THE CONJURING 3 Sets Summer Shoot

Conjuring

As first reported by Discussing Film on Twitter, the next instalment of the main Conjuring franchise, The Conjuring 3, is set to begin filming in June in Atlanta.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who play series leads Ed and Lorraine Warren respectively, are set to reprise their roles in the film which is being helmed by Michael Chaves (who directed the upcoming horror film The Curse of La Llorona – released on May 3rd), with franchise icon James Wan serving as producer.

Although the film currently has no official synopsis, rumours are that the movie will cover the infamous ‘Devil Made Me Do It’ case, aka the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson. This will be the third main timeline instalment of the hugely successful and popular horror series that has already spawned a multitude of spin-offs including the poorly received but box office hit Annabelle and last year’s The Nun (which was helmed by Corin Hardy).

With this film slated for a 2020 release and the Annabelle 3 spin-off set to release later this year, this juggernaut of a franchise isn’t slowing down anytime soon and we are excited for it. The Conjuring has always managed to add something new to the oversaturated horror genre in recent memory and long may it continue.

Eureka Set to Unleash CUJO on Blu-ray

unleashed

Eureka Entertainment is set to release Cujo on Blu-ray for the first time ever in the UK in a Special Limited Two-Disc Edition as part of the Eureka Classics range from April 29th. The classic ‘80s cult horror is based on the best-selling novel from Stephen King and will feature a limited edition hardbound slipcase, boasting artwork designed by the legendary Graham Humphreys, a limited edition collector’s booklet and bonus Blu-ray disc [limited to only 4000].

 Evil bites when a monstrous canine terrorises a helpless family in this legendary cult classic. Based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel, Cujo gives horror a new name. While Donna (Dee Wallace, The Howling, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) and Vic Trenton struggle to save their rocky marriage, their son Tad befriends the loveable St. Bernard who belongs to their mechanic. But what they don’t realise is that a bat bite has transformed Cujo from a docile pup to a vicious killer. With Vic away on business, Donna and Tad’s car trouble pushes them into a living nightmare — trapped by the demonic, relentless dog from hell. This critically acclaimed thriller promises to have you glued to your seat and foaming at the mouth!

Making its UK debut on Blu-ray, the release also has over 7 hours of extra content on the special limited two-disc Blu-ray edition, reversible sleeve featuring artwork by Justin Osbourn and original poster artwork plus a limited edition 60-page collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Lee Gambin, author Scott Harrison, and Craig Ian Mann and illustrated with archival imagery from the film’s production.

The extras on the release are stunning:

DISC ONE 1080p presentation of the film, on Blu-ray for the first time ever in the UK | Uncompressed LPCM mono soundtrack | Optional English SDH subtitles | New and exclusive feature length audio commentary by Lee Gambin, author of Nope, Nothing Wrong Here: The Making of Cujo | New interview with Dee Wallace [40 mins] | New interview with composer Charles Bernstein [35 mins] | New interview with stuntman Gary Morgan [25 mins] | New interview with stuntwoman Jean Coulter [21 mins] | New interview with casting director Marcia Ross. [20 mins] | New interview with visual effects artist Kathie Lawrence [13 mins] | New interview with special effects designer Robert Clark [12 mins] | New interview with dog trainer Teresa Miller [28 mins] | Dog Days: The Making of Cujo – archival documentary on the film’s production [42 mins]

DISC TWO [Limited Edition Only] Q&A with Dee Wallace from “Cinemaniacs & Monster Fest 2015”, moderated by Lee Gambin [96 mins] | New interview with critic and author Kim Newman [25 mins].

You can pre-order the limited edition release now: https://amzn.to/2C8IUKo.

SUICIDE SQUAD Sequel’s New Additions Revealed

King Shark

Hot on the heels of this week’s new that Idris Elba is replacing Will Smith as Deadshot, now comes word on some of the new additions we can expect to see in James Gunn’s Suicide Squad sequel.

Courtesy of Collider, we have news of some new villains who’ll be joining the shenanigans of Task Force X in The Suicide Squad.

The big-name attraction for most people will be that the ever-popular King Shark is joining the mix, and Nanaue will be joined by Ratcatcher, Polka-Dot Man and Peacemaker.

For those unfamiliar with these characters, King Shark is a all-powerful humanoid shark that usually faces off with The Flash; Ratcatcher is a Batman rogue who was once an exterminator before turning to a poisonous-gas-driven villain; Polka-Dot Man is another Gotham-based bad guy and can turn the polka-dots on his body into fireballs; and Peacemaker is an uber-pacifist who will literally kill for peace.

In other notes, it’s reported that the Ratcatcher role is actually being gender-swapped for the movie. Comic book-wise, Ratcatcher is known as Otis Flannegan, but the take on the character seen in The Suicide Squad will be female. Elsewhere, it’s believed that James Gunn is keen to sign Dave Bautista up for the Peacemaker gig; Bautista, of course, having played Drax in Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy pictures.

At present, it’s believed that the majority of Suicide Squad’s core characters will be returning for this sequel – and yes, the sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad is titled The Suicide Squad – although Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn won’t be a part of this outing. Instead, Robbie’s Maid of Mischief will be front-and-centre in Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey.

Written by Gunn, and likely to be directed by him, The Suicide Squad is currently booked in for an August 2021 release.

Adrienne Barbeau Joins DC Universe’s SWAMP THING

Adrienne Barbeau Swamp Thing

Well, this is all kinds of cool. Yes, as the headline suggests, Adrienne Barbeau is returning to the swamp.

Taking to Twitter, genre fave Barbeau confirmed that she’ll be appearing in DC Universe’s upcoming live-action Swamp Thing series – although the post has since been removed.

Of course, Barbeau famously starred in Wes Craven’s 1982 Swamp Thing movie. At this stage, there’s no word on who Barbeau will be playing in this new TV take on the famed Elemental.

Barbeau joins a cast that features Crystal Reed as Abby Arcane, Andy Bean as Alec Holland, Will Patton as Avery Sunderland, Virginia Madsen as Maria Sunderland, Maria Sten as Liz Tremayne, Jeryl Prescott as Madama Xanadu, Jennifer Beals as Sheriff Lucilia Cable, Henderson Wade as Matt Cable, Kevin Durand as Floronic Man, Ian Ziering as Blue Demon, and genre fave Derek Mears as the titular Elemental form of Bean’s Alec Holland.

The early word on Swamp Thing reads:

The drama follows what happens when CDC researcher Abby Arcane returns to her childhood home of Houma, Louisiana in order to investigate a deadly swamp-borne virus. There, she develops a surprising bond with scientist Alec Holland – only to have him tragically taken from her. But as powerful forces descend on Houma, intent on exploiting the swamp’s mysterious properties for their own purposes, Abby will discover that the swamp holds mystical secrets, both horrifying and wondrous – and the potential love of her life may not be dead after all.

As a character, Swamp Thing began life back in 1971 and has appeared in a whole host of different mediums over the decades. Wes Craven would helm 1982’s Swamp Thing movie, with a sequel following in 1989. On the small screen, a three-season USA Network show ran during the early ‘90s, and there was similarly a far-too-short-lived animated series during those years.

At this stage, Swamp Thing is set for a to-be-confirmed premiere later this year, with Mark Veriheiden and Gary Dauberman on showrunner duties.

Brian K. Vaughan to Pen Legendary’s GUNDAM Movie

Gundam

With Legendary Entertainment at works on a live-action adaptation of Mobile Suit Gundam, a writer has now been found to tackle this hugely ambitious project.

Via Deadline, the ever-impressive Brian K. Vaughan has been brought in to pen the upcoming take on the famed anime. Vaughan, of course, is best known for comic books such as Y: The Last Man, Runaways, Ex Machine and Paper Girls.

Beginning life forty years ago as Yoshiyuki Tomino-directed anime, Gundam is a Japanese sci-fi extravaganza that centres on space colonies, intergalactic civil war, and some giant robots. To date, the property has ventured in to the realm of TV shows, novels, manga efforts, plentiful toys, and a whole host of other mediums.

No further details are known on this live-action Gundam film, but expect more on all of this as we get it.

HOWARD THE DUCK to Finally Get His UK Blu-ray Debut!

howard the duck

Not only is Howard the Duck getting some love at our own Film Festival on March 15th/16th (get your tickets below!), but in equally exciting news it’s also getting a shiny new Blu-ray release from the great 101 Films, its first in the UK! Cruelly overlooked at the time and a MONUMENTAL commercial disaster, this didn’t stop it from going on to be a campy cult classic. 1986  was just not ready for a  wisecracking bad-ass superhero duck! Fast forward thirty years and it’s primed to get a whole new audience with a little help from the Guardians of The Galaxy. For us, Lea Thompson’s hair will always be the stuff of legend!

Grab tickets to the festival and join us for the screening here!

From the Press Release:

 Available on Dual Format Blu-ray and DVD April 22nd  2019


Starring: Lea Thompson (Back to the Future), Jeffrey Jones (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption)


101 Films presents Howard the Duck (1986), title 008 on our Black Label and a UK Blu-ray debut. A box office bomb upon release, the film’s notoriety has never faded, and it now stands as one of the essential cult films of the 1980s. Extras include a new 20-minute featurette in which the BFI’s Vic Pratt discusses Howard’s comic book origins and the character’s journey to the big screen, two brand new commentaries and new writing on Marvel and Lucasfilm.
From executive producer George Lucas and the pages of Marvel Comics comes a comedy adventure spectacular about a fast-talking, cigar-chomping, beer-loving duck from a parallel universe who crashes to Earth and somehow winds up in Cleveland. As Howard attempts to return to his own planet, he falls in love with rock singer Beverly Switzler (Lea Thompson) and must battle an evil invader known as the Dark Overlord.


This wacky, elaborately produced spoof of life, love, comic books and horror movies is a misunderstood cult classic, ripe for rediscovery.
Limited Edition version comes with booklet and slipcase, limited to 3000 copies.


Brand New Extras
• Howard: A New Cult Hero: Vic Pratt on Howard the Duck
• Commentary with Wil Jones and Robert J.E. Simpson
• Commentary with Charlie Brigden and Dan Whitehead
• Limited edition booklet: includes ‘How ‘The Duck Who Couldn’t Swim’ Survived a Sinking Ship’ by Lister Appleton and ‘The Madness of King George’ by Charlie Brigden

Additional Extras
• Duckumentary
• Releasing the Duck News Featurette
• The Stunts of Howard the Duck
• The Special Effects of Howard the Duck
• The Music of Howard the Duck
• Teasers

Specifications
Certificate: PG
Runtime (Blu-ray): Feature 110 mins approx., Extras TBC
Runtime (DVD): Feature 106 mins approx., Extras TBC
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Blu-ray region: B
DVD region: 2
Sound: Stereo PCM & surround DTSHD-MA (Blu-ray) Stereo and surround AC3 (DVD)
Language: English
Subtitles: English HOH

The CW’s LOST BOYS Finds its Sam Emerson

Rio Mangini

As The CW’s upcoming Lost Boys pilot continues to flesh out its core cast, this new take on an old favourite has now found its Sam Emerson.

In Joel Schumacher’s 1987 classic, the role of Sam was famously played by Corey Haim. And now, Deadline has word that Everything Sucks!’s Rio Mangini will be playing Sam in The CW’s small-screen rejig for the property. In addition to this, RoboCop’s Del Zamora has been cast as Frank Garcia; the Grandpa character played by Bernard Hughes in the original movie.

Mangini and Zamora join a cast that currently features Cheyenne Haynes and Haley Tju as the Frog Sisters and roles for Tyler Posey, Sarah Hay, Kiele Sanchez, Medallion Rahimi and Dakota Shapiro, with Twilight’s Catherine Hardwicke to direct the pilot episode.

The official word on The CW’s small-screen take on The Lost Boys reads:

After the sudden death of their father, brothers Michael and Sam Emerson move to Santa Carla with their mother, Lucy, who hopes to start anew in the town where she grew up. But the brothers soon find themselves being drawn deeper and deeper into the seductive world of Santa Carla’s eternally beautiful and youthful undead.

From director Joel Schumacher, The Lost Boys is a ‘87 favourite of many a genre fan. Complete with a truly phenomenal soundtrack, the original movie starred Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Jamison Newlander, Dianne Wiest, Barnard Hughes, Edward Hermann, Jami Gertz, Alex Winter and, of course, Kiefer Sutherland. Oh, and a rather sax-tastic cameo from Tim Cappello.

After constant rumblings of a sequel, Lost Boys: The Tribe was finally released in 2008. A so-so effort, that picture was followed by the slightly better (but still not great) Lost Boys: The Thirst  in 2010. In The Tribe, fans got to see Corey Feldman return as Edgar Frog and a brief cameo by Corey Haim as Sam Emerson. Joining Feldman in The Thirst, fans saw Jamison Newlander back as the other Frog brother, Alan.

Since then, a Frog-driven movie has been talked about and a TV series has regularly been speculated about. As mentioned, those TV plans were seemingly shelved in 2016; only now resurfacing. Additionally, along the way we’ve had several Lost Boys-based comics and books.

Idris Elba to Replace Will Smith as SUICIDE SQUAD Sequel’s Deadshot

Idris Elba

It was only last week that we learned that Will Smith won’t be returning for James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, and now comes some interesting news on Smith’s Deadshot role.

Upon hearing that initial news, many presumed that we simply wouldn’t be seeing Deadshot in this Suicide Squad sequel-cum-reboot. There was, however, a mild rumbling that the role might instead be recast. And that is indeed the case.

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Brothers has brought in Luther star Idris Elba to replace Smith as Floyd Lawton. Of course, this won’t be Elba’s first time working on a comic book-based property, with him previously having appeared in The Losers and played Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The reason for Will Smith not returning for The Suicide Squad – yes, the sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad is title The Suicide Squad – was simply down to scheduling issues. Similarly, Margot Robbie won’t be a part of the follow-up, although she is very much still playing Harley Quinn in Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey picture. As for the rest of Suicide Squad’s cast, they are all expected to be returning for this second cinematic outing for Task Force X.

At present, James Gunn is writing The Suicide Squad and is expected to be on directing duties, too. The film will definitely be a sequel, although it is also being pegged as a soft reboot for the burgeoning franchise.

The Suicide Squad is currently booked in for an August 2021 release.

ARROW to End After Eight Seasons

Arrow

There’s been rumblings of it happening, but now The CW has confirmed that, yes, genre fave Arrow is to come to an end later this year.

Despite previous rumours of Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow both being wound down, it seemed massively unlikely that the show that launched The CW’s shared Arrowverse would be getting canned. But here we are, with the news that Arrow is indeed concluding after the show’s eighth season.

An official statement from producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Beth Schwartz read:

This was a difficult decision to come to, but like every hard decision we’ve made for the past seven years, it was with the best interests of Arrow in mind. We’re heartened by the fact that Arrow has birthed an entire universe of shows that will continue on for many years to come. We’re excited about crafting a conclusion that honours the show, its characters and its legacy and are grateful to all the writers, producers, actors, and – more importantly – the incredible crew that has sustained us and the show for over seven years.

Since this news broke, Arrow star Stephen Amell has taken to social media with his emotional thoughts and thanks:

Since premiering back in 2012, Arrow has gone on to become one of the great genre shows of its generation. Despite an admittedly so-so start, the series’ second season was a masterful year of television that still stands as one of the greatest single seasons of genre TV in recent memory.

As alluded to, this is also the show that launched The CW’s shared Arrowverse realm; first introducing Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen before that character was spun-off for his own The Flash show. Since then, this world has grown to encompass DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl, with a Ruby Rose-headlined Batwoman series on the way later this year and Black Lightning housed at The CW but not directly connected to the Arrowverse.

With Arrow finishing after its eighth season, that of course throws up the possibility of Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen being killed off in December’s hotly anticipated Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover that is expected to leave the landscape of the Arrowverse changed forever. And what better way to change the landscape, than by killing off the character who kickstarted this whole shared universe of shows.

Arrow is currently in the middle of its seventh season, and the show will return later this year for one final ten-episode season.

To be fair, not many genre shows reach an eighth or even seventh season, and it has been one hell of a ride for Arrow. Sure, there may have been the odd blip here or there, but this has continued to be a special TV show that has brilliantly fleshed out some of DC’s greatest characters.

As ever, expect more on all of this as we get it. And for fans of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, let’s just hope that those similar rumblings about that show been cancelled don’t prove quite as true as the initial Arrow rumours.

EVE: Aether War to Demo at GDC

EVE: Aether War

CCP Games, the creators of the in-depth and uniquely player-driven spaceship MMO game EVE Online, has announced a partnership with deep tech start-up Hadean for EVE: Aether Wars, a groundbreaking tech demo that will explore opportunities for largescale multiplayer simulation in CCP’s current and future games.

GDC attendees can witness the tech demo in action, with a special talk from CCP Games CEO Hilmar V. Pétursson on March 20th (GDC Stand S366)

Hadean is the creator of Aether Engine, the world’s first distributed simulation engine that allows developers to create cloud-native games with unprecedented gameplay possibilities. As last month, Aether Engine will be powered by Microsoft Azure to allow developers to seamlessly scale their applications at increased speed and ease across the cloud.

Aether Engine will receive its first public showing at GDC 2019 through EVE: Aether Wars, a real-time 10,000 player space deathmatch. To participate, prospective players can sign up for free by visiting www.aetherengine.io/pvp-10k to provide their details.

The EVE: Aether Wars tech demo will be followed by a lightning talk from CCP Games’ CEO Hilmar V. Pétursson and hosted by Hadean. ‘Emergent Game Design: What has CCP learnt over the years?’ will take place at Stand S366 at 11:00 PST on Wednesday 20 March.

CCP is providing EVE Online and EVE: Valkyrie assets for use in the Aether Engine, enabling Hadean to focus on addressing the challenges faced by developers within large-scale online multiplayer environments. The ongoing collaboration between the two companies will seek to explore the potential for substantial changes to the technical infrastructure of EVE Online.

The EVE Online community currently holds the Guinness World Record for “most concurrent players simultaneously involved in a single multiplayer PvP videogame battle” with 6,142 players on 23rd January 2018.

“We are thrilled to have the support of CCP Games with EVE: Aether Wars,” said Craig Beddis, Hadean’s CEO. “This move allows us to focus on our strength – building technology that unlocks new creative possibilities for games developers. We have a world-class team of engineers at Hadean creating EVE: Aether Wars and CCP’s expertise ensures that we have the perfect partner to match the pioneering ambition and robust quality of our technology.”

“Hadean’s technology has the potential to unlock huge creative and design-orientated freedom within virtual worlds such as EVE,” said Hilmar V. Pétursson, CCP Games’ CEO. “We are very happy as always to join up with intrepid pioneers setting out to push the boundaries of what is possible. Continuing to do that I believe will bring about the conditions where EVE will outlive us all. We therefore embrace the chance to inject New Eden into the Aether Engine and create the stunning sci-fi spectacle EVE: Aether Wars. I for one am excited to see our internet spaceships from EVE Online and EVE: Valkyrie playing together, enabled by this cutting-edge technology!”

For further details on Hadean and the Aether Engine, visit www.hadean.com and   www.aetherengine.io.

For more information about CCP Games and the EVE Universe, visit www.ccpgames.com/products.