Tag: Warner Bros.

Posted on in Film News

‘John Wick’ Actor Daniel Bernhardt Returning For ‘Matrix 4’ – Reprising Agent Johnson Role From ‘The Matrix: Reloaded’

Deadline reports that John Wick and Atomic Blonde actor Daniel Bernhardt will return to the Matrix franchise as he’ll reprise the Agent Johnson role for Matrix 4, currently shooting in Berlin, Germany.

Daniel Berhardt as Agent Johnson in The Matrix: Reloaded

Daniel is close with both directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, who are said to be helping with crafting the action sequences alongside Matrix 4 director Lana Wachowski. Chad and David had been integral to the action of the previous three films.

There is a good chance that Daniel’s Agent Johnson is taking over the role originally meant for Hugo Weaving’s Agent Smith, before Lana changed her mind about having Weaving return.

Bernhardt’s most recent credits include Netflix’s Altered Carbon, HBO’s Barry, and the DC Comics film Birds of Prey.

The sequel’s cast includes Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, Priyanka Chopra, Jessica Henwick, Ibarra, Neil Patrick Harris, Toby Onwumere, Brian J. Smith, Eréndira Ibarra, Andrew Caldwell, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Ellen Hollman.

The Matrix 4 is expected to be ready for a release date of April 1st, 2022.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

Dwayne Johnson Confirms Aldis Hodge Will Play Hawkman In ‘Black Adam’

Yesterday, there were multiple trade reports that actor Aldis Hodge (Straight Outta Compton, The Invisible Man, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back) was in talks to play Hawkman in the upcoming DC Comics film Black Adam. Dwayne Johnson has taken to social media to confirm the news and welcome Aldis to the film with the following post on Instagram. 

JOHNSON: “A pleasure to welcome Aldis Hodge to BLACK ADAM. HAWKMAN is a critical leading role for our movie, as he is the fiery leader of the JSA (Justice Society of America) and one of the most beloved and legendary characters in the DC UNIVERSE. I called Aldis personally as I wanted to surprise him that he got the role and it wound up being one of the greatest conversations I’ve ever had. Can’t wait to work with this very talented brother. The perfect HAWKMAN. Let’s get to work.”

Aldis also posted this on Instagram.

The casting confirmation would dispel multiple bogus rumors circulating the internet about who was being cast in the superhero role. 

Noah Centineo has been previously announced for the role of Atom Smasher.

Black Adam is still set to shoot in Atlanta, Georgia, sometime next year. 

SOURCE: DWAYNE JOHNSON 

Posted on in Television News

HBO Max Announces 8-Episode ‘Peacemaker’ Series Starring John Cena With James Gunn Directing Multiple Episodes In 2021

Wow, HBO Max is already working on a spinoff series focusing on James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad!

WarnerMedia and HBO Max have announced today that they’ll be making a Peacekeeper series on the streaming service starring John Cena. The series will focus on Cena’s character from the upcoming DC Comics film that was written and directed by James Gunn.

Gunn is said to be directing multiple episodes before heading off to make Guardians of The Galaxy 3 and writing all 8-episodes.

Below is the official press release.

Oh f*ck, it’s Peacemaker! HBO Max is set to explore the origins of the Peacemaker character, the master of weapons from the highly anticipated upcoming The Suicide Squad film, in the new Max Original action-adventure-comedy series Peacemaker. HBO Max has given a straight-to-series order of eight episodes for the first season of the show. John Cena will reprise his role from The Suicide Squad movie to star in the series, and the film’s acclaimed writer/director James Gunn will write all eight episodes of Peacemaker and will direct multiple episodes, including the first. Gunn and The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran will serve as executive producers of the series, with Cena as co-executive producer. Based on characters from DC, Peacemaker will be produced by Gunn’s Troll Court Entertainment and The Safran Company in association with Warner Bros. Television. Peacemaker is scheduled to begin production in early 2021, prior to Gunn beginning work on the next Guardians of the Galaxy film.

SOURCE: WARNERMEDIA

Posted on in Film News

‘The Batman’ Resumes Production In UK – Unknown If Robert Pattinson Has Returned To Work

After various British outlets have reported that The Batman has resumed production on The Batman, Deadline claims they have confirmation from Warner Bros. this indeed correct but couldn’t get any comments about Robert Pattinson’s health status and if he’s returned to the set after testing positive for COVID-19.

Warner Bros has confirmed that The Batman is back up and running. This comes two weeks after the production shut down after star Robert Pattinson tested positive for COVID-19. No word yet if Pattinson is back on set at Warner Bros Leavesden as the studio doesn’t comment on staffers’ personal status.

Hopefully, Warner Bros. will try to keep cast and crew safe as the United Kingdom is experiencing a rise of new COVID-19 cases and has seen a return of various restrictions, which could easily lead to another shutdown.

From Warner Bros. Pictures comes “The Batman,” with director Matt Reeves (the “Planet of the Apes” films) at the helm and with Robert Pattinson (“Tenet,” “The Lighthouse,” “Good Time”) starring as Gotham City’s vigilante detective, Batman, and billionaire Bruce Wayne.

Also in the star-studded ensemble as Gotham’s famous and infamous cast of characters are Zoë Kravitz (“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Mad Max: Fury Road”) as Selina Kyle; Paul Dano (“Love & Mercy,” “12 Years a Slave”) as Edward Nashton; Jeffrey Wright (the “Hunger Games” films) as the GCPD’s James Gordon; John Turturro (the “Transformers” films) as Carmine Falcone; Peter Sarsgaard (“The Magnificent Seven,” “Black Mass”) as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson; Barry Keoghan (“Dunkirk”) as Officer Stanley Merkel; Jayme Lawson (“Farewell Amor”) as mayoral candidate Bella Reál; with Andy Serkis (the “Planet of the Apes” films, “Black Panther”) as Alfred; and Colin Farrell (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Dumbo”) as Oswald Cobblepot.

Warner Bros. had given the film a release date of October 1st, 2021.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

Warner Bros. Is Withholding ‘Tenet’s Actual Opening Weekend Box Office Numbers

We were a little underwhelmed last weekend when Christopher Nolan’s massive action film Tenet had an estimated $20.2 million three-day weekend. However, what was shocking it had been released over Labor Day domestically and we never saw the actual box office returns from the studio. Normally, with this data studios are extremely happy to share given the nature of a holiday long weekend boosts attendance. 

It was indeed underwhelming because that number would make Tenet the lowest box office opening for a Nolan film in the last twenty years, slightly below Insomnia’s $20.8 million back in 2002. You also have to factor in Tenet’s massive production of reportedly over $200 million that makes it extremely tough to turn a profit during a global pandemic. 

Here is a rundown of Christopher Nolan’s domestic box office openings. 

  • THE DARK KNIGHT RISES $160.8 MILLION
  • THE DARK KNIGHT – $158.4 MILLION
  • INCEPTION – $62.7 MILLION
  • DUNKIRK – $50.5 MILLION
  • BATMAN BEGINS – $48.7 MILLION
  • INTERSTELLAR – $47.5 MILLION
  • THE PRESTIGE – $40 MILLION
  • INSOMNIA – $20.8 MILLION
  • TENET – $20.2 MILLION 
  • MEMENTO – $ 235K

Almost a week later and Warner Bros. still hasn’t given up that data which might suggest they were bullish with that estimate of $20.2 million and are trying to make the film’s opening weekend seem stronger than it was. This would also include how well the film has done over the last two weeks in Canada as those numbers haven’t been made public by Warner Bros. either and are generally lumped into the U.S./North American total, a number the studio has yet to make public.

Variety is now pointing towards the studio potentially worried their iffy numbers will be spun by outlets and journalists as hurdling towards a flop as weaker numbers would suggest given the scale of the film and the timing of the release. 

The studio, however, was concerned that reporters and rivals would misinterpret or unfairly analyze the results — leading to headlines that may incorrectly label Tenet’s debut as a flop. 

Warner Bros. also recently bumped Wonder Woman 1984’s release date from October 2nd to Christmas Day. The move most likely happened because of this Tenet data they are now refusing to share with the public and rival studios. The report from Variety adds that the rival studios are complaining of the lack of transparency because they were hoping on making release schedule adjustments based on Tenet’s performance. 

This is really on Warner Bros. as they were warned about releasing their massive film too soon during the pandemic/theater reopening as most of the summer movies bailed to 2021 and reports of infighting within the studio seemed more like a weird PR move if anything else.

Posted on in Film News

WB Moves ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ To Christmas and Keeps ‘Dune’ In December 18th Spot

This seems like a horrible idea but Warner Bros. has moved Wonder Woman 1984 to December 25th from it’s former October 2nd spot announced via The Hollywood Reporter. The interesting angle here is that the massive film Dune is still slated to be released on December 18th.

This would certainly hurt one or both films releasing them so closely to each other.

I suspect Warner Bros. will realize the issue and bump Dune to another date in 2021 and just hasn’t figured out where to place it.

The Wonder Woman 1984 move sounds like a direct response to Tenet’s weak domestic opening of $20.2 million (estimated) and they’ll be hopeful that things will be better in December.

WONDER WOMAN 1984 – Fast forward to the 1980s as Wonder Woman’s next big screen adventure finds her facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah. With director Patty Jenkins back at the helm and Gal Gadot returning in the title role, “Wonder Woman 1984” is Warner Bros. Pictures’ follow up to the DC Super Hero’s first outing, 2017’s record-breaking “Wonder Woman,” which took in $822 million at the worldwide box office. The film also stars Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Kristen Wiig as The Cheetah, Pedro Pascal as Max Lord, Robin Wright as Antiope, and Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News

TRAILER: First ‘Dune’ Footage Explores Fantastic World of The Sci-Fi Epic

Today, Legendary and Warner Bros. have finally revealed the first official trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s new feature film iteration of Frank Herbert’s science fiction fantasy masterpiece Dune. 

You can watch the first trailer below along with an interview from super-fan Stephen Colbert as Twitter Movies is streaming the reveal event.

The studio is splitting the first novel into two movies with the sequel expected to be titled Dune: Part Two and is currently being worked on by screenwriter Jon Spaihts. 

Author Frank Herbert left the Denis and Legendary plenty of material to use as he wrote six rather hefty novels before son Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson took over the franchise writing multiple installments in various points in the mythology. 

A spinoff series in the works for HBO Max called Dune: The Sisterhood that will see Denis direct the pilot and produce the series. 

Dune is set for release on December 18th, but there is a shot it could be delayed to 2021 like a majority of other 2020 films. 

DUNE – A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

The film stars Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet (“Call Me by Your Name,” “Little Women”), Rebecca Ferguson (“Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep,” “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”), Oscar Isaac (the “Star Wars” franchise) Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (“Milk,” “Avengers: Infinity War”), Stellan Skarsgård (HBO’s “Chernobyl,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron”), Dave Bautista (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, “Avengers: Endgame”), Stephen McKinley Henderson (“Fences,” “Lady Bird”), Zendaya (“Spider-Man: Homecoming,” HBO’s “Euphoria”), David Dastmalchian (“Blade Runner 2049,” “The Dark Knight”), Chang Chen (“Mr. Long,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”), Sharon Duncan-Brewster (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” Netflix’s “Sex Education”), with Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years,” “Assassin’s Creed”), with Jason Momoa (“Aquaman,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men,” “Skyfall”).

SOURCE: WARNER BROS

Posted on in Film News

Hugo Weaving Says Lana Wachowski Pulled The Plug On His Return For ‘Matrix 4’

A while back, Hugo Weaving had cited scheduling issues as the reason he ultimately wouldn’t be returning for the fourth Matrix film after there had been interest from director Lana Wachowski for the actor to reprise the role of Agent Smith. 

However, Weaving has now given a more detailed explanation of what happened behind the scenes during a recent interview with Coming Soon. This new version suggests that his reaction to the script may have led to Lana having second thoughts about having Hugo return as during the negotiation stage she decided against it.  

WEAVING: “Lana Wachowski had rung me at the beginning of last year. We’ve worked together five times, the Wachowski’s and I on three Matrix films, V for Vendetta and Cloud Atlas. I’ve hung out with them all over the world for many, many years. So, yes, Lana was very keen for me to be involved in The Matrix. There was a reading with Keanu, Carrie, and myself and a few others from the old family.”

“I loved a lot of it and wasn’t sure about other bits. Ultimately, we talked about it and when the offer came through to do it for Warner’s I said yes the next day and I talked to Lana.”

“I thought we could have done my scenes in May, June, and July; and we talked about money and we talked about — they were negotiating,” Weaving added. “And we were all pretty much sorted and agreed on dates and it was all fine, but then Lana decided she didn’t think it was going to work. So, she pulled the plug on the negotiations. That’s where it ended up. She basically didn’t feel that my commitment to the National Theatre was going to fit in with the dates that she had in mind for me.”

“It was a shame in one way that I couldn’t be with them all in Berlin, but that was her call. So, that was it really. I know they then started shooting in San Francisco and they were going to shoot in Chicago and they ended up starting in Berlin but it was shut down. But they restarted again. I don’t know how they’re going, but, yeah, it would be lovely to be over there to hang out with them all. I’m very fond of Keanu and Carrie. I haven’t seen them for a while. But I look forward to seeing it.”

Sometimes directors have second guesses when it comes to the creative/casting stage and if things just don’t feel like a good fit during the meeting process it might not pan-out. This isn’t the first time an actor thought they were returning for a sequel and it didn’t come together.

Laurence Fishburne is also not expected to reprise the Morpheus role either.

As Weaving points out he has an excellent relationship with Lana and I’m sure they’ll find something to work on in the future. 

Filming is currently underway at Babelsberg Studio just outside of Berlin, Germany. 

The cast of Matrix 4 includes returning actors such as Keanu Reeves as Neo, Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity, and Jada Pinkett Smith as Niobe. New additions include Jessica Henwick (Godzilla vs Kong, Iron Fist, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) playing a new version of Neo/The One, Neil Patrick Harris (Starship Troopers, Gone Girl), Toby Onwumere, Erendira Ibarra (Sense8), and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen, Aquaman).

There is an expectation if successful the studio will move forward with two sequels to complete a new trilogy. 

John Wick directors Chad Stahleski and David Leitch returned to help with action sequences on the film that would be shot by Lana herself, normally handled by a stunt coorindator/2nd unit director given the danger involved with capturing action shots. 

Warner Bros. has given the sequel/soft-reboot a release date of April 1st, 2022. 

SOURCE: COMING SOON

Posted on in Film News

Robert Pattinson Reportedly Tests Positive For COVID-19 Halting Production On ‘The Batman’

Deadline recently confirmed a Daily Mail story that a crew member working on The Batman has tested positive placing the production on hiatus again.

Even more shocking is that Vanity Fair reports the person who tested positive is actually their lead star Robert Pattinson, who is playing Bruce Wayne aka Batman in the reboot.

Robert Pattinson has tested positive for the coronavirus, causing filming of The Batman to be halted just days after the superhero drama resumed work at studios outside of London.

This certainly puts into question the prevention tools the film industry has put so much faith in during the return to productions in the United Kingdom. I’m starting to think that if Pattinson can’t be protected others are just as open to infection, if not more.

Hopefully, Robert and others on the film remain in good health and spirits.

This news comes a day after action star Dwayne Johnson revealed himself and his family, including his two young daughters had tested positive for COVID-19 as well. Johnson revealed this on Instagram while reiterating how important wearing a mask is.

The Batman had previously stopped production back in March alongside a bulk of projects filming in England and had only recently started filming again.

Warner Bros. is coming off massive buzz for film after the release of the teaser trailer that spread like wildfire online.

SOURCE: VANITY FAIR

Posted on in Film News

Christopher Nolan Endorses ‘Tenet’ Star John David Washington For ‘Green Lantern’

The Dark Knight trilogy director Christopher Nolan was briefly asked by Geeks of Color about his Tenet star John David Washington playing DC Comics hero Green Lantern and the possibility of him directing the project. 

NOLAN: “I think my DC days are over but I think he’d be an excellent choice, he certainly gets my vote.”

I’m not terribly sure how much pull Nolan has considering during the press tour for Dunkirk he endorsed star Tom Hardy as the next James Bond, we’ll see if the ringing endorsement actually sways anyone at the studio.

Plans for a new Green Lantern film have seemingly stalled in recent years after David S. Goyer and Justin Rhodes had been tasked to pen Green Lantern Corps. a while ago with then Geoff Johns taking a stab at a script.

It was announced that there are plans at HBO Max to make a Green Lantern television series but it’s unknown how that will directly impact future films. 

There is a chance the series could be connected to the film as The Batman is getting a tie-in Gotham PD series taking place a year before the events of the upcoming film. 

SOURCE: GEEKS OF COLOR