May is here, kicking off with Cinco de Mayo and wrapping up with Memorial Day. We’re officially into the start of summer tentpole movie season, and it’s already great. The news keeps percolating. This week finds Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 smashing the box office, Stephen King adaptations galore, and more.

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

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Pushes Disney Over The $2 Billion Mark For 2023

Thanks to its incredibly solid opening weekend, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has, as of now, grossed $344 million globally in its first week out. That’s a good debut for the third in James Gunn’s trilogy, with it taking in $118.4 million domestically in the first weekend, falling on the higher end of the $105-125 million range that was projected before its release. It’s not a surprise, seeing as how Gunn’s quirky team of space misfits have grown to become some of the most beloved characters in the vast MCU franchise.

Thanks to that opening, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has vaulted Disney past the $2 billion mark at the box office for 2023. That’s significant considering we’re only just into the start of summer movie season and the studio still has a number of heavy hitters releasing this year, including The Marvels, The Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and more. With those and others, Disney will certainly cross the $4 billion threshold by the time the year wraps.

Justin Theroux Joins Michael Keaton In Beetlejuice Sequel

After years of being in development hell, the Beetlejuice sequel is rapidly chugging down the tracks. In recent weeks, it’s added to its cast a number of exciting names. The latest to join that list is Justin Theroux, who can currently be seen in Hulu’s miniseries White House Plumbers. He joins the cast that already includes Michael Keaton reprising his titular role as the crude, chaos-causing ghost and Winona Ryder returning as Lydia, with Jenna Ortega set to play Lydia’s daughter. It’s a reunion for Keaton and director Tim Burton, who famously worked together on the first Beetlejuice movie, as well as Batman and Batman Returns. The long-awaited sequel has just gotten a release date of September 6, 2024, which production starting this week in the UK.

We’re Getting Not One, But Two Exciting Stephen King Adaptations

Stephen King is the evergreen well from which Hollywood borrows, and this week brought news of two new adaptations based on the King of Horror’s work. First up, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill are teaming up for an adaptation of The Life of Chuck, with Mike Flanagan set to direct. Recently, Flanagan has taken the torch from Frank Darabont as the go-to director for great Stephen King adaptations, his most recent being Doctor Sleep and the upcoming series based on The Dark Tower.

The novella The Life of Chuck can be found in King’s 2020 anthology, If It Bleeds. The triparte story tells the tale of Chuck Krantz’s live in reverse order, starting with his death at age 39 from a brain tumor and finishing with his childhood growing up in a house that was haunted. Hiddleston is set to play Chuck, with Hamill playing the role of Albie. No release date it set yet, but it’s expected to be a hot contender at Cannes.

Next up is an adaptation of King’s short story “The Monkey,” with White Lotus actor Theo James set to star. Oz Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter) wrote the script and is set to direct, with James Wan on board as one of the producers. The Monkey tells the story of two twin brothers, Hal and Bill, who discover a strange old monkey toy in the attic. However, as soon as they find it, strange and gruesome deaths start to happen all around their neighborhood. The boys throw the monkey away, believing they have taken care of it. Years later, however, the deaths start again and the brothers, now adults, must come together to destroy the cursed toy for good. Like The Life of Chuck, The Monkey is expected to be a hot contender for bidding at Cannes.

Tom Hanks Thinks Idris Elba Should Be The Next James Bond

Despite the actor publicly stating he has zero interest in playing the role, that hasn’t stopped the internet from fan-casting Idris Elba as the next to play James Bond for years. The newest name on that list of people who think he’d be a great 007 is none other than Tom Hanks. While speaking to BBC to promote his debut novel, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece, the subject of the next Bond actor came up and Hanks was firm in his choice: “Understand this: James Bond has a license to kill. I would issue that license to Idris Elba just based on the work that I’ve seen him do.”

That is high praise, coming from Hanks. However, fans shouldn’t hold their breath about Elba stepping into the role. As he told The Guardian a few months ago, he has no intention of playing James Bond as it’s not a role he’d want to tackle: “I can’t speak for them, but from my perspective, there’s never been any sort of truth to any of it,” the actor said. “It’s a compliment and it’s an honor, but it’s not a truth.”

Trailers & Clips of the Week

And now, your trailers and clips of the week…

Oppenheimer – New Trailer

Everything Cillian Murphy touches turns to gold.

Flamin’ Hot – Official Trailer

Okay, this could be a lot of fun.

Meg 2: The Trench – Official Trailer

HECK YEAH, THE MEG IS BACK, BABY!

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