News of the Week: Daisy Ridley Gives Exciting Tease About Her Upcoming Star Wars Movie

We’re already halfway through January and the first month of 2024 is flying by. With the holiday lull being over and Hollywood being in the thick of awards season, there’s plenty of entertainment news hitting the internet. This week finds a few exciting tidbits, from a Star Wars update, a weird Taylor Swift conspiracy theory, a new Jordan Peele joint, and more.

As always, Atom Insider brings you a few hand-picked stories we think you’ll like. Ready? Let’s dive in.

Godzilla Minus One Black & White Version Is Hitting U.S. Theaters

The Japanese kaiju movie Godzilla Minus One has been a box office juggernaut, not just internationally, but also in North America. To date, it’s grossed $96 million on a budget of less than $15 million, which is a hit from any angle. It’s been so successful that distributor Toho International is taking another crack at theaters by offering a brand-new version of the movie. An entirely black and white remaster of Godzilla Minus One, being called Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, will be released in the U.S. starting January 26. The black and white version will run for a week before leaving theaters on February 1, which will also see the colorized original version of Godzilla Minus One leave theaters.

Get tickets for Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color

Brad Pitt Gave David Oyelowo Some Valuable Advice After Selma’s Turbulent Release

David Oyelowo is a renowned actor, respected in the industry for his work and dedication to his craft. Even so, an even more established veteran actor once gave him a piece of advice that he needed to hear right at the moment he most needed to hear it. Back in 2014, when his breakout film, Ava DuVernay’s Selma, was released, it was not without tumult. Questions about the movie’s historical accuracy and the #OscarsSoWhite campaign put undue pressure on the film, and the conversation about the movie then became about anything other than the movie itself. It all led to a diminished box office return and just two Oscar nominations for a film that, without the maelstrom around it, would have notched multiple awards.

At the recent NATPE Global conference in Miami, Oyelowo revealed that Brad Pitt, who was a producer on the movie, consoled him at the time and offered an important lesson on perspective: “Don’t worry about any of that. You don’t know what your film is until 10 years after it’s been made,” Pitt said. Oyelowo went on: “And I remember him saying that and me thinking, ‘Yeah, you’re Brad Pitt. You can say that. I don’t know about that.’ But he used the example of one of my favorite films of all time, which is Fight Club.”

Fight Club opened to just $11 million in its first weekend and grossed $37 million in the U.S., while being attacked by talking heads and politicians for allegedly promoting violence. Now, of course, David Fincher’s film is an established part of the cultural canon. The same has happened for Selma in the years since it’s release: “You were right, Brad, you were right.,” admitted Oyelowo.

No, Conspiracy Swifties, Taylor Swift Didn’t Write The Book That Argylle Is Based On

There is a bizarre conspiracy that has taken hold of Swifties involving Taylor Swift, a book, and Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming action-comedy spy movie, Argylle. But first, the context for those of you undoubtedly scratching your heads: Argylle, in theaters February 1, centers on Bryce Dallas Howard’s character, Elly Conway, a writer of spy novels who finds herself kidnapped when it turns out the plots of her spy novels are seemingly prescient. The confusion began when it was said that the movie was based on an as-yet-unreleased novel by the first-time author Ellie Conway. However, no one seems to know who Ellie Conway is, particularly as the screenplay was written by Jason Fuchs.

It was soon reported that “Ellie Conway” is a pseudonym, and that’s when Taylor Swift fans started weaving their theories about real identity of the author. Taylor Swift is known for using pseudonyms in her work, particularly when she ghostwrites other singers’ songs. Secondly, Elly’s beloved cat in the movie, her Scottish Fold, Alfie, looks a lot like Swift’s own cat, Olivia Benson. That was enough for Swifties to convince themselves that it was, in fact, Taylor Swift who write the mystery book that Argylle is based on.

However, Matthew Vaughn has shot down that conspiracy. “There is a real book… and it’s a really good book,” said Vaughn, whose own daughter first alerted him to the theory circulating online. “And there is an Elly Conway who wrote the book, but it’s not Taylor Swift. And I say that because I imagine Taylor Swift has a load of people trying to jump on her bandwagon left, right and center, and I don’t want to be a part of that club.” He continued: “I did read the conspiracies and I was like, wow, they don’t leave a stone unturned! But it’s not Taylor Swift. She definitely didn’t write the book.”

So there you go. Sorry, Swifties. You’ll just have to be content with Taylor Swift dominating the world.

Get tickets to Argylle

Chad Stahelski Signs Deal With Lionsgate To Oversee John Wick & Highlander Franchises

Chad Stahelski, who has become something of the de facto action movie director of the current era, is quietly building himself a creative empire with Lionsgate. The writer-director has just inked a deal to oversee the creative direction of not just the John Wick franchise, but also the Highlander franchise. Stahelski, of course, has overseen the John Wick franchise since its inception and has also signed on to direct the Highlander reboot starring Henry Cavill in the lead role of Duncan MacLeod.

According to the press release, Stahelski will be given complete supervision of both franchises across movies, TV, and any other multimedia platforms, and plans seem ambitious. The John Wick franchise has already expanded with The Continental TV series, and the upcoming spinoff movie Ballerina. It’s also entirely possible that, with Cavill as the lead, the Highlander franchise can become the true multimedia franchise Netflix wanted The Witcher to be before Cavill parted ways. “The director and his team at 87Eleven Entertainment have taken the lead in designing a comprehensive multi-platform content strategy for both franchises,” said the press release. The presser also went on to state that Stahelski would be working side-by-side with the producers to shape the overall direction for each franchise.

For his part, Stahelski is stoked about the new role. “John Wick is so close to my heart and to be able to continue shepherding it will be a blast for me,” he said in a statement. “I’m so happy to also be launching another franchise with Highlander, a world that is so rich with engaging stories to be told.”

Daisy Ridley Gives Exciting Tease About Her Upcoming Rey Star Wars Movie

It was a surprise when it was announced last spring that Daisy Ridley would be returning for a brand-new Star Wars movie as Rey, set to be directed by Ms. Marvel co-director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Since then, while there have been several rumors, both unaddressed and debunked, there have not been a lot of concrete updates. However, Daisy Ridley recently spoke with AlloCiné and gave a vague but exciting tease about what to expect from the in-development project.

“So I thought about it for a little bit, and once I knew what the story was and everything, I knew it was something I really wanted to do,” she said. “I think it’s a really fantastic exploration of the Star Wars world. It’s a really cool way of taking the story on in a bit of a different direction.”

In November of last year, Ridley talked about her experience at Star Wars Celebration in London, saying, “It was such a wonderful reception. I’m very excited. The story is really cool.”

All we know about the story so far is that it will be set after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and will follow Rey as she tries to rebuild the new Jedi Order. Considering the vast potential that story offers, it will be really interesting to see where they’ll take it. For all appearances, it seems we’re in for something unique. As Ridley said, “[S]o far, I know the story of one film and I think people will be very excited.”

Marlon Wayans To Star In Sports Horror Movie GOAT With Jordan Peele Producing

Jordan Peele and his Monkeypaw banner have originated some of the most unique and daring horror movies of the past few years, and now it’s looking to add another one to its roster: GOAT. Based on a spec script by Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie and set to be directed by Justin Tipping, the story revolves around a young, promising athlete who gets the invite to train with the team’s aging superstar. Now, the project has found its titular GOAT in Marlon Wayans, who will pay the team’s superstar. Reportedly, he was always at the top of the wish list for the role; the role of the young athlete is still being worked out through screen-testing.