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Deadpool 2

DEADPOOL 3 Taps ‘Bob’s Burgers’ Writers

Lee B. Golden III

Deadpool 3 is still in its nascency following its confirmation of development with Marvel by Ryan Reynolds late last year. Nevertheless, Justin Kroll’s latest exclusive at Deadline is nothing short of a sparkling reminder that the film is insofar definitely happening, with word that sibling scribe duo Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin and Wendy Molyneux (Bob’s Burgers, animated comedy “The Great North,”) have been tapped to write the next installment. The franchise has been a major box office success up to this point with Tim Miller and David Leitch directing the 2016 and 2018 films, respectively, with Ryan Reynolds staking his claim as the titular merc-with-a-mouth based on Rob Liefield’s longstanding hit comic book creation. Reynolds is also a producer on the pic, and though a director still yet to be attached, the Molyneuxes’ involvement ought to serve as a nice little stocking stuffer going into the Holiday season for Deadpool fans. It also […]

HBO Max

HBO Max Briefs: DMZ In The Works; THE LAST OF US Ordered To Series

Lee B. Golden III

This week’s seen a fantastic growth of news for HBO Max subscribers, the latest two of which include current development of DC/Vertigo adaptation, DMZ, and Friday’s announcement of a series take based on the hit video game, The Last Of Us. Production is set to commence next year for a four part adaptation of DMZ, based on the 2005 Vertigo/DC publication, marking the latest milestone since its planned development first landed at SyFy in 2014. DMZ is set in the near future where America is embroiled in a bitter civil war, leaving Manhattan a demilitarized zone (DMZ), destroyed and isolated from the rest of the world. The show will chronicle the harrowing journey of fearless and fierce medic Alma Ortega (series star Rosario Dawson), who sets out on a harrowing journey to find the son she lost in the evacuation of New York City at the onset of the conflict. […]

HERE ARE THE YOUNG MEN: Well Go USA Lands Early 2021 Release For Eoin Macken’s Gritty Irish Teen Drama From Arclight

Lee B. Golden III

Gritty Irish teen drama Here Are The Young Men has locked a North American distribution deal for next year from Well Go USA Entertainment. The film was adapted for the screen by director Eoin Macken who co-wrote the film with Rob Doyle, whose acclaimed 2014 novel serves as the basis for the film. Set in 2003, the film catalogs the last summer of three Dublin high school graduates – aimless Matthew (Dean-Charles Chapman, HBO’s Game of Thrones), his charismatic yet deranged friend Kearney (Finn Cole, HBO Max’s Peaky Blinders) and their precocious friend Rez (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Sing Street) – as they embark on an epic binge to celebrate a future without limits. But when they witness a catastrophic accident, the incident sends them spiraling, forcing each to grapple with the most daunting challenge of their lives: facing the demons inside. Also headlining the ensemble cast are Travis Fimmel (Ridley Scott’s […]

THANH SOI: Dong Anh Quynh To Star In Veronica Ngo’s ‘Hai Phoung’ Origin Spin-Off For 2021

Lee B. Golden III

Word around the martial arts fandom this week is the commencement of pre-production for Thanh Soi, an origin tale based on Veronica Ngo’s latest action thriller hit, Hai Phoung, (a.k.a. Furie). The new film – to be likely titled Furies for markets outside Vietnam – will see Ngo shepherding the pic under her Studio68 banner. She will direct from a script by Aaron Toronto who penned Ngo’s 2016 fantasy adaptation, Tam Cam: The Untold Story, casting actress and model Dong Anh Quynh for the title role previously played by third-degree blackbelt, actress Hoa Tran opposite Ngo in the 2019 inaugural thriller. That film saw the two go toe-to-toe with Ngo in the role of Hai Phoung, an ex-gangster whose daughter’s kidnapping jettisons her into a rip-roaring mission through her former criminal network in the big city, tearing through streets and hordes of villains until catching up with the infamous criminal […]

WONDER WOMAN 1984 Stakes A Day And Date Theatrical/HBO Max Release This Christmas

WONDER WOMAN 1984 Stakes A Day And Date Theatrical/HBO Max Release This Christmas

Lee B. Golden III

A little over a year since its originally-planned release last December, it appears that Warner Bros. Pictures is done kicking the can down the road further and has resigned to a releasing the long-awaited Wonder Woman 1984 simultaneously in 3D/2D/IMAX theaters and via HBO Max. The announcement was made Wednesday with a trailer relaunch, dating the film’s release accordingly in time for Christmas on December 25 in the U.S., with HBO Max releasing the film at no additional cost to subscribers. International markets will get to debut the film a week in advance from December 16. The move definitely cements things a little further as the country continues to struggle with the on-going pandemic and its crippling effect on select businesses, particularly the traditional theatrical model, as some exhibitors continue to face foreclosures and bankruptcy, while some consumers in select areas turn toward drive-in screenings as a more feasible model […]

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BLACK FRIDAY: Now Filming In With Bruce Campbell, Michael Jai White And Devon Sawa

Lee B. Golden III

Director Casey Tebo’s latest narrative sci-fi, Black Friday, is now filming in Boston with word from Deadline‘s Tom Grater. The film hails from Warner Davis Company and MFW Productions with a script by Andy Greskoviak, and actor Bruce Campbell headlining the film alongside Michael Jai White and Devon Sawa. Set on the busiest shopping night of the year, Black Friday, the story follows a group of disgruntled toy store employees who have to defend themselves from legions of holiday shoppers when a mysterious alien parasite sends them on a murderous rampage. The cast also includes Ivana Baquero, Ryan Lee, and Stephen Peck. Campbell made the festival rounds here as the central figure in Steve Villeneuve’s most recent documentary, Hail To The Deadites, which will release on a date TBA from Indiecan. White, among other pending titles, recently wrapped up Christian Sesma thriller, Take Back, and can currently be heard voicing […]

THE HUNT: SAVAGE WITHIN: Madeleine Humphries Heads Cast Line-Up For December Sci-Fi Action Shoot From ‘Die Fighting’ Director [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

American-born Filipina actress and model Madeleine Humphries has been given the lead role in The Hunt: Savage Within, the new action sci-fi from filmmaker Fabien Garcia, which shoots in the second week of December. Also joining the cast for the developing sci-fi proof of concept are Brett Tutor (upcoming Monsters Of Men), Lou Wegner (Last Call In The Dog House), Carla Seneca (Sons Of Thunder, upcoming 22 – The Unforgotten Soldier), Xango Henry (Call Me King, upcoming Keep The Faith), Davis Chong (Die Fighting) and Amje Elharden (upcoming Archenemy). Crowdfunding for the project began in July followed by a month-long extension prior to its success around September. The goal is to shoot a proof of concept short that illustrates the ambitious size, scale and scope Garcia and company are aiming for as they look toward hopeful feature film investment by next year. Humphries will covet the role of Sarah, a […]

JIU JITSU banner

JIU JITSU: Win A Digital Download Code For The New Martial Arts Sci-Fi Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Right about now if you’re a Nicolas Cage or Tony Jaa fan and you’ve been caught up in the buzz for the new film, Jiu Jitsu, chances are you’re already lining up your viewing plans for next Friday going forward. The new sci-fi martial arts thriller is set to release theatrically in the U.S., as well as on demand and digital on November 20, and rejoins Kickboxer reboot star Alain Moussi with director Dimitri Logothetis who adapts his own comic book publication with scribe Jim McGrath. An ancient order of Jiu Jitsu fighters faces a vicious race of alien invaders in an epic battle for the survival of Earth. Expect my own review later this week. In the meantime, we’re giving away three (3) digital codes for folks to use upon release. All you need to do is send me an e-mail at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com ahead of November 19 at 10:00pm, […]

WATER MARGIN: Shinsuke Sato Boards Futuristic Take On Ancient Chinese Epic For Netflix

Lee B. Golden III

Director Shinsuke Sato just boarded his first Netflix movie deal in an exclusive report for Water Margin, via Deadline. He’ll be partnering with Screen Arcade whose Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless are producing with Scott Morgan as exec producer. The film will steer away from the period setting ofn Shi Nai’an’s 14th century novel – about a band of 108 outlaws granted amnesty by the government and sent on campaigns to stave off foreign invaders. As Deadline’s Justin Kroll tells it: The film is a futuristic take on one of the great classical novels of Chinese literature, The Water Margin is an epic action-adventure saga filled with glory, romance, and intrigue. The story explores timely questions about loyalty, leadership, and our duty to take on society’s problems no matter the personal cost. Deepwater Horizon scribe Matt Sand is penning the script. Sato’s never left my radar in the last eighteen years since […]

Zazie Beetz Hops Aboard BULLET TRAIN For Sony Pictures

Lee B. Golden III

RED PROPHECIES Scores A March 5 Release From ITN Distribution

Lee B. Golden III

ITN Distribution has stepped up and acquired North American rights to Alexander Nevsky’s new action-thriller, Red Prophecies for a select theatrical release on March 5. Nevsky is joined by Michael Madsen, Casper Van Dien, Eric Roberts, Oded Fehr and Stephen Baldwin from a script by Alexander Izotov. The film centers on an American journalist working in Moscow wh9 finds himself embroiled in dangerous political games, the purpose of which is to destabilize the situation in Russia and then interfere with the holdings of the Presidential elections in the United Stares. Nevsky also exec produced the film through his Hollywood Storm banner. ITN Distribution president Stuart Alson negotiated the deal along with Nevsky on behalf of the filmmakers.

Want More Marko Zaror? Get Ready For EL PUÑO DEL CONDOR (THE FIST OF THE CONDOR)!

Lee B. Golden III

Been waiting for Marko Zaror to return to the screen? Now’s the signal for you and all your fellow Kiltro, MirageMan, Mandrill and Redeemer fans to take note and follow the official Instagram account for El Puño Del Condor (The Fist Of The Condor). And, you can bet that Zaror is reteaming with none other than the director of all four aforementioned Zaror actioners, Ernesto Días Espinoza. If IMDb is any hint, the plan is for a series to take effect – one that sees Zaror in the title role, with a cast that also includes Francisco Castro, The Man From Kathmandu star Josè Manuel, and actor Eyal Meyer among others. Very little is known about the project or it’s tone, but there’s definitely a vision Zaror and Espinoza are going for, and given the successes they’ve earned in the last fifteen years as the Chilean equivalent to the Adkins/Florentine […]

MORTAL KOMBAT Producer: ‘No Release Date Or Trailer Until Theaters Re-Open’

Lee B. Golden III

I wasn’t sure if it be good rapport on my part to even post about this, but it’s become even more clearer that the new Mortal Kombat movie will not arrive on January 15, 2021 as expected. The film was previously dated for March 5 next year and moved up as casting and production news made the rounds for the Adelaide shoot that currently marks commerical director Simon McQuoid’s feature debut at the helm. “Well, I thought by the casts’ social media you would’ve figured out we’re shooting a few more days.” says producer Todd Garner to a fan via Twitter. “We’d always planned for it & thought we’d do it in March. The pandemic had other plans. We won’t have a release date for the movie until theaters re-open. Same for trailer.” Cast members Lewis Tan and Max Huang are just a few of the actors who’ve notably posted […]

NEVER BACK DOWN: REVOLT Signals Fourth In The Franchise From ‘The Gate’ Director

Lee B. Golden III

Twelve years since Jeff Wadlow left his footprint in the MMA subgenre of action films with Never Back Down, the film that spawned a raft of direct-to-DVD films shepherded by Michael Jai White is now in the hands of Kellie Madison for her contribution, Never Back Down: Revolt, according to a Deadline exclusive on Tuesday. Never Back Down: Revolt centers on a woman (Olivia Popica, Informer, Retribution) who is kidnapped and forced to compete in elite underground fights and has to battle her way out to freedom. Madison will direct from a script by Audrey Arkins (Elyse) for Mandalay Pictures, Wonder Street and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions. Production is set to start November 23 in and around London. Madison previously directed The Tank, and in 2016, advanced herself into the martial arts genre with her explosive proof of concept, The Gate, which had Hollywood stunt professional and oft actress Amy […]

NEW YORK WILL EAT YOU ALIVE Casts Colin Firth For ‘Zombie Brothers’ Adaptation From STX And Tencent

Lee B. Golden III

Colin Firth is set to star in the tentatively titled action comedy, New York Will Eat You Alive. STXfilms and Tencent Pictures’ jointly announced the project this week with Todd Strauss-Schulson (Final Girls) attached direct from a screenplay by Alex Rubens with current revisions by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. The film is based on Jia Haibo’s Tencent digital comic hit, Zombie Brothers, which accrued more than 28 billion views over 516 episodes, and more than 3.7 billion views across its first two seasons since 2011. The franchise has also been adapted into a popular stage play, which had a record-breaking run of sold out shows across the region. Tencent Pictures is co-producing with STXfilms alongside Channing Tatum, Reid Carolin, Michael Parets and Peter Kiernan at Free Association. Edward Cheng is attached as executive producer, along with Conor Zorn and Wenxin She producing and overseeing for Tencent. Strauss-Schulson will also […]

Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Connor Paolo

AMBUSH: Jonathan Rhys Meyers And Connor Paolo Join Aaron Eckhart Action Thriller From Mark Earl Burman

Lee B. Golden III

Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The 12th Man, History Channel’s “Vikings,” Showtime’s “The Tudors”) and Connor Paolo (Stake Land, Friend Request, ABC’s “Revenge”) will join Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight, Line of Duty) and Jason Genao (Logan, Netflix’s The Get Down) in the upcoming action thriller Ambush. Mark Earl Burman (Dog Eat Dog) is directing the film from a script he’s written with Michael McClung (American Martyr). The film is “based on the exhilarating true story of a deadly high-stakes subterranean mission into enemy controlled territory”, and follows a group of young elite commandos, led by Captain Drummond (Eckhart), tasked with collecting highly classified information that can change the fate of the war. On the edge of the jungle, the team is attacked by the overwhelming invisible force of the enemy army. Drummond’s young team must overcome their apprehension in order to pursue the force into the complex labyrinth of Cu Chi […]

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY Gets A Third Season Shooting In February

Lee B. Golden III

Both the trades and Netflix confirmed on Tuesday, a third season for hit series, The Umbrella Academy, based on Based on the acclaimed Dark Horse Comics publication by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá. Season one aired last February with a second arriving this past July as it focused on seven disparate members of a specially-gifted “family” – all born to seperate parents on the same day and time around the world. The interwoven drama culminates around the family’s oldest, Number Five, as he goes toe-to-toe with The Commission in order to save the world from an apocalyptic fate while struggling to keep his embattled family together in the wake of their eccentric billionaire adopted father’s death. The show’s regulars include features Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Justin H. Min, Kate Walsh and Colm Feore, with Cameron Britton and Adam Godley, and season two […]

SAIGON BODYGUARDS Is Getting A Remake Starring Chris Pratt And Wu Jing For Universal Pictures

Lee B. Golden III

Chris Pratt (Guardians Of The Galaxy/MCU, upcoming The Tomorrow War) and Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior franchise) are teaming up to headline a reimagining of Ken Ochiai’s 2016 action comedy, Saigon Bodyguards, for Universal Pictures. Thai Hoa and Kim Ly starred in the original film which was produced by Rhomhus Media and CJ Entertainment, and focused on two pals – polar opposites working as professional bodyguards who are assigned to protect a rich brat, only for the job to go completely downhill. The new film will be in the hands of Universal Pictures with Pratt and Jing starring from a script by Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck (What Men Want, HBO’s Veep). Pratt is producing through his Indivisible Productions banner, marking a reunion for both actors with powerhouse film duo Anthony and Joe Russo who had their hands on multiple titles within the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Pratt stars a […]

NIGHT HAS FALLEN Sees Butler, ‘Fallen’ Franchise Reteam For Fourth Installment

Lee B. Golden III

Indeed, Millenium Media will ‘fall’ even further with a fourth installment into their Fallen franchise with Greenland star Gerard Butler headlining Night Has Fallen. The actor will also reteam with Angel Has Fallen director Ric Roman Waugh back at the helm with Robert Mark Kamen penning the script. Butler will also produce with Les Weldon, Yariv Lerner and Alan Siegel, with Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, Millennium Media president Jeffrey Greenstein and Jonathan Yunger exec producing. The film will shoot at Millennium Media’s Nu Boyana Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria and throughout Europe, according to the report. The franchise launched in 2013 under Antoine Fuqua’s direction for Olympus Has Fallen, followed by Babak Najafi’s London Has Fallen, and Ric Roman Waugh’s Angel Has Fallen. The trilogy, in sum, sees Butler in the role of Secret Service Agent Mike Banning, battling terroristic threats from enemies invading the White House to mercs […]

Ethan Hawke

ZEROS AND ONES: Ethan Hawke Headlines Post-Modern Wartime Thriller Shopping At AFM 2020

Lee B. Golden III

Post-modern wartime thirller, Zeros And Ones, has added four-time Academy Award nominated actor and filmmaker Ethan Hawke (First Reformed, Boyhood) to headline the cast for director Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant, The Funeral, Kings Of New York). Ferrara wrote the script which sees Hawke in the role of JJ, an American soldier stationed in a Rome under siege, locked down, and at war. The Vatican being blown into the night sky is only the beginning of our hero’s journey to uncover and defend against an unknown enemy but threatening the lives of the entire world. Rounding out the roster are Cristina Chiriac (Siberia, Tommaso) and Phil Neilson (Siberia, Ben-Hur) with Christian Mercuri’s Capstone Group launching sales at AFM this week under its Blue Box International label and co-repping domestic with CAA Media Finance. Ferrara begins shooting in Italy later this month. The film also reunites Ferrara with Diana Phillips (Bad Lieutenant, […]