It would seem the Fantastic Beasts films just aren’t cutting it for David Zaslav and the folks at Warner Bros. Studios. The Wizarding World, as it’s now officially called by fans and creatives, has been a staple franchise for Warner Bros. since Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released in 2001. Throughout eight movies, adapting seven books, Daniel Radcliffe‘s iconic young protagonist became a cornerstone of pop culture. As such, when the original series of films ended with 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, it felt less like a matter of “will the character return?” and more like a matter of “when?”. Sure enough, over a decade later, Warner Bros. wants to take a stab at reviving the Potter brand.
According to a new report from Puck News, Warner Bros. CEO and President Zaslav is looking into developing a feature film project based on Jack Thorne‘s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The legacy sequel, billed as “the eighth story in the Harry Potter series,” was originally crafted as a stage show for London’s West End and Broadway in New York City, and focuses on an adventure between an adult Potter and his youngest son, Albus Severus. Franchise creator J.K. Rowling came up with the story, and Thorne wrote the script. It debuted to the public as a two-part play in 2016, receiving widespread critical acclaim but flopping hard with the Harry Potter fandom. Since then, the production has been shortened and restaged as a single show in the United States.
Rumors have swirled for years that Warner Bros. would eventually make a Cursed Child project with the original series’ cast returning to their roles. Puck claims that, with the recent financial failures of the Fantastic Beasts movies, Zaslav would like to bring back the Potter name and finally make that happen. The report states that former Warner Bros. Chairman Toby Emmerich also wanted to adapt Cursed Child as a two-film event, but was never able to get the idea off the ground. Whether or not the company’s latest regime can create its own magic is still very much up in the air, considering they will first need the approval of a former cast and current creator who have all voiced their resistance to a Cursed Child project in the past.
While all eyes are currently on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, there’s always a small glimpse into the future. That is especially true when someone gets a chance to sit down with one of the producers behind the project that can offer at least a small update on what to expect. luckily, Collider got a chance to discuss Captain America: New World Order with producer Nate Moore, who offered a small glimpse into what to expect.
In the interview, he doesn’t go into any details but does confirm that the production will “start shooting next spring.” He also goes on to highlight the new cast additions, especially confirming Harrison Ford taking on the role of General “Thunderbolt” Ross, taking on the mantle after the tragic passing of William Hurt.
Well, look, Sam Wilson’s Captain America, he is going to bring his own team to play. It’s no secret that Samuel Sterns is making his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is fantastic because Tim Blake Nelson’s the best. Harrison Ford is taking on the role of General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, and to see Sam Wilson and Thunderbolt Ross – which if you remember actually threw him in prison at the end of Civil War because he violated the Sokovia Accords. There’s going to be some natural sparks there, which I think are going to be really fun.
Nate Moore
It’ll be interesting to see what Ford brings to the role and the reintroduction of the character opens up the possibility of multiple appearances. Perhaps the Marvel Cinematic Universe takes the direction of naming the unlikely team after him. With the production start not too far away, we may get some casting news in the coming weeks.
There’s always some excitement about a new project, especially when it comes to crossovers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While we’ll have to wait a while until we get to see the next Avengers team-up, we’ll have a different kind of project with the introduction of the Thunderbolts into the MCU. The film’s roster was revealed during D23 with a very super-soldier centric offering, especially with the major returning cast from Black Widow.
One of its stars, David Harbour has been quite excited to share what he can from the project without giving anything away. In a new interview with Gizmodo, the Stranger Things star got to boast about his excitement about working with some of the cast, highlighting Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Wyatt Russell, and SebastianStan. Yet, he also puts in a good word on what they have planned for Florence Pugh‘s Yelena Belova
I’ve loved Wyatt [Russell], and Sebastian [Stan] and Julia [Louis-Dreyfus]’s characters throughout the universe. What [director Jake Schreier] wants to do with Florence’s character is very interesting and how I factor into how we develop our relationship is very interesting. And then when you see what Jake and Eric Pearson is trying to fashion, it’s really clever…So you have this movie that’s, you know, kind of ragtag.
David Harbour
Harbour‘s excitement has always been infectious, and it’s great to see that he’s all-in for this new project. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Red Guardian as a recurring character moving forward. Yet, it’s quite interesting that he highlights the development offered by Pugh‘s character. It also seems we’ll see a lot more interaction between them moving forward. Perhaps the family will finally find each other again.
Fans of Black Panther and its sequel should be happy to hear that Marvel Studios has confirmed that there are multiple Disney+ projects in the works based on Wakanda. According to Marvel Studios EP Nate Moore, some of the series in mind would involve existing characters, such as the Okoye-centric project that’s been in development for some time, while others would focus on characters “that would be completely new.”
Daredevil: Born Again is one of three Disney Plus streaming series set to film in the first half of 2023, joining Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Wonder Man. Early word had the Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio-led Daredevil series headed to New York City for production, returning to the familiar locations fans grew accustomed to over 3 seasons of the Netflix series. Production is expected to last nearly all of 2023, beginning in February and wrapping in December.
Indiana Jones is set to make a big comeback with the upcoming fifth film starring Harrison Ford in the iconic role once again. Yet, it seems that Disney is not interested in leaving it with just that single project. According to a new report by Variety, it seems they are also hoping to develop a Disney+ series based on the iconic archaeologist’s globe-trotting adventures. They don’t have a writer or showrunner in place. So, it’s not a definite project at the moment but definitely something they are looking into.
Lastly, a very heartbreaking exclusive about the upcoming live-action Lilo & Stitch movie revealed that the iconic character Cobra Bubbles will be replaced. Of course, news that one of the greatest Disney animated films of all time would be receiving the latest live-action treatment was distressing enough. Still, the fact that Agent Bubbles was not deemed worthy of making the cut is absolutely absurd and a crushing blow to any reasonable-minded person. Perhaps the only post-1990s 2D Disney animated films to actually become a classic, Lilo & Stitch is a journey that spans space, friendship, and family. The film boasts an amazing soundtrack as well, and it is unclear how a live-action film could ever do it justice. Bubbles was a pillar of the original film, serving as the social worker constantly threatening to separate Lilo and her sister, Nani, as Nani does her best as a teenage older sister and pseudo-single-parent after the two’s parents die tragically as per Disney tradition. It is near impossible to see how a remake that forsakes Bubbles could be the Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride that the beloved Lilo & Stitch embodies. Disney apparently forgot the film’s most famous quote: “Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has dominated the box office, as the film will pull in $180M over the weekend. Cinemas have been waiting for a project to finally give them a boost, especially after Black Adam was a more mellow premiere, and it has arrived. Not only that, the film has now taken the record of thehighest November opening from Hunger Games. Catching Fire, which stood at $158M since 2013. The film will also end its global release at around $330M.
It’s a sigh of relief for Marvel Studios, as there were a lot of troubles facing this production. It had to film during COVID, Letitia Wright suffered an injury that halted production, and it lost its main star when Chadwick Boseman suddenly passed away forcing the production into a new direction. It also can’t rely on an international bo office with markets like China, Russia, and Ukraine not available for understandable reasons. It’ll likely not pass the original’s $1.4B worldwide release but it could have a chance at inching its way towards a billion if its A CinemaScore gives it some much-needed word-of-mouth.
The film stands as the second biggest opening for Marvel Studios this year, as it passed Thor: Love and Thunder but is behind Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which goes against early projection. Though these two films had the summer market to play with and the Doctor Strange sequel was heavily frontloaded. If Wakanda Forever doesn’t face a harsh drop in its second weekend, especially with it not sharing the B+ CinemaScore, it could have a chance to potentially surpass that film’s box office in the long run. Though it might be safer to say it’ll reach at least 800M and grow from there. Still, this is the fourth-highest superhero movie opening and it doesn’t seem like Marvel Studios is slowing down any second. Of course, the second weekend is the only one that could really tell if that’ll be the case.
Disney is all about live-action remakes these days and they’ve eyed pretty much any of their iconic animated films to get the treatment. Among them is the iconic Lilo and Stitch, which is set to be directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp based on a script from Chris Kekianiokalani Bright, which once again explores the story of a young girl named Lilo who ends up with a rather different kind of pet who she names Stitch. While the film will follow the story of the original, we can exclusively share a few details of two original characters being added to the story.
The film is currently busy casting for the roles of Lilo, Nani, and David Kawena from the original animated film. There’s no word if they are actively looking for a voice actor for Stitch, or perhaps they might even see Chris Sanders return to the role. Yet, they are also actively casting two new roles for the film which are a character known as Tutu and Mrs. Kekoa. The former is described as someone who speaks with a local Pidgin accent and is the neighbor of the Pelekai sisters, Lilo and Nani.
The surprising new addition is Mrs. Kekoa, as she seemingly will take on the role of Cobra Bubbles. It’s unclear if that character will still be featured in the film, but it seems that this new character is being cast as the social worker, who pays Nani a few visits to see if their living conditions are right for her to continue looking after Lilo. The addition of an alien pretending to be a dog won’t help matters much. Her inclusion does raise the question if Bubbles will be featured in the film at all, but it is possible they may be taking a different route.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is pulling in some strong numbers domestically, as it has now reached $84M in its Friday opening, which includes the $28M from Thursday previews. That would put it on a course to potentially pull in around $184M domestically over the weekend but Veteran’s Day is making an exact calculation somewhat difficult. It does seem hard to say if it’ll pass the first Black Panther‘s opening of $202M, it should not be downplayed how big this opening is considering a November release.
This opening is the tenth-highest opening day ever for a film in the domestic market. Of course, Veteran’s Day could either be a boosting factor to push it beyond its regular intake but Saturday could be a deciding factor on how it performs. It should also be noted that without previews, the film made more than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which was at $54.7M while it pulled in $56M.It also might pull in the biggest November opening day for November on IMAX screens. Either way, it’s likely to take the record of the highest-grossing weekend in November, beating out The Hunger Games: Catching Fire at $148M.
It should also be pointed out that the first Black Panther opened to $75.9M on a Friday, which had an A+ CinemaScore pulling it through the weekend. So, Wakanda Forever could still pull through with a slightly higher opening and a slightly lower A CinemaScore, which still holds well for its legs. As of now, the film is going to open around $325M+ worldwide. The Korean market isn’t as powerful an opening this time around, but that could be due to two key factors: the first film heavily featured South Korea as a location and the country is currently mourning a recent tragedy.
For those believing it failed if it doesn’t pass Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ $187.4M opening, it should be considered that the first 2022 Marvel film was sold as an Avenger-sized blockbuster and opened in the summer. It was heavily frontloaded and with a B+ CinemaScore, likely due to its horror influences, it faced a harsh drop in its second weekend. That’ll be the most interesting test going out this weekend for Wakanda Forever. Plus, the film faces the unique challenge of losing its lead in Chadwick Boseman, which was a heavy focus of the film.
Marvel Studios has been doing quite well at the box office, but still faced some hurdles in its more experimental phase. Phase 4 has seen quite a few more distinct projects than in the past, which also meant that fan reception wasn’t always on board. Since Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Marvel Studios’ productions have been getting B CinemaScores rather than the usual A they’ve built up over the years. Eternals being the lowest they’ve had in a long time with a B while Thor: Love and Thunder and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ended up with a B+ score.
The only one that was able to break that streak was the co-developed Spider-Man: No Way Home which also had a strong nostalgia effect at play but also was technically published by Sony. Luckily, it seems that the B CinemaScore streak has come to an end as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has received an A grade from audiences.
Early indicators hint that it may have been close to getting an A+ rating as it received five stars from 83% of audiences according to PostTrack, which is not too far from No Way Home‘s 89%. It’s a great sign that audiences are still enjoying Marvel films at the moment, as the latest phase rolls out. Plus, it bodes well for the film’s legs in the long run even if A+ could’ve pushed it even further. It’s not surprising though that after an event film like Avengers: Endgame, people would feel a bit of a sophomore slump like with any long-running series, but Marvel is playing the long game by testing out new waters throughout this phase.
David Leitch has been quite busy making a name for himself with various projects ever since his work on 2014’s John Wick. He went on to tackle Atomic Blonde, and entered the world of blockbusters with Deadpool 2 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw before his recent release with Bullet Train. He’s also been quite busy as a second unit director on various productions, which includes Captain Ameria: Civil War, The Wolverine, and many more. Now, he’s already eyeing his next project with The Fall Guy, an adaptation of an iconic 1980s TV series with a new twist.
In the Hollywood Reporter latest Heat Vision blog, they have revealed that Ted Lasso star, Hannah Waddingham, has now seemingly joined the production. The film has already amassed a stellar cast with Aaron Talyor-Johnson, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke, Emily Blunt, and Ryan Gosling as its leading star. Production is already filming in Australia, so if this isn’t the final casting news we might see some more in the coming weeks.
The upcoming film will establish its own story based on the original, as instead of having a stuntman as a bounty hunter on the side, the film will focus on a mystery of a missing star, which Drew Pearce, played by Gosling, has to find again. Waddingham will take on the role of producer of the movie that is facingproduction trouble after its main star went missing, who’ll be played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The base concept sounds enthralling and could make for a great blockbuster addition to cinemas.
Marvel Studios is pushing forward on its next phase of films yet they are also preparing to start work on the final phase of the Multiverse Saga. Set for November 2024, Marvel Studios is ready to introduce its take on the iconic First Family of Marvel, the Fantastic Four. Initially, Spider-Man director Jon Watts was set to tackle the adaptation but passed on the project for a new Star Wars series. In his place, WandaVision‘s Matt Shakman took over directing duties with Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer penning the script for their take on the Fantastic Four.
While not many more details are known, it does seem like a new rumor has found its way online, as well-known scooper Daniel Richtman has seemingly teased that they are already eyeing a production start by January. Well, January 2024 to be exact with a whole year still going. It does also match its upcoming February 14th release date in 2025, as it would give the production plenty of time to film and go through post-production.
This production rumor could also be our key indicator of when we might expect casting announcements. It does seem likely that we’ll have to wait a bit longer before we find out who will don the roles of Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, and Thing. Of course, they could already have locked in someone for the role given the long-time commitment but it does seem like they’ll wait it out until we get any official news on that film.
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