The Penguin Spin-Off Series To Expand Reeves’ THE BATMAN

The Batman may not be due for release until next year, but Warner Bros. are already planning a world of spin-off series from Matt Reeves’ latest. Previously announced is a series based on the corruption within the Gotham Police Department, set to take place a year before the events of The Batman and during ‘Year One’ of Wayne’s career as the vigilante. This is currently being developed for HBO Max. Now, Deadline reports that another spin-off television series is in its early development stages, focused on Batman’s recurring nemesis and crime lord, the Penguin (aka Oswald Cobblepot).

Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves' The Batman

Colin Farrell stars as the Penguin in Reeves’ adaptation, opposite Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, and Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon. However, given that this series is proposed to be a “Scarface-like” prequel charting the Penguin’s rise through the criminal underworld, it’s unlikely that Farrell would be tapped to star in the spin-off show.

Previous actors to take on the infamous mantle are Robin Lord Taylor in Gotham, and most famously Danny DeVito in Batman Returns. 

So far, only Reeves and The Batman producer Dylan Clark are attached, serving as executive producers, alongside Lauren LeFranc (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as showrunner.

The Batman will release in UK cinemas on March 4th 2022. 

 

 

Hayley Atwell Will Star As Lara Croft In TOMB RAIDER Series

Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter

Hayley Atwell, best known for her role as Agent Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (most recently in What If…?) and her upcoming role in the much-delayed Mission Impossible 7, will voice Lara Croft in the upcoming Netflix Tomb Raider anime series.

The series will pick up after the video game reboot trilogy of 2012-2018 from Square Enix, and will be written by Tasha Huo (Red Sonja, The Witcher: Blood Origin) who also serves as showrunner. Grey’s Anatomy actress Camilla Luddington provided voice, facial, and motion capture for Lara Croft in the rebooted trilogy, garnering praise for her ability to add depth and emotion to the iconic character.

It’s unclear why Luddington wasn’t brought on to reprise the role in the anime series, though the actress had hinted in 2018 that Shadow of the Tomb Raider might be her final appearance as Lara Croft, explaining that although she would love to be Lara on the big or small screen, she also feels that she has “done [her] part”.

Netflix promises that this will be Lara Croft’s “latest, greatest adventure,” 25 years after the character debuted in the first Tom Raider video game. Since, the video game character has been brought to life numerous times, including the unforgettable live-action adaptation starring Angelina Jolie, and the more recent Hollywood reboot starring Alicia Vikander.

 

HAWKEYE Trailer Introduces New Cast of Characters

Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye in The Avengers

Clint Barton’s Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is just the latest Avenger to receive a series run on Disney+, following in the footsteps of Wanda Maximoff, Vision, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. However, he is the first – and likely the only – of the ‘original six’ to get his own show; though Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) will appear in She-Hulk, the story will belong to the Hulk’s cousin, Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany).

Hawkeye will also serve to introduce Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a young woman who adopts the Hawkeye mantle after Barton in the comics. The archer, first seen in Thor and properly introduced in The Avengers, will have to contend with Maya Lopez/Echo (Alaqua Cox), a deaf athlete and martial artist capable of perfectly mimicking others’ movements and Yelena Belova/Black Widow (Florence Pugh), who has been led to believe Barton is responsible for Natasha Romanoff’s (Scarlett Johansson) death on Vormir and seeks revenge.

Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop in Disney+ series Hawkeye

It’s an exciting slate of characters to introduce and develop as Marvel ploughs ahead with Phase Four; Steinfeld already dazzled many with her performance in Bumblebee, and Pugh’s Yelena rapidly became a fan favourite as Natasha’s quippy little sister in Black Widow. 

What’s particularly exciting however, is the casting of Cox as Echo, hailed on social media as a great step forward towards redressing the MCU’s representation and diversity imbalance. Cox is of the Menominee and Mohican nation, was born Deaf and is an amputee, which is in line with Maya/Echo’s comic book characterisation as a Native American woman and one of the very few deaf comic book characters. Renner’s Clint is also shown to be wearing a hearing aid in the trailer, a nod to his comic book arc which had thus far been ignored in the MCU portrayal.

In the comics, Maya is also the one to hand the Ronin identity over to Clint, which he embodied in the years between the events of Infinity War and Endgame. The new trailer, however, suggests the show might not keep this canon.

Another series centring on Echo is currently in development.

Hawkeye will debut on Disney+ from November 24th. Watch the trailer below:

Giant Rodent Let Loose In THE MUTATION Trailer

The Mutation British horror 2021 from Uncork'd Entertainment

The Mutation has unveiled its first trailer ahead of its Uncork’d Entertainment release on October 5th. Directed by Scott Jeffrey and starring Ricardo Freitas, Amanda-Jade Tyler, Abi Casson Thompson, and James Robertson, this creature feature sees a giant rodent let loose on an unsuspecting population – and no, this isn’t your average London Underground resident.

After a deadly experiment on a rat goes very, very, wrong, the mutated rodent is out on the town and having a grand ol’ ball. The locals, less so. As the bodies keep piling up and a group of detectives go on the hunt for the beast, zoologist Allen Marsh (Freitas) must work with the scientist’s grieving widow if they are to help the authorities to capture and exterminate the giant rat. What’s worse, the rat is growing larger by the hour.

The Mutation 2021 horror film giant rat costume design

With a design reminiscent of Gremlins meets 1985’s Teen Wolf (or maybe we just see what we want to see…), The Mutation trailer sees the furry creature go on a murder spree, complete with foggy back-alleys and women in glittery dresses. “That thing is angry, and it is hungry,” declares one of the characters; presumably getting its fill of warm-blooded citizens, the rat wastes little time reaching Godzilla proportions – which also entitles it to a CGI makeover that’s not quite as fun as the old-school suit.

 Cue Daryl Hall and John Oates’ “Maneater” now , because The Mutation will released on DVD and Digital on October 5, 2021.

 

 

HAUNTED MANSION Adds Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson To Cast

Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple in MCU TV series Daredevil, cast in Haunted Mansion

Director Justin Simien (Dear White People) is hard at work casting for his new movie adaptation of 2003’s Haunted Mansion. Owen Wilson was announced to be involved earlier this week, and now Daredevil and  Death Proof actress Rosario Dawson has just been confirmed, reports Deadline.

They join LaKeith Stanfield (Knives Out, Get Out) and Tiffany Haddish (Tuca & Bertie, Girls Trip) who respectively play a widower and believer-turned-cynic who now leads tours in New Orleans’ French Quarter, and a psychic able to commune with the dead. There’s no word yet on what roles Wilson and Dawson will fill.

Owen Wilson as Mobius in Loki TV series cast in Haunted Mansion

Walt Disney Pictures first produced a theatrical feature film adaptation of Haunted Mansion in 2003, which starred Eddie Murphy and was inspired by their famous theme park ride of the same name. The film was negatively received by critics, and currently sits at a humble 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

In July 2020, none other than Guillermo del Toro announced that he would write and produce a darker interpretation of the film; yet by 2020, it was confirmed that Katie Dippold was writing a new script, with Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich attached as producers. Dippold is the writer of both Melissa McCarthy-starring comedies, The Heat and Ghostbusters (2016).

This project appears hot off the heels of Jungle Cruise‘s relative success, which was also a film adaptation based on a Disneyland attraction. Clearly the House of Mouse has taken this as encouragement that they can both upgrade their digs, and make big buck with Haunted Mansion. 

Filming is due to start in October.

 

 

STAR TREK: PICARD Gets New Trailer, Plus Season 3 Confirmation

The newest Star Trek: Picard trailer, revealed during the last panel of Star Trek Day’s celebrations, announced that the show will be launching its second season in February of next year. At the same time, it was confirmed that Sir Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc will indeed be back for a third season, which is expected to hit Paramount+ in the US, and Amazon Prime everywhere else, in early 2023.

The series had previously received an informal third season green-light at the start of 2020, in order for the second and third seasons to be developed together and subsequently filmed back-to-back. Production on the third season has just begun in full, as filming of the second season ended September 2nd.

Star Trek: Picard season 2 trailer with Sir Patrick Stewart returning as Jean-Luc

Old enemies, friends, and frenemies appear in the trailer, including the return of franchise staple Q (John de Lancie). “Do you recall what I said, Jean-Luc, when last we parted ways?” he asks. “The trial never ends.” With that, Q throws Picard and his crew into an alternate timeline that was created when he interfered with the past. The new future is a “totalitarian nightmare,” and the only way to get the timeline back to normal is to return to the 21st century and repair the past.

“Do you recall what I said, Jean-Luc, when last we parted ways? The trial never ends.” With that, Q sends Picard and his crew to an alternate timeline that was created when he went and messed with the past – presumably a reference to the events of the Star Trek: Next Generation episode, “Tapestry”.

This new future is a “totalitarian nightmare” that can only be stopped by going back in time to the 21st century to “repair the past” before the future is changed irrevocably.

Stuart and Ryan will of course be returning in Picard’s second season, and will be joined by Alison Pill as Dr. Agnes Jurati, Isa Briones as Soja, Evan Evagora as Elnor, Michelle Hurd as Raffi Musiker, Santiago Cabrera as Cristobal Rios, Orla Brady as Laris, and Brent Spiner as Data. The trailer also offers fans their first glimpse at Annie Wersching as the Borg Queen.

Watch the official trailer for Star Trek: Picard season 2 below: 

THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS Full Trailer Is Here!

The Matrix Resurrections drops full trailer ahead of release

After dropping a rather juicy teaser on Tuesday (of which there are reportedly 180, 000 possible versions!), The Matrix Resurrections finally released its first full trailer – and yes, you could say we’re a little bit excited.

The Matrix 4 was first announced in August 2019, with Lana Wachowski writing and directing after a 16-year break from the franchise. Previous co-director Lilly Wachowski chose not to return, stating in an interview that “I didn’t want to have gone through my transition and gone through this massive upheaval in my life… to want to go back to something that I had done before, and sort of [walk] over old paths that I had walked in, felt emotionally unfulfilling, and really the opposite — like I was going to go back and live in these old shoes, in a way,” she said. “I didn’t want to do that.”

The Matrix Resurrections teaser blue or red pill

However, more faces were announced to be coming back, including – to many fans’ surprise – Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss. As you may remember, Neo and Trinity died at the end of The Matrix Revolutions; the start of Resurrections will have neither of the characters aware of the Matrix’s existence, nor will they remember each other. On returning to his iconic, leather-clad role, Reeves gushed that “Lana Wachowski wrote a beautiful script and a wonderful story that resonated with me. That’s the only reason to do it… To work with her again is just amazing. It’s been really special, and the story has, I think, some meaningful things to say, and that we can take some nourishment from.”

Reeves and Moss are joined by Jada Pinkett-Smith, Lambert Wilson, and Daniel Bernhardt, reprising their respective roles as Niobe, Merovingian, and Agent Johnson from the previous films. Also joining the the cast are Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Christina Ricci, Jessica Lu Yi Henwick, Priyanka Chopra, and Jonathan Groff, amongst others.

The first trailer has previously been shown at CinemaCon in August 2021, where the movie’s official title was also confirmed, but this is the first time it’s been seen outside of the conference.

Henwick’s character looks posed for an important role as the one who introduces Neo back to the Matrix. From the trailer, it also seems that Abdul-Mateen II’s role could indeed be as a young Morpheus, as many fans have theorised – though we’re mostly basing that assumption on his groovy glasses and wishful thinking.

The Matrix Resurrections will be released in cinemas by Warner Bros on December 22nd, 2021. Watch the trailer for yourself:

 

DON’T LOOK UP, An Asteroid’s About To Wipe Us Out!

Don't Look Up production still with Jennifer Lawrence as Kate Dibiasky

Adam McKay’s (Ant-Man, Vice) black comedy sci-fi feature Don’t Look Up, starring Academy Award winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, has just dropped its first teaser trailer.

Kate Dibiasky (Lawrence), an astronomy grad student, and her professor Dr. Randall Mindy (DiCaprio) discover that a comet orbiting within our solar system is on a direct collision course with Earth. Not a great start, but what’s worse is that no one really seems bothered.

As President Meryl Streep’s Chief of Staff (Jonah Hill) eloquently puts it, “drought, famine, the hole in the ozone… it’s all sooo boring.” Could you even imagine if extinction was facing us in the face, and our very own elected world leaders refused do anything about it? Unthinkable.

DON'T LOOK UP WITH CATE BLANCHETT as BRIE EVANTEE, TYLER PERRY as JACK BREMMER, LEONARDO DICAPRIO as DR. RANDALL MINDY AND JENNIFER LAWRENCE

So instead, Kate and Randall embark on a world media tour to warn mankind of its dinosaurs-style impending doom. With only six months to convince the world it needs to be saved, let’s just say it’s not looking good. Can’t blame DiCaprio for all that hyperventilating.

McKay has also assembled quite a spectacular supporting cast: Cate Blanchett, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, Himesh Patel, and Tyler Perry, to name but a few.

And the best part? Don’t Look Up crashes into select theatres December 10th, and on Netflix on December 24th. Because nothing says Christmas spirit quite like the end of the world.

Sci-fi Thriller THE OCCUPANT Casts Ella Balinska In Lead Role

Ella Balinska to star in The Occupant

British actress Ella Balinska, who gained recognition for her starring role opposite Kristen Stewart and Naomi Scott in the 2019 Charlie’s Angels reboot, has landed the lead role in sci-fi thriller The Occupant. 

Balinska will play Abby, a young woman on a desperate quest to save her sister who finds herself stranded alone in the icy Russian wilderness… until she is confronted by a mysterious stranger. Dealing with themes of perception, manipulation, loss of loved ones and survival, The Occupant ultimate challenges the viewer with  one question: How much would you be willing to sacrifice in order to survive?

Co-written and set to be directed by Hugo Keijzer, The Occupant is a feature-length expansion of Keijzer’s acclaimed 2019 short film of the same name, which screened at festivals including Fantasia, Sitges and Bifan. This will be the director’s debut feature film, with the short film functioning as a prologue.

The Dutch filmmaker explained that “The Occupant is both a visceral survival story and a gripping journey into the unknown, which will be an immense challenge both physically and mentally for our lead actress. I’m thrilled to be working with Ella on this. She embraces the unique challenges that come with this project and she’s not afraid to reveal her most vulnerable side. I believe she has all the makings of a superstar.”

Having trained at the Academy of Performance Combat and considering her background competing in track and field events, there’s little doubt that Balinska is a rising action star. Fans will get to see more of her talents when she stars in Netflix’s upcoming horror series Resident Evil, a live-action adaptation of the popular video games series. The project is currently in pre-production.

 

 

 

THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS Teaser Demands You Choose A Pill

The Matrix Resurrections teaser blue or red pill

It’s not quite a trailer, but it sure is enough to whet our appetites: we have been blessed with a first glimpse at Lana Wachowki’s The Matrix Resurrections. 

Now, head to the newly revamped Matrix website. Once there, channel your inner Neo and choose between a red and blue pill – do you want the story to end, or will stay in Wonderland? Be warned that with each viewing, the teasers will change.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II hand in mirror teaser Matrix Resurrections

Pick the red pill. “This is the moment,” intones an unidentified voice, “for you to show us what is real. Right now, you believe it’s [insert local time – it’s a pretty neat trick]. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. It could be, this is the first day of the rest of your life. But if you want it, you’ve got to fight for it.” Short clips flash along: fingers sinking into a mirror’s surface; a gun firing; a man leaping off the edge of a building; Jessica Yu Li Henwick with a blue crop of hair; a hand reaching for a red pill; Jonathan Groff’s lips sealing over with skin; Neo walking through a crowd, or down a rain-soaked, neon-lit street; a data probe being inserted into a headjack.

Matrix Resurrections teaser blue pills

Pick the blue pill. “Do you remember how you got here?” asks a voice that could only be Neil Patrick Harris’. “You’ve lost your capacity to discern reality from fiction. What’s real is here, and now. [Once again, insert your local time]. Anything else is just your mind playing tricks on you. It becomes a problem when fantasies endanger us. We don’t want anyone to get hurt… do we?” We see Keanu Reeves sporting his John Wick look; a gun emerging from behind a mirror; blue pills in the palm of a hand, or spilled onto white marble; Neo fighting Yahya Abdul-Mateen II‘s character in what looks to be the same dojo in which he sparred against Morpheus; Neo reaching for Trinity’s hand; a black cat; a man grazing the empty headjack at the base of his skull.

At the end of both, the promise of a full trailer, which will drop Thursday 9th September. We’re sure there’s enough variations of the clips to keep us busy and mining for clues until then. Let’s see how deep the rabbit hole goes.