Erica Durance Returning as Lois Lane for the Arrowverse’s CRISIS

Erica Durance Tom Welling

Hot on the heels of the news that Tom Welling will be suiting up as Superman for this December’s huge Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event, now comes word that Welling’s Man of Steel will be joined by another familiar face.

Via Deadline, it’s been confirmed that this Smallville iteration of Superman will be joined by Erica Durance reprising her Lois Lane role from that beloved series. Durance’s Lois will appear in all five episodes of this hotly anticipated crossover.

Erica Durance’s Smallville take won’t be the only Lois to feature in Crisis, mind, with Elizabeth Tulloch once again picking up as Lois Lane opposite Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman. And Welling and Hoechlin won’t be the only Supermen in the crossover, for Brandon Routh – who famously played the character in Superman Returns – will be donning the famed blue and red duds once more.

For the eagle-eyed of you out there, you’ll be well aware that Erica Durance has already appeared in the all-encompassing Arrowverse as Alura Zor-El over on Supergirl. In Crisis on Infinite Earths, we’ll find out what Durance’s Lois and Welling’s Clark Kent have been up to since Smallville ended in 2011.

Now all we need is for Michael Rosenbaum to return as the nefarious Lex Luthor…

Fede Alvarez Producing New TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE Offering

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

With Legendary currently in development on a slew of new Texas Chain Saw Massacre projects, now comes an update on all of this.

Courtesy of Bloody Disgusting, Fede Alvarez is going to be producing for Lionsgate and Kim Henkel. Alvarez, of course, directed Don’t Breathe and the 2013 Evil Dead do-over that impressed many.

Even before 2017’s Leatherface was released by Millennium Films, the rights for the property had returned to Henkel – writer and producer of Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and the director of the all-kinds-of-fun Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation.

To clarify, there are currently no plans for Alvarez to direct, and he’s currently on the lookout for somebody to helm what’s being pegged as a direct sequel to Hooper’s ’74 classic. As in, much like last year’s Halloween, the plan is to ignore anything that’s come since that original Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

From what we heard earlier this year, there are tentative plans for several new movies and even a TV series for this beloved property.

As ever, expect more on all of this as we get it.

Tom Welling Returning as Superman for CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS

Tom Welling Smallville Superman

Somebody saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave me…

In some news that will have Smallville fans screaming with excitement, Tom Welling is finally going to don the Superman outfit once again.

Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, Welling will be a part of the Arrowverse’s ginormous Crisis on Infinite Earths’ crossover event – as Superman!

It had previously been rumoured that the Smallville star would have a role to play in Crisis on Infinite Earths, but now it’s been confirmed that Welling will indeed be reprising the Kal-El role he played for ten seasons of Smallville.

After ten years of trials and tribulations, the very last episode of Smallville saw Clark Kent finally embrace the moniker of Superman – even if it was a hodgepodge of CGI and the suit used by Brandon Routh in Superman Returns.

Still, to this day, fans regularly clamour for Welling to take on the Superman role and show what happened once Smallville came to a close. And now, finally we all get to see what happened to Welling’s Man of Tomorrow.

In last year’s Elseworlds crossover, fans were teased with a little bit of Smallville as Remy Zero’s Save Me played while Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman was shown spending time with Lois Lane at Kent Farm. Now though, Hoechlin is going to be joined by two other Supermen in Crisis.

In addition to Hoechlin and Welling’s take on the Big Blue Boy Scout, Brandon Routh has long been confirmed to be picking up the Superman role he played in the aforementioned Superman Returns.

Seriously, all of this is the stuff of dreams for superhero geeks across the globe.

Looking from the outside in, it could almost be construed as DC TV trying to streamline a bunch of their shows into the same universe – essentially recreating what the Crisis on Infinite Earths comic book arc did to merge the DC multi-verse.

Away from Tom Welling’s Superman appearing – which typing that still makes us giddy – Crisis will include the utterly iconic voice of Batman: The Animated Series’ Caped Crusader, Kevin Conroy; John Wesley Shipp again taking on his headline gig on the ‘90s offering of The Flash; the Robin of the ‘60s Batman show, Burt Ward; and some of the characters from Black Lightning.

For fans of comics, fans of these shows, and fans of just generally fantastic genre television, this is just a truly special time to be alive.

Issue 465 – Out Now

465 ns

In the new issue of STARBURST, we open up the Arrowverse and look at the new recruit Batwoman. We also countdown to this year’s big crossover, Crisis on Infinite Earths.

We go under the spell of Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil as we preview the new movie, and reveal all about Aardman Animation ahead of The Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. Also, he said he’d be back and he is – Arnie returns in Terminator: Dark Fate.

We find out the origins of Monty Python as they celebrate their 50th anniversary, and we get all Meta with Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. If that’s not enough, we give you the best of The Twilight Zone!

Plus a look back at Space: 1999 and examine Independents Day talks to the team behind The Rizen: Possession.

Plus all your favourite COLUMNS, NEWS, REVIEWS and much MORE from the worlds of SCI-FI, HORROR and FANTASY!

Black Sunday Film Festival Announces Opening Night Movie

black festival

The Black Sunday Film Festival returns to the Whirled Cinema, Brixton this Halloween, and has revealed the opening night film.

Taking place on October 25th to 27th, the festival will host the UK Premiere of Lisa Ovies’ beautifully layered comedic slasher ‘Puppet Killer’, featuring a powerful ensemble cast including Aleks Paunovic (War For the Planet of The Apes, Van Helsing, iZombie), Richard Harmon (The 100, Bates Motel), Lee Majdoub (The 100, Supernatural), Lisa Durupt (Murder She Baked), Kyle Cassie (Deadpool) and Gigi Saul Guerrero (El Gigante).

From the press release:

Ten years after the disappearance of his step mom, Jaime and his friends head to his family cabin in the woods to celebrate the Christmas break. They soon realize the demons from Jaime’s past have been waiting for his return as they are forced to fight a psychotic killer obsessed with horror movie icons.

Playing on her love of 1980’s horror, Ovies’ utilises practical effects for her many on-screen kills, and fills the story with many awesome Easter eggs that every die-hard horror fan will appreciate.

Festival Director Scott Lyus said: “We are beyond lucky to be hosting the UK Premiere of Lisa Ovies incredible Puppet Killer. This a film I’ve had my eye on for a long time and 10 minutes in, I knew Puppet Killer was going to be our perfect opening night film. This is a film made by horror fans for horror fans, and a damn bloody good time.”

Sponsored by STARBURST and Arrow Video, Black Sunday promises to be the perfect weekend to indulge in some truly awesome genre cinema, with the most diehard genre community in the world. Puppet Killer will be followed by the Black Sunday Opening Night Party, rocking the Whirled till 2 am!

Tickets are on sale now, so grab yourself a day pass or weekend pass while you can. The full line up, including their ever popular short film blocks, to be announced the end of September.

Tony Stark to Appear in BLACK WIDOW?

Iron Man 2

Mark this one down as a rumour for now, but Robert Downey Jr. may – just may – make an appearance in next year’s Black Widow.

Via Deadline, a new titbit suggests that RDJ’s Tony Stark will have a role to play in the long-demanded solo outing for Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff.

Black Widow will actually take place before Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, meaning Stark is still alive and well at that point in the MCU timeline. The movie will also look at Nat’s days being trained by the KGB before eventually ending up as part of S.H.I.E.L.D. and then joining Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

To be directed by Lore’s Cate Shortland, Black Widow is set for a May 1st, 2020 release.

Showrunner Steven S. DeKnight Departs Netflix’s JUPITER’S LEGACY

Jupiter's Legacy

With a slew of Millarworld adaptations currently in development, Netflix’s series take on Jupiter’s Legacy has lost its showrunner.

Courtesy of Deadline, showrunner Steven S. DeKnight has departed Jupiter’s Legacy over the ever-familiar creative differences. DeKnight has previous with Netflix, having previously served as showrunner on the stunning Daredevil, but now he’s walked away from Jupiter’s Legacy.

Before leaving the project, DeKnight had reportedly written and directed the first episode of the show, in addition to having finished filming on the first four episodes.

Rather than production taking an indefinite break while the search for a new showrunner takes place, producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Dan McDermott will screen the existing episodes to Mark Millar and the new showrunner to determine whether reshoots will be needed.

Millar and Frank Quitely’s Jupiter’s Legacy began life back in 2013, quickly becoming a favourite of many. The tale itself initially centres on Sheldon and Grace Sampson as they and a small group of friends wind up with superpowers back in 1932. Sheldon and Grace would take on the monikers of The Utopian and Lady Liberty, and the duo would usher in the first age of superheroes by forming the Union of Justice.

Fast forward to decades down the line, and the offspring of The Utopian and Lady Liberty have their own powers yet the world is now a far more skewed landscape where the concept of the classic superhero is concerned. In particular, son Brandon uses his abilities to nab some big-money endorsement deals, while daughter Chloe is a drug-addicted model.

Starring Josh Duhamel, Ben Daniels, Leslie Bibb, Elena Kampouris, Andrew Horton, Matt Lanter and Mike Wade, Jupiter’s Legacy is currently pegged for a 2020 Netflix premiere.

Universal Announce Release Dates for Two New Shyamalan Movies

M. Night Shyamalan

With his last movie, Glass, now way, way in our rear-view mirror, Universal Pictures has moved to announce release dates for two new M. Night Shyamalan movies.

Courtesy of Universal, the films have been given February 26th, 2021 and February 17th, 2023 release dates. For both features, no plot details or titles are known at this stage. Shyamalan will be on writing and directing duties for both offerings.

On this news, Universal’s Peter Cramer enthused, “M. Night Shyamalan continues to create exciting, highly original stories that keep global audiences on the edge of their seats. There is no one like him: he is a master filmmaker working at the height of his powers, and we are honoured that he has once again chosen Universal to be the home for his next two incredible projects.”

For his part, Shyamalan added, “There are wonderful studios out there, but Universal has made it a mandate to release original films. They are the best at finding an audience for new stories with unexpected tones. I believe original films are crucial to the longevity of the theatrical experience. I am so excited to be working with them again and bringing new stories to the movie screen for years to come.”

Since making a huge splash with The Sixth Sense in 1999, Shyamalan has gone on to write and direct the likes of Unbreakable, Signs, The Village, Lady in the Water, The Last Airbender, Split and the aforementioned Glass.

As ever, expect more on these two now M. Night Shyamalan movies as we get it.

Stallone in Talks with Robert Rodriguez Over a COBRA TV Series

Cobra

Having revisited the Rocky and Rambo franchises in recent years – with Rambo: Last Blood in UK cinemas later this week – it now looks as if Sylvester Stallone is eyeing a return for one of his other famed characters.

Speaking to Fandango, Stallone confirmed that he’s in talks with Robert Rodriguez over a new Cobra offering. As Sly himself put it, “I’m talking with Robert Rodriguez right now about Cobra, which looks like that could happen. It’s basically his baby now.”

Any such future Cobra effort would be a TV series, likely to air on Rodriguez’s El Rey Network.

In 1986’s Cobra, Stallone played badass cop Marion Cobretti as he had to protect the only surviving witness of a crime from an eerie cult.

As ever, expect more on any such Cobra series as we get it.

Dan Aykroyd Confirms GHOSTBUSTERS 2020 Involvement

Ghostbusters

Having teased his involvement in the movie long before the picture was ever officially announced, Dan Aykroyd has now officially confirmed that he’ll be a part of next year’s new Ghostbusters movie.

Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, Aykroyd enthused, “I’m not in the pictures so much anymore. We’ve got the Ghostbusters movie that we’re working on now and I will have to be performing in that. Ivan Reitman’s son Jason has written a new movie called Ghostbusters 2020. It will be all, most of the original people and then young stars.”

In terms of Ghostbusters 2020, Aykroyd’s Raymond Stanz will join returning faces Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett, Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddmore and Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz, plus new faces in Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace and Carrie Coon. It’s also believed that Bill Murray will at least make a cameo appearance as Peter Venkman.

At present, Ghostbusters 2020 is set for a July 10th, 2020 release.