Netflix Orders Eight-Episode Take on SWEET TOOTH

Sweet Tooth

After spending the last year or more spinning its wheels in development hell, the TV take on Jeff Lemire’s Sweet Tooth is finally moved forward.

Having recently seen the rights move from Hulu to Netflix, Sweet Tooth has now been given an eight-episode order by the on-demand streaming juggernaut. Variety broke the news, with Stake Land’s Jim Mickle on board as showrunner and executive producer alongside the Team Downey production banner.

For those not familiar with Sweet Tooth, the title was first published by Vertigo in 2009. The general premise centres on Gus, a young boy in a post-apocalyptic world. Oh, and Gus also happens to have features resembling a deer. Having met up with several other animal-human hybrids, this motley crew delve deep on unlocking the mysterious of this strange new world they find themselves in.

The last we’d heard, Pup Academy youngster Christian Convery was to play Gus, with Will Forte, Adeel Akhtar, Nonso Anozie, and James Brolin all also involved.

As ever, expect more on Netflix’s spin on Sweet Tooth as it continues to develop.

The CW’s SUPERMAN AND LOIS Adds Wolé Parks

Wolé Parks

As The CW’s impending Superman and Lois series continues to flesh out its core cast, the show has moved to make another new addition to its ranks.

Via Deadline, All American and The Crossing’s Wolé Parks has signed on to play The Stranger. That role is pegged as a series regular, and The Stranger is described as “a mysterious visitor hellbent on proving to the world that it no longer needs Superman.”

In terms of the pages of DC Comics, there isn’t anyone who necessarily goes by the name of The Stranger. There is, however, the magical Phantom Stranger who has often been a part of the Justice League Dark. Whether Superman and Lois’ Stranger is a spin on The Phantom Stranger, we’ll have to wait and see.

Parks joins a Superman and Lois cast that includes Tyler Hoechlin and Bitsie Tulloch as the titular couple, Jordan Elsass and Alexander Garfin as their twin sons, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Lana Lang, Erik Valdez as Lana’s husband Kyle, and Dylan Walsh as General Sam Lane.

The plan filming of the Superman and Lois pilot episode has yet to take place due to the pandemic that’s ravaging the globe. The CW has already ordered a 13-episode first season for the series, though.

Expect more on Superman and Lois as it continues to develop.

CBS Cancels Kevin Williamson’s TELL ME A STORY

Tell Me a Story

In some disappointing news for Kevin Williamson’s Tell Me a Story anthology series, CBS All Access has moved to announce that the show will come to an end after two seasons.

Via Deadline, Williamson’s skewed take on classic fairytales impressed many, but the February finish of Season Two will now serve as the series’ finale. Both seasons of the show will continue to be on the CBS All Access streaming service, while The CW has managed to nab the rights to begin airing these two seasons at a later date.

On this news, CBS’ Julie McNamara said, “The brilliant Kevin Williamson brought our favourite fairytales to life in an anthology format that twisted and subverted the stories we all know into modern thrillers. It has been a privilege to work with such an elite and talented group of creative minds like Kevin, Aaron Kaplan and the team at Kapital Entertainment, as well as the amazing cast of Tell Me a Story, who did a phenomenal job personifying and reinventing beloved characters from these six fairytales.”

Tell Me a Story has yet to air in the UK, and it now remains to be seen whether any UK broadcasters will pick up the show in the knowledge that it’s already been cancelled.

Tim Story and Kevin Hart Teaming for Superhero Comedy

Tim Story Kevin Hart

Over a decade after helming his two Fantastic Four movies, director Tim Story is back in the superhero game.

Via Deadline, Story is to direct Kevin Hart in STX Entertainment’s superhero comedy Night Wolf. Story and Hart have plenty of previous, with the duo having worked together on Ride Along, Think Like a Man, and Let Me Explain.

The early word on Night Wolf has it pegged as pulling inspiration from Meet the Parents – only with capes ‘n’ tights – as Hart has to impress his fiancee’s father upon meeting him for the first time. Detective Pikachu’s Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit are on writing duties for the picture.

Expect more on Night Wolf as we get it.

Mike Flanagan Tackling Stephen King’s REVIVAL

Stephen King

Having already directed two Stephen King tales, Mike Flanagan is now involved in a third such picture.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, the Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep director has signed on for an adaptation of King’s Revival. At present, Flanagan is involved to produce the film for Warner Bros. alongside Doctor Sleep’s Trevor Macy. That said, there is an option for Flanagan to take to the director’s chair for the movie.

The synopsis for Revival reads:

A dark and electrifying novel about addiction, fanaticism, and what might exist on the other side of life. In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers.

Expect more on Revival as it continues to develop.

Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt Teaming for BALL AND CHAIN

Ball and Chain

Despite various film and TV projects being put on hold or outright scrapped, that’s not stopped a whole slew of new offerings being announced. And now, there’s word that a famed 1999 comic book miniseries is getting the feature film treatment.

Via Deadline, Scott Lobdell, Ale Garza, and Richard Bennett’s Ball and Chain is being adapted into a movie – with Netflix reportedly leading the way to secure the rights to the film. Already, Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt are on board to headline the picture, with Oscar-nommed Emily V. Gordon on writing duties.

Released as a four-issue tale through Homage Comics, Ball and Chain centres on Edgar and Mallory Bulson. A miserable married couple on the verge of divorce, a meteor strike lands the pair with a unique set of a superpowers.

This won’t be the first time that Johnson and Blunt will be teaming up, with the pair having worked together on the pushed-back-to-2021 Jungle Cruise.

As ever, expect more on Ball and Chain as it develops.

Temuera Morrison to Play Boba Fett in THE MANDALORIAN

Jango Fett

With many wondering whether or not we’ll see Boba Fett in The Mandalorian, it’s now been revealed that this most infamous of bounty hunters will indeed have a presence in the series’ second season.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, not only will Boba Fett be a part of The Mandalorian’s second year, but Temuera Morrison will be playing him. Morrison of course played Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones and also played various clone troopers in that picture and Revenge of the Sith. Given how Boba Fett is a clone of his father Jango, it makes perfect sense to bring the Once Were Warriors and Aquaman favourite back to the franchise to play this iconic role.

Boba Fett is said to have only a small role in Season Two of The Mandalorian, but the early word is that we will see a face-off between Fett and Pedro Pascal’s titular gunslinger.

At present, The Mandalorian’s second season is due to hit Disney+ this October.

How Superheroes Are Breaking Out Of The Movies

Batman Arkham Game

Anybody who has visited a cinema in the past couple of decades will know how comic book superheroes are dominating the film industry. From the forthcoming Batman movie to the recent successes like Spider-Man: Homecoming, it seems that we just can’t get enough of these larger than life characters. They have been and are an essential part of our lives.

What’s fascinating is that it seems that superheroes are no longer just at home in Hollywood blockbusters. Lately, we’ve seen a real trend for superheroes to appear in all manner of other industries. Google already tried it out in 2008, where instead of reaching out to journalists and bloggers with a traditional press release, they opted to send a printed comic book. And our favourite household cleaner Mr.Clean certainly joins the list.

The theme has certainly captured the attention of the iGaming industry too, where some online casino brands introduced superheroes as brand ambassadors. For example, the online casino brand Rizk have introduced a superhero called Captain Rizk at the disposal of their customers. And it’s interesting to see how the key figure behind all of the positive user opinions and reviews on Rizk casino was no other than Captain Rizk himself, helping the users find their way around the site.

It seems that there’s something about these heroic characters that makes them very attractive and many brands out there are catching up this trend with comic-book-like storytelling. But let’s see is it truly about superheroes that makes them so suitable to be brand ambassadors, guides and our very own home cleaning assistants?

A Voice Of Authority

Anybody who grew up in the 1980s will remember those anti-smoking adverts that featured comic book legend Superman taking on the villainous Nick O’Teen. These promotional campaigns were hugely influential in helping a generation of youngsters avoid the perils of cigarette smoking.

Much of this is down to the esteem with which Superman was held in the 1980s. This was the era in which Christopher Reeve donned the famous Superman suit in a series of much-loved movies. So if a superhero is going to tell you not to smoke, then you’ll know that there would be legions of youngsters who would follow his advice.

After all, most of us have grown up following the exploits of modern-day legends like Iron Man and Superman, and so we are far more likely to listen to what they have to say.

Superheroes Dominating Gaming

Endlessly Adaptable

The great thing about superheroes is that they are endlessly adaptable. Unlike regular human beings who have nasty habits of getting in embarrassing situations and dying, comic book characters are eternally young and will always do what they are told.

As a result, we’ve seen everything from Batman getting involved in a Got Milk? campaign to the Avengers: Endgame characters getting featured on limited edition Coca Cola cans. Rather than having to deal with movie star’s unruly egos, these superheroes are more than happy to sell just about anything without any doubts.

Just as a new actor can bring something different to a comic book character, each superhero can be used to try and sell us anything. Whether it’s the sight of the Incredible Hulk playing as a goalkeeper for Nike in 2014, or Batman declaring his love of Diet Coke way back in 1989, there’s no end of ways to bend these characters into new and surprising shapes.

Perfect For Targeting New Demographics

In the past decade, we’ve seen no shortage of superheroes who have attempted to break through the traditional archetypes of the white male in the movie theatres. From the massive critical and box office success of Black Panther to the reinvigoration of the Wonder Woman franchise, these characters have shown us that there can be a superhero for every demographic.

Such a fact isn’t lost on advertising agencies, and by cleverly using certain kinds of comic book characters, they can be sure that their brand message will resonate with specific demographics.

Although the Wonder Woman Think Thin promotion was more than a little tone-deaf, it does show that there is plenty of effort being made in using these superheroes to target specific needs of target audiences.

Such tactics show us that there’s plenty of care that needs to be taken in using superheroes in marketing. After all, comic book fans are notoriously quick to call out any promotional campaign that doesn’t pay sufficient homage to their much-loved superheroes. But if there’s one that we know, it’s that we can look forward to seeing plenty more comic-book characters in places far beyond our movie theatres in the future.

Amazon Developing THE HORROR OF DOLORES ROACH Series

The Horror of Dolores Roach

With Blumhouse Television having last year picked up the rights to turn The Horror of Dolores Roach into a TV series, now comes an update on that front.

Courtesy of Deadline, this show is now in development over at Amazon. Home Before Dark’s Dara Resnik has been tasked with serving as showrunner on the adaptation of Aaron Mark and Gimlet Pictures’ The Horror of Dolores Roach podcast.

For those not familiar with the pod, the official blurb reads:

The Horror of Dolores Roach is a grotesque tale of Eat or Be Eaten; a macabre urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, gentrification, cannibalism, and survival of the fittest.

It follows the indomitable Dolores Roach who returns to a New York City neighbourhood that has changed drastically during the 16 years she has been in prison. Her boyfriend missing, her family long gone. Dolores is recognised only by an old stoner friend, Luis, who gives Dolores room and board and lets her give massages for cash in the basement apartment under his dilapidated empanada shop.

When the promise of her newfound stability is quickly threatened, ‘Magic Hands Dolores’ is driven to extremes to survive – leaving in her wake a strong of strangled massage clients. In the face of unexpected professional success, Dolores and Luis become dangerously symbiotic, and Luis must unleash his own particular predilections.

In addition to Dara Resnik as showrunner, The Horror of Dolores Roach also has the podcast’s Aaron Mark on writing duties.

As ever, expect more on this The Horror of Dolores Roach series as it continues to develop.

Hayden Christensen to Appear in OBI-WAN KENOBI Series?

Hayden Christensen

Take this with a major pinch of salt, but we may be about to get the full return of Hayden Christensen to the Star Wars saga.

Christensen was actually one of the Force voices heard by Rey towards the close of The Rise of Skywalker, but a new story from LRM claims that the actor is in talks to be a part of Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

What would be interesting about this, of course, is that the timeline of this would see Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker fully in his Darth Vader guise. That’s down to Obi-Wan Kenobi being set after the events of Revenge of the Sith.

If indeed Hayden Christensen does end up a part of Obi-Wan Kenobi, chances are it’ll be either in a flashback or purely vocal way. Well, unless the call is made to have him inhabit the Vader suit.

Like so many other movie and TV projects, production is currently on hold for Obi-Wan Kenobi due to the very real situation dominating the globe right now. The series will consist of six hour-long episodes, with The Mandalorian’s Deborah Chow directing the show.