Tag: Movie News

‘Mortal Kombat 2’ Writer Says Johnny Cage’s Screen Time in the Sequel is “Up in the Air”

After a long stretch of silence, fans are finally being fed some information on New Line Cinema’s upcoming Mortal Kombat sequel. The latest bit of news comes from the film’s writer, Jeremy Slater, who recently spoke with Comic Book about the process of developing a second entry that’s even bigger and better than the first. A promise made at the very end of 2021’s franchise starter was that one of the series’ main protagonists, Johnny Cage, would make his grand return to the big screen in the next installment. Slater is stating this promise will indeed come to fruition, as the creatives behind the movie have no intentions of lying to fans:

Johnny Cage is one of my favorite characters, and I think there’s definitely a promise with the way the first movie ends of seeing Cole being like, ‘Okay, my next stop is to go recruit Johnny.’ So I think if he wasn’t included in the sequel at all, it would feel very strange.
Jeremy Slater

Curiously, however, Slater is not yet sure just how involved Cage will be in the story of Mortal Kombat 2. It’s easy to assume the first movie’s stinger was to set up Cage as a major player for the second go-around, but the former Moon Knight writer wants to focus on making a story that works before he forces in more Johnny than necessary:

It’s still a little bit up in the air how much he will be included, it’s one of the things we’re currently working on. But yeah, I love Johnny and I would love to really do the definitive version, if possible, and really take everything that’s fun about that character and bring that to live action.
Jeremy Slater

In the video games, Johnny Cage is a movie star and expert martial artist who enters his first Mortal Kombat tournament as a way of proving he doesn’t rely on doubles or effects in his films. Eventually, however, he would find himself teaming with warrior monk Liu Kang, special operative Sonya Blade, and the thunder god Raiden to take down Shang Tsung and save Earth, falling in love with Blade and discovering his true potential in the process. He was portrayed by Linden Ashby and Chris Conrad in previous live-action adaptations, though he has yet to be cast for the next movie outing.

Source: Comic Book

May 12, 2022
‘Moon Knight’ Producers Board Marvel Studios’ ‘Fantastic Four’

It looks like two of the producers behind Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight have boarded Fantastic Four.

The news was revealed by Moon Knight‘s head writer, Jeremy Slater, in a new interview with Comicbook. “My execs on Moon Knight are the same guys who are running Fantastic Four, so we had a lot of talks about it,” Slater explained. “Grant and Nick are amazing executives. They’re going to find brilliant writers and brilliant directors. And they don’t need my stink anywhere near that project.”

Grant Curtis and Nick Pepin will help to produce Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four reboot. Along with producing Moon Knight for Disney+, Curtis has produced a fair amount of Sam Raimi projects including his Spider-Man trilogy for Sony and Drag Me to Hell. While Pepin has been working on projects within the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2016 when he served as a production assistant on Captain America: Civil War.

This exciting news comes weeks after Jon Watts exited the project due to a hectic schedule. Watts, of course, is coming off the Spider-Man trilogy for Marvel Studios and Sony. Had he stayed on for Fantastic Four, the director wouldn’t have had gotten much of a break between projects. The split was amicable and it is expected he’ll return for another Spider-Man film. As for who will take over directing duties for Watts, a new director has not yet been announced.

Fantastic Four does not yet have a release date.

Source: Comicbook.

May 11, 2022
Hayden Panettiere Returns for ‘Scream 6’

In a surprising twist, Hayden Panettiere is returning to the Scream franchise.

The news comes courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, with the outlet reporting that Panettiere is returning as Kirby Reed for Scream 6. The actress first appeared in Scream 4, which debuted in 2011 and also starred Emma Roberts as Jill Roberts. Scream 4 marked the final Scream film to be directed by Wes Craven prior to his passing in 2015. The movie also saw Craven reunite with Kevin Williamson who penned the original film and its sequel.

Panettiere’s return comes a day after four more survivors were announced for Scream 6. She’ll join Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Jenna Ortega who all starred in the fifth film, Scream. Also confirmed to return for the film is Courtney Cox, and while Neve Campbell has not been announced yet, she has confirmed she was approached for the project.

The sixth Scream film will be directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. The project will be produced by Project X Entertainment’s Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein and William Sherak. Williamson, who penned the first Scream film, is also on board as a producer.

Principal photography on Scream 6 is slated to kick off this summer. The film is set to hit theaters on March 31, 2023.

Source: THR.

May 11, 2022
EXCLUSIVE: Jonathan Hickman’s Run Inspired ‘Doctor Strange 2’s Take on Mr. Fantastic

Jonathan Hickman always had a way of reinvigorating stories with some of the most popular Marvel characters. While many will remember his amazing work on the crossover event Secret Wars, he also gave us quite the iconic run focused on the Fantastic Four. It brought a new life to Marvel’s first family and redefined their position within the Marvel universe for many. It seems that may have also been a big inspiration for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron.

In an exclusive interview with Charles Murphy, the writer talked about the many influences in the film and it turns out that Hickman‘s run with Reed Richards also played a key part in how he approached the Illuminati’s Mr. Fantastic, who was played by John Krasinski.

Yes and I still have to be deliberately cagey for one more weekend about the specifics about these actors and everything, but it was really trying to draw on that Hickman version of that, of the Illuminati and how they dealt with Incursions. That specific character I love, deeply and was excited to collaborate with that actor on and how to bring him to life.
Michael Waldron

He once again highlights that he worked on bringing the character to life with Krasinski, and it’s great to see that the actor was also able to add to the character even if it’s just a brief appearance.. Though taking a strong Hickman direction is a noticeable addition to the character. Given the character’s long history, there are many iterations to choose from but many might point to Hickman‘s run as a modern definite of the character.

It’s also interesting he made a point to highlight he can’t say much more at this time. So, we’ll see if there’s more information heading our way on Mr. Fantastic and the Fantastic Four in the future. Marvel Studios does have a film planned for the team and outside of Jon Watts dropping out as a director, we don’t know what exactly their plans are just yet.

May 11, 2022
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Still on Track to Release This Year

Another earnings call has arrived from Disney, which tends to mostly give us some small glimpses of how projects are being developed. They tend to not reveal any big news, but it seems that Disney CEO Bob Chapek has made one statement regarding an upcoming Marvel Studios project. He has revealed that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is still on track to hit its November release this year, as shared by Decider’s Alex Zalben on Twitter.

To be fair, he only states it’s “on pace to come out this year” which could still see a potential delay from its November 11th release date. The reason for some concerns came due to the troubled production earlier this year, as an injury forced them to delay the production. Luckily, Letitia Wright, who was injured during production, was able to return to finish production earlier this year.

It’s a relief to know that the film is still eyeing to stick to its 2022 release, as who knows if it might also lead to some further delays to projects that are connected, such as Ironheart is currently being worked on. Director Ryan Coogler is also working on that project alongside other Wakanda-focused Disney+ series that haven’t been announced yet. So, if work delays on the next Black Panther entry, it could affect those projects as well.

Source: Twitter

May 11, 2022
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Doctor Strange 2’s Michael Waldron Teases the Growing Multiversal Threat of MCU’s Phase 4

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is quite the self-contained story about Strange overcoming his need for control and Wanda accepting to finally let go. Yet, we can’t deny that it also sets up quite a lot of important elements for the franchise moving forward, especially when it comes to the multiverse that is part of the madness.

The film introduces the concept of Incursions when two realities start colliding with each other and even teases how that ends up looking like when he faces off against a sinister version of himself. Yet, comic readers will quickly realize that the last time we’ve heard about Incursions we were building up to the Secret Wars crossover event. In an interview with our very own Charles Murphy, Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron teases many threats that have been piling on throughout Phase 4.

And there’s the threat. And it’s out there and now it’s out there. There’s a multiversal threat. In the same way that when the MCU first went cosmic many years ago, there was the teed up threat of Thanos. Now it’s probably a matter of you’re setting up some multiversal threats on the board. Whether it’s Kang, Incursions, whatever. It’ll be interesting to see how all those things come together.

Phase 4 has been building up not one but multiple big threats that have the multiverse as a common trait. We technically got the Incursions teased in Loki, where we saw a cartoon hinting at an event where multiverses started fighting for dominance. At the core of all these events was Kang the Conqueror, whose Variant we first met in that very Disney+ series. Perhaps Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which will see Jonathan Majors tackle the role and could further set up where

May 11, 2022
EXCLUSIVE: Brother Voodoo Was Never Planned for ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

Even by Marvel Studios standards, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was a film shrouded in secrecy up until its release. The promise of secrets and surprises mixed with the multiversal nature of the movie led to plenty of rumors and speculations ahead of the release. Now that audiences have had a chance to experience the Doctor Strange sequel, fans are getting plenty of information about the actual contents of the film as well as the process of bringing them to the screen.

Possibly above all else, fans are debating how the surprise appearances of certain characters, such as the Illuminati, compared to some of the widespread rumors of certain cameos being in Multiverse of Madness. In an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, the film’s writer Michael Waldron spoke on the secrecy involved in making the film and the Illuminati.

But Waldron also spoke on rumors that certain characters from the comics would play major roles or supporting leads in the Doctor Strange sequel that ultimately did not. In particular, the writer discussed the characters of Clea and Jericho Drumm, also known as Brother Voodoo. As we know from the mid-credits scene, Charlize Theron did make a brief and teasing appearance as Clea, but whether or not she was ever meant to be a significant character is unclear. Waldron simply noted that “I think Clea has always been on the table.”

When asked about the rumor that Jericho Drumm had a role in the film, Waldron revealed that Brother Voodoo was never a part of Multiverse of Madness:

I think there was definitely a discussion of Jericho Drumm, but never anything that I worked on.
Michael Waldron

The speculation that Drumm would make his way to the MCU made—and still makes—plenty of sense. First appearing in Strange Tales #169, the Haitian-born Jericho Drumm left for America to become a psychologist. Upon returning home, he found his brother, Daniel, dying from a spell cast on him. Daniel made Jericho promise to study to become a Houngan, starting his path towards eventually replacing Stephen Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme. We already saw Daniel be killed in the original Doctor Strange as the keeper of the New York Sanctum at the time.

Alas, Brother Voodoo did not make an appearance in Multiverse of Madness, though his connections to Doctor Strange still make him a strong choice for future stories, including Doctor Strange 3. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now playing in theaters worldwide.

May 11, 2022
Bryce Dallas Howard is Ready To Direct a ‘Star Wars’ Film

Disney+ has given us a whole new look into the Star Wars Universe with its original series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Those series have featured multiple episodes directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, for what many fans believe to be some of the best of both shows. For a while now, people have to say Howard deserves a shot a directing a film, we hear have even talked about how she’d be perfect for one and even recently ranked her amongst our top picks for the new Fantastic Four director.

In an interview with Gizmodo, while promoting her newest film, Jurassic World: Dominion, Bryce Dallas Howard was asked if she was ready to take the reigns of a Star Wars feature film, and it seems like she’s onboard if someone is willing to ask her.

Oh, my goodness, I think it would take someone asking me.
Bryce Dallas Howard

Howard‘s episodes of The Mandalorian are seen as some of the most memorable with “Sanctuary” seeing the first meeting of Dinn Djarin and Cara Dune. In it, the pair band together to defend a village from a group of raiders who’ve taken control of an empire AT-ST. “The Heiress” was another one of her episodes, bringing Bo-Katan and the Night Owls into live-action, previously only seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels.

But perhaps her most coveted work is in episode 5 of The Book of Boba Fett. In “The Return of The Mandalorian” we see the return of Dinn Djarin as he plans to visit Grogu, but is stopped by Ahsoka Tano in order to help him continue the youngling’s training. The episode also features the first on-screen meeting of Tano and Luke Skywalker, quite the monumental moment for fans of the franchise.

While there’s no word on a possible project right now for Howard, Star Wars Celebration is rapidly approaching and we will hopefully get some news on the future there.

Source: Gizmodo

May 11, 2022
Twenty-One Pilots Originally Worked on ‘Top Gun: Maverick’s Soundtrack

Here’s a curious surprise, it seems that Twenty-One Pilots was originally meant to work on the soundtrack for Top Gun: Maverick. While many know that Lady Gaga took on that task with her ballad Hold My Hand, we may have gotten a very different soundtrack at an earlier point. The news comes from the Twenty-One Pilots frontman Tyler Joseph, who shared on the radio station KROQ the story, making the claim that it was the film’s main star and producer Tom Cruise who had them kicked off the project after already signing on by Paramount Pictures.

I was working with the music placement person for the new ‘Top Gun’ on writing a new song for them, and then I believe Tom Cruise came in and just fired everyone. You’ve seen that new ‘Top Gun’ thing that he’s got? The trailer has been out for, like, three years, so there’s been a few overhauls, and I was a part of that, so, they moved on.
Tyler Joseph

It’s certainly not unheard of that Cruise has shown his influence over projects, especially a legacy sequel. He also highlighted that he worked on a few scenes to write the original music. So, it’s curious that they got kicked at a later point, highlighting it was around the time he saw the footage.

It was actually pretty soon after they brought me in to show me parts of the movie and what they were looking for and stuff. Then I got word that there was like a wholesale swap.
Tyler Joseph

Lady Gaga took over at that point, but it’s unclear what may have exactly led to that “wholesale swap” as he points out. It’s not great when you start working on a project to suddenly get kicked, but it probably will never be confirmed if it truly was Cruise that got them kicked off the project.

Source: IndieWire

May 11, 2022
Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively Set to Return for ‘A Simple Favor’ Sequel

Deadline is reporting that Lionsgate will be teaming up with Amazon Studios to produce a sequel to one of their most successful projects, A Simple Favor. Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively have been announced to return to the franchise, reprising their roles as Stephanie Smothers and Emily Nelson respectively. As well, respected film and television director Paul Feig is slated to return to helm the follow-up to his independent success with the first film. Jessica Sharzer is also returning to write the sequel’s screenplay in addition to serving as an executive producer for the film.

2018’s A Simple Favor has been one of Lionsgate’s most successful projects on both a commercial and critical level. The Anna Kendrick-led film turned in a decent-sized financial profit-earning over $97.5M at the box office while also holding an 84% certified fresh rating with Rotten Tomatoes. A Simple Favor is the story of Stephanie (Kendrick), a widower and single mother, who vlogs through the surprising investigation pertaining to the disappearance of her friend Emily (Lively).

Without getting into specific spoilers, the film left the door open for story opportunities for a hypothetical sequel. And now with the sequel becoming a reality and entering active development, fans of the independent darling will have the opportunity to potentially have some of the unresolved threads of the first film answered.

Source: Deadline

May 11, 2022