Haters, ready your best ‘Indiana Jones and the Hackneyed Reference to How Old Harrison Ford Is’ jokes, because shooting on the fifth film in the series has officially begun in North Yorkshire, UK, and with it… set leaks!

We don’t usually report on stuff like this as it can obviously lead to spoilers of the genuinely shitty kind, but on this occasion, we were so thrilled to see Ford back in the fedora for the first time since 2008 we just couldn’t resist! (But no more after this, promise.)

As we can see in the first shot (courtesy of IJ Adventure Outpost – follow them on Twitter @IndianaJones_ch) and second (posted by Twitter user @daveleaper) that’s current Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy by Ford’s side, and to his right, Frank Marshall. Both Marshall and Kennedy have worked in producer capacities on every Indy flick since 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark.

While it’s nice to see a few of the old team together, we’re still saddened by the fact that neither George Lucas nor Steven Spielberg will be joining Ford for this final adventure, with the latter bowing out as director in February 2020 due to “creative differences” in the development of the script. (That, or somebody made one too many cracks about CGI gophers, we can’t be sure.) Logan’s James Mangold was announced shortly after. Not an encouraging start, that’s for sure… but we’ll always prefer to be a Marion Ravenwood and route for Indy to be victorious, rather than be a bellend like that René Belloq and will him to fail.

Indiana Jones 5 will hit cinemas July, 2022.

Sources (follow for more): @IndianaJones_ch (pic 1), @daveleaper (pic 2), @Barnett_College (pic 3), @MakingStarWars (pic 4)

Currently scheduled to hit cinemas this coming Christmas (in a rare twist on what we’ve sadly become used to, the movie recently moved forward from its April 2022 slot), the anxiously-awaited fourth installment of The Matrix has quietly added another interesting name to its cast. Though never previously mentioned or even spotted in a set leak, Warner Bros’ updated press kit for The Matrix 4 has listed Christina Ricci as one of its actors. Ricci has many fondly remembered movies amongst her credits, with her most iconic role that of Wednesday Addams in Barry Sonnenfeld’s two Addams Family features in 1991 and 1993 respectively. Though not as ubiquitous as she was in the ‘90s, Ricci has barely stopped since first breaking on to the scene with Mermaids in 1990, with recent projects of note including her portrayal of the iconic Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald in the 10-part series Z: The Beginning of Everything, and famed ax aficionado Lizzie Borden in the mini-series The Lizzie Borden Chronicles.

Of course, die-hard fans of the Wachowskis and Ricci herself will recall they’ve collaborated before on the woefully misunderstood Speed Racer in 2008. The live-action remake of the popular Japanese property’s anime series from 1967 attempted to faithfully recreate the cartoon aesthetic for live-action, leaving most audiences confused by its unapologetically goofy tone. Perhaps this latest bit of casting will result in Speed Racer being reassessed by masses! (But probably not.)

It seems that secrecy is of the utmost priority on The Matrix 4, and with so many exciting mysteries surrounding the return of such classic characters as Neo and Trinity, and indeed new ones such as Ricci herself, we hope Warner Bros commits to its clandestineness in its forthcoming marketing blitz. If there’s one way the studio can try to recreate the magical audience experience of 1999, it’s by telling them as little as possible.

What we do know is that that alongside Ricci, the cast will consist of Keanu Reeves (naturally), Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Telma Hopkins, Eréndira Ibarra, Toby Onwumere, Max Riemelt, Brian J. Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith.

The film is currently untitled, but rumours have suggested it might follow the bewildering new Hollywood trend of re-using the franchise’s original title (see Halloween, Scream, The Suicide Squad, The Batman, The Predator, et al), therefore simply going by Matrix, or be called The Matrix Resurrections. We hope it’s the latter but certainly won’t rule out the former.

If all goes according to plan in our new post-pandemic world, we’ll all be taking our red pills on December 22^nd.

The fifth Evil Dead movie is back on track after its development was scuppered by the pandemic (and we thought Deadites were nasty!), with news that it has cast its leads. (Sorry Ash fans – Bruce won’t be returning here. Or so they’re saying, anyway…)

Starring as estranged sisters reuniting in the city – no cabin this time – actors Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan will face off against a brand-new army of darkness in a rumoured high-rise setting.

Alyssa Sutherland

Lily Sullivan

Sutherland you will be familiar with if you’re a fan of either Vikings or the short-lived TV adaptation of Stephen King’s The Mist, while Sullivan will be best known to most of us for the lavish retelling of Picnic at Hanging Rock in 2018. Campbell hypes the casting in a statement, saying “At its core, Evil Dead is about ordinary people overcoming extraordinarily terrifying situations. I can’t wait for Alyssa and Lily to fill the blood-soaked shoes of those who have come before them and carry on that tradition.”

While Campbell won’t be in front of the camera (again, so they say), he will produce this new franchise entry alongside the rest of the Evil Dead triumvirate, Sam Raimi, and Robert Tapert. Joining the crew will be director Lee Cronin, who impressed us (and Raimi) with 2019’s The Hole in the Ground.

The 2013 Evil Dead was a fine film that appealed to mass audiences but largely disappointed hardcore fans who craved a genuine continuation of the canon, while the three seasons of Ash vs Evil Dead that followed delivered that genuine continuation in spades… but failed horribly to find any audience, resulting in early cancellation. Could it be too much to hope for that Evil Dead Rise (to give this new film its full title) might straddle the line between both canons and clear that not-so-groovy 2013 post-credits Ash cameo up once and for all? Probably not, but it will be bloody fun nonetheless!

Evil Dead Rise will reportedly premiere in 2022 on HBO Max in the States, but we currently expect a cinema release in the UK.

Source: Deadline