Originally published February 16, 2017. Updated November 30, 2022.
THE FIRST SET PHOTO
While we can expect to see the first trailer during Star Wars Celebration in April, director Rian Johnson has shared a set photo from Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Johnson also teased the film’s presence at the event, saying “We’re coming to Orlando for a Star Wars Celebration panel on April 14th, and I cannot wait. See you there!” Read more about that story here.
In some rather surprising news, it’s being reported that Academy Award nominated director Mel Gibson is being tapped to direct Suicide Squad 2, the sequel to last year’s rather mediocre anti-villain outing. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gibson is currently familiarising himself with the material, but Warner Bros. is also considering other directors, including Daniel Espinosa (Life). David Ayer directed the first Suicide Squad, but is now working on the Harley Quinn-led spinoff Gotham City Sirens. Read more about that story here.
This one is rather interesting as its coming from a source that never usually gets “the scoops”. According to The Hashtag Show on YouTube (a hateable name if there ever was one), Domino will in fact feature in Deadpool 2 alongside Cable and the Merc with a Mouth, and Fox have already tested Sienna Miller, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Kerry Washington for the role. Although the first two are out of contention, Washington is the rumoured front-runner for the role. Read more about that story here.
AVATAR 2 COPIES FAST & FURIOUS
Well, sort of. The long-gestating Avatar 2 is currently in development and director James Cameron has announced that he has four films planned for his series – all of which will be filmed at the same time (likely with some time between films). And according to its star Sam Worthington, just like Fast and the Furious, it’s going to “be about family”. “I’ve read all the scripts, they’re great,” he said. “This is going to be Jake eight years later, and he’s got a family now” Read more about that story here.
It seems the 2011 Indonesian film The Raid, or as it is known in the US market The Raid: Redemption, will be getting a Western remake starring Frank Grillo (Captain American: Civil War) and directed by Joe Carnahan (Uncharted). The remake will be produced by XYZ Films, the same company that made the first Raid, as well as executive produced by original direct Gareth Evans. XYZ made the announcement over their Twitter page with a video in which Grillo said it would not be so much a remake, but a “reimagining”. Read more about that story here.
Joining our other reviews of the movie, Matthew Lee dropped his thoughts on John Wick: Chapter 2, which you can read here.
