Tag: Movie News

Jake Gyllenhaal to Produce and Star in Film Adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s ‘OBLIVION SONG’

It looks as though Robert Kirkman is gearing up for another adaptation of his work. It was announced today that New Republic Pictures will be developing a film version of Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici’s science-fiction comic Oblivion Song, with star Jake Gyllenhaal attached to produce and play the leading role. The book’s story focuses on a world where 300,000 citizens of Philadelphia disappeared in a devastating disaster known only as “Oblivion”.

Ten years after the tragic event, the government and most of the world have given up hope of recovering those lost. Enter protagonist Nathan Cole, who continues to make daily trips attempting to bring back whoever he can. Gyllenhaal’s fellow producer Riva Marker had the following to say regarding the project:

When faced with a cataclysmic event that permanently alters our lives, what would we choose to save? Just as Kirkman did with The Walking Dead and Invincible, in Oblivion Song he’s created the potential for a franchise that is profoundly entertaining, and the perfect opportunity to explore big questions we’re reckoning with globally.

Oblivion Song was previously in development at Universal before moving to New Republic Pictures. The project will also be produced by Kirkman himself, under his now-famous Skybound Entertainment banner. The comic’s creator also chimed in on the announcement:

We couldn’t be more excited to find such great partners in New Republic and Nine Stories. Both companies have a tremendous reputation for premium storytelling at the highest level, and we can’t wait to see Jake bring this character to life on the big screen. We are so fortunate to have assembled a team that is as passionate about this comic as we are.

There is currently no release date for the movie.

Source: Deadline

August 24, 2021
‘SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME’ Trailer Includes F.E.A.S.T. Easter Egg

Spider-Man: No Way Home finally got its first trailer and it hinted at quite a few curious things we can expect from the third entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Not only do we get the grand return of actors from past Spider-Man franchises, but what looks like a showdown with Doctor Strange. Now, there’s also one very brief sequence that includes an important comic and video game reference. We see Spidey running through what seems to be a mess hall with the leaked black-gold suit. If you take a closer look, it turns out he is running through a F.E.A.S.T. shelter.

It’s hidden quite well in the background, but you can make out the acronym if you look closely in an HD version of the trailer, which you can check out here:

The location has been a recurring place for Aunt May in the comics and even in Insomniac’s Spider-Man game from 2018. Its inclusion also is a hint that the location from Far From Home, where Aunt May held the benefit gala, could also be this same location, but there was no direct reference to it in the film. With this confirmation, it may also hint at the existence of Martin Li, who would end up becoming Mister Negative in the game and comics.

The sequence does hint that Peter Parker is running away from something. We did find out that the black-gold suit uses magic webbing from earlier toy leaks. So, he might be in the middle of a battle with one of the villains teased throughout the trailer. Perhaps he also got pushed through the multiverse and landed in an alternative world with its own Peter Parker. Some time ago, there were rumors that we could even see the actor who played the character in the Insomniac game make an appearance. The confirmed appearance of Molina just opens up so many avenues, which makes it exciting with every new Easter egg.

Source: YouTube

August 24, 2021
Sony Gives Their ‘SPIDER-MAN’ Cinematic Universe an Official Name

All eyes were on the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s trailer last night. Sony timed the release to perfectly coincide with their panel at Cinecom. The panel did include some other surprises, such as ScreenRant sharing that Sony finally gave its franchise a name. Up until now, it was known as Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, or SPUMC, for short but it seems they finally decided to rebrand it. They’re going with the rather simple title of “Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.”

What makes this naming interesting is that they’ll likely keep Spider-Man at the center of these projects. It also is a sign that they’ll continue building up their franchises, which will see the inclusion of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, and the recently confirmed Kraven the Hunter film. It’ll be interesting to see if they also release an official branding and some kind of timeline for these projects. As they continue to build upon these Marvel brands, Marvel Studio’s films stand out through their fanfare. So, it might not be a bad idea to help audiences distinguish it and highlighting it as a Sony-Marvel project through a unique opening. I may also just want to hear the iconic Spider-Man theme with every film.

This naming may also hint that Spider-Man: No Way Home will build towards this universe, as we got the hint of classic villains from the original Sam Raimi franchise making a return. So, if they are building upon the multiverse, we might either see Peter Parker crossover into Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, or another Spider-Man takes over that role. Morbius did include a cameo by Vulture but had Raimi‘s suit design in the background. The Daily Bugle in Venom is also the one we saw in the films from the early 2000s. Perhaps we get an alternative version of the character in this part of the multiverse while Marvel continues working on their own.

Source: ScreenRant

August 24, 2021
Splash Mountain’s ‘The Princess and the Frog’ Revamp to Continue Disney Film’s Story

It looks like Disney’s 2009 animated film The Princess and the Frog is getting an unlikely sequel. The story of Tiana and Naveen will continue in the form of Splash Mountain’s redesign. Walt Disney’s Parks division unveiled brand new concept art and even story details on the franchise’s continuation. Guests will join Tiana, as she plans a Mardi Gras celebration with Naveen and the loveable trumpet-playing alligator Louis.

They’ve also unveiled that the ride will include original songs inspired by the original’s soundtrack. Their goal was to incorporate the culture of New Orleans into the ride’s “look and feel, from sounds to visuals.” They’ve also commissioned paintings by artist Sharika Mahdi to truly bring the conceptualization to life.

The first announcement of the Splash Mountain revamp came back in June 2020 due to its design being based on the controversial 1946 film Song of the South. Jungle Cruise, which recently also got a film adaptation, also got some rework regarding questionable depictions of native people. There are still no official opening dates given at Disneyland or Disney World.

It’s not the only franchise expansion for The Princess and the Frog, as Tiana is getting her very own series on Disney+. Not much is known about the project besides the fact that it’ll be a long-form musical comedy. Reports indicate it will also act as a sequel to the original film. If it does, the series might even reference the Mardi Gras party.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, What’s on Disney Plus

August 23, 2021
‘Fast and Furious 10’ Sets 2023 Release

It hasn’t been too long since the ninth entry of the Fast and Furious franchise was released. F9 was the beginning of the end, as we’ve learned that they’re already working on the final entries of the mainline Fast Saga. With the pandemic delaying the launch of the previous entry, there was some uncertainty when we can expect the next film but the wait is over, as Entertainment Weekly unveiled that it will release April 7th, 2023.

It has been some time since they confirmed that Justin Lin will end the franchise with his two latest films. F9 was pretty much the set-up to the franchise’s two-film finale, which are believed to be filming back-to-back Vin Diesel discussed that the reason we’re getting two films was that they had so many stories set up that couldn’t get shown in just one. There hasn’t been a confirmation which actors will return, but as EW highlights, we can expect the usual suspects.

There has been a fallout with the franchise in recent memory due to Dwayne Johnson‘s beef with Diesel. There have been hints he’ll continue the Hobbs & Shaw spin-off series. So, while the Fast and Furious films come to an end, we might see various spin-offs come from the final two films. Even as one franchise ends, there’s a lot of potential for its future.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

August 22, 2021
Leaked ‘Mission Impossible 7’ Set Video Shows Steam Train Drive Off Cliff

Many films have faced various delays throughout the pandemic. One of them was the highlight anticipated sequel to Mission Impossible: Fallout that would continue the story of Tom Cruise‘s Ethan Hunt, who is an agent of the IMF, the Impossible Missions Force. Christopher McQuarrie is continuing his work from the previous two entries, which started with Rogue Nation in 2015, to film the next two installments.

The seventh film is slated to release in May of 2022 with the sequel filming back-to-back for 2023. It looks like production has resumed after a COVID-induced delay with the team driving a steam train off a cliff in the Derbyshire quarry. The Daily Mail shared some photos from the sequence with Twitter user @cherrystreet71 offering a video on the stunt scene in action.

https://twitter.com/cherrystreet71/status/1429046858505195521

Tom Cruise was reportedly on set and it seems like he may have jumped on the helicopter that can be briefly seen taking off before the train hits the cliff. It’s uncertain if he was on the train, but the actor has been very open about doing his own stunts in these projects. Yet, he may also have just been part of the filming crew trying to get the sequence on film. The Daily Mail shared a picture of him in supposedly all-black alongside the production crew.

The Mission Impossible series has been famous for its use of practical elements, which are spearheaded by its production team and Cruise‘s involvement. It’s not every day you get to witness a train drive off a cliff and it seems to fall into a pit of water, which might be there to dampen the fall. There’s no report if the train was an old steam engine they purchased for this sequence, but it’s likely they built a replica for this sequence. It’s not uncommon, as Kurt Russell famously destroyed the real 150-year old guitar rather than the replica in a sequence of The Hateful Eight.

Source: Twitter, The Wrap, Daily Mail, Billboard

August 21, 2021
‘BLACK WIDOW’ Lawsuit Continues As Scarlet Johansson’s Lawyer Calls Out Disney

Scarlett Johansson‘s Black Widow lawsuit caught the world’s attention when she moved against Disney on their new release model through Disney+ Premier Access. Believing it undermined her film’s success, she made the bold move. After some public shouting matches, Disney made the first move towards the lawsuit with them starting an arbitration against the actress. Not only did it offer some more insight into the actual lawsuit but forced Disney’s hand to release their Disney+ income as a result.

So, the interesting aspect about this lawsuit is that it’s not against Marvel but Disney. It constitutes that Disney allegedly induced the Marvel division to breach the initial contract on a theatre-only release. As such, the subsidiary is excluded from the lawsuit. Johansson proclaims she was promised an exclusive release while Disney states that the film was made available on 9,000 screens with the contract only including above 1,500. Her attorney, John Berlinski, gave the following statement on Disney’s move:

After initially, responding to this litigation with a misogynistic attack against Scarlett Johansson, Disney is now, predictably, trying to hide its misconduct in a confidential arbitration. Why is Disney so afraid of litigating this case in public? Because it knows that Marvel’s promises to give Black Widow a typical theatrical release ‘like its other films’ had everything to do with guaranteeing that Disney wouldn’t cannibalize box office receipts in order to boost Disney+ subscriptions. Yet that is exactly what happened – and we look forward to presenting the overwhelming evidence that provides it.
John Berlinski

The litigation did offer some insight into the film’s current standing on the Disney+ streaming service. Supposedly download retail and streaming garnered the film a total income of $125M. That is on top of the $367M that it made in theaters worldwide. So, the film currently stands at a strong $492M with it definitely passing the $500M mark if counting the streaming income. There is no certainty if it will release in China, which could boost it to pass the $600M mark.

For now, the lawsuit is not a good look for Disney, as they push forward with this strategy. There was the highlight of the contract’s wording benefiting the company than its talent. Plus, the mention of a confirmation that it’ll release in theatres back in 2019 which was before COVID changed everything. Both sides are forced to represent their perspective. So, there’s no real “winner” in these kinds of scenarios. It’ll be curious to see if Disney can take the case out of the public eye moving forward.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

August 21, 2021
UPDATE: Mischa Green Confirmed to Pen Jurnee Smollett-led ‘BLACK CANARY’ Film

UPDATE: Well, it didn’t take long for Cinelinx’s story to get confirmed, as The Hollywood Reporter and Collider both confirmed that Misha Green is, in fact, working on a Black Canary project. Producer Sur Kroll is also set to return. Jurnee Smollett will reprise the role from the Birds of Prey film.

Source: Collider, Hollywood Reporter

It looks like those rumors surrounding a Jurnee Smollett spin-off from Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn might have gotten a bit more traction. Cinelinx’s Jordan Maison shared a story that Lovecraft Country‘s Misha Green may have joined the project to write the script. Their sources share that originally this project was going to be a series before moving to a direct-to-HBO Max film being the focus.

It’s not the first time a DC project is taking this strategy as Batgirl and Blue Beetle are in development as streaming-exclusive projects. If there’s something to these rumors, Jurnee Smollett would return to play the character. There’s no word if these rumors turn out to be true if it’s a direct continuation of the film or even acts as a prequel. We’ve gotten teased her mother had the same ability, which might get explored in more detail in a film.

Yet, if it turns out to be a sequel, they might explore her time with the titular Birds of Prey, which formed at the end of the first film. It’s surprising they wouldn’t give the team a sequel before splintering the group, but next to Harley Quinn, she was one of the big draws for the release. Smollett‘s work on Lovecraft Country also might be a reason why Green may have joined the project. So, we’ll see if there’s an announcement coming our way during this year’s DC FanDome.

Source: Cinelinx

August 20, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Bill Skarsgård Set to Star in Sam Raimi Production ‘BOY KILLS WORLD’

Sam Raimi is currently on everyone’s radar for his work on the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel. It’s his first return to direct a feature film since 2013’s Oz the Great and Powerful. In the meantime, he’s been working on smaller projects, such as directing episodes of Rake and Ash vs. Evil Dead. He’s also been working a lot as a producer on various projects. He has focused on the horror genre quite a bit throughout his career. We can exclusively share that he is currently also working on a film titled Boy Kills World. Moritz Mohr takes on directing duties, and we can also share that it already has a talent attached with Bill Skarsgård.

The film will follow the story of a man named Boy, whose parents are guerrilla fighters. His loving sister Mina kept him safe in their war-torn country. Tragically, their country’s tyrant, Hilda Van Der Koy, killed his entire family. Seeking revenge, Boy seeks help from a Shaman, who’ll train him in various ways of fighting. Viewers will join Boy on his journey to confronting the person who killed his parents and the grueling training by the shaman.

Skarsgård signed on to appear in John Wick: Chapter 4 and has seen quite a resurgence since he joined 2017’s It. His experience with darker roles is very fitting for this dark story about a kid taking vengeance for the death of his family. Raimi has started venturing out with his role as producer and shows that he continues to explore new avenues even if Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will return him to his horror roots.

August 20, 2021
‘ETERNALS’ Funko Pop Revealed Including a Jumbo-Sized Celestial Funko

Just an hour ago, the first Eternals Funko Pop found its way online. It looks like Marvel didn’t waste any time, and the rest got shared by Yahoo. It’s quite an extensive list of Funkos that includes our main cast and the main antagonist, Kro. He’s not the only Deviant in the list, as the four-legged one got included as a GameStop exclusive. The highlight is a jumbo-sized one of their creators, the Celestials, who we saw in the latest trailer towering from the camera’s perspective. Sadly, it looks like the second Celestial showcased is not getting a Funko, but this is just the first wave.

Overall, the designs are unique even among Marvel’s usual fare. Curiously, these Funkos offer a better look at the Deviants, who seem to share a very similar visual with light green feet. Their bodies seem like intertwined tentacles, which might even get a story reason. The film is taking a unique direction from the original comics. So, we might be in for quite a few surprises once the film arrives this November.

The Celestial is definitely a highlight. It looks like it might be the same one we saw in Guardians of the Galaxy but without the giant armor. Perhaps we only truly meet these creators of the galaxy in an opening sequence, which sets us up for the story. Even the Funko Pop tries to highlight their very otherworldly designs and it’s sad we don’t get the green Celestial teased in the trailer as well. It would make for a great collection, but who knows if we’ll get more in the future.

Source: Twitter, Yahoo

August 20, 2021