This week sees announcements regarding live-action adaptations of animated series, sequels, reboots, and more. Check out below for the latest movie news:
Christopher Nolan’s Next Movie Adds to Its Cast
Christopher Nolan is incredibly private about each of his upcoming projects, and we rarely know much about any of them until it gets closer to the release dates. His latest untitled film - which is slated for release on July 17, 2020 - is no different. However, while we wait for emerging plot details, we at least have some cast announcements to hold us over in the meantime. The first major star to sign on for the project is John David Washington, who recently won audiences over for his stellar leading role in last year’s BlacKkKlansman. The actor, former football player, and son of Denzel has only appeared in minor supporting roles otherwise - not including his major role in the HBO series, Ballers - so it’ll be great to see him in another major project such as this. The next two to sign on were Robert Pattinson - who will be seen shortly in the upcoming High Life, and most recently starred in the fun Good Time - and Elizabeth Debicki, who recently appeared in Widows, for which she received critical acclaim. While all of their roles are currently undisclosed, this still adds more excitement to whatever Nolan has up his sleeve next.
Mindy Kaling Coming-of-Age Series Ordered at Netflix
Mindy Kaling has a new series in the works for Netflix. The as-of-now untitled series will be loosely based on Kaling’s own childhood and has been ordered for ten episodes. The series will be a coming-of-age series that focuses on the complicated life of a modern-day first generation Indian American teenage girl. Considering Kaling’s last series, The Mindy Project, was incredibly popular - getting picked up by Hulu after its original network, Fox, decided not to renew it, and being allowed to end on its own terms - this is potentially another big hit for Netflix. Kaling also has a new film titled Late Night, co-starring Emma Thompson, seeing release in June, as well as an anthology adaptation of Four Weddings and a Funeral seeing release on Hulu later this year.
Idris Elba, Andy Serkis Joining ‘The Mouse Guard’
An intriguing project lined up is The Mouse Guard, an adaptation of a comic book series from Boom! Studios. Set in a medieval world that tells the tale of mice who are protectors of their land from foxes and other predators, the series has been described as “Game of Thrones with mice” and was a two-time Eisner Award winner. The film adaptation will be directed by Maze Runner director Wes Ball, and already has Andy Serkis and Thomas Brodie-Sangster (who appeared in both Maze Runner and Game of Thrones) signed on to the project. Most recently announced is Idris Elba, as an Obi-Wan Kenobi-sort of figure who was once a legendary champion and thought to be long gone. While Elba has been around for quite some time now, he’s recently been a more in-demand actor, signing on to big name projects such as the latest Suicide Squad installment, and appearing in the latest Fast and Furious spinoff, Hobbs & Shaw. While this is one to be approached with a bit of trepidation, this is certainly one of interest.
Toxic Avenger Reboot on the Way from Macon Blair
The Toxic Avenger, the B-movie (or is it more of a Z-movie?) from the 1980’s that has gone on to achieve cult status, is getting a reboot. Actor-director Macon Blair has recently signed on to write and direct a reboot of the infamous Troma film, which tells the story of a janitor who is constantly bullied only to fall into a drum of toxic waste and emerge as a hideously transformed superhero. Blair has been a staple of Jeremy Saulnier’s films, including Blue Ruin and Green Room, and co-writing Saulnier’s latest, Hold the Dark. He also made his directorial debut with Netflix’s I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. Considering his filmography has mostly resided in more cult-like films, Blair seems like the perfect match to take on adapting one of the strangest superhero movies. This one should certainly be a lot of fun.
‘Bill and Ted 3’ On the Way
Another cult franchise from the 1980’s is the Bill and Ted franchise, which saw its first installment, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, in 1989, followed by Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, in 1991. Fans have been wanting more ever since, and now they’re about to get their wish. In a new promotional video, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter have announced the third installment, Bill and Ted Face the Music, will be released in August 2020. The film will follow the two titular characters as a visitor from the future tell them that a song they wrote can save the universe and bring about harmony, setting them on a quest to fill this prophecy. While other cast and crew details are scarce at this time, this should certainly be another excellent adventure on the way.
Danny Trejo in ‘Dora the Explorer’ Live-Action Film
When one thinks of Danny Trejo, cute and cuddly don’t immediately come to mind. While he has appeared in family friendly films such as the Spy Kids series, he’s primarily known for his tough-guy roles such as in From Dusk Till Dawn, Machete, and Desperado. However, in a complete opposite turn for the 74-year-old actor (hard to believe, right?), he’s been announced to play Boots the Monkey in the upcoming live-action adaptation of Dora the Explorer, titled Dora and the Lost City of Gold. The film is the latest from the team that brought us the last few Muppets films, being directed by James Bobin and co-written by Nicholas Stoller, and also sees Isabela Moner in the title role. Another bit of interesting casting is Benicio Del Toro as antagonist Swiper the Fox. While Dora the Explorer is very much a kid-oriented sort of series, this casting news - along with the crew behind this one - certainly makes this a bit more interesting than its animated counterpart.
New ‘Scooby-Doo’ Film Finds Its Fred and Daphne
Another adaptation of an animated series on the way - this time, also an animated film and not a live-action adaptation - is the latest Scooby-Doo film, titled Scoob. The first in what’s to be a “Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe” (let’s see how that goes), the film will find Frank Welker reprising his role as the titular character, along with Will Forte as Shaggy, Gina Rodriguez as Velma, and Tracy Morgan as Captain Caveman (which we certainly weren’t expecting). Now, the film has found its Fred and Daphne, with Zac Efron and Amanda Seyfreid signed on to respectively play the last two members of the Mystery Inc. gang. This one can easily go either way, though all of the names signed on to this one so far can be incredibly fun in the right setting, so this one is still on the radar for now.
Florence Pugh Signs on to ‘Black Widow’ Movie
One of the biggest surprise hits of the year so far - and easily an early front-runner for one of the year’s best - is Fighting With My Family, which introduced mainstream audiences to newcomer Florence Pugh, who gave a stunning lead performance as the real-life wrestler Paige. Pugh has now become a sought-after actress (rightfully so), and is now the latest to sign on to Marvel’s Black Widow solo film, which currently doesn’t have a release date lined up (though considering Marvel has a slew of dates lined up for the next few years, Black Widow could be one of the films taking one of these slots). Pugh will play the second-lead character in the film, after Scarlett Johansson as the titular character. The film will be directed by Cate Shortland, who has previously directed independent films Lore, Berlin Syndrome, and Somersault. While Black Widow hasn’t really gotten her moment to shine in many of Marvel’s Avengers and Captain America films, hopefully her first solo outing will change that, and the addition of Pugh certainly adds to the anticipation.
Disney-Fox Merger Finalizes
Easily one of the biggest ongoing stories that has developed over this last year is the merger between Disney and Fox. And last week, the merger has been finalized, making Disney the most powerful company in the business. The biggest reason this merger is so high on the radar is that Disney now owns the movie rights to X-Men, Fantastic Four, and numerous other highly popular Marvel characters, and we can now look forward to seeing Wolverine, Deadpool, and many others alongside the Avengers in future upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe films. While it’s unknown if Marvel plans on keeping the current cast members or plans on starting fresh, it shouldn’t be too long before we see the beloved characters pop up in future Marvel installments. Unfortunately, to end this on more of a downer, the merger also means layoffs, and unfortunately, over 4000 employees have been immediately let go as a result. While Marvel fans are rejoicing over the merger, it doesn’t mean all is well in The House of Mouse.
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