1. The Flash loses its director. Again.

Just four months after jumping on board, Rick Famuyiwa has departed Warner Bros’ adaptation of The Flash citing “creative differences”. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Dope director’s vision for the story of a man who may or may not be able to outrun a monorail clashed with the studio’s outlook. Famuyiwa was himself a replacement for Seth Grahame-Smith, who wrote the script and was attached to direct before leaving the project in late April. He also cited those pesky “creative differences”. Considering that WB has pencilled in March 2017 for production to begin, it looks like the studio will have to find a replacement quicksharp.

2. Tom Hardy says you can call him Al… Capone

Tom Hardy’s already played two gangsters to critical acclaim so why wouldn’t he want another go? Deadline reports that Hardy is attached to play the role of Al Capone in Fonzo, which focuses on the Chicago bootlegger’s final flashback-filled days as his mind fell to syphilis, dementia and a hatred of Kevin Costner. Of particular interest is that the script is the work of Josh Trank, who is also set to direct. Trank made headlines in May after being fired from a Star Wars standalone project, and also because Fantastic Four was a special kind of awful. Still, Chronicle was “a refreshing take on a now very familiar genre” according to our own Eddie Falvey, so let’s see what the messrs Hardy and Trank can whip up for their go at the gangster flick. 

3. Xander Cage sure looks xXxtreme

They said it was impossible to make an entire script out of one liners; they were wrong. Yep, xXx: Return of Xander Cage is nearly here, and by the looks of it it’s everything you expected and/or dreamed of, finally proving that it is possible to crossbreed the Fast & Furious franchise with a crate of European off-brand energy drink. Starring Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen, Samuel L. Jackson and Toni Collette, Return of Xander Cage kickflips into UK cinemas on January 17.

4. How does another live-action Snow White film sound?

Mirror Mirror just about managed domestic takings of $65 million from a $85 million budget. The Huntsman: Winter’s War crept to $164 million from $115 million. If you look closely, you may see a message in those figures; people definitely want more Snow White movies. Accordingly, Disney are said to be moving forward with their own live-action version of the fairytale and are in negotiations with Erin Cressida Wilson (The Girl On The Train) to pen the script. No actors have yet been attached but considering that Emily Blunt is busy Mary Poppinsing it up, let’s just say “Anne Hathaway” and be done with it? Interestingly, it’s worth remembering that Disney is already at work on Rose Red—a spin-off focusing on White’s sister and her dwarf-based adventures. What a world. [via The Hollywood Reporter]

5. Life indeed can be fun, if you really want to

Did you like Gravity? Was Aliens a-okay with you? Are you excited for Passengers? If the answers are “sort-of”, “of course”, and “nobody is” then welcome to Life. As seems to be the new annual trend, Life appears to be the next big sci-fi feature for us to gorge on in 2017. Frankly this has been travelling completely under our radar, and it really shouldn’t have been considering the quality of cast; a film with ORWAV’s close personal friend Ryan Reynolds, as well Rebecca Ferguson and Jake Gyllenhaal, is one few can turn their nose up at. So while it hits a couple of notes we’ve all seen before—especially when it comes to (and we’re calling it here) the very talented Ariyon Bakare totally dying first—we’re still on board. For now. 

6. Jesus 2: Judgement Day is a’coming

As Mel Gibson’s slowly re-enters the hearts and minds of Hollywood, he’s seen fit to announce his latest project, Passion of the Christ: Resurrection. Honestly, we didn’t see this one coming, and are way more impressed than angry. Gibson revealed on the press tour for the rather good Hacksaw Ridge that he’s back working with Braveheart screenwriter (and definitely not character) Randall Wallace for the new project. On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he went on to say ‘‘It’s not just about the event; it’s not just some chronological telling of just that event. That could be boring, and you think, ‘Oh, we read that.’… But what are the other things around it that happened?’’ According to Gibson, Resurrection is still at least “three years off” so we’ll wait with bated breath for the second coming (of Gibson).

7. T2: Trainspotting sees the gang get back together—whether they want to or not

If there’s one thing Trainspotting taught us, other than to maybe give heroin a miss, it’s that “at one point you’ve got it, then you lose it and it’s gone forever.” Thankfully Danny Boyle has not lost it, so we’re surprisingly positive about the upcoming Trainspotting sequel, and even moreso now we’ve got a look at the trailer which looks familiar and fresh in equal measure.

8. Escape Plan is getting a sequel because…

Despite the fact that it was released about twenty years too late and thus missed out on that billion dollar box office, the dozen sequels and every single non-actress related Academy Award possible, Escape Plan was actually pretty good. Still, in some rather surprising news, Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films have confirmed that a sequel is on the way, with Sly set to reprise the role of professional prison-escaper man, Ray Breslin. Miles Chapman, who wrote the first Escape Plan, is on board to script the sequel but a director is yet to be attached. Say, I hear Rick Famuyiwa might be free… [via Deadline]

9. The UK Box Office is a strong, independent woman who don’t need no superpower

And now for a smidgen of good news: Bridget Jones’s Baby is the highest grossing film in the UK for 2016, taking a whopping £46.2 million in its two months of release. For context, that’s £10 million more than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice which lies in fifth place. Filling out the rest of the top five are Finding Dory (£42 m), Deadpool (£37 m) and Captain America: Civil War (£36 m). All this success is deserved too, as our Sophie said in our review: “Funny (nay, hilarious), modern, intelligent, and good-willed, Bridget Jones’s Baby proves that sequels aren’t always a bad idea.” Yes, this is now news: a good film has achieved good box office numbers and there may be some justice in the world.

– SON & DB