james wan

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Netflix’s THE GET DOWN Co-Star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Joins AQUAMAN As The Villain

First off, if you haven’t been to Netflix and tuned in to watch The Get Down, I honestly don’t know what it is you do with life. You’ve failed at life and you desperately need some redemption as it’s one of the best coming-of-age dramas to date with some of the best performances by far. One such comes from actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II who plays one of the more seedy characters of the show and before long, the Sidney Hall co-star will be returning to the big screen for Bawaytch alongside Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron this summer before appearing in The Greatest Showman this December with Hugh Jackman. In the meantime, you can also tack the role of supervillain to Abdul-Mateen II’s credentials as per the latest trade news confirming his role as Black Manta in James Wan’s Aquaman for Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Entertainment. The news is […]

Screw The Rumors. Warner Bros’s MORTAL KOMBAT Now Has A Director

Lee B. Golden III

More than a year after developments surrounding the forthcoming reboot film adaptation of hit fighting game, Mortal Kombat, the news is now finally out with word that Award-winning Australian commerical director Simon McQuoid is up to direct the film. The news comes long since a third follow-up from New Line Cinema’s PG-13 adaptation in 1995 and its lesser-performing sequel in 1998 went shelved, leaving little to hope for until filmmaker Kevin Tanchaoren breathed new life into the film with a leaked pitch in 2010 and two-webseries seasons for Machinima by 2013 before parting ways as well. Oddly enough, stunt coordinator Garrett Warren was last seen on set of a third season for an upcoming webseries from Blue Ribbon Content with updates yet to surface. Movement on the actual feature length endeavor with Friday’s news leaves a positive sign for the fans who’ve been long pining for updates from Aquaman helmer […]

Christopher Lambert Talks New MORTAL KOMBAT Movie And A Possible Raiden Comeback

Lee B. Golden III

New Line Cinema Beware… I cuss a little bit here… Let me start off by telling you to forget what you think you probably already know or may have heard about Mortal Kombat regarding anything webseries or film. Most of the internet shit itself over a stupid fancast article that went viral citing how “they just cast the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie” or some dumb piece of shit headline like that. Shit like that pisses me off because it signifies how stupidhappy fans get over fake news – Even more so with respect to all things Mortal Kombat which is one film franchise I’ve been dying to see all the way through since it became a hit on the big screen in 1995 sans Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. No, we never saw a third occur as much as it was hyped about at the time and by 2010, all hope was […]

Peyton To Helm MALIGNANT MAN For Fox, Wan To Produce

Lee B. Golden III

It was back in 2014 that director James Wan was attached to helm an adaptation of his own BOOM! Studios co-created graphic novel, Malignant Man for 20th Century Fox. Since then, the director has had his hands tied with a bunch of projects, most notably the recent release of his hit horror sequel, The Conjuring 2 with Warner Bros.’s Aquaman on par for 2018. As of this week and two years later since the news broke, word from THR speaks of Malignant Man once again, and only now with mention toward Brad Peyton for the director’s chair for Fox. Wan is producing through his Atomic Monster label along with Boom! fellows Ross Richie and Stephen Christy with a draft by Zak Olkewicz centered on Alex Gates, a terminally-ill cancer patient who finds new purpose and abilities granted to him by the alien parasite he once mistook for a malignant tumor. Boom!’s […]

DCU Fate Uncertain With Grahame-Smith Leaving THE FLASH

Lee B. Golden III

Word has it that things are in a little bit of upheaval at Warner Bros. where it’s being reported that Seth Grahame-Smith has left The Flash citing “creative differences”. BirthMoviesDeath reported the news along with word that The Conjuring 2 helmer James Wan may well leave Aquaman following his attachment nearly a year ago in the wake of the billion dollar success that was Furious Seven. The updates come on the heels of the latest box office results of director Zack Snyder’s Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice which has grossed $860 million globally. Box office figures be damned, however, that didn’t slow down the mixed-bag of reviews that have reportedly thrown the studio off of its axis with Snyder already in progress with filming for the first of two Justice League films opening in 2017 and 2019. The Flash, apart from its current TV run with a different actor, […]

McGYVER Heads To The Big Screen!

Lee B. Golden III

CBS is currently busy working on bringing a preceding story arc to its small screen adaptation of the hit ABC series, McGyver. Furious Seven helmer James Wan is executive producing and directing a pilot for that iteration in place of previously hoping to direct a feature film which has been in the works for sometime now and once thought to be not happening at all. Then, Friday came and during a third quarter earnings call among those at Lionsgate to discuss the details for 2016, and it just so happens one thing led to another with word that the studio will be working with CBS to bring McGyver to the big screen. This pretty much beat my own earlier expectations as it will be yet another testament to see if a series AND a film will stand the test of time. For those not familiar with the original show or […]

MACGUYVER Is Heading To Television

Lee B. Golden III

So, apparently the narrative is to bring any and all classic television shows and films to reboot development for the small screen. Some of this may be good or bad and it’s entirely up to the viewer, and I can’t really help but wonder if something else is driving this trend (maybe studios don’t want to put millions of dollars into films that might flop out of fear of suffering the same fate the A-Team did…idunno. That’s just my guess.) Anyway, the classic series MacGuyver is now on the buffet with CBS snagging an opportunity to reinvigorate the classic series that once starred Richard Dean Anderson for seven seasons and two TV movies for ABC. According to THR, NCIS: Los Angeles scribe R. Scott Gemmill will write and executive produce with original series EP Henry Winkler with an origin script that centers on a younger version of the title character […]

James Wan Has Reportedly Signed On To Produce The MORTAL KOMBAT Movie Reboot

Lee B. Golden III

Back in October of last year, Warner Bros. and its digital production arm, Blue Ribbon Content, announced the production of a third installation of hit webseries Mortal Kombat Legacy which has taken a foothold within the fanbase. It’s the only other development in anything Mortal Kombat since Kevin Tancharoen blessed fans with an amazing shortfilm that went viral in 2010 prior to what sounded like promising news for a glorious return to feature film territory since 1995 and 1997 from New Line Cinema. However, with Warner Bros. staking its claim with Tancharoen helming Mortal Kombat Legacy in 2011, news was slow to come regarding anything film related and by the second season in 2013, it was all for naught as Tancharoen, after two years of getting followed and trolled obsessively by fans pining for the best of what should have come by now for a movie and didn’t, left the […]

Universal Pictures Announces FURIOUS SEVEN Home Release Details!

Lee B. Golden III

Universal Studios premiered the latest Fast & Furious: Supercharged ride today, headlined by it’s star-studded cast. Alas, today was obviously the best day for Universal Pictures to announce the forthcoming extended edition of Furious Seven, directed James Wan. The eighth installment is still developing for its expansion to New York City and elsewhere and a director is still being sought after as far as anyone knows; I’m sure fans are hoping for Justin Lin to return. We’ll see. The unstoppable global franchise built on speed delivers its best, biggest and boldest film yet as Furious 7 blasts onto Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on September 15, 2015 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Grossing over $1.5 billion dollars worldwide at the box office, Furious 7 tears up the screen with more gravity-defying stunts, adrenaline-fueled fight scenes and pulse-pounding action than ever before. The Blu-ray™ features the all new extended edition with […]

[UPDATED] James Wan Confirmed To Direct AQUAMAN And ROBOTECH!

Lee B. Golden III

April was a great month to be director James Wan following the global success of his contribution to Universal Pictures’s Furious Seven. It led him to some amazing prospects, specifically the current live-action development of Warner Bros. DC Comics property, Aquaman, and Sony’s handling of the long-awaited Robotech, while Wan himself stays the course for his upcoming Conjuring sequel. As of this week, it appears those prospects are even more affirmed with news from THR’s Heat Vision blog that the director has officially signed on to both projects, the former which will go onto release on July 7, 2018. Actor Jason Momoa will take the reigns for the title character with a script by Kurt Johnstad based on the classic DC Comics underwater superhero created by Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris in 1941, following his expected appearance in Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice on March 25, 2016. For the […]

James Wan Is In Talks To Direct ROBOTECH For Sony

Lee B. Golden III

It wasn’t until February this year, eight years after sitting in limbo, that Warner Bros. decided to pick up the base on adapting the 1985 Harmony Gold USA/Tatsunuko Productions hybrid animated series, Robotech, for a live-action production via their Hollywood Gang banner. While the production has since switched hands over to Sony Pictures last month, a director was still being sought for with Mama helmer Andy Muschietti in talks at the time, but the prospects have only been greater as at least one director has shot his way to several commercial and critical milestones in the last four weeks, ultimately getting the studio’s attention. With this, we now pan over to Furious Seven director James Wan, better known for his principle work on the horror genre with the 2004 thriller, Saw as well as Insidious 1 and 2, The Conjuring and its forthcoming sequel, with a noteworthy mention of his […]

Will James Wan Direct AQUAMAN For Warner Bros.?

Lee B. Golden III

July 7, 2018 is the date set for Warner Bros. to unveil its forthcoming take on Aquaman in theaters for which actor Jason Momoa is officially starring in. Plotwise, not much is known about how the film, based on the classic DC Comics character created by Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris in 1941, will follow its title character’s expected appearance in next year’s Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice, but currently things may be picking up a bit in terms of who will direct. In lieu of this, the current box-office success being had by Furious Seven has undoubtedly left a mark for its director, James Wan who is currently developing a sequel to his 2013 horror flick, The Conjuring. Of course, now that his recent effort in Universal Pictures’ Fast franchise is doing so well, he has an option to return for another which won’t be filming any time […]

Well, This Was Pretty Cool!

Lee B. Golden III

“@NStarszak: If you had a too pick a new villain, who would you cast??? @creepypuppet #AskFurious7” Dame Helen Mirren 🙂 — James Wan (@creepypuppet) April 1, 2015 Provided that Furious 7 director James Wan gets to sit in for the eighth film in the new trilogy, he and franchise star, actor Vin Diesel may get their wish, and I’m saying it: Either I called it by dumb luck, or someone very famous is reading my blog. Furious 7 had its stellar premiere in Hollywood this week we’re just hours away from the film’s opening across the U.S. on Friday. In lieu of all the electricity for the new movie, Furious 8 is already making headlines with Diesel lending mentions of possible story hints located anywhere between China and New York City, and nothing is being made publicly official just yet even as the actor has been plotting a course for […]

Dame Helen Mirren Wants In As A 'Fast And Furious' Villainess, And I Say Make It Happen!

Lee B. Golden III

I’ve pretty much spent the past two years I’ve been blogging as Film Combat Syndicate, in part, musing about the Fast And Furious franchise. No, my fixation wasn’t immediate upon the first film in 2002 – it only became so in the months leading up to this article I wrote in 2013, and to say the least, I stand by my fandom. That said, I love just how much diversity has gone into this cast and the immense scope this story has taken, from the streets of L.A. and Miami to Tokyo, Mexico, Rio and London, and a variety of talented actors and surprising new faces adding to the mix. Who would have thought that the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Djimon Hounsou, or even Gina Carano or Jason-frickin-Statham would find their way into the franchise. It’s unbelievable, but the potential here is quite obvious even as we embark […]

Watch Three Clips From FURIOUS 7!

Lee B. Golden III

It’s getting closer guys. Furious 7, a.k.a. Fast And Furious 7 overseas is coming at the top of April with boundless excitement for the fans who’ve kept up with the franchise since its heyday in 2002. New exclusive clips are now beginning to rollout from various sites showcasing some intense highlights from our headlining cast including Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kurt Russell and many more as reviews from early screenings continue to illustrate director James Wan’s proven ability to induce more velocity and ferocity to this, the seventh film in the title saga. Check out a few more this week from Moviefone, Machinima and Yahoo! UK in addition to a recent featurette! And by all means, tickets are now on sale, so go get one. Or two. And bring a friend!

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Meet The New Faces Of FURIOUS 7!

Lee B. Golden III

The next installment in Universal Pictures’s road-raging action adventure franchise, Furious 7, is just a little over two weeks away. It feels longer as we count the days until its releasd despite the lucky folks who were on hand to view the film and critique it themselves this past weekend in Texas as SXSW went underway. On that note, with all the TV spots, B-roll reels and other featurettes circulating the interwebs, we now have another new featurette courtesy of Universal Pictures UK where the film is releasing as Fast And Furious 7. The new featurette introduces the line-up of new faces being added to the franchise in some capacity, including actresses Nathalie Emmanuel and undefeated UFC champion Ronda Rousey, and actors Jason Statham, Kurt Russell, Djimon Hounsou and the ever graceful Tony Jaa. James Wan directs from a script by Chris Morgan which pits our lead heroes in the […]

FURIOUS 7 Gets A New Clip, Poster And More!

Lee B. Golden III

I’ve written and rambled to almost no end about the Fast And Furious franchise, and at this point, I think director James Wan‘s latest installment with Furious 7 is in no commercial danger of failing at the box office. This franchise has long been a hit having turned from a standalone action thriller into a sprawling saga of epic proportions that continues to stand the test of time. Probably the most fascinating thing will be observing at least one half of this new film with a digitally inserted Paul Walker who departed us in late 2013 halfway through the production, and watching how this will affect the story when it commenses on April 3 in theaters and IMAX. For this, there’s plenty of reason to appreciate what’s been done here ahead of how Universal Pictures, as well as this amazing cast plan on delivering the rest of this epic tale […]

'Go Hard Or Go Home' In A Newly Released Song From The FURIOUS 7 Soundtrack

Lee B. Golden III

Between now and April, I admit that what I would really love to see are some cool character posters ahead of the forthcoming theatrical April 3 release of director James Wan‘s Furious 7. Character posters are all the rave nowadays, I love awesome artwork and I am hugely fascinated with curiousity as to how they will feature the film’s cast, especially with one of its main leads newly departed from us. Nevertheless, the campaign continues with just a month-and-a-half left to go, and perhaps that will be plenty of time to see whatever the production rolls out ahead of the film’s release. With this, feast your ears on the newly released track from the upcoming film from hip-hop artists Wiz Khalifa and the film’s cameo/co-star Iggy Azaela performing the new track, Go Hard Or Go Home. Personally, I’m not big on a lot of hip-hop music after 2000, although I […]

FURIOUS 7 Releases An Extended Second Trailer!

Lee B. Golden III

In the wake of the latest superbowl spot for director James Wan‘s Furious 7, we now have an extended trailer that delves much more into the action with further insight into the antagonistic and vengeful Lucas Shaw, played by the one and only Jason Statham. The trailer also shares a little bit more of late actor Paul Walker‘s character on screen while it is noticeable that we have seldom seen or heard him in any of the trailers so far, a bittersweet reminder of the task at hand of maintaining his character long enough on screen using hybrid mo-cap and digital enhancements with the help of Walker‘s brothers, Caleb and Cody. The franchise has surely come a long way, having evolved into a purely character-driven saga based on family, trust as well as speed. With the caliber of stars and action muscle on-hand, there’s no doubt that this installment of […]

The New IMAX Trailer For FURIOUS 7 Boasts A Teeny Bit Of New Footage

Lee B. Golden III

The upcoming release of director James Wan‘s latest contribution to the Fast And Furious franchise, Furious 7, is easily one of the biggest films going into next year’s April 3 date. Celebrating the life and legacy of one of its principal lead performers, late actor Paul Walker, the film is setting up what will likely be a significant game-changer as it embraces a new story that will allow Walker‘s character, former cop-turned-outlaw Brian O’Connor, a more graceful parting of ways while the franchise continues onward with its multi-film finale now in development at Universal Pictures. That said, Furious 7 is already heating things up after a slick new teaser trailer was unveiled earlier this month showcasing what awaits fans after six films. Joining alongside Walker is lead actor Vin Diesel, reprising his role once again as criminal fugitive-turned-vigilante, Dominic Torretto as he and his unique team of road warriors must […]