ABC Opts Against THE BRIDES

Bela Lugosi Dracula

For those looking forward to ABC’s Brides of Dracula series, we’re afraid we’ve got some bad news.

Via Deadline, the series – titled simple The Brides – has not made it past the pilot stage.

Riverdale and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was the mind behind The Brides, with Hannibal’s Gina Torres on board to play one of Dracula’s three brides. As for Drac himself, Timeless’ Goran Visnjic had landed that role.

Now though, ABC has decided not to move forward with the project. It’s now likely that Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. TV will look to offer The Brides up to other networks, so there’s still a slight chance that the show makes it to a full series order.

Expect more on The Brides as and when we get it.

Talks Ongoing For a SCOTT PILGRIM Animated Series

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Well, this sounds all kinds of fantastic. Yes, as the headline suggests, a Scott Pilgrim vs. the World animated series could be on the way.

Director Edgar Wright revealed this intriguing nugget during an interview with Entertainment Weekly where Wright was discussing the 10th anniversary of his 2010 picture.

Explaining how he and Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley have been tossing around ideas for the IP, Wright said, “There’s some plans – and there’s nothing official yet – but there are some plans to revisit the material in an animation way. We’ve been talking with Bryan and with Jared [LeBoff – producer] for a while. What if we did something with the books in anime form? It’s being discussed as we speak.”

For fans of Wright’s all-kinds-of-fun adaptation of O’Malley’s source material, excitement was high at the prospect of seeing Scott Pilgrim vs. the World return to the silver screen for anniversary showings this coming August.

Unfortunately, due to the ongoing global pandemic, those plans have been put on hold indefinitely. Still, the plan is for Scott Pilgrim to return to the silver screen for those anniversary screenings at some point in the future.

As ever, expect more on this possible Scott Pilgrim vs. the World animated series if and when it develops further.

Margot Robbie to Headline New PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN Movie

Margot Robbie

While we’ve heard how a Pirates of the Caribbean reboot was in the works, now comes word that Margot Robbie will be headlining a separate Pirates movie for Disney.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news, with Birds of Prey star Robbie on board to front what’s been pegged as a female-driven Pirates of the Caribbean picture. Robbie will team with Birds of Prey screenwriter Christina Hodson on the film.

Plot details are being kept to a minimum right now, but the movie will reportedly not be a spin-off from the long-running established Pirates franchise. Instead, this will be an original story with new characters.

As ever, expect more on both of this new Pirates of the Caribbean offerings as they continue to develop.

New EVIL DEAD Movie is Titled EVIL DEAD RISE

Evil Dead 2

Earlier this month, we learnt that a new Evil Dead movie was on the way – and now there’s an update on the title of said picture.

Previously, it was believed that the film would be titled Evil Dead Now. In a new Diabolique interview, franchise fave Bruce Campbell has revealed that the movie will be called Evil Dead Rise.

Additionally, Campbell explained how the movie is currently at the draft stage and that he doesn’t believe anything concrete will happen with the offering until 2021.

As was revealed a couple of weeks ago, The Hole in the Ground’s Lee Cronin will be on directing duties for Evil Dead Now, with him having been handpicked for the gig by Sam Raimi. Reportedly, the movie won’t feature Bruce Campbell’s Ash or have any direct ties to Fede Alvarez’s impressive Evil Dead reboot. Instead, the focus will be on an entirely new story set within the Evil Dead world we know and love.

Marvel Comics announce Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar

Marvel Comics have announced that Star Wars: Doctor Aphra writer Kieron Gillen and Moon Knight artist  Jacen Burrows will be the creators behind the first Marvel Comics Warhammer 40,000 comic book, Warhammer 40,000 Marneus Calgar.

Calgar is one of the main protagonists of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. He is the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines, the blue armoured Space Marines who are humanity’s best chance of surviving the horrors that lurk in the grim darkness of the 41st  Millennium. The new series will explore Calgar’s origins, from his youth spent in the realms of Ultramar to his rise in power as a Space Marine.

Gillen is well known for his love of table-top gaming, so much so that one his other projects, DIE, is heavily inspired by fantasy gaming.

In press relase, he said: ”  I am venerable enough to have bought Rogue Trader in 1987.Since then, I like to think every hastily dry-brushed Necron, every badly edge-highlighted Marine, every ignored Harlequin (as painting Motley petrified me) has prepared me for writing the first Warhammer comics for Marvel. If I said, ‘Getting to explore the roots of Marneus Calgar and setting the stage for Marvel’s Warhammer comics is a dream come true,’ I would be betraying everything this grim future should be since ‘dream’ implies the possibility of hope. But getting to do this is the sort of thing Slaanesh would wave in my direction if she wanted me coming over to the tentacle-y side.“

“Or to translate for those less indoctrinated in 40K,” he concludes, “I’m excited.”

The first issue of the comic book will be avialble via the usual outlets from October, 2020.

 

Arrow Video FrightFest Goes Virtual

frightfest virtual

Following the postponement of the annual Arrow Video FrightFest, the team has put together an online virtual event, including 25 films, to take place from Friday August 28th to Monday August 31st.

As well as film screenings (available only to viewers in the UK), there will be special guest intros, Q&As, and the popular short film showcase.

FrightFest co-director, Ian Rattray, said: “Although we can’t recreate the special atmosphere of our public gatherings, we hope our online event will go some way to bringing the fans and filmmakers back together, not just to watch some great new films but also to carry on the community spirit that FrightFest is famous for. And, of course, we welcome genre fans who have been unable to attend in person before and who will be joining us for the first time.”

Arrow Video will continue as headline sponsor and Mike Hewitt, Head of Sales and Marketing commented: “We’re incredibly proud to be acting as headline sponsor of the UK’s premiere genre event, FrightFest, for a third year running. In these changing and challenging times, we need to adapt to new ways, and although we are clearly sad that this year’s August event will not be in a physical form, we are really pleased and excited that the team have decided to retain the summer genre festival spirit in a new online format. We hugely look forward to working with the team in making Arrow Video FrightFest Digital Edition a hugely engaging and successful experience this August Bank Holiday.”

Watch this space for further announcements and the line-up of films that will be screened.

FrightFest will return to its physical home in London’s West End in October for a specially extended Halloween programme.

Hulu Sets October Premiere for Marvel’s HELSTROM

Helstrom

With production just about managing to wrap up before COVID-19 struck, a premiere date has now been set for Marvel’s Helstrom.

Courtesy of Deadline, Helstrom will premiere on Hulu this coming October. This will be a part of the Huluween event which will also see several other new horror-driven movies and shows air – including Clive Barker’s Books of Blood and Mary Laws’ Monsterland.

The Royals’ Tom Austen and Fear the Walking Dead’s Sydney Lemmon will spearhead Helstrom as Daimon Helstrom and his sister, Ana. They’ll be joined in the show by Homeland’s Elizabeth Marvel as Victoria Helstrom, Nashville’s Robert Wisdom as Caretaker, Sweet November’s June Carryl as Dr Louise Hastings, Candy Jar’s Ariana Guerra as Gabriella Rosetti, and A Leading Man’s Alain Uy as Chris Yen.

The early word on Helstrom reads:

Daimon and Ana Helstrom are the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer in Marvel’s Helstrom. The siblings have a complicated dynamic as they track down the terrorizing worst of humanity – each with their attitude and skills.

Lost’s Paul Zbyszewski is on showrunner duties for Helstrom. The first season of the series will consist of ten episodes.

New V/H/S Offering in Development

V/H/S

In some news sure to please horror hounds, a new V/H/S movie is on the way.

First revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, Brad Miska and Bloody Disgusting are getting set to serve up a new V/H/S offering tentatively titled V/H/S 94. What that 94 refers to, is that the film will largely be set in 1994.

Specifics on the project are being kept relatively hush-hush right now, although BD have said how “this one is going to be big time” and that “the new one has grand ambitions.”

A slew of familiar filmmakers will be returning for this upcoming V/H/S entry, with the first film’s Amateur Night helmer David Bruckner spearheading the project. Since that first V/H/S, Bruckner has had quite the ride, with him having recently signed on to direct Spyglass Media’s Hellraiser remake, and his The Night House picked up by Searchlight earlier this year for $12 million.

Bruckner has written V/H/S 94 and will produce the picture, and he’ll be joined on the project by franchise faves Simon Barrett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Chad Villella, Timo Tjahjanto, and series newcomer Chloe Okuno.

There’s still a whole host of details to be revealed about V/H/S/ 94 – so expect more on this as we get it.

David F. Sandberg to Direct Demonic THE CULLING

David F. Sandberg

Over the past few years, director David F. Sandberg has amassed quite the string of impressive genre hits. And now, the filmmaker’s next project has been revealed.

Via Deadline, Sandberg is to direct The Culling for Lionsgate from a script by Stephen Herman. The early word on the picture is that it will centre on a priest heading to a remote cabin to make one final stand against a demon that tormented his family when he was a child.

Sandberg is likely best known for helming offerings such as Lights Out, Annabelle: Creation, and Shazam!, with it presumed that he’ll get to work on The Culling once Shazam! 2 finishes production.

Expect more on The Culling as it develops.

LUCIFER Confirmed for August Return

Tom Ellis Lucifer

After much speculation, Netflix has finally moved to announce a premiere date for Lucifer’s fifth season.

Directly from the on-demand streaming juggernaut, Tom Ellis’ Lucifer Morningstar will be return to screens on August 21.

The current plan from Netflix is to debut the first half of Season Five in August, with the second half to air at a later date. Currently, production is waiting to get back underway on the second part of this new season, with the show one of the many to be hit by delays due to COVID-19.

In typical Lucifer fashion, the news of Season Five’s premiere was revealed in a rather raunchy video.

Looking forward past this impending fifth season, and Ellis has seemingly now agreed to return for a sixth season that will serve to bring Lucifer to a close.