THE ARK Handed Series Order With Dean Devlin As Showrunner

The Ark gets series order, Stargate and Stargate SG-1 alumni to showrun

Syfy has handed a 12-episode straight-to-series order for a new series called The Ark, to be written and produced by Dean Devlin, the man behind such cult classics as Independence Day, Godzilla and Stargate. Keeping it in the family, Stargate SG-1 writer-producer Jonathan Glassner joins Devlin as co-showrunner.

The Ark takes place 100 years in the future, when planetary colonisation missions have begun a necessity to save humanity from extinction. The first of these missions, on a spacecraft known as Ark One, encounters a catastrophic event which causes massive destruction and loss of life aboard. With more than a year still left on their journey before reaching their target planet, the remaining crew must become the best version of themselves in order to survive, despite a lack of life-sustaining supplies and a loss of leadership.

“The Ark is a perfect fit for Syfy audiences and we know fans will gravitate to this heart-racing story from Dean Devlin, one of the most accomplished and respected sci-fi writers working today,” said Lisa Katz, President of Scripted Content at NBCU Entertainment and Streaming. “With the recent success of both Resident Alien and Chucky, the network is home to several of the most creative storytellers working in all of television.”

No information on a release date, plot details, or casting has been released, but stay tuned for updates!

 

 

Lee Daniels’ Exorcism Thriller Heads To Netflix

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 26: Director Lee Daniels attends the 2017 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 26, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

After an intense, seven-bidder auction battle, Deadline reports that Netflix has won the rights to an upcoming Lee Daniels exorcism film. Inspired by true events, Daniels writes and directs the film, reuniting with his Oscar-nominated The United States vs. Billie Holiday star Andra Day, who here plays the mother of an Indiana family whose children become demonically possessed upon moving into a new house.

Day will star with Octavia Spencer, Glenn Close, Rob Morgan (Don’t Look Up), Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things) and Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard, Lovecraft Country). The project is being fast-tracked to begin production by summer this year. Lee Daniels is also producing alongside Tucker Tooley and Pam Williams.

The untitled thriller explores the 2011 case involving Latoya Ammons and her three children, who began to experience strange incidents in their Gary, Indiana home. According the reports, the children would levitate, become violent, speak in growls with no memory of the incident after. The case, which was widely covered at the time, involved the police, Department of Child Services, the local hospital and local church. Some, including the police chief Charles Austin, believed Ammons’ accounts – a DCS worker even reported witnessing the youngest boy walking backwards up a wall. A local priest would go on to perform three exorcisms on the family.

The Ammons case was previously the subject of a 2018 documentary horror by Zak Bagans, titled Demon House.

 

 

Mary Elizabeth Winstead Joins AHSOKA Cast

Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Kate

Genre queen Mary Elizabeth Winstead is heading to space! The 10 Cloverfield Lane, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Death Proof, Birds of Prey and Sky High (aka one of the best superhero movies ever made) star has joined the cast of Star Wars: Ahsoka. 

Plot details are – it should really go without saying – being kept locked up tight, a policy extends to any details about Winstead’s role. We do know that the series stars Rosario Dawson as the titular Jedi Knight, Ahsoka Tano (who made her live-action debut in The Mandalorian), with Hayden Christensen also reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker. They are joined by Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wrenn and Ivanna Sahkno in an undisclosed role.

Other Star Wars shows making their way to Disney+ right now include the upcoming season of The Mandalorian, a series about Obi-Wan Kenobi starring Ewan McGregor, a Cassian Andor series starring Diego Luna, and The Acolyte from Leslye Headland.

With production on Ahsoka due to start very soon, expect more casting details in the coming weeks.

 

 

 

 

Joshua Jackson To Star In FATAL ATTRACTION TV Series

Fatal Attraction 1987 still featuring Glenn Close as Alex

Adrian Lyne’s 1987 psychosexual thriller, Fatal Attraction, is just the latest in a long list of cult films to get its own television series adaptation.

Lizzy Caplan (Castle Rock, Cloverfield) was previously announced to star as Alex, who was played by Glenn Close in the original. Now, Deadline reports that Joshua Jackson (Fringe, Dr. Death) will play opposite Caplan as Dan Gallagher, portrayed by Michael Douglas in the ’80s movie. Alexandra Cunningham and Kevin Hynes are also aboard to pen the script, while Cunningham also serves as showrunner.

“The series explores the timeless themes of marriage and infidelity through the lens of modern attitudes towards strong women, personality disorders and coercive control,” reads the Paramount+ logline. The six-time Oscar-nominated erotic thriller centred on a married man who has a weekend affair with a woman, who in turn refuses to let the relationship end and becomes dangerously obsessed with him.

Fatal Attraction is just the latest attempt for Paramount to capitalise on their backlog of successful films: other classics receiving series adaptations include Love Story, The Italian Job, and Flashdance.

 

Netflix Confirms SQUID GAME Will Birth Its Own Universe

Squid Game Universe confirmed by Netflix CEO

“The Squid Game universe has just begun,” promises Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.

Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has talked repeatedly about making another season of his Korean dystopian drama since Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched series of all time. “There’s been so much pressure, so much demand and so much love for a second season. So I almost feel like you leave us no choice!” Hwang told the Associated Press late last year. “But I will say there will indeed be a second season. It’s in my head right now. I’m in the planning process currently.”

A Squid Game “universe” however, suggests something more than a series renewal. Will there be spin-off kids shows, anime series, films? We won’t know just yet, but let’s hope it all stays in Hwang’s hands and doesn’t become another huge-profits entertainment juggernaut. Or else Netflix really do have a good grip on irony.

The series tells the story of a mysterious invitation that sees 456 participants, all of whom are in dire financial situations, locked in a secret location and forced to play a series of traditional Korean kids games in order to win 45.6 billion won. Those who do not win, however, will die.

 

 

Legendary Monsterverse Expands With Godzilla & Titans Series

Godzilla to return in Apple TV+ series for Legendary Monsterverse

Apple TV+ has ordered a new live-action series featuring Godzilla and the Titans in an exciting expansion of the Legendary Monsterverse – which so far includes 2014’s Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Godzilla vs. Kong. 

Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that levelled San Francisco and the shocking new reality that monsters are indeed real, the untitled series explores one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organisation known as Monarch.

Co-creators Chris Black (Star Trek: Enterprise) and Matt Fraction (the comics superstar best known for Hawkeye) will also executive produce the project for Legendary Television, alongside Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell of Safehouse Pictures, and Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita for Toho, who own the Godzilla character. Black will additionally serve as showrunner.

This Monsterverse series will be right at home amongst Apple TV+’s genre slate, which currently includes David S. Goyer’s Foundation, Simon Kinberg and David Weil’s sci-fi drama Invasion, and the post-apocalyptic series See, which stars Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista and Alfre Woodard.

 

 

Title, Plot & First Look! All We Know About The CHICKEN RUN Sequel

Chicken Run

Almost two years after the long-awaited, even long-rumoured Chicken Run sequel was confirmed, we finally have a title. Say hello to Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget! Netflix and Aardman Animations will be hatching this one at some time in 2023.

With the announcement also comes the release of an official plot summary, which is sounding like a remix of Ocean’s Eleven and a reverse Great Escape:

“Having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm, Ginger has finally found her dream – a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock, far from the dangers of the human world. When she and Rocky hatch a little girl called Molly, Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. For Ginger and her team, even if it means putting their own hard-won freedom at risk – this time, they’re breaking in!”

Dawn of the Nugget will feature a mix of returning characters and new voices, with Thandie Newton and Zachary Levi boarding the project as Ginger and Rocky, respectively (taking over from original cast members Julia Sawalha and Mel Gibson). Their daughter Molly, described as a “true chick-off-the-old-block”, will be voiced by Game of Thrones breakout star and upcoming The Last of Us actress, Bella Ramsey.

Jane Horrocks, Imelda Staunton and Lynn Ferguson are all returning to voice Babs, Bunty and Mac, respectively; they are joined by Josie Sedgwick-Davies, David Bradley, Romesh Ranganathan, Daniel Mays and Nick Mohammed.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget will release to Netflix in 2023. Check out the first image for the sequel below:

Chicken Run sequel Dawn of the Nugget first look

 

 

Bong Joon Ho And Robert Pattinson Team Up For Sci-Fi

book cover for Mickey7 to be adapted by bong joon ho

Two years after his Parasite Oscar sweep, Bong Joon Ho has found his next project: a science-fiction film based on Edward Ashton’s upcoming novel Mickey7. And to make things just that much more exciting, the Caped Crusader – aka Robert Pattinson – is in talks to star, reports Deadline.

Ashton’s novel follows the titular Mickey7, an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonise the ice world of Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous – even suicidal – the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal… and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it.

On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, surprisingly helped back by native life, Mickey7’s fate has been sealed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8, reporting for Expendable duties. The idea of duplicate Expendables is universally loathed, and if caught, they will likely be thrown into the recycler for protein.

Mickey7 must keep his double a secret from the rest of the colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse. The atmosphere is unsuitable for humans, food is in short supply, and terraforming is going poorly. The native species are growing curious about their new neighbours, and that curiosity has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7.

Though Bong’s film will be inspired by the upcoming title, it’s unknown just how closely the director will stick to the source material. Bong will also produce for his production company Offscreen, alongside Dooho Choi for Kate Street Picture Company and Plan B (both production companies previously collaborated with Bong on Okja) over at Warner Bros.

Edward Ashton’s science-fiction novel releases February 15th in the US, and February 17th in the UK.

 

 

 

 

Arrow Video FrightFest Announce Glasgow 2022 Line-Up

frightfest glasgow 2022

It’s that time of year again! As part of the Glasgow Film Festival, FrightFest returns to Scotland with three days of fear-inducing movies. Taking place from Thursday, March 10th to Saturday, March 12th, Arrow Video FrightFest will present 12 features that will thrill, shock, and excite!

Thursday night is a stand-alone ticket presentation of The Execution, the UK premiere of the Russian smash-hit horror thriller.

On Friday, the event kicks off good and proper with the UK premiere of the Irish supernatural film The Cellar, directed by Brendan Muldowney and starring Elisha Cuthbert.

This is followed by the world premiere of Christopher Lee Parsons’ A Cloud So High, starring legendary actor John Savage.

UK movie Homebound from director Sebastian Godwin gets its first screening on these shores and promises some creepy children.

Staying with family strife, You Are Not My Mother, another Irish film getting its UK debut. Directed by Kate Dolan, it stars Paul Reid and Hazel Doupe.

Closing the Friday schedule is the eagerly-awaited UK premiere of Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, as we return to director Kiah Roache-Turner’s zombie-infested wasteland.

Saturday kicks off with Northern Irish creeper Mandrake, directed by Lynne Davison and getting its UK premiere.

Howard J. Ford – one half of the team that brought us The Dead – presents the UK premiere of his latest film The Ledge, in which Brittany Ashworth is left fending and fearing for her life on a mountain.

The UK premiere of Fench comedy-horror Some Like it Rare (aka Barbaque) has director Fabrice Eboué serving up cannibalistic in a butcher’s shop that’s struggling to survive.

Christina Ricci stars in the international premiere of Monstrous, directed by Chris Sivertson.

The Scottish premiere of the Italian film Freaks Out is up next. Directed by Gabriele Mainetti, it’s an alt-history epic story of circus workers attempting to chance the Third Reich.

Rounding up the Saturday and closing Arrow Video FrightFest Glasgow is the Scottish premiere of Let the Wrong One In, the latest film from Stitches director Connor MacMahon. This Irish twist on the vampire tale stars Karl Rice, Eoin Duffy, and Buffy’s Anthony Head and will raise a few laughs as well as pack some bite.

frightfest glasgow 2022

For full programme details head over to www.frightfest.co.uk

FrightFest Glasgow 2022 Weekend Passes are £75 and go on sale from 10am on Tuesday, February 1st. Passes will be exchanged for admission wristbands, which must be worn at all times to access all FrightFest films on Fri March 11th and Sat March 12th ONLY.

Tickets for The Execution, plus individual tickets for the Fri/Sat films are on sale from 10am on Wednesday, February 2nd. Price: £11.50. £9.30 for all adult concessions

To buy tickets, go to  www.glasgowfilm.org/festival or telephone: 0141 332 6535 (£1.50 fee per transaction, voice-mail available during peak business periods).

In-person: Glasgow Film Theatre, 12 Rose Street, Glasgow G3 6RB during normal box office hours – Friday and Sunday to Thursday from 12:00 to 15 Minutes after the last performance starts. Saturday from 11am to 15 minutes after the last performance starts. Online booking closes 15 minutes before the advertised start time.

 

LORD OF THE RINGS Series Title Is Unveiled

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is confirmed title for Prime Video series

The buzziest show of 2022 now has a title: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. 

The television series’ complete title was unveiled for the first time today, foreshadowing the show’s story as one that will hinge on the forging of the iconic rings in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Second Age of Middle-earth history.

“This is a title that we imagine could live on the spine of a book next to J.R.R. Tolkien’s other classics. The Rings of Power unites all the major stories of Middle-earth’s Second Age: the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men,” said showrunners J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay. “Until now, audiences have only seen on-screen the story of the One Ring – but before there was one, there were many… and we’re excited to share the epic story of them all.”

The title was announced via a video depicting molten metal being poured into wooden ravines shaped to the letters, captured in slow motion. A voice-over proceeds to recite lines from Tolkien’s “Ring Verse”:

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

Chills. The multi-season epic will premiere on Prime Video on Friday, September 2nd, with new episodes available weekly. Watch the announcement for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power below.