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Cary Fukunaga Shoots Down ‘Bond 25’ Rumors, Says ‘Casino Royale’ Arc Will Be Followed

By
John Nolan
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With the arrival of Cary Fukunaga on Bond 25, replacing Danny Boyle who left to go make a comedy musical, the expectation might have been of a standalone film Fukunaga would have all to himself. Think again. While there have been a ton of rumors going around about what the film will or won’t be, Fukunaga tells Inquirer.net that things are very much still in development, but one thing for sure is that the story will pick up threads left throughout Daniel Craig’s run as 007…

“In terms of what I can bring to change the character, Bond is on a character arc that started with ‘Casino Royale,’ and I will be carrying that on. There will be changes, I am sure. As in any story, a character has to change in order [to have] a narrative.”

It’s unclear what storylines he’s talking about, though. The whole Quantum thing, that seemed to be going somewhere with the first two movies but fell off the map with Skyfall? Or perhaps there will be a continued evolution of Bond himself? He’s become increasingly frazzled with each film and, if this is truly the end of Craig’s run, we may see him go over the edge or just burn out completely.

Fukunaga also takes issue with some of the swirling rumors, in particular ones that say Christoph Waltz’s villain Blofeld and Ben Whishaw’s Q won’t make appearances…

“Who is saying those rumors? We haven’t finished the screenplay, so there is no way that anyone could know that. Those are two extraordinary actors, so if there is space for them in the story, I would absolutely want them there. But I don’t know yet what it’s going to be.”


Everything has changed since Boyle’s exit so assuming anything at this point would be foolish. I’m anxious to see what direction he takes 007, and hopefully, Craig can go out with the bang he deserves.

Bond 25 opens February 14th 2020.

Wes Anderson Adds Timothee Chalamet, Benicio Del Toro, And More To ‘The French Dispatch’

By
John Nolan
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It’s looking like a strong awards season for Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs, with a pair of wins in today’s WAFCA Awards and a certain Oscar nomination down the road. But the director is already hard at work on his next live-action film, titled The French Dispatch, with shooting already underway in France. While Anderson has enlisted the usual suspects, and rumors of some pretty big names are out there, a few new faces have now been confirmed.

Joining the previously announced Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton are Frances McDormand, along with Anderson first-timers Timothee Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, and Benicio Del Toro. Chalamet is coming off an acclaimed, possibly Oscar-worthy performance in Beautiful Boy. Wright recently starred in Netflix’s Hold the Dark, and Del Toro was last seen in the sequel to Sicario.

Contrary to the earliest reports, this film won’t be a French musical, but instead is described by Indiewire as “a love letter to journalists set at an outpost of an American newspaper in 20th-century Paris.” Three storylines will be followed, set in different time periods including modern day.

So far there’s no truth to the rumors of Brad Pitt, Natalie Portman, and Lea Seydoux joining up, too. Then again Portman and Seydoux have worked with Anderson before so it may just be a matter of time.  At this rate, we should see The French Dispatch arrive sometime in 2020.

2018 WAFCA Awards: ‘Roma’ Named Year’s Best Film, ‘A Star Is Born’ Earns Top Acting Honors

By
John Nolan
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Today, the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, of which many of us here are members, announced winners of the 2018 WAFCA Awards. In what will certainly be a departure from the Oscars, it was Alfonso Cuaron’s period piece Roma which came away with both Best Film and Best Foreign Language Film, along with Best Director.  A Star is Born swept the major acting categories as Bradley Cooper won Best Actor and Lady Gaga took Best Actress.

The complete list of winners and nominees is below! You can listen to the announcement broadcast here!

Best Film:
Roma

Best Director:
Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Best Actor:
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)

Best Actress:
Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born)

Best Supporting Actor:
Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Best Supporting Actress:
Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Best Acting Ensemble:
The Favourite

Best Youth Performance:
Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade)

Best Voice Performance:
Bryan Cranston (Isle of Dogs)

Best Motion Capture Performance:
Josh Brolin (Avengers: Infinity War)

Best Original Screenplay:
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (The Favourite)

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

Best Animated Feature:
Isle of Dogs

Best Documentary:
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Best Foreign Language Film:
Roma

Best Production Design:
Production Designer: Hannah Beachler; Set Decorator: Jay Hart (Black Panther)

Best Cinematography:
Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Best Editing:
Tom Cross, ACE (First Man)

Best Original Score:
Nicholas Britell (If Beale Street Could Talk)

The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC:
Vice

‘Captain Marvel’ Drops An Energizing New Poster Ahead Of Tonight’s Trailer

By
John Nolan
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We should get a trailer for Avengers 4 at some point this month, but for now we’ll have to settle for another look at the film’s centerpiece character, Captain Marvel. A luminous new poster for Captain Marvel has dropped, just in time for the second trailer which debuts later tonight. 

The first thing you can’t help but notice are the eye-popping colors; this thing looks amazing. Here’s hoping all of that cosmic energy looks half as cool in the actual movie.  Look closer and you’ll see the image also plays to Carol Danvers’ divided roots as a Kree/human hybrid. On half we see Air Force fighter jets, and on the other alien spacecraft possibly belonging to the Kree. Since the shapeshifting Skrulls are also involved they could belong to them, I suppose.
Here is the prequel film’s official synopsis:  Set in the 1990s, Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that follows the journey of Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes. While a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth, Danvers finds herself and a small cadre of allies at the center of the maelstrom.



Co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Captain Marvel opens March 8th 2019.

Guy Ritchie’s ‘Toff Guys’ Adds Colin Farrell As Kate Beckinsale Drops Out

By
John Nolan
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After a stretch in which he made nothing but blockbusters like Sherlock Holmes, The Man from UNCLE, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and Disney’s upcoming Aladdin, Guy Ritchie is going back to his Brit-crime roots. The Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director has assembled a Hell of a cast for next film, Toff Guys, and the latest to join the star-studded crew is Colin Farrell.

Farrell joins a cast that includes Matthew McConaughey, Crazy Rich Asians’ Henry Golding, Hugh Grant, and Jeremy Strong. Damn. McConaughey plays a weed mogul who is trying to get out of the drug game, but keeps running into problems. The rest of the cast play either roadblocks to his exit strategy or accomplices.  Farrell plays a man named Coach who trains MMA fighters, Grant is a photographer who plans to blackmail the protagonist with scandalous photos, and Golding is a Vietnamese gangster.

One other big change involves the casting of Downton Abbey‘s Michelle Dockery as McConaughey’s wife. She’s actually coming in to replace Kate Beckinsale who was part of the initial wave of casting.

No word on when filming begins. Next up for Farrell is Disney’s live-action Dumbo film which opens in May. [THR]

Box Office: ‘Ralph Breaks The Internet’ Tops A Quiet Weekend, ‘Hannah Grace’ Possesses $6.5M In Debut

By
John Nolan
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1. Ralph Breaks the Internet– $25.7M/$119.2M
Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet dropped 54% from last week but still earned $25.7M, enough for first place and $119M domestic. Overall the sequel has $207M, making it the biggest theatrical animated sequel in Disney’s history, with plenty of weeks left to go. Although, it’s unclear how profitable those weeks will be with a slew of kid-friendly films on the way.
2. Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch– $17.7M/$203.5M
After four weeks Illumination’s The Grinch has surpassed the $200M mark, and currently sits as the third highest-grossing Christmas film domestically. Worldwide the animated toon has $268M.
3. Creed II– $16.8M/$81.1M
Creed II took a body blow of 53% in its second week and has $81M domestically. That’s actually quite good and sets it on a path to surpass the $109M of the prior movie three years ago. Worldwide the $173M haul should be enough to greenlight a third round.
4. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald– $11.2M/$134.3M
5. Bohemian Rhapsody– $8.1M/$164.4M
6. Instant Family– $7.1M/$45.9M
7. The Possession of Hannah Grace– $6.5M
As usual, the post-Thansgiving weekend is a desolate place, with only Screen Gems’ The Possession of Hannah Grace as a new release. The $10M horror starring Shay Mitchell as a morgue worker stuck with a recently-possessed corpse, opened with $6.5M. Not bad considering the low budget, but not great either considering the lack of fresh competition.
8. Robin Hood– $4.7M/$21.7M
Good news. The critically-panned Robin Hood flick only fell 49% this week! Woot!!  The bad news: last week was so bad that equates to just $4.7M earned for the $100M attempted franchise. Whomp whomp. Worldwide the outlook isn’t much better, with just $48M the overall tally. Ouch.
9. Widows– $4.4M/$33M
10. Green Book– $3.9M/$14M

Vision Is Definitely Going To Be Part Of A Steaming Series With Scarlet Witch

By
John Nolan
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The fanboy tears are flowing. Following an early rumor that Marvel was developing a Scarlet Witch series that may include her robotic boytoy Vision, Deadline is now confirming Vision will be headling the series. And they’ve even given it a title that has more fans whining, Vision and the Scarlet Witch.  

This is apparently a terrible thing that does some sort of injustice to Scarlet Witch? That’s the case if you go to certain sites which apparently think Disney confirmed Scarlet Witch was getting a show for herself. They, of course, never did any such thing.  Like it or not, Wanda Maximoff and Vision are a package deal and we’ll be learning more about how they exist as a couple with her being a powerful mutant sorceress and him a sentient android.  Perhaps the series will lead to the eventual birth of the Young Avengers known as Wiccan and Speed?
Both Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany will be reprising their roles last seen in Avengers: Infinity War when things were about as bleak as they get. Presumably, all will be patched up in next year’s Avengers 4. 
Look, I get it. Scarlet Witch hasn’t had nearly enough screen time, but the same can be said for Vision. And I dont need to see a series, limited or not, about her discovering the extent of her powers or figuring out her family tree or whatever. No thanks. Let’s plow ahead, shall we? Let’s assume she’s powerful as fuck and move on. 
As we bid adieu to Netflix’s corner of the Marvel Universe we’re seeing more projects being set up for next year’s launch of Disney+. Along with Vision and the Scarlet Witch we know that a Loki limited series starring Tom Hiddleston is in the works, along with a show featuring Anthony Mackie as Falcon and Sebastian Stan as Bucky. A rumor has a Groot and Rocket series possibly on the way, too, but that has yet to be confirmed. 

A Zatanna Film Could Be Coming To Warner Bros. And The DCEU

By
John Nolan
-

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If the recent Ghostbusters film had come out a year later it would have been a smash hit. The timing was just a little bit off. We’ve seen a wave of successful female-led projects ever since, with Wonder Woman leading the way. Warner Bros. is continuing to push heavily in that direction with Birds of Prey, Supergirl, and Batgirl films all in development as part of the DCEU. And now one more may be in the works, centered on Justice League Dark member Zatanna.

In Deadline‘s story about the upcoming slate of superhero films with female leads, they mention that a Zatanna film is being considered. There aren’t any details, but that it was mentioned at the same time as previously-revealed Supergirl and Batgirl films suggest it’s probably as much of a reality as they are. But it does sound like these projects are taking precedent over The Flash and Superman which don’t really seem to be going anywhere.

Zatanna was originally going to be part of Guillermo del Toro’s Justice League Dark film before it got shelved. A stage musician with actual magic abilities, her extensive powers can be unleashed when she speaks the incantations backward.

Who knows if this will ever happen. It’s hard to peg down what the Hell is happening in the DCEU from one day to the next, but in theory a Zatanna film has potential to explore the mystical, paranormal side we haven’t seen yet.

Marvel Teases “More Adventures” For Daredevil Following Series Cancellation

By
John Nolan
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Appropriately enough, fans of Daredevil were blindsided by the sudden cancellation of the hit Marvel Netflix series. The show had been the crown jewel of that corner of the Marvel Universe, and the third season had only just been released to continued critical acclaim. But with its cancellation, and that of Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and likely more to follow, there was hope they would find a new home at Disney’s new streaming service. It looks like Marvel may have had similar ideas in mind.

In a statement given to Deadline, Marvel thanked the fans for their support of Daredevil over three seasons. They went on to tease “more adventures” for the Man Without Fear, without elaborating on what that means…

Marvel is extremely grateful to the huge audience that loved Marvel’s Daredevil. From the moment of young Matt’s first act of heroism to the birth of Page, Murdock, & Nelson, it has been a unbelievable journey. We are incredibly proud of the amazing showrunners and writers starting with Drew Goddard and Steven DeKnight, Marco Ramirez and Doug Petrie and Erik Oleson, Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Vincent D’Onofrio and our casts who brought our characters to life with such excellence, and every one of the fantastic crews in NYC. We look forward to more adventures with the Man without Fear in the future.

It’s possible they mean the Charlie Cox version of Daredevil will show up in the next seasons of Jessica Jones or The Punisher, but I think we all know they’re teasing something more. Moving a popular and recognizable character like Daredevil over to Disney+ would be a good way to keep a certain audience continuity, but would they do it with somebody new under the mask? I don’t think any of these characters stays dormant for long. Will they be completely rebooted with new actors, though? Kevin Feige will probably want to put his own stamp on them as they move fully into the MCU.

No matter what, Daredevil’s story is far from over.  I’m really going to miss Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page. If I could have any of them take a bigger role in the MCU it’d be her.

Nick Nolte Joins ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘The Mandalorian’

By
John Nolan
-

Unexpected casting news alert! I can’t think of any actor I’d expect to see be part of Star Wars less than Nick Nolte. Even in his “Sexiest Man Alive” years it would have been an odd fit but now it makes even less sense. And yet it’s happening, as Nolte has joined the increasingly strange cast of The Mandalorian, the first Star Wars series headed to Disney+.

THR has the news of Nolte’s casting, and of course there are no details on his role. He joins Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, and supposedly Carl Weathers, which is just wild. Now, it’s possible Nolte and others are being brought on to voice CGI characters, or will be hidden under heavy prosthetics. In Nolte’s case that would make sense because production has been ongoing for a while now and he’s only just coming aboard. It’s possible his role is pretty small, at least initially. 
Honestly, I’m just glad the 48 Hrs. star is still out there and staying busy. He spent the last couple of years starring in the Epix series, Graves, and has starred in two movies this year, Til Schweiger’s Head Full of Honey and drama film The Padre. He’ll next be seen opposite Gerard Butler in the action sequel Angel Has Fallen. 
The Mandalorian will be part of Disney+ when it launches next year. 
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