1. Don’t worry! Wonder Woman 2 is a whole lot closer

It’s a bumper time for Wonder Woman fans. Not only is Gal Gadot currently on out screens in Justice League – a film described by our own Joni Blyth as “a steaming pile of nonsense” – but Warner Bros. have announced a release date for Wonder Woman 2. Yes, that’ll distract us from Justice League’s reception!

The studio have bumped the WW2 we can all support into the November 1, 2019 release date. This is a whole month and a half earlier than its initial December 13, 2019 bow. While some might interpret this as a sign of faith and/or desperation by the studio, it’s probably a bit simpler than that. Star Wars Episode IX is set to open one week after Wonder Woman 2’s previously-planned release. And as popular as Wonder Woman was, there’s no need to go up against a cinematic behemoth. We’ll give WB a couple of weeks until they realise that Bond 25 is due out November 8. [via Deadline]

2. A What Women Want remake is what Hollywood wants

Paramount Players thinks it’s onto something here. A problematic Mel Gibson movie can’t remain problematic if you remove Mel Gibson! That’s why it’s fast-tracking a remake of What Women Want (which was itself a remake of a Chinese-Hong Kong film of the same name). Deadline reports that Hidden Figures’ Taraji P. Henson has been signed to star in the lead role. Henson will play a sports agent who acquires the ability to hear what men are thinking (and thus what they want). With this power she nobly races to sign the NBA’s next superstar. Henson will also executive produce the film which is currently without a director. Paramount Players isn’t concerned about that though – they’ve slapped a release date of January 11, 2019 on it. Look out, world!  

3. Deadpool 2 is pretty as a picture

Managing to encapsulate a film’s essence while giving away absolutely nothing of the story is a delicate tightrope walk for trailer makers these days. Usually it’s heavy on the exposition, heavier on the spoiler-heavy montages. Not Deadpool 2 though. The trailer for the Ryan Reynolds-starring superhero flick has gone in a decidedly different direction – a Bob Ross direction. The merc with a mouth shows us some expert brush control while still finding time for copious swears and reminiscing about cocaine. It all culminates in a glorious portrait of much of the cast – including Josh Brolin’s Cable and Zazie Beetz’s Domino. We’ll see if things are equally tranquil come June 1, 2018.

4. Warner Bros gets to Paddington early

Not content with their cohort of Justice League heroes and Suicide Squad also-hero-people, Warner Bros. have signed up a champion we can all get behind. According to Deadline, The studio have bought the US rights to Paddington 2 for $30 million from the embattled Weinstein Company. Though it may seem a premium price for little other than US distribution rights, Paddington made its way to almost $270 million in 2015 and looks set to do even better this time out. The film opened at 59% above the first instalment in the UK and is, simply, bloody fantastic.

For The Weinstein Company, this represents one positive bit of news. Despite giving up domestic rights, the company retains rights to profit participation and involvement in any further sequels. Plus, the $30 million is pretty important for helping TWC meet its commitments by the end of the year.

5. It’s a him, Mario!

Because if it’s made money somewhere else, it simply has to make money on screen, Illumination Entertainment is drawing closer to a deal with Nintendo that will see the company create an animated Mario movie. The Wall Street Journal reported the deal on Tuesday this week. Illumination boasts an extensive back catalogue of animated hits including Despicable Me, Minions and Sing. They’re also responsible for Hop, and even that managed to treble its budget.

Neither Illumination nor Nintendo confirmed the talks. However, with Nintendo on the up after the successful launch of its flagship Switch console, now could be a good time for the video games titan to double down on its most successful IP. Illumination will have to pull out all the stops to wipe 1993’s Super Mario Bros. from our memory though.

6. Wicked. Wicked. George of the jungle is massive

A white ape named George, a 30 foot wolf, and one ginormous crocodile. Here Dwayne Johnson goes again. The first trailer for Rampage really drops Johnson in at the deep end, as he and Naomie Harris battle beasts, “genetic editing” and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s slimy government agent. From Brad Peyton, the director of the far-better-than-it-should-have-been monster hit San Andreas, Rampage storms into streets, cinemas and, just maybe, our hearts on April 13.

7. Joe Carnahan ready for the Boss Level

A soldier forced to relive each harrowing day that culminates in his painful death? No, not Edge Of Tomorrow, but Joe Carnahan’s next film if Deadline is anything to go by. The trade reports that Carnahan has found his stars for the upcoming Boss Level. Apparently Mel Gibson and Frank Grillo are both in talks to star in the film which will see Grillo trapped in a daily loop and resolving to figure out who is responsible for his Sisyphean suffering. We’re going to go out on a limb and say that if Gibson is in talks, then he’s probably had a hand in it somewhere. 

Much depends on whether Gibson will stick around for the flick. It seems the writer-director-actor-conspiracy-theorist is close to securing funding for his passion project, a film about the legendary Medici family. Just listen to Gibson wax lyrical on the subject at last year’s Hollywood Reporter Director’s Roundtable. No way he’s going to pass up an opportunity to make that.