Casting

BUMILANGIT CINEMATIC UNIVERSE: Indonesia Is All-In With Volume One Of Its New Superhero Big Screen Franchise

It was on Sunday at Plaza Senyan in Jakarta that Screenplay Films and comic brand Bumilangit announced its official raft of superhero characters to be featured in the first volume of the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe. The announcement comes in the days leading up to the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Joko Anwar’s new movie, Gundala, starring Abimanya Arysatya. That film leads with its title character among a litany of heroes and villains whose stories will now be translated for their big screen in a whole series of film adaptations by several directors by 2025. These also include titles Sri Asih, Godam & Tira, Si Buta Dari Gua Hantu, Patriot Taruna, Gundala Putra Petir, Mandala Golok Setan, and Patriot. Read the talent roster on… Abimana Aryasatya as Gundala Chicco Jerikho as Godam Pevita Pearce as Sri Asih Chelsea Islan as Tira Tara Basro as Merpati Asmara Abigail as Desti Nikita […]

MORTAL KOMBAT Adds A Trio Of Kombatants To The Live-Action Film Adaptation Of Hit Fighting Game

Lee B. Golden III

Things are heating up in Outworld. THR‘s Heat Vision column is tracking further news on Mortal Kombat following Variety’s report signaling Ludi Lin for the role of Liu Kang. Newcome actress Sisi Stringer will tackle the role of Mileena while actors Mehcad Brooks (CW’s Supergirl) and actor Tadanobu Asano (Ichi The Killer, Zatoichi, Thor Ragnarok), will portray Jackson “Jax” Briggs, and the God of Thunder and Earthrealm defender himself, Raiden, respectively. Jax and Mileena didn’t appear in the game franchise until the second installment from the franchise’s former banner, Midway in 1993. Both continue to be fixtures in the game universe to this day next to Raiden, one of the first seven from the first game. Asano succeeds the likes of actors Christopher Lambert and James Remar who portrayed the lighting-born deity for the 1995 and 1997 films; On the small screen, actor Jeffrey Meek played the character in television […]

MORTAL KOMBAT: Ludi Lin Tapped To Play Liu Kang For New Line Martial Arts Game Adaptation

Lee B. Golden III

Following the addition of Joe Taslim for the role of Sub-Zero, word now hails from Rebecca Davis at Variety with talk of actor Ludi Lin for the role of Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat from Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema. Captured by martial arts champion and actor Ho Sung-Pak, Liu Kang is one of seven original characters that emerged in the game’s 1992 launch from former banner, Midway. The character is known as an exiled Shaolin Monk who ventures into the tournament to battle evil sorceror Shang Tsung for the fate of Earth. The games’ franchise success paved the way for New Line’s own live-action films in 1995 and 1997 with actor and martial arts star Robin Shou portraying the role. Following suit, TV origin spin-off series Mortal Kombat: Conquest aired along with an animated series, while a third film never got off the ground. Years later, webseries in […]

NIGHT WOLF: Kevin Hart To Star And Produce New Twist On Superhero Genre

Lee B. Golden III

STX Entertainment’s STXfilms is continuing its partnership with actor Kevin Hart’s HartBeat Productions for high-concept superhero comedy, Night Wolf. Detective Pikachu screenwriters Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit pitched it to the studio and are developing a new twist on the superhero genre with Hart attached to star. Night Wolf follows a Meet the Parents-esque encounter where a man (Hart) meets his future father-in-law for the first time only to discover he is secretly the superhero known as the Night Wolf. Hart previously starred in The Upside, the $100 million grossing hit which STX distributed earlier this year. Night Wolf marks a third outing for both companies with the film overseen by HartBeat and by STXfilms’ SVP of Production Drew Simon. “After we acquired Night Wolf, we submitted it to Kevin Hart and the Team at HartBeat hoping they would love it as much as we did.” said Chairman of STXfilms […]

FAST 9 Adds #2 UFC Heavyweight, Francis ‘The Predator’ Ngannou

Lee B. Golden III

Francis “The Predator” Ngannou, the UFC’s #2 in the heavyweight division, is joining the ninth installment of the Fast And Furious saga according to Dino-Ray Ramos’ coverage at Deadline on Wednesday. Ngannou joins the ranks of previous MMA stars appearing in the longstanding Universal franchise like Gina Carano (Furious 6) and Ronda Rousey (Furious Seven). Details on Ngannou’s role are being kept under the hood for now along with any and all story details, save for what one might be able to derive from the current casting and summation of events from F. Gary Gray’s The Fate Of The Furious. Small recap: Gray’s film saw Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) on vacation in the Dominican Republic where renegade cyberterrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron) emerges. Cipher takes Dom’s entire life hostage, forcing him to turn on his own team as they chase him through the streets of New York and […]

SNAKE EYES: ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Star Henry Golding To Don Iconic Black Ninja Garb For G.I. Joe Spin-Off

Lee B. Golden III

Crazy Rich Asians star, actor Henry Golding is already leaving a mark on 2019 with deals for at least two action projects to be produced under his banner with DJ Films and 87 North. In the meantime, trade news is now cycling that he’s also being eyed for the title role of Snake Eyes for a new G.I. Joe spin-off that’s been in the works for some time now. Robert Schwentke (RED, Insurgent, Allegiant) is set to direct from a script by Evan Spiliotopolous (The Huntsman: Winter’s War). The spin-off is based on the popular Hasbro property that took off in the 1940s as a comic strip and spawned a franchise by 1982 that emerged in toy sales, a hit cartoon series and two live-action films to date. Snake Eyes was especially the most outstanding member of the team – one of the first to be exact: a silent ninja […]

THE IMMIGRANT: Argentina’s Juan Manuel Olmedo Boards New Martial Arts Drama, Art Camacho Attached To Direct [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Argentinian actor and martial artist Juan Manuel Olmedo is poised to team up with filmmaker Art Camacho for upcoming action drama, The Immigrant. Argentinian-born Esteban Carbajal is penning the script for this particular venture which has been brewing since around 2013. The Immigrant tells of a kind-hearted transplant from a foreign country arriving to New York City in search of a better life. Things take a downturn when he’s conned out of his money and robbed of his belongings, leaving him with only a few bucks in his pocket. After a bit of wandering, he stumbles upon an MMA club where he soon discovers a money-making opportunity as a gifted fighter. Carbajal has been a resident in North America since 1982. He met Olmedo through his casting agency in Mendoza, and it was through Olmedo that he eventually met Camacho. The plan is to rework the script for a narrative […]

LORD OF THE RINGS: Everything We Know About Amazon’s New Series So Far

Christina Ortega

The elves received three, the dwarves seven, the men nine… “One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.” Chances are, if you’re a fantasy fan, you’ve got the above epitaph memorized and you are very familiar with the tale of The Lord of the Rings, but how well do you know the story before the popular Tolkien novels? Amazon announced in 2017 that it would be adapting a Lord of the Rings show. Here’s what we know so far: We know who’s part of the creative team. Last year it was announced that J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay had been hired to write the adaptation of the J.R.R. […]

THE LAST ADVENTURE OF CONSTANCE VERITY: Awkwafina To Star In Fantasy Martial Arts Detective Novel Adaptation From Legendary

Lee B. Golden III

Trade sources are reporting that rights to A. Lee Martinez’s 2016 Saga Press publication, The Last Adventure of Constance Verity, was announced with a new home on Tuesday at Legendary Pictures. Feature film treatment is underway with the casting of actress Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell, Ocean’s Eight) from a speculative her script by John Raffo (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story). Awkwafina plays Constance Verity, 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 glorious death. Jon Silk and Jay Ashenfelter […]

TRAPHOUSE: Dave Bautista Rejoins ‘Final Score’ Team For New Action Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Signature Films, LLC has re-teamed with Dave Bautista and longtime manager Jonathan Meisner’s Dream Bros. Entertainment for new action thriller, Traphouse. The team previously partnered on the 2018 action film Final Score. Developed by Bautista with a script by Gary Scott Thompson (Universal’s Fast And Furious franchise), Traphouse centers on an undercover DEA agent and his partner who embark on a game of cat and mouse with an audacious, and surprising group of thieves: their own rebellious teenagers who have begun robbing from a dangerous Cartel, using their parents’ tactics and top-secret intel. The deal was negotiated by Signature’s Marc Goldberg and Sarah Gabriel and Fourth Wall Management’s Jon Huddle; Craig Emanuel (Paul Hastings) on behalf of Thompson; CAA and Jay Rosenthal on behalf of Dream Bros. “Traphouse is a project that we’ve been working on for years.” noted Bautista in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be working with Marc […]

ALICE IN BORDERLAND: ‘Kingdom’ Star And Director Tackle New Netflix Survival Thriller Series

Lee B. Golden III

Netflix is announcing an all-new original series with Alice In Borderland, based on Haro Aso’s popular manga reteaming Kingdom star and director, actor Kento Yamazaki and celebrated director Shinsuke Sato. Also starring is actress Tao Tsuchiya who last paired with Sato for 2015’s Library Wars: The Last Mission. Yamazaki will play Alice, an aimless, jobless videogame addict who finds himself swept into a desolate version of Tokyo with his two best friends when a strange light appears. They soon discover they must fight for their lives, competing in one dangerous game after another in order to survive with the help of extraordinary climber, Usagi, played by Tsuchiya. Aso’s thrilling life-or-death game manga originally published in 2010 and onward from Shonen Sunday Super/Weekly Shonen Sunday. Sato is best known for hits like The Princess Blade, The Library Wars trilogy, Gantz, Bleach and Inuyashiki and now takes to a limited U.S. theatrical […]

HALO: Upcoming Showtime TV Adaptation Adds Natascha McElhone, Bokeem Woodbine And More

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Pablo Schreiber’s upcoming stint with sci-fi action series drama, Halo, is hailing a larger cast list as of Friday. The series will be based on the hit xBox game franchise and now signals acclaimed actress Natascha McElhone (Designated Survivor, Californication), Emmy nominee Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo), acclaimed Indian actress Shabana Azmi (Fire), Bentley Kalu (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Natasha Culzac (The Witcher) and Kate Kennedy (Catastrophe). Halo comes from Showtime and 343 Industries, along with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin TV. Production launches later this year in Budapest for a 2021 premiere with Schreiber retaining his lead role as Master Chief Spartan John-117. As Showtime elucidates, McElhone take on the dual roles of both enigmatic, smart and conflicted Dr. Catherine Halsey – creator of the Spartan supersoldier program, and Cortana, the most advanced AI in human history, and potentially the key to the survival of the human race. Woodbine joins in as […]

SWEET GIRL: Jason Momoa Rejoins ‘Braven’, ‘Frontier’ Producer For Netflix Revenge Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Jason Momoa‘s got a little bit of time before dipping into an Aquaman sequel. Indeed he’ll be using some of it reuniting with Frontier series exec producer and Braven producer Brian Andrew Mendoza for Sweet Girl at Netflix. Mendoza will debut in the chair this time helming a revenge thriller that sees Momoa as a widower out to avenge his wife’s death whilst protecting the only family he has left — his daughter. Gregg Hurwitz and Philip Eisner penned the script prior to its latest draft from Will Staples. Momoa and Mendoza are producing next to Brad Peyton (San Andreas) and will be rejoined by Frontier producers ASAP Entertainment’s Jeff Fierson. Martin Kistler (On the Roam) will exec produce. “I’m excited to partner with Netflix once again. I’m putting a dream team together from Brad and Jeff to my best friend, Brian, who has been my partner for over ten […]

KUNG FURY 2: Now Filming, ‘X-Men’ Actress Joins Cast

Lee B. Golden III

Production is reportedly underway in Bulgaria for Kung Fury 2 according to Amanda N’Duka’s scoop at Deadline. Cameras are also expected to roll in Germany while word also brings that Alexandra Shipp is joining the cast of the feature-length sequel to the crowdfunded hit 2015 short from star/writer/director/producer David Sandberg. N’Duka’s report confirms the former X-Men franchise actress will replace Baby Driver co-star Eiza Gonzalez for the role of Rey Porter, a news anchor who will do anything to get the best story. That story ultimately culminates in the city of Miami in 1985 where our hero as he leads the Thundercops, the ultimate police force assembled from across history to defeat Adolf Hitler. The plot thickens when one of their own is killed and as the team disbands, a mysterious villain surfaces to aid the Führer’s quest to attain the ultimate weapon. Now, the greatest damn cop of all […]

Jonathan Majors to star in THE HARDER THEY FALL

THE HARDER THEY FALL: Jeymes Samuel’s Revenge Drama Casts Jonathan Majors

Lee B. Golden III

Jonathan Majors (When We Rise, Hostiles, Captive State) will lead the cast for multifaceted artist Jeymes Samuel’s directorial debut, The Harder They Fall. Samuel, a singer/songwriter/producer a.k.a. The Bullitts, will helm a story that sees Majors in the role of Nat Love, an outlaw who reunites with his gang to take out the man who killed his parents 20 years ago. Samuel reunites with JAY-Z to produce following their collaborative soundtrack work on Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. James Lassiter and Lawrence Bender also produce. Majors will next appear in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods on Netflix in 2020, and later this year in Max Wrinkler’s bareknuckle drama, Jungleland.

THE OLD GUARD: ‘M:I – Fallout’, ‘Street Fighter’ Actor Joey Ansah Joins Netflix/Skydance Novel Adaptation

Lee B. Golden III

I am told by a source close to production that actor Joey Ansah will next appear in director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Netflix graphic novel adaptation, The Old Guard. The Charlize Theron-headliner is based on the titular novel series created by author Greg Rucka and illustrator Leandro Fernández. The Old Guard tells the story of a small covert group of immortal mercenaries led by weary assassin, Andy (Theron). Still, the group must fight to keep their team together when they discover the existence of a new immortal and their extraordinary abilities are exposed. Details on Ansah’s role are unclear. His credits include The Bourne Ultimatum, Snow White and The Huntsman, Green Street 3: Never Back Down, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and Aladdin. He is also a director and actor best known for his prolific efforts at shepherding webseries/feature fighting game adaptation, Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist, and go90 miniseries, Street Fighter: Resurrection. The […]

THE LAST DUEL: Ridley Scott To Direct 14th Century Revenge Novel Adaptation, Affleck And Damon To Star

Lee B. Golden III

Mike Fleming Jr. is reporting at Deadline with an exclusive on director Ridley Scott’s latest efforts to fast-track an adaptation of Eric Jager’s 2004 novel, “The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France”. The film will be titled The Last Duel, which Scott will also produce at Scott Free with partner Kevin Walsh. Actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck will star, and are producing via their Pearl Street banner, as well as writing the script with Nicole Holofcener. The film takes place in 14th century France and focused its dark and violent tale on Norman knight Jean de Carrouges who returns from war and learns his wife, Marguerite de Carrouges, has been raped by former friend, squire Jacques Le Gris, who denies the allegations. No one believes de Carrouges wife for whom the paternity of her pregnancy is now in question. Following an appeal to […]

SDCC 2019: Marvel Hails BLADE Reboot Prospects With Mahershala Ali

Lee B. Golden III

For years fans wondered if or when actor Wesley Snipes would reclaim the role of hit comic book action horror franchise, Blade. On Saturday night, the conversation changed drastically at SDCC with the announcement of actor Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Alita Battle Angel) set to star. Visually upgraded from its 1973 comic book likeness by author Marv Wolfman and illustrator Gene Colan, the Blade franchise took off in 1998 under director Stephen Norrington with Snipes starring in the title role, a modern day dhampir (a semi-human with vampire genes) waging a vengeful age-old one-man war against vampires. Snipes produced all three films with Guillermo del Toro sitting in for the 2002 sequel, Blade 2, while franchise screenwriter David S. Goyer sat in for the third, Blade: Trinity (2004), which suffered more critically and controversially despite the trilogy’s overall commercial success. Following the character’s short stint in a live-action TV and seperate […]

SDCC 2019: SHANG-CHI Gets Its Star, Title And 2021 Release Date

Lee B. Golden III

Marvel is officially announcing a February 12, 2021 for Daniel Deston Cretton’s Marvel adaptation, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Adding to Saturday’s fervor over at Marvel’s Hall H panel with Kevin Feige at San Diego Comic Con is the official casting of actor Simu Liu (Kim’s Convenience) for the title role. Specific plot details remain pending whilst Dave Callaham (The Expendables trilogy, Wonder Woman 1984) pens the script. The Hu’nan province-born superhuman, versatile martial arts hero, among several incarnations hailing as the brainchild of creators Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, launched in 1973 in time for the kung fu craze brought on by the popularity of Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon. Also starring will be Crazy Rich Asians actress Akwafina and The Grandmaster star Tony Leung Ka-Fai who will portray the re al Mandarin in place of Ben Kingsley who portrayed an imposter in Iron Man […]

KATE Adds Woody Harrelson For Netflix Action Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Cathy Yan’s Birds Of Prey is well on the way for Mary Elizabeth Winstead who still has Netflix in her sights with upcoming action thriller, Kate. She’ll be joined by three-time Academy Award Nominee Woody Harrelson (The Highwaymen, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Solo: A Star Wars Story) for the Cedric Nicolas-Troyan-directed film. Umair Aleem wrote the script which centers on a ruthless criminal operative who has less than 24 hours to exact revenge on her enemies after being irreversibly poisoned. In the process forms an unexpected bond with the daughter of one of her past victims. Bryan Unkeless (I, Tonya, Bright, Birds of Prey), Kelly McCormick (Deadpool 2, the upcoming Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw) and Patrick Newall (Dhaka, The Old Man And The Gun) are producing with David Leitch and Scott Morgan exec producing. Stunt multi-hypenate Jonathan Eusebio (John Wick franchise, upcoming Birds of Prey, Black […]