News Shotgun 9/7/24
Here’s all the movie and TV news you need to know from the past week; it’s the News Shotgun.
Disney developing YA Phantom of the Opera: Kenny Ortega, who has developed High School Musical and The Descendants for Disney, is developing a YA adaptation of Phantom of the Opera, called Phantom for the studio. The news says the new movie is based on the original novel, not the Andrew Lloyd Webber Broadway musical that ran for 35 years. You would assume Phantom will be a musical, but it will most likely have original songs and not classics like “Music of the Night” or “The Phantom of the Opera.”
Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen will star in JonBenét Ramsey drama series: Paramount+ has a true crime drama limited series based on the 1996 murder of JonBenét Ramsey. Tentatively titled JonBenét Ramsey, Melissa McCarthy will play Patsy Ramsey, and Clive Owen will play John Bennett Ramsey, JonBenét’s parents, who were at the center of the media circus that ensued following the murder. The series will have eight episodes.
Alison Brie joins Masters of the Universe: The latest attempt at a new Masters of the Universe live-action movie continues to move forward, with Alison Brie joining the cast as Evil-Lyn this week. Nicholas Galitzine plays Prince Adam/He-Man, and Camila Mendes plays Teela. Travis Knight, who previously directed Bumblebee, is directing the movie, and Amazon, MGM, and Mattel are producing. The film will be released on June 6th, 2026.
Will Smith leaves Sugar Bandits: Due to scheduling conflicts, Will Smith has left a major starring role in the upcoming action movie Sugar Bandits. The movie has Smith playing the leader of a special forces vigilante group that was waging war on the drug trade in Boston. Stefano Sollima, who directed Sicario: Day of the Soldado, is directing the movie. Smith and his production company, Westbrook, will still produce the film. Still, they want to re-cast the lead, potentially impacting the budget and distribution as it was primarily sold as a Will Smith starring vehicle.
Annabelle Wallis joins Jason Statham in Mutiny: Malignant, and Annabelle star Annabelle Wallis has joined Jason Statham in the upcoming action movie Mutiny. The movie, directed by Plane director Jean-François Richet, follows Statham as Cole Reed, who is set up for the murder of his billionaire boss and has to go on the run to clear his name. It’s not clear yet what Wallis’ role in the movie will be.
Six cast members join new Netflix series The Boroughs: Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers’ new show on Netflix, The Boroughs, has assembled an impressive starring cast, which was announced this week. Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard, Geena Davis, Bill Pullman, Clarke Peters, and Denis O’Hare will star in the series, a supernatural mystery set at a retirement community under threat from an otherworldy force. Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, who ran The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, are showrunning the series for the Duffers.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Tom Hardy co-starring in Blood on the Snow: Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Tom Hardy will be part of the Norwegian underworld’s upcoming crime thriller Blood on the Snow. Based on the Joe Nesbø novel of hte same name, the movie is set in Oslo, Norway in the 1970s where two rival gangs vie for control of the city’s underworld. Hardy is playing a boss nicknamed The Fisherman, while Johnson is the primary enforcer for The Fisherman’s rival, Hoffman. When Hoffman orders Olav (Johnson) to kill his wife, he betrays his boss and becomes a target himself. Cary Fukunaga is directing the movie.
