CM Punk to Headline GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR

CM Punk

Fresh off having wrapped on the Soskas Sisters’ take on David Cronenberg’s Rabid, it’s been revealed that CM Punk is headlining Travis Stevens’ Girl on the Third Floor.

Courtesy of Deadline, Punk has landed the lead role in the directing debut from Big Ass Spider!, Cheap Thrills, and We Are Still Here producer Stevens. The Second City Saint – real name Phil Brooks – is playing failing husband Don Koch in the film. Early word on the role and the film has Don looking to fix up an old house in an attempt to make up for his past mistakes. Elsewhere, his wife Liz is pregnant and concerned about her husband’s plans to renovate this house… as the tearing down of the house begins to tear Don apart as well.

Punk is a huge favourite of many, having become one of the biggest names in modern pro wrestling history before transitioning to MMA and the UFC. And now, he continues to expand his resume with efforts such as Ultimate Beastmaster and the aforementioned Rabid.

Girl on the Third Floor has reportedly wrapped already, and Banshee’s Trieste Dunn and We Are Still Here’s Elissa Dowling join CM Punk in the picture.

Netflix Developing Live-Action AVATAR

In some news that’s sure to put a smile on the chops of many, Netflix has announced a live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series is on the way.

The Last Airbender co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko will be overseeing the show, which will begin production early next year.

On this news, DiMartino and Konietzko enthused, “We’re thrilled for the opportunity to helm this live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. We can’t wait to realise Aang’s world as cinematically as we always imagined it to be, and with a culturally appropriate, non-whitewashed cast. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build upon everyone’s great work on the original animated series and go even deeper into the characters, story, action, and world-building. Netflix is wholly dedicated to manifesting our vision for this retelling, and we’re incredibly grateful to be partnering with them.”

As alluded to, Avatar: The Last Airbender was originally a Nickelodeon animated series that began life back in 2005. M. Night Shyamalan adapted the show as a big-screen movie in 2010, but that ultimately proved to be a disappointment. In terms of premise, Avatar centres on Aang and his pals as they have to master water, earth, fire, and air in order to battle Fire Lord Ozai and protect the world from the Fire Nation.

From John Staub, the below concept art has also been released:

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Expect more on all things Avatar: The Last Airbender as it develops.

LOKI and SCARLET WITCH TV Shows in Development

Loki Scarlet Witch

While the DC Universe streaming service is currently making all sorts of waves as we begin to get our first glimpse at live-action efforts such as Titans and Doom Patrol, Disney is also working away on their own streaming service. And it looks as if they’re lining up some pretty big hitters to help them compete with DC Universe, Netflix, and Amazon Prime.

Courtesy of Variety, the House of Mouse is looking at developing certain limited series for their new service – and said series will feature characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In particular, both Loki and Scarlet Witch are listed as having their own individual shows in development, with Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen expected to reprise their MCU roles for said efforts.

The current plan is reportedly to give these limited series – which would comprise of six to eight episodes – to MCU characters who haven’t had their own solo movies. Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige will be very much hands-on with these shows, which will build on the existing narrative we’ve already seen on the big screen from this shared realm.

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

Rogue Drones Return to EVE ONLINE

rogue drones

Players of EVE Online have a special treat in store thanks to CCP Games as Rogue Drones return the game.

From the press release:

From September 18th through October 1st, Rogue Drones make their return to EVE Online, the, in an update of the Rogue Swarm Event, featuring brand new content! Players will engage in a new experience to combat the continuing advance and infestation of the Rogue Drones, and salvage loot and hack special containers for exclusive new rewards along the way.

Players can participate in the Rogue Swarm Event through a number of objectives spread across the cluster in a variety of challenges. Signing up to help purge this infestation via The Agency, Capsuleers will then set course for the Rogue Drone nests to clear them out of New Eden and start racking up Agency points, which can be used to unlock new upgrades. The bigger the drones, the bigger the rewards, and the chance to earn new gear is better than ever!

Exclusive new rewards are up for grabs during the limited event, such as the blueprint for a brand new drone type that you can build for your ships, and the exclusive Cryptic Mimesis SKIN for the Dominix, Abaddon, Raven, and Typhoon Battleships. Players can also score Cerebral Accelerators as a reward for completing objectives and racking up those Agency points.

Get involved and combat the continuing advance and infestation of the Rogue Drones at www.eveonline.com.

ZOMBIELAND 2 to Start Shooting in January

Zombieland

We’ve heard for a while now that a Zombieland sequel was on the way, and now comes words that the film will start shooting early next year.

Speaking to Fandango, director Ruben Fleischer confirmed a January 2019 start date for the follow-up, explaining, “We’re already actually starting Zombieland. I’ve ben scouting and storyboarding and getting it going, and to get to work with that cast again is just an absolute dream come true. It’s been really exciting starting to think about that movie, and to get to work with Emma, Jesse, Woody, and Abigail once again is truly a dream come true.”

Fleischer continued, “We’re just at the very early stages, but we have an amazing script and we’re going to start shooting in Georgia in January. It’s been ten years, so who knows what the world will look like at this point.”

At this stage, Zombieland 2 is booked in for an October 11, 2019 release and, as alluded to, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, and Abigail Breslin are all set to return – as are Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

Brett Cullen is JOKER’s Thomas Wayne

Brett Cullen

Fresh off our ‘first look’ at Joaquin Phoenix in the title role of next year’s Joker, now comes some casting news relating to Thomas Wayne.

If you remember, last month saw Alec Baldwin up for that particular role before scheduling conflicts got in the way. And now, ComicBook.com brings word that Brett Cullen has landed that Thomas Wayne role.

This isn’t Cullen’s first foray into the world of comic book movies – or even Bat-pictures – for he was aligned with Tom Hardy’s Bane in The Dark Knight Rises and also played Barton Blaze in the Nic Cage-headlined Ghost Rider.

The last we’d heard on the Thomas Wayne character, the ’80s-set Joker was to see him positioned as a slimy, Donald Trump-esque businessman as opposed to the well-meaning doctor and champion of Gotham City that fans are accustomed to.

In addition to Phoenix as the titular Clown Prince of Crime, Joker will also feature Zazie Beetz, Robert DeNiro, and Frances Conroy. To be directed by The Hangover’s Todd Phillips, the picture is set for an October 209 release.

Bryan Singer in Talks to Direct RED SONJA

Red Sonja

With a new Red Sonja movie having been in development hell for years by this point, now comes word that Bryan Singer is close to joining the project.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, Singer is currently in talks to direct the effort for Millennium Films. If all goes to plan, he would direct from a screenplay by X-Men: First Class’ Ashley Miller. The pair worked together on that effort, with Singer serving as a producer on First Class.

As a character, Red Sonja began life back in 1973 as a creation of Robert E. Howard, Roy Thomas, and Barry Windsor for Marvel Comics. A truly badass warrior who is at the absolute peak of human conditioning, Sonja quickly became a major favourite of many. To this day, the comics are still published, albeit through Dynamite Entertainment nowadays.

Elsewhere, Sonja was previously given the silver screen treatment when Brigitte Nielsen starred in 1985’s Red Sonja. In addition to Rose McGowan once being up to play the character in more recent times, Amber Heard was another who was being lined up to tackle a new incarnation of Sonja once McGowan had to drop out of the running due to an arm injury. On the small screen, the character – as played by Angelica Bridges – made an appearance in the Conan TV series of the late ‘90s, with former WWE grappler Sable positioned to headline a Sonja series in 1999 before that also fell apart. Bryan Singer has since flirted with the idea of a TV effort at several points, but that similarly seems to have gone nowhere up until now.

Up next for Bryan Singer is the stunning looking Bohemian Rhapsody this October – and as ever, expect on all things Red Sonja as we get it.

Sir Patrick Stewart Joins CHARLIE’S ANGELS

Sir Patrick Stewart

With a new Charlie’s Angels movie currently in development, it’s been revealed that Sir Patrick Stewart has joined the picture.

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, Sir Patrick will be playing one of two Bosleys in the film. In the original Charlie’s Angels series, Bosley was played by David Boyle, and then Bill Murray took on the role in the 2000 movie. In the follow-up to that effort – Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle – we saw Bernie Mac play Jimmy Bosley, the brother of Murray’s character.

In this latest Charlie’s Angels, there will actually be two Bosley characters. The Townsend Agency has expanded and gone international, and thus there will be a couple of Bosleys helping out with proceedings. Stewart is one of these, while writer/director Elizabeth Banks will be playing the other Bosley.

This new Charlie’s Angels features Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska as the titular trio, and the reboot is currently booked in for a September 2019 release.

EVE ONLINE Fanfest is Coming Home!

fanfest

Fancy holding an EVE Online Fanfest in your home? Of course you do. Well thanks to a new contest launched by CCP Games, you could be doing just that!

From the press release:

CCP Games wants to know why – in video form – Fanfest Home should be held at one of their EVE Online players’ homes. Fanfest Home is the newest addition to EVE Online’s annual Fanfest series, where players meet in person to celebrate and indulge in their enthusiasm for Eve Online. Furthermore, in 2019, after 14 years in Iceland, EVE Fanfest will not take place in Reykjavik, but at a number of places all over the world including Las Vegas, Australia, and Europe.

While it’s always sunny in Reykjavik, as seen in this video by CCP Games employee and EVE Online player, CCP Curtis, CCP Games is looking forward to virtually visiting many of the homes of the active EVE Online player community, and selecting one lucky winner as the ultimate local host. Festivities will include many of the activities that attendees have come to expect from a traditional EVE Fanfest, but this time it will be in and around the winning player’s home.

“EVE Fanfest has always been a way for players to meet, hang out, and scheme with their fellow capsuleers in person, with Iceland as the amazing backdrop,” said Paul Elsy, EVE Online’s Senior Community Manager. “This year, we‘re looking forward to visiting far-flung locales and friendly climes away from Iceland, and getting to know one of our players’ hometowns.”

Additional fanfests and meetups are planned throughout the year. For details on how to submit a video, and possibly host the main event, check out the blog.

 

EVE Online (PC/Mac) is a compelling, community-driven spaceship MMO game where players can build and pilot a wide variety of starships, traversing vast solar systems for free and choosing their own path from countless options, experiencing space exploration, immense PvP and PvE battles, mining, industry and a sophisticated player economy in an ever-expanding sandbox.EVE is a captivating game in which hundreds of thousands of players compete for riches, power, glory and adventure, forging their own destinies in a single thriving universe.

Manchester Subjected to FILM FEAR This Halloween

fears

Manchester art centre HOME is hosting a feast of Halloween horrors this October.

Film Fear runs from Friday 26th to Wednesday, October 31st, and features a collection of dark and disturbing tales, cult favourites, extreme cinema and sights and sounds that’ll stay with you ‘til it’s time to do it all again. Sneak previews, classics back on the big-screen and special guests make for six strange, spooky and sinister nights at the cinema, in a season summoned and then spawned by Film4 and HOME.

Making welcome returns to the big screen are a couple of John Carpenter movies – the beautifully told, spooky ghost story  The Fog and the cult favourite They Live, whilst the still terrifying Sam Raimi original The Evil Dead closes the season on Halloween night itself.

There’s also the chance to see some new films heading our way later this year, including Border, based on a story by John Ajvide Lindqvist, author of Let the Right One In, a cult sensation from Japan, the zombie action comedy One Cut of the Dead, plus one of the stand-out discoveries at August’s FrightFest, Videoman.

Two US films that are making a name for themselves and which will be screening are Assassination Nation, in which a clique of high school girlfriends find their lives suddenly exposed when a stranger starts revealing their digital secrets to the world and, arguably most excitingly, Mandy, the Panos Cosmatos follow-up to Beyond the Black Rainbow. This sees leading man Nicolas Cage going off the deep end when love of his life Andrea Riseborough is spirited away by a dark-magic cult, and the very film itself goes right along with him. This is one you have to see on the big-screen, not just for the visuals but also for the score by the late Jóhann Jóhannsson (Sicario, Arrival). If you’ve seen the trailer, you know that this one is going to be batshit crazy.

The season features a number of Q&As too, plus some surprises in the line-up, so check the website to find out what’s on when: homemcr.org/filmfear.