PENNYWORTH Adds Three Names for Season Two

James Purefoy

Even though it was a show that nobody particularly asked for, Epix’s Pennyworth proved to be quite the impressive series. And now, there’s some casting news for the second season of the Jack Bannon-headlined offering.

Via Deadline, Rome’s James Purefoy, Harlots’ Edward Hogg, and Curfew’s Jessye Romeo have landed key roles for Pennyworth’s second year.

In terms of roles, Purefoy is playing Gulliver Troy, Alfred’s charismatic-yet-mean former SAS Captain; Hogg is the brutal, unhinged Colonel Salt; and Romeo will turn up as an art student called Katie Browning.

At this stage, Pennyworth’s second season has yet to be given an official premiere date – although the show has long been renewed for just such a second season.

THE MATRIX 4 Adds Ellen Hollman

Ellen Hollman Spartacus

As The Matrix 4 continues to add to its already-impressive ensemble cast, now comes word that Ellen Hollman has joined the movie.

Courtesy of The Wrap, the Spartacus star has landed a to-be-revealed role in this upcoming new installment in the iconic sci-fi franchise. Hollman joins a cast that already includes series newcomers Brian J. Smith, Erendira Ibarra, Toby Onwumere, Jessica Henwick, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, Priyanka Chopra, and Neil Patrick Harris.

Of course, The Matrix 4 will also see the return of mainstays Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Lana Wachowski is returning to direct The Matrix 4 for a May 2021 release. Production on the film began earlier this month in San Francisco.

Spielberg Not Directing INDY 5; Mangold to Replace Him?

jones

With Indiana Jones 5 having long now been ‘a thing’, there’s an update on the project to say that Steven Spielberg will not be directing.

Previously, Spielberg – who has helmed all four previous Indy pictures – was returning to direct the picture, with Harrison Ford back in the saddle as Dr Henry Walton Jones Jr. Now though, Variety is reporting that Spielberg has opted to step down from directing the film.

It’s said that Disney and Lucasfilm already have a prime candidate lined up to replace the legendary Spielberg – and that person is James Mangold.

Mangold – who most recently directed the Oscar-nommed Ford v Ferrari and has The Wolverine and the stunning Logan on his credits – is said to be in talks to fill Indiana Jones 5’ Steven Spielberg-shaped hole.

Despite not directing Indy 5, Spielberg will still be involved in the project in a producer capacity. And to make it clear, the choice to not direct the movie was entirely Spielberg’s. Supposedly, the filmmaker wanted to pass the torch to a younger director to bring their perspective to the franchise.

In a recent interview with Harrison Ford, not only did he confirm that he would be returning to crack the whip once more, but he revealed that filming on Indy 5 is due to start in April or May of this year. Given these ongoing director changes, it remains to be seen whether or not those plans will still be stuck to.

At present, Indiana Jones 5 is set for a July 2021 release.

New DISNEY CEO announced as Bob Iger steps down

Earlier today DISNEY made a shocking announcement, via thehollywoodreporter.com that long-standing CEO Bob Iger is stepping down from his role with immediate effect as is being succeeded by Bob Chapek.

Iger, who has been in the CEO of DISNEY since 2005, was responsible for the entertainment giant’s acquisition of Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm along with opening Shanghai Disney Resort along with the recent purchase of 21st Century Fox and the launch of Disney+. He will now assume the role of Executive Chairman and will head the board of directors until his contract runs out on December 31st 2021.

His successor, Bob Chapek (who has worked for DISNEY since 1993, was previously in charge of their Disney Parks and Experiences Division – he now has the keys to the entire empire as his new contract has promptly begun and will run until February 28th 2023. He will now earn a reported $2.5 Million a year.

Iger was quoted saying that his replacement was decided “quite some time ago”. He followed up by stating that the plan “was not accelerated for any particular reason other than we thought the need was now to make this change.”

Chapek had the following to say:

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to assume the role of CEO of what I truly believe is the greatest company in the world, and to lead our exceptionally talented and dedicated castmembers and employees,” Chapek said. “Bob Iger has built Disney into the most admired and successful media and entertainment company, and I have been lucky to enjoy a front-row seat as a member of his leadership team.”

Other members of the DISNEY family, past and present, have also expressed their pleasure in Chapek‘s appointment to his new role.

Lucasfilm Unveils Latest STAR WARS Project

star wars

Lucasfilm has revealed details of their long-awaited literature series. Codenamed Project Luminous, the series is a multi-platform series called The High Republic, a name that has recently been connected to possible future film projects.

Project Luminous was designed to keep fandom invested as previous publishing programs had between Episodes VI in 1983 and the return of the sagas with The Phantom Menace in 1999 and again between Revenge of the Sith and The Force Awakens a decade later. Out of these brainstorming meetings came the idea for The High Republic, an era 200 years before The Skywalker Saga.

Tonya the Senior Vice President, Global Publisher, of Disney Publishing hopes that “Project Luminous will bring in a new generation of fans, but also appeal to those who have spent their lives following A Galaxy Far, Far Away.“

The genesis of the project began with a simple question from Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy – “What scares the Jedi?“. Married with Obi-Wan Kenobi’s iconic line “For over a thousand generations the Jedi were the guardians of peace and justice“, that was enough to instigate this new era of storytelling.

The publishing programme includes releases from Disney Lucasfilm Press, Del Rey, Marvel, IDW, Viz, Titan, Insight Editions, Abrams, b&m! books, and DK, with the first phase seeing releases from Disney Lucasfilm Press, Del Rey, Marvel, and IDW releases.

It all begins on August 25th with Charles Soule’s Del Rey novel, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi, followed by Cavan Scotts ongoing Star Wars: The High Republic series from Marvel, Daniel Jose Older and his ongoing IDW series Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, Justina Ireland’s middle grade novel Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test Of Courage on September 8th, and Star Wars: The High Republic: Into The Dark young adult novel from Claudia Gray on October 13th.

James Waugh, Lucasfilm vice president, franchise content and strategy expanded on the concept. “This was a golden age for the Jedi, and also a time of galactic expansion in the Outer Rim. So expect there to be rich tales of exploration; charting out the galaxy, meeting new cultures, and discovering what pioneer life in the Outer Rim was like. This is an incredible sandbox for our storytellers to play in, both within publishing and beyond, and we can’t wait to see the great fiction they build within it.“

With new animated series sure to follow and a trio of big screen adventures with premiere dates but no information beyond that, don’t be surprised if the High Republic era – which, if any kind of prior canon is adhered to, won’t feature any sith – eventually bleeds into live-action and animation.

star wars

Season Two of HARLEY QUINN Set for April

Harley Quinn

With the first season of DC Universe’s Harley Quinn having just come to a close, there’s now news that there won’t be too much of a wait until the Maid of Mischief’s second season will arrive.

Via Decider, Season Two of Harley Quinn will premiere on Friday, April 3. After that date, new episodes will air weekly. In terms of what we know about this second season, Sanaa Lathan will be voicing Catwoman and Briana Cuoco will be lending her vocals to Barbara Gordon.

For UK fans, of course, we’ve still yet to actually see Harley Quinn’s first season. The last we’d heard on that front, the series has been picked up by E4 – although no premiere date has been announced just yet.

J.D. Dillard to Develop New STAR WARS Movie

Star Wars

While certain Disney execs talk about Star Wars fatigue, that’s not stopped yet another new Star Wars movie now in development.

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, J.D. Dillard has been brought in to oversee a new Star Wars picture for the House of Mouse. It’s not yet known whether Dillard – best known for Sleight and Sweetheart – will direct or if he’s just involved in a writing capacity. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Luke Cage’s Matt Owens is also to help pen this film.

At this point, there’s some talk that this particular Star Wars movie may end up landing directly on the Disney+ streaming service. That said, it could well be that this offering does indeed end up on the big screen.

Right now, there’s absolutely zero word on what the focus of this Star Wars movie will be. All we know is that this is just one of several new Star Wars films that Disney has in various stages in development – such as a trilogy of pictures from Rian Johnson, Kevin Feige’s Star Wars movie, and early plans for Taika Waititi to develop a ‘galaxy far, far away’ effort.

As ever, expect more on all things Star Wars as we get it.

Christoph Waltz and Guy Pearce to Star in THE PORTABLE DOOR

The Portable Door

Not only do we have the news that The Jim Henson Company is adapting Tom Holt’s The Portable Door, but we also have word on two of the names who’ll be headlining the picture.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, both Christoph Waltz and Guy Pearce are on board to star in this adaptation of Holt’s comedic fantasy adventure series.

The Portable Door will see Spectre’s Waltz as Humphrey Wells, CEO of the J.W. Wells & Co. company – and a character pegged as the charismatic villain of the piece who’s looking to incorporate corporate strategy into the world of mystical magic.

As for Iron Man 3’s Pearce, he’ll be playing Dennis Tanner in the movie. That character is a shape-shifting goblin who finds himself lumbered in middle management at J.W. Wells & Co.

The official word on The Portable Door reads:

Starting a new job is always stressful, but when Paul Carpenter arrives at the office of H.W. Wells he has no idea what trouble lies in store. Because he is about to discover that the apparently respectable establishment now paying his salary is in fact a front for a deeply sinister organisation that has a mighty peculiar agenda. It seems that half the time his bosses are away with the fairies. But they’re not, of course. They’re away with the goblins.

Modern Family’s Jeffrey Walker – who actually played Bronson Twist in the beloved Round the Twist – is on directing duties for The Portable Door, with Offspring’s Leon Ford penning the film’s screenplay.

THE MATRIX 4 Adds SENSE8’s Brian J. Smith

Brian J. Smith

As The Matrix 4 continues to assemble its core cast, the picture has now moved to add yet another Sense8 alumnus to its ranks.

Via Deadline, Brian J. Smith is the latest name to be added to this return for The Matrix franchise. Genre fans will also be familiar with Smith for his time as Matthew Scott on Stargate Universe and for his stint on BBC’s World on Fire.

As alluded to, fellow Sense8 stars Max Riemert, Erendira Ibarra, and Toby Onwumere have already joined The Matrix 4 – joining fellow franchise newcomers Jessica Henwick, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, Priyanka Chopra, and Neil Patrick Harris.

Of course, The Matrix 4 will also see the return of mainstays Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Lana Wachowski – who co-created Sense8 – returning to direct The Matrix 4 for a May 2021 release. Production on the film began earlier this month in San Francisco.

Eli Roth to Direct BORDERLANDS

Borderlands

Talk of a Borderlands movie adaptation has been talked about for several years now, and this morning brings word that Eli Roth is stepping on board to direct just such a film.

Courtesy of Deadline, the Cabin Fever and Hostel helmer is directing Borderlands for Lionsgate. The current plan is for production on the picture to being later this year, with a draft already in place from Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin.

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.