Juan Antonio Bayona Exits 'World War Z' Sequel

Well this is too bad.

It's been over two years (December 2013) since Juan Antonio Bayona (The Impossible) was named the director of the World War Z sequel, set for a June 9th, 2017 release and once again starring Brad Pitt.

A couple days ago though, it was reported that Bayona had left the project due to 'other commitments'. Those commitments being Bayona's next film, A Monster Calls, which is currently in post-production and needs time to finish. Filming on the World War Z follow-up is set to shoot this summer and it was determined Bayona could not do both.

The studio behind the project, Paramount, had this to say in a statement:

“Bayona is no longer able to make World War Z 2 this year, and it is our ambition to do so. He is a wonderful director and we hope to work with him soon.”

Paramount - along with Pitt's Plan B production company - are now on the hunt for a director to take on a project that's already been in pre-production with another filmmaker for the past two years along with a script already written and rewritten to completion by Steven Knight and Dennis Kelly, respectively.

Ironically enough, this franchise isn't a stranger to production snags. The first film went through an extensive reshoot, resulting in a brand-new third act and a release date delay from December 2012 to June 2013. It went on to make over $540 million worldwide and was well-received by critics.

Expect a new director to be named in the next month or so. We will keep you posted.

Source: Deadline

'Creed' Sequel May Lose Director Ryan Coogler

This is why Hollywood can be frustrating.

In wake of the overwhelming success of Creed - the semi-reboot/spin-off of the Rocky franchise - MGM is looking to get a sequel out by November 2017, a mere two years after the original (for those wondering, it was three years between Rocky in 1976 and Rocky II in 1979).

Now don't get me wrong, a great sequel that's even better than the first can be done in two years (Spider-Man 2), but the issue here though is that the project may lose the centerpiece that made Creed so great in the first place: Ryan Coogler.

For those who don't know, Creed happened because of Ryan Coogler, period. It was his idea and his story that he had wanted to make since he was a teenager, a passion project he could only dream of doing. Two years ago he got that opportunity when he finally convinced Sylvester Stallone to sign-off on a Rocky spin-off about the offspring of Apollo Creed being trained by Rocky Balboa. The rest, they say, is history.

Here we are, two months after the film's November release with over $100 million at the box office and numerous accolades by critics, as well as strong Oscar buzz for Stallone himself as Best Supporting Actor, and the studio has one thing in mind: sequel.

The problem though is Coogler was just confirmed to be directing Marvel's Black Panther starring Chadwick Boseman. That film is set for a February 16, 2018 release date, three months after a would-be Creed 2 would hit theaters. The question then obviously becomes, can Coogler direct both?

Black Panther would be expected to start filming probably by the end of this year at the latest and well into the first half of 2017. With that timetable, there's no way Coogler could do Creed 2 as well, however, if that November 2017 changed to November 2018 (a three-year gap just like the first two Rocky films) then it's certainly possible. Remember, Creed was a relatively short shoot that only took a little over two months to film from January of last year to March. Coogler could film his sequel in early 2018 and have it ready for that prime November release, without a doubt.

That though, requires patience by a studio when they have the urge to strike when the iron's hot. Just remember, history has shown restraint in making a sequel tends to pay huge dividends: The Godfather Part 2 took two and a half years, The Dark Knight took three. Both those films needed their original director if they were going to be a success in Francis Ford Coppola and Christopher Nolan, respectively. Those films are also regarded as two of the best sequels of all-time. See where I'm going with this? And don't even get me started on James Cameron's seven year wait to make Terminator 2.

The point being is that if MGM, Warner Bros., the producers, and hell even Stallone are smart, they'll wait for Ryan Coogler to make Creed 2. It's his creation (like Rocky was Stallone's) and it's only fair they keep it that way.

We shall see.

Source: Variety

After 20 Years, 'Halloween' Needs a New Home

Since 1995, Dimension Films has owned the rights to the Halloween franchise. They've brought us Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Halloween: Ressurection (2002), as well as Rob Zombie's remake, Halloween (2007) and it's sequel, Halloween II (2009).

In a bit of an end of the year shocker though, news broke Monday that the company no longer has the rights to the franchise that began with John Carpenter's original classic in 1978. It seems they forgot to check the fine print on the contract since they haven't produced an entry in soon-to-be seven years.

A new film had been in-development - rumored to be called Halloween Returns which would have been a direct sequel to the original - but that project has now been scrapped. Longtime franchise producer Malek Akkad (son of Moustapha Akkad, who produced all the Halloween films until his death in 2005), will remain onboard.

The rights are now being shopped out to find a new distributor and don't be surprised to hear Warner Bros. and/or Paramount kicking the tires on this one. Warner Bros. (which houses New Line) once owned the rights to Friday the 13th but sent them to Paramount in exchange for a split domestic distribution of Christopher Nolan's Interstellar (I know, what?). If the rights to Halloween end up at either of those studios, I'd be hard pressed to imagine they wouldn't try to work out a deal to go the 'cinematic universe' route that so many studios are going nowadays and bring Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Kreuger all under one roof and together in multiple films.

But that's all just speculation. Let's see where this ends up.

Source: Bloody Disgusting

Christopher Nolan's Next Project is World War II Pic 'Dunkirk'

Back in September, Warner Bros. dated Christopher Nolan's next film for a July 21st, 2017 release date...and that was it. There were no other details given.

Today though, word comes that the project is to be a World War II set film called Dunkirk. It is based on the true story of Operation Dynamo, a British led military operation that rescued 330,000 Allied soldiers trapped in Dunkirk Harbor as it was surrounded by the German army.

The film will be an ensemble piece with Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road), Kenneth Branagh (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) and Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) announced as already being a part of the cast which will include a group of largly unknowns.

Nolan will shoot the pic on IMAX 65mm cameras and 65mm large format-film.

This is certainly a departure for Nolan as his last three non-Batman films were the magician drama, The Prestige (2006), the dream actioner, Inception (2010), and the outer space epic, Interstellar (2014).

Personally, I'm thrilled to see Nolan taking on such a serious, historical event project such as this and can only imagine what he has in store for audiences. He never fails to disappoint.

We'll keep you posted on more of this project as it becomes available.

Also, Happy Holidays from everyone here at ThinkMcFlyThink!

Source: Deadline

'Independence Day: Resurgence' Official Trailer

This past Sunday, 20th Century Fox released the first official trailer for Independence Day: Resurgence, the long-awaited sequel to the original 1996 sci-fi hit.

The trailer - which will play before all prints of Star Wars: The Force Awakens - gives us our first look at both the story and spectacle of this 20 year later follow-up, as well as glimpses at both new and familiar faces.

From the start, we can see Jeff Goldblum's David Levinson is a central part of this story, having become what looks essentially to be the head of scientific defense against 'intergalactic terror'. We also learn Bill Pullman's now former President Thomas J. Whitmore has become a shell of his former self, having grown old and broken down (you can see he has a cane in one scene) as well as preaching his nightmares of the aliens returning (maybe a side effect of when his mind was read in the original?).

From there, we get some short looks at other returning players (Judd Hirsch's Julius Levinson, Vivica A. Fox's Jasmine Dubrow) and the new additions as well (Maika Monroe as a grown up Patricia Whitemore, Jessie Usher as an also grown up Dylan Hiller, and Liam Hemsworth a new, but seemingly vital, character in the film).

Finally, I need to just state, the special effects look utterly fantastic. I was bit worried that the past 20 years of CGI overload would make the new film look fake and too computer generated, but they honestly look just as well done as they were in the original (and bigger and better too). I mean, an alien ship now hovering over the entire planet earth? Wow!

I'm a huge fan of Independence Day (an annual 4th of July tradition) and think the new film looks simply great. And no, you don't really miss Will Smith in this trailer, but you do notice his absence...supposedly. I'll keep my hunch on that for another day. Until then, enjoy the first trailer!

Source: 20th Century Fox

Stephen King Comments On Reported Idris Elba 'Dark Tower' Casting

If you missed it, a few days ago a report surfaced that Idris Elba was the frontrunner to portray the gunslinger, Roland Deschain, in the long-awaited adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.

While general moviegoers seemingly liked the idea of the 43 year-old Elba finally getting his shot at a starring role in a high-profile film franchise (he's been championed to take over as James Bond after Daniel Craig steps down), hardcore fans of King's Dark Tower saga were not so receptive.

Despite Elba being the right age and height (6' 3'') to bring the character of Roland Deschain to life, the blatant argument against his potential casting was Deschain always being written and illustrated as a white man, with Elba being black.

Now, Stephen King himself as responded to the controversy surrounding the news, tweeting out this comment Friday evening:

To me, the color of the gunslinger doesn't matter. What I care about is how fast he can draw...and that he takes care of the ka-tet.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) December 12, 2015

The world-renowned author doesn't look to have a problem with the possibility of Elba, though many King fans are quick to argue that a decision like this is why his adaptations from page to screen never turn out well.

My take?

I think Elba is a top-notch actor and definitely deserves to have his shot at A-list stardom. He has the charisma of Tom Cruise, the screen presence of Will Smith, and the talent of Leonardo DiCaprio.

But...

I understand why his potential casting (remember, this isn't official yet) is a problem for many. The Dark Tower books - and the character of Roland Deschain - has been anticipated to be brought to the big screen for over 30 years. Fans have grown up and old reading this series and have every right to want an accurate page to screen portrayal of their beloved stories. Just imagine if Warner Bros. had cast a young black child as Harry Potter instead of Daniel Radcliffe?

Yeah, now I'm sure you see the point. The Dark Tower fans deserve to get a faithful adaptation like the Harry Potter ones did.

We'll keep you posted on more and/or official news of this project as it becomes available.

Source: Deadline, Twitter (Stephen King)

'Kingsman' Actress Sofia Boutella to Star in 'The Mummy' Relaunch

We're getting a new Mummy movie, and now he's a she.

Kingsman: The Secret Service breakout actress, Sofia Boutella, is in final negotiations with Universal to take on the legendary horror role.

Alex Kurtzman (People Like Us) will direct what is expected to be the launch of a new monster movie universe. Jon Spaihts (Prometheus) wrote the script.

With the 'cinematic universe' trend becoming studios' go to nowadays, it's not surprising to hear the idea of bringing horror icons such as Dracula, Frankenstein and the Invisible Man into the modern age. Taking the route of going female with what's always been a male character for the Mummy is certainly a fresh take.

While I did not see Kingsman, I've heard Boutella really stole the show so I think her being picked is a great choice for the up-and-comer.

On top of all this, word is that none other than Tom Cruise is being courted to play the male lead in The Mummy. His role would be that of an ex-Navy SEAL who goes to battle with the resurrected creature.

The film is set for a March 24th, 2017 release date.

We'll keep you posted for more as it becomes available. 

New 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' Trailer

The new Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer has been released just in time for the holiday moviegoing season. Take a look:

My first impressions?

While I really like what they seem do be doing with both Ben Affleck's portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman and Jesse Eisenberg's take on Lex Luthor, I can't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the heavy use of CGI throughout the trailer, especially towards the end.

I get it, it's a comic book film involving Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and what's going to be a slew of other superheroes and villains, so you can't exactly go 100% real and practical with this stuff. But here's the thing though: ask the 50% of people who didn't like Man of Steel and I bet their chief complaint would be the over-the-top, if not excessive use of special effects in that film, also especially towards the end.

Don't think I have a point? Ask those who didn't like Avengers: Age of Ultron and I'm sure most would cite that film's CGI heavy reliance as well.

The general, casual moviegoer (not the person who watches and pays attention to comic book movies and nothing else) does not like watching a film where they feel like they're viewing a video game. If you're supposed to care about the characters played by real people in the movie, it's difficult to do when it looks as if most of the action was created in front of a green screen and on a computer.

I know I'm basing this all off a three-minute trailer, but that's because we've already seen what the director behind this film, Zack Snyder, did with Man of Steel, and to even more of an extent, with 300. Snyder's been my biggest reservation about this project since it was announced. To me, he's more of a director of movies, not films.

Case in point: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road. One of the best films of this year with many citing it's practical action caught on camera.

Anyway, we'll see if I'm wrong come this spring. I'm still excited for this though.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens March 25th, 2016.

'Creed' - Reaction

Matthew McConaughey Circling 'The Dark Tower'

As long as Stephen King's film adaptation of his Dark Tower series has been in the pipeline, we seemingly are getting closer and closer to it actually happening.

With a studio and production company behind the project (Sony and MRC), a director on board (Nikolaj Arcel) and a slew of talent on the production side (Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Akiva Goldsman), the mission now is to cast the film, with reports saying none other than Matthew McConaughey is being offered the chance to star.

While you might assume the Oscar winner is being courted to play the protagonist 'Gunslinger' Roland Deschain, word is the actor has actually been offered both the role of Deschain and the antagonist Walter Padick AKA the Man in Black.

Basically, McConaughey has the luxury of picking whichever role he likes (though word is he's leaning towards the villainous character of Padick). Ironically, this character first appeared in Stephen King's other epic novel, The Stand, going by the name of Randall Flagg, a role in which McConaughey has been heavily rumored to be up for in that film adaptation as well.

Personally, I think Mr. Alright Alright Alright is a better fit for the villain role and it sounds like he's heading in that direction too. No word on who else the filmmakers are looking at for the lead of Deschain if McConaughey does in fact choose the dark side, but here's hoping Viggo Mortensen is paying attention.

The Dark Tower - which is to be based on the first novel in the series, The Gunslinger - is set for release January 13th, 2017.

Source: Variety, The Wrap