J.K. Rowling’s Next To Defend Johnny Depp’s ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Casting

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December 7, 2017

I don’t know a ton about the Harry Potter fanbase but to me they seem like an amiable bunch. However they’ve gotten pretty riled up over the continued presence of Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, in which he plays the titular villain, after allegations of domestic abuse against ex-wife Amber Heard. Director David Yates issued a pretty lousy defense of Depp recently, in which he basically dismisses the issue because not EVERY woman in Depp’s life thinks badly of him.

Now it’s Harry Potter author and screenwriter J.K. Rowling’s turn to voice her opinion on the issue. She’s also in the camp of rushing to Depp’s aid, albeit in the most passive way possible. Seriously, she manages to say quite a bit without really saying much at all except that Depp is staying.

When Johnny Depp was cast as Grindelwald, I thought he’d be wonderful in the role. However, around the time of filming his cameo in the first movie, stories had appeared in the press that deeply concerned me and everyone most closely involved in the franchise.

Harry Potter fans had legitimate questions and concerns about our choice to continue with Johnny Depp in the role. As David Yates, long-time Potter director, has already said, we naturally considered the possibility of recasting. I understand why some have been confused and angry about why that didn’t happen.

The huge, mutually supportive community that has grown up around Harry Potter is one of the greatest joys of my life. For me personally, the inability to speak openly to fans about this issue has been difficult, frustrating and at times painful. However, the agreements that have been put in place to protect the privacy of two people, both of whom have expressed a desire to get on with their lives, must be respected. Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies.

I’ve loved writing the first two screenplays and I can’t wait for fans to see ‘The Crimes of Grindelwald’. I accept that there will be those who are not satisfied with our choice of actor in the title role. However, conscience isn’t governable by committee. Within the fictional world and outside it, we all have to do what we believe to be the right thing.

Look, none of us knows what went down between Depp and Heard. Presumably, neither does Rowling unless these “assurances” came with a thorough explanation from both parties. All I know is this seems like the exact wrong climate to be dealing with this sort of thing, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there is some backlash. If this turns out to be the lowest grossing Potter film I wouldn’t be at all shocked. Then again, Depp’s presence didn’t hurt Murder On the Orient Express at all.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens November 16th 2018.

‘Shazam’ Adds ‘It’ Actor Jack Dylan Grazer As Freddy Freeman

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John Nolan

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December 7, 2017

The cast of DC Films’ Shazam has a new additon who has plenty of experience fighting bad guys. Jack Dylan Grazer, who played hypochondriac Eddie Kaspbrak in this year’s horror adaptation of It, has joined the cast alongside Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, and possibly Mark Strong.

Grazer takes on the potentially huge role of Freddy Freeman, who in the comics is the best friend of Billy Batson (Angel), the young boy who transforms into Shazam (Levi) and is granted the powers of seven ancient mystical figures. Freddy, who is the only one who knows Batson is Shazam, eventually gains a similar ability and becomes Batson’s sidekick, Captain Marvel Jr. If you’re confused, it’s because Shazam’s name used to be Captain Marvel, and shouldn’t be confused with the Marvel character who goes by that name and has a movie coming out soon. Captain Marvel Jr. had one of the dumbest weaknesses ever. Basically, he couldn’t say his own name, otherwise he’d lose his powers and revert back to Freddy. >sigh<

Shazam will be directed by David F. Sandberg and opens in 2019.

‘7 Days In Entebbe’ Trailer: Rosamund Pike & Daniel Bruhl Try To Change The World Through Hijacking

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John Nolan

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December 7, 2017

Jose Padilha was a hot shot director for a while, having delivered the gritty Elite Squad Brazilian cop flicks. Then he came to Hollywood, got handed the forgettable Robocop remake and…well, Padilha got forgotten, too. Well now he’s back with the true-life hijacking drama 7 Days in Entebbe, and it looks like a potential slice of redemption.

Starring Rosamund Pike, Daniel Bruhl, Vincent Cassel, and Eddie Marsan, the film tells the true story of Operation Entebbe, a 1976 counter-terrorism mission led by the Israeli Defense Forces to rescue hostages aboard a hijacked plane that had been diverted to Uganda. The hijackers sought the release of more than 40 Palestinian prisoners, and actually had the support of Uganda’s dictator, Idi Amin.

7 Days in Entebbe opens March 16th 2018.

‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’: First Look At Jennifer Lawrence & Jessica Chastain In The Fiery Sequel

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John Nolan

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December 7, 2017

Who knows what will happen with the X-Men franchise if Disney buys 20th Century Fox…maybe nothing. For now X-Men: Dark Phoenix is happening and hopefully it’ll be a vast improvement over the disappointing X-Men: Apocalypse, undoubtedly the last time you’ll see Bryan Singer behind the camera for an X-Men flick, or any Fox film for that matter.

EW has dropped the first images from the film, which is loosely based on Chris Claremont’s epic “Dark Phoenix Saga” storyline. Yes, that’s the one that got butchered up in X-Men: The Last Stand, but this is an all-new cast, an all-new timeline, and the stakes are much higher. Set in 1992, ten years after the prior movie, it finds the X-Men recognized as national heroes. But that proves their undoing as Charles Xavier’s (James McAvoy) ego pushes them to greater extremes. During a space mission the team is hit by a solar flare that sets off the power of the Phoenix within Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), and we know the cosmic entity is due for a trip to the dark side.

The images feature Turner, McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Michael Fassbender in conversation with writer/director Simon Kinberg, a possible funeral scene, and Jennifer Lawrence as a shapeshifting alien who is apparently NOT the Shi’ar empress, Lilandra, or is a very different version of her.

And speaking of Singer, it’s crazy when you look back and realize this franchise had both him and Brett Ratner at different points. The chaos Singer can bring to a set has been realized yet again with the Bohemian Rhapsody debacle, which echoes his unprofessional actions on X-Men: Apocalypse, while Ratner was recently accused of abusive behavior by Ellen Page for what he did while shooting X-Men: The Last Stand. Singer still has a producer credit, but he’s not coming anywhere near the set, and Lawrence is thankful for it…

“It was unrecognizable. Everything was on time. Everything was organized. These movies have always been fun amidst chaos, and now they were fun with no chaos.”

X-Men: Dark Phoenix opens November 8th 2018.

‘Lean On Pete’ Trailer: Andrew Haigh’s Horse Drama Races Out Of The Gate

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John Nolan

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December 7, 2017

Andrew Haigh has already decked us emotionally with his two dramas, 45 Years and Weekend, and now he’s ready to hit us where it hurts one more time. Lean on Pete made the festival rounds earlier this year, and the adaptation of Willy Vlauntin’s novel about a troubled boy and his horse is ready to hit theaters as a powerful trailer has arrived.

Charlie Plummer, who will be seen later this month in All the Money in the World, plays a 15-year-old boy who escapes from his difficult life by taking a summer job caring for a washed-up old horse. The film also stars Chloe Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Thomas Mann, Steve Zahn, and Amy Seimetz, which is a pretty good group for Haigh to work with. Here’s the official synopsis:

Fifteen-year-old Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer) arrives in Portland, Oregon with his single father Ray (Travis Fimmel), both of them eager for a fresh start after a series of hard knocks. While Ray descends into personal turmoil, Charley finds acceptance and camaraderie at a local racetrack where he lands a job caring for an aging Quarter Horse named Lean On Pete. The horse’s gruff owner Del Montgomery (Steve Buscemi) and his seasoned jockey Bonnie (Chloë Sevigny) help Charley fill the void of his father’s absence—until he discovers that Pete is bound for slaughter, prompting him to take extreme measures to spare his new friend’s life. Charley and Pete head out into the great unknown, embarking on an odyssey across the new American frontier in search of a loving aunt Charley hasn’t seen in years. They experience adventure and heartbreak in equal measure, but never lose their irrepressible hope and resiliency as they pursue their dream of finding a place they can call home.

Lean on Pete opens March 30th 2018.

Kevin Feige Is “Eager” To Have X-Men In The Marvel Cinematic Universe

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John Nolan

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December 7, 2017

This should be the no-brainer story of the week. You should just know it and keep it in your back pocket for the future until we see what comes of it. It’s looking like that Disney/Fox deal is going to happen, and soon the X-Men will be making their way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You’ll be shocked to learn, according to Deadline, that Marvel’s Kevin Feige is “said to be eager to get his hands on the X-Men Universe.”

No shit?

I mean, obviously he is. There are a ton of questions about what would happen with that, though. Would this mean the end of future films like X-Force and Gambit? What about the planned trilogy of New Mutants horror movies? Would we see total recasting and a relaunch of the X-Men as a brand? I hope not, but Marvel may have their own vision that doesn’t include what came before. Surely they wouldn’t mess around with Deadpool‘s winning formula.

And hey, they’ll be able to start calling Scarlet Witch a mutant finally! And Quicksilver, too! Oh wait…

Ryan Reynolds Will Solve Pokemon Mysteries As ‘Detective Pikachu’

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John Nolan

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December 7, 2017

Ryan Reynolds has played two of the most popular contemporary comic book heroes in Green Lantern and Deadpool (sorry, Hannibal King fans but he does not count as “popular”), and if you thought his next big role would be as another, then you’d be wrong. Instead he’ll play a character that has an even bigger fanbase and superpowers of his own, the little electric yellow rodent we all know as Pikachu.

Reynolds will be the lead voice in Detective Pikachu, Legendary Entertainment’s live-action film about the sleuthing pocket monster. It’s based on the video game series which has only been released in Japan. Rob Letterman (Goosebumps) is directing, with Justice Smith (The Get Down) and Kathryn Newton (Big Little Lies) already part of the cast.

How long before we can get a Deadpool/Pikachu crossover? I can see them both now, battling it out in their deerstalker hats. [THR]

Dexter Fletcher Replaces Fired Bryan Singer On ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

By

John Nolan

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December 7, 2017

The best way to get beyond the bad news of having to fire your director from a major film, is to simply replace him and move on. And that’s what 20th Century Fox has done by hiring Eddie the Eagle‘s Dexter Fletcher to replace Bryan Singer on Bohemian Rhapsody, just a couple of days after the latter was canned.

This all started last week when we learned production on Bohemian Rhapsody, the Queen biopic that stars Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury, had been halted due to Singer’s absence following Thanksgiving break. It was a couple of days later that Fox, following what had been a pattern of unexplained absences by Singer, decided to part ways with him. Reports surfaced that Malek had argued with him over the unprofessional conduct, which included being gone so often that the cinematographer had to fill-in as director. Singer has refuted these reports, saying he needed the time away to tend to a family illness.

Whatever the case, Singer’s out and Fletcher is in. I joked that they would call Ron Howard but Fletcher isn’t much different. He’s not a filmmaker who has a signature style that would clash with Singer’s, but he’s a professional and will be there on set when he’s supposed to be. That has to count for something. Interestingly, this is sort of a reunion for Fletcher who was the original director attached to the project back when Ben Whishaw was briefly on board. The whole thing fell apart over creative differences stemming from the film’s tone. The band wanted it to be lighter and PG-13 rated, and I guess after helming the family-friendly Eddie the Eagle Fletcher feels he can give them that.

Shooting will resume next week. [Variety]

Elle Fanning To Play Patty Hearst In James Mangold’s Biopic

By

John Nolan

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December 7, 2017

Following the tremendous response to Logan, director James Mangold has been busy lining up new projects. While he’s apparently working on an X-23 spinoff movie, when that could happen will largely depend on his schedule that is getting more crowded by the week. And now he’s added one more that will definitely be a priority because of the big star attached.

Mangold will direct a movie about kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst, with Elle Fanning set to star. The film will document Hearst’s 1974 abduction by the Symbionese Liberation Army, only for her to turn around and join the group that had been holding her captive. The film is based on Jeffrey Toobin’s book, “American Heiress”.

No word on when this will shoot but you can bet Fox 2000 will want to move quickly on this with a busy star like Fanning on board. [THR]

Sandra Bullock Challenges Sexist Attackers To Actually Watch ‘Ocean’s 8’ First

By

John Nolan

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December 7, 2017

I’m not sure we actually need a new Ocean’s 11 movie of any kind. The prior trilogy, which was full of dudes plus Julia Roberts and the occasional Catherine Zeta-Jones, was fine for its time and the first one actually holds up pretty well. Can’t say the same for the sequels that followed. But it turns out that with everything going on in Hollywood right now, Sandra Bullock’s Ocean’s 8 may be arriving at exactly the right time, and she knows it.

EW has released a new image featuring Bullock as Debbie Ocean, the thieving sister of George Clooney’s Danny Ocean, along with co-stars Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, and rapper Awkwafina. Missing from this shot is Anne Hathaway, but since she’s already played renowned cat burglar Catwoman she can afford to take some time off.

While this image is pretty cool, what’s even better is Bullock’s attitude about the whole thing. Last year the female-led Ghostbusters film faced a ton of backlash from sexist guys who couldn’t accept women rebooting the classic comedy. They put the cast through a social media crucible like nothing we’ve ever seen, and Bullock practically dares for the same thing to happen to her or her co-stars…

“They did put them through hell. And I’m still trying to figure out why. Forget what the final product was! There were four or five of the most talented comediennes in that film. Everyone should’ve just taken a breath and said, “let’s see what happens.” It doesn’t take just five people to make a movie. It’s pretty much like around 300. So I keep reminding everybody, if you hate my film remember there’s another 299 people all around me. We’re not a reboot. We’re just a this is what’s happening in 2017. It’s not even a passing of the torch. It’s a parallel story of another family member that was raised in the same family Danny Ocean was and what happens when Debbie steps out of jail with all of these amazing, powerful women.”

Bullock admits they’ve already taken some heat, but she isn’t scared…

“We got some but boy, I mean, I’ll tell you, we’ve got some feisty women that will fight right back. It’s like, let’s just take a breath and let’s just see if we come up with something fun. There should be a moratorium. There should be a rule, you’re not allowed to say anything nasty until after it comes out. Obviously that’s never going to happen.”

Nope, probably not. I can’t help but wonder how Ghostbusters would do if it came out now rather than a year ago. It might have fared a bit better. Hopefully Ocean’s 8 won’t get dragged down by a bunch of insecure dudes when it opens next year on June 8th.