This week saw the announcement of new projects from both Marvel and DC, as well as new projects for many of the stars who have been in either the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or there DC Extended Universe. See these stories and more below:
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio Releasing 'Devil in the White City' Hulu Series
Almost a decade ago, Leonardo DiCaprio bought the rights to the book The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, by Erik Larson, which told the story of an architect and a serial killer whose fates were linked by The Chicago World's Fair of 1893. The project was originally set to star DiCaprio and eventually, Martin Scorsese came onboard to direct. Now, it's been announced that both DiCaprio and Scorsese will instead serve as executive producers on the project, and it will now be a Hulu series. While it’s unknown who’s starring in the series just yet, it currently doesn’t seem likely that DiCaprio will lead the project as originally intended. While it is upsetting that we potentially will not get to see another DiCaprio-lead, Scorsese-directed project just yet - after five collaborations that include The Departed, The Aviator, and The Wolf of Wall Street - the fact that both the director and actor are still having such a large part in producing this series is still very promising.
'Dune' Adds to its Cast, Gets Release Date
If there’s one project that’s high on everyone’s radar, it’s Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Dune, based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction novel. The film has a stacked cast, with Jason Momoa recently added to an all-star cast that already also included Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Timothy Chalamet, and Javier Bardem, among many others. Considering Villeneuve’s knack for science fiction - with both Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 being solid releases - this one has a great level of intrigue behind it. Dune was previously adapted once before, notoriously by David Lynch, which was a box office failure and criticized by Lynch himself, though in later years gained a cult following among more devoted Lynch fans.
Chris Pratt to Star in Sci-Fi Film from 'Lego Batman' Director
Chris Pratt is currently set to star in a new science fiction movie titled Ghost Draft, the working title of a new project that will be helmed by The Lego Batman Movie director Chris McKay. An original project, it tells the story of a husband and father who is drafted to fight a future war in which the fate of humanity may rely on his ability to correct issues of the past. Being developed by Skydance, there’s little known otherwise about the project currently, other than it will be written by Zach Dean, who only has two other film credits to his name - 2012’s Deadfall and 2017’s 24 Hours to Live. While we wait to hear more for this one, at the very least, the fact that the always likable Pratt is leading the charge - as well as the involvement of McKay, who gave us the funniest Lego Movie spinoff thus far - does at least have us interested.
Chris Evans to Star in New Antoine Fuqua Film
Director Antoine Fuqua is currently working on getting his next feature Infinite together. An adaptation of the D. Eric Marikranz novel The Reincarnationist Papers, it tells the story of a a man who’s haunted by memories of two past lives and stumbles upon a centuries-old secret society called the Cognomina, whose ranks he wishes to join. Being developed by Paramount Pictures, the film is set to star Chris Evans. Having mostly appeared in just Marvel films as Captain America these last few years, this is one of a number of projects lined up for Evans as he’s set to exit the Marvel world after this year’s Avengers: Endgame, with another notable project being Rian Johnson’s Knives Out. Fuqua’s filmography tends to be hit and miss - ranging from favorites like Training Day to misfires like King Arthur - so this one is to be approached with a level of caution, but it’ll at least be interesting to see Evans take on some non-superhero fare after many years in the MCU.
Octavia Spencer, Anne Hathaway to Star in New Robert Zemeckis Film
Robert Zemeckis’ films are always high in concept but as of late can be a bit hit-and-miss. His latest film Welcome to Marwen was a box office bomb, though his previous two films before that - Allied and The Walk - were both critically well-received and modest box office successes, while Flight was both critically praised and a box office smash. His next film sees him taking on the Roald Dahl children’s novel The Witches, which tells the story of a seven-year-old boy who has a run-in with real life witches. The film is set to star Anne Hathaway and Octavia Spencer, alongside newcomers Jahir Bruno and Codie-Lei Eastick, and will be produced by Zemeckis’ banner ImageMovers, along with Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro. Considering the number of talented cast and crew members behind this one, this has the potential to be an all-ages hit for Zemeckis.
Benedict Cumberbatch to Play Satan in 'Good Omens' Adaptation
Amazon Prime Video’s adaptation of Good Omens adds another to its cast, and it’s Benedict Cumberbatch as Satan. Based on the horror-comedy novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Cumberbatch stars Frances McDormand - who plays God - as well as David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Jon Hamm, Nick Offerman, and many others. Good Omens takes place in the modern day when the Apocalypse is near and the armies of Good and Evil are getting together as Final Judgment awaits everyone. While everything seems to be going according to Divine Plan, an angel named Aziraphale and a demon named Crowley both dread the upcoming Apocalypse, and have to work together when it’s discovered the Antichrist has gone missing. The series already has plenty of potential behind it, and the addition of Cumberbatch - in what’s pitch-perfect casting - adds more to the hype.
Chadwick Boseman to Star in Vietnam Veteran Drama for Spike Lee
Spike Lee’s assembling a new movie, and has tapped Chadwick Boseman to star. Titled Da 5 Bloods, the film follows a group of Vietnam veterans who return to the jungle to find their lost innocence. The project is set to be distributed by Netflix and will also star Delroy Lindo and Jean Reno. Lee has a thirty-plus-year career that dates back to 1986, and has been big in the spotlight lately thanks to his most recent film BlacKkKlansman, which earned him both a Best Picture and Best Director Oscar nomination, among other awards. Meanwhile, Boseman is coming off a Best Picture nominee of his own, having starred as the title character in last year’s phenomenon Black Panther. Hopefully Lee can keep up the newfound momentum, as this one’s certainly high on the radar.
'Aquaman' Sequel in the Works
The DC Extended Universe has been nowhere near as successful as the beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film series has gotten off to a shaky start, with Man of Steel and Justice League receiving mixed reviews, while Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad were both panned by critics. Wonder Woman was originally the only film to receive positive reviews up until the release of Aquaman in December. While not as beloved as Wonder Woman, the film was still well-received and seen as a step in the right direction for the DCEU, as it’s beginning to shy away from the creative teams behind its rocky beginnings. And sure enough, it’s no surprise that DC has announced a sequel is underway, with many of the original crew returning. While original director James Wan has yet to sign on as director, it’s been confirmed he will at least produce the sequel while David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall - the writers of the first film - will return to write the sequel. Additionally, Warner Bros. announced a horror-tinged spin-off called The Trench is also in development, focusing on the amphibious monsters Aquaman faced in the first film. Considering how fun the first film was, here’s hoping DC will recreate the magic once more for the sequel.
Hulu Announces Four New Marvel Animated Series
Marvel’s biggest platform for television series was Netflix, though the last year has seen this distinction gradually fade, as shows like Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist all seeing cancellation in the last few months. However, Marvel is far from done with new series, and have recently announced that four new animated series based on some of their most obscure characters: M.O.D.O.K., Hit-Monkey, Tigra & Dazzler, and Howard the Duck. Each will have their own standalone series that will culminate in a team-up special known as The Offenders (similar to how Marvel did the same structure with The Defenders for Netflix). Marvel Television Jeph Loeb will produce all the series, which will be largely based in comedy. Patton Oswalt will write and serve as executive producer on M.O.D.O.K. along with Jordan Blum, Blades of Glory team Josh Gordon and Will Speck will write an serve as executive producers on Hit-Monkey, Chelsea Handler will serve as writer and executive producer on Tigra & Dazzler, along with Erica Rivinoja, while Kevin Smith and Adult Swim favorite Dave Willis will write and serve as executive producers on Howard the Duck. While some may start to feel a little drained from all the superhero movies and series, this one is certainly one of the most unique projects from either Marvel or DC in quite some time, and has a mass amount of potential.
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