News Shotgun 12/14/24
Here’s all the movie and TV news you need to know from the past week, it’s the News Shotgun.
Hayley Atwell and Chris Evans are returning to the MCU for Avengers: Doomsday. Joining Robert Downey Jr., Hayley Atwell, and Chris Evans are in talks to return to the MCU for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Comic-Con was rocked this summer when it was revealed that RDJ would be returning to the MCU but playing Victor Von Doom, aka Doctor Doom. Atwell is returning as Peggy Carter, and Evans is expected to return as Steve Rogers, possibly in his Nomad persona, but there are no official details yet. Avengers: Doomsday opens on May 1st, 2026.
Jennifer Love Hewitt is returning for the new I Know What You Did movie: Jennifer Love Hewitt is joining co-star Freddie Prinze Jr. and officially returning for the upcoming continuation of the I Know What You Did franchise. Chase Sui Wonders, Madelyn Cline, Sarah Pidgeon, Tyriq Withers, and Jonah Haur-King were cast as the younger group that gets into the new deadly situation. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is directing the movie. It’s expected to be out on July 18th next year.
The Night Agent adds several cast members for Season 3: Season 2 of The Night Agent debuts in a few weeks on Netflix, but production on Season 3 is underway, and several cast members were announced. The previously announced Genesis Rodriguez was confirmed to co-star with Suraj Sharma, Francois Durand, Eduardo Fierro, Andrew Steinman, and David Reiss. Season 2 debuts on January 23rd.
Malcolm in the Middle revival coming to Disney+: Joining several other recent TV revivals, Malcolm in the Middle is returning to continue the beloved 2000s series. Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, and Jane Kaczmarek are reprising their roles, with the plot following Malcolm (Muniz) having to return home with his daughter for the 40th wedding anniversary of his parents, Hal (Cranston) and Lois (Kaczmarek). The show’s creator, Linwood Boomer, is back to showrun the revival.
McKenna Grace joins Scream 7: McKenna Grace is going from ghosts to serial killers as she joins the cast of Scream 7. She joins original star Neve Campbell, Isabel May, Celeste O’Connor and Asa Germann. Kevin Williamson, who wrote the original Scream along with Scream 2 and Scream 4, is directing the movie. It will be out on February 27th, 2026.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang remake in development: Amazon is working on a remake of the beloved 60s movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The movie is in the early stages, but Amazon MGM will develop it with EON, as Sir Ian Fleming wrote the original novel in between Bond novels. Roald Dahl wrote the script for the 1968 film. Most recently, a musical stage production version of the story played on Broadway in 2005 and is currently touring the UK.
Prison Break revival in the works: Coming from original creator Elgin James, a new chapter of Prison Break is in development. Hulu has picked up a pilot for a new chapter in the Prison Break universe, which won’t feature any original characters from the main series. Prison Break is one of the legacy shows, along with Suits and Lost, that are seeing a resurgence on Netflix.
Aardman and Pokemon teaming up: The home of Wallace & Gromit is teaming up with Pokemon for a mysterious future project. The Pokemon Company announced the project, with a date of 2027 for a “special project” that will combine Aardman’s stop-motion style and sense of humor with the Pokemon universe. It’s unclear if this is a movie, TV show, streaming short, or something else.
Clayface movie in development for DC Studios: Announced this week and confirmed by James Gunn, a Clayface film is in development for DC Studios. Written by Mike Flanagan, the movie will be a horror-oriented take on the Batman rogue, whose most famous incarnations are Matt Hagen or Basil Karlo, with Hagen as the focus of Batman: The Animated Series. Hagen is a disfigured actor who is provided a revolutionary facial cream called Renuyu from crime boss Roland Daggett that restores his face. He discovers he can change his face into anyone, but he is forced to commit crimes for Daggett. Daggett eventually forces a massive amount of Renuyu into Hagen’s body as punishment for refusing to do as he asks, turning his entire body into a clay-like material.
Stephen King’s short story Autopsy Room Four became a film: Another Stephen King story is becoming a film as Autopsy Room Four was greenlit by King to be adapted. Producer Jon Levin, who previously produced the King adaptation In the Tall Grass, is producing the film, and British director Ranjeet S. Marwan is directing. The short story follows a man who is trapped in an autopsy room following a life-threatening accident. The story was previously adapted as a short film in 2003 and as an episode of TNT’s Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From The Stories Of Stephen King in 2006.
Harry Houdini spy thriller in development: Disney is exploring the early years of legendary magician Harry Houdini in a spy thriller called Becoming Houdini. Scott Sanders and Danny Strong are producing the movie, following Houdini’s early life and rise to fame, including his potential work as an undercover agent for Hungary and the United States.
Kit Harrington joins The Family Plan 2: Game of Thrones alum Kit Harrington joins Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan, Zoe Colletti, and Van Crosby in the sequel to Apple’s The Family Plan. The first film, which debuted on Apple TV+ earlier this year, found Wahlberg’s family man having to utilize his dormant assassin skills to save his family when the past comes back to haunt him. The sequel sees the Morgan family traveling to Europe for Christmas, but another threat from the past rears its head. The Family Plan was the most-watched movie debut this year for Apple TV+.
Peacock getting the Friday Night Lights reboot: The recently announced reboot of Friday Night Lights has found a home on Peacock. The new series will be set in a town in Texas that is ravaged by a hurricane. After the storm, the town’s high school football team becomes a beacon of hope as they make a run for the Texas High School State Championship. The main trio behind the original movie and series, Jason Katims, Peter Berg, and Brian Grazer, are all returning for the reboot.
Yellowstone spin-off following Beth and Rip in development: The Yellowstone universe continues to expand as Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser will headline their own spin-off series, which will debut following the main series’ current fifth season. Two other spin-offs, 6666 and The Madison, are also in various stages of development.
Austin Butler is the new Patrick Bateman: Director Luca Guadagnino has found his Patrick Bateman for his new version of American Psycho in Austin Butler. Butler will take over the role made famous by Christian Bale in the original 2000 film. This new version will be more faithful to the original Bret Easton Ellis novel and will not try to be a straight remake of the original movie. Jacob Elordi was also apparently being eyed to star, but that casting fell through.
Ti West and Halsey reteaming for Bloodlust: Following MaXXXine, Ti West and Halsey are reteaming for a new Amazon series, Bloodlust. Halsey is writing the series, which is described as a dark comedy, with West set to direct. Plot details have not been revealed. Halsey appeared in MaXXXine as Tabby Martin, a friend of Mia Goth’s Maxine Minx.
New Meet the Parents movie in development: A new entry in the Meet the Parents series is apparently in the works, with Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Teri Polo, and Blythe Danner in early talks to reprise their roles. John Hamburg, who wrote the previous three movies in the series, is writing this new entry. The last entry in the series was in 2010 with Little Fockers.
Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers begins casting: Steven Soderbergh has found the stars of his next movie, the dark comedy The Christophers. Sir Ian McKellan, Michaela Cole, and James Corden have been cast in the film, which is about “the estranged children of a once-famous artist who hire a forger to complete his unfinished works so they can be discovered and sold after his death.” Production begins in London in February of next year.
Jeremy Allen White joins The Mandalorian & Grogu: The Bear star Jeremy Allen White is coming to the Star Wars universe in The Mandalorian & Grogu, voicing Jabba the Hutt’s son Rotta the Hutt. Jon Favreau is directing the movie, bringing the titular characters to the big screen and continuing the plot setup in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. The film is set to hit theaters on May 22nd, 2026.
