BLOODSHOT Director to Tackle INFLUX

Influx Daniel Suarez

Fresh off of helming Sony Pictures’ Vin Diesel-headlined Bloodshot adaptation, director David S.F. Wilson has now found his new project with the studio.

Via Deadline, Wilson will next tackle a take on Daniel Suarez’s Influx sci-fi novel for Sony. Lights Out producer Zak Olkewicz is also on board for the project.

In terms of the plot of Influx, the story is a future-set offering centred around a particle physicist. Said physicist, Jon Grady, is working on a world-changing invention that has him in the crosshairs of the US government. Kidnapped and tortured for refusing to work with the government, Grady has to break free and stop their nefarious plans.

As ever, expect more on this Influx adaptation as it continues to develop.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.D.’s Final Season Set for May Premiere

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Seven

With a whole host of uncertainty surrounding upcoming movie and TV projects, we now at least finally know when we can begin the final chapter of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Taking to their Twitter account, Marvel Entertainment has confirmed that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s seventh season will premiere on Wednesday, May 27th.

As several shows were hit by halts in production due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – The Walking Dead and The Flash just two genre series currently waiting to finish their season finales – Agents of S.H.I.E.D. actually wrapped production on Season Seven last summer.

Plot-wise, the core S.H.I.E.L.D. group had been transported back to 1920s New York City the last time we saw them. This latest season will pick up from there, although that’s about all we know about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s final year right now.

There’s no word on when Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s final season will debut in the UK, but hopefully it won’t be too long before Season Seven begins to air on E4.

BLACK ADAM Star Date Pushed Back

Black Adam

As more and more movie and TV projects run into delays due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, now comes word on another project that’s being pushed back due to this ongoing uncertainty.

Star Dwayne Johnson confirmed during an Instagram Live video that Black Adam is now one of the multitude of movies affected by the chaos that is running rampant across the globe.

Johnson added, “We still plan on shooting at the end of the summer now, probably pushed into the end of August or September. That is a project I hold near and dear to my heart, and so I can’t wait to get started.”

After spending literally over a decade in some form of development, the plan was for Black Adam to finally start shooting this July. While shifting the film back to August isn’t exactly a massive delay, it obviously remains to be seen how the next few months play out as to whether it will even be possible to get production rolling forward as soon as August or September.

At this stage, it remains to be seen whether this delay will have a knock-on effect on Black Adam’s proposed December 2021 release date. The Shallows and Orphan’s Jaume Collet-Serra is on directing duties for Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema.

For those not all that familiar with the Black Adam character, he debuted back in 1945’s Marvel Family #1 as Teth-Adam of Kahndaq. Depicted over the years as both an out-and-out villain and an antihero, Black Adam is one of the few characters who can pretty much match Superman toe-to-toe when it comes to powers. Whilst he has tangled with the Man of Steel and various other DC heroes over the decades, he’s best known as a Shazam villain. Shazam, of course, is young Billy Batson. When Billy shouts “Shazam!”, he turns into the legendary hero.

Expect more on Black Adam as it continues to develop.

Netflix Gives Series Order to ALL OF US ARE DEAD

All of Us Are Dead

In addition to the news that Netflix has agreed an exclusive first-look deal with BOOM! Studios, this morning also brings word on a new zombie project for the on-demand streaming service.

Via Deadline, Netflix has moved to give a series order to South Korean zombie drama All of Us Are Dead. That show is to be based on Joo Dong-Geun’s 2009 horror webtoon offering, Now at Our School.

The basic premise of All of Us Are Dead centres on a group of high school student who find themselves fighting for survival in a school that’s become infested by zombies. Intimate Strangers’ Lee JQ and Rampant’s Kim Nam-Su will be on directing duties for the series, with Your Honor’s Chun Sung-Il writing the show.

Film Monsters and JTBC Studios are producing as part of the multi-year agreement they signed just last year with Netflix.

As ever, expect more on All of Us Are Dead as it continues to develop.

Netflix Secures Exclusive BOOM! Studios Deal

BOOM! Studios

With Netflix already having established a working relationship with BOOM! Studios, now comes word that the on-demand juggernaut will be having plenty of BOOM! in its future.

Via Deadline, Netflix and BOOM! Studios have agreed a partnership which will see the streaming service develop film and TV adaptations of certain BOOM! properties.

The seeds for this deal seemingly go back to last November, with Netflix at that point securing the distribution rights to a movie take on Cullen Bunn and Jake T. Cole’s The Unsound comic. That offering is to be helmed by Lights Out and Shazam!’s David F. Sandberg, while elsewhere there were rumours and rumblings that The War for the Planet of the Apes’ Matt Reeves and Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage were to team on a Last Sons of America film.

In terms of some of the key BOOM! properties you need to be aware of, some of the standouts include James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas’ YA science fiction The Woods, George Perez and Vanesa R. Del Rey’s crime noir Hit, Mark Waid’s superhero Irredeemable, and even Clive Barker’s Next Testament.

If you remember, BOOM! Studios previously had a first-look deal win place with 20th Century Fox. Despite Fox being assimilated by Disney, that agreement is still technically in place with 20th Century Studios – although said deal will expire in January 2021.

At this stage, there are still plans for 20th Century Studios to release its adaptation of Cullen Bunn and Vanesa R. Del Rey’s adaptation of The Empty Man this August. That said, the planned Mouse Guard adaptation was completely scrapped following said Disney merger.

This isn’t the first exclusive deal that Netflix has in place with a comic book publisher, for the on-demand service came to a similar agreement with Dark Horse Entertainment following the success of The Umbrella Academy.

STARBURST Schedule Update

471 NS

The period we are currently enduring is proving to be a challenge for all of us. The COVID-19 pandemic and the necessary lockdown around the globe has caused widespread hardship and disruption. STARBURST Magazine is a proudly independent publication, one of the few that remain in print. Every month we do our best to bring you a magazine that entertains you and shows you how much we care about our readers.

At this moment in time, we are observing all of the precautions and remotely continue to make sure that our website, social media, radio shows, and podcasts are all here for you at this pressing time. We are not fair-weather friends and will be here to keep you company while all of this transpires. Sadly, the print magazine itself is having to make adjustments due to the closure of most of our sales outlets, the cancellation of significant cinema releases, and the worldwide shutdown of cinemas themselves.

Every issue of STARBURST is put together as a labour of love and for us to put out content covering movies that you cannot see does not make a lot of sense, and has led to us rearranging our publishing schedule. The next issue of STARBURST has been delayed until June where we will bring you an utterly fantastic issue 472, which will include a celebration of the timeless classic The Empire Strikes Back.

STARBURST has been a part of our lives since 1977 and will continue to be your genre-loving companion for many decades to come. Please reach out to us on social media, and we can keep each other company through the coming weeks as we all fight through to the other side of this arduous period, and let the heroes that are the NHS take care of all of us.

Jordan M. Royce

Editor

Dieter Laser 1942 – 2020

dieter

STARBURST is deeply saddened to learn of the death of actor Dieter Laser. Best known to genre fans for his role as Dr Heiter in The Human Centipede (First Sequence), the multi-award-winning actor had a long, varied career in cinema.

Born in Kiel, Germany in 1942, his portrayal of the title role in John Glückstadt (1975) gained him the Best Actor at the German Film Awards and the 1978 movie The Glass Cell was nominated for Best Foreign Language film at the Oscars. To English-speaking audiences, he came to prominence in the TV series Lexx in 1997, playing the role of Mantrid. 2009’s The Human Centipede (First Sequence) made him a horror icon. Tom Six’s film courted controversy but acclaim for the actor, who returned to complete the circle in Six’s The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence). His commitment to the role and intense screen presence brought praise from many, even those who didn’t like the films.

A statement on his personal Facebook page – where he often interacted with fans – said he passed away on February 29th, 2020, not long after his 78th birthday.

STARBURST sends our thoughts and sympathy to his family and friends.

Erik Valdez Joins The CW’s SUPERMAN & LOIS

Erik Valdez

Following in the footsteps of the show casing General Sam Lane and Lana Lang-Cushing, now comes word on another new addition for The CW’s impending Superman & Lois TV series.

Via Deadline, General Hospital and Graceland’s Erik Valdez has signed on to play Kyle Cushing – the husband of Lana – in the show.

This character is actually a completely new creation specifically for Superman & Lois, and Kyle is described as being Smallville’s fire chief and a local hero, and somebody who doesn’t quite see the allure of the big city and all that comes with it.

In the comic books, Lana Lang was actually married to long-time Clark Kent BFF Pete Ross. Clearly that will not be the case here, though.

Valdez joins a cast that currently includes Tyler Hoechlin as Superman, Bitsie Tulloch as Lois Lane, Jordan Elsass as Jonathan Kent, Alexander Garfin as Jordan Kent, Dylan Walsh as General Sam Lane, and Emmanuelle Chriqui as Lana Lang-Cushing.

The original plan was for the 13-episodes debut season of Superman & Lois to premiere towards the end of the year, although those plans are obviously a little up in the air right now due to production on the show – like so many other things across the world – currently on hold due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

As ever, expect more on Superman & Lois as it continues to develop.

THE OTHERS Getting the Remake Treatment

The Others

If this morning’s news of The Night of the Hunter being remade wasn’t enough for, now comes word on another favourite of yesteryear getting the redo treatment.

Via Deadline, Sentient Entertainment has picked up the rights to remake 2001’s The Others.

That Alejandro Amenabar-directed, Nicole Kidman-headlined ghost story saw the Stewart family’s country home housing some sinister spirits. Rather than the post-World War II setting of that original movie, however, this remake is said to give the tale a more modernized, contemporary gloss of paint.

On this news, Sentient’s Renee Tab enthused, “It is almost eerie and uncanny how timely the themes are today: self-isolation, paranoia and fear, and of course the intense desire to protect our children and ourselves from harm. We look forward to unravelling the layers behind lead character Grace, whose pain and demons draw viewers into a truly compassionate journey.”

The early word is that this project already has some A-list talent circling it.

As for the 2001 film, The Others is a fantastic, stylish picture with a stunning Nicole Kidman performance at its core. Not only that, but the narrative of the film is one that’s certainly an interesting one – although we’ll stop there where it pertains to plot specifics.

Expect more on this new take on The Others as we get it.

David Slade Directing DARK HARVEST Adaptation

Dark Harvest

Following on from Tracy Wolff’s Crave being picked up by Universal Pictures earlier this week, now comes word on another horror novel being adapted for the big screen.

Via Deadline, Norman Partridge’s Dark Harvest is being turned into a movie by MGM. And not just that, but 30 Days of Night and Hannibal’s David Slade will be on directing duties for a film that’s currently pegged for a September 24th, 2021 release. Michael Gilio – recently tasked with penning 2021’s Dungeons & Dragons – is to write the picture.

The official synopsis for Dark Harvest reads:

The book is set during Halloween of 1963 in a small Midwestern town where teenage boys eagerly square off with a butcher knife wielding October Boy, aka Ol’ Hacksaw Face, aka Sawtooth Jack.

Both the hunter and the hunted, the October Boy is the prize in an annual rite of life and death. One teen, Pete McCormick, knows that killing the October Boy is his one chance to escape a dead-end future in the one-horse town. But before the night is over, Pete will look into the saw-toothed face of horror – and discover the terrifying true secret of the October Boy.

Expect more on this adaptation of Dark Harvest as we get it.