In-Development

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Z-Team Films Extends THE HUNT: SAVAGE WITHIN Indiegogo Deadline Through Mid-September

The team behind the current Indiegogo campaign for female-fronted sci-fi action thriller, The Hunt: Savage Within, is announcing a thirty-day extension as of Wednesday. Initial crowdfunding for the project launched on July 21 before hitting a $4,000 milestone – less than half of the current goal which is $10,000, but still stipulates a considerable threshold for the project according to writer/director Fabien Garcia. “As we’ve stated in our earlier messaging, every dollar counts, as does every share of our campaign to each of your circles and networks of friends and acquiantances.” he says. “This is progress, especially considering it has only been only a month, and so we invite you to take this amazing opportunity and share in the momentum, and help keep spreading the word until we reach our finish line.” Garcia marks his hopeful sophomore debut at the helm with The Hunt: Savage Within, in an effort to […]

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Chad Stahelski

ARCANA: ‘Predators’ Writers Set ‘Gritty Urban Fantasy’ At Lionsgate, Chad Stahelski To Direct

Chad Stahelski has a great thing going with Lionsgate following the success of the John Wick franchise thusfar. He’s got television AND feature spin-off in the works, on top of two more back-to-back movies to culminate the hitman pentalogy, in addition to a new incarnation of Highlander, AND he’s producing a new take on CJ’s The Man From Nowhere for New Line. His prospects continue to grow this week and Mike Fleming Jr. at Deadline reveals one such property in Arcana, described as “a gritty urban fantasy set in the hidden world of magical clans”. Predators writing duo Michael Finch and Alex Litvak wrote the spec script which is now in the hands of the studio, and will exec produce; Stahelski will produce out of 87Eleven Entertainment with Jason Spitz and Alex Young will produce. More at Deadline. Photo: Anna Hanks/Wikimedia Commons

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KNIGHT RIDER Movie On The Way With James Wan And Spyglass Media Producing

As of this week, James Wan is reportedly in the mix to join Spyglass Media Group’s latest developmental efforts to finally bring the hit action series, Knight Rider, to the big screen. The report cites that Wan will produce the new film with Atomic Monster partner Michael Clear, from a script by Ratchet & Clank video game franchise writer T.J. Fixman. Judson Scott will exec produce. Featuring actor and 80s hunk David Hasselhoff, the original Knight Rider series aired in 1982 and ran for four seasons, centered on Michael Long, an ex-soldier and former cop. Rescued by a billionaire philanthropist, Long is given facial reconstructive surgery, a new set of hi-tech wheels known as KITT, and a new lease on life as Michael Knight, an agent for the secret crime-fighting organization, the Foundation for Law and Government (FLAG). Other incarnations of the series arose in the years that followed, including […]

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JOHN WICK: Lionsgate Adds A Fifth Chapter To The Hitman Saga

The trades are all reporting and confirming that Keanu Reeves will shoot the next two installments of the John Wick franchise next year, thus adding a fifth to the hit action franchise that launched in 2014. The fourth was announced last May after an impressive first weekend in theaters, initially slated for a May 21, 2021 date which has since been moved to May 27, 2022. Production details remain pending, while presumably, Chad Staheski will return to the director’s chair. The news comes following Wednesday’s festive headlines iterating Stahelski’s involvement as a producer through 87Eleven Entertainment with CJ E&M for New Line’s upcoming revisal of hit Korean action classic, The Man From Nowhere. Derek Kolstad wrote the project, as he’s done for the entire John Wick trilogy thusfar, in addition to his current involvment with the development of spin-off series, The Continental. Reeves is now shooting a fourth installment of […]

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THE MAN FROM NOWHERE: Chad Stahelski Boards Remake To Produce For New Line, CJ

Stunt honcho and filmmaker Chad Stahelski, and screenwriter Derek Kolstad, have had eyes on a number of film projects ever since the current trilogy success of Lionsgate’s hitman film franchise, John Wick. For this, it was back in November 2018 when Kolstad was tapped to pen a remake of Lee Jeong-beom’s 2010 Korean blockbuster, The Man From Nowhere, for New Line Cinema. This was a few years after New Line acquired the rights long after the rights lapsed from Dimension who snagged it in 2012 with Shawn Christensen (Curfew) announced to write. Fast forward to 2020 and with a fourth installment of the John Wick franchise currently on hiatus and Stahelski tentatively progressing with developments a revisal for Highlander, the word now from Justin Kroll at Deadline is that Stahelski is now on board in a producer capacity. Stahelski and Jason Spitz will produce for 87Eleven Entertainment next to CJ […]

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PERFECT ADDICTION: Hit Claudia Tan Novel Sets Up At Constantin Film And JB Pictures For New Romantic Revenge Boxing Drama

Rights to Claudia Tan’s award-winning Wattpad publication, Perfect Addiction, is now in the hands of Constantin Film who announced acquisition on Tuesday. Stephanie Sanditz (Infernal Devices, Beautiful Bastard, FX series Pyramid) is set to pen the script for a film that Constantin says “balances a Rocky-esque underdog story and a salacious romance in a sexy and gripping package”. Perfect Addiction will center on Sienna Lane, a boxing trainer who plot to get even with her cheating boyfriend, reigning boxing champion Jax, by training his arch-nemesis, the dark, moody, and secretive MMA vet, Kayden. Between her technical prowess and his umatched potential, their reluctant partnership gradually turns into a chemistry and intensity they can’t contain within the ring, and they don’t want to. The novel itself has accumulated over 81 million reads. Jeremy Bolt at JB Pictures and Constantin Film’s Robert Kulzer (Resident Evil franchise, Polar, upcoming Monster Hunter) are circling […]

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Splinter Cell

SPLINTER CELL: ‘John Wick’ Screenwriter To Steer New Animated Adaptation For Netflix

It’s been eight years since Ubisoft property, Splinter Cell, began circling the internets and teasing a live action adaptation with Tom Hardy in the Sam Fisher role, whilst changing several hands between producers and writers. As of Thursday, the IP now sits in the throes of a new animated series in a deal that reportedly signals a 16-episode/2-season order at Netflix, according to Variety’s Joe Otterman. Screenwriter Derek Kolstad (John Wick franchise, Die Hart) will pen the series and exec produce. Splinter Cell is a highly successful game franchise since launching in 2002, with central focus on Splinter Cell follows protagonist Sam Fisher, a highly-trained special operative in a fictional black-ops sub-division, “Echelon”. Weapons of choice are typically all cutting-edge tech which amplify his combat readiness as he battles the world’s terroristic threats on a covert basis. Netflix will be announcing more on this in due time, but if you […]

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RUB & TUG: Our Lady J To Pen Pilot For Crime Drama Series Based On The Life And Times Of Transgeder Crime Boss Dante “Tex” Gill

It’s been a few years since the kerfuffle pertaining to Scarlett Johansson’s casting in reunion with Ghost In The Shell adaptation helmer Rupert Sanders’s incarnation of Rub & Tug, based on untold true story of Dante “Tex” Gill. Fast forward to 2020, and with word that the film is now being refashioned as a television drama, the same goes for its overall treatment with word that Emmy-nominated writer and producer Our Lady J (Transparent, Pose) is penning the pilot for New Regency, with Dark Castle and Material Pictures producing. A trans performer will be cast for the role of Gill, based on journalist and author Brendan Koerner’s research and coverage of Pittsburgh’s Massage Parlor War of the 1970s. Koerner is consulting on the series along with Gill’s widow, Cindy Bruno Gill. Sam Hanson and Ed Rubin will run point for New Regency Television International, with Ethan Erwin and Hal Sadoff […]

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CROSS: Son Ye-Jin, Lee Sun-Kyun, Sam Worthington To Star In New Dystopian Class Warfare Sci-Fi From ‘In Time’ Director

Long since his development efforts in the 1990s with ambitious sci-fi thriller, Cross, it looks as if filmmaker Andrew Niccol will finally get to move forward. According to Pierce Conran at Kobiz, actress Son Ye-jin (The Pirates, The Negotiation) and Lee Sun-kyun (Parasite, Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage), will headline the film with actor Sam Worthington (Avatar franchise). Exact plot details are underwraps but the story is set in a diverse, albeit dystopian country where the lives of the rich and the poor are separated by a giant border wall that appearently no one is allowed to cross. Son and Worthington will take on the respective roles of the impoverished and rich residents on opposite sides, with Lee cast as the ruthless head of border security. A March 2021 start date is reportedly being set with scenes to be shot on location in Korea as well. Judging by the premise, […]

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Stan Sakai’s SAMURAI RABBIT: THE USAGI CHRONICLES In The Works From Netflix

I actually have a lot to catch up on in anime. I’m currently in the middle of Megalo Box on Netflix and plan to hopefully watch the latest season of Baki, as well as BNA provided I get the time to, and it’s still good to know that Netflix isn’t running out of content anytime soon. As the streamer announced on Wednesday, they’re teaming up with Gaumont for the production of Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles, a new comedy-action CGI animated series inspired by the globally successful 35-year-old award-winning comic book, Usagi Yojimbo, from auteur, six-time Eisner award winner, Haxter award recipient and 2016’s Best Cartoonist Harvey Award winner, Stan Sakai. The series takes place in the far future, set in a world that mixes modern high-tech images with classic Japanese references. It follows the teenage Rabbit Samurai Yuichi, descendent of the great warrior Miyamoto Usagi, on his epic quest […]

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LEGACY: ‘Bourne-Style’ Action Thriller In The Works From Village Roadshow And Phantom Four

Following last year’s reported deal on STX films actioner, Rogue, Deadline is reporting on a new action film in development titled Legacy. The project is being housed at Village Roadshow Pictures with T.J. Fixman partnering with Phantom Four Films. The film is hailed as an original idea by Fixman, who is best known for penning the Ratchet & Clank video game franchise. It is being described as “a character-driven action film, “in the vein of The Bourne Identity” and centers on “an enigmatic man who sets out to disrupt a powerful underworld run by the 1 percent.” A Bourne-style actioner where the hero battles the rich sounds like a fine setup for a worthwhile story, though I’m curious as to what the particulars are. Plus, I’m pretty sure that close to anyone who’s seen the last four Bourne movies is well aware of how unacceptable that specific treatment of action […]

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THE HUNT: SAVAGE WITHIN Kicks Its Way Online With A Campaign Teaser

It’s T-minus eleven days and counting until the fundraising pitch launches for The Hunt: Savage Within, the newest endeavor in sci-fi and action from Die Fighting duo Fabien Garcia and Lohan Buson. We first broke the news about the film back in February, and Garcia and his team, along with producing partner Christine Gorchon, have been hard at work tightening and tweaking the forthcoming fundraising campaign. Now the clock starts, and it’s only the latest development we hope can spur into reality given the kind of work Z-Team Films is provenly capable of, and just how much the niche approves. Check out the sizzle teaser and stick around, because this is gonna get exciting AF.

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THE BATMAN (2021)

THE BATMAN Is Getting An HBO Max Spin-Off Series From Matt Reeves

HBO Max is readying yet another addition to the collection of spin-off shows in the Batman franchise. It doesn’t have a title yet, but Friday’s announcement from the streamer describes it as “an original DC drama set in the Gotham City police department”, set in the same universe as the upcoming film, The Batman, from director Matt Reeves. The groundbreaking television series to be written by Winter is set in the world Reeves is creating for The Batman feature film and will build upon the motion picture’s examination of the anatomy of corruption in Gotham City, ultimately launching a new Batman universe across multiple platforms. The series provides an unprecedented opportunity to extend the world established in the movie and further explore the myriad of compelling and complex characters of Gotham. This marks the first television project for Reeves under his recently announced overall deal with the Warner Bros. Television […]

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Donnie Yen

Donnie Yen Awakens SLEEPING DOGS, Advances GOLDEN EMPIRE With ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Producer

The trades confirmed two new projects on the way for actor Donnie Yen, on Tuesday. The first will be Sleeping Dogs, an adaptation of the Square Enix game which launched in 2012, followed by a remastered version in 2014. Yen, who teased the project on Instagram this week, will star as Wei Shan, an undercover cop transferred to Hong Kong to infiltrate the Triads. Neal Moritz (Fast and Furious franchise) is still attached to produce the pic alongside DJ2 Entertainment. Director and cast additions remain pending. One report, an exclusive from Deadline’s Andreas Wiseman and Tom Grater, also announced Golden Empire, which sees Yen as “a notorious drug kingpin who hits the top of the most wanted list for both the U.S. and Mexican governments”. The film hails from Starlight Media and SA Inc., with Starlight’s CEO Peter Luo (Midway, Crazy Rich Asians) also producing the film. “The talents of […]

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Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt Boards David Leitch’s BULLET TRAIN For Sony

The trades on Monday confirmed Oscar-winning Once Upon A Time In Hollywood actor Brad Pitt’s latest attachment to star in Bullet Train, an adaptation of a Japanese novel, to be directed by Fast And Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw director David Leitch. Based on the popular Japanese book Maria Beetle by Kotaro Isaka, the story follows five assassins who find themselves on a fast moving bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka with only a few stops in between. Strangely, they discover their missions are not unrelated to each other. Per THR and Deadline, Leitch is also on script supervision detail with Fear Street writer Zak Olkewicz putting pen to paper. The Atomic Blonde helmer will also be joined by Kelly McCormick in producing the pic via their 87North banner, along with Antoine Fuqua and Kat Samick. CTB Inc.’s own Ryosuke Saegusa and Yuma Terada, who represent Isaka as well as […]

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Solstice Studios Warms Up For Action Thriller, SHADOW RUN

Next to Split Second, Manhunt, Mind Fall and the upcoming start date for Robert Rodruguez’s Hypnotic, action thriller Shadow Run will be reportedly on deck to join the line-up for Solstice Studios. The company will soon be rolling out Russell Crowe thriller, Unhinged, beginning July 31 just as select theaters begin to reopen after months of shutdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Shadow Run tells the story of a CIA agent who devoted five years of his life to capturing the Russian spy who killed his wife. His triumph turns into a nightmare when he’s told that, not only is America trading the spy away – but he’s been assigned to make the swap. Now he’s stuck with his mortal enemy on an off-the-books “shadow run” where nothing happens as planned and everyone is trying to kill them. Deadline‘s Anthony D’Alessandro reports the company is partnering with Original Film (Fast […]

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David Leitch

BULLET TRAIN Manga Adaptation Makes Way For David Leitch To Direct At Sony

It’s not as if Hollywood hasn’t had its few bright spots in the world of manga adaptations, even in a sea rife with stinkers. Given the right director, there’s always hope, and without fail, there’s no question that the successes of director David Leitch speak louder than words when it comes to thrilling audiences. He’s got prospects nowadays at Sony Pictures with Bullet Train, an adaptation of Isaka Kotaro’s 2010 manga publication from Kadokawa Shoten, Maria Beetle. Leitch will helm from a script he is overseeing from Fear Street writer Zak Olkewicz. According to THR, Bullet Train tells of “a group of hitmen and assassins with conflicting motives on a train in Tokyo”. Apart from all this and more, and unless you’ve read the manga or have any production insight, specific plot details are unknown. Leitch, best known for bringing heavy-hitting Hollywood action to life a la John Wick, Deadpool […]

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Independent UK Martial Arts Drama THE MAN FROM THE MOUNTAIN In The Works At Lost Boys Films [EXCLUSIVE]

Independent filmmaker Michael Hoad is developing The Man From The Mountain, signaling his move into feature film territory for his Lost Boys Films independent banner. The film is billed as an ode to late 80s fish-out-of-water action movies and British crime stories, with heavy influences from Korean noire cinema, and odd-couple buddy features. Hoad is now a year-and-a-half into the project, and currently has two rising talents on board: actor and stunt performer Jon Xue Zhang and actor Serhat Metin. Soner Metin will serve as cinematographer. Zhang will star as Chen, a Chinese warrior monk who emerges from mountain-top isolation, arriving to London upon receiving an urgent letter from his long lost sister. Metin will tackle the role of Dillon, a struggling comic book artist with problems of his own. The two discover each other during their unrelenting quest as they tread through London’s seedy underbelly, confronting ruthless gangsters and […]

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HAPPY FAMILY: New Martial Arts Comedy Now In The Works From The Team Behind ‘My Asian Auntie’ And ‘Yes, Auntie!’ [EXCLUSIVE]

Filmmaking duo Joey Min and Stephanie Pham are currently in development with Happy Family, a new feature martial arts comedy next in line from their Art School Dropouts independent film banner. Plot details are currently under wraps, though the film is being billed as “a martial arts action comedy film for the family”, with “a twist on the modern hero origin story, while adding cultural elements, comedy and old-school Hong Kong style action scenes”. Min, founder and senior director of Art School Dropouts, will also join Pham on the acting side. Both are especially fluent in martial arts as they are in their film craft; Min is experienced in Shaolin Kung Fu, and Pham is a champion Taekwondo medalist who has twice repped the U.S. on the competitive circuit. Further casting details are pending as the company aims for a now early 2021 shoot, after scaling back from a late […]

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KINGDOM - cast

Shinsuke Sato Inherits A KINGDOM Sequel!

Buried in all the terrible goings-on of news in the world in the last few weeks, at least one gem came to pass and just recently made my way with word that a sequel has been greenlit to follow-up Bleach helmer Shinsuke Sato’s hit manga adaptation, Kingdom. The official website presented an illustration from Kingdom creator, mangaka Yasuhisa Hara, to signal the sequel, formalizing the return of actors Kento Yamazaki and Ryō Yoshizawa, and actress Kanna Hashimoto to reprise their roles. Indeed, Sato himself, whose work I’ve enjoyed since The Princess Blade with Yumiko Shaku years ago, will return to the helm. Sequel details are pending, although those who are more apt to the franchise may have an idea for what may come after Sato’s intricate and sweeping Warring States Period story, about a young war orphan destined to become a hero following the death of his best friend. Designed […]

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