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.

‘Paddington 3’ Is Officially In The Works

Some good news for fans of gentle entertainment: Variety reports that Paddington 3 is officially on the way. A representative from Studiocanal confirmed it to them this week, saying, “We can confirm Studiocanal is working very hard on film 3 with the utmost craft and care — as with film 1 and 2.” Once again, the studio will be teaming up with David Heyman’s Heyman Films to produce. However, writer-director of the first two movies, Paul King, will not direct the third movie this time around. Currently, he’s directing Wonka for Warner Bros., the Willy Wonka origin story set for release in 2023. He will still be involved in some capacity, however, and most of the rest of the Paddington team is involved, including Ben Whishaw, who voiced the gentle, inquisitive bear in the first two movies, which grossed $280 million and $225 million worldwide at the box office, respectively.

‘Blade’ Reboot Starring Mahershala Ali Has Found Its Writer

Marvel’s long-gestating reboot of Blade, tentatively titled Blade, the Vampire Hunter, has officially found its writer. The studio announced that playwright turned screenwriter Stacy Osei-Kuffour has been tapped to pen the script. Osei-Kuffour previously found success on another wildly popular comic book adaptation, HBO’s acclaimed Watchmen series, where she served as story editor and writer. She also worked on animated series Pen15, Amazon’s Hunters, and Domnhall Gleeson series Run. With her hire, she becomes the first Black woman to pen a Marvel movie. According to THR, the last six months have been spent in an extensive search, the studio talking with multiple writers with star Mahershala Ali heavily involved in the discussions and choice of writer. Reportedly, only Black writers were seriously considered, another confirmation Marvel’s renewed commitment not just to diversity but also true inclusion in its projects moving forward, particularly when telling stories about people of color and other marginalized groups. The original Blade trilogy from New Line starred Wesley Snipes as the titular daywalker, a half-human, half-vampire hybrid who hunted vampires, and the movies, particularly the first, are beloved by fans. With the character and Ali’s prestige casting, this is one of the studio’s most anticipated projects.

Pedro Pascal Signs On To Play Joel In ‘The Last Of Us’; Bella Ramsey To Play Ellie

The Mandalorian and Wonder Woman 1984 star Pedro Pascal just continues to have himself a hell of a year, his 2020 success carrying straight over into 2021. Deadline reports he’s landed one of the most coveted gigs in TV: Playing Joel in HBO’s high-profile adaptation of critically-acclaimed video game The Last of Us. It was reported earlier that Game of Thrones star Bella Ramsey, who saw her breakout role playing Lady Mormont in HBO’s hit show, has been tapped to star as Ellie, co-anchoring the video game adaptation opposite Pascal. Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann will be serving as creators and showrunners of the series based on Naughty Dog’s games. The post-apocalyptic story takes place two decades after the downfall of civilization. Joel, a hardened survivor, is tasked with smuggling a young girl who is the last hope of humanity, Ellie, out of the quarantine zone and protecting her as they trek across the ravaged former United States in a heartbreaking journey. With the casting of Pascal and Ramsey, HBO couldn’t have landed two better and more fitting actors for the roles. This has immediately become one to watch.

Zawe Ashton Tapped To Play ‘Captain Marvel 2’ Villain

In recent months, Marvel projects have been picking up steam and the most recent major development is the news that Zawe Ashton has been tapped to play a villain in Captain Marvel 2. Deadline first broke the news of the Velvet Buzzsaw star signing on to face off against Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel. The exact character Ashton is playing is unknown, but sources say she will be playing the main villain. With Ashton’s casting, all the major pieces are in place. Along with Larson, WandaVision star Teyonah Parris has previously been reported to be reprising her current fan-favorite role of Monica Rambeau in the sequel, as well as Iman Vellani, the young soon-to-be star of the upcoming Ms. Marvel series on Disney+. Meanwhile, Candyman‘s Nia DaCosta is helming the project, the first Black woman to direct a Marvel film. WandaVision story editor Megan McDonnell is penning the script.

‘Bridgerton’ Star Regé-Jean Page Lands ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Role

Here’s some fun news. Bridgerton breakout star Regé-Jean Page has landed a role in Paramount’s upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie, reports THR. He joins a cast that already includes Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Justice Smith. Page is having himself a breakout few months with him just coming off Netflix’s smash hit series, in which he played reformed rogue Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, who tag-team directed New Line’s sleeper hit Game Night, are set to direct the adaptation of the world’s most popular tabletop RPG. They also wrote the most recent draft of the script based on a previous draft by Michael Gilio. It’s unclear as of now if the adaptation will be entirely fantasy, such as 2016’s Warcraft, or an element of fantasy and reality set in modern times, similar to the Jumanji franchise. Along with landing this role, Page’s hot streak will continue this week, where he’ll next be seen hosting this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live.

Cool Video Maps Out Marvel’s Planning Methods Via Previs

Lastly, check out this incredibly cool video showing how Marvel movies are mapped out in advance with high-level pre-visualization technology, known as the previs process.