News Transformers movie in development: Hasbro and Paramount are developing a new Transformers movie that will be a standalone film separate from the Michael Bay Transformers series. Charm City Kings director Angel Manuel Soto is directing the project and Marco Ramirez, the showrunner for The Defenders, is writing the script. There is still another Transformers movie tied to the Bayverse with Creed II’s Steven Caple Jr directing.
RIP Jessica Walter and George Segal: Two legendary comedic character actors passed away this week. George Segal passed away at age 87 and was best known recently for playing Pops on The Goldbergs but he’s had a decades long career that goes back to his Oscar nominated role in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? and a starring role in the 90s sitcom Just Shoot Me. Jessica Walter passed away at age 80 and was best known recently for Mallory Archer on Archer and Lucille Bluth on Arrested Development but her career also spans back decades to the 50s. Walter had recorded her role for the upcoming season of Archer before her death, so Mallory will still be featured when that show returns.
Ghost of Tsushima movie in development: Sony and Playstation Productions are developing a movie based on their recent PS4 hit Ghost of Tsushima with John Wick’s Chad Stahelski directing. The game followed a samurai named Jin Sakai who has to put aside his traditional manner of combat to wage a war of revenge and it has sold over 6 million copies. Stahelski is shooting John Wick 4 first before moving on to Ghost of Tsushima and some of his other upcoming projects.
Pierce Brosnan joins Black Adam: Pierce Brosnan is joining the DCEU as he has been cast as Dr. Fate for the upcoming Black Adam movie starring Dwayne Johnson. Brosnan’s casting fills out the roster of the Justice Society of America that will find themselves facing Black Adam including Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone.
Cary Fukunaga directing a Tokyo Ghost movie: Cary Fukunaga has lined up his next project which will be an adaptation of Image Comic’s Tokyo Ghost book, created by Rick Remender and Sean Gordon Murphy. The book is set in 2089 in a society that is fully addicted to technology. Two peacekeepers who work in what was once Los Angeles are tasked with a mission that sends them to the only technology-free place on Earth, Tokyo. Fukunaga will also produce the movie and Remender and Gordon Murphy will adapt their book for the screen.
Ron Livingston joins The Flash movie: Ron Livingston has been cast to replace Billy Crudup as Henry Allen in the upcoming Flash movie directed by Andy Muschietti. There’s no reason given for the recasting but Crudup played Henry Allen in both the theatrical and Snyder Cut versions of Justice League.
National Treasure series coming to Disney+: National Treasure is getting a TV series spin-off on Disney+. The show will star a new character, Jess Morales, a 20 something Latina woman who goes on an adventure with her friends to uncover a treasure and a mysterious part of her family’s history. Nicolas Cage isn’t expected to appear and it’s not clear if the show is completely standalone or if the show and movies will cross paths at all. There is a third National Treasure movie in development with Cage returning as Benjamin Franklin Gates.
The Man Who Fell to Earth series gets more cast members: Showtime is developing an adaptation of The Man Who Fell to Earth, the original film famously starring David Bowie, and has added Naomie Harris and Jimmi Simpson are joining the cast. Chiwetel Ejiofor is playing the main character, an alien who arrives on Earth and could potentially alter humanity’s evolution. Harris is playing a scientist named Justin Falls and Simpson is playing Spencer Clay, a CIA agent hunting down Ejiofor’s alien. The show was going to be a Paramount+ exclusive but recently moved to Showtime.
What We Do in the Shadows spin-off coming to HBO Max and The CW: Last year, New Zealand got the What We Do in the Shadows spin-off Wellington Paranormal, which followed the police featured in the original film as they investigated various paranormal activity in Wellington. The show is coming to the US in two different ways. It will debut this summer live on The CW and the episodes will be available the next day on both The CW’s app and HBO Max. The show has already aired for two seasons in New Zealand and a third season just started there.
Evan Peters playing Jeffrey Dahmer for Netflix series: Evan Peters is reteaming with Ryan Murphy for the creator’s latest Netflix series. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which will tell the story of the infamous serial killer from the perspective of his victims and highlight the police incompetence that let him get away with killing for so long. Peters will play Dahmer and Penelope Ann Miller, Richard Jenkins, Shaun J. Brown and Niecy Nash will co-star. The show was first announced last October and will have a 10 episode season on Netflix.
Jamie Foxx playing Mike Tyson for new limited series: Jamie Foxx will be portraying Mike Tyson for a new limited series created by Antoine Fuqua. Mike Tyson himself is involved with the series, as is Martin Scorsese, but there’s currently no network attached, although, given the talent, there will probably be one soon. Hulu has a competing Tyson series in development but Tyson has come out against his portrayal in that series, so this Jamie Foxx one will probably be more sympathetic to the controversial boxing legend.
Emerald Fennell writing a Zatanna movie for DC: Oscar-nominated director Emerald Fennell is writing a Zatanna solo movie for Warner Bros/DC. Fennell wrote and directed Best Picture nominee Promising Young Woman but there’s only news about her writing a Zatanna movie, not directing as of the current time. Zatanna is a powerful magic user in the world of DC comics and probably best known as a member of the Justice League Dark team alongside characters like John Constantine, Swamp Thing, and Etrigan the Demon.
Helen Mirren joins Shazam 2: Speaking of DC news, Helen Mirren has joined Shazam: Fury of the Gods as the main villain, Hespera, daughter of the god Atlas that gives the Shazam family part of their abilities. David F. Sandberg is back to direct the sequel to his 2019 film and Zachary Levi will be back as the powered-up alter ego of teen superhero Billy Batson.
Black Widow and Cruella getting hybrid theatrical releases: Disney has finally pulled the trigger and revealed their plans for Black Widow (and Cruella). The studio delayed Black Widow again, to July 9th, but also announced it will be a hybrid theatrical/Premiere Access release, getting the $29.99 fee on Disney+ for day and date access to watch it. Cruella starring Emma Stone will also get a Premiere Access release as well as hit theaters on May 28th. Disney also revealed that the upcoming Pixar movie, Luca, will no longer get a theatrical release and will instead be on Disney+ only, but will not require a Premiere Access purchase.
HBO Max’s hybrid strategy only for 2021: Warner Bros rocked the entire movie industry last year when they announced this year’s plan of releasing movies in theaters and on HBO Max day and date with no additional fee. Huge movies like Godzilla vs Kong and Mortal Kombat are coming up soon but WB announced this week that they only plan on doing this model for 2021 and will return to a traditional model of theatrical releases in 2022. The studio made a deal with Cineworld, which owns the Regal theater chain in the US, to have a 45-day window of theatrical exclusivity before movies can debut on streaming or VOD. Regal, when they finally reopen, will also show all of WB’s films for 2021.
Live action BRZRKR movie and anime series coming to Netflix: Keanu Reeves is coming to Netflix with both a live-action movie and an anime sequel series to his comic book BRZRKR, which he co-wrote and features his likeness as the main character. The comic is published by Boom! Studios and follows a character who is an 80,000-year-old immortal warrior who currently works for the US government. As payment for the missions they send him on, they agree to reveal secrets they’ve learned about his past, and possibly a way for him to finally become mortal. Reeves will star in the live-action movie for Netflix and lend his voice to the anime series that will probably be in the vein of Netflix’s Castlevania or Blood of Zeus.
