1. Fox goes back to the drawing board for the X-Men franchise

With Hugh Jackman bowing out of Wolverine duties after Logan and Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy and Nicholas Hoult all out of contract after this year’s disappointing X-Men: Apocalypse, Fox is at something of an impasse when it comes to the X-Men franchise. Apocalypse only managed $544 million worldwide (down from Days Of Future Past’s $748 million) so it looks like the studio may opt for the convenient “soft reboot” based around the newly blooded talent of Apocalypse. Mutant overseer Simon Kinberg is apparently working on a new script while the studio makes up its mind and X-Men fans hold their breath. [via The Hollywood Reporter]

2. So, you like Spider-Man, eh? Well, have all the Spider-Man movies in the world!

Although it’s a shame that Andrew Garfield got chewed up and spit out as quickly as he did, we’re big fans of Tom Holland’s Spider Boy. We’re not alone; Marvel have put Holland on a six-movie contract. This may sound like a lot but it appears to be the standard Marvel deal, where we’ll get a trilogy of standalone Spider-Man movies and three cameos across the Marvel Universe à la Civil War. We don’t really know or care whether that involves him appearing in Infinity War but we’re happy to see a talented individual get success. Oh, and on top of this Michael Keaton has finally confirmed his appearance in the Spider-Man: Homecoming as Vulture. Bring on July 7, 2017. [via ComingSoon]

3. Batter up!

Yeah yeah it sounds ridiculous. A billionaire playboy haunted by the legacy of his parents suits up and enraptures a whole city with his tough-on-crime, tougher-on-Hispanics attitude? In real life, he’d be supported by a country not a city but hey, the trailer for The Lego Batman Movie is pretty delightful nonetheless. From the looks of it, Will Arnett’s gruff anti-hero has to deal with all the usual Batman problems (crime, loneliness, a sidekick intent on stripping at every opportunity) and some newer ones like wondering why the hell he’d fight fellow good guy, Superman. Also starring Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson and Ralph Fiennes, The Lego Batman Movie hits UK cinemas February 10, next year.  

4. Donnie Yen opens up on why he took Rogue One role

Donnie Yen may or may not be a big Robbie Williams fan. He may or may not be a big Kylie Minogue fan. But either way, he’ll paint by numbers ‘til something sticks, ‘cos he don’t mind doing it for the kids. “It” being playing the warrior monk Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In an interview with JetSet Magazine—a site which has just such a wonderful look, really, what a great WordPress theme they use— Yen admitted that he was reticent about taking the role, but his children convinced him to take the role. In addition, Yen lent his choreography skills to the process and was even responsible for making the character blind. We just need to wait another month to see if Yen’s expertise paid off; Rogue One is released December 15.

5. Now You Three Me will magically appear in 2018

Having already conquered the world with two modestly received movies, the juggernaut that is Now You See Me has set its sights on the threequel. According to Deadline the next instalment has already been greenlit by Lionsgate and will be written by industry up-and-comers Neil Widener and Gavin James. It will, in all likelihood, result in The Four Horsemen pulling off a great illusion (given that tricks are something a whore does for money) so as to steal a large sum of money. Widener and James are already hard at work on San Andreas 2, a sequel to this summer’s surprisingly fantastic quake ‘em up, while Lionsgate is already working on a Now You See Me spin-off with a predominantly Chinese cast, but we’re sure they’ll pull it out of the hat. Eh? Eh?

6. This is the dawning of the Age of Valerian

You know what you need now and forever? A juiced-up pseudo-remake of The Fifth Element! Director Luc Besson has certainly brought back his greatest hits for this latest sci-fi adventure, with colours and madness leading the charge once more. According to the official synopsis, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are special operatives for the government of the human territories charged with maintaining order throughout the universe, an order they’re soon called to protect.  So, if you bemoaned the absence of a Jupiter Ascending sequel, welcome to paradise.

7. Serve the people and socialism FTW

In a shock move, China has decided to lay down some laws on entertainment. Earlier this week, they have passed a law that bans film content deemed harmful to the “dignity, honour and interests” of the country; it also encourages the promotion of “socialist core values”. The new laws also lay out stricter rules for actors and film-makers, saying people employed in the industry should have “excellent” moral integrity and “self-discipline”. If you break this law, prepare to face a £60,000 fine and further repercussions in a huge financial market. How do you get past these pesky restrictions? You hire some local production companies and you work your magic. You see, co-produced movies can bypass the quota as long as they contain significant Chinese elements, such as characters, plot devices or locations. From a wider perspective, it’ll be interesting to see whether Hollywood follows the example of Iron Man 3 – where you entirely alter your ending to shoehorn some assistance from the East. Watch this space. [via The Guardian]

8. Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Young Dumbledore

Having already cast a certain Johnny Depp in the inevitable sequel to Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (he’ll be playing dark wizard Gellert Grindlewald) Warner Bros. is hard at work filling more roles with recognisable names. First up, according to ‘Beasts director David Yates, is casting Albus Dumbledore. In an interview with Screen Rant Yates admitted that “in the second movie Dumbledore comes back. He’s got a couple of good scenes with Newt [Scamander].” Rowling is said to be planning as many as five movies for the spin-off franchise so, who fancies stepping into the shoes of Richard Harris and Michael Gambon? We’ll be running through the main contenders soon.

– SON & DB