Vishakh Govindan
Weekly series tracking the latest that’s happening in the world of cinema.
Movie News That Happened
Disney Confirms ‘Jungle Book 2’ and ‘Mary Poppins’ Sequel
Fresh off the commercial and critical success of ‘The Jungle Book’, Disney has already confirmed a sequel to the film with the director Jon Favreau and writer Justin Marks remaining attached to the project. They have also confirmed the sequel to ‘Mary Poppins’ with Emily Blunt starring and Rob Marshall of ‘Chicago’ fame directing. Disney has also announced ‘Maleficient 2’ with Angelina Jolie returning to play the lead.
A spin-off to ‘101 Dalmatians’ named ‘Cruella’ with Emma Stone has also been confirmed. Several other films confirmed by Disney include: an adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time with Ava Duvernay directing, ‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms’ with Lasse Hallstrom directing, a Tinker Bell project with Reese Witherspoon in the lead, ‘Dumbo’ with Tim Burton directing and ‘Jungle Cruise’ with Dwayne Johnson set to star.
Joaquin Phoenix in Talks to Join ‘The Sisters Brothers’
Joaquin Phoenix is holding talks to join ‘The Sisters Brothers’, an indie film being directed by Jaques Audiard. Audiard’s last movie ‘Dheepan’ won the Palme d’or at Cannes Film Festival in 2015. The film, which also stars John C. Reilly, is an adaptation of the award winning novel by Patrick DeWitt. It is about Eli and Charlie Sisters, two brothers who are hired to kill a prospector during the early 1850s.
Sony planning ‘Goosebumps’ sequel
‘Goosebumps’ a horror comedy which was released last year is moving forward with its sequel as confirmed by Sony. Director Rob Letterman and writer Darren Lemke are on the verge of returning for the sequel. Letterman is also the co-director of movies like ‘Monster vs. Aliens’ and ‘Shark Tale’. Although ‘Goosebumps’ was a critical failure, it did well commercially to generate revenues for the studio. Jack Black who played the role of Stines in ‘Goosebumps’ hasn’t been approached yet for the second part.
‘The Omen’ to Get a Prequel
One of the scariest movies of the last century, ‘The Omen’ is returning again with a prequel. 20th Century Fox has acquired the distribution rights for the movie. Antonio Campos, who last directed the Sundance movie ‘Christine’ is in talks to direct the prequel. ‘The Omen’ starring Gregory Peck was one of the biggest hits of the year and was about an ambassador who comes to believe that his son is may be the incarnation of the Antichrist. The prequel is currently titled as ‘The First Omen’.
Laszlo Nemez to Direct ‘Sunset’ with Films Distribution
Laszlo Nemes is re-teaming with Film Distribution to direct his sophomore film ‘Sunset’. Laszlo Nemes’ last film was the Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film ‘Son of Saul’. The movie is about a young girl who grows up to become a fearless woman. It is set in Budapest during the early twentieth century. The principal photography will start in 2017 with Nemes retaining his ‘Son of Saul’ cinematographer Matyas Erdely.
Will Ferrell pulls out of the Ronald Reagan Movie
Will Ferrell was supposed to play former president Ronald Reagan in an upcoming political satire movie. But soon after the news came out that Ferrel has pulled out of the project due to the backlash that the film received. The script titled ‘Reagan’ was on the 2015 Black List and is about Reagan’s second term as president when he fell into dementia.
Alicia Vikander in ‘Tomb Raider’ Reboot as Lara Croft
Alicia Vikander is set to play the role of Lara Croft in ‘Tomb Raider’ reboot. The movie is set to be directed by Norwegian film director Roar Uthaug who got critical acclaim with ‘The Wave’. According to THR, Daisy Ridley was also one of the host of stars who were approached for the role but Vikander was always the first choice. Vikander will be seen as a 21 year old young Croft. The earlier ‘Tomb Raider’ films which were released on 2001 and 2003 were financially successful.
Movie Trailers That Happened
‘Dear Eleanor’ is an upcoming American 2016 film starring Jessica Alba, Liana Liberato and Isabelle Fuhrman. The movie is set in the early 1960s and is about two friends who travel across the United States to meet American politician Eleanor Roosevelt. Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions is producing this film. The movie is directed by Kevin Connolly who is known for his role in the TV series ‘Entourage’. This is Isabelle Fuhrman’s second collaboration with Leonardo Di Caprio’s production company. She earlier played the role of Esther in the movie ‘Orphan’. Here is the trailer:
‘Cell’ is an upcoming American science fiction film which is directed by Tod Williams who last directed ‘Paranormal Activity 2’. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, John Cusack and Isabelle Fuhrman. The movie is about an artist who is on a mission to stop other humans from turning into vicious animals. Here is the trailer:
‘Snowden’ is directed by three time Academy Award winner Oliver Stone. It is an upcoming biographical political thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Mellisa Leo and Zachary Quinto. The movie is based on the books The Snowden Files and Time of the Octopus. It is a true story of Edward Snowden who leaked classified information of NSA to The Guardian. Here is the trailer:
‘Nine Lives’ is an upcoming comedy film starring Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Garner, Christopher Walken, Robbie Amell and Malina Weissman. The movie is directed by Barry Sonnenfeld who is known for directing the ‘Men in Black’ trilogy and ‘Get Shorty’. The movie is about a business tycoon who gets trapped inside a cat’s body. Here is the trailer:
‘Florence Foster Jenkins’ is an upcoming biographical comedy film starring three time Academy Award winning actress Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant and Simon Helberg. The movie is directed by Stephen Frears who is known for directing films like ‘The Queen’ and ‘Philomena’. It is based on the life of Florence Foster Jenkins, an amateur opera singer known for her lack of singing skills. Here is the trailer:
‘Southside with You’ is an upcoming American romantic drama based on the romantoc relationship between Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. It stars Parker Sawyers as young Barack Obama and Tika Sumpter as young Michelle Obama. The movie is the directorial debut of Richard Tanne. Here is the trailer:
‘Tulip Fever’ is an upcoming drama film directed by Justin Chadwick who last directed ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’. It stars Alicia Vikander, Christoph Waltz, Judi Dench, Zach Galifianakis, Cara Delevingne and Dane DeHaan. The movie is about an artist who falls in love with a married young woman during the 17th century. Here is the trailer:
