Jared Leto’s Joker is Returning!

Jared Leto Joker

Well, this is a little out of left field…

Via The Hollywood Reporter, Jared Leto is to reprise his role as The Joker for Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

Leto, of course, previously played the Clown Prince of Crime in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. That appearance certainly split opinion, and it seemed that Leto’s time as the Jester of Genocide was a one-and-done affair. There was at one point plans for this incarnation of Mr. J to feature in several other movies, but those plans were soon shelved.

Now though, Leto is said to be part of the ongoing reshoots for Snyder’s new cut of 2017’s Justice League. Those same reshoots also involve Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher, and Amber Heard, but Leto’s inclusion is a major shocker.

To air in four one-hour parts on HBO Max at some point next year, Zack Snyder’s Justice League – previously dubbed Justice League: The Snyder Cut – will see Snyder afforded the chance to make the movie how he’d originally intended.

Back during Justice League’s production, Snyder had to drop out of the film due to the tragic death of his daughter. Warner Bros. moved to bring in Joss Whedon to finish the movie, although many were unhappy with some of the choices that Whedon made for Justice League.

As ever, expect more on Zack Snyder’s Justice League – and what role Jared Leto’s Joker will have to play – as we get it.

Kristen Bell to Headline Netflix’s THE WOMAN IN THE HOUSE

Kristen Bell

While Netflix has had to pull the plug on several shows in recent weeks and months, the on-demand streaming service is pushing forward with an intriguing new series titled The Woman in the House.

Courtesy of Variety, The Good Place’s Golden Globe-nommed Kristen Bell has signed on to headline this eight-episode limited series.

The early word on The Woman in the House reads:

Anna sits with her wine, staring out the window, watching life go by without her. But when a handsome neighbour moves in across the street, Anna starts to see a light at the end of the tunnel. That is until she witnesses a gruesome murder… or did she?

Not only will Bell be starring as Anna, she’ll also act as executive producer on The Woman in the House alongside series creators Rachel Ramras, Hugh Davison, and Larry Dorf.

Expect more on The Woman in the House as we get it.

New Shared POWER RANGERS TV and Film Realm in Development

Power Rangers

With last year bringing word that a new, rebooted (again!) Power Rangers movie was in development, but now there’s a twist in the tale.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, eOne is now developing a larger Power Rangers universe that will encompass a shared TV and film realm.

Previously, The End of the F***ing World’s Jonathan Entwistle was brought in by Paramount Pictures to direct the aforementioned movie reboot. With eOne now overseeing proceedings, Entwistle has been retained to steer all of these upcoming projects.

On this news, eOne’s Nick Meyer and Michael Lombardo enthused, “Jonathan has an incredible creative vision for this iconic and hugely successful franchise, and is hands down the right architect to join us as we reimage the television and film worlds of this property. Across our slate, we are looking forward to working with the most talented storytellers as we take on Hasbro’s rich fan-favourite brands and build entertainment universes around them.”

The last two we see the Power Rangers on the silver screen was in 2017, of course, although that film was so-so at best. Failing to do enough to appeal to original franchise fans, while simultaneously struggling to pull in a new audience, that Dean Israelite-helmed Power Rangers ultimately served as a disappointment.

Expect more on all things Power Rangers as we get it.

WILLOW TV Series Heading to Disney+

After years of rumours, we’re now finally getting a Willow follow-up series.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, Warwick Davis will be returning to headline a Willow sequel show on Disney+.

Now just is Davis back to star as Willow Ufgood, but Willow director Ron Howard is on board as an executive producer. Solo: A Star Wars Story’s Jonathan Kasdan has already penned a pilot episode of Willow, and Kasdan and Arrow’s Wendy Mericle will serve as showrunners. Crazy Rich Asians’ Jon M. Chu has likewise been confirmed to be directing that pilot offering.

On this news, Davis enthused, “So many fans have asked me over the years if Willow will make a return, and now I’m thrilled to tell them that he will indeed. If Willow Ufgood can represent the heroic potential in all of us, then he is a character I am extremely honoured to reprise.”

The early word on Willow is that it will pick up years after the events of the 1988 movie, introducing new characters into this magical world of fairy queens and monsters.

As ever, expect more on Willow as we get it.

Xochitl Gomez Joins DOCTOR STRANGE Sequel

Xochitl Gomez

While this month has seen Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange added to the next outing for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, now comes a new addition for the Sorcerer Supreme’s next solo picture.

Via Deadline, The Baby-Sitter’s Club’s Xochitl Gomez has joined Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness in an undisclosed role. Speculation is already rampant that Gomez may be playing young sorceress Emily Bright, although that is purely rumour and guesswork at this time.

As mentioned, Benedict Cumberbatch will firstly be turning up in the to-be-titled Spider-Man: Far From Home follow-up alongside Tom Holland’s Wall-crawler and Jamie Foxx’s Electro, with plentiful (unconfirmed) stories out there that the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield incarnations of Spider-Man also joining the action in that picture.

After that, the Master of the Mystic Arts will headline Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where he’ll be joined by Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, Benedict Wong’s Wong, and likely Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo.

To be directed by Sam Raimi, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently set for a March 25, 2022 release. Before that, that new Spider-Man movie will swing to the silver screen on December 17, 2021.

THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER Adds Danny Ramirez

Danny Ramirez

Having recommenced filming again recently following a pandemic-forced hiatus, Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has made a new addition.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, On My Block and The Gifted’s Danny Ramirez has landed a mystery role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – although it’s said that this role is a pivotal one.

Ramirez joins a cast that includes Anthony Mackie’s Falcon, Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier, Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter, Daniel Bruhl’s Helmet Zemo, and Wyatt Russell’s John Walker.

Despite initially being planned to land on Disney+ towards the end of this year, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was recently pushed back to 2021. This, of course, is just one of a slew of Marvel-based Disney+ shows in various stages of development right now – such as WandaVision, Loki, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Hawkeye, and Nick Fury.

Michael B. Jordan to Produce STATIC SHOCK Movie

Michael B. Jordan Static Shock

With this past August’s DC FanDome event seeing it revealed that a live-action Static Shock was in the works, now comes an update on that picture.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, Michael B. Jordan will executive produce Static Shock though his Outlier Society banner alongside Milestone’s Reginal Hudlin. This won’t be Jordan’s first foray into the world of superheroes, of course, for he played Johnny Storm in 2015’s Fantastic Four and then took on the role of Killmonger in Black Panther.

On this news, Jordan enthused, “I’m proud to be a part of building a new universe centred around black superheroes. Our community deserves that. Outlier Society is committed to bringing to life diverse comic book content across all platforms and we are excited to partner with Reggie and Warner Bros. on this initial step.”

Created by Milestone Comics founders Denys Cowan, Dwayne McDuffie, Derek T. Tingle and Michael Davis, teenager Virgil Hawkins made his comic book back in June 1993’s Static #1. A teenager who developers electromagnetic-based abilities after being exposed to a radioactive chemical, Static quickly became a favourite of many.

The popularity of this young hero was taken to a whole other level when the animated Static Shock series debuted in 2000, going on to run for four seasons. The character would go on to make a one-off appearance in Justice League Unlimited, before having a slightly more substantial role in Young Justice.

As for Milestone Comics, that company itself was created in ’93, with publishing and distribution overseen by DC Comics – and a new Static Shock comic book will hit shelves in February of next year.

Expect more on this Static Shock movie as it continues to develop.

CBS Renews STAR TREK: DISCOVERY for Fourth Season

discovery 2

The third season of Star Trek: Discovery only premiered a couple of days ago in the US, but CBS has quickly moved to renew the show for a fourth season.

CBS All Access has announced that a fourth year of Discovery has been given the green light by the on-demand streaming service. Not just that, but CBS revealed that filming for this next season will commence on November 2.

While we’ll obviously have to see how things play out in Discovery’s third season first and foremost, Doug Jones has moved to show his excitement for the news of this renewal.

As Jones – who plays Saru in the show – enthused, “I am looking forward to the one thing that I always look most forward to when we get to come back for another season of Star Trek: Discovery. And that is to be reunited with my family again. The Trek family, the Discovery family. To be able to at least be in the same room again, even if we can’t hug each other right away. I don’t know how it’s all gonna work, but I can’t wait.”

Interesting, by the time that this fourth season actually premieres, CBS All Access will have undergone its rebrand to Paramount+.

In addition to more Star Trek: Discovery, CBS All Access/Paramount+ will also be getting a new season of Star Trek: Picard – and there is reportedly another Star Trek show or two in the works, with tentative plans in place through until 2027.

Here in the UK, Star Trek: Discovery is housed on Netflix and Star Trek: Picard can be found on Amazon Prime Video.

Film Fear at HOME Manchester

home fear

We love FilmFear, HOME Manchester’s annual celebration of big-screen scares, returning for Halloween with a provocative programme that mixes thrills and chills with plenty to think about.

Running from Wednesday, October 28th to Thursday, November 5th and, responding to the lack of new films available for screening, Film4 and HOME have co-curated a line-up of modern genre classics that sink their teeth into politics, race, sexuality, social issues and more.

Watch out too for an exclusive Q&A with writer director Joe Cornish following the closing night screening of Attack the Block.

You can find out more at https://homemcr.org/event/filmfear-2020/

Here’s the line-up:

The People Under the Stairs

Wed, Oct 28th, 19:45

Dir Wes Craven/US 1991/98 mins

Brandon Adams, Everett McGill, Wendy Robie

Director Craven had been mixing politics with horror since his notorious 1972 debut The Last House on the Left, but he really let rip with this savage slice of Reagan-era urban Gothic. After his family is evicted, streetwise teen Fool breaks in to the foreboding home of the husband-and-wife landlords responsible. There, in a house that Craven described as representing ‘the whole society of the United States’, Fool discovers a nightmare that gets more terrifying with each door he opens.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Thu Oct 29th, 19:30

Dir Philip Kaufmann/US 1978/111 mins

Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum

An example of that rarest of things – a remake that equals, if not improves upon, the original. The 1956 paranoid classic is updated to1970s San Francisco by director Kaufman and writer W. D. Richter, giving them licence to comment on contemporary concerns regarding conformity and selfishness while crafting an expert horror/sci-fi thriller. The fear of losing one’s identity is always with us, making Jack Finney’s source story eternally relevant and re-tellable. However, it’s never been told as terrifyingly as this.

The Host

Fri Oct 30th, 17:45

Dir Bong Joon-ho/South Korea 2006/120 mins

Song Kang-ho, Bae Doo-na, Byun Hee-bong

Ever since Godzilla stomped on Tokyo in 1954, monsters have been drafted in to sci-fi and horror movies to stand for wider social issues. Parasite director Bong’s aquatic creature-feature is up to something similar – like his Oscar-winner it’s got plenty to say about Korean society while also providing non-stop scares and excitement. Parasite’s desperate dad Song Kang-ho is on top form here, although it’s Bong’s beast from the deep who steals every scene.


Death Line

Fri Oct 30th, 20:15

Dir Gary Sherman/GB 1972/78 mins

Donald Pleasance, David Ladd, Sharon Gurney, Norman Rossington

A murder on the London Underground alerts authorities to the possibility of some sort of creature living in the long dark tunnels. What they uncover is not only grisly and terrifying, but also brings to light – in the most extreme manner – the exploitation of the workers who built the transport system. There’s a fine sarcastic turn from Donald Pleasance, an eerie, seedy electronic/jazz score and one of horror cinema’s best-known catchphrases: ‘Mind the doors!’.

Candyman

Sat Oct 31st, 15:00

Dir Bernard Rose/GB US 1992/99 mins

Virginia Madsen, Xander Berkeley, Tony Todd

In lieu of the remake, which should have been in cinemas this month, we’re thrilled to present a restored version of this early 1990s horror classic in which the vengeful, hook-handed title character proves that some urban legends are actually true. Saying his name five times is enough to invoke the all-too-physical spirit, with his appearance bringing both an unsettling reminder of the past and a terrifying vision of the future to the Chicago housing projects that he haunts.

Double Bill/ El asfalto and La residencia

Sat Oct 31st, 17:15

Dir Narciso Ibáñez Serrador/Spain 1966 + 1969/133 mins

Lilli Palmer, Cristina Galbó, John Moulder-Brown

A young woman is sent to a Gothic boarding school, where she finds a headmistress, memorably played by Lili Palmer, intent on keeping everyone in line with firm, physical discipline. When some of the school’s girls begin to disappear, it seems there is more at hand than simply the headmistress’s whip. With La residencia, one of the most atmospheric European horror films of the late 1960s, Ibáñez Serrador scored a major hit at the Spanish box-office, significantly contributing to the cycle of horror film production in Spain in the 1970s. Accompanied by El asfalto, one of the best-remembered episodes of Ibáñez Serrador’s legendary TV series, Historias para no dormir.

Jennifer’s Body

Sat Oct 31st, 20:00

Dir Karyn Kusama/US 2009/102 mins

Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody

Critically disregarded upon release but now ripe for re-discovery, this horror-comedy from director Kusama and Juno writer Diablo Cody relates back to such defiantly female-focussed genre classics as Carrie and Rosemary’s Baby. Forced into a black-magic ritual by members of a rock band, popular high-school student Jennifer is transformed into a succubus preying on young men. Unsettled – to say the least – by this sudden change, Jennifer’s best friend Needy must put a stop to the bloodshed without betraying their sisterhood.

Who Can Kill a Child?

Sun Nov 1st at 15.30

Dir Narciso Ibáñez Serrador/Spain 1972/112 mins

Lewis Fiander, Prunella Ransome, Antonio Iranzo

After spending much of the 1970s working in television, Ibáñez Serrador returned to the cinema with ¿Quién puede matar a un niño? In this incredibly atmospheric horror film, an English couple on holiday in Spain find more than they bargained for when they visit what seems a perfect island continuously bathed in sunlight. With no adults to be seen, the horror of their situation slowly emerges as they find that the island’s children are seemingly ready to take their revenge. ¿Quién puede matar a un niño? is one of the major achievements of European horror cinema in the 1970s and has been influential on many filmmakers since.

The Stuff

Sun Nov 1st, 17:45

Dir Larry Cohen/US 1985/93 mins

Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Wendy Robie, Paul Sorvino

If you though chlorinated chicken was scary, wait ‘til you experience director Larry Cohen’s biting satire about food fads and irresistible marketing, in which the scariest thing of all is our own appetite. There’s a tasty, healthy and fun new dessert on the shelves called The Stuff, but the truth behind what it is and what it does to you is the starting-point for a fiendishly original and darkly comic monster movie like no other.

Attack the Block

Thu Nov 5th, 17:15

Dir Joe Cornish/GB 2011/88 mins

John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Nick Frost

An outer-space invasion of a South London housing estate prompts an ingenious retaliation from an unlikely source – a gang of teenage boys who go from menace to society to scourge of the aliens over the course of one action-packed night. John Boyega leads the charge to protect his home and community, with the film creating heroes from the sort of characters who are usually either demonised or marginalised in both the press and fiction. This screening will be followed by an exclusive on screen Q&A with director Joe Cornish.

Video Label VIPCO is Back!

VIPCO

The name VIPCO no doubt means something to horror fans – particularly those who remember the VHS era. The original label disappeared years ago, but now the name is back.

From the press release:

The new VIPCO is a new label but very much still focusing on releasing horror films. This new VIPCO is a film production and distribution company based in the U.K. founded by HorrorScreams VideoVault CEO & founder Peter Hopkins and writer/filmmaker Lorna J Child.

Being a new label, they are looking for new and exciting films to release and as you would expect with the name VIPCO they are looking for horror/sci-fi /fantasy/thriller… if it fits the horror genre or its many subgenres we are interested in hearing from you!

Not only are they looking for new production, but VIPCO is looking for short films to be part of an anthology to be released as one of their first releases which is tentatively called VIPCO’S VAULT OF TERROR. The plan is to make a series of film releases under the banner.

For the first VIPCO’S VAULT OF TERROR, they are looking for anything that fits the horror mould so if you have a short film they would be happy to see it and who knows it might be part of this new anthology.

Here’s how to get your short to the team:

Submissions will be open all year round for this so if you have a short you want to be seen by a wider audience get in touch at: [email protected]

Deadline to submit for this first anthology release will be January 1st, 2021 where after this time a panel of judges will choose the cream of the crop to be in the anthology film that will be released on DVD and VOD platforms!

Submission Guidelines:

The film needs to be full screen HD 1080p
Delivered 24 fps(Film)
Can be filmed on DSLR, Go Pro or even your phone!

We do ask that when you submit your film to send it to us with the films opening and end credits still attached.

No copyright music or logos other than you have permission to use in the production.

Submit your short film today. Not got one? Then go out and film one you have time!
Send your short films to: [email protected]

To stay up to date on the project and future projects come give VIPCO a LIKE on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VIPCOfilm/

VIPCO