Amazon's 'Crime 101' Starring Chris Hemsworth & Pedro Pascal To Begin Filming This September, Thriller In The Vein Of 'Heat'

Amazon/MGM’s Jewel Heist Pic ‘Crime 101’ Starring Chris Hemsworth & Pedro Pascal To Begin Filming This September

Last year, it was announced that Chris Hemsworth (“Extraction 2”) and Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”) would team up for a crime film said to be “in the vein of Michael Mann’s ‘Heat,'” and there is a neat update on where “Crime 101” from director Bart Layton (“American Animals”) is currently at in the development/prep stage.

Author Don Winslow (his novella of the same name adapted for the pic) has shared an update on Twitter, confirming that Amazon MGM Studios has acquired “Crime 101” after a bidding war with Netflix and that the film will begin shooting sometime in September.

Here is the official synopsis for Winslow’s novella, which should give you an idea of what to expect from “Crime 101”:

A string of high-level jewel heists up and down the Pacific Coast Highway has gone unsolved for years, mostly because the perpetrator has lived by a strict code he calls “Crime 101”. Police attribute the thefts to the Colombian cartels. But Detective Lou Lubesnick’s gut says it’s the work of just one man. Now the lone-wolf jewel thief is looking for that fabled final last score, and Lou breaks all the rules of “Crime 101”.

Pascal is a busy bee these days as he’s expected to play Dr. Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in Marvel’s “Fantastic Four” reboot this summer at Pinewood Studios UK in England and has a July 2025 release date. It’s starting to feel like he’ll move directly from “Fantastic Four” into “Crime 101.”

Hemsworth has been getting a bunch of success with his “Extraction” films on Netflix and will be seen next in George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” A fellow MCU actor, Hemsworth, has been teasing his interest in returning to the “Thor” role for a fifth solo film, while rumored online, it’s one that has yet to be made official by Marvel.

This isn’t the only Winslow project in the works, as Oscar-nominee Austin Butler (“Dune: Part Two,” “Elvis”) is attached to star in “City On Fire,” a mobster epic that has been compared to “The Godfather,” which would see Irish and Italian criminal syndicates going to war and is expected to be a franchise-starter for Butler. James Mangold (“Ford v Ferrari”) was also developing a feature film adaptation of “The Force” that had Matt Damon circling the cop thriller at 20th Century Studios.

Amazon MGM Studios has yet to give “Crime 101” an official release date.

SOURCE: DON WINSLOW

'Fantastic Four': Paul Walter Hauser Nabs Mystery Part In Marvel's Latest Reboot

‘Fantastic Four’: Paul Walter Hauser Nabs Mystery Part In Marvel’s Latest Reboot

Marvel Studios is still casting roles for their upcoming reboot of “The Fantastic Four” and has added actor Paul Walter Hauser (“Cruella”) in a mystery part, according to both Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter. Who exactly Hauser is playing is unknown; we could theorize it is anything from a random supporting role to a villain like Mole Man or the voice of our heroes’ loyal robot, H.E.R.B.I.E., the latter being confirmed by official teaser artwork released by Marvel Studios back on Valentine’s Day.

After delivering “WandaVision,” Matt Shakman has been selected to direct the latest incarnation of “Fantastic Four” with a cast that consists of Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”) as Dr. Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (“Mission: Impossible” and “Fast & Furious” franchises) as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“The Bear,” “Andor”) as Ben Grimm/The Thing, and Joseph Quinn (“Stranger Things”) as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch.

This update comes after Julia Garner (“Wolf Man,” “Ozark”) was tapped by the studio to play the Earth-X version of Silver Surfer with Norrin Radd’s love, Shalla-Bal, playing the herald of cosmic villain Galactus. From the teaser artwork, there are elements of our version of the 1960s (a Time Magazine from the era) but also a cityscape teasing a retro-futuristic setting that may hint the film won’t take place within the main MCU, Earth-616.

The budding comedic actor made a curious pivot into dramatic roles thanks to Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” and “Da 5 Bloods,” Clint Eastwood’s “Richard Jewel,” and the prison drama “Black Bird.” There is a bit of a connection between Hauser and Shakman, as one of the first roles Hauser had was playing a teenage Juggalo on “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia,” which was a comedic series that Shakman directed and he did work on that episode from 2010.

“Fantastic Four” has a script from Eric Pearson (tackling the latest draft) with an expectation that shooting will start later this summer at Pinewood Studios UK and has a tentative release date of July 25, 2025 (be prepared for more MCU slate shifts between now and then).

SOURCE: DEADLINE & THR

‘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

‘Weapons’: Josh Brolin Returning To Horror As He’s In Talks To Replace Pedro Pascal In Zach Cregger’s Follow-Up To ‘Barbarian’

Writer/director Zach Cregger is finally gearing up on his next film after a sensensational reaction to his horror pic “Barbarian.” The new project titled “Weapons” landed at New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. after a heated bidding war, however, it recently lost their main star and they’ve now found a potential replacement. The Hollywood Reporter states that Josh Brolin (“Sicario”) is now in talks to take the role originally meant for Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”) after the actor had to leave due to scheduling issues.

Pascal had to exit because of his commitment to Marvel‘s upcoming reboot of the “Fantastic Four” which is expected to shoot at Pinewood Studios UK over the summer with director Matt Shakman (“Wandavision”) casting Pascal as Dr. Reed Richards, aka, Mister Fantastic. The rest of the cast includes Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (The Thing), and Joseph Quinn as Sue’s brother Johnny Storm (The Human Torch).

Not much is known about “Weapons” but is said to be an interrelated, multistory horror epic that tonally in the vein of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia.” This wouldn’t be Brolin’s first entry into horror with projects such as Guillermo del Toro’s “Mimic,” Robert Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror,” Paul Verhoeven’s modern take on “The Invisible Man” with “Hollow Man,” and the serial killer thriller “Nightwatch” where he co-starred with young Ewan McGregor.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

‘Fantastic Four’: Marvel Confirms Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach & Joseph Quinn For Lead Roles In MCU Reboot

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Marvel Studios has made it official by announcing the three main leads of their “Fantastic Four” reboot from director Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) and seemingly have also confirmed a 1960s-setting (1963?) alongside their robotic companion H.E.R.B.I.E. (Something I’ve been teasing on social media for years).

Fantastic Four #1 Alex Ross Regular Cover - Legacy Comics and Cards |  Trading Card Games, Comic Books, and More!

The lineup so far is Pedro Pascal as Dr. Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (The Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (“The Thing”). Journalist Jeff Sneider was the first to report the subsequent names of the cast with industry insider Daniel Richtman being the first to mention that Pascal was in talks to play Richards.

Marvel made the announcement via their social media accounts and even posted a fun promo poster revealing that aforementioned 60s-setting. “Fantastic Four” is set to be released on July 25, 2025, and will begin shooting at the Pinewood Studios stages in the United Kingdom in the not-too-distant future.

We’re still waiting for the reveal of a villain and who will play them. Rumors have suggested that we could end up seeing a new incarnation of Doctor Doom, but that has yet to be made official by Marvel.

Check out that awesome teaser poster artwork below.

SOURCE: MARVEL STUDIOS

‘Fantastic Four’: SAG-AFTRA Seemingly Confirms Pedro Pascal Casting For Marvel’s Upcoming Reboot From Director Matt Shakman

Last month, the internet was buzzing when Daniel Richtman revealed that Pedro Pascal (“The Mandalorian,” “The Last of Us”) was in talks to take on the role of Dr. Reed Richards in Marvel’s reboot of the “Fantastic Four” with trades backing up that claim. However, we’re still waiting on Marvel Studios to comment on that front but in the meantime, there seems to be a confirmation of sorts coming from the major actors’ union as SAG-AFTRA (via our longtime pal PJ Campbell) has revealed the actor is indeed part of the cast without naming his specific role.

The union’s website has a profile of the actor and revealed that he’s not only wrapped “Gladiator 2” (A sign of the recency of the posting) but he’s also expected to be shooting “Fantastic Four” soon. However, since the spotting, the line about “Fantastic Four” has been removed from the site (likely at the request of Marvel/Disney), but you can see the unaltered version of the paragraph below.

Matt Shakman, who helmed the popular DIsney+ series “WandaVision,” is set to direct with a script that has undergone a multitude of rewrites and polishes.

While there have been promises of the full cast being announced, it’s been weeks since that and we’re likely just going to have to be patient for trades/Marvel to reveal who is playing the other three members. “Fantastic Four” has a tentative release date of May 2, 2025, but that date could easily move up or get pushed back considering how often Disney changes their tentpole lineup.

SOURCE: SAG-AFTRA

Disney Dates Two ‘Star Wars’ Movies For 2026 With Bob Iger Hinting Jon Favreau’s ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ Up First In May 2026

There have been some rather big updates concerning the “Star Wars” universe with small screen confirmations that “The Mandalorian” is still getting a fourth season despite a feature film on the way and Dave Filoni (Lucasfilm’s new Chief Creative Officer) is already working on getting “Ahsoka” season two in the bag before pivoting to his own “Star Wars” movie set during that television timeline allowing him to play with both original saga and his own animation characters. We now have an idea of when to expect the next TWO movies thanks to Disney.

During an earnings call yesterday, Disney’s Bob Iger confirmed that Jon Favreau‘s “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” a continuation of the Disney+ series, would be the first new “Star Wars” movie to be released in 2026. That comes after Disney updated their main release slate (via Fandango’s Erik Davis) to include two 2026 spots for “Star Wars” films including May 22, 2026, and December 18, 2026.

Seemingly, Iger was giving us the impression that the “Mando” movie is most likely heading toward that May spot and the new Rey Skywalker installment “Star Wars: New Jedi Order” (Given how far along development is) could be heading toward that December release with director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (“Ms. Marvel”) attached alongside Daisy Ridley‘s return to the franchise. Considering the previous films in the Rey Skywalker saga took December spots, it’s not all that surprising to us that would end up landing the holiday spot.

There have been hints that both of the films could be ready to shoot as early as this summer/fall but we’ll have to wait for some casting news to know for sure when they’re gearing up for production.

SOURCE: DISNEY/BOB IGER

‘The Last Of Us’: Isabel Merced & Young Mazino Nab Roles Alongside Kaitlyn Dever In Season 2 Of Acclaimed Post-Apocalypse Series

The acclaimed series adaptation of “The Last of Us” is quickly helping to shape Hollywood’s new obsession with video game adaptations. This takes us to a post-apocalypse setting where the United States has been plagued with a fungus outbreak that has turned the human population into a mindless horde of zombie-like creatures. Survivors find a glimmer of hope when a young girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is discovered to be seemingly immune after being bitten but not being affected by it and a resistance group assigns smuggler Joel (Pedro Pascal) to get her to proper people who can potentially use Ellie to create a cure/vaccine. One of the more compelling aspects of the show has been the dramatic scenes alongside excellently written character moments that elevate the horror elements into something extremely special given the lackluster track record of projects being based on video games.

A second season is finally gearing up to begin shooting soon which means casting is in full swing. This week it was reported that Kaitlyn Dever (“Last Man Standing”) is set to play the role of antagonist Abby with more recent updates via Variety adding that actors Isabel Merced (“Sicario 2,” “Alien: Romulus”) will play Dina and Young Mazino (“Beef”) has taken the part of Jesse in the next run of episodes.

Other actors that appeared in the first season included Gabriel Luna, Anna Torv, Nico Parker, Murray Bartlett, Nick Offerman, Melanie Lynskey, Storm Reid, Merle Dandridge, Jeffrey Pierce, Lamar Johnson, Keivonn Woodard, Graham Greene, Elaine Miles, Ashley Johnson, and Troy Baker.

“The Last of Us” isn’t the only widely popular PlayStation exclusive game that is being given the live-action treatment as “God of War” is getting a series at Amazon Prime Video, Netflix landing a show based on “Horizon Zero Dawn,” and “John Wick” franchise director Chad Stahelski is aiming to bring the samurai adventure game “Ghost of Tsushima” to the big screen for Sony Pictures. There are also plans to make a sequel to the Tom Holland-led feature adaptation of “Uncharted.”

SOURCE: VARIETY

‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’: Lucasfilm Announces That Jon Favreau To Direct New ‘Star Wars’ Film That Begins Shooting This Year

We’ve been waiting for ages to get some real concrete details about some of the upcoming “Star Wars” movies in various stages at Lucasfilm and there has been a bit of reveal. Today, the studio has announced a new film from Jon Favreau is set to head into production in 2024 and given the new “Star Wars” film the title of “The Mandalorian & Grogu” which clearly establishes his spinoff of the popular Disney+ series will indeed feature the former bounty hunter and the foundling with Jedi abilities.

American actor Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us“) plays the titular Mandolarian, Din Djarin, the surrogate father of Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) as the two have turned into a family as they go on various adventures across the galaxy which sees them become integral parts of the Mandalorian community. The setting takes place years after the events of “Star Wars: The Return of The Jedi” and we’ve seen two appearances from Luke Skywalker, and there are expectations we could see other original trilogy characters appear in the spinoff movie but how exactly they’ll be present to theatrical audiences isn’t known.

We also assume that likely means that this new movie will replace the fourth season of “The Mandalorian” and means the crew of the show is likely working on the feature as well.

The official “Star Wars” website also includes a piece of concept artwork, and that you can see below.

Pascal had been reportedly in talks to play Dr. Reed Richards in Marvel’s “Fantastic Four” reboot from director Matt Shakman and is expected to go into production before “The Mandalorian & Grogu.” One of the more interesting aspects of the streaming series is that Pascal mostly does voiceover work as Din Djarin with a stunt actor performing a bulk of the in-costume and fight scenes, the character rarely taking off his helmet makes all this possible.

Ahsoka Release Date Confirmed For August On Disney+

Filoni and Favreau are said to be officially in development for a second season of “Ahsoka” too continuing the story of the characters from “Star Wars: Rebels” and the former Jedi from “Star Wars: Clone Wars.” However, given the film is the now main priority for the writer/director it’s unknown when we’ll see “Ahsoka” season two begin shooting. It was previously announced that Filoni would be making his own film as well taking place in the era of the Disney+ series and seemingly could focus on Grand Admiral Thrawn’s return, ala, “Heir To The Empire.” Although, we’re unclear how much of that will impact the second season of “Ahsoka” or if the two will be related at all.

Of course, Favreau isn’t a stranger to cinematic universes after directing “Iron Man,” and “Iron Man 2” for Marvel Studios helping to usher in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a global audience with a batch of lesser-known Marvel characters. He’s been since working on a fleet of streaming series for Lucasfilm with the aforementioned “Ahsoka,” “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett” miniseries, and the upcoming Jon Watts project “Skeleton Key.”

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (“Ms. Marvel”) is also set to direct Daisy Ridley‘s return as Rey Skywalker in a new film that will see her start a new Jedi school and had been expected to begin shooting this year as well but we’re still waiting on casting news on that front. Other “Star Wars” pics in the works include a Jedi origin film from James Mangold (“Logan”) set ages before the Jedi Order/The Old Republic alongside mystery films from Taika Waititi, and Shawn Levy.

SOURCE: LUCASFILM

‘Fantastic Four’: Pedro Pascal In Talks To Play Dr. Reed Richards In MCU Reboot

Today, it was revealed in a report from Deadline that “Star Wars” franchise actor Pedro Pascal is now in talks with Marvel Studios to play Dr. Reed Richards, aka, Mister Fantastic in their upcoming reboot of “The Fantastic Four,” which is being directed by Matt Shakman (“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” “WandaVision”).

However, they’re quick to mention Pascal hasn’t closed a deal for the part. That’s not hard to believe with a shoot at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom looming and a very busy Pascal has a multitude of projects to complete including his role in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator 2,” the second season of “The Last of Us,” a lead role in Zach Cregger’s next film “Weapons,” and not to mention a potential return for the fourth season of “The Mandalorian.”

Daniel Richtman, who is known for getting a leg-up on casting intel, was the first to post about the potential casting selection.

Although, SlashFilm has chimed in with a claim that Pascal has signed on. It’s maybe worth mentioning we haven’t had much in the way of scoops from the outlet in a very long time, yet, then again, they tend to only make claims they can back up.

Richards is considered the “smartest man in the world” and when the group is exposed to cosmic energy while in outer space end up developing super-human abilities with the good doctor becoming rubbery and able to stretch his body/limbs to extreme levels without injury.

The next big step ahead is finding the other actors to fill out the roles of Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm. “Fantastic Four” has a tentative release date of May 2, 2025, but that date could easily move up or get pushed back considering how often Marvel changes their release dates.

SOURCE: DEADLINE