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.
‘Wonder Woman 3′ Is On The Way
Less than a week after the release of Wonder Woman 1984, Warner Bros. has officially greenlit Wonder Woman 3. The performance of the Wonder Woman sequel, which saw a simultaneous release to theaters and HBO Max on Christmas Day, clearly pleased WB studio execs as they announced the project would be fast-tracked. Interestingly, they must have heard director Patty Jenkins loud and clear as the studio also confirmed this would be a traditional theatrical release. Last week, Jenkins said she would not do a third Wonder Woman movie unless there were a path to a theatrical release. Translation: “I agreed to have Wonder Woman 1984 roll out on HBO Max under the circumstances of this year, but I am not interested in doing a third film if it will be released on streaming, thanks.”
Wonder Woman 1984 had fairly solid ticket sales considering the pandemic, generating $16.7 million domestically its opening weekend. Its success on HBO Max and other platforms is murkier: The studio said nearly half of HBO Max’s retail subscribers watched the film on Friday, with millions more viewing through cable or other means. The total subscriber count for HBO Max is currently 12.6 million, though it’s unclear how many of those are paying, or how many new subscribers the platform got because of the movie’s release. It’s also unclear when, exactly, the third movie will release: Jenkins is on board to do Rogue Squadron for Lucasfilm, which is scheduled for a Christmas 2023 release, along with a Cleopatra movie in development at Paramount.
Michael B. Jordan Officially Directing ‘Creed 3’
A third Creed movie has been in the works for a while, and rumors had abounded that franchise star Michael B. Jordan would direct it. In a recent interview with MTV News while doing press for her new movie Sylvie’s Love, costar Tessa Thompson confirmed the ultra-talented Jordan will indeed be both in front of and behind the camera for the third installment…while slyly poking some fun at him for snagging People‘s Sexiest Man Alive 2020. “He is directing the next Creed, so it’s going to be ammo, I think, for me, when he is engaging with me as a director,” she joked. “I’m just going to tell him to dial down the sexiness. But we, you know, we’re not gonna make it until later in the year. I don’t know if he’ll still be the Sexiest Man Alive in six months.” Shots fired, Jordan.
DC To Have Six Movies A Year, Two Different Batman Universes
After a decade of movies and a few overhauls of the plan, it finally appears Warner Bros. finally has a plan for its DC cinematic universe: Not make a cohesive universe at all. In an interview with New York Times, DC Films chief Walter Hamada revealed the future of DC superhero movies. Starting in 2022, the studio plans to release four DC films in theaters per year, with up to two new “riskier” releases, like Batgirl or Static Shock, heading to HBO Max, giving the studio six new movie releases per year between streaming and theatrical. Along with the movies, the studio plans, much like Marvel has done with Disney+, to create original series for HBO Max that will tie back to the theatrical releases.
What’s more, Warner Bros. plans to have two different Batman universes with two different actors playing the Caped Crusader, running concurrently, with The Flash movie set to link the two universes together. It’s an ambitious plan, and we might be forgiven for questioning whether or not WB has the cohesion to pull it off successfully, considering its spotty track record with DC properties. If they can pull it off, however, DC might finally rival Marvel in terms of box office and streaming success and global popularity. For those wondering, however, if Zack Snyder is in DC’s future plans in light of him getting his Justice League director’s cut, wonder no longer. According to NYT, “At least for now, Mr. Snyder is not part of the new DC Films blueprint, with studio executives describing his HBO Max project as a storytelling cul-de-sac — a street that leads nowhere.”
The ‘Resident Evil’ Reboot Movie Has Already Wrapped Filming
In what might be one of the fastest turnarounds between the first reports of a franchise getting a reboot and wrapping the shoot, the new Resident Evil reboot has already finished filming. A reboot of the franchise, directed by Johannes Roberts, was announced in October and Sony Pictures already tweeted out a message declaring, “That’s a wrap in Raccoon City,” a reference to the fictional city in which the Resident Evil world is based.
This reboot is said to be a lot more true to the original Capcom video game source material, described as an origin story setin Raccoon City in 1998. It will also be sticking solely with characters from the games, unlike the long-running Milla Jovovich movies that centered on Alice, a made-up character for the film franchise. It also appears to be taking a more intimate, horror-focused approach to the films than director Paul W. S. Anderson’s trademark bombastic action of the previous Resident Evil franchise. Robert and co. have cast quite a cast for the reboot, with Kaya Scodelario (Crawl) as Claire Redfield alongside Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) as Jill Valentine, Robbie Amell (Upload) as Chris Redfield, Tom Hopper (The Umbrella Academy) as Albert Wesker, Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap) as Leon S. Kennedy, and Neal McDonough (Yellowstone) as William Birkin.
Channing Tatum To Star Opposite Sandra Bullock In ‘The Lost City of D’
At the time the project was first announced, it was rumored that Ryan Reynolds might be attached to star opposite Sandra Bullock in rom-com The Lost City of D. But with Reynolds being inarguably one of the busiest men in Hollywood, he wasn’t able to step into the role. Instead, Variety reports that Channing Tatum is set to star opposite Bullock, which will give the movie an entirely different flavor but will allow Tatum to flex his fantastic comedy chops once again. It’s reportedly going to be a swashbuckling, odd couple adventure in the vein of Romancing the Stone, with Bullock playing an awkward romance novelist who gets swept up in a jungle kidnapping plot while on a tour with her friendly but dimwitted book cover model. Hijinks ensue. Tatum, naturally, would be playing that dimwitted cover model, a role that he should be able to nail with his uncanny sense of comedic timing. It will be a lot of fun to watch Bullock and Tatum play off one another in a throwback rom-com. Sign me up.
Blumhouse To Adapt Real-Life Story Of Civilian Mother Who Hunted Down Drug Cartel Members
In some “ripped from the headlines” news, Blumhouse is set to adapt the real-life story of Miriam Rodriguez after her story went viral in a New York Times article earlier this month titled “She Stalked Her Daughter’s Killers Across Mexico, One by One.” Blumhouse won the film rights bidding war too adapt Rodriguez’s story, beating out an impressive sixteen other production companies for the prize. And it is a prize, indeed: Rodriguez’s story is incredible. In 2014, when her 14-year-old daughter was kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel, Rodriguez paid multiple ransoms to no avail and also received no help from the corrupt police department. Deciding to take matters into her own hands after her daughter was murdered, Rodriguez went full spy movie, using fake disguises and identities to get close to the cartel members’ friends and families. For three years, she tracked down the cartel members across Mexico, arresting them and turning them over to the authorities every time she caught one like some sort of real-life vigilante superhero-meets-Liam Neeson from Taken. It should make for quite a movie.
‘Shang-Chi’ Star Simu Liu Shows Off His Skills
Last but not least, for Marvel fans who still feel the sting of Marvel casting an actor with zero martial arts experience in the titular role for Iron Fist, allow Simu Liu, star of 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, to cleanse your soul with this video showing off his impressive martial arts prowess:
Daaaaamn. Those are some impressive fighting skills. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters on July 9, 2021 and it should be a martial arts extravaganza, Marvel-style.
