Last week saw the announcements of projects from multiple creative teams who previously worked together, as well as adaptations of popular graphic novel and Broadway titles that have yet to ever be adapted for either the big or small screen. All these and more below:
Wicked Film Adaptation Coming 2021
Wicked, the Wizard of Oz spinoff Broadway musical, is finally on its way to the big screen. Set from the point of view of both the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch of the North, the Broadway musical first hit the stage in 2003 and was a massive hit, still running to this day. A film adaptation was discussed shortly after by Universal Studios, with director Stephen Daldry announced to take on the project back in 2012, though after many years of discussion, the project was put on hold due to Universal’s focus on their other Broadway adaptation, Cats (seeing release December of this year). However, production is back on, with Daldry still attached to direct, and will see release on December 22, 2021. Daldry has multiple audience-friendly, Academy-Award nominated films under his belt, including The Hours, The Reader, and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. Considering all his previous efforts have heavily emotional tones that connected with audiences, Wicked is sure to be another hit for both the director and Universal.
The Michael B Jordan Take-Over
Michael B Jordan certainly has a busy schedule ahead of himself. The once-TV star has made quite a name for himself in recent years starring in hits such as Black Panther and the Creed movies, with 2018 in particular being one of his most successful years. The actor plans on keeping the momentum going with a slew of projects in the works announced this week, mostly thanks to his production company, Outlier Society. Jordan’s company recently struck a deal with Warner Bros. to adapt Black Leopard, Red Wolf, a fantasy epic by author Marlon James, which has been equated to Game of Thrones. Outlier also just struck a deal with Amazon Studios to release a TV series with the company, though no further details have been given on that one yet. Meanwhile, Jordan still plans to continue his momentum as a leading man, as he’s announced to star in Without Remorse, an adaptation of the Tom Clancy novel about CIA operative John Clark, a character in the Jack Ryan universe. These are on top of multiple other projects already announced to star or be produced by Jordan. The actor has a lot on his plate, though considering the quality of movies he usually chooses, these are all sure to be worth the wait.
MacGruber TV Series in the Works
Will Forte is coming back to TV, with a new series based on his Saturday Night Live sketch MacGruber in the works and being pitched as an eight-to-ten episode series to various streaming services. A parody of the action series MacGyver, MacGruber was previously adapted once before as a 2010 film that starred Forte, Kristen Wiig, and Val Kilmer. It was neither a critical nor commercial hit, though it did go on to achieve a cult following. However, Forte and Wiig are giving it another go, both set to return, as will director and co-writer of the film Jorma Taccone, who is also part of the comedy troupe The Lonely Island. All the major cast and crew involved first found their success in the TV world, and hopefully a return to that format will mean MacGruber will find the success it’s looking for this time around.
Billy Eichner to Star in Romantic Comedy Produced by Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow is certainly a busy man, with always a slew of projects in the queue, mostly leading to either critical or commercial success. Just following the announcement that he’s producing an autobiographical film from Pete Davidson, Apatow is now set to produce a new romantic comedy starring Billy Eichner. The untitled project will be directed by Neighbors and Get Him to the Greek director Nicholas Stoller, and will circle around two men with commitment problems who attempt to begin a relationship. Stoller has directed multiple hits under Apatow’s production previously, including the previously-mentioned Greek, as well as The Five Year Engagement, while Eichner is quite well-liked in the TV world, thanks to his game show Billy on the Street as well as his supporting turn in Parks and Recreation (a fun addition to the later seasons of the show). With this combined talent, this should hopefully make Eichner’s first starring film project quite a joy to watch.
Gary Oldman, Armie Hammer Star in New Film About the Opioid Crisis
The first theatrical film to tackle the international opioid crisis is underway. Titled Dreamland, the project will feature Gary Oldman, Armie Hammer, and Evangeline Lilly, with production underway shortly. The film will be directed by Arbitrage director Nicholas Jarecki, in what will be his second feature film. While I have yet to see Arbitrage, it was critically praised and widely seen. Meanwhile, Hammer and Lilly have recently established themselves as wonderfully capable of being intriguing protagonists, with Lilly coming off Ant-Man and the Wasp, while Hammer has made a name for himself with a fantastic performance in Call Me By Your Name (which was by far the highlight of that film). Paired together with the grandiose Oldman, the trio should make for very engaging leads, and combined with a director who already brought one critically praised film to theaters, this should be for a solid thriller.
Anya Taylor-Joy to Star in Edgar Wright Thriller
A few weeks ago, Edgar Wright announced he was working on a new thriller, with not too many details given beyond that. Now, it’s been announced that the film will be called Last Night in Soho, and will star Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role. There are still very little details about this one, but the announcement of Taylor-Joy is definitely a nice step in the right direction. The up-and-coming actress has made for a solid protagonist in thrillers like Split, The Witch, and Thoroughbreds, and will next be seen in the X-Men horror film The New Mutants. Pairing her with Wright - in what will be his most serious material to date - puts this one high on the radar.
The Hate U Give Creative Team Directing Author’s Follow-Up Novel
Last year saw the release of The Hate U Give, an adaptation of the young adult novel by Angie Thomas. The rare YA story that did not tackle a high-concept fantasy or sci-fi setting, Give instead focused on race relations as a young girl witnessed her friend shot by the police. It was a highly emotional experience that made for quite a hit in 2018. So naturally, when you see that something works, you look to repeat the success. Fox - who distributed Give - has announced they’re adapting Angie Thomas’ follow-up novel On the Come Up, with George Tillman Jr - who directed Give - returning to direct this next adaptation. On the Come Up focuses on a 16 year old aspiring rapper whose first song goes viral for the wrong reasons and puts her at the center of controversy. Considering this is the same exact crew that was behind the author’s first hit novel, in theory lightning should certainly strike twice for all involved on this one.
Tom Hanks Re-Teaming with Paul Greengrass for News of the World
Director Paul Greengrass’ bread and butter are thrillers and real-life intense dramas. The director was behind three Jason Bourne movies, as well as the highly emotional United 93. In 2013, he teamed up with Tom Hanks to bring us Captain Phillips, which combined the best of both worlds. A thriller based on a 2009 merchant ship hijacking, the film was a box office success that went on to be nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Now the two are set to team-up once more, in the director’s next feature News of the World, a Civil War drama about a veteran Army captain who goes from town to town reading newspaper articles aloud to illiterate children, who then accepts a courier job to bring a 10-year old girl to some surviving relatives 400 miles away. Considering Greengrass’ knack for real life-based drama and Hanks’ incredible likability as a lead, the duo could easily have another hit on their hands with this one.
Y: The Last Man TV Adaptation to Premiere in 2020
One of the most famous sci-fi comic book series of all-time is Brian K. Vaughn’s Y: The Last Man, a post-apocalyptic drama set in the aftermath of a plague. Released from 2002 to 2008, the series has received widespread acclaim and surely an adaptation was in talks for some time after. Last year, FX had announced a pilot was in the works, to star Diane Lane, Barry Keoghan, and Imogen Poots, with Alien: Covenant and Logan writer Michael Green on as show-runner. Last week, it was announced that FX has gone ahead and greenlit a straight to series order, with all of the same cast and crew on board. While I have yet to read the hit comic book series, considering FX’s tendency to air high-quality dramas, as well as the involvement of Green, whose screenplays made for excellent entries to hit franchises, this is sure to be some excellent television on the way.
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