1. Rogue One scheduled for summer reshoots

While the first trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was generally well received, it is fair to say that it was a little on the dour side. Well according to The Guardian, studio bigwigs have insisted on four more weeks of shooting to lighten the film’s mood which is currently more reminiscent of a war movie than a Star Wars film. The film, which stars Felicity Jones, Forrest Whitaker, Ben Mendelsohn, and Mads Mikkelsen, is the first in a series of standalone films and will follow Jones’ Jyn Erso as she attempts to steal plans to the Death Star.

Frankly, the thought of more serious Star Wars film is fine by us. Director Garth Edwards (of Monsters and Godzilla fame) is known more for his weighty imagination and thematic gravitas than he is for lightheartedness and when does studio interference bode well for anyone?

2. Dwayne Johnson has himself a productive week.

Somehow finding some time between eating 10 pounds of food every day and posting Instagram pictures adorned with hashtags like #FansBloodWillPumpWhenHobbsComeOnScreen and #IronFootprints, Dwayne Johnson has been getting stuff done. On Monday it was announced that Johnson would star as the titular lead in Sony Pictures’ Doc Savage – a Shane Black-directed adaptation of the original pulp superhero, Doc Savage [via Variety]. Yes, it’s thought Doc Savage, a man with freakish intelligence and strength, will differ to many of Johnson’s more recent characters by having a different name.

This news comes just a few days after Deadline broke the news that Legendary had won a bidding war for the rights to China-set action flick, Skyscraper, also starring Johnson and written by Rawson Marshall Thurber who helmed Central Intelligence. Described as “Die Hard in China”, the film was reportedly the subject of a seven-figure offer and is the latest in Legendary’s plays for a Chinese market – the production company sold a majority stake to Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group in January and is already at worked on the Matt Damon feature, The Great Wall, the biggest English language blockbuster exclusively shot in China. But this week is all about Dwayne Johnson, ok? You go, Dwayne Johnson.

3. A new trailer for Deepwater Horizon leaks / is released

“In Our Darkest Hour… Courage Leads The Way” trumpets the trailer for Peter Berg’s cinematic adaptation of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. So, as all around them the world goes up in flames, it’s up to Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, Gina Rodriguez and a host of boilersuited redshirts to save themselves from the stricken oil rig. The trailer looks like it’s exclusively an action-fest rather than an examination of what went so very wrong back in 2010, so Berg’s previous truth-related bombast Lone Survivor is probably a good reference point. Matters should become clearer on September 30 when it’s released into cinemas.

4. Box office breakdown

2016 has seen some big movies; in fact, 2016 has seen some of the largest productions ever put together. With Batman v Superman and Captain America: Civil War each costing their respective studios £250million, and other recent and upcoming releases such as The Jungle Book, X-Men: Apocalypse, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Warcraft, Independence Day: Resurgence, Star Trek Beyond, Suicide Squad, Doctor Strange, and Rogue One all costing more than £150million apiece – and Rogue One‘s reshoots will see that figure escalate – it’s certainly an expensive time to make films.    

Figures such as these mean that studios cannot afford for their films not to hit. Both X-Men: Apocalypse and Alice Through the Looking Glass have made less impact than was hoped for with Apocalypse being almost £30million down on Days of Future Past‘s opening and Alice being prepared to be labelled a flop [via Box Office Mojo]. The correlation between critical reception and box office takings is clear; Civil War and The Jungle Book are the best reviews and most successful of the pack. This does not bode well for Warcraft.

5. Jake Gyllenhaal to tackle another video game adaptation

Because if at first you don’t succeed, you try, try and (potentially) try again until the enterprise becomes unprofitable, Jake Gyllenhaal looks to have signed onto another video game adaptation [via Variety] This time it’s the recently-released Tom Clancy’s The Division, which involves a number of armed civilians fighting on the streets of a dystopian New York City, ravaged in the wake of a smallpox pandemic. The Division’s success was apparent when it posted big numbers for both reviews and sales back in March, and developer Ubisoft evidently sees the IP as its next potential franchise, joining Michael Fassbender’s Assassin’s Creed and Tom Hardy’s Splinter Cell. For his part, it looks like Gyllenhaal will be given the chance to star and produce, something he’s been adding more and more of to his already rather lovely CV.

6. Brie Larson could suit up as Captain Marvel

Although Brie Larson has had a pretty successful indie cred career thus far, and her closest interaction with a superhero was probably when she was in a relationship with that dreamy vegan, it looks like she may be just what Marvel are looking for. Variety reports that Larson is currently the first choice to play the Marvel superhero and Larson is “leaning toward playing the part” of Captain Marvel. If the deal works out, Larson could be flying around, using super strength and all that jazz by early March, 2019. The script is currently being penned by Meg LeFauve and Nicole Perlman, fresh from Pixar’s Inside Out, but no director is currently attached.

7. Monster Trucks wreak havoc their first trailer

Ever wanted to know why monster trucks are called monster trucks? Not really. Awkward. Well, apparently it’s because they are in fact powered by weird looking penis-sharks. Starring Lucas Till (Havoc in X-Men) and Jane Levy (of The Evil Dead remake) and directed by Ice Age‘s Chris Wedge.

8. Susanne Bier shortlisted as a potential Bond director

After Spectre failed to live up to the expectations set by Skyfall‘s billion dollar haul, the future of film’s largest franchise was open to speculation. Amid the extensive rumours surrounding who might don the suit for Bond’s next adventure, it has become clear that Same Mendes will not be returning [via The Hollywood Reporter].

Rumours surrounding Bon himself will continue to fly until such a time that either Daniel Craig or those in charge confirm the actor’s role in the next instalment, but with Mendes definitely out there is space for a new director to take over. High on current shortlists is Susanne Bier, the Danish director behind Oscar-winning revenge thriller In a Better World.  Beside that, Bier has had recent success directing The Night Manager for the BBC, a success which has also placed star Tom Hiddleston on a list on potential Bonds. Watch this space.

9. Mary Poppins to return in a film with a real, proper title

Though it was pretty much an open secret that Emily Blunt would be the one prescribing kite flying and bird feeding in Disney’s upcoming Mary Poppins reboot/sequel, it was less clear who’d be joining her and under what circumstances. Now, Variety has the news that Disney have confirmed Blunt will be joined by Lin-Manuel Miranda, best known for creating and starring in the current Broadway smash, Hamilton. He also played a character called Shag Kava in The Force Awakens so… there’s an IMDB page that probably won’t get any better.

The imaginatively titled Mary Poppins Returns sees Rob Marshall directing and David Magee on screenplay duties and will be set in London at the time of the Depression (that’s early 1930s finance fans!) and will follow a grown-up Jane and Michael Banks when receive a visit from everyone’s favourite nanny in the wake of a tragedy. Plus, her friend, a lamplighter named Jack with a hopefully questionable accent (to be played by Miranda) will be there! The proposed release date is December 25, 2018.

10. T.J. Miller joins Ready Player One

Despite being one of the richest men in the industry, Steven Spielberg really does not like to take time off. Hot off the back of one adaptation – of Roald Dahl’s The BFG, due in the UK July 1st – Spielberg is prepping another adaptation, this time of Ernest Cline’s popular sci-fi Ready Player One. The story follows a young teen competing in a virtual tournament for the the fortune of its creator; essentially, it’s Hunger Games crossed with the Community episode in which the cast compete in a video game for the fortune of its creator (seriously, it’s already been done).

The film is already set to star Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Simon Pegg, Ben Mendelsohn and Mark Rylance. Now Silicon Valley funnyman T.J. Miller has joined the mix as an annoying, online troller [via The Hollywood Reporter]. Perfect casting to anyone whose watched the brilliant Silicon Valley.

  • SON & EF