Origins’ – Prequel Takes Place 1200 Years In The Past

Today, Netflix took to Twitter to announce a new prequel series spinoff set in the world of The Witcher. The prequel titled The Witcher: Blood Origins from Declan de Barra and Lauren Schmidt Hissrich will focus on the first Witcher taking place 1200 years in the past. 

The fantasy series is based on the novels turned video game franchise. 

The Witcher starring Henry Cavill as the infamous Geralt of Rivia is currently in the middle of filming Season 2 (expected to resume filming in the United Kingdom next month). 

SOURCE: NETFLIX

Posted on in Television News

‘Daredevil’ Actor Reveals Racism Towards Asian Characters From Marvel Television’s Jeph Loeb

Former Daredevil actor Peter Shinkoda (played Nobu) reveals to #SaveDaredevil in a panel chat on YouTube some racism behind the scenes from former Marvel Television head Jeph Loeb. 

Suggesting that his character Nobu and Wai Ching Ho’s Madame Gao were essentially kneecapped by Loeb because he held some prejudice against Asian characters on the show getting deeper storylines. Revealing his own character Nobu had stuff scrapped directly by Loeb’s racist attitude.

Here is what Shinkoda had to say. 

Jeph Loeb told the writers’ room not to write for Nobu and Gao. Saying that Loeb’s reasoning was “Nobody cares about Chinese people and Asian people. There were three previous Marvel movies a trilogy called Blade made where Wesley Snipes kills 200 Asians each movie, nobody gives a shit, so don’t write about Nobu and Gao”. 

You can hear Peter’s words for yourself. 

He also highlighted on Twitter that neither himself or Wai Ching Ho were later invited by Marvel/Netflix to the Season 2 premiere.

https://twitter.com/PeterShinkoda/status/1287490338958041088

We support and believe Peter.

Loeb’s bizarre attitudes towards Asian folks/culture isn’t a new thing. It was on center stage at San Diego Comic-Con in 2018, where he wore a Karate Halloween costume to moderate the Iron First panel when actress Jessica Henwick rightfully had him take the costume off before the panel began.

There had already been some backlash from the fandom that Iron Fist had been a potential entry point to have an Asian-American leading superhero character from Marvel, years before Shang-Chi was announced. 

Below you can see that exchange between Jessica and Jeph right here. 

Jeph Loeb is now out at Marvel Television with the company re-branded as Marvel TV Studios with Kevin Feige overseeing it. It’ll be interesting to see if Shang-Chi was a direct response to this nonsense and if other stories will be made public. 

This isn’t the first claim of odd sexism/racism from Marvel brass. At one point, Ike Perlmutter had direct control over projects at Marvel Studios and was said to be behind the delay of films such as Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Black Widow. Perlmutter was later removed from the film division after an intervention from Disney giving Kevin Feige more control over the studio.

SOURCE: #SAVEDAREDEVIL

Posted on in Film News

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.

Deadline reports that the Russo Brothers have chosen their next directorial effort after tackling the bank robbery film Cherry starring Tom Holland.

The Avengers: Endgame directors will tackle The Gray Man for Netflix, a spy film with a budget reportedly over $200 million making it the most expensive film at the streaming service to date. Adding that heavy-hitters Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans have been set to take the lead roles.

AGBO will also produce the action flick.

The action thriller is a deadly duel between killers as Court Gentry (Gosling) is hunted across the globe by Lloyd Hansen (Evans), a former cohort of Gentry’s at the CIA.

The script based on the Mark Greaney novel was penned by Joe Russo with some rewrites from Captain America franchise writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

To those who lurk in the shadows, he’s known as the Gray Man. He is a legend in the covert realm, moving silently from job to job, accomplishing the impossible and then fading away. And he always hits his target. Always. But there are forces more lethal than Gentry in the world. Forces like money. And power. And there are men who hold these as the only currency worth fighting for. And in their eyes, Gentry has just outlived his usefulness.

But Court Gentry is going to prove that, for him, there’s no gray area between killing for a living and killing to stay alive…

They’re hoping to begin filming next January in Los Angeles, California and various international locations yet to be determined. However, COVID-19 could cause issues for the project and we’ll be interested to see if they stick to shooting the film in the United States.

The project seems to be Netflix trying it’s best to wiggle-out of the wave of original films that look extremely generic despite their hefty budgets. Hiring the directors of the most successful film at the box office might payoff.

Also, there are nine novels in The Gray Man series which would allow Netflix/AGBO to turn the project into a franchise.

Ryan Gosling is attached for Universal’s Wolfman reboot from writer/director Leigh Whannell.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Television News

Netflix Announces ‘Usagi Yojimbo’ CGI Animated Series Titled ‘Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles’ – Produced By James Wan

Today, it was announced that Netflix will be making a new CGI animated series titled Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles based on Stan Sakai’s beloved Usagi Yojimbo comic book series. The streaming service will be teaming up with Gaumont and James Wan’s Atomic Monster.

The character also famously did crossovers with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and was part of their toy line.

88 Pictures, who previously did the animation for Trollhunters will be working on the series.

Below is the official press release.

Netflix and Gaumont announce new comedy-action CGI animated series Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles based on the globally successful 35-year-old comic book, Usagi Yojimbo, from award-winning creator Stan Sakai. 

The series takes place in the far future, set in a world that mixes modern high-tech images with classic Japanese references. It follows the teenage Rabbit Samurai Yuichi, descendent of the great warrior Miyamoto Usagi, on his epic quest to become a true samurai. But he isn’t alone! He leads a ragtag team of misfit heroes – including a roguish bounty hunter, a cunning ninja, an acrobatic pickpocket and a faithful pet lizard – as he battles depth-charging moles, metal-tipped winged bats, and monsters from another dimension, all in the pursuit to become the best samurai Usagi! 

The series is produced in partnership with Stan Sakai, the legendary creator, writer and illustrator of the comic-book series who will serve as Executive Producer, along with Gaumont (Executive Producers Nicolas Atlan, Terry Kalagian, Sidonie Dumas and Christophe Riandee), Dark Horse Entertainment (Executive Producers Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg and Chris Tongue), and Atomic Monster (Executive Producers James Wan, Michael Clear and Rob Hackett). Candie and Doug Langdale (Maya and the Three, The Book of Life, Puss in Boots, Niko and the Sword of Life, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness) are attached as executive producers and showrunners. Ben Jones (Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teen Titans, Iron Giant) is Supervising Producer while Khang Le (Big Hero 6, Little Big Awesome) will serve as Art Director on the series. 

Mumbai-based 88 Pictures (Trollhunters, 3Below: Tales of Arcadia, Fast & Furious Spy Racers) has been appointed as the CGI animation studio. 

The acclaimed comic series has received a number of awards over the last three decades, including Parents’ Choice Award, an American Library Association Award, and the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Award. Usagi Yojimbo has also been named on Empire Magazine’s Top 50 comic-book characters of all time, IGN’s Top 100 comic-book characters of all time and Rolling Stone’s Top 50 non-superhero graphic novels. Sakai is a six-time Eisner Award winner, the recipient of multiple Haxter Awards, and won the Best Cartoonist Harvey Award in 2016.

SOURCE: NETFLIX

Posted on in Film News

Charlize Theron Confirms ‘Atomic Blonde 2’ In Early Development At Netflix and Hopeful About ‘The Old Guard’ Sequel

While promoting her comic book Netflix film The Old Guard, actress Charlize Theron revealed to Total Film (via Games Radar) that she is indeed speaking with the streaming service as a home for their sequel to their 80s-set action flick Atomic Blonde, which she previously confirmed is in an early scripting phase.

THERON: “We took [Atomic Blonde 2] to them and Scott Stuber [Head of Original Films at Netflix] was really interested in it. We talked to him about it extensively, and we’re in the process of writing it right now. That character was set up in a way where she didn’t really reveal much of herself. So I feel like there’s a lot of potential there. The bar’s pretty high, but we’re excited about it.”

ATOMIC BLONDE – Sensual and savage, Lorraine Broughton is the most elite spy in MI6, an agent who’s willing to use all of her lethal skills to stay alive during an impossible mission. With the Berlin Wall about to fall, she travels into the heart of the city to retrieve a priceless dossier and take down a ruthless espionage ring. Once there, she teams up with an embedded station chief to navigate her way through the deadliest game of spies.

This would confirm previous information that was circulating months ago via Discussing Film.

Who will ultimately direct the sequel is up-in-the-air since David Leitch is busy with Sony’s Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt and has multiple other projects cooking at various studios as well such as an Enter The Dragon remake for Warner Bros., a movie based on the video game The Division for Netflix, and a feature film based on the classic martial arts series Kung Fu.

I think there is a good shot that we’ll see Atomic Blonde 2‘s setting push into the 1990s and explore a post-Soviet Union world of espionage.

Charlize is also hopeful about Netflix giving a sequel to The Old Guard.

THERON: “We went into this talking about [a sequel] as a possibility, and it’s definitely something that excites us.”

THE OLD GUARD – A group of mercenaries, all centuries-old immortals with the ability to heal themselves, discover someone is onto their secret, and they must fight to protect their freedom.

The Old Guard is currently streaming on Netflix.

SOURCE: TOTAL FILM

Posted on in Film News

Netflix Acquiring Domestic Rights To Aaron Sorkin Drama ‘The Trial of The Chicago 7’

Variety reports that Netflix is about to buy another high-profile awards contender with Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of The Chicago Seven. The streaming service is negotiating to secure the domestic rights from Paramount Pictures and Cross Creek Productions.

The Chicago Seven, a group of seven activists who were charged by the federal government with conspiracy, inciting to riot and other charges stemming from anti-Vietnam War protests that broke out during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. It’s a hot-button story, one that is sure to resonate in a presidential election year and at a time when protests over racial injustice are breaking out across the country.

Aaron Sorkin previously made his directorial debut with the Jessica Chastain film Molly’s Game. His screenwriting credits includes A Few Good Men, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Social Network, Moneyball, and Steve Jobs.

The film’s impressive cast includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Jeremy Strong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Frank Langella, William Hurt, Michael Keaton, and Mark Rylance. 

They had luckily wrapped production on The Chicago 7 before the pandemic hit and was originally set to be released on October 16th, 2020. It’s said to be aiming to get a release before the election in November.

SOURCE: VARIETY