Here’s all the movie and TV news you need to know from the past week, it’s the News Shotgun.
Gillian Flynn and Darren Aronofsky teaming up for movie: Gillian Flynn and Darren Aronofsky will join forces for an upcoming erotic thriller for Sony. Flynn is writing the film while Aronofsky will produce. Plot details have not been revealed.
New Men in Black movie in development: Sony is looking to add a new chapter to the Men in Black franchise with a new movie in development. Chris Bremner, who wrote Bad Boys for Life, is writing the script and, once complete, it will be sent to Will Smith with the hopes that he would return as Agent J. Smith is not attached and will only decide after reading the script.
Vin Diesel writing and starring in Rock ’em Sock ‘Em Robots: Vin Diesel has signed on to write and star in the upcoming adaptation of the toy line Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots. The movie will feature the game’s iconic robot boxers the Blue Bomber and the Red Rocker but no other plot details are known. It will have to try and differeniate itself from Real Steel, which was basically a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie in everything but name.
Scarlett Johansson in talks for The Batman 2: Scarlett Johansson is crossing company lines and is in talks to join DC’s The Batman 2. She would co-star with Robert Pattinson and sources say that Zoe Kravitz is not returning as Catwoman. Director Matt Reeves finally completed his script in June with Mattson Tomlin and the movie is looking to shoot in spring next year for a release date of October 2027.
B.B. King biopic in development: Legendary blues musician B.B. King is the latest to get a biopic as Lucille is in development from Canton Entertainment. With the full support of The B.B. King Music Company & Estate, the movie will follow King’s rise from extreme poverty in the cotton fields of Mississippi to collaborating with superstars like Eric Clapton, U2 and The Rolling Stones on the biggest stages in the world.
Youngblood remake picked up for distribution: The remake of cult 80s hockey movie Youngblood has been picked up for US distribution by Well Go USA. The new movie follow a similar plot to the 80s original, where hotshot hockey prodigy Dean Youngblood (Ashton James) travels from Detroit to Canada to join the Hamilton Mustangs to chase his dreams of being a professional hockey player. The movie is directed by Academy Award nominee Hubert Davis.
Martin Scorsese producing new Vegas drama series for Netflix: Martin Scorsese is heading back to Vegas along with Billions creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien for a new drama series set in Las Vegas for Netflix. The series follows Robert “Bobby Red” Redman, the president of the hottest hotel casino in the city who is looking to both secure his position and expand his reach. The series will have an eight episode season with Koppelman and Levien serving as the show’s showrunners.
Mark Wahlberg starring in Netflix action movie The Operator: Mark Wahlberg will star in a new Netflix action movie The Operator, written by Harrison Query. Wahlberg will star as a Tier One operator who works to clean up for the CIA. He’s tasked with transporting his most hated target to safety and a deadly cat and mouse game ensues. Query recently also sold another action script to Netflix, the Joel Egerton starring series, Trigger Point, which as Jeremy Saulnier directing.
Angelina Jolie starring in dark thriller Sunny: Angelina Jolie has joined the upcoming dark thriller Sunny in the starring role and will also produce. The movie is in “the spirit of classic mafia films” and follows a female gangster who is looking to get herself and her sons protected from an abusive drug kingpin. Eva Sørhaug, who previously worked on Yellowjackets and Tokyo Vice, is directing the movie.
Paramount sets dates for new Sonic and TMNT movies: Paramount has set dates in 2028 for two new movies in the Sonic and TMNT franchies. The Sonic movie will be a spin-off from the main series, whose last entry was Sonic the Hedgehog 3 last year, and will open on December 22nd, 2028. The new TMNT movie will be a live-action hybrid that will debut on November 17th, 2028.
God of War finds director for first two episodes: Amazon’s upcoming adaptation of God of War has found the director for its first two episodes. Frederick E.O. Toye, the Emmy winning director who has worked on shows like Shogun and The Boys, has signed on to kick off the video game adaptation. Ronald D. Moore is showrunning the series, with pre-production and casting underway in Vancouver. The series has already recieved a two-season order from Amazon and is based on the Norse storyline that began with 2018’s God of War.
Jordan Peele and Sam Raimi producing horror film Portrait of God: Two massive names in horror are teaming up to produce the new movie Portrait of God. Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele are producing the horror film, which is being directed by Dylan Clark. The movie is based on Clark’s short film, which followed a religous young woman who is preparing a slideshow titled “What does God Look Like?” that features a work of art dubbed “Portrait of God”. Some people only see a blank black painting, but others see a person lurking in the darkness.
Netflix enters deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery: Netflix has entered exclusive negotiations to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s film and TV studio and the HBO Max streaming service, beating out bids from Paramount Skydance and Comcast. The potential deal marks a major strategic shift for Netflix, which has historically avoided buying traditional Hollywood assets, but now seeks access to Warner Bros.’ massive library and IP—ranging from DC characters to Harry Potter and classic HBO series. The move has ignited industry backlash: the DGA, Cinema United, and a consortium of top talent warn the acquisition could damage the theatrical marketplace, reduce competition, and give Netflix excessive power. Regulatory approval is expected to be contentious, especially under the Trump administration. The deal would significantly reshape the entertainment landscape, giving Netflix unmatched scale and influence if it proceeds.
RIP Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa: Veteran actor Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa passed away this past week at age 75. He was best known for playing Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat franchise, first in the beloved 1995 film and then appearing as the character in subsequent TV and video game entries in the franchise. He also appared in movies like The Last Emperor, License to Kill, 47 Ronin, Pearl Harbor and Planet of the Apes.
Kelsey Grammer, Jefferson White and Elizabeth Gillies join The Hunting Party: NBC’s The Hunting Party has found three new serial killers for its task force to hunt down in Season 2. Kelsey Grammer will play Noah Cyrus, a dangerous and deadly cult leader, Jefferson White will play Lou Kaplan, a serial killer who hunts social media influencers and Elizbeth Gillies will play Amanda “The Masseuse” Weiss, whose killing method is snapping the necks of her massage clients. The show follows Melissa Roxburgh as Bex Henderson, an FBI agent who joins a task force to hunt down serial killers who escaped from a classified underground prison where various behaviorial, chemical and other types of experimentation were being conducted. Season 2 debuts on January 8th.
Landman renewed for Season 3: Audiences will spend another season on the patch as Landman has been rewnewed for a third season. The second season debuted on November 16th and had 9.2 million viewers in just its first two days of release, an increase of 262% from the season 1 premiere. The show has aired three episodes of the second season with the fourth premiering on December 7th.
