STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS Revived for a New Season

Star Wars The Clone Wars

One of the major casualties of Disney taking over the Star Wars license was the ongoing Clone Wars cartoon. Despite having a substantial fanbase and frequently receiving critical acclaim for its stories, the series came to an abrupt end with no true finale. While Star Wars: Rebels attempted to offer some closure to key storylines, particularly those of Darth Maul and the Mandalorian Civil War, the cartoon went without a true ending. That changed today in San Diego Comic-Con 2018, where series creator Dave Filoni unveiled a brand new trailer to celebrate the cartoon’s tenth anniversary.

The teaser trailer shows a massed fleet of Republic warships moving into orbit over a Republic base, and confirms the return of Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Rex as characters. Ahsoka Tano, Anakin’s former padawan who left the Jedi Order after becoming disillusioned with its methods, also put in a surprise appearance. While a major series character, her departure seemingly brought her story arc to a natural end, apparently working alongside Bo-Katan Kryze, a former member of the Mandalorian Death Watch.

The announcement was repeated on StarWars.com along with an interview with Filoni, and citing fan engagement as a major indication as to why it is returning to the small screen. While openly admitting that he never thought that the series’ return would be possible, Filoni stated that, “Any opportunity to put the final pieces of the story in place is meaningful as a storyteller.”

The new season will consist of twelve new episodes which will take place after both the fifth season, and the Lost Missions which combined together the finished episodes intended for its sixth season. While no further information has yet been offered, the short length suggests that this final season will be akin to Samurai Jack’s revival, as a brief return to offer some closure to the characters over a true continuation.

It is as of yet unknown if the new season will account for the partially completed episodes which were intended to be part of the full sixth season. However, the addition of an unknown Clone Trooper with cranial cybernetic implants suggests that this could be Echo, a character who underwent substantial changes in the unfinished episodes.

The Clone Wars will be broadcast on Disney’s as of yet unnamed streaming service in 2019. If Disney is in the mindset to revive old properties for one last story, perhaps someone could get around to publishing Sword of the Jedi while they are at it.

FX’s Y: THE LAST MAN Series Adds Amber Tamblyn

Amber Tamblyn

Hot on the heels of Dunkirk’s Barry Keoghan being announced as heading up the cast of FX’s Y: The Last Man TV show, now comes word that Amber Tamblyn has joined the series.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Tamblyn – best known for the likes of House, 127 Hours, and Django Unchained – will be playing Mariette Callows in the shows. That character is the daughter of the US President, and is someone lined up to follow in the political footsteps of her father and his conservative ways.

In addition to Keoghan, Tamblyn joins a cast that also includes Diane Lane, Imogen Poots, Lashana Lynch, Juliana Canfield, and Marin Ireland. Melina Matsoukas will be directing the pilot episode, with Michael Green and Aida Mashaka Croal on showrunner duties.

The early blurb on the show reads:

All of the men are dead. But one. Based on the DC comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra, Y traverses a world of women – exploring gender, race, class and survival.

For those not familiar with Y: The Last Man, the 60-issue comic book series ran from 2002 to 2008 and focussed on Yorick Brown, the titular “last man”. When the world suffers a tragic event that kills off every creature with a Y chromosome, Yorick only has his monkey, Ampersand, for company until he finds himself teaming up with a government operative to make sense of what’s happened and why he’s somehow managed to stay alive.

Previously, several attempts have been made to get an adaptation of the property off the ground, most notably with ultimately-doomed live-action movies in 2007 and 2013. Now though, it seems as if we’re finally going to see this fan favourite comic series brought to life, albeit in the medium of TV – which, if we’re being honest, is likely the best format to tell such an engaging story.

KILLER TOMATOES Remake on the Way?

Killer Tomatoes

Well, adding two and two together and potentially getting 3,471, it looks as if a new Attack of the Killer Tomatoes movie could well be happening.

The source of this rumbling is San Diego Comic Con and KillerTomatoes.com, with a heads-up from the ever-informative guys over at Bloody-Disgusting. You see, special “Seeds of Destruction” packs are reportedly being dotted around at Comic Con. For those who are lucky enough to stumble across one of these packs, you’re asked to take them to the Atomic Toybox booth… where you can then put yourself up to audition for a part in Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.

Even if you’re not at Comic Con, however, you can still put yourself forward for this apparent movie by filling in a relevant form.

To give some further legitimacy to all of this, the fine details for this state, “No purchase necessary for entry. Participants will be selected by October 31, 2018, subject to the movie production timeline. Entry does not guarantee selection. Participants will not be compensated for travel or related expenses. The audition located will be in San Diego, California.”

No further details are known whatsoever at this stage, although we’d have to imagine that this could well be a remake or reboot of this beloved genre favourite. That first Attack of the Killer Tomatoes was released back in 1978, and it centred on a group of scientists who have to come together to save mankind from the threat of some gnarly mutated toms with a penchant for bloodlust. That original movie was followed by three sequels – 1988’s Return of the Killer Tomatoes!, 1990’s Killer Tomatoes Strike Back!, and 1991’s Killer Tomatoes Eat France! – and a cartoon series, video games, books, and more followed.

Back in 2008, an Attack of the Killer Tomatoes remake was announced, but that redo spun its wheels in development hell before seemingly being scrapped altogether in 2011.

Sony’s BLOODSHOT Adaptation Gets Booked in for February 2020

Bloodshot Vin Diesel

With Sony Pictures’ upcoming adaptation of Valiant Comics’ Bloodshot currently assembling its cast, now comes word on when the film will arrive on the big screen.

Courtesy of Sony, the Vin Diesel-headlined Bloodshot has been booked in for a February 21st, 2020 release. In addition to Diesel in the titular role, Toby Kebbell is on board as the villain of the piece, and there are roles for Eiza Gonzalez, Sam Heughan, Talulah Riley, Alex Hernandez, Michael Sheen, and Johannes Haukur Johannesson. Dave Wilson – who has a background in video games such as Mass Effect 2 and Bioshock Infinite – is on directing duties.

For those not familiar with the Bloodshot character, he’s a comic book act created by Kevin Van Hook, Don Perlin and Bob Layton. A former soldier who was killed and brought back to life with a whole bunch of snazzy technological upgrades, he’s essentially the perfect soldier complete with a healing factor, the power to shapeshift, and the ability to interact with pretty much any and all piece of technology.

Sony previously picked up the cinematic rights to Valiant Entertainment’s Bloodshot and Harbinger characters, with the initial plan being to give each character two solo outings before bringing the pair together in a huge crossover event.

As ever, expect more on all things Bloodshot – and Harbinger, for that matter – as we get it.

Joaquin Phoenix’s JOKER Movie Set for October 2019

Joaquin Phoenix Joker

After months of speculation, last week saw it officially confirmed that the Todd Phillips-directed, Joaquin Phoenix-starring, non-DCEU Joker movie was a go – and now we’ve got details on when that film will hit the silver screen.

As revealed by Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment, the picture has been booked in for an October 4th, 2019 release. Not only that, but the powers-that-be have also confirmed that the movie will simply be titled Joker.

The early blurb on the effort reads:

Under the director of Todd Phillips (The Hangover franchise), the new film centres around the iconic arch nemesis and is a standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of a man disregarded by society is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.

Phillips has put the screenplay together along with The Fighter’s Scott Silver, and Martin Scorsese is involved in a producing capacity.

Joker is being developed, as alluded to, away from the DC Extended Universe banner in which we have seen Jared Leto parading as the Clown Prince of Crime. Instead, Joker will be the first of a new banner of movie, believed to be labelled DC Black or DC Dark. Those pictures will exist away from the DCEU and tell more adult-orientated, darker tales.

Speaking of Leto, he is still very much the DCEU’s Joker, and that incarnation of the Jester of Genocide has several upcoming appearances scheduled. That Joker will similarly be getting his own solo film at some point, not to mention a twisted romance picture with Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, and a role in Gavin O’Connor’s Suicide Squad sequel. This, of course, coming off the back of Leto recently landing himself the titular role in Sony Pictures’ Spider-Verse effort, Morbius the Living Vampire.

Joaquin Phoenix? As the Joker? Yes, yes please. But still, we can’t help but get the idea that this reeks of desperation following the awful reaction to the DCEU as a whole. So how do you manage to fight your way out of this proverbial paper bag without losing face? Why, you simply give yourself a way to tell tales with some of DC Comics’ greatest characters away from the confines of the already-panned DCEU. And let’s just hope that they don’t go the “antihero” route with good ol’ Mr J, or that it’s deemed a good idea to fully flesh out his backstory. Y’know, what with the mystery and uncertainty behind his backstory being part of the demented charm of this most notorious of pop culture characters.

Expect more on Joker as it continues to develop.

Netflix’s V-WARS Adds Genre Fave Laura Vandervoort

Laura Vandervoort

With Netflix having recently put in an order for a ten-episode season of the vampiric V-Wars, now comes word that the show has added Laura Vandervoort to its ranks.

Currently, Vandervoort – best known to genre fans as Smallville’s Supergirl and for the likes of Bitten and Jigsaw – is shooting the Soska Sisters’ Rabid remake, and she’s now signed on to join Ian Somerhalder in V-Wars. Deadline broke the news, with the Canadian actress to play Mila in the series. As well as Somerhalder, the series will also feature Kyle Breitkopf, Kimberly-Sue Murray, Adrian Holmes, Peter Outerbridge, and Jacky Lai.

For those not familiar with V-Wars, it’s an IDW property from the mind of Jonathan Maberry that debuted six years ago.

The official blurb on the series reads:

The book, published in 2012 by IDW Publishing, debuted as a collection of prose stories that chronicles the first Vampire War. In the series, Somerhalder will star as Dr. Luther Swann, who enters a world of untold horror when a mysterious disease transforms his best friend, Michael Fayne, into a murderous predator who feeds on other humans. As the disease spreads and more people are transformed, society fractures into opposing camps pitting normal people against the growing number of these “vampires.” Swann races against time to understand what’s happening, while Fayne rises to become the powerful underground leader of the vampires.

Stargate’s Brad Turner will direct the pilot episode and serve as executive producer on the series. William Laurin and Glenn Davis will be acting as showrunners on the show.

CREEPSHOW to Return from the Grave!

Creepshow

Exciting news for fans of anthology horror here – the beloved 1982 Creepshow is being brought back to life as a TV series courtesy of horror powerhouse Greg Nicotero for streaming channel Shudder. EW have the scoop, and are reporting that Nicotero will helm the first episode, before handing over to other filmmakers to bring us a new terrifying tale each week.

The original Creepshow still holds up today, thanks to the fact all segments were directed by the much-missed George A. Romero, and penned by the mighty Stephen King himself. Creepshow 2, while never managing to attain the same levels of fandom, still has the affection of many a horror fan… but let’s not mention Creepshow 3 *ahem*. However, given Nicotero’s seminal career as an FX master (his company, the KNB EFX Group, will handle the grisly stuff here too), coupled with his staggeringly accomplished directorial skills seen on The Walking Dead (if you have favourite episodes, we’d wager he directed at least one of them!), we’re confident that the Creepshow brand is now destined for greatness once again.

Expect more news on Creepshow’s return in the lead up to its 2019 premiere…

Hulu to House THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES TV Series

Anne Rice The Vampire Chronicles

With Paramount Television and Anonymous Content having optioned the rights to Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, the small-screen adaptation has now found on home on Hulu.

Deadline broke the news, with the first season to be based around The Vampire Lestat, the second of Rice’s twelve-book (and counting!) series. Rice herself will executive produce, with her son Christopher on writing and executive producer duties.

The official blub on said second book reads:

Set in 18th century France, the story is told from the point of view of Lestat de Lioncourt, a young man desperate to break free from his life and become an actor in Paris. Of course, he ends up being turned into a vampire by Magnus.

Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles began life back in 1976 with Interview with the Vampire, and the most recent tale was 2016’s Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis. Later this year, Blood Communion: A Tale of Prince Lestat will continue the series. And that’s just the main series, for there are spinoffs of sorts in the New Tales of the Vampires and Lives of the Mayfair Witches stories, too.

Of course, The Vampire Chronicles has already been brought to big-screen life previously, with 1994’s adaptation of Interview with the Vampire starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, and Antonio Banderas. Then, 2002’s Aaliyah and Stuart Townsend-starring Queen of the Damned pulled inspiration from both The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned books.

As ever, expect more on this Hulu-housed The Vampire Chronicles as it develops.

Numan Acar Joins SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

Numan Acar

With the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel – Spider-Man: Far From Home – currently fleshing out its cast, now comes word that Numan Acar has joined the follow-up.

Courtesy of Deadline, the Prison Break actor will be playing a character known as Dimitri in the picture. No official details are known on the role other than the name at this stage, although pure speculation could have Acar’s character as actually being the nefarious Chameleon.

In the comic books, the Chameleon is a master of disguise whose real name is Dmitri Smerdyakov. So, it’s not hard to piece together that Dimitri is actually Dmitri, as in Dmitri Smerdyakov, as in one of ol’ Web-head’s most long-standing villains, the no-good Chameleon. To be precise, the Chameleon actually debuted in Spidey’s very first solo book, 1963’s The Amazing Spider-Man #1.

Chameleon Spider-Man

Given how many are predicting that the Sinister Six could begin to form in Spider-Man: Far From Home, the Chameleon would certainly be a good fit, with him having been a regular member of that villainous group over the decades. We already know that the Homecoming sequel will see Jake Gyllenhaal playing Mysterio, Michael Keaton back as Vulture, and presumably Michael Mando back as Mac Gargan, aka Scorpion. Then there’s the potential for Bokeem Woodbine to return as the Shocker, too. Could it be that Numan Acar is indeed playing the Chameleon, who will then eventually become part of the Sinister Six? We guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Up next for Acar is a role in Guy Ritchie’s live-action Aladdin, which is set for May 2019. For Spider-Man: Far From Home, that largely London-set follow-up will again be directed by Jon Watts and is booked in for a July 2019 release – that is, of course, if Tom Holland’s Peter Parker can somehow get over the fallout of Avengers: Infinity War.

Netflix Reveals First Slate of MILLARWORLD Film and TV Projects

Huck

Here at Moonbase Alpha, one of our very favourite people to catch up with every now and again is the fascinating Mark Millar. With Netflix having acquired Millar’s Millarworld last year, we’ve now got word on the first slate of Millarworld properties that the on-demand streaming service will be adapting.

A modern-day comic book favourite of many a genre fan, Millar is best known as the man behind huge big-name arcs such as Superman: Red Son, Civil War and Old Man Logan, while he’s also created amazing properties such as Wanted, Kick-Ass, The Secret Service, Nemesis, Starlight, Superior, Huck and far more than we could list here. In addition to that, of course, Millar has also worked as a creative consultant for 20th Century Fox for the past few years, too.

The first batch of Millarworld properties to be brought to life as Netflix movies and TV shows have now been confirmed as Jupiter’s Legacy, American Jesus, Empress, Huck, and Sharkey the Bounty Hunter. Jupiter’s Legacy and American Jesus will be fleshed out as live-action TV series, while the latter three properties are going to be given movie adaptations.

On this news, Millar himself enthused, “My wife Lucy and I are eleven months into our jobs at Netflix and it’s everything we hoped for to the power of ten. To see a movie based on your work every couple of years is incredibly exciting, but to see them all happening at once like this and with talent this high-end is just off the scale. These are writers and directors I’ve privately been sending fan-mail to over the last eighteen months, so to be working with them all is just enormously exciting. This really is the greatest creative environment I’ve ever worked in. I can’t wait to switch on my computer every morning.”

The official word on the upcoming original series efforts reads:

Jupiter’s Legacy

A multi-generational American superhero epic, Jupiter’s Legacy follows the world’s first generation of superheroes who received their powers in the 1930’s. In present day they are the revered elder guard, but their superpowered children struggle to live up to the legendary feats of their parents. Steven S. DeKnight (Marvel’s Daredevil, Spartacus, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), who recently signed an overall deal with Netflix, will serve as showrunner and executive producer, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Dan McDermott also serving as executive producers for the series. DeKnight will also direct the first episode.

American Jesus

Multilingual (Spanish/English) series American Jesus follows a twelve-year-old boy who suddenly discovers he’s returned as Jesus Christ. He can turn water into wine, make the crippled walk, and, perhaps, even raise the dead! How will he deal with the destiny to lead the world in a conflict thousands of years in the making? Everardo Gout (Marvel’s Luke Cage, Sacred Lies, Mars, Banshee, Aqui En La Tierra) and Leopoldo Gout (Molly’s Game, Instinct) will serve as co-showrunners and executive producers on the series. Everardo Gout will also direct.

As for the movie projects in development, the official blurb on those reads as follows:

Empress

Queen Emporia is married to (literally) the worst dictator in the galaxy, King Morax. After escaping his palace with her children, Emporia and her family, must hide from Morax and his army at all costs — even if it takes teleporting from planet to planet to avoid them. Writer Lindsey Beer (Kingkiller Chronicle and the upcoming Sierra Burgess is a Loser for Netflix and Wizards of Once for DreamWorks Animation) is adapting the comic book into a feature film, with Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum (The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, Maleficent) set to produce.

Huck

In a quiet seaside town, Huck uses his special gifts to do a good deed each day. His neighbors return the favors by keeping his abilities a secret. But when a newcomer alerts the media, a firestorm erupts, sending Huck on an adventure that will change everything. Ted Melfi (Hidden Figures, St. Vincent) is adapting the comic book into a feature film, with Neal H. Moritz and Toby Jaffe set to produce.

Sharkey the Bounty Hunter

Set in a brilliant new sci-fi universe, Sharkey is a blue-collar bounty-hunter tracking criminals across the galaxy in his converted, rocket-powered ice-cream truck. Aided and abetted by his ten-year-old partner, he’s out for the biggest bounty of his career. Sharkey the Bounty Hunter will be adapted and published as a Millarworld/Netflix comic next year and writer Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street) is writing the screenplay for the feature film.

According to Netflix, the current plan is for American Jesus and Sharkey the Bounty Hunter to premiere in 2020, and Jupiter’s Legacy to premiere in 2021. The on-demand streaming service has yet to give an indication on when we can expect to see Empress and Huck, however.

As ever, expect more on all of these movies and shows as they continue to develop. One thing’s for certain, there’s so much potential in all of these – so we absolutely cannot wait to see what Mark, Lucy, Netflix, and all involved can do with these projects!