Comic-Con 2020: HBO Unveils Trailer For ‘His Dark Materials’ Season 2, Phoebe Waller-Bridge Joins Cast

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July 24, 2020

A “strange new world” is coming to HBO, as the network revealed the first trailer for season two of His Dark Materials. The adaptation of Philip Pullman’s novels, which already spawned 2007’s The Golden Compass, faced a production shutdown due to COVID-19. The impact will be a reduced episode count from 8 to 7, but that’s a small price to pay compared to other productions that have yet to get back on track.

In the revealed footage, we once again see Logan star Dafne Keen as Lyra, who is searching for a mysterious group of people in this new land. We also see other returning faces such as Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scorseby, and Ruth Wilson as series villain Marisa Colter.

There’s also been one big new addition to the cast, albeit in a tiny role. Fleabag creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge reunites with “sexy priest” Andrew Scott, voicing the animal daemon of his character, Colonel John Parry.

HBO has yet to confirm a date for the second season of His Dark Materials, but the trailer says to look for it this fall.

SYNOPSIS: In the second season of HIS DARK MATERIALS, Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) has opened a bridge to a new world, and, distraught over the death of her best friend, Lyra (Dafne Keen) follows Asriel into the unknown. In a strange and mysterious abandoned city she meets Will (Amir Wilson), a boy from our world who is also running from a troubled past. Lyra and Will learn their destinies are tied to reuniting Will with his father but find their path is constantly thwarted as a war begins to brew around them. Meanwhile, Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson) searches for Lyra, determined to bring her home by any means necessary. HIS DARK MATERIALS is available on HBO and to stream on HBO Max.

Comic-Con 2020: ‘The Boys’ Gets Early Season 3 Renewal, A Whale Of A Bloody Clip Revealed

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Travis Hopson

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July 24, 2020

Don’t worry your pretty little human heads, Amazon Prime’s The Boys is back for season two. And not only that, but it was revealed at yesterday’s Comic-Con @ Home panel that the fucked-up superhero series has already been renewed for a third season.

The hour-long panel featured showrunner Eric Kripke along with the show’s stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capon, Karen Fukuhara, and Aya Cash. The news of its renewal was revealed by exec-producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, with the promise that season 2 will be even crazier than the first.

And that was certainly borne out in the season 2 clip that debuted, which finds Billy Butcher and the gang in a speedboat chased by hungry sharks, only to have an unfortunate encounter with a whale.

“I think hands down that’s probably the weirdest thing a lot of us had done in our careers,” Urban said. “You had all of us actors in the boat, and we were actually doing it. We had a helicopter that was hovering 80 to 100 feet in the air, flying along parallel with us. You never get to experience doing something for real anymore, it’s usually all done on the green screen, but we were actually out there in the water doing horrendous speeds and having fun.”

To put it mildly, The Boys isn’t for anybody who wants a traditional take on superheroes. Who wants the same ol’ boring thing, anyway? The new season of The Boys kicks off with three new episodes on September 4th, with Amazon Prime premiering the finale on October 9th. There will also be a weekly post-show, Prime Rewind: Inside The Boys, hosted by Aisha Tyler, moderator of the Comic-Con panel.

‘Spider-Man’ Sequel Swings To December 2021 Date Vacated By ‘Avatar 2’

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Travis Hopson

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July 24, 2020

One studio’s loss becomes another studio’s gain. With Disney moving Avatar 2 out of 2021 and into the following year, Sony has fired a web right at the vacated spot. They’ve now set the upcoming Spider-Man: Far from Home sequel for December 17th 2021, right where James Cameron’s film used to be.

There aren’t a ton of details about what a third Sony/Marvel Spider-Man film would look like. Previously-dated for November 5th 2021, the film will once again be directed by Jon Watts and star Tom Holland as the wall-crawling Avenger, who is now a wanted murder suspect. The thread from that storyline will undoubtedly be followed, and we can expect to see more of J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, who has gone from angry newspaper publisher to raging conspiracy theorist.

With Sony building up their superhero movie base with Spider-Man spinoffs, we could see some crossover with movies such as Morbius and Venom. How the remaining Avengers treat Spidey now that he’s a fugitive from justice should be interesting, as well. [Deadline]

‘Top Gun: Maverick’, ‘A Quiet Place 2’ Head To 2021

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Travis Hopson

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July 23, 2020

Top Gun: Maverick — TOP GUN: MAVERICK- Tom Cruise has never looked more like the last true movie star than when he jumped back in the cockpit for this rip-roaring sequel that features ome of the most incredible cinematography and aerial combat sequences ever put to film.

Can we just finally say goodbye to the 2020 movie season already? Already wrecked by COVID-19, this year in movies just got even thinner as Paramount has moved its two biggest movies, A Quiet Place 2 and Top Gun: Maverick, to 2021.

Deadline reports John Krasinski’s sequel to his smash hit horror film will now arrive on April 23rd 2021. The film stars Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, and Millicent Simmonds as they try to survive in a world populated by monsters that hunt by sound. Joining the cast are Djimon Hounsou and Cillian Murphy, with Krasinski writing and directing.

Meanwhile, we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see Tom Cruise take the pilot seat once again. Top Gun: Maverick will now lift off next summer on July 2nd 2021, so you can make it part of your Fourth of July weekend plans. The film has been moved around the schedule a lot, starting back when it was due in the summer of 2019, but hopefully this time it will stick the landing.

Trio Of ‘Star Wars’ Dates Announced, ‘Avatar’ Pushed Back, ‘Mulan’ Pulled As Disney Shuffles Release Plans

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Travis Hopson

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July 23, 2020

The COVID-19 situation has all Hollywood studios in a state of confusion, and that’s no different for Disney. The Mouse House has done a complete shake-up of their release date schedule, with the biggest moves involving Mulan, James Cameron’s Avatar sequels, and the reveal of three new Star Wars movie dates. While we probably have a good idea what the first one is, the others are a mystery that needs unraveling.

So let’s start with Mulan because that was right around the corner. It’s not totally unexpected given the current state of Tenet, but Disney has pulled Mulan off the schedule completely. Many have speculated this could be one of the films that could be moved to Disney+, but there is nothing to suggest that is happening. Yet.

James Cameron’s Avatar sequels are on the move. Again. The long-awaited (?) followups to the gigantic 2001 hit will now arrive on December 16th 2022 with Avatar 2, December 20th 2024 for Avatar 3, December 18th 2026 brings Avatar 4, and Avatar 5 arrives on December 22nd 2028. Yeah, that’s right, you’ve got eight more years of Avatar before this thing is over. Is anyone convinced that first movie will arrive on time, either?

And now Star Wars, which Disney has put on a “break’ for the time being. With Rian Johnson occupied by Knives Out sequels, his trilogy appears to be on ice for the time being. The first new Star Wars movie was to arrive in December 2022, but that has now shifted to December 22nd 2023 and is likely to be from director Taika Waititi. The next two dates are December 19th 2025, and December 17th 2027. Are they at least part of Johnson’s planned trilogy? Or something completely new? Perhaps Waititi decided to extend his stay with the folks at Lucasfilm? We don’t know, but you can bet sleuths are on the case.

A few more titles to mop up. The Personal History of David Copperfield, which stars Dev Patel, has shifted to August 28th 2020. That date sounds like it may come to VOD or Disney+. Ridley Scott’s’ The Last Duel, with Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jodie Comer, and Adam Driver, has moved from this December all the way to October 15th 2021.

Sorry, Wes Anderson fans. The French Dispatch has been pulled from the schedule and is now TBD. I’m guessing Disney is looking for the perfect awards season date for that one. Kenneth Branagh’s sequel Death On the Nile has moved two weeks to October 23rd 2020, while the Guillermo Del Toro-produced horror Antlers will now arrive on February 19th 2021.

Comic-Con 2020: ‘The New Mutants’ Opening Scene Revealed, But Is It Still Coming To Theaters?

By

Travis Hopson

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July 23, 2020

The three-year wait for The New Mutants is finally coming to an end. Through multiple delays caused by planned reshoots (which never materialized), the sale of Fox to Disney, and ultimately COVID-19, fans of the young team of mutants have waited patiently for the movie to arrive. With recent rumors it would leave behind its theatrical date next month for Disney+ in September, there was added interest in today’s Comic-Con @ Home panel that there would finally be some answers.

There was good news all around. The New Mutants will not only keep its August 28th theatrical release date (for now), but director Josh Boone debuted the movie’s opening few minutes, which you can watch below. The film stars Blu Hunt as Danielle Moonstar, Maisie Williams as Rahne “Wolfsbane” Sinclair, Charlie Heaton as Samuel “Cannonball” Guthrie, Anya Taylor-Joy as Illyana “Magik” Rasputin, and Henry Zaga as Roberto “Sunspot” DaCosta, powerful mutants trapped in a secret facility that makes their worst nightmares come true.

The opening scene centers on Moonstar, and her connection to the powerful spirit, the Demon Bear. We see the destruction and tragic loss that haunts her, as she learns to control her powers while held against her will.

Time will tell if The New Mutants maintains the August 28th date, as its tough predicting anything when it comes to COVID-19.

Check out the opening clip below, followed by the entire Comic-Con @ Home panel!

From #ComicConAtHome The #NewMutants sneak peek segues into a new trailer for the next X-Men entry. pic.twitter.com/2A0udaG5qG

— Fandango (@Fandango) July 23, 2020

Comic-Con 2020: ‘Utopia’ Trailer Reveals Comic Book Conspiracy Series With Sasha Lane, John Cusack, & Jessica Rothe

By

Travis Hopson

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July 23, 2020

Following the success of Gone Girl, author Gillian Flynn and director David Fincher tried to work that magic a second time. They looked to a remake of British series, Utopia, with Fincher’s The Social Network and ‘Dragon Tattoo‘ star Rooney Mara in the lead. But HBO wanted to get out of the Fincher business, and so they did. The project was left in limbo until Amazon came along and rescued it. Flynn is still involved, but Fincher and Mara are lone gone.

And now the trailer for Utopia is here, ahead of its debut this fall. The series is based on exec-producer Dennis Kelly’s series about fans of a cult graphic novel known as “The Utopia Experiments” that has somehow been able to predict future disasters. When they discover the author’s sequel and set out to prevent the next calamity, they are suddenly pursued by a mysterious organization known as “The Network”.

The cast Flynn has put together includes American Honey breakout Sasha Lane, Rainn Wilson, Dan Byrd, Ashleigh LaThrop, Christopher Denham, Gotham‘s Cory Michael Smith, Desmin Borges, John Cusack, and Happy Death Day‘s Jessica Rothe.

Universal Eyes Tom Cruise/Elon Musk Space Movie, Budget Could Soar Past $200M

By

Travis Hopson

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July 23, 2020

The news that Tom Cruise would be joining with Elon Musk’s Space X to develop the first movie ever shot in outer space…well, it was both pretty wild and yet not-so-crazy for the risk-taking actor. While it would seem something like this would take an eternity to get moving, things are actually moving pretty quickly. Not only might the film be on the verge of landing a studio, but the budget is starting to come together. Shocker: that shit is going to be huge.

Variety reports that negotiations are underway with Universal to finance and distribute Cruise and Musk’s space movie. Directing will be Cruise’s pal, Doug Liman, who will shoot from the International Space Station. This being the first movie ever to be shot outside of planet Earth, it’s led to some potential hurdles that could derail the whole thing.

So there’s the issue of budget, with estimates surpassing $200M. That’s a Helluva lot of coin for Universal to plunk down under the best of circumstances, but a production like this MUST come with unforeseen circumstances. There’s a good chance that the budget goes way up. Cruise’s salary for this would be in the $30M-$60M range, which is just insane.

The other problem? Insurance. Every movie production is insured, and that is certainly the case with an actor like Cruise who throws himself off of buildings and scales skyscrapers. But with a movie that is being shot off-planet, finding an insurer willing to cover it could be difficult.

So we’ll see where this goes. I think there’s a good chance this movie never happens.

Comic-Con 2020: Simon Pegg And Nick Frost Unveil ‘Truth Seekers’ Teaser

By

Travis Hopson

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July 23, 2020

Any time Simon Pegg and Nick Frost get back together it’s a cause to celebrate. Yesterday, the first images of their Amazon horror-comedy series Truth Seekers were revealed, and today saw Pegg, Frost, and co-writers James Serafinowicz and Nat Saunders attend a Comic-Con @ Home panel where they debuted a teaser.

The series follows “a team of part-time paranormal investigators who team up to uncover and film ghost sightings across the UK, sharing their adventures on an online channel for all to see. However, as they stake out haunted churches, underground bunkers and abandoned hospitals with their array of homemade ghost-detecting gizmos, their supernatural experiences grow more frequent, more terrifying and even deadly, as they begin to uncover a conspiracy that could bring about Armageddon for the entire human race.”

Frost leads the way as Gus, who uses his boring job as a broadband installer to cover for his paranormal investigations. Pegg plays a supporting role as Gus’s boss, who may or may not be up to something evil. So don’t expect the traditional teamup from the Cornetto duo, which may disappoint some of their fans.

However, they do say to look for a tone that balances horror and humor much the same way Shaun of the Dead did…

“You have to not make fun of the horror,” Pegg said. “It’s tempting with genre fair to parody that…but I think the key for horror-comedy is to take the horror seriously.”

Also featuring Malcolm McDowell, Emma D’Arcy, Samson Kayo, and Susan Wokoma, Truth Seekers hits Amazon Prime later this year.

Comic-Con: ‘Star Trek’ Unveils New Nickelodeon Series, Reveals New ‘Lower Decks’ Clip

By

Travis Hopson

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July 23, 2020

Comic-Con @ Home officially kicked off today, and while there may not be the gigantic projects we’re accustomed to, it’s left the door open for Star Trek to dominate the news. A huge panel was held today that encompassed the Star Trek universe, which seems to be in a place similar to what Star Wars is going through. There aren’t any feature films in serious production, and the focus is on TV and streaming.

The panel debuted a clip from the animated Star Trek series, Lower Decks, which was announced at last year’s Comic-Con. The adult-skewing CBS All Access series is from exec-producer Mike McMahan and expands on the Star Trek universe by following a group of redshirts who are “the support crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships” in the year 2380. The voice cast includes Noel Wells, Jack Quaid, Tawny Newsome, and Eugene Cordero, Dawnn Lewis, and Jerry O’Connell. Star Trek: Lower Decks arrives on August 6th and consists of 10 episodes.

We also got a look at the new Nickelodeon series, Star Trek: Prodigy, from Trollhunters writers Kevin and Dan Hageman and showrunner Ramsey Naito. The official logo was revealed for the CG-animated show, which as you probably guessed, is geared towards kids who will get a kick out of watching characters their age who commandeer an old Starfleet ship and jet off for their own adventures. Look for the series to arrive in 2021.