Casting
THE ASTRONAUT Teases Kate Mara In New Still From Jess Varley’s Upcoming Sci-Fi
Actress Kate Mara (A Teacher) can now be seen in a first look above at Jess Varley’s (Phobias), making her solo writing and directorial debut, The Astronaut. The new sci-fi thriller also stars Laurence Fishburne (John Wick films, The Matrix trilogy) and Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate, “The Last Of Us”).
DEEP WATER: Aaron Eckhart Toplines Renny Harlin Survival Thriller Launching In Berlin From Arclight
Actors Aaron Eckhart (The Bricklayer, The Dark Knight) and Sir Ben Kingsley (Spider In The Web, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) are tapped to star in Deep Water, a new epic survial thriller from director Renny Harlin lauching at EFM from Arclight Films.
New KARATE KID Movie Casts ‘American Born Chinese’ Star Ben Wang
Actor Ben Wang is taking the mantle in Jonathan Entwistle’s forthcoming installment of the Karate Kid franchise, according to THR’s Borys Kit. The announcement comes following a global casting call that kicked off last November, spearheaded by actors Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, with reportedly 10,000 candidates showing up in the first 24 hours.
ICE FALL: Myers, Kinnaman Topline New Thriller From ‘The Counterfeiters’ Director; Arclight Takes World Sales
Joel Kinnaman (The Suicide Squad, Silent Night) and Cara Jade Myers (Killers of the Flower Moon) are set to star in Ice Fall. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Stefan Ruzowitzky (The Counterfeiters, Deadfall, Netflix’s “Barbarians”) will direct from a script by George Mahaffey (upcoming Chief of Station).
AFTERBURN: Red 5 Comic Adaptation Lands Dave Bautista, J.J. Perry To Direct
In an update six years in the making, Day Shift helmer J.J. Perry has been announced to adapt Red 5 Comic publication, Afterburn for the big screen. Perry replaces Carter and The Villainess director Jung Byung-gil who was previously attached to direct the film which at the time cast Fallen franchise star Gerard Butler.
KUNG FU Taps Donnie Yen To Lead The Universal/87 North Martial Arts Film Reboot
Classic TV series Kung Fu had long been in the works for a remake/reboot of some kind until the CW network landed its own iteration starring actress Olivia Liang for a three season run. That show is streaming on Max and my reaction is here if you’re curious, while the word from Deadline is that Donnie Yen has been tapped to star in the project which has since moved to Universal Pictures and David Leitch and Kelly McCormick’s 87 North.
ECHO 8 Trilogy: Casting Call Underway For ‘Five By Five’ And ‘Beyond’ Through February
Film duo Maria Tran and Takashi Hara are kicking off principal photography in Q1 2025 for the back-to-back production of the sequels to the independently produced Australian noir action psych thriller, Echo 8. A casting call is now underway with submissions to be sent by February 8.
WITH LOVE: Stunt Pro Jonathan Eusebio To Debut Direct Ke Huy Quan Actioner For Universal, 87North
It will be a while before we learn the details of what lies ahead but it is confirmed that Oscar-winning actor Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All At Once) has booked his next starring gig in With Love, a new action film out of Universal Pictures and 87North. Industry stunt coordinator and second unit director Jonathan Eusebio (300, John Wick franchise, The Matrix Resurrections, Violent Night) will make his feature directing debut from a script being penned by Luke Passmore following up on an original script by Josh Stoddard (Warrior, Kaleidoscope) and Matthew Murray, according to Deadline.
News Briefs: A24 Tackles MMA Biopic, White Returns In TROUBLE MAN, Kodansha’s ORIGIN Brewing, NORYANG This Friday, And More!
• Following news broken in 2019, Dwayne Johnson will play Mark Kerr, confirming a new biopic based on the no holds barred era of the UFC fighter’s career. The film will be directed by Uncut Gems helmer Benny Safdie who reunites with A24 for the project. (Deadline)
LONDON CALLING: Josh Duhamel, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Rick Hoffman And More Join Highland Action Comedy Underway In South Africa
Production is underway in South Africa with Josh Duhamel (Shotgun Wedding), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Warner Bros.’ It franchise), and Rick Hoffman (USA Network’s “Suits”) set to star in action comedy, London Calling. The film additionally reunites Duhamel with Bandit helmer Allan Ungar who is reuniting with Duhamel, with a script by Oscar-nominated Omer Levin Menekse and Quinn Wolfe.
[UPDATED] New KARATE KID Movie Casts Ralph Macchio And Jackie Chan Ahead Casting Call For Lead Star: ‘The Global Search Starts Now!’
12:42pm: A previous version of this article has been updated with director and writer information, and a studio release date
WARPATH: Iko Uwais Reteams With ‘Beyond Skyline’ Helmer Liam O’Donnell For New Sci-Fi Action Adventure [EXCLUSIVE]
Actor and action star Iko Uwais is tapped for the lead role in the tentatively titled Warpath, from director Liam O’Donnell (Beyond Skyline, Portals). The film will rejoin both star and director following their previous collaboration on 2017’s sci-fi sequel, Beyond Skyline, with Frank Grillo and Yayan Ruhian.
PANDA PLAN Revealed In Tokyo As Next Jackie Chan Action Adventure
Panda Plan is the name of the next Jackie Chan headlining action adventure, previously touted in August as “Project P” following suit from the actor’s rollicking 1983 Golden Harvest hit, Project A, and its 1987 sequel.
ALICE IN BORDERLAND: Netflix Signals Season Three Of The Hit Fantasy Action Survival Series
Netflix has greenlit a third season of hit series Alice In Borderland, just a few days after teasing the news on social media. Casting details are currently unknown apart from the returns of series regulars Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya in their respective roles.
THE ASTRONAUT: Highland Launches Sales As October Sci-Fi Shoot Adds Cast
Production is set to kick off in Ireland next month under SAG-AFTRA’s interim agreement for sci-fi thriller The Astronaut which just added (A Teacher, The Martian, “House of Cards”) and Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate, “The Last Of Us”), and Laurence Fishburne (John Wick films, The Matrix trilogy). Jess Varley (Phobias) will debut-direct the pic per announcements over the weekend out of Toronto’s TIFF market.
OFFICER BLACK BELT Announced As Latest Netflix Action Comedy Flick From Hit ‘Bloodhounds’ Series Director
On the count that as you’re reading this then you’re already familiar with the hit Netflix series “Bloodhounds”, be advised to take director Jason Kim’s next offering into consideration as casting is announced for Officer Black Belt, with Kim Woo-bin (Alienoid) and Kim Sung-kyun (Seoul Vibe).
Timo Tjahjanto Returns With Action Thriller THE SHADOW STRAYS For Netflix
If you’re bewildered any about what director Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes For Us, Headshot) is up to these days, I totally get it. I reckon as much that we can just about deduce all of his priorities down to the project he has at his disposal following his deal with Netflix, and for all intents and purposes, it’s been a worthwhile journey to follow.
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