BATWOMAN to Feature a New Lead Character

With Ruby Rose having shocked the genre world by announcing her departure from Batwoman, there’s a major new update on what lies ahead in the show’s second season.

Previously, it was said that The CW would be looking to recast the titular Kate Kane – and that may well still be the case – but a new report claims that Batwoman is now on the hunt to put a completely new character in the cape ‘n’ cowl.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, the new plan of attack is for a character called Ryan Wilder to take on the mantle of Batwoman. Wilder is pegged as female, mid-late 20s, any ethnicity, likeable, messy, goofy, untamed, nothing like Kate Kane, and is about to become Batwoman.

As mentioned, the original plan was to replace Ruby Rose as Kate Kane, although maybe this latest revelation throws that up in the air a little. Of course, there are numerous ways to get around Kate not being present in the show – just take a look at how Batwoman has handled Batman’s absence from Gotham City, for example – so we’ll have to see what happens there.

Season Two of Batwoman is booked in for a January 2021 premiere.

This Year’s FrightFest Has Been Cancelled

frightfest cancelled

It’s been announced that due to the restrictions on social distancing brought in by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Arrow Video FrightFest has been cancelled,

One of the highlights of the horror calendar, it would have been its 21st year this August. However, the team plan to be back for their traditional Halloween evet, which will be expanded this year.

Co-director Alan Jones said: “Sadly, we won’t be able to come together and celebrate our 21st year in the summer but rest assured, we will make our London Halloween event one to remember. FrightFest has always been about the genre community joining together, not just to embrace films but to demonstrate our unique spirit of supportive closeness”.

Artist Graham Humphreys has created a poster for the Halloween event, adding: “The image presented a huge challenge. Not only had the pandemic erased any hope of a regular FrightFest schedule, but the possibility of a Halloween event needed to be addressed. This year’s monster needed to consider his Covid-19 response with a mask and goggles. The poster for ‘Halloween II’ inspired a way to present the full face without risking infection! Is the bat his friendly familiar – or the bringer of pestilence? You decide!”

Ticket details for the Halloween event will be announced soon.

Victoria Mahoney in Talks to Direct Paramount’s KILL THEM ALL

Kill Them All

With the project first announced over a year ago, now comes news on who’ll be directing Paramount’s big-screen adaptation of Kyle Starks’ Kill Them All.

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, Victoria Mahoney is currently in talks to helm this take on Starks’ 2015 graphic novel. Mahoney is best known for directing Yelling to the Sky, several episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Power, and was also second-unit director on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The official synopsis on Kill Them All reads:

Kill Them All tells of a betrayed murderess on a revenge streak and a hard-drinking former cop who, to get what they want, team to take down a crime lord. The latter is atop a 15-story Miami high-rise, so the duo go floor by floor, cutting through assassins, murderers, Luchadore gang bosses, ex-boyfriends, and office workers.

A Certain Justice’s James Coyne is on writing duties for this adaptation.

Season Seven of THE FLASH Reveals Its ‘Big Bad’

Godspeed

With The Flash’s sixth season soon to come to a close here in the UK, now comes word on who the ‘big bad’ of the show’s already-confirmed seventh season will be.

In an interview with TV Line, showrunner Eric Wallace has revealed that Godspeed will be butting heads with Grant Gustin’s Scarlet Speedster in Season Seven.

Fans of The Flash will be well aware that Barry Allen has already locked horns with Godspeed at several points across the series’ six-year run, although those versions were actually clones of the real Godspeed. Now though, Barry will have to square off with the real thing.

Comics-wise, Godspeed is actually one of Barry Allen’s best friends, August Heart. After his brother is murdered and the person responsible gets off with the crime, Heart takes a dark turn. Picking up some superspeed and other abilities along the way, August embarks on a mission to kill off criminals.

In The Flash, what we’ve seen from Godspeed so far suggests a slightly different origin for him. Back in Season Five, Godspeed was depicted as a frustrated lab intern who uses his science skills to give himself superspeed. From there, he spends his days looting chemical facilities as a way to continuously increase his speed.

At present, The Flash’s seventh season is due to premiere in January of next year. That premiere will actually be the intended sixth season finale episode. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, production wasn’t able to be finished on that season finale before the entertainment industry was placed on hold.

CLARICE Finds its Showrunner

The Silence of the Lambs

With a Silence of the Lambs TV series in the works, said series has now found its showrunner.

Via Deadline, The Resident’s Elizabeth Klaviter has been tasked with showrunner duties for what’s titled Clarice. Klaviter will work alongside executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet.

Pretty Little Liars’ Rebecca Breeds is on board to play Clarice Starling in the show, with The Walking Dead’s Michael Cudlitz, Orange is the New Black’s Nick Sandow, and Harold & Kumar’s Kal Penn also signed on.

To take place a year after the event of The Silence of the Lambs, the early blurb on Clarice reads:

Clarice is set in 1993, a year after the events of The Silence of the Lambs. The series is a deep dive into the untold personal story of Clarice Starling, as she returns to the field to pursue serial murderers and sexual predators while navigating the high stakes political world of Washington, D.C.

Brilliant and vulnerable, Clarice graduated Magna from UVA with a double major in Psych and Criminology. Her bravery gives her an inner light that draws monsters and madmen to her. Her complex psychological makeup comes from a challenging childhood, and her drive comes from her need to escape the burden of family secrets that have haunted her throughout her life.

The current plan is for Clarice to premiere early next year.

Tom Ellis Agrees to LUCIFER Season Six

Tom Ellis Lucifer

While the future of Lucifer was once again up in the air earlier this year, it now looks as if Tom Ellis will be returning for a sixth season as Lucifer Morningstar.

Via Deadline, Ellis has now reached an agreement with Warner Bros. and Netflix to return for said Season Six.

Previously, Warner Bros. and Netflix were keen to move forward with a sixth season, yet star Ellis wasn’t happy with the contract he was being offered for what would be the show’s final season. Now though, all parties are happy and Lucifer will continue on for just a little while longer.

Of course, Season Five of Lucifer has yet to actually hit screens, and production on this season has been hit by delays due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Expect more on all things Lucifer as we get it.

Ryan Gosling to Headline New WOLFMAN

Ryan Gosling

With Leigh Whannell having recently put a fresh lick of paint on The Invisible Man, now comes word that another old favourite is being revisited by Universal Pictures.

Courtesy of Variety, Ryan Gosling is set to headline a new Wolfman movie for Universal. The Drive and La La Land actor is said to have pitched the idea to Universal, with a script put together by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo.

At this stage, this Wolfman project has yet to find a director – although Bad Education’s Cory Finley is the early frontrunner for the gig.

The original version of the IP saw Lon Chaney Jr. star in The Wolf Man back in 1941. Since then, there have been so many various incarnations of the character and his world, most recently with Benicio del Toro starring in 2010’s The Wolfman.

As ever, expect more on Gosling’s Wolfman as it continues to develop.

Netflix Adapting THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL

The School for Good and Evil

Soman Chainani’s The School for Good and Evil is being adapted over at Netflix.

Via Deadline, Chainani’s 2013 debut novel is being turned into a Paul Feig-helmed movie. Feig is best known for the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, Bridesmaids, Spy, and Last Christmas. Life of Pi’s David Magee and Office Christmas Party’s Laura Solon are on writing duties for the adaptation.

For those not familiar with The School for Good and Evil, the official synopsis for the book reads:

Welcome to the School for Good and Evil, where best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

With her glass slippers and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks and wicked black cat, seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil.

The two girls soon find their fortunes reversed – Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School for Good, thrust among handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.

But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are… ?

The School for Good and Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.

Expect more on Netflix’s spin on The School for Good and Evil as it continues to develop.

Cate Blanchett Joins Eli Roth’s BORDERLANDS

Cate Blanchett

With Eli Roth directing the big-screen adaptation of the beloved Borderlands video game franchise, now comes a first piece of casting news for this picture.

Courtesy of a press release, it’s been confirmed that Cate Blanchett has signed on to play Lilith in the Lionsgate offering. Earlier this month, there was word that Blanchett was in negotiations for that role – and now her casting has been made official.

That character is a major favourite amongst fans of the Borderlands video games, and Lilith is one of the six all-powerful Sirens in this world. As for Blanchett, this would see her reunite with Roth after the pair worked together on The House with a Clock in Its Walls.

For those not familiar with the Borderlands video game franchise, the official word reads:

Borderlands is set in the distant future, in which four ‘Vault Hunter’ travel to the distant planet Pandora to hunt down an alien vault, rumoured to contain advanced alien technology. The hunters find themselves battling the local wildlife and bandit population, but ultimately attempt to stop the head of a private corporation army from reaching the vault first.

As a video game series, Borderlands began back in 2009. Since then, there have been three follow-up games, several spin-off games, a comic book series, and several novels.

Given Roth’s penchant for intensity and humour, he could well be the perfect choice to oversee the oft-erratic and outright nuts world of the Borderlands games.

UPGRADE TV Series in the Works

Upgrade

With Leigh Whannell delivering a modern-day sci-fi masterpiece with Upgrade, it’s fantastic to hear that a sequel of sorts is on the way for this 2018 movie.

Courtesy of Bloody Disgusting, Blumhouse Television and UCP are taking Upgrade to the small screen.

This TV series take on Upgrade will pick things up several years after the events of the Logan Marshall-Green-headlined film. In that picture, Marshall-Green’s Grey Trace sees his wife killed in a horrific mugging which also leaves him paralysed. When he’s approached by a billionaire tech genius, Grey accepts the offer of an experimental chip – STEM – which gives him enhanced abilities.

In this Upgrade show, the landscape of the movie will be expanded on, with the government now in possession of STEM and using it as a way to keep on top of criminal activity.

Whannell will serve as executive producer on Upgrade alongside showrunner Tim Walsh. Walsh is best known for his work on the likes of Shooter and Treadstone. The Purge’s James Roland and Krystal Ziv Houghton are joining Whannell and Walsh in a writer’s room for the series.

This is all part of the exclusive first-look deal Leigh Whannell has recently penned with Blumhouse for both movie and TV projects.