This week was chalk full of news for popular movie franchises. Many of the announcements have been divisive, to say the least, involving sequel announcements, remakes, spinoffs, and casting choices that many have called questionable. Here are five of this week’s most notable announcements:
1) Emma Thompson to Join Disney's Live-Action ‘Cruella'
If there's one thing that Disney won’t slow down on, it’s their live-action remakes of their animated classics. And another one of their targets is 101 Dalmations. Though that movie already got a live-action remake in 1996, so they’re taking a different approach, with a live-action origin story of the film’s villain, Cruella De Ville. Emma Stone will play the titular baddie and the film will be helmed by I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie. And now Emma Thompson has been announced to be in talks for a role in the film. It’s unknown at this point who Thompson will be playing, as well as any other details about the film. Though considering Gillespie’s involvement - as I, Tonya was easily one of the best films of 2017 - this may wind up being one of the better live-action remakes from Disney.
2) ‘Chip ’n Dale Rescue Rangers’ Movie Coming From One of the Lonely Island Guys
Chip and Dale, the two chipmunks who have been tormenting a multitude of Disney characters since their inception in 1943, got a makeover in 1989 in the form of a TV series called Chip ’n Dale Rescue Rangers, which saw them running their own detective agency and solving mysteries along with a new cast of characters. It was fairly popular for the three seasons it aired, though nothing was done with the franchise since it ended, outside of reruns on The Disney Channel. Though now, it’s been announced a live-action/CGI remake of the series is coming in the form of a movie, to be helmed by The Lonely Island’ Akiva Schaffer. Supposedly the film will be more of a self-referential, meta film rather than an origin story, though no other details have been announced. This take on the duo could prove to be a good fit for Schaffer, who has also directed The Lonely Island’s Popstar: Never Stop Popping and Hulu’s PEN15. This could be a surprise hit, if done right.
3) Chris Rock is Reviving the ‘Saw’ Franchise With a Reboot
Comedians diving into the horror genre seem to be the latest craze. Jordan Peele’s two directorial outings have both been horror films, while Danny McBride co-wrote the screenplay for the Halloween sequel. Up next is Chris Rock, who has an idea for a new Saw movie. The latest film will be a reboot that will see franchise director Darren Lynn Bousman returning, using a screenplay that was based off Rock’s story idea. Rock will not appear in the film, though will also serve as executive producer. The film has been described as not being a comedy, and will instead be “really intense twisted.” James Wan and Leigh Whannell will also return as executive producers. While this seems like one of the oddest pairings in quite some time, this will certainly be intriguing, to say the least. The film is set for an October 23, 2020 release.
4) The Next ‘Star Wars’ Movie Will Be From ‘Game of Thrones’ Creators
Star Wars is going on a hiatus for three years after this year’s The Rise of Skywalker. Though that doesn’t mean the franchise is showing any signs of slowing down, as it already has plans for new movies every two years once we get to 2022. And the first of those movies will be a the first film in a trilogy from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. There are currently no other details about the trilogy, other than that it may be set in the time of Knights of the Old Republic, which was previously announced to also be in the works from LucasFilm. This may have been the top story of the week had it been announced a month ago. Though due to the highly divisive fan reaction towards Game of Thrones’ final season, this does now warrant approaching this with a bit of trepidation. The duo were previously on top of the world for Thrones, though fans have recently disavowed them as being terrible writers due to the final season. Still, it’s not time to write them off so quickly just yet, and there’s still hopes that they will do the beloved franchise justice.
5) Robert Pattinson is the Front-Runner to Star as Matt Reeves’ Batman
It’s not a done deal just yet, though it looks like Matt Reeves may have found his Batman for the upcoming The Batman in 2021. Robert Pattinson has been announced to be the front-runner for the role, on a short list that also includes Nicholas Hoult, and it looks like highly likely he’ll be the final choice. Reeves has been working on The Batman for the last two years, after Ben Affleck stepped down as director. While Affleck was originally announced to still star in the project, he has since announced he’s stepping down from the role altogether and leaving the DCEU behind, leaving Reeves to tell his own take on the character. Warner Bros. is giving Reeves ample time to work on the screenplay, as Batman hasn’t been the source of positive reception in his last few movie appearances in the DCEU. If Pattinson is definitely locked in, he’ll be the second-youngest actor to take on the role of the Dark Knight, following Christian Bale, who was 31 when Batman Begins was released.
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