Jay Hernandez to Headline MAGNUM P.I. Reboot

Jay Hernandez

Earlier this year, we brought word that Magnum P.I. was getting rebooted. And now, the redo has found its titular P.I.

As per The Wrap, Jay Hernandez will headline this new take on an old favourite. For genre fans, they’ll be familiar with Hernandez for Hostel (and briefly Hostel II!), as El Diablo in Suicide Squad, and for appearing in Netflix’s Bright.

In terms of this new Magnum P.I., we know that the new series will update Thomas Magnum’s story so that he’s now a former Navy Seal who served in Afghanistan rather than Vietnam. We also know that the show will focus on four central characters and explore “brotherhood forged by the trauma of combat, what it means to return home an ex-soldier, and a commitment to continuing to serve while in the private sector.” One notable difference that has been revealed at this early stage is that the Higgins character – played by John Hillerman in the original series – will be now be a female former MI6 agent called Juliet Higgins.

Of course, the big question now it just how cool of a moustache Hernandez can grow…

As ever, expect more on this Magnum P.I. reboot as it continues to develop.

William Sadler to Return as Death for BILL & TED 3

Bill Ted Death

With a third Bill & Ted movie having been spinning its wheels in development hell for what feels like an eternity now, it appears as if that threequel is as close to finally happening as it’s ever been. And not just that, but William Sadler could well be returning as Death!

Only this week, franchise creator Ed Solomon took to social media to confirm that the Death character will be returning for the third movie – tentatively titled Bill & Ted Face the Music – and Sadler, who played the character in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, has indicated he’s keen to reprise the role.

By the time Bogus Journey came to a close, Death was the bassist in Wyld Stallyns and had wowed the world with his famed Reaper Rap.

At this juncture, Galaxy Quest’s Dean Parisot is on board to direct Bill & Ted Face the Music, and original stars Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves are set to play ‘middle-aged family men’ takes on the characters they played in 1989 and 1992 – not to mention in 1991’s animated Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures.

As ever, expect more on this long-gestating third Bill & Ted picture as it continues to develop.

Details on Key Character for the Upcoming TERMINATOR Movie

terminator2

With Tim Miller teaming with James Cameron to bring the Terminator franchise back to life, we’ve known that the series was going to get a dose of new characters to lead it forward. And now, we may just have had the first details on one of these new key players.

Cameron has previously talked about how the next effort in the Terminator saga will be “handing off the baton to a new generation of characters” and that the powers that be are “starting to search for an 18-something young woman to essentially be the new centre-piece of these stories”.

Now, Omega Underground and TerminatorFans have word that this young female is a character called Dani Ramos. The outlets go on to describe her as: A young woman in her early 20s from Mexico City and has grown up in a working-class neighbourhood. More street-smart than book smart, the character is said to serve as the main human lead character who could carry the franchise from here on out.

Of course, it goes without saying, but treat this purely as rumour and speculation until something more official is made public.

With the rights for the Terminator series now returning to franchise creator James Cameron, he’s brought in Deadpool’s Tim Miller to direct the sixth entry in this genre favourite saga. Despite being the sixth film in the series, this next effort will actually ignore anything that has happened since Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

At present, this to-be-titled new Terminator movie is set for a July 26th, 2019 release. Both Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger will be returning to the fold once more.

Third JURASSIC WORLD Movie Set for 2021

Jurassic World

With Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom on the way later this year, Universal Pictures has now moved to announce a release date for a third Jurassic World film.

The film – which will be the sixth in the Jurassic franchise – has been confirmed for a June 11th, 2021. At present, the only other movie set for that time is an untitled animated Pixar effort which is actually released the following week.

Of course, no plot details are known whatsoever right now bar, y’know, they’ll be dinosaurs. Lots and lots of dinosaurs. Steven Spielberg and Colin Trevorrow are returning as executive producers, and Pacific Rim Uprising’s Emily Carmichael has joined the series to pen the screenplay for this effort. She’ll team with Trevorrow on this front, with the script to come from an initial story idea from Trevorrow and longtime writing partner Derek Connolly.

In the meantime, the J.A. Bayona-directed Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom is set for a June 22nd release this year. The official blurb on that picture reads:

With all of the wonder, adventure and thrills synonymous with one of the most popular and successful franchises in cinema history, this all-new motion-picture event sees the return of favorite characters and dinosaurs—along with new breeds more awe-inspiring and terrifying than ever before. Welcome to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

As ever, expect more on this third Jurassic World movie as we get it.

Chris McKay in Talks to Direct DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS

Dungeons and Dragons

Chris McKay is quite the in-demand talent these. Having cut his teeth on Robot Chicken and The LEGO Movie, McKay made his feature-film directorial debut with The LEGO Batman Movie and is currently developing a Nightwing movie for Warner Brothers. And now, he could well end up tackling the iconic Dungeons and Dragons property.

As per Variety, McKay is currently in talks with Paramount Pictures to helm the studio’s Dungeons and Dragons effort. That film is one of several projects currently planned as part of Paramount’s new AllSpark Pictures banner. For this latest take on Dungeons and Dragons, Michael Gillio has been brought in to pen the screenplay.

The D&D property itself began life back in 1974 as a hugely popular roleplaying game. Full of magical and mystical characters, the game was famously turned in to a cartoon series back in 1983, and a live-action turd-tastic movie would finally happen in 2000. Several other straight-to-DVD films have followed, and this latest new take on Dungeons and Dragons has been in development as far back as 2013. 2016 then saw Ansel Elgort in talks to star in the picture, but nothing concrete seemed to come of those negotiations.

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

New Werewolf Movie to Star Lindsay Lohan

The Shadow Within

Well, it looks like Lindsay Lohan is returning to the horror world with a new werewolf movie.

Titled The Shadow Within, the film is from Tiago Mesquite and will also feature Charlotte Beckett, Gianni Capaldi, and Dominik Madani. At present, the picture is for sale at Berlin’s EFM event.

The official blurb on the film reads:

In a world where supernatural creatures roam amongst us, Kristy Wolfe, a tough private investigator, tries desperately to keep her secret hidden. She has descended from a long line of werewolves. When her uncle is brutally murdered, Wolfe must use her natural instinct and risk her secret to unravel the mystery before she becomes the next victim.”

At the EFM, we’ve also had our first look at some poster art for the film (click the images for a larger view):

The Shadow Within The Shadow Within

Expect more on The Shadow Within as it continues to develop.

Sarah Gadon and Emily Nelson Join TRUE DETECTIVE

Sarah Gadon Emily Nelson True Detective

As the third season of HBO’s True Detective continues to flesh out its cast, the show has moved to bring in two further new additions.

Courtesy of Deadline, Alias Grace’s Sarah Gadon and Code Black’s Emily Nelson have joined True Detective in recurring roles. All that’s known about said roles is that Gadon is playing a character called Elisa Montgomery, while Nelson is playing Margaret.

The early word on True Detective’s return reads:

Season 3 tells the story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks, and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods.

Already on board for this third season are Mahershala Ali, Stephen Dorff, Carmen Ejogo, Scoot McNairy, Mamie Gummer, Rhys Wakefield, Ray Fisher, Michael Greyeyes, and Jon Tenney.

Nic Pizzolatto is once again back as showrunner, and he’ll direct alongside Green Room’s Jeremy Saulnier.

Robert Rodriguez Developing Sci-Fi Thriller HYPNOTIC

Robert Rodriguez

With Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel to be released later this year, now comes word on what lies ahead for the much-loved Rodriguez.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, he’s teaming with Max Borenstein for a sci-fi thriller called Hypnotic. Borenstein is a writer best known for genre efforts such as Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island. A script from Rodriguez is already in place for Hypnotic, and Borenstein has been brought in to rewrite this.

Plot details are thin at this stage, although the early word has Hypnotic described as a “grounded cop thriller with sci-fi elements”. Added to that, Studio 8 also sees the film as potentially being the launching point for a new cinematic franchise.

Expect more on Hypnotic as we get it. As for Alita: Battle Angel, that hotly-anticipated adaptation will head to the silver screen this December.

Lauren Cohan Joins WHISKEY CAVALIER; WALKING DEAD Future in Doubt

Lauren Cohan

In some interesting news, The Walking Dead’s Lauren Cohan has signed on to join ABC’s pilot for Whiskey Cavalier.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news, and Cohan joins Scott Foley in the pilot. She’ll be playing Frankie opposite Foley’s Whiskey.

The early blurb on the series has it pegged as “a high-octane hourlong action dramedy that follows the adventures of tough but tender FBI super-agent Will Chase (codename: Whiskey Cavalier) who, following an emotional breakup, is assigned to work with badass CIA operative Francesca ‘Frankie’ Trowbridge (codename: Fiery Tribune). Together, they lead an inter-agency team of flawed, funny, heroic spies who periodically save the world (and each other) while navigating the rocky roads of friendship, romance and office politics.”

What makes this particularly interesting is that there has already been some rumblings that Cohan’s time on The Walking Dead may be coming to an end sooner rather than later.

In AMC’s walker-centric series, she plays the much-loved Maggie; a mainstay who has been a part of the show since its second season. With The Walking Dead returning this weekend for the second half of its eighth season, it recently came out that Lauren Cohan’s contract actually expires at the end of said Season 8.

Of course, a ninth season of the show has already been long announced by the network, but right now Cohan is not contracted for anything beyond Season 8. Talks have been ongoing between both parties, but speculation has been rampant that Maggie could very well be killed off if an agreement can’t be reached any time soon.

If Whiskey Cavalier does get picked up for a full series order, does that mean that Cohan’s time on The Walking Dead will come to an end? Could she have a reduced role on that genre favourite show? Or could she somehow juggle her schedule to fit in both series?

Expect more on all of this as we get it.

April Bowlby is TITANS’ Elasti-Girl

Titans Elasti-Girl April Bowlby

Following last week’s news that Bruno Bichir was playing Doom Patrol leader Niles Caulder in Titans, now comes word of another Doom Patrol member who’ll be appearing in the live-action Teen Titans series.

As per EW, Drop Dead Diva’s April Bowlby has been cast as Rita Farr, aka Elasti-Girl. In terms of what her story is, Rita is an actress who ends up exposed to a toxic gas that changes her cellular structure and allows her to alter her body’s size and shape. As alluded to, Elasti-Girl has previously been a member of the ragtag comic book Doom Patrol group.

Already on board for Titans are Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson, Anna Diop as Starfire, Teagan Croft as Raven, Ryan Potter as Beast Boy, Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly as the Hawk and Dove duo, Bruno Bichir as Dr Niles Caulder, and Linsey Gort as Police Detective Amy Rohrbach.

The official blurb on this live-action Teen Titans effort reads:

In the action-packed series, Dick Grayson emerges from the shadows to become the leader of a fearless band of new heroes, including Starfire, Raven and many others. Fans can expect Titans to be a dramatic, live-action adventure series that will explore and celebrate one of the most popular comic book teams ever.

Titans will debut later this year on Warner Brothers’ impending DC streaming service.