Erendira Ibarra Joins THE MATRIX 4

Erendira Ibarra

As The Matrix 4 continues to amass its core cast, the movie has added another Sense8 alum to its ranks.

Via Deadline, Erendira Ibarra has signed for this fourth big-screen Matrix offering. Ibarra joins fellow Sense8 stars Max Riemert and Toby Onwumere on the project, along with Sense8 co-creator Lana Wachowski on directing duties for The Matrix 4.

In addition to Ibarra, Reimert, and Onwumere, The Matrix 4 will star Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Jonathan Groff.

The Matrix 4 is currently set for a May 21st, 2021 release.

Animated MORTAL KOMBAT Movie in Development

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge

In addition to a new live-action Mortal Kombat movie on the way from James Wan’s Atomic Monster production banner, the franchise is to get an animated feature later this year.

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, Mortal Kombat Legends Scorpion’s Revenge is in development from Warner Bros. Animation. An exact release date has yet to be officially given to the film, but indicators suggest that the movie will be released in the first half of 2020.

In terms of the voice cast for the picture, the film will be headed up by Joel McHale as Johnny Cage, Jennifer Carpenter as Sonya Blade, Jordan Rodrigues as Lui Kang, Steve Blum as Sub-Zero, David B. Mitchell as Raiden, and Patrick Seitz as Scorpion.

Batman: Assault on Arkham’s Ethan Spaulding is on directing duties for Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, with Supernatural’s Jeremy Adams writing the film. Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon is serving as a creative consult.

THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND Will Only Get Two Seasons

The Walking Dead: World Beyond

With The Walking Dead: World Beyond spin-off series now in production, it looks as if this new show won’t be getting anywhere near the sort of run of its two predecessors.

Courtesy of Collider, the current plan is for The Walking Dead: World Beyond to air for just two seasons.

Right now, the main The Walking Dead show is soon to return for the second half of its tenth season, while Fear the Walking Dead is already confirmed to get a sixth year. This, of course, isn’t taking into account the trilogy of Walking Dead movies to be fronted by Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes.

To premiere on April 12th, the early word on World Beyond reads:

The series, set in Nebraska ten years after the apocalypse, features two young female protagonists and focuses on “the first generation to come-of-age in the apocalypse as we know it. Some will become heroes. Some will become villains. In the end, all of them will be changed forever. Grown-up and cemented in their identities, both good and bad.

Expect more on all things The Walking Dead as we get it.

HBO’s GREEN LANTERN Series to Feature Sinestro

Sinestro

With a live-action Green Lantern TV series long since announced to be a part of the HBO Max streaming service, now comes an update on one particular character who’ll be a key part of the show.

Speaking at the TCA press tour, HBO’s Sarah Aubrey revealed that the small screen offering will span several decades and will largely focus on “two stories about Green Lanterns on Earth” – in addition to revealing that the series will delve “into the Sinestro story.”

While it’s unclear just which Emerald Knights will be featured in this to-be-title series – with Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner early frontrunners to appear – but this latest news at least confirms that Sinestro will be a part of proceedings.

Sinestro was at one point in time the very best Green Lantern of them all… until his own ego and arrogance got the better of him and he ended up becoming the leader of the fear-driven Sinestro Corps. The character himself has previously appeared in live-action as played by Mark Strong in 2011’s Green Lantern.

As ever, expert more on this Green Lantern series as it continues to develop.

Rodo Sayagues to Helm DON’T BREATHE 2

Don't Breathe

With a sequel to Fede Alvarez’s impressive Don’t Breathe having been talked about for a little while now, it’s been revealed that Rodo Sayagues will be helming just such a follow-up.

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, Sayagues will be stepping into the director’s chair for Don’t Breathe 2. Previously, Rodo has served as co-writer on the original Don’t Breathe and also on Alvarez’s Evil Dead remake.

With Stephen Lang returning as the Blind Man, the early blurb on Don’t Breathe 2 reads:

Don’t Breathe 2 is set several years after the home invasion of the first movie, with the Blind Man living in quiet solace… until his past sins catch up to him.

Don’t Breathe 2 is due to start production this April.

Arrow Video FrightFest Announce Glasgow Line-up

frightfest glasgow

The line-up for the annual Glasgow Arrow Video FrightFest has been announced. Returning to the Glasgow Film Festival for its 15th year, this year’s event takes place on March 5th – 7th.

Opening proceedings on Thursday 5th is Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s Synchronic, followed by Graham Hughes’ Death of a Vlogger, which went down a storm at the August London screening. Friday 6th starts with The Cleansing Hour, directed by Damien LeVeck, In the Quarry from Uruguayan filmmakers Bernado and Rafael Antonaccio. Then there’s the superb sci-fi horror Sea Fever, helmed by Neasa Hardiman – imagine The Thing on a boat! Adam Stovall’s A Ghost Waits and Ryan Spindell’s The Mortuary Collection. Saturday sees Julien Seri’s Anderson Falls, Lee Min-Jae’s Zombie for Sale, and Rose Glass’ Saint Maud kick off the final day. FightFest is rounded off with Tyler Cornack’s bizarre Butt Boy, Joe Begos’ VFW, and the UK premiere of Nicolas and Luciano Onetti’s A Night of Horror: Nightmare Radio. Two shorts, Live Forever from Gustav Egerstedt and Bleed from the Femme Collective will also screen.

Weekend passes cost £75 and will be available from noon on Monday, January 20th. These are valid for Friday and Saturday only. Tickets for the Thursday night films, plus individual screenings will be on sale Monday February 3rd. Tickets are available online from www.glasgowfilm.org/festival. Telephone: 0141 332 6535 (£1.50 fee per transaction, voice-mail available during peak business periods. Or in person: Glasgow Film Theatre, 12 Rose Street, Glasgow G3 6RB during normal box office hours – Friday & Sunday to Thursday from 12:00 to 15 Minutes after the last performance starts. Saturday from 11am to 15 minutes after the last performance starts.

For full programme details head to http://www.frightfest.co.uk/.

Doctor Who’s SOPHIE ALDRED Book Signing and Q&A Coming to FAB Cafe!

sophie aldred ace doctor who

Come and join us on Sunday Feb 9th as we welcome Sophie Aldred to Manchester’s FAB Cafe to launch her new Doctor Who novel and have a chat about her time on the seminal show!

Doctor Who: At Childhood’s End is the epic first novel from Sophie who, as we all know, played the fan-favourite companion of the Seventh Doctor, Ace.

Tickets cost just £5 for entry, but Sophie is offering a special deal which includes a signed copy of the book and entry for only £12! Tickets are selling fast, so be sure to grab one quickly to avoid disappointment:

https://www.wegottickets.com/fbtswgt/event/491977

https://www.facebook.com/events/1047982345549082/

For more details on Doctor Who: At Childhood’s End, read on…

Synopsis:

Past, present and future collide as the Thirteenth Doctor is reunited with her friend Ace. Once, a girl called Ace travelled the universe with the Doctor – until, in the wake of a terrible tragedy they parted company. Decades later, she is known as Dorothy McShane, the reclusive millionaire philanthropist who heads global organisation A Charitable Earth.

Dorothy is haunted by terrible nightmares, vivid dreams that begin just as scores of young runaways are vanishing from the dark alleyways of London. Could the disappearances be linked to sightings of sinister creatures lurking in the city shadows? Why has an alien satellite entered a secret orbit around the Moon? Investigating the satellite with Ryan, Graham and Yaz, the Doctor is thrown together with Ace once more. Together they must unravel a malevolent plot that will cost thousands of lives. But can the Doctor atone for her past incarnation’s behaviour – and how much must Ace sacrifice to win victory not only for herself but for the Earth? Past or future, which path do you choose?

Sophie Aldred said: “I was thrilled and honoured to have been asked to create this opportunity for the Thirteenth Doctor and Ace to meet each other. I had always hoped to be able to offer classic fans an encounter between Ace and a current Doctor in some form or other and I hope fans of the present team will enjoy the blending of two eras of the most amazing programme in the Universe.”

At Childhood’s End will also be available as an audiobook on CD and digital download, and is narrated by Sophie Aldred. All formats of the book will be available from February 6th.

Author Bio:

Sophie Aldred has been working as a professional actress, singer and director for the last 35 years in theatre, TV, film and audio. She is best known as the Seventh Doctor Who companion, Ace, who beat up a Dalek with a baseball bat. She has presented a huge variety of programmes on TV and radio and provides many voices for animations including Tree Fu Tom, Bananas in Pyjamas, Peter Rabbit and Dennis the Menace. Sophie lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and two sons.

 

Cassie Kramer to Play Helen Lyle in CANDYMAN

Cassie Kramer

Well, this is all kinds of interesting. As a new Candyman movie gets ready to hit the silver screen later this year, there’s now news that Helen Lyle will be a part of the picture.

Via Bloody Disgusting, the Helen character played by Virginia Madsen in Bernard Rose’s 1992 Candyman will be appearing in the June 2020 Candyman.

For those hoping for Madsen to return to the property, Kill the Light’s Cassie Kramer will be picking up the role in this new movie. How Helen plays into the film remains to be seen, but the last time the character was seen she died in a fire at the end of the ’92 picture before becoming somewhat of an urban myth of her own.

Produced by Jordan Peele and directed by Nia DaCosta, this new Candyman is being described as a “spiritual sequel” to Rose’s movie. Tony Todd’s Candyman will have some part to play in the film, and the action will return to the area of Chicago that previously house the Cabrini-Green complex.

In addition to Kramer and Todd, this new Candyman will also feature Aquaman’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mad Men’s Teyonah Parris, and Misfits’ Nathan Stewart-Jarrett.

Seemingly just to be titled Candyman, this return for the much-loved horror franchise is currently booked in for June 12th of this year.

James Wan Producing Animated AQUAMAN Miniseries

Aquaman

With James Wan’s Aquaman having impressed many upon its release in 2018, it didn’t take long for sequel offering to be announced. And now, there’s word that Wan is also to oversee an Aquaman animated series.

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, Wan will be teaming with Warner Bros. Animation to develop the animated Aquaman: King of Atlantis show for HBO Max. To be made up on three episodes, King of Atlantis will seemingly bridge the gap between Aquaman and Aquaman 2 – with Arthur Curry finally embracing his place as the King of the Seven Seas.

There’s no word just yet on whether Jason Momoa will lend his vocals to the Marine Marvel, although we do know that the characters of Orm, Vulko, and Mera will be present and accounted for in the series. Orm is Arthur’s half-brother who’s intent on taking the throne for himself, Vulko is Aquaman’s mentor, and Mera is the Queen who rules at Arthur’s side.

ThunderCats Roar’s Victor Courtright and Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Marly Halpern-Grase will be serving as showrunners on Aquaman: King of Atlantis, with Wan production through his Atomic Monster banner.

As ever, expect more on Aquaman: King of Atlantis as it continues to develop.

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Set for 2022 Premiere

Game of Thrones

For those wondering when audiences can expect to see the first of the multiple Game of Thrones spin-off shows that are in development, it appears as if 2022 is the answer you’re looking for.

Courtesy of Variety, HBO’s Casey Bloys has indicated that House of the Dragon is likely to be debuting in 2022. The programming chief was unable to give any clearer specifics on just exactly when in 2022 this spin-off will arrive, but this at least gives us all a rough idea of when we’ll be heading back to the greater world of Game of Thrones.

House of the Dragon is the Thrones series that’s currently being developed by George R.R. Martin and Rampage’s Ryan Condal, and the show will be loosely based on Fire & Blood. That means that the action will be set 300 years before what we’ve seen play out in Game of Thrones, with the series to centre around the famed House of Targaryen.

If you remember, the past couple of months saw the untitled Naomi Watts-fronted Thrones spin-off show scrapped at the pilot stage. For those wondering exactly what went wrong with that Martin and Jane Goldman-developed offering, Bloys simply stated that there wasn’t one specific problem, per se – just that things didn’t quite come together as HBO had hoped.

As ever, expect more on all things Game of Thrones as we get it.