Hello ladies and gentlemen, here is some movie news with some of my thoughts and opinions (which will be in BOLD print). So without further ado...
Later that year, Vin Diesel also supported Helen Mirren being part of the franchise to MTV: “They’ve gotta get in line behind Helen Mirren. She is on the list. Be careful what you wish for, Helen.” Directed by Straight Outta Compton helmer F. Gary Gray, Fast 8 is planned to launch a new trilogy of films. Fast 8 will be followed by a ninth film to be released April 19, 2019 and a tenth film planned to hit theaters April 2, 2021. Fast and Furious 8, 9 and 10 aren’t the only films new that Universal has planned for the franchise, either. It was recently revealed that plans are underway for both Fast and Furious spinoffs and prequels. The Fast 8 cast is confirmed to include franchise regulars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Elsa Pataky, Nathalie Emmanuel and Lucas Black reprising their roles as street racers-turned-international criminals-turned-super-secret agents. Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson and Kurt Russell are confirmed to return as well. Charlize Theron is confirmed to play the villain, with Kristofer Hivju as one of her henchmen. Scott Eastwood will be playing a protégé of Russell’s Mr. Nobody.
This is a terrific casting choice. Helen Mirren is easily one of the greatest actresses to ever live and adding her to a franchise like this is a great idea. She's an Academy Award winning actress so you know she has the skill and she was in the both Red and Red 2 so she's no stranger to action. I think she is going to be the mother of Luke Evans and Jason Statham's characters and she'll be teaming up with Charlize Theron to exact revenge. This film is going to be insane and with F. Gary Gray at the helm, I have full confidence in the film.
This isn't that surprising to hear. Harrison Ford has always loved the character of Indiana Jones (unlike Han Solo) so he would never have the character killed off unless he said so. Spielberg is smart for bringing this up because he knows that it's what the fans want to hear, plus if you wanted to go back to the mentor route (like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), then having Ford around helps out a lot. Harrison Ford isn't going to do this forever so someone is going to have to take the mantle soon, but for now I'm fine with Ford continuing on with the character.
As we learned in the Disney/Lucasfilm purchase, when a large conglomerate like Comcast/NBCUniversal buys a major company like DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion, they expect to mine their corporate assets for all they’re worth. Now Deadline is reporting that it looks as if NBCU is doing just that with the animation giant’s biggest franchise: the Shrek movies. That’s right, they want a fifth Shrek movie, as well as a sixth and seventh and eighth and so on if all goes well. NBCUniversal chief Steve Burke said that Illumination Entertainment’s Chris Meledandri will now have creative control and “he is creatively going to try to help us figure out how to resurrect Shrek and take a lot of the existing DreamWorks franchises and add value as we create new franchises.” Merlin Entertainments and DreamWorks Animation have already opened a theme park attraction called Shrek’s Adventure London, and NBCU is looking to expand that mode of branding as well, with an eye towards taking the company’s annual revenue into the double-digit billions realm. Merchandising will also play an expanded role in DreamWorks’ future. Back in 2014 Jeffrey Katzenberg stated, “We like to let them have a little bit of time to rest, but I think you can be confident that we’ll have another chapter in the Shrek series. We’re not finished, and more importantly, neither is he.” The most recent installment, Shrek Forever After, opened in May 2010 and though it only grossed $239 million domestically, less than the previous three movies, it grossed $752.6 million worldwide. It was followed 17 months later by the Puss in Boots spin-off, which also fared better overseas than in North America. Even though the franchise has shown signs of diminishing returns in the States, the nearly $3 billion it has grossed between 2001 and 2010 certainly shows that making another movie would be lucrative.
This is great news to hear. Shrek is one of the most beloved character to ever come on the big screen and even kids who weren't alive the the original films came out love the characters in the universe a lot more. The franchise has made a lot of money and I think re-introducing the franchise to a younger generation is a fantastic idea. There are also a lot of fairy tales to be told so it'll be interesting to see which one will be the main plot of the next film. I hope the main three of Mike Meyer, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy return because they are the heart and soul of the films and it would just seem weird to have a film without them.
Jonah Sparks
(NOTE: All of these stories come from comingsoon.net)
Helen Mirren has talked previously about wanting to be part of the “Fast & Furious” franchise and now it is actually happening. Speaking to Elle, the actress confirmed that she has joined the Fast 8 cast! Asked if she is a fan of cars, she said: “Well, yes. I’ve always rather loved driving. I said, ‘I’ll be in it, but only if I’m allowed to drive if I do drive in it.’ But we’ll see. We’ll see how it transpires. Film is a wonderful thing and it can be so many different things. I don’t want to turn my back on any of the different ways movies can be. I love the movies. I love going to the films. I like very serious films, I love foreign films, and I love big, fun movies–as long as they’re well made and they’ve got good scripts. That’s the most important thing.” Back in March of 2015, Helen Mirren revealed her wish to Yahoo! Movies: “My great ambition is to be in a Fast and Furious movie. I so want to be a mad driver in a Fast and Furious movie. My claim to fame is I always do my own driving — I was on Top Gear, and I did [my lap] in a very good time. I keep putting it out there, and they never ask me. I’ll be in Fast and Furious 8. I have to say Vin Diesel is brilliant. I love Vin Diesel. He’s a great guy, smart — I love him. It’s partly because of him I’d like to be in one, but also the driving. I’d also love to do another Red-type movie, because those are such fun to do.”
Later that year, Vin Diesel also supported Helen Mirren being part of the franchise to MTV: “They’ve gotta get in line behind Helen Mirren. She is on the list. Be careful what you wish for, Helen.” Directed by Straight Outta Compton helmer F. Gary Gray, Fast 8 is planned to launch a new trilogy of films. Fast 8 will be followed by a ninth film to be released April 19, 2019 and a tenth film planned to hit theaters April 2, 2021. Fast and Furious 8, 9 and 10 aren’t the only films new that Universal has planned for the franchise, either. It was recently revealed that plans are underway for both Fast and Furious spinoffs and prequels. The Fast 8 cast is confirmed to include franchise regulars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Elsa Pataky, Nathalie Emmanuel and Lucas Black reprising their roles as street racers-turned-international criminals-turned-super-secret agents. Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson and Kurt Russell are confirmed to return as well. Charlize Theron is confirmed to play the villain, with Kristofer Hivju as one of her henchmen. Scott Eastwood will be playing a protégé of Russell’s Mr. Nobody.
This is a terrific casting choice. Helen Mirren is easily one of the greatest actresses to ever live and adding her to a franchise like this is a great idea. She's an Academy Award winning actress so you know she has the skill and she was in the both Red and Red 2 so she's no stranger to action. I think she is going to be the mother of Luke Evans and Jason Statham's characters and she'll be teaming up with Charlize Theron to exact revenge. This film is going to be insane and with F. Gary Gray at the helm, I have full confidence in the film.
With the 73-year-old Harrison Ford signed up for Lucasfilm‘s Indiana Jones 5, many fans are wondering/worried that director Steven Spielberg plans to have the same fate of Han Solo in The Force Awakens befall our favorite globe-trotting archaeologist. Well worry no longer, as the legendary filmmaker has told The Hollywood Reporter that he is not only “super excited” about the fifth installment but that adventure will still have a name at the end of the movie and that name will be Indiana Jones! “I think this one is straight down the pike for the fans,” said Spielberg, who would not reveal plot details, with one exception: “The one thing I will tell you is I’m not killing off Harrison [Ford] at the end of it.” That’s great news for fans who would likely balk at such an idea, the same way they would be furious if James Bond accidentally slipped in the shower and cracked his skull at the end of a (hypothetical) final 007 movie. Even if this turns out to be the last time Ford puts on the bullwhip and fedora, it doesn’t mean the filmmakers have to have the death-defying character bite the dust. “The opportunity to work with Steven again on this character which has brought pleasure to so many… Not to mention me,” Harrison Ford said previously. “It’s fun, it’s great fun to play this character. It’s great fun to work with Steven, I’m looking forward to it.” Franchise veterans Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall will produce Indiana Jones 5, which will see both Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg return to the franchise. John Williams is expected to once again provide the music, while screenwriter David Koepp (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Jurassic Park) is signed to pen the script.
This isn't that surprising to hear. Harrison Ford has always loved the character of Indiana Jones (unlike Han Solo) so he would never have the character killed off unless he said so. Spielberg is smart for bringing this up because he knows that it's what the fans want to hear, plus if you wanted to go back to the mentor route (like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), then having Ford around helps out a lot. Harrison Ford isn't going to do this forever so someone is going to have to take the mantle soon, but for now I'm fine with Ford continuing on with the character.
This is great news to hear. Shrek is one of the most beloved character to ever come on the big screen and even kids who weren't alive the the original films came out love the characters in the universe a lot more. The franchise has made a lot of money and I think re-introducing the franchise to a younger generation is a fantastic idea. There are also a lot of fairy tales to be told so it'll be interesting to see which one will be the main plot of the next film. I hope the main three of Mike Meyer, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy return because they are the heart and soul of the films and it would just seem weird to have a film without them.
After the much-deserved success of The Conjuring 2, it looks like New Line Cinema is getting serious about building a true “Warren Files” universe, as The Hollywood Reporter brings word that that film’s writer David Leslie Johnson (Aquaman, Wrath of the Titans) has been hired to pen a spin-off of the demonic nun character titled, appropriately, The Nun. This follows in the footsteps of the previous spin-off Annabelle, which while not quite as critically or financially successful as The Conjuring, earned quite enough ($256 million worldwide) to warrant an Annabelle 2, which will be directed by David F. Sandberg (Lights Out) and open on May 19, 2017. Series caretakers James Wan and Peter Safran will produce The Nun, which was apparently a character added in last-minute reshoots just this past March. The main villain was originally a horned demon who was cut from the film. Earning nearly $100 million worldwide in its first three days of release, The Conjuring 2 was directed by James Wan (Furious 7) following the record-breaking success of The Conjuring, bringing to the screen another real case from the files of renowned demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren.
Once again this isn't surprising news to hear. Both Conjuring films have been really successful, so it's smart of the studio to make spin-off films for various characters from the two films. They did it for Annabelle and they'll do it for The Nun. Annabelle wasn't the greatest film in the world, but it did make a little bit of money so why not try it again with a different character. I'm not expecting much from the film, but the director hasn't be chosen yet and that will tell a lot about the film and what direction the studio wants to go in.
In development for quite some time, 20th Century Fox‘s P.T. Barnum biopic The Greatest Showman on Earth has seemingly landed a second star. According to a story at Variety, Zac Efron has entered talks to star opposite leading man Hugh Jackman. The Greatest Showman on Earth, scripted by Sex in the City writer Jenny Bicks, offers a musical take on the life of P.T. Barnum, specifically focusing on the creation of his three-ring circus and his infatuation with “Swedish Nightingale” Jenny Lind.
This is terrific casting. As it's been said before, casting Zac Efron was a pretty bad choice when making a film, but he has gotten better and better with each film and putting him alongside Hugh Jackman is a great idea. Both actors are no stranger to musicals as Jackman was in Les Miserables and Zac Efron was in the High School Musical franchise, so I think the film style fits them. This film is going to be an interesting one to see and I'm excited to learn more about P.T. Barnum and how he along with James Anthony Bailey (which is who Efron will be playing) created the circus and how they were able to blow minds across the globe.
So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, which of these stories peaked your interest or was there another story that interested you? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
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