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‘My Spy’ Success Could Lead To A Sequel From Amazon And STX

By
Travis Hopson
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My Spy, the action-comedy that paired Dave Bautista with child actress Chloe Coleman, might be getting a sequel. Deadline reports that STX and Amazon are considering another film based on it performing very well on Amazon Prime.

The plan had been from the start to turn My Spy into another franchise for Dave Bautista, but given the many headaches that went into releasing the film I thought those ideas had faded. Shooting had finished in 2018, but a release date in August 2019 was called off at the last second. The film was then pushed to January 2020, then March which is when I saw it for the first time. That was the day the coronavirus shut everything down, and the movie was delayed into April, and with theatres staying closed STX sold the rights to Amazon who released it in June, apparently to great success.

Directed by Peter Segal, My Spy stars Bautista as JJ, a bruising CIA agent who blows a major case and is busted down to doing surveillance on witness and her young daughter, Sophie.  When Sophie blows his cover, JJ is forced to take her under his wing so she keeps quiet. In the process, they become friends as Sophie proves she’s more than a match for JJ in just about every way.

Bautista, Coleman, and Segal are all being considered to return. Without them, this would probably be one of those lame direct-to-DVD sequels that is only tangentially connected to the original movie. I hate those.

 

Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, And More Feature On Netflix’s ‘The Devil All The Time’ Poster

By
Travis Hopson
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I know Tenet is the movie everybody is thinking about for September, but for me it’s all about The Devil All the Time. Netflix has assembled the best cast of the year for the adaptation of Donald Ray Pollock’s novel, a multigenerational tale about a young man from Ohio and the sinister characters who enter into his orbit. With Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Jason Clarke, Riley Keough, Eliza Scanlen, Sebastian Stan, Bill Skarsgård, Mia Wasikowska, Harry Melling, and Haley Bennett starring, the smartest thing to do is put them front and center because who doesn’t want to see that?

That’s exactly what Netflix has done with the movie’s first poster, which features all of the headliners. A trailer should be dropping fairly soon, and this is a good way to get us ready for it. The film is directed by Antonio Campos, who is best known for a trio of acclaimed indie dramas:  Afterschool, Simon Killer, and Christine.

SYNOPSIS: In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighboring backwoods, sinister characters — an unholy preacher (Robert Pattinson), twisted couple (Jason Clarke and Riley Keough), and crooked sheriff (Sebastian Stan) — converge around young Arvin Russell (Tom Holland) as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family. Spanning the time between World War II and the Vietnam war, director Antonio Campos’ THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME renders a seductive and horrific landscape that pits the just against the corrupted.

The Devil All the Time hits Netflix on September 16th.

“Further Delays” Could Be Coming For WarnerMedia’s 2020 Film Slate

By
Travis Hopson
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It’s likely you’ve heard about the recent problems faced by WarnerMedia through reports on the inevitable demise of their DC Universe streaming service. This week saw hundreds of Warner Bros. employees laid off, including many that helped run the subscriber network. As the company deals with shakeups as part of its merger with AT&T, the future of its film slate is also in question, and some 2020 films may get bumped into next year.

The last few months have been about one thing: Tenet. While Warner Bros. has found a September date for Christopher Nolan’s oft-delayed film, CEO John Stephens told investors recently (via THR) that some of the studio’s other big 2020 releases, such as Wonder Woman 1984 and Dune, are less certain.

Stephens said, “I am not certain where those are going to go,” going on to suggest “further delays in some of the titles” as the pandemic continues to cause problems for theaters’ reopening plans.

These comments come at an interesting time. A couple of months ago the idea of a major blockbuster moving to streaming was easily dismissed, but now that Disney has made that decision with Mulan all bets are off. It’s doubtful we’ll see Wonder Woman or Dune go that way,but nothing can be ignored at this point.

Gritty ‘Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air’ Drama Series In The Works Inspired By Viral Fan-made Trailer

By
Travis Hopson
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So, do you remember that gritty fanmade Fresh Prince of Bel-Air trailer that went viral last year? The short film was created by Morgan Cooper, who nobody had ever heard of before then. Well, his little movie caught on, and attracted the attention of Will Smith who, check it, has a pretty successful production company with which to make stuff he really digs. And he really dug Cooper’s “brilliant” take on his ’90s sitcom, so much that it’s becoming an actual drama series.

THR reports that Cooper and Smith are teaming up on a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air drama series. Titled simply Bel-Air, Cooper’s idea was pretty cool because if you ever listened to the sitcom’s opening lyrics and got beyond the catchy beat, they were pretty serious. Smith played a Philadelphia kid who was caught with a gun by police. Rather than go to prison and have his life ruined, he is rescued by his rich Uncle Phil and sent to Bel-Air to live with them, creating a classic fish-out-of-water scenario.

The series already has some high-profile talent on board. Chris Collins, a writer on The Wire and Sons of Anarchy, will co-write the scripts and act as showrunner.  Cooper will co-write, direct, and exec-produce the series. Smith will exec-produce along with Quincy Jones and others associated with the original show.

A bidding war has broken out between Peacock, Netflix, HBO Max, and others to acquire the series. So look out, Morgan Cooper is about to be huge enough to live on his own palatial estate in Bel-Air.

 

‘The Flash’: Ezra Miller And Grant Morrison’s Script Was Heavily Influenced By ‘Back To The Future’

By
Travis Hopson
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The solo Flash movie with Ezra Miller has been through its share of ups and downs. Multiple directors and writers have come and gone, and for a while it was legit on the ropes and looking like it may not happen. That was when Miller, in a fit of desperation, took it upon himself to write a new script, joining with comic book legend Grant Morrison. Their screenplay was never taken too seriously, but Morrison says it probably should’ve been, and describes it as being very similar to the classic Back to the Future.

Morrison told Collider in an interview…

“Yeah, it was pretty good. I mean, I don’t know what they’re doing with it. But it was pretty good. And it was a very different kind of superhero thing. It was more like Back to the Future, I would say, than a superhero movie.”

“No, it wasn’t [darker] really. I mean, elements of darkness were there and the material that they wanted us to use [was] the Flashpoint stuff. So, Ezra and I were actually trying to do something that was a bit more — like I say, it’s kind of like just a great science-fiction story. And if you don’t know [the comics], it would have made sense. But I have to say, I mean, I don’t want to talk about that, because somebody else has done their own work on it and I’m sure it will be great. And maybe, as I say this will leak out one day and people can judge.”

The “somebody else” he’s referring to is Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson, who is all over the DCEU right now. She’s working on a new script that will be directed by It and Mama filmmaker Andy Muschietti.

The Flash is currently set to open on June 3rd 2022. Expect to learn more about it during DC FanDome on August 22nd.

Martin Scorsese Inks Multiyear Deal With Apple For New Film And TV Projects

By
Travis Hopson
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Martin Scorsese Reportedly has a New Orleans Mafia Film in the works

Apple, just days after inking Leonardo DiCaprio to develop film and TV projects, have now thrown down the big money to land his Killers of the Flower Moon director, Martin Scorsese.

The legendary Martin Scorsese is taking his talents to Apple on a multi-year deal to produce new projects through his Sikelia Productions banner. Apple is already releasing his upcoming film, Killers of the Flower Moon, at a reported cost of more than $160M so Scorsese knows they’ve got the cash to back whatever he can come up with.

There aren’t any details on what Scorsese has in store, but we should see him get back into TV where he found his greatest success with HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. He also produced the short-lived series Vinyl.

As for Killers of the Flower Moon, production should begin early next year. [Deadline]

‘X-Men’ Vet Shawn Ashmore Joins ‘The Boys’ Season 2 As Lamplighter

By
Travis Hopson
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The Boys is adding another deranged superhero for season two, and he’ll be played by someone who is quite familiar with superheroes: X-Men actor Shawn Ashmore.

EW reports, and has shared the first look at Ashmore in the role of Lamplighter. The character was mentioned in the prior season as being an original member of The Seven, retiring under “mysterious circumstances”. Because of his exit, the team recruited the wholesome Starlight (Erin Moriarty) to take his place.

As in the comics, Lamplighter used his power of pyrokinesis to murder Mallory’s grandchildren. He was given up by the team to prevent an all-out-war with the CIA. So his connection to Billy the Butcher and his team runs pretty deep.

Ashmore was a key figure in the X-Men movie franchise for a while, playing the role of Bobby “Iceman” Drake in four movies, most recently in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Showrunner Eric Kripke says about Ashmore’s casting, “We were thrilled that Shawn — who is, let’s be honest, an OG superhero — wanted to play the crucial part of Lamplighter. He brings so much depth, menace, and world weary humanity to this former member of the Seven. And Shawn is a really good guy. We’re grateful to have him join our bloody little family.”

The Boys returns to Amazon Prime on September 4th with three episodes, new ones releasing each Friday.

Jared Leto May Have Accidentally Revealed ‘Tron 3’ Title

By
Travis Hopson
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The news of a third Tron film directed by Lion‘s Garth Davis has excited fans of the Disney franchise, and apparently nobody was more excited about it than star Jared Leto. Given that he’s been attached to it for three years with very little actually happening, it’s understandable he’d be anxious to share what he knows. Well, Leto might’ve shared too much, like the movie’s title.

If you go to Leto’s Twitter right now, you’ll see what looks like a standard message hyping the film and expressing his excitement to be part of it…

That wasn’t his first tweet on the subject, however. As confirmed by Collider, Leto first tweeted about the movie and referred to it as Tron: Ares. That tweet was quickly deleted and replaced with the bland one you saw above.

Here’s the thing: that title would make a lot of sense. Back when Leto’s name was first attached to Tron 3, it was revealed he would be playing Ares, a character that was created for the canceled sequel, Tron: Ascension, which director Joseph Kosinski hoped to make.

Leto may have spilled the beans accidentally, or it’s possible the movie no longer going under the Tron: Ares title and Disney corrected him. We don’t know, but it looks as if Ares is going to be very key going forward.

Zac Efron Returns To Disney For ‘Three Men And A Baby’ Remake

By
Travis Hopson
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Be honest; how many women on your timeline have melted into puddles at the sight of a fully-bearded, lumberjacked Zac Efron on his Netflix series, Down to Earth with Zac Efron? All of them? Then you and I are in the same boat. Well, Efron might have to tone down the grizzly man hotness a notch and get back into Disney shape, because he’s going to be starring in their remake of Three Men and a Baby.

THR reports Efron will star in the remake of 1987’s Three Men and a Baby, which is being set up for Disney+. Will Reichel, who wrote the 2018 Steve Coogan film Hot Air, penned the script.

The original movie starred Steve Guttenberg, Tom Selleck, and Ted Danson as three New York bachelors who find their lives turned upside down by an infant child they must care for. Leonard Nimoy was behind the camera, believe it or not.  The film was a gigantic hit, earning $240M and leading to the 1990 sequel Three Men and a Little Lady, which made only $71M.

It’s worth noting that a sequel had been planned more than a decade ago, titled Three Men and a Bride. While a script was said to be completed, nothing ever happened with the movie and probably never will.

A director has yet to be named, but with Efron back in the Disney fold it shouldn’t take long to find one. Efron has spent his post-High School Musical years taking on edgier roles that don’t conform to the Mouse House’s wholesome standards. He played serial killer Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, and most recently appeared in Harmony Korine’s stoner comedy The Beach Bum.

Come to think of it, Efron’s new Dad bod kinda makes him perfect for this.

‘Magic Camp’ Trailer: Adam Devine And Gillian Jacobs Have A New Bag Of Tricks For Disney+

By
Travis Hopson
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Disney+ may have The Mandalorian and a bunch of other Star Wars and Marvel shows on the way, but the thing that’s really keeping that 60M+ subscriber base happy right now? It’s a bunch of exclusive family-friendly content, and the latest is a kid film titled Magic Camp, which has Adam Devine and Gillian Jacobs as rival magicians.

While this might’ve been more interesting if Devine and Jacobs were practicing the Dark Arts, the magic of Magic Camp is purely of the David Copperfield variety. The story takes place at a magic camp for kids, and involves a group of misfits who need to learn a few tricks. Devine’s character is a bit of a douche who thinks he’s a bigger deal than he actually is…so basically every character Devine has been playing since Pitch Perfect.

Interestingly, the film is directed by Mark Waters, best known for Freaky Friday and Mean Girls. He most recently was behind the camera for Bad Santa 2, so this is quite a change of pace from that one. A ton of writers had their hand at the script, including Max Winkler (Ceremony) and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood duo Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue.

Also starring Jeffrey Tambor, Cole Sand, Nathaniel McIntyre, and Aldis Hodge, Magic Camp hits Disney+ on August 14th.

SYNOPSIS: A group of misfit campers help a down-on-his-luck magician rediscover his love of magic in Disney’s “Magic Camp,” a heartwarming comedy about finding joy and confidence in self-acceptance.

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