- Andrew Lynch
REEL NEWS: APRIL 20TH-APRIL 27TH
This week in news: the ongoing saga of COVID-19 delays continues; more Star Wars Disney+ content is announced; Venom 2 has a new title; Marvel’s release dominos keep falling, and much more.
DC Delays
After production on The Batman halted, Warner Bros. have announced a new release date for the anticipated reboot, along with a slew of DC properties.
The Batman has been moved from its June 25th date to October 1st, 2021 which, according to one of the film’s writer, Mattson Tomlin said on Twitter “Suits the mood”.
This could either be in reference to the gothic tone of the character of Batman in general, or be a hint towards the film’s plot adapting Batman: The Long Halloween graphic novel.
Along with the Caped Crusader; Shazam 2 has been moved back to November 4th, 2022 from an April 1st release and the long-gestating, The Flash moves one month forward to June 3rd 2022.
Wonder Woman ’84 is still on track to be released this year, August 14th.
Warner Bros. Delays
Along with the DC franchise delays, Warner Bros. have delayed a number of other major projects.
The Many Saints of Newark, the prequel film to the crime-epic series The Sopranos will no longer be released this year in September, but March 12th, 2021.
The Will Smith starring bio-pic on Serena and Venus Williams’ father, King Richard, has been moved to November 2021.
Baz Luhrmann’s next (sure to be extravagant and outlandish) film based on Elvis Presley will open November 5th 2021, pitting it against an MCU film.
Lastly, In the Heights, composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and directed by Crazy Rich Asians’ Jon M. Chu, which was set to be released in June, will now be released June 18th 2021.
Venom 2 Title Release
Fans have waited eagerly for news abou-oh who am I kidding, no one cares about this dumpster fire of a movie.
Venom 2 has a new title and it is appropriately trash; Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage. See this is a subtle nod to the film’s villain of Carnage, or Woody Harrelson in a $2 store red-wig.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage was set to be released in October but will come out June 25 2021.
Mandalorian Season 3
Entertainment overlords Disney are real keen for some Mandalorian content.
According to Variety, Disney have already begun pre-production on Season 3 of the hit Disney+, Star Wars series The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda Show.
Season 2 of the series has only recently entered post-production and is set to be uploaded to the streaming service in October this year.
The platforms’ opening day series, is now positioned as the flagship show akin to Netflix’s Stranger Things.
Enola Holmes Netflix Film
Speaking of the streaming giant, Netflix have acquired the rights to Enola Holmes, the Sherlock Holmes spin-off.
Starring Millie Bobby Brown as the titular sleuth, the film is based on Nancy Spriner’s book series The Enola Holmes Mysteries and is about the World’s Greatest Detective’s younger sister.
Alongside Brown, Henry Cavill will play Sherlock, Sam Clafin as Mycroft (the eldest Holmes sibling) and Helena Bonham Carter Mrs. Holmes.
Directed by Fleabag director Harry Bradbeer, the film will be released on Netflix sometime this year, and one of 5 films eligible for the 2020 Academy Awards.
Scoob! Digital Release
Warner Bros. are on a roll this week.
The animated Scooby-Doo film, titled Scoob!, will no longer be released…
...in theatres.
Instead Warner Bros. and Warner Bros. Animation will recoup their losses by making the film available to purchase digitally.
Much like how in-theatre films such Birds of Prey or Bloodshot went to digital/On-Demand release early, this may be the trend for other movies to replace their theatrical releases.
Scoob! will be available May 15th, the same date as it’s theatrical release.
Hunger Games Prequel
Oh, thank goodness. Just what we’ve all be waiting for.
5 years after the last film ended the YA-novel based series with a whimper, the Hunger Games franchise is returning. Hooray.
The film is a prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, based on an unreleased book by series author Suzanne Collins.
Francis Lawrence, director of Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2, will return along with screenwriter Michael Arndt and producer Nina Jacobson, who both worked on all the previous films.
Suzanne Collins said “The reconstruction period 10 years after the war, commonly referred to as the Dark Days provides fertile ground for characters to grapple with these questions and thereby define their views of humanity”
This formula clearly worked with Harry Potter and the acclaimed Fantastic Beasts films (The Crimes of Grindelwald-36% Rotten Tomatoes), so I’m sure we are all waiting with baited breath.
New Star Wars Disney+ Series
You like Star Wars? Too bad, cause there’s more Star Wars.
Russian Doll co-creator and showrunner Leslye Headland is attached to create a new series for Disney+ set in the galaxy far, far away, according to Variety.
Headland will serve as showrunner for a series which little detail has been revealed on, except for the rumour that it will be, female lead, and set in a separate time period than any other Star Wars content at the moment.
This means the show will either be years before the events of Episode I: The Phantom Menace or years after Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
Fresh Star Wars content, from the creator of one of the best series of 2019, from someone not a white, male in his late 30s-early 40s, may be exactly what the franchise needs.
Westworld Season 4 Confirmed
One of the most thought-provoking sci-fi shows will continue.
Westworld has been renewed for a fourth season at HBO, with Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan (brother of Chris) staying on.
HBO Programming President Casey Bloys said, “We’ve thoroughly enjoyed every twist and turn from the minds of master storytellers Jonathan and Lisa”
This is a surprise to anyone, except the broadcaster and creators as Nolan and Joy are signed on to create, supposedly, at least 6 seasons of the acclaimed show.
Don’t pull a Game of Thrones and just end it properly.
Olivia Wilde’s Next Project
Off the back of her acclaimed directorial debut, Olivia Wilde has revealed details about her next project.
The director of Booksmart’ next film, Don’t Worry, Darling, will be a psychological thriller that is set in the 1950s about a housewife whose idyllic life is not all that it seems to be.
Florence Pugh will play the lead role, and stars alongside Chris Pine and Shia LaBeouf and Olivia Wilde herself.
Think Get Out for women, maybe
Marvel/Sony Schedule Domino Effect
After already shifting their slate of films back by one, Marvel have had to do it all over again after Sony made their own amendments to their Marvel films.
Sony, who own the Spider-Man film rights, have announced that the 3rd MCU Spider-Man film will be delayed from July 16, 2021 to November 5th.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was supposed to come out on that date and instead will come out March 5th 2022.
This was clearly too close to another MCU film with Thor 4 (4or): Love & Thunder moving from February 18th, 2022 to February 11th instead.
Outside of the MCU, other Sony properties were affected by the shift.
The elusive Uncharted film (also starring Tom Holland) will fill Spider-Man 3’s original date of July 16 and the sequel to the acclaimed Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse will come out October 7th 2022 instead of April 8th 2022.
Honestly, can studios get their films in order cause I’m getting real tired writing ‘INSERT FILM HERE’s release date has been changed to INSERT DATE HERE’, 5 different ways.