In-Development

THE EXPENDABLES 4 Shoots Up A Fall Production Start, Adds Megan Fox, Tony Jaa And More

Lee B. Golden III

Eleven years since making trilogy headway, The Expendables franchise will reunite Lionsgate and Millenium Media to shoot its fourth installment later this October with much of the main cast reprising its roles; Jason Statham is reportedly leading the cast this time around and will be joined by Megan Fox as the female lead, with regulars Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture and Sylvester Stallone, Statham’s Furious Seven cohort/martial arts action star star Tony Jaa, and Stallone’s Escape Plan co-star Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson also starring. Stuntman-turned-director Scott Waugh (Need For Speed) is in line for rotation to direct following Stallone, and helmers Simon West and Patrick Hughes who directed the first, second and third films respectively. Waugh will direct from a screenplay Spenser Cohen, following revisions by Max Adams and John Joseph Connolly, with Statham and with Kevin King Templeton, and Millennium’s Les Weldon, Yariv Lerner, Jeffrey Greenstein and Jonathan Yunger all producing, […]

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THE OLD GUARD 2 Taps ‘Star Wars’ Vet Victoria Mahoney

Lee B. Golden III

History-making second unit director Victoria Mahoney will helm the sequel to Gina Prince-Bythewood’s own 2020 adaptation of Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández’s Image Comics publication, The Old Guard. As the trades reported and Netflix confirmed, Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Veronica Ngo and Chiwetel Ejiofor are all expected to reprise their roles. Mahoney will direct from a script by returning writer Rucka who will also exec produce, following up on the story of Nile Freeman (Layne), a U.S. Marine who finds herself thrust into an epic war as part of a covert squad of mysterious, centuries-old immortal warriors led by Andromache (Theron). Theron will also produce next to Beth Kono and AJ Dix over at their Denver and Delilah banner, alongside Marc Evans for Marc Evans Productions, and Prince-Bythewood, and Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger. Mahoney is credited as the first woman and […]

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MY HERO ACADEMIA: Shinsuke Sato Announced To Direct Live Action Adaptation For Legendary

Edward Orndorff

As reported by The Wrap, the director for the upcoming Legendary Films adaption of the My Hero Academia franchise has been named. Japanese director Shinsuke Sato will be heading up the film that was announced in 2018. One of the most well known filmmakers from Japan, Sato is experienced with handling shonen anime adaptions. having previously handled the well received adaption of Tite Kubo’s Bleach manga series. He was most recently praised for the film “Kingdom” which was released in 2019, and 2020’s “Alice in Borderland” from Netflix. My Hero Academia is a manga series that currently runs in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan, published by Shueisha. Written by Horikoshi Kohei, since it’s 2014 debut My Hero Academia has become an international hit. The manga has over 50 million volumes in circulation and has won numerous awards and high popularity poll rankings, movies, video games, and a wealth of […]

RONNY CHIENG

Ronny Chieng, Sony Developing San Francisco-Set Martial Arts Comedy

Lee B. Golden III

Comedian and actor Ronny Chieng is one of the funniest funnymen ever to hit the airwaves. That he’s also stepping into the martial arts comedy genre now seems pretty damn enticing with word via THR‘s Mia Galuppo. Chieng, whose credits partly include Crazy Rich Asians, Bliss at Amazon, and upcoming Marvel’s Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings starring Simu Liu and Tony Leung, is teaming up with The Daily Show cohort Sebastian DiNatale to pen the untitled comedy for Sony, which the studio’s Jiao Chen is reportedly overseeing. Just as there is no title though, plot details are also being kept under wraps. The idea for the project initially originated at a roundtable hosted by Chieng and run by Ivan Reitman’s Montecito Picture Company, as well as Sony. Reitman is on board to produce via his Montecito banner with Amie Karp.

X VENGEANCE: JuJu Chan Szeto Leads Australian Action Thriller Shooting This Fall

Lee B. Golden III

Antony Szeto (Jackie Chan Presents: Wushu) will direct Aussie action thriller, X Vengeance. The film was announced over the weekend at the Cannes Marché du Film by Ken DuBow for US-based Access Entertainment. As Jeremy Kay’s report via Screen notes, the film marks an on-set reunion for the director actress and martial arts star JuJu Chan Szeto (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny). Their previous credits include Szeto’s Palace Of The Damned (2013) and Roger Corman’s Fist Of The Dragon (2014). Plot details are under wraps save for what Kay’s report states of the film’s setting which is in “north Queensland’s beaches and rainforests”. Also starring are Australian-Chinese actor Chris Pang (Crazy Rich Asians, Roger Corman’s Fist Of The Dragon) and Robert Mammone (The Condemned), with cameras set to roll this October ahead of a Spring 2022 rollout. Madd Films’ Tim Maddocks and Filmworks’ Janice Eymann are producing with […]

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Dwayne Johnson Holiday Actioner RED ONE Set Up At Amazon Studios

Lee B. Golden III

Slated to shoot next year is Red One, an original project from Seven Bucks Production’s own Hiram Garcia and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the latter who will topline for Amazon Studios, according to multiple trade sources. Both will be joined by Seven Bucks founding partner Dany Garcia in producing. Chris Morgan (Universal’s The Fast Saga) is tapped to pen the film described as a “globe-trotting, four-quadrant action-adventure comedy” which imagines “a whole new universe to explore within the holiday genre.” according to Variety‘s Brent Lang. The film is expected to release in time for the 2023 Holiday season. “Seven Bucks Productions is a leader in creating unique and compelling entertainment for the entire family, and we know Red One will continue that tradition,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “Hiram’s concept and the world he’s envisioned are uniquely original and we are so excited to team with Seven Bucks Productions and […]

ABRAHAM’S BOYS: Natasha Kermani To Adapt Action Horror Tale From Joe Hill’s Short Story

Lee B. Golden III

Got an affinity for Bram Stoker’s Dracula and fond of director Natasha Kermani? The Imitation Girl helmer’s latest, Lucky, is currently streaming on Shudder for those keen to see what the director’s applications are like as we venture onto her latest development: An adaptation of Joe Hill’s 2004 short story, Abraham’s Boys, for the big screen. The plot follows Max and Rudy Van Helsing, who know nothing of their father Abraham’s past and cannot understand his overprotective attitude and strange behavior. To make matters worse, Abraham is becoming increasingly more unhinged, paranoid, and violent. Kermani’s adaptation is set to explore the boys’ trauma through the eyes of a young Asian woman who is no stranger to death. We were fortunate to score a look at Kermani’s Lucky during its festival run for review. By comparison, I can definitely assert Kermani’s ability to increase a story’s intensity, and with a full-dive […]

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KATZENJAMMER: Stuntman/Filmmaker Eric Jacobus Outlines His New Venture With Animated Action Comedy [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Independent filmmaker Eric Jacobus is currently in early, albeit deep development with action comedy feature, Katzenjammer. The film, which was announced back in February in a since deleted Facebook post, signals a major pivot for Jacobus into the animation arena where he will apply his longtime craft in filmmaking, action and stunts for the first time. Katzenjammer will center on Lester Katz, an electric violin virtuoso bent on rescuing his childhood sweetheart, pop idol Vanessa from the evil clutches of a major studio that now claims her as its most-prized commodity. To accomplish this, he enlists the help of his adopted father, Abe, in order to infiltrate the studio by competing in its fierce audition system. In doing so, when his own burgeoning success puts him face to face with the studio’s dark underbelly, Lester must contend with his own long lost fame and recognition as an orphan, and is […]

THE ATROCITIES: ’12 Hour Shift’ Director Launches New Screen Adaptation For The Squirrels Production Outfit

Lee B. Golden III

Actress and filmmaker Brea Grant caused a stir this past year generating buzz with harrowing thrillers like 12 Hour Shift and starring in Natasha Kermani’s cyclic and nightmaring feminist home invasion romp, Lucky. As of late, Fangoria was first to report and with the rest of us now able to get the word out on her latest venture with writer/producer/director Ed Dougherty (Paint It Black, 7 Witches), optioning the rights to Jeremy C. Shipp’s horror novella The Atrocities. The move signals a launchpad for joint venture, The Squirrels, under Grant and Dougherty. The two are penning the script with Grant making her return to the director’s chair, adapting the story of “Danna, a modern-day governess who works for the elite and is summoned to Stockton House to tutor a young girl named Isabella Evers. Upon arriving, she realizes her new charge has already passed away, but the girl’s parents insist […]

BERZERKER: ‘Paskal’ And ‘Wira’ Star Hairul Azreen To Headline Ranjeet S. Marwa’s New Thriller Shooting This Summer [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Three months since the announcement of pre-production for futuristic crime thriller, Berzerker, Film Combat Syndicate can confirm the casting of Malaysian actor and action star Hairul Azreen to lead Ranjeet S. Marwa’s new film. Azreen will play Noble, an ex-con who now walks as a free man, seeking revenge on those responsible for his incarceration. Marwa himself describes the overall tone and vision of the film as a unique blend of sci-fi classic, Blade Runner, and Prachya Pinkaew’s 2003 Thai barnburner martial arts flick, Ong-Bak. Berzerker has been in pre-production since March with Marwa set to direct from a script he wrote with co-scribe Daniel White. Principal photography will begin in Birmingham this July. Manchester-based stunt professional Kiran Pandé (Redcon-1) has been on board the project since late March and will now serve as the film’s fight choreographer. Azreen is considered an A-lister among the current crop of film talents […]

BATMAN: CAPED CRUSADER Signals New Animated Series From Matt Reeves, J.J. Abrams And Bruce Timm

Lee B. Golden III

Unless you’ve had your Batman fill, there’s more to come from the world of the Dark Knight set in Gotham. HBO Max and Cartoon Network are officially in tow for a straight-to-series order for Batman: Caped Crusader, an all-new animated series and reimagining of the Batman mythology. The new animated series will be exec produced by Bruce Timm, J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation (WBA), Bad Robot Productions and 6th & Idaho. “It is always fun to feed the insatiable appetite fans have for all things Batman.” said Tom Ascheim, President, Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics (GKYAC). “Batman: Caped Crusader will entertain first time and die-hard fans alike and, with such an impressive creative team in place, we know we have another future Batman classic in the making.” Batman: Caped Crusader represents Timm’s return to the iconic DC character in animated episodic television, which began with the […]

ATTACK THE BLOCK 2: John Boyega And Joe Cornish Reteam For The Upcoming Sequel To The Cult Sci-Fi Hit

Lee B. Golden III

Director Joe Cornish and actor John Boyega are set to reteam for a sequel to their inaugural 2010 stoner sci-fi alien romp, Attack The Block. STUDIOCANAL & Film4 have reportedly confirmed the move develop and produce the new chapter with Boyega producing for UpperRoom, and Nira Park for Complete Fiction alongside Cornish and partner James Wilson. Cornish will return to the helm with his own script which will undoubtedly follow the misadventures of a trainee nurse reluctantly forced to team up with the teens who mugged her in order to survive when the gang’s later actions result in an alien onslaught that commences on their apartment block. Official details for the sequel are under wraps, according to Deadline. More from the press release: Joe Cornish comments “I’m thrilled we’re officially announcing our return to the world of ‘Attack The Block’ on the tenth anniversary of the film’s release. I can’t wait to […]

Idris Elba

STAY FROSTY: ‘Extraction’ Director Sam Hargrave Poised For Warner Bros. Assassin Vehicle, Idris Elba To Star/Produce

Lee B. Golden III

Filmmaker and stunt multi-hyphenate Sam Hargrave will direct potential action vehicle, Stay Frosty, for Warner Bros., following a successful auction bid by the studio. Upcoming The Suicide Squad actor Idris Elba will star in the pic, penned by Tyler Marceca, which is being billed as “big of a John Wick-type character in a throwback to ’80s high action Christmas movies that include Die Hard and Lethal Weapon“, according to Deadline. The film marks the latest addition to Hargrave’s workload after years of earning his stamp of stunt industry approval with numerous screen credits on both sides of the lens, partly including several Marvel Studios titles, as well as the Hunger Games franchise from Lionsgate. He made his directing debut with AGBO-produced Chris Hemsworth headliner, Extraction, which broke Netflix streaming records last year from its Spring launch, and is also in development for a sequel. After miraculously surviving a bullet to the head, a man […]

Rudy Valdez

HUMMINGBIRD: Hour Long LatinX Horror Series In The Works From Marginal MediaWorks For Amazon

Lee B. Golden III

Marginal MediaWorks has announced premium scripted series development with Hummingbird, a new horror drama that was sold to Amazon Studios in a competitive bidding situation. Primetime Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Rudy Valdez is developing Hummingbird, working closely with Marginal MediaWorks founder and CEO Sanjay Sharma, and writer Marcella Ochoa, with whom Marginal also partnered on the recently announced Blumhouse & Amazon film project “Madres.” Hummingbird is loosely inspired by Valdez’s life, and is billed as a Stephen King-style American Gothic, from the perspective of a Mexican American family living in the Midwest whose search for the American dream finds them haunted by something far more sinister. Ochoa will pen the pilot, with Valdez directing, and with both serving as executive producers alongside Sharma on the series. “We are thrilled to delve into the world of what we call Mexican Americana – a story about a family lured in by the […]

THE LAST ADVENTURES OF CONSTANCE VERITY: Fantasy Awkwafina Headliner Adds Award-Winning Director

Lee B. Golden III

Less than two years since Disney’s Raya and The Last Dragon VO actress and Crazy Rich Asians co-star Awkwafina was nabbed for the lead role in The Last Adventures Of Constance Verity, Deadline now reports the film finally has a director in award-winning helmer Atsuko Hirayanagi. A. Lee Martinez’s 2016 Saga Press publication serves as the basis speculative script by John Raffo (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story), in which we meet Constance Verity (Awkwafina), who for the last twenty-eight years has been saving the world. She’s sick of it, and so she sets off on one last adventure in order to reset her destiny and become the one thing she’s never been: ordinary. Her only problem is that saving the world is her destiny. She’s great at it, and there are forces at work to make sure she stays in the job… Then again, it’s also her destiny to have a […]

Luke Bracey

Luke Bracey and Brittany Snow to Star in BIG NICKEL

Christina Ortega

Sometimes we have regrets and sometimes we would prefer to blame others for our missteps. We should not do this, but it happens and it sounds like the premise of Tom Chilcoat’s directorial debut BIG NICKEL. Charlie (Bracey), a charismatic Army recruiter, is tasked with signing the “big fish” for a promotion. The only thing that stands in his way is a disturbed ex-vet, Erik, that Charlie convinced to enlist years before. Erik is a dangerous man with a bone to pick, and he will not be satisfied until Charlie has paid a heavy price. As the pressure mounts, Charlie is ultimately forced to reexamine his dubious methods and face a thunderous reckoning of accountability. Charlie is played by Luke Bracey who you may recognize from Point Break and Hacksaw Ridge. Also starring in this film is Brittany Snow, known for her roles in The Pacifier and John Tucker Must […]

SHIN KAMEN RIDER Announced With ‘Shin Godzilla’ And ‘Shin Ultraman’ Writer To Direct

Lee B. Golden III

Fresh from the beltway around the ceremonial Kamen Rider 50th Anniversary Project Unveiling on Saturday, a new feature installment of the Kamen Rider franchise was announced by way of a teaser art reveal for Shin Kamen Rider, from writer/director Hideaki Anno. The project reportedly began developing the project six years ago, in the wake of his recent collaborative success with filmmaker Shinji Higuchi on Shin Godzilla, with the only hitch thusfar being the pandemic. Anno, who is no stranger to tokusatsu and whose roots in animation have seen him behind behind properties like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Cutie Honey, took to the event to say the following: “Five decades ago, almost every grade school boy was enthralled by the life-size hero Kamen Rider. I was no exception. I launched this project out of the desire to give back a little for the great gifts I received from the TV shows five […]

SEVENTEEN: ‘Kubo And The Two Strings’ Helmer’s Studio Expands Into Live Action For Adaptation Of Upcoming Novel

Lee B. Golden III

Filmmaker Travis Knight’s LAIKA, the studio behind Academy Award-nominated animated films such as Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings and Missing Link, is expanding into live-action with Seventeen, after securing the rights in an intense bidding war on Wednesday. The project is based on the upcoming novel by acclaimed screenwriter John Brownlow (The Minaturist, Sylvia). “For the past 15 years, LAIKA has been committed to making movies that matter,” says Knight, LAIKA President & CEO. “Across mediums and genres, our studio has fused art, craft, and technology in service of bold, distinctive, and enduring stories. With Seventeen, LAIKA is taking that philosophy in an exciting new direction.” “Seventeen is a stiff cocktail of wicked wit, exhilarating action, and raw emotion,” Knight continues. “John has such a wonderfully unique voice. He’s crafted a brilliant universe with its own powerful identity. Seventeen is a thriller with soul, a sinuous […]

‘Exiled: The Chosen Ones’ Director Revamps Crime Thriller, BERZERKER, Filming In June [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

The past fifteen months have seen misses rather than hits for director Ranjeet S. Marwa, who’s ambitious plans for crowdfunded action thriller, Blood Rush, came to a screeching halt as the Coronavirus pandemic took center stage in the UK as it did the rest of the globe. Many productions forced to stop midway or shelved altogether, although many filmmakers and industry stalwarts instead chose to work around the current pandemic to keep the biz afloat on the market and distribution fronts, with at least some ongoing productions relegated to safety protocols to avoid scrutiny. Marwa, based in Birmingham, had met up with two cast members upon visiting Jakarta last year prior to virtually shooting independent mini-doc, Covid-19: The Impact On Asian Cinema to make use of his time during the U.K. lockdown. In the time thereafter, he chose to put his focus into the virtual markets to pitch his projects, […]

GHOSTS OF TSUSHIMA Taps ‘John Wick’ Director Chad Stahelski To Adapt The Hit Video Game

Lee B. Golden III

I’m willing to bet there’s pretty much a bigger list than a lot of us are aware of, of projects that filmmaker Chad Stahelski is, or in talks to be, attached to – in some degree or another. For each of these developments, it’s never not garnered any attention for him, long since catapulting himself in fan favor with the on-going John Wick saga which commences principal photography very soon on its fourth installment. Even news of being attached to help develop a reimagining of the hit South Korean thriller, The Man From Nowhere, hasn’t fallen deaf on the crowd, or his long-intended interest in rebooting Highlander for that matter. At this stage in the game, “a full plate” is more than understating things, and speaking of games, fans of the Sucker Punch/Sony Interactive property, Ghosts Of Tsushima, can now tack the sprawling hit period adventure onto the priority list […]