Disney Announce New STAR WARS Animated Series

Star Wars Resistance

With Star Wars Rebels having sadly come to an end, Disney has moved to announce a new animated Star Wars series for later this year.

Title Star Wars Resistance, this new show will have an anime style to it, with the narrative to focus on the events prior to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. A young pilot named Kazuda Xiona is at the heart of the series, with Kazua recruited by the Resistance and tasked with a top-secret mission to take down the nefarious First Order.

The full press release on Star Wars Resistance can be found below:

Production has begun on “Star Wars Resistance,” an exciting new animated adventure series about Kazuda Xiono, a young pilot recruited by the Resistance and tasked with a top-secret mission to spy on the growing threat of the First Order. It will premiere later this year on Disney XD in the UK.

Featuring the high-flying adventure that audiences of all ages have come to expect from Star Wars, “Star Wars Resistance” will feature the beloved droid BB-8 alongside ace pilots, colorful new characters and appearances by fan favorites including Poe Dameron and Captain Phasma, voiced by actors Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie, respectively.

The series was created by renowned Lucasfilm Animation veteran Dave Filoni (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “Star Wars Rebels”); executive-produced by Athena Portillo (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “Star Wars Rebels”), Justin Ridge (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “Star Wars Rebels”) and Brandon Auman (“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”); and art-directed by Amy Beth Christenson (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “Star Wars Rebels”).

“The idea for ‘Star Wars Resistance’ came out of my interest in World War II aircraft and fighter pilots” said Filoni. “My grandfather was a pilot and my uncle flew and restored planes, so that’s been a big influence on me. There’s a long history of high-speed racing in Star Wars, and I think we’ve captured that sense of excitement in an anime-inspired style, which is something the entire team has been wanting to do for a long time.”

Marc Buhaj, senior vice president, Programming and general manager, Disney XD, said, “Our colleagues at Lucasfilm have created a compelling narrative for an untold moment in the Star Wars galaxy, and we are excited to partner with them again on this new original series. ‘Star Wars Resistance’ will bring viewers across generations an engaging story with heart, humor and both new and familiar characters.”

The voice cast also includes: Christopher Sean (“Days of Our Lives”), Suzie McGrath (“East Enders”), Scott Lawrence (“Legion”), Myrna Velasco (“Elena of Avalor”), Josh Brener (“Silicon Valley”), Donald Faison (“Scrubs”), Bobby Moynihan (“DuckTales”), Jim Rash (“Community”) and Rachel Butera (“Tammy’s Tiny Tea Time”).

As ever, expect more on Star Wars Resistance as we get it.

Bill Oberst Jr. Confirmed for 3 FROM HELL

Bill Oberst Jr.

With Rob Zombie’s 3 from Hell having recently finished shooting, the director has now moved to confirm another name who’s a part of the picture.

Taking to his social media channels, Zombie confirmed that Bill Oberst Jr. has a role in the follow-up to The Devil’s Rejects.

Oberst Jr. is likely best known to genre fans for the likes of Scream Queens, Death House, Hunting Grounds, and Ayla.

Already confirmed for 3 from Hell are the returning Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, Danny Trejo, and Daniel Roebuck, with new additions in the shape of Richard Brake, Austin Stoker, Dee Wallace, Dot-Marie Jones, Tom Papa, Jeff Daniels Phillips, David Ury, Kevin Jackson, Richard Riehle, Sean Whalen, and Clint Howard.

Zombie, Moseley, and Haig famously played Baby, Otis, and Captain Spaulding in The House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects, while Trejo appeared as Rondo in The Devil’s Rejects and Roebuck had the small role of TV host Morris Green in that same film. Those four aren’t the only ones to have previous with Rob Zombie, however, with Tom Papa having voiced El Superbeasto in the animated The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, Jeff Daniel Phillips having played Seymour Coffins in Halloween 2, Richard Brake, David Ury and Pancho Moler portraying Doom-Head, Schizo-Head and Sick-Head, respectively, in 2016’s 31, Kevin Jackson being one of the victims in 31, and Richard Riehle and Sean Whalen having both had a role in Halloween II. Elsewhere, we know that Clint Howard’s role will be that of a new clown dubbed Mr Baggy Britches.

3 from Hell has just wrapped filming, with an official release date to be confirmed a little later down the line. As ever, expect more on the return of the Firefly family as we get it.

New Line Developing Stephen King’s THE LONG WALK

The Long Walk

It seems that these days you can’t look at the big or small screen without seeing some sort of Stephen King adaptation playing out. But then, that’s kind of been the case for the past several decades now. And now, we have word on another new King adap on the way.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, New Line is at work on adapting King’s The Long Walk. Truth’s James Vanderbilt is working on a screenplay, and he’ll also act as producer alongside Bradley Fischer and William Sherak.

The official blurb on The Long Walk reads:

First published in 1979, The Long Walk is set in future dystopian America ruled by an authoritarian. The country holds an annual walking contest in which 100 teens must journey, non-stop and under strict rules, until only one of them it still standing alive and receiving a prize. The story of a 16-year-old walker named Raymond Garraty and the teens, some good, some bad, some mysterious, in his orbit.

Expect more on The Long Walk as it continues to develop.

A Third WOLF CREEK Movie “Will Happen”

Wolf Creek

With a second season of the Wolf Creek TV series having recently premiered here in the UK, the topic of a third movie for the property has now raised its head. And according to creator Greg McLean, a new film is indeed the current plan.

Speaking to Bloody-Disgusting about a third big-screen outing, McLean explained, “Wolf Creek 3 will happen, it’s a matter of finding the right time to shoot the movie.”

He then added, “Right now, we’re focussed on the second epic season of the Wolf Creek TV series, which just premiered in the UK and is coming out in the US via the POP network in October this year. Fans have really embraced the new season and I’m very proud of this new installment. New story, new characters, and Mick is back and badder than ever.”

McLean first brought Wolf Creek to screens back in 2005, with John Jarratt terrifying audiences as the erratic, murderous John Jarratt. Since then, a follow-up movie was released in 2013, and then the action has turned to the small screen in more recent years.

As ever, expect more on the future of the Wolf Creek franchise as we get it.

GOOSEBUMPS Sequel Officially Titled HAUNTED HALLOWEEN

Goosebumps Slappy

It was reported earlier in the week that the official new title for the upcoming Goosebumps sequel is Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween, and that’s now been confirmed as Sony Pictures have released the follow-ups title card – which you can click on for a closer look.
Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween

Previously, the sequel was initially titled simply Goosebumps 2, then that became Slappy’s Revenge, which in turn became Slappy Halloween, and somewhere down the line it was even known as Horrorland.

At this stage, it’s still not confirmed whether Jack Black will actually be returning for Goosebumps 2, although the last we’d heard it looked likely that he would indeed be back to play R.L. Stine – although new rumours suggest that he could actually be voicing Slappy this time out. The Duff’s Ari Sandel takes over the director’s chair from Rob Letterman this time out.

Plot-wise, the sequel is rumoured to focus on a group of three friends who are tasked with stopping the nefarious dummy, Slappy, from launching the Halloween apocalypse.

At present, Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween is booked in for an October 12th release.

A QUIET PLACE Sequel Announced

A Quiet Place

Whilst attending CinemaCon, Paramount Pictures CEO Jim Gianopulos confirmed that work has already begun on a sequel to A Quiet Place.

“We’re thrilled to say that we’re already working on the sequel to A Quiet Place,” he announced, although he didn’t mention if any of the cast would be returning, nor whom might be helming the venture.

A surprise hit for Paramount and its stars John Krasinski and Emily Blunt who struggle to survive creatures that hunt using sound, the film has been far from quiet at multiplexes having grossed $213 million worldwide so far.

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

Lauren Cohan Confirms Her WALKING DEAD Return

The Walking Dead Maggie Lauren Cohan

With The Walking Dead’s eighth season having recently concluded, there was one small matter of concern for longtime fans of this genre behemoth: Lauren Cohan’s future.

Despite Maggie Greene/Rhee being alive and well, Cohan had yet to actually sign a contract to return for the show’s ninth season. Despite seemingly unlikely, many were worried that this fan favourite character would somehow have to be written out of the series due to this uncertainty. Adding further to this concern, the actress joined the upcoming ABC pilot for Whiskey Cavalier. Fear not though, for it’s now been confirmed that, yes, Lauren Cohan will indeed be back as Maggie.

This news come courtesy of CinemaCon, with Cohan on promotional duties alongside Mile 22 co-star Mark Wahlberg. Of course, topics soon veered in a Walking Dead direction, and the actress responded by confirming she will be back for Season 9 – joining Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus in being signed-up for the upcoming new season.

Production on The Walking Dead’s ninth season is due to start next week ahead of a return later in the year.

JUMANJI 3 Set for December 2019

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

One of the most surprising movies of last year was easily Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. The film was an utter blast, but it’s fair to say that there were a lot of doubters out there who questioned putting a new spin on such a beloved old favourite. And now, we have word on when we can expect to see Welcome to the Jungle’s already-confirmed follow-up.

Sony Pictures’ Tom Rothman recently explained that this third Jumanji effort will be in cinemas for Christmas 2019.

As Rothman put it, “I’d bet on seeing Dwayne Johnson in theaters again in December 2019. Don’t rush to give all those screens to Star Wars. Come on, fair’s fair.”

Right now, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle stands as one of the most successful movies in Sony’s history. Domestically, the film is the highest grossing Sony effort in history, with its $404 million box office edging out Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. In terms of a worldwide sense, the total pull of $956 million for Welcome to the Jungle is only bettered by the $1.1 billion haul of 2012’s Skyfall.

So yes, you can see just why Sony Pictures would be so keen to deliver a new Jumanji picture, especially with Dwayne Johnson’s current status as the hottest box office draw in the game.

Joss Whedon Elaborates on His BATGIRL Departure

Batgirl

When it was revealed that Joss Whedon was to write and direct a Batgirl fan, the collective geek community gave an almighty cheer. Similarly, said fans were then left massively disappointed to hear that Whedon had walked away from the project earlier this year. Well, Whedon has now been given an update on the specifics behind all of this unfortunately not working out.

If you remember back, previously Joss claimed that he simply realised that he didn’t have a story for the film. That in itself seemed a bit odd, given Whedon’s creative juices and the slew of brilliant Batgirl comic book stories to pull from. And it appears that there was a little more to this than Whedon had initially let out of the bag.

As he explained to Variety, “It had been a year since I first pitched the story. A lot happened in that year and I felt that some of the elements might not work as well, and the story kind of just crumbled in my hands. There were elements that I just hadn’t mastered, and after a long time I felt like I wasn’t going to. So, I told people that I didn’t have an idea, which isn’t exactly true. I had an idea and it just didn’t fit into the space that was left for it. It was a little heartbreaking because I was so excited about it, but I’m currently working on something of my own and there’s nothing more exciting to me than that.”

What’s next for Joss Whedon remains to be seen, as does what’s next for Batgirl – just one of a huge amount of DC Extended Universe movies pencilled in by Warner Brothers over the next several years.

INFINITY WAR Screenwriter Wants to Bring Back Justin Hammer

Justin Hammer Sam Rockwell

With Avengers: Infinity War arriving tomorrow (!), one of the things that has made the Marvel Cinematic Universe so beloved so far is the ever-expanding roster of characters involved in this shared realm. And now, screenwriter Christopher Markus has discussed his wish to bring back a certain villain.

When speaking to Latino Review about the possibility of bringing back any particular characters, Markus enthused, “I wouldn’t say anybody who’s been, like, who was in the MCU, got hit by a truck or anything like that. There are some people I love who just didn’t, like… I would love an excuse to bring back Justin Hammer, because he’s just hysterical.”

Justin Hammer, of course, was the ‘big bad’ of Iron Man 2, pulling the strings behind Whiplash as he looked to take down Tony Stark. Played by Sam Rockwell, Hammer was a charming douchebag of a character who stole the show whenever he was on screen. As it happens, he’s also one of the few rogues who haven’t been killed off to date, last seen rotting in prison in the splendid All Hail the King one-shot.

For those not overly familiar with Christopher Markus, he’s been a big piece of the MCU for a fair few years now, having put together the screenplays for Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, and the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War and its 2019 follow-up.

Whether we see Justin Hammer somehow return to action, we’ll have to wait and see – but his return would certainly be one that would please many a genre fan.