News Of The Week: 'Black Panther 2' Has Some 'Odd Parts,' 'Attack The Block 2' A Go

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.

‘WandaVision’ Breakout Kathryn Hahn & ‘Hamilton’ Star Leslie Odom Jr. Joining Cast Of ‘Knives Out 2’

The Knives Out 2 cast just keeps growing. Shortly after it was announced Edward Norton and Janelle Monáe had joined the Knives Out sequel comes the news that WandaVision fan-favorite Kathryn Hahn has also signed on (via Deadline), along with Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr (via THR). It’s unclear who Hahn and Odom Jr. will be playing, and nothing is known about the plot or production at this time other than that it aims to start shooting in Greece this summer. The two newcomers join a cast that already includes the aforementioned Norton and Monáe, Dave Bautista, and the returning Daniel Craig in the role of detective Benoit Blanc. For her own part, Kathryn Hahn is having herself quite a year with WandaVision and having starred opposite Mark Ruffalo in the critically acclaimed series I Know This Much Is True. She’ll next be seen flexing more of her comedic chops in Apple+ series The Shrink Next Door with Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell. Odom Jr.’s also had a great year, reprising his role of Aaron Burr in the theatrical version of Hamilton and starring as Sam Cooke in Regina King’s breakout directorial debut One Night in Miami. He’ll next be seen in the upcoming Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark.

Martin Freeman Says ‘Black Panther 2’ Has Some Odd Parts

A few weeks ago, Marvel released their MCU Phase 4 sizzle reel and revealed the official title of Black Panther 2 is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The story has been up in the air ever since the tragic and untimely passing of star Chadwick Boseman last August, with writer-director Ryan Coogler and the rest of the cast and crew being taken by surprise by the news. As such, Coogler had to rewrite the script after a period of mourning, and it seems that the story hasn’t suffered from the redo. According to co-star Martin Freeman, the story is going to be weird and wild, but if they can pull it off, something great. While on a recent episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden, Freeman had this to say:

“I had a Zoom call with Ryan Coogler, the director and co-writer, about seven or eight weeks ago, I suppose, and he took me through… he sort of meticulously took me through all of my character’s beats in the film. He took me through the film, but incorporating my character’s beats. And some of it was really [laughs], some of it was very odd. And I think he could see by the reaction on my face, some of the things he was saying… He kept sort of stopping and going, ‘Stay with me, but this is going to work.’ People are in for a real [treat]. I mean we’ve not done it yet. Who knows? We might make it awful. But no, I’m hoping we won’t, and I hope people are going to be in for a treat.“

Interesting. This is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Bong Joon Ho To Direct His First Animated Feature Film

What does a multi-Oscar winning director do after that feat? Anything he wants, that’s what. And that, apparently, is exactly what Parasite director Bong Joon Ho is going to do. Deadline reports (via Yonhap News Agency) the brilliant filmmaker is set to direct his first feature film. Reportedly, he’s been working on the project, which is a story about humans and deep-sea creatures, since 2018 and just finished up the screenplay this past January. It won’t be put into production ASAP, however. Before working on the animation, the filmmaker has quite a bit on his plate, first finishing up his first English language film, which is expected to shoot before the animated film, as well as serving as executive producer on the Parasite series in development for HBO Max, as well as producing the American remake of Korean drama Sea Fog, and serving on jury duty for the upcoming 2021 Venice Film Festival.

John Boyega & Joe Cornish Reuniting For ‘Attack The Block 2’

A decade after the movie that put John Boyega on the map as an actor and Joe Cornish on our radars as a director, Deadline reports the two are reuniting for a sequel to Attack the Block. Boyega is returning as Moses, as well as helping to produce alongside Cornish, who will once again be writing and directing. Nira Park and James Wilson, who teamed up with Boyega and Cornish on the first film, will also be back to produce. The plot of the sequel is being kept under wraps, but the first film saw Boyega in his breakout, star-making turn as Moses, a teenager in a rough neighborhood in South London who mobilized his friends to fight back when aliens invaded their neighborhood. Boyega and Cornish are both thrilled to be working on the long-gestating sequel. Said Boyega, “It’s been a decade since Attack the Block was released and so much has changed since then. I’m excited to see this heightened story return to the streets of London. Moses has remained one of my favourite characters to play and bringing him back is a huge honour.” Cornish is equally as exciting, saying, “I’m thrilled we’re officially announcing our return to the world of Attack the Block on the tenth anniversary of the film’s release. I can’t wait to work alongside John again, bringing audiences an even bigger slice of inner-city alien action.” Anyone who has seen the original Attack the Block knows what a gem it is. Hopefully, the duo can capture that same magic for the sequel.

Bad Boys For Life Directors To Helm ‘Batgirl’ Movie For HBO Max

After years in development, THR reports that DC’s Batgirl movie finally landed a pair of directors. Bad Boys for Life helmers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have been tapped to direct the Bat-family movie, which is centered on Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham police commissioner and regular Batman ally Jim Gordon. Barbara, or “Babs” as she’s called by fans, has been through a few iterations in the comics, most notably the Oracle persona she adopted after being paralyzed by Joker in The Killing Joke. But her main persona has been Batgirl, where she frequently teams up with other Batman protégé Nightwing, a.k.a. Dick Grayson. Joss Whedon first boarded the project back in 2017 but left a year later after being unable to get the story right. Since then, Bumblebee and Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson has cracked the script, but Warner Bros. made the somewhat controversial decision to move the film from a planned theatrical release to a release on HBO Max. Kristin Burr is producing and has high praise for the team the project has assembled. As she said in a statement:

“With Batgirl, we hope to take the audience on a fun ride and see a different side of Gotham. Christina’s script is crackling with spirit. Adil and Bilall have an excited and joyous energy, which is infectious, making them the perfect filmmakers for this Batproject. And I’m just psyched I get to be part of the DC universe, which is super cool.”

El Arbi and Fallah are two of the hottest filmmakers in Hollywood right now. Along with Batgirl, they were recently tapped as co-showrunners of Marvel’s upcoming Ms. Marvel series.