Jason Momoa To Star In MINECRAFT Live-Action Film

Minecraft film set to go ahead with Jason Momoa starring

It was only a matter of time until Minecraft got a movie, even if it got pretty close to being boxed up and placed in storage; The Hollywood Reporter confirms that the Warner Bros. live-action film is very much on the way, with Aquaman actor Jason Momoa in final negotiations to star and Napoleon Dynamite filmmaker Jared Hess to direct the Minecraft adaptation.

Shawn Levy (Free Guy, The Adam Project) was amongst a number of names previously attached to the project, as well as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney,  Steve Carell and Peter Sollett. Roy Lee and Dune‘s Mary Parent aboard to produce. Jill Messick will also receive a posthumous producers credit for her role in developing the film prior to her passing in 2018.

Very little is known about the project so far, though a probable synopsis floating around goes as follows: “The malevolent Ender Dragon sets out on a path of destruction, prompting a young girl and her group of unlikely adventurers to set out to save the Overworld.” No further casting has yet been announced.

Gaming films seem to be the big thing at the moment, so news of a Minecraft movie finally getting the greenlight comes as little surprise. The recent successes of the aforementioned Free Guy and Sonic films, as well as Uncharted and the excitement surrounding the upcoming The Ghost of Tsushima, have proven there’s a market hungry for this kind of adaptation.

 

 

2023 Eastercon Selected

Eastercon 2023 logo

2023’s Eastercon has been announced following a bid-session at Reclamation, The 72nd Eastercon which is currently being held at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Centre London Heathrow.

Eastercon is the UK’s longest running science fiction convention, and primarily focuses on science-fiction books as well as other media.

The event will be called Conversation, and it will be held over the Easter Bank Holiday in England. The site has not yet been confirmed, however the convention organisers are experienced convention runners and the site is expected to be announced in short order.

It will be a hybrid convention, with content and activities available both online and in-person. This will allow the convention to have an international range and improve the ‘Conversation’ in the science fiction community, hence the name.

The Guests of Honour for the convention are:

Zen Cho ( @zenaldehyde ) An award winning fantasy writer known for the Sorcerer to the Crown series.

Niall Harrison ( @niallharrison )- A science fiction editor and critic known for his work on Interzone, Vector and Foundation.

Jennel Jaquays – A TTRPG games designer and illustrator who’s work includes classic adventures for D&D such as Dark Tower and Caverns of Thracia. Jennel will attend virtually.

Karri Speering – One of the UK’s Most Valued Players in science fiction fandom.

Adrian Tchaivosky ( @aptshadow )– A multi-award winning science fiction author best known for the Shadows of The Apt and Children of Time novels.

Urusla Vernon ( @UrsulaV ) – A Hugo Award winning author and illustrator. Urusula will attend virtually.

You can find out more about the convention here:

https://www.conversation2023.org.uk/

 

2022 BFSA Award Winners Announced

The winners of 2022 British Science Fiction Award have been announced as part Reclamation, the 72nd Eastercon, a science fiction convention that is currently being ran duing the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend.

The Best Book for Younger Readers Award went to Xiran Jay Zhao for their book Iron Widow.

The winner of the Award for Best Shorter Fiction is Aliette de Bodard for Fireheart Tiger.

The Award for Best Non-Fiction went to Francesca T. Barbini for Worlds Apart: Worldbuilding in Fantasy and Science Fiction.

The Award for Best Artist went to Iain J Clark for Glasgow Green Woman.

And finally the Award for Best Novel Adrian Tchaikovsky for Shards of Earth.

Neil Gaiman’s DEAD BOY DETECTIVES Receives Series Order

Dead Boy Detectives DC and HBO Max series poster

Dead Boy Detectives, based on the DC Comics characters created by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner and existing in the same universe as Doom Patrol, has received a series order at HBO Max.

The eight-part series follows two boys who decide not to enter the afterlife, and to instead stay on earth to investigate crimes involving the supernatural. The ghost story series explores death, loss, and grief through the eyes of Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland (George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri, respectively), two dead British teenagers, and their very alive friend Crystal Palace (Kassius Nelson, Last Night in Soho).

The series also stars Briana Cuoco as Jenny the Butcher, Supernatural’s Ruth Connell as the Night Nurse (reprising her role from the “Dead Patrol” episode of HBO Max’s Doom Patrol) and Alexander Calvert as Thomas the Cat King, Yuyu Kitamura as Niko, and Jenn Lyon as Esther.

The Flight Attendant creator Steve Yockey wrote the pilot episode and serves as showrunner. He also executive produces alongside Doom Patrol‘s Jeremy Carver, Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. Lee Toland Krieger (The Age of Adaline, Shadow and Bone, the upcoming Green Lantern series) directed the pilot.

 

 

Pollyanna McIntosh Stars In Upcoming Irish Horror DOUBLE BLIND

Double Blind poster, Irish thriller-horror 2022

Genre queen Pollyanna McIntosh (The Walking Dead franchise, The Woman) and Millie Brady (Roadkill, The Last Kingdom) are leading the cast of Irish horror-thriller Double Blind, Deadline has announced. 

Written by Darach McGarrigle and directed by Ian Hunt-Duffy in what is both of their feature debuts, Double Blind follows seven strangers taking part in a paid drug trial who become trapped in the lab after the side effects of the study escalate the situation into a nightmarish scenario: if they fall asleep, they die.

The cast also features Brenock O’Connor, Abby Fitz, Shonagh Marie, Diarmuid Noyes, Frank Blake, and Akshay Kumar.

In a statement, Hunt-Duffy stated that “as a filmmaker, I am deeply passionate about creating original, suspenseful, and intelligent genre cinema, and I believe that the hook of our story – fall asleep and you die – is so evocative and memorable. It takes something ordinary and innocent and makes it deadly. We have a fantastic ensemble cast led by Millie Brady and horror icon Pollyanna McIntosh, so I cannot wait for audiences to experience the tension, claustrophobia, and dread that we have in store.

Double Blind is currently shooting in Ireland.

Meng’er Zhang And Robbie Amell Join THE WITCHER

Freya Allan as Ciri of Cintra in The Witcher season 2

Netflix has welcomed four new actors to its third season cast of hit fantasy series The Witcher: Robbie Amell (The Babysitter, Upload), Meng’er Zhang (Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings), Hugh Skinner (Mamma Mia Here We Go Again!, Fleabag), and Christelle Elwin (Half Bad).

Zhang is Milva, a human adopted by the dryads of Brokilon Forest. She is a fierce and talented huntress with exact archery skills and a stone-cold aptitude for survival, making her a fierce adversary.

Skinner plays Prince Radovid, King Vizimir’s playboy younger brother. That is, until Radovid finds himself a man on the inside of the Redanian Intelligence. With his looks and often drunken charm, the Prince surprises with how incisive he can be in matters of politics.

Headshots of Hugh Skinner and Meng'er Zhang

Robbie Amell will play Gallatin, a warrior who leads an army of guerrilla Scoia’tael fighting on behalf of Nilfgaard. Gallatin’s loyalty to his people ultimately leads him on a collision course with Francesca (played by Mecia Simson) over power.

Lastly, Elwin plays Mistle, a member of The Rats, a gang of misfit teens who steal from the rich. She is street smart, suspicious of everyone, and out for revenge – until a chance meeting changes everything.

Christelle Elwin and Robbie Amell headshots cast for The Witcher season 3

The four actors join returning cast members Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan, Joey Batey, MyAnna Buring, and more.

In The Witcher’s third season, as monarchs, mages and beasts of the Continent race to capture Ciri of Cintra, she and Geralt go to ground. Yennefer, still entrusted with Ciri’s magical training, leads them to the fortress of Aretuza in hopes of discovering more about the girl’s powers. Instead, they discover they’ve landed in a battlefield of political corruption, dark magic, and treachery.

The new season has begun filming, but no release date has yet been announced. However, the spinoff series The Witcher: Blood Origin will release later this year.

 

Seaside Slasher PUNCH Wraps

punch wraps

Production has wrapped on seaside-set slasher Punch, from director Andy Edwards (Ibiza Undead). The film tells the story of Frankie, who wants to enjoy one last night out in her home town before returning to university – but must fight to stay alive when a mysterious man wearing a Mr Punch mask starts a deadly rampage.

Shot on location in the historic town of Hastings on the south coast of the UK, Punch stars a trio of talented newcomers – Alina Allison, Faye Campbell, and Macaulay Cooper, in the lead roles. Joining them are a host of familiar faces from TV and film including Jamie Lomas (Hollyoaks, EastEnders), Kierston Wareing (Fish Tank, EastEnders) Daniel Fathers (The Witcher: Blood Origin, Atlanta, The Void), and UK horror favourites Sarah Alexandra Marks, Dani Thompson, and Ayvianna Snow.

Mr Punch

Jamie Lomas as Elton

 

Writer and director Andy Edwards tells us, “America has always had the best slasher villains, from Freddie to Jason to Michael Myers and beyond. With Mr Punch, I wanted to create an iconic slasher killer that was uniquely British. Punch is a traditional slasher film, but it also taps into the folk horror vibes of the British seaside and the childhood creepiness of a Punch & Judy show. Shooting on location in Hastings allowed cast and crew to be immersed in that environment and I can’t wait for people to see what we came up with.”

The film was co-produced by Andy for Paranoid Android Films, alongside Rebecca Matthews (The Gardener, Hatched). The cinematography was by Max Williams (Isle of Dogs) and the casting was by Aisling Knight. Thomas R Atherton (100 Streets) was Executive Producer and Airell Anthony Hayles (They’re Outside) was Associate Producer.

More news when we get it.

Alina Alison as Frankie and Faye Campbell as Holly

Daniel Fathers as The Harbinger

Main image: Alina Allison as Frankie and Macaulay Cooper as Daryl.

Photos by: Toby Shaw

Unhinged First Look At David Cronenberg’s CRIMES OF THE FUTURE

Viggo Mortensen as performance artist in sci-fi horror Crimes of the Future by director David Cronenberg

On the back of David Cronenberg’s Crimes Of The Future being announced for this year’s Cannes Film Festival line-up, Neon has released an insane-looking first teaser for the sci-fi film, which promises a return to the iconic filmmaker’s roots in body horror.

Despite sharing the same name as the Cronenberg’s 1970 film, the feature is not a remake; the story is set in the not-too-distant future where humankind has had to adapt to a synthetic environment. This evolution moves humans beyond their natural state and into a metamorphosis, altering their biological makeup through both natural and surgical means. While some embrace the limitless potential of trans-humanism, others attempt to police it. Either way, ‘Accelerated Evolution Syndrome’ is spreading fast.

Still of David Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future horror

One of those publicly embracing AES is beloved performance artist Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen), sprouting new and unexpected organs in his body. With his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux), Tenser publicly showcases the metamorphosis of his organs and their removal in avant-garde performances.

All the while, Timlin (Kristen Stewart), an investigator from the National Organ Registry, obsessively tracks the pair’s movements – which is when a mysterious group comes to light whose mission is to use Saul’s notoriety to shed light on the next phase of human evolution.

Kristen Stewart as Timlin in David Cronenberg horror Crimes of the Future

In an interview last year, Stewart described the project as being “set in a world where people have evolved to a point where we don’t feel physical pain.” She also reveals further details, explaining that “sex has changed quite a bit, and the new art form is growing organs. Viggo [Mortensen] is a famous performance artist. Léa Seydoux is his partner who tattoos these organs and displays them. My character becomes enamoured with Viggo’s artist.”

This sci-fi body horror marks Cronenberg’s first feature since 2014’s Maps to the Stars.

Crimes of the Future is due to release in June, following a premiere at Cannes. The exact date is yet to be announced.

Rob Zombie’s THE MUNSTERS Welcomes Dee Wallace

Rob Zombie's The Munsters reboot behind the scenes

Rob Zombie’s The Munsters reboot has welcomed E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial star Dee Wallace to its ranks. The veteran actress will be the voice of “Good Morning Transylvania!”, Transylvania’s second favourite morning show, according to the update posted to the filmmaker’s socials.

Wallace is a long-time collaborator of Zombie’s, having previously featured in Halloween, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, The Lords of Salem, and 3 From Hell. She is also known for having starred in 1977’s The Hills Have Eyes and Cujo. 

She joins a well-stocked cast, including Jeff Daniel Phillips as the Frankenstein’s monster-looking Herman Munster, Sheri Moon Zombie as vampire Lily Munster, Daniel Roebuck as Grandpa Munster (also a vampire), Cassandra Peterson as real-estate agent Barbara Carr, Richard Brake as Dr. Henry Augustus Wolfgang, Sylvester McCoy as Igor, Catherine Schell as Zoya Krupp, and Jorge Garcia as Floop.

A Rob Zombie film The Munsters announcement poster

And for fans worried (or hoping?) that Zombie’s take on The Munsters would feature the filmmaker’s R-rated love of blood and guts, rest assured that the reboot will be entirely family-friendly. Zombie confirmed that “for those of you speculating, wondering and assuming that The Munsters would be dirty, violent and nasty… well, you are wrong, the film is rated PG.”

The Munsters is planned to be released simultaneously in cinemas and via streaming on Peacock. Though a release date has yet to be announced, stay tuned – you don’t want to miss your one (and likely only) chance to take a child to a Rob Zombie movie.

GHOST OF TSUSHIMA Film Adaptation Finds Its Writer

Ghost of Tsushima video game poster

Takashi Doscher (Still, Only) will write the screenplay for the film adaptation of the ultra-popular action adventure game Ghost of Tsushima, set at Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions, writes Deadline.

Set in 1274 during the first Mongol invasion of Japan, the game follows the violent invasion of the island of Tsushima by the conquering Empire. The story centres on Jin Sakai, the head and last surviving member of his clan, and a samurai warrior; but in order to secure Tsushima’s freedom, he must set aside the traditions that have shaped him as a samurai and forge a new way of fighting – the way of the Ghost.

John Wick filmmaker Chad Stahelski has been attached to direct since March 2021, when the adaptation was first announced.

Ghost of Tsushima is the second film to emerge from Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions’ partnership, following the Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg-starring Uncharted. PlayStation is also developing two series in their separate deal with Sony Pictures Television, namely the much-anticipated The Last of Us for HBO and the action comedy Twisted Metal starring Anthony Mackie.