Matthew Monagle
‘Deadpool 2’ Is Rumored to Begin Production in January
This hasn’t been a great month for Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool 2. Between the departure of director Tim Miller and the loss of composer Junkie XL, the sequel to the breakout superhero hit has been losing momentum at a time where it should be locking in the moving parts for the next iteration of the film. That still hasn’t stopped 20th Century Fox from pushing forward with the sequel, which apparently will begin shooting as early as January 2017, production problems be darned.
Bret Easton Ellis Walks Back His Claim That ‘The Batman’ Script Is Terrible
Earlier this week, Bret Easton Ellis made headlines when he claimed that the script for The Batman was terrible and that Warner Bros. didn’t really care. In an interview with The Ringer (via io9), Ellis mentioned having dinner with a few studio executives who had heard through the rumor mill that several people involved in Ben Affleck’s movie had approached Warner Bros. with a list of changes needed to iron out the script. According to Ellis’ sources, the executives were told that the studio just didn’t care.
‘Deadpool’ Director Tim Miller Leaves ‘Deadpool 2’
One of the biggest Hollywood success stories of the past few years was Deadpool, the R-rated superhero movie from 20th Century Fox. From dead in the water to surprise box office smash, Deadpool became a perfect parable for young filmmakers who have a story to tell and won’t let failure stand in the way of getting their movie made. Unfortunately, though, life doesn’t always adhere to clean narratives. Despite all the setbacks that Deadpool director Tim Miller faced along the way, it turns out there was only one thing that could cause him to throw in the towel: success.
Watch This Supercut of All Available ‘Rogue One’ Footage
It seems like the only time that people talk about trailers is to complain about them in some fashion. They gave away too much, they gave away too little, they didn’t feature the right colors or characters or soundtrack. It’s tough to cut an enticing movie trailer in 2016, not least of all because of our culture’s increasing hand-wringing about what constitutes a spoiler. A good trailer — one that gives you just enough without giving you everything — should be celebrated as its own miniature art form.
‘Jurassic World 2’ Director Compares His Film to ‘The Empire Strikes Back’
Earlier this year, our own Britt Hayes wrote a brief history of the times when modern filmmakers compared their movies to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. It was a pretty revealing trend; as movie studios scrambled to give audiences the dark and gritty franchises they assumed audiences wanted, more and more filmmakers used Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises as a kind of fanboy secret handshake.
Ewan McGregor Could See Himself Doing Two Obi-Wan Movies
When an actor expresses interest in returning to an iconic role, I always wonder whether the actor needs the movie more than the studio needs the actor. Ron Perlman, for example, has spent years talking up his interest in another Hellboy movie, despite it being fairly obvious that the studio had no real interest in getting that project off the ground. So when Ewan McGregor told reporters last year that he would come back for an Obi-Wan Kenobi standalone movie, I wondered: does this make sense for everyone involved? Or was McGregor just doing the Hollywood equivalent of jumping on a trending hashtag?
Ron Perlman Has Officially Given Up on ‘Hellboy 3’
For a while there, it seemed like the only sure things in life were death, taxes, and Ron Perlman talking up the possibility of a Hellboy 3. Even just scrolling back through our own archives, you can find multiple attempts by Perlman to either talk up the chances of a sequel or get fans to pitch in on the project. Even after Guillermo Del Toro went dark on the subject, Perlman continued to hold out hope that another film would get made.
Marvel Still Has Plans for the Vampire Hunter ‘Blade’
About this time last year, rumors were flying that Marvel was trying to get some version of Blade off the ground. There were reports that Marvel had met with actor Wesley Snipes to discuss the possibility of a Blade 4; there were also reports that Marvel wanted to move forward with a Blade movie focusing on the vampire hunter’s daughter. Whatever the final product might be, Marvel clearly had some vague notion that Blade would be a factor in the future of the franchises.
Carrie Fisher Weighs in on Why Han and Leia Split Up Prior to ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
Any Star Wars fan knows that nobody speaks as bluntly about the franchise as Carrie Fisher. While Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill might be counted on for the occasional funny soundbite or bit of interesting backstory, if you really want one of the Star Wars actors to lay their chips on the table, it’s Carrie Fisher you need to listen to. The actress and writer possesses one of the most acerbic wits in all of Hollywood and has never shied away from trying to spin her sense of humor into backdoor Star Wars cannon.
‘Wonder Woman’ Goes to War in These Brand New Leaked Photos
Ever since the Wonder Woman trailer blew the doors off of Comic-Con International, fans have been ready for another round of footage or trailers. Everything about the character lends hope to the idea that Wonder Woman will be the movie to right the sinking ship of the DC Cinematic Universe. And while it isn’t exactly the new trailer or huge photo spread we were hoping for, we do have a pair of new leaked photos to tide us over until the next official thing.
Rumor: That Standalone ‘Batman’ Movie Won’t Be Set Entirely in Arkham Asylum
One of the hot rumors surrounding Ben Affleck’s standalone Batman movie was that it would serve as a kind of loose adaptation of Grant Morrison’s Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, a haunting graphic novel that features Batman breaking up a riot at Gotham’s notorious insane asylum. Morrison’s comic is a darkly beautiful addition to the Batman mythology and seems to be perfectly in line with the kind of superhero stories Warner Bros. is looking for: for mature audiences and crammed to the gills with as many recognizable faces as possible.
Commissioner Gordon Looks Hard-Boiled in His First ‘Justice League’ Photo
Warner Bros. has made plenty of decisions with its DC Cinematic Universe that don’t sit quite right with fans, but credit where credit is due, the casting of J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon is not one of them. Simmons — now available in a bulked up version 2.0 — is one of our generation’s great character actors, the rare talent who can switch from utterly terrifying to kindly paternal in the blink of an eye. Since Batman looks to Gordon as both a hard-boiled police officer and a surrogate father figure, Simmons is the perfect addition to both the standalone Batman movie and the Justice League film.