Keiynan Lonsdale to Depart the Arrowverse

Wally West Kid Flash

While it looked as if his immediate future was to be a certified member of the Legends, it’s now being reported that Keiynan Lonsdale’s Wally West won’t be returning as a series regular on either The Flash or DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.

As per Deadline, Wally will have one last appearance in the Arrowverse, with that coming in the season premiere of The Flash’s upcoming fifth season. For those worried about something sinister happening to Kid Flash, The CW has moved to clarify that the character will not be killed off and that the door remains open for Lonsdale to return to the Arrowverse at some point down the line.

The decision appears to have purely been Keiynan Lonsdale’s, and he took to his Instgram account to explain his reasoning:

Yo! Soo as a lot of you have now read, I’m not returning next season as a series regular for @cwtheflash or @cw_legendsoftomorrow. It’s definitely not a total goodbye or “see ya never” situation, cause Wally West will still be round when you need him the most! 🙂 It’s just that it won’t be full time anymore. I’ve changed a lot in the past year (as you’ve probably noticed lol), and for infinite reasons my perspective on life & what I want from it now is just completely different. Because of that, my heart told me it was the right time to continue my journey on an unknown path, and I’m so damn grateful to both shows for honouring & respecting that with me. I love Kid Flash, I love the family I’ve made, & I’m absolutely in love with the invaluable lessons I’ve learnt along the way. Thank you for believing in me & rooting for Wally to thrive, you honestly helped me see that i did indeed deserve to play him, & that shit right there made me a stronger actor ?? Anyway, I hope you stick around for the new adventures, the only thing I can promise is Magic. Love Keiy ⚡️

A post shared by ?❤️?? Keiynan Lonsdale ???? (@keiynanlonsdale) on

Having debuted in Season 2 of The Flash, Wally West would eventually get his own superspeed and become Kid Flash. Following the end of his relationship with Jesse Quick, Wally would speed on out of Central City as he looked to blow the cobwebs off. Towards the end of Legends’ third season, he would be recruited to join the ragtag team by Rip Hunter, with it looking like he’d be sticking around with Sara Lance and Co. for that show’s fourth year. Seemingly not, though.

One person who we do know is returning to the Legends fold, of course, is the brilliant Matt Ryan as John Constantine. Having made sporadic appearances across the Arrowverse ever since Constantine was criminally canned after just one season, Ryan’s Hellblazer will be a series regular on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow when it returns later this year. Similarly, Jes Macallan has been bumped up to a series regular, meaning that the Time Bureau’s Ava Sharpe will be a much more prominent part of the show going forward.

Expect more on what lies ahead for the Arrowverse as the upcoming new seasons continue to take shape.

Impressive Ensemble Cast Announced for Animated ADDAMS FAMILY

The Addams Family

We’ve known for a little while now that an animated Addams Family movie was in development, and now we’ve got some new casting details for the picture.

As per Bloody-Disgusting, Oscar Isaac will voice Gomez Addams, Charlize Theron is Morticia, Chloe Grace Moretz is Wednesday, Finn Wolfhard is Pugsley, Nick Kroll is Uncle Fester, Bette Midler is Grandmama, and Allison Janney is Margaux Needler. Quite the impressive ensemble, we’re sure you’ll agree.

The early word on the picture reads:

The film follows the family as they face off against a crafty reality TV host while also preparing for their extended family to arrive for a major celebration.

Previously, we’d heard rumblings that Ex Machina and the Star Wars franchise’s Isaac was in talks to play Gomez, and now we’ve had confirmation of that and a whole lot more.

To be directed by Sausage Party’s Conrad Vernon, The Addams Family is currently set for an October 11th release.

Warner Brothers Developing a Solo Movie for Jared Leto’s Joker

Jared Leto Joker

Confused with the Joker goings-on right now? Prepare to take a deep breath, in that case…

As per Variety, Jared Leto’s Clown Prince of Crime is set to get his own solo picture. And yes, this will be part of Warner Brothers’ DC Extended Universe. Not only will Leto star, he’ll also be serving as executive producer on the film.

If you remember back, Leto’s Mr J is due to join Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn in a twisted romance movie. That film, however, has been put on the backburner a tad as the Robbie-headlined Birds of Prey is a bigger priority for the WB.

Similarly, a Joker origin movie of sorts is also in development, with that actually having a different Jester of Genocide to Jared Leto. That film will be directed by The Hangover’s Todd Phillips and is being overseen by Martin Scorsese. Leonardo DiCaprio and Joaquin Phoenix are just two of the names linked to the Joker role in that origin effort. That film, though, is being developed completely outside of Leto and his DCEU Joker.

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

Scout Taylor-Compton Keen to Tackle RESIDENT EVIL

Scout Taylor-Compton Halloween

This past week, we were lucky enough to grab some time with the truly awesome Scout Taylor-Compton. But not only that, we found out that this massively popular genre fave has a keen eye on the Resident Evil franchise.

When asked on what her dream project would be, Scout replied, “There’s two. I would love to do a Resident Evil kind of movie. I would love to do that. Action is my thing. I would absolutely loved to that. And then obviously I’d love to do a movie like The Notebook. What girl wouldn’t?”

While The Notebook doesn’t exactly fit under our banner of “sci-fi, fantasy, and horror”, hearing that Taylor-Compton is keen on a Resident Evil-type picture most certainly has our attention.

Of course, there are currently plans in place to reboot the Resident Evil series. When we pointed this out to Scout, she eagerly giggled, “I know! Just an audition, man. Let me in there.”

When we probed a little deeper and asked her about what drew her to this behemoth of a property, Scout responded, “You know, I just love a powerful woman like that. I’m obsessed. Probably my favourite genre of film is action. I love it. Like Atomic Blonde, I was obsessed. I just want to be that woman so bad. And Kill Bill, that too. Quentin Tarantino is the one director I really wanna work with.”

As the chat continued on, it’s clear that Scout has a passion for strong female characters who are far, far more than merely generic fodder or eye candy in a genre effort. And let’s face it, seeing Scout Talyor-Compton headline an all-out action effort could be all kinds of awesome. Even more-so if that effort happens to be the in-development reboot of the Resident Evil franchise.

Consider us totally on board with that idea, and be sure to check back on www.starburstmagazine.com for our full interview with the fascinating, fun, and utterly engaging Scout Taylor-Compton later in the week.

First Images from this October’s HALLOWEEN

Halloween

Can you smell that? While that could well be something rotting in the corner of Moonbase Alpha, we’d like to say that it’s the hot stench of anticipation. And not just any old anticipation, but anticipation for this October’s return for the Halloween franchise. To add further to your excitement levels, we’ve now been given our first look at the film.

We already know that the first trailer for Halloween will be released this Friday, and now we’ve been given a look at the iconic duo of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers. Courtesy of USA Today, you can find the images below:

Halloween

In addition to these stills, the outlet also managed to score some swanky new plot details for the picture. As they put it:

A British documentary crew comes to the States to visit Michael in prison for a retrospective of the maniac’s night of terror – but their project becomes way more interesting when Myers escapes custody, retrieves his signature mask and seeks revenge on Laurie, with others naturally being part of his impressive career body count along the way. In the decades following the fateful Halloween night that forever altered the former babysitter’s life, Laurie has armed and prepped herself for Michael’s inevitable return – to the detriment of her family, including daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak).

To be directed by David Gordon Green, Halloween is currently set for an October 19th release.

Lauren Cohan to Depart THE WALKING DEAD

Lauren Cohan The Walking Dead Maggie

Fresh off the news that Andrew Lincoln is to depart the show during its upcoming ninth season, now comes another blow for The Walking Dead.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Lauren Cohan will also be leaving the genre juggernaut during its ninth year. To be fair, this one isn’t quite as surprising as Lincoln’s departure, for there has been plenty of rumblings lately the Cohan would be exiting the series. Following with what we’d heard last week, it seems as if the actress – who plays series mainstay Maggie – will only be appearing in six episodes of Season 9. Reportedly, Lincoln will also only be filming six episodes, too.

Once Cohan landed the lead role in ABC’s Whiskey Cavalier pilot earlier this year, many wondered how that would affect her participation in The Walking Dead. Still, the actress reportedly agreed to a new deal to return for the show’s ninth season and all appeared to be well for the future of Maggie Rhee. Now, THR suggests that a Walking Dead exit deal has been agreed once Whiskey Cavalier was picked up for a full series order.

It’s no secret that The Walking Dead has been in a rather steep ratings decline over the past several years, and many longtime fans have become, quite frankly, tired of this once-beloved series. Still, while ratings were certainly down, the viewing figures brought in were still huge numbers. Either way, many fans have been calling for some sort of change in The Walking Dead, although many were mainly talking about the narrative and pacing of the series. Instead, what we’ve now got is a situation where two of the show’s mainstays, two of its key focal points, and two of its most popular characters are to depart the show.

On the flipside of this, Norman Reedus is being offered a huge wedge of cash to stay on as Daryl Dixon and take over the lead role previously held by Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes. If we’re being honest, it’s likely fair to say that Rick, Daryl, and Maggie have been the three biggest characters on the show for years now. So, having two of these leave the series – whether that’s killed off or something entirely different – is a major move that completely changes the landscape of The Walking Dead.

As ever, expect more on any and all things Walking Dead as we get it.

Julian Dennison Joins GODZILLA VS. KONG

Julian Dennison

In some news that’s sure to put a smile on the chops of many a genre fan, Godzilla vs. Kong has moved to add Julian Dennison to its ranks.

Dennison first won the hearts of many in Taika Waititi’s stunning The Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and he has more recently seen his stock taken to a whole new level after impressing in Deadpool 2. As per That Hashtag Show and THR, the young actor will now be a part of the action when two of cinema’s most legendary creatures butt heads.

Godzilla vs. Kong has been in development for several years by this point, with it serving as a sequel to both last year’s Kong: Skull Island and next May’s Godzilla 2. You’re Next’s Adam Wingard is on directing duties, with the crossover currently booked in for a May 2020 release.

In terms of plot and talent involved, very little is known about the movie just yet, bar, y’know, the King of the Monsters will be going up against the Eighth Wonder of the World.

As ever though, expect more on Godzilla vs. Kong as it continues to develop.

Amy Seimetz in Talks for PET SEMATARY

Amy Seimetz

With the cast now starting to flesh out for the upcoming Pet Sematary remake, the new take on Stephen King’s classic tale is close to landing its female lead.

As per Variety, Amy Seimetz is currently in talks to play the female lead of the movie; presumably the Rachel Creed role. Seimetz is likely best known to genre fans for Upstream Colour, The Sacrament, A Horrible Way to Die and Alien: Covenant.

Already on board for this new adaptation of Pet Sematary are Jason Clarke as Louis Creed and John Lithgow as Jud Grandall.

For not familiar with Pet Sematary, the Stephen King-penned tale began life back in ’83, with the story focussing on an eerie pet cemetery – which is misspelled as sematary – behind the new home purchased by the Creed family. Rumour has it, any animals buried in said cemetery will come back to life. The tale doesn’t stop there though, for things don’t go exactly to plan when the hallowed ground is used to reanimate humans…

King’s work would famously be adapted for the big screen in 1989 by director Mary Lambert – itself in turn followed by a 1993 sequel. Ever since 2010, there’s been regular chatter of a remake happening, and at one point we even had the brilliant Guillermo del Toro throwing his hat in the ring to tackle the redo. Ultimately, del Toro’s uber-busy schedule didn’t allow for anything further to happen on that front, but we are now still getting a new take on this tale.

Where this latest take on an old favourite is concerned, the duo of Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch are sharing directing duties, with the pair also having worked on the screenplay with Jeff Buhler.

Pet Sematary is currently set for an April 5th, 2019 release.

FX Renews LEGION for a Third Season

Legion

While some genre favourites have fallen by the wayside in the past month or so – most notably The Exorcist and Lucifer being sadly cancelled – there’s some good news regarding another go-to TV series of many a genre fan. As the headline suggests, FX has moved to renew Legion for a third season.

FX announced the news themselves, with President of Original Programming Eric Schrier enthusing, “Legion has redefined the superhero drama and exceeded all expectations as the intensity and revelation build through the second season. We are incredibly proud of Noah Hawley’s achievement and are honoured to continue the series as it pushes the boundaries of conventional television storytelling. We are also grateful for the contributions of our executive producers, John Cameron, Lauren Shuler Donner, Simon Kinberg, and Jeph Loeb with Marvel Television, as well as our outstanding cast and crew of this groundbreaking show.”

Legion Season 3

At present, the series has three episodes of its second season left to air, and the news of a renewal for a third season should put a smile on the face of many of our readers.

For those who have yet to check out Legion, the official blurb on the current second year reads:

Based on the Marvel Comics by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz, Legion follows the story of David Haller, a man who believed he was schizophrenic but discovered he might be the most powerful mutant in the world. With help from a team of specialists, David harnessed his unique abilities and learned he’d been haunted by a malicious parasite. Now, David is all that stands in the way of Amahl Farouk from attaining infinite and world-ending power.

Legion airs on FOX here in the UK.

SILVER & BLACK Indefinitely Delayed

Silver Sable Black Cat

Let’s be honest, this doesn’t come as a major surprise, but, as the headline suggests, Sony Pictures’ Silver & Black has been indefinitely delayed.

Exhibition Relations broke the news, with the Silver Sable and Black Cat team-up picture now completely pulled from Sony’s release schedule. Previously, the film was booked in for a February 2019 release.

With Venom kicking off Sony’s shared Spider-Verse this October, Silver & Black was one of the other movies that was to exist in this shared realm of some of ol’ Web-head’s most famous supporting players and villains. The Secret life of Bees’ Gina Prince-Bythewood was to direct, with a screenplay in place from Thor: Ragnarok’s Chris Yost and Westworld’s Lisa Joy-Nilan.

In addition to Silver & Black, there are currently tentative plans to give solo movies to the vampiric Michael Morbius, Kraven the Hunter, and supposedly Mysterio. On the Mysterio front, the fact that Jake Gyllenhaal has now signed on to play that particular rogue in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel throws up a few questions, mainly because this Spider-Verse is currently being developed solely by Sony Pictures and does not have any ties to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Homecoming exists.

For those not familiar with Black Cat and Silver Sable, both characters have existed in the Marvel comic book world for over 30 years now. Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat, debuted in 1979 and is essentially Marvel’s spin on Catwoman. A cat burglar who can bring bad luck to people, this villain-cum-antihero has also been romantically involved with Peter Parker at times over the years. Where Silver Sable is concerned, she made her bow back in 1985 and is a badass mercenary who’s behind the Silver Sable International firm. As the leader of the Wild Pack, she has come into the crosshairs of Spidey and the greater Marvel world at times, and is another who just about verges on the right side of the game when it comes to heroes and villains.

Whether all of this ultimately sees Silver & Black completely cancelled, we’ll have to wait and see. It’s now off the table for now though, so expect more on this and all things Spidey-based as they continue to develop.