Tag: Rian Johnson

Posted on in Film News, News

Rian Johnson’s ‘Knives Out 3’ Starring Daniel Craig Begins Filming Later This Year With Potential 2025 Release Date

After the success of “Knives Out,” writer/director Rian Johnson and star Daniel Craig decided to turn the mature whodunnit comedy into a string of films with it landing at streaming giant Netflix. Their original deal would be for two sequels with “Glass Onion” being that second film and a third untitled pic would be made to round out a trilogy. There is a big update on “Knives Out 3” (Won’t be the actual title) as filming is aiming to start up real soon.

A new report from Deadline focusing on Johnson’s production company, T-Street, revealed that the untitled third installment in the “Knives Out” trilogy is said to be shooting later this year. We could easily speculate that this update means there is a great shot it will be ready to be released on Netflix in 2025.

Of course, the bigger aspect of these sequels is trying to suggest and figure out who will be part of the lineup of actors Johnson will select to become the latest group of murder suspects.

One of the more interesting aspects of “Glass Onion” was the reveal in the opening act that Hugh Grant (“The Gentlemen”) plays Benoit Blanc’s (Craig) husband and easily could be making a return in a bigger role for this third installment. Also, exploring that relationship as Blanc seemed to have been spending an extended period of time in the bathtub playing video games and reading stacks of books during the lockdown era of the COVID pandemic.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Television News

EXCLUSIVE: Directors Andrew Stanton & Jeremy Podeswa Join Netflix’s Sci-Fi Series ‘Three-Body Problem’

The Ronin can reveal that two-time Oscar-winner Andrew Stanton and four-time Emmy-nominee Jeremy Podeswa have joined a group of directors being assembled for Netflix’s high-profile sci-fi series Three-Body Problem (based on the books by Chinese author Liu Cixin) that already had Derek Tsang (Better Days) and Minkie Spiro (The Plot Against America) set to helm multiple episodes.

Three-Body Problem’s creative team consists of writers and executive producers David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo. They are joined by producers Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman, who were behind things like Looper, Knives Out, Glass Onion, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.

The growing cast includes Eiza Gonzalez, Benedict Wong, John Bradley, Liam Cunningham, Jonathan Pryce, Rosalind Chao, Ben Schnetzer, Jess Hong, Marlo Kelly, Alex Sharp, Sea Shimooka, Zine Tseng, Saamer Usmani, and Eve Ridley.

UPDATE: Costume designer Michael Wilkinson is also confirmed to be part of the crew. Wilkinson has previously worked on the Star Wars series Andor, Man of Steel, Justice League, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Watchmen, Aladdin, The Gentlemen, and 300.

Of course, Stanton has been a fixture at Pixar being behind things like Wall-E, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, and the Toy Story franchise. His recent television credits include For All Mankind, and the second season of Stranger Things. After directing Disney’s ambitious live-action John Carter movie, Stanton hit pause on feature film work as the sci-fi fantasy film became a legendary box office flop. There doesn’t seem to be much bad blood with Disney as Stanton recently reunited with them on the Star Wars streaming series Obi-wan Kenobi, writing the final two episodes.

Podesaw worked on six Game of Thrones episodes at HBO alongside Benioff/Weiss, The Pacific, Boardwalk Empire, and the post-apocalypse drama Station Eleven.

Posted on in News

‘Star Wars’: Are The Knives Out For Rian Johnson’s Trilogy & Patty Jenkin’s ‘Star Wars: Rogue Squadron’?

Lucasfilm and the Disney era of Star Wars have had a contentious relationship in the development and execution of their feature films. We’ve seen plenty of examples of this with Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi movies between retooled as Disney+ shows as they ditched the A Star Wars Story wave of movies entirely after Solo: A Star Wars Story didn’t do stellar business at the box office.

There is a new rumor/report coming from Matthew Belloni (former The Hollywood Reporter editor) at Puck stating that both Patty Jenkins’ Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (only announced last December) and Rian Johnson’s original trilogy have been shelved at Lucasfilm.

The reason for Rogue Squadron seems to be down to Jenkins and Lucasfilm brass being unable to agree upon a script. Filming had been expected to begin next year at Pinewood Studios UK and this would mean that the studio might have to select a replacement project to appease Disney or forego their December 2023 release spot for the next Star Wars movie.

I talked to a few insiders this week that said the real culprit was the dreaded “creative differences”; specifically, Jenkins couldn’t agree on the script with Lucasfilm executives, including senior V.P. Michelle Rejwan. That’s not unusual, of course, but it’s a laughably recurring problem at Lucasfilm under president Kathleen Kennedy, say agents: Top filmmakers are dying to make a Star Wars movie—until they sign on and experience the micromanagement and plot-point-by-committee process. It happened to the Game of Thrones guys, David Benioff and Dan Weiss, who were hired to create a new trilogy but bailed. It also happened to Rian Johnson, writer and director of 2017’s The Last Jedi, whose own planned trilogy was shelved.

It’s been rumored for ages that Johnson’s trilogy has been scrapped only for the filmmaker to debunk reports online and unclear if this rumbling is real or not. Time will tell.

Could it be a case of Disney and Lucasfilm caving to the Fandom Menace? The vocal minority within the Star Wars fandom had been quite vocal of their distaste for Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi and the idea of a female director handling a Star Wars film or anything female-centric.

To be fair, the outlet doesn’t have the most favorable opinion of Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy if their headline is any indication, which skews a bit hyperbolic. They’re actively pushing the idea of removing her from the Star Wars franchise, despite the report also mentioning a contract extension adding another three years to her tenure at Lucasfilm, so her removal won’t be happening.

SOURCE: PUCK

Posted on in Film News, News

Andy Serkis Was “Slightly Mortified” By Snoke’s Death In ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’

Actor/director Andy Serkis is making the press rounds to help promote his latest directorial effort, Venom: Let There Be Carnage and finally is talking about his experience on Star Wars.

While speaking with geek outlet iO9, the topic predictable turned to Star Wars and specifically the death of his big villain, Supreme Leader Snoke. It was expected that Snoke would become the new Emperor Palpatine and that was cut short, literally, with a death scene in the throne room.

Serkis reveals that he was shocked to find out while reading the Star Wars: The Last Jedi script that his new villain wouldn’t survive the second film, giving the impression he assume Snoke would become a franchise staple or at least stick around for the third film.

“I was devastated when I read that script because it was all going so well. I was like, ‘Man, this is a boss character. I’m going to love playing… what!? You’re kidding me, what?’ I was like ‘Okay, is a good idea? I supposed it is. I was slightly mortified, pardon the pun. It was all in the right, I think. I loved playing that character and I love the face-off scene between Kylo Ren and Rey, and so it was great.”

Serkis also says that he was kept in the dark about the origins of Snoke that were revealed in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which isn’t terribly surprising since there were multiple incarnations of Episode 9 and the Palpatine stuff seemed to be tagged-on once Colin Trevorrow exited.

“The journey towards discovering that he was a Palpatine clone was something that happened during the process because everything was so secret since Force Awakens.”

I personally wasn’t a fan of the return of Palpatine, as they could have made Snoke an immortal entity that has died thousands of time and simply brought him back in The Rise of Skywalker. Oh well.

Luckily, Serkis was doing motion capture work and allows him return to play future characters, if called upon for other film and television projects.

There is an assumption that Andy Serkis, while won’t play Caesar, will be involved in the fourth Planet of The Apes installment from director Wes Ball. The pair almost worked together on Mouse Guard, one of the large budget projects that got killed during the Disney/Fox merger.

SOURCE: iO9

Posted on in Film News, News

Rian Johnson Says ‘Knives Out 2’ Has Officially Wrapped Production

Rian Johnson has taken to Twitter to announce that his Knives Out sequel, referred to as Knives Out 2, has wrapped principal photography.

“We just wrapped production on the next Benoit Blanc mystery and also I finally watched Annette and holy shit it’s amazing. Sending so much love and gratitude to our INCREDIBLE crew and cast and Leos Carax!”

The impressive cast of Knives Out 2 already consists of Daniel Craig (No Time To Die), Dave Bautista (Blade Runner 2049, Spectre, Guardians of The Galaxy, Army of The Dead), Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk, Rounders, Moonrise Kingdom), Janelle Monae (Moonlight, Hidden Figures), Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision), Jessica Henwick (The Matrix Resurrections, Iron Fist, Game of Thrones), Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), Ethan Hawke (Moon Knight, The Magnificent Seven), Madelyn Cline, and Leslie Odom Jr. (Murder On The Orient Express, One Night In Miami).

Craig returns as the comedic Southern detective Benoit Blanc as it seems like a group of Americans are the target of a new murder mystery in Greece, I wouldn’t be terribly shocked if it involves another bunch of rich/entitled characters if the set photos are anything to go by.

When the Knives Out sequels were first announced they made headlines because when Netflix closed a massive deal with Johnson and Craig worth a massive $400 million to secure the next two installments.

It’s unclear when they’ll start shooting Knives Out 3 or if Johnson has even begun writing the film’s script.

We likely won’t know for a while when Netflix will release the film as they don’t really dish on release dates too early or just after a project completes filming.

KNIVES OUT – The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure — everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.

SOURCE: RIAN JOHNSON

Posted on in Film News

‘Knives Out 2’: Ethan Hawke Spotted On Set In Greece Confirming He Has Joined The Sequel’s Cast

This week saw the start of production on John Wick: Chapter 4, Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom, Black Panther: Wakanda, and Rian Johnson’s sequel to Knives Out. The latter has seen a bunch of set photos trickle-out over the last couple of days and they’ve revealed a brand new casting addition.

Daily Mail has posted a heap of set photos from Greece that confirms that Ethan Hawke has joined the massive cast. His participation in Knives Out 2 is a little odd since he was supposed to have a major role in Marvel’s Moon Knight series, shooting in another country would give the impression that his reported villain role was smaller than we have originally imagined.

The impressive cast of Knives Out 2 already consists of Daniel Craig (No Time To Die), Dave Bautista (Blade Runner 2049, Spectre, Guardians of The Galaxy, Army of The Dead), Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk, Rounders, Moonrise Kingdom), Janelle Monae (Moonlight, Hidden Figures), Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision), Jessica Henwick (The Matrix 4, Game of Thrones), Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), Madelyn Cline, and Leslie Odom Jr. (Murder On The Orient Express, One Night In Miami).

Craig returns as the comedic Southern detective Benoit Blanc as it seems like a group of Americans are the target of a new murder mystery in Greece, I wouldn’t be terribly shocked if it involves another bunch of rich/entitled characters if the set photos are anything to go by.

When the Knives Out sequels were first announced they made headlines because when Netflix closed a massive deal with Johnson and Craig worth a massive $400 million to secure the next two installments.

KNIVES OUT – The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure — everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.

SOURCE: THE DAILY MAIL

Posted on in Film News

Director Rian Johnson Announces He’s Started Shooting ‘Knives Out 2’ In Greece

Director Rian Johnson has taken to Twitter to officially announced that cameras have started rolling on Knives Out 2 in Greece.

The impressive cast of Knives Out 2 already consists of Daniel Craig (No Time To Die), Dave Bautista (Blade Runner 2049, Spectre, Guardians of The Galaxy, Army of The Dead), Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk, Rounders, Moonrise Kingdom), Janelle Monae (Moonlight, Hidden Figures), Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision), Jessica Henwick (The Matrix 4, Game of Thrones), Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), Madelyn Cline, and Leslie Odom Jr. (Murder On The Orient Express, One Night In Miami).

The Ronin previously confirmed that cinematographer Steve Yeldin would reuniting, yet again, with Johnson for the sequel.

The setting of Greece would suggest that the sequel will likely focus on a murder in a hotel, cruise ship, or possibly among a group of American tourists.

The Knives Out sequels made headlines when Netflix closed a massive deal with Johnson and Craig worth a massive $400 million to secure the next two installments.

KNIVES OUT – The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure — everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.

SOURCE: RIAN JOHNSON

Posted on in Film News

‘Knives Out 2’: Rian Johnson Adds ‘Matrix 4’ Actress Jessica Henwick

Director Rian Johnson has reportedly added a Star Wars actor to his Knives Out sequel.

The impressive cast of Knives Out 2 already consists of Daniel Craig (No Time To Die), Dave Bautista (Blade Runner 2049, Spectre, Guardians of The Galaxy, Army of The Dead), Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk, Rounders, Moonrise Kingdom), Janelle Monae (Moonlight, Hidden Figures), Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision), Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), Madelyn Cline, and Leslie Odom Jr. (Murder On The Orient Express, One Night In Miami).

Deadline is reporting that actress Jessica Henwick has landed a role ahead of the sequel starting production. Her credits include The Matrix 4, Game of Thrones, Iron Fist, and had her scenes from Godzilla vs. Kong removed from the final cut. Both Daniel Craig and Henwick appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Filming begins this month in Greece, suggesting the murder mystery could involve a hotel or cruise ship given the overwhelming amount of American actors on the call-sheet and the European setting. Daniel Craig returns to play detective Benoit Blanc, and will return for a third film that will shoot at a later date.

The Knives Out sequels made headlines when Netflix closed a massive deal with Johnson and Craig worth a massive $400 million to secure the next two installments.

The Ronin previous confirmed that Johnson will reunite with his longtime cinematographer Steve Yedlin.

KNIVES OUT – The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure — everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

‘Knives Out 2’: Rian Johnson Adds ‘Outer Banks’ Star Madelyn Cline To The Growing Cast

Another potential murder suspect has been added to the cast of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out sequel.

The impressive cast of Knives Out 2 consists of Daniel Craig (No Time To Die), Dave Bautista (Blade Runner 2049, Spectre, Guardians of The Galaxy, Army of The Dead), Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk, Rounders, Moonrise Kingdom), Janelle Monae (Moonlight, Hidden Figures), Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision), Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), and Leslie Odom Jr. (Murder On The Orient Express, One Night In Miami).

A new casting report from Deadline mentions that Madelyn Cline has landed a part in Knives Out 2, which will begin shooting later this month in Greece.

Craig will officially reprise the role of detective Benoit Blanc for at least two more films and the scenic filming location of Greece would lead to speculation there has been a murder at some sort of hotel or cruise ship. This is increasingly bolstered by the majority of American cast members in the sequel.

The second film isn’t expected to have any members of the Thrombey family return.

The Knives Out sequels made headlines when Netflix closed a massive deal with Johnson and Craig worth a massive $400 million to secure the next two installments.

The Ronin previous confirmed that Johnson will reunite with his longtime cinematographer Steve Yedlin.

KNIVES OUT – The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure — everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Cinematographer Steve Yedlin Confirmed To Reunite With Rian Johnson For ‘Knives Out 2’

The Ronin has been able to confirm that cinematographer Steve Yedlin will indeed be reuniting with longtime collaborator Rian Johnson for Knives Out 2. Yedlin previously worked with Rian on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Knives Out, Looper, The Brothers Bloom, and Brick.

Filming is said to begin next month in Greece.

The impressive cast of Knives Out 2 consists of Daniel Craig (No Time To Die), Dave Bautista (Blade Runner 2049, Spectre, Guardians of The Galaxy, Army of The Dead), Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk, Rounders, Moonrise Kingdom), Janelle Monae (Moonlight, Hidden Figures), Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision), Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), and Leslie Odom Jr. (Murder On The Orient Express, One Night In Miami).

Craig will officially reprise the role of detective Benoit Blanc for at least two more films and the scenic filming location of Greece would lead to speculation there has been a murder at some sort of hotel or cruise ship. The second film isn’t expected to have any members of the Thrombey family return.

The Knives Out sequels made headlines when Netflix closed a massive deal with Johnson and Craig worth a massive $400 million to secure the next two installments.

Johnson is a busy guy, as he’s also developing a new mystery series with Natasha Lyonne called Poker Face and is still seemingly working on that original Star Wars trilogy for Lucasfilm. Details about the Star Wars project has yet to be made official by the studio or filmmaker.

A release date for Knives Out 2 has yet to be announced by Netflix.

KNIVES OUT – The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure — everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.