Hollywood was on temporary pause but productions are gearing back up, release dates continue to be tweaked in preparation for theaters reopening, and things are slowly starting to return to normal – or at least, our temporary new normal. Movie news is once again starting to flow, with us bringing you a few hand-picked stories we think you’ll like.
Let’s hop to it.
‘Aquaman 2’ Gets Official Title
As the Aquaman sequel heads into pre-production, director James Wan has surprised people by announcing the official title early. On his Instagram account, he revealed Aquaman 2 will officially be called Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom:
That title gives some indication of what the story of the sequel may be about. In the DCEU, the kingdom of Atlantis, now ruled by Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman, was once one unified kingdom. But when the great calamity befell the city and it sank beneath the waves, it was broken up into seven kingdoms. Six were known: Atlantis, Xebel, Fisherman, Brine, Trench, and Deserters. But one was proclaimed “lost” and has been known only as the Lost Kingdom ever since. Clearly, that mysterious part of Atlantis lost to history will play a major role in the events of Aquaman 2. The entire main cast and creative team is expected to return. Wan, of course, will be back in the director’s chair with a script from David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who penned the first film. Jason Momoa (Arthur Curry/Aquaman) is of course going to return, as are Amber Heard as his love interest, Mera, and Patrick Wilson as antagonist Orm. The first Aquaman made over $1 billion at the box office, making it the only DC film since Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy to cross that threshold.
‘The Good Place’ Star Jameela Jamil Joins ‘She-Hulk’ As The Villain
The Good Place star Jameela Jamil has landed her next TV gig: she’s about to become the newest cast member of the MCU. The actress will be joining Marvel’s She-Hulk Disney+ series. She joins a cast that includes Tatiana Maslany in the titular role of lawyer Jennifer Walkers a.k.a. She-Hulk. Along with Maslany are previously announced cast members Renée Elise Goldsberry, Ginger Gonzaga, Tim Roth, who is reprising his role as Emil Blonsky a.k.a. Abomination from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, and Mark Ruffalo, who returns as Bruce Banner a.k.a. Smart Hulk. Marvel is famously secretive when it comes to announcing roles when casting, but In a rare development, we actually know who Jamil will be playing: the villain Titania, another character with super-strength who has been a frequent antagonist of She-Hulk over the years. In the comics, Titania, born Mary MacPherran, grew up bullied and picked on thanks to her scrawny frame and nerdy, bookish personality. Over the years, she grew increasingly bitter, and when Doctor Doom offered her the chance at superpowers, she jumped at the opportunity to exact revenge on her oppressors and anyone she felt had wronged her. However, Marvel has a history of casting outside the box and changing backstories, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jamil’s version of the character be retconned for the Disney+ series. Kat Coiro is in the role of director for the show and Jessica Gao the head writer; both are also executive producers. She-Hulk, which is currently filming in Atlanta, is expected to drop sometime next year.
Owen Wilson & Michael Peña Join Superhero Action-Comedy ‘Secret Headquarters’
Owen Wilson and Michael Peña will be spending time together at superhero HQ. Deadline first broke the news that Wilson and Peña are joining Paramount’s Secret Headquarters being helmed by Project Power duo Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman and Jerry Bruckheimer producing. The two veteran actors join a cast that already includes Walker Scobell, Momona Tamada, Keith L. Williams, Abby James Witherspoon, and Kezii Curtis. The movie is being described as a family-friendly action-comedy about a kid who discovers that the world’s most famous superhero has hidden their headquarters beneath his house. He and his friends must defend it from the villains who would infiltrate the HQ and take over the world. The original draft of the script was written by Christopher Yost, who penned Thor: Ragnarok and The Mandalorian, with Joost and Schulman writing the most recent draft with Josh Koenigsberg. Nothing is yet known about who Wilson or Peña will be playing, but it’s likely to start shooting within the next few months as it’s set for release on August 12 of next year.
‘Matrix 4’ & ‘Iron Fist’ Star Jessica Henwick Joins ‘Knives Out 2’
Lots of casting news this week, clearly. Next up, the Knives Out 2 cast just got one rising star bigger in the form of Jessica Henwick (Iron Fist, The Matrix 4). Deadline broke the news. With the addition of Henwick, it appears that the sequel’s cast is now complete, with the project already having Dave Bautista, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, Madelyn Cline and Edward Norton on board. Daniel Craig, of course, will be returning as eccentric detective Benoit Blanc. Henwick has had a sharp rise in Hollywood featuring her first major, breakout role playing Colleen Wing in Marvel’s Iron Fist and The Defenders. She’s currently filming the high-profile Netflix adaptation The Gray Man opposite Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling, jumping straight to that project after wrapping filming on The Matrix 4. Most recently, she starred in Love & Monsters and could be heard as the voice of Alexia in Netflix’s adult animated series Blood of Zeus. Like most of the cast, it’s unclear who Wing will be playing, but more details should emerge soon as the project is set to begin filming this summer in Greece.
‘Fast And Furious 10′ & ’11’ Will Shoot Back To Back
Upcoming Fast & Furious franchise installment F9 originally started shooting in the summer of 2019, which, after a year ravaged by global pandemic and lockdown, might as well be back in the Civil War era. It finally hits theaters on Friday, June 25 here in the United States, but is already doing big business overseas where it’s already been released. The film has had five different release dates over the past two years, and Universal and everyone involved are eager to get underway filming the final two installments so no other setbacks pop up. To that end, star Tyrese Gibson confirmed to Collider that the final two films in the main Fast & Furious franchise would be shooting back to back:
“I have definitely asked some questions about 10 and 11. It has been confirmed we are going to shoot back-to-back and get both in the can. Which is interesting. I’m hearing that we’re going to touch a lot of continents between the two. I cannot say where, but a lot. The higher-ups that are involved in this franchise are specifically aware of the die-hard fans and supporters around the world. We all carry a particular torch of responsibility and knowing there is a beast, and we need to feed that beast and give them what they want, what they love, and what they’re used to.“
With that, it makes the franchise led by Vin Diesel just the latest in a longtime trend of franchise films shooting big productions back to back. Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame had a famously long shoot to wrap up Marvel’s Infinity Gauntlet saga while the seventh and eighth Mission: Impossible movies were originally set to shoot together before numerous COVID-forced delays scrapped that plan.
Trailers & Clips Of The Week
Black Widow – ‘Got This’ Clip
All due respect to Natasha Romanoff, but David Harbour’s Red Guardian is going to be the MVP of this movie. Count on it.
Gunpowder Milkshake Trailer
It’s a shame that Covid delays forced this to Netflix, because this deserves to be seen on as big a screen as possible.
The Witcher Season 2 Teaser
Geralt of Rivia is going to have a lot on his hands this season.
Free Guy – New Trailer
And now we finally know why Guy is the only one who can save the game.
