He was all the craze at Fantastic Fest and ahead of its sold out screening at Beyond Fest this weekend and at Sitges. Now, folks outside the festival purview will get a taste of things to come with a teaser for Legendary’s latest revival out of Troma history, The Toxic Avenger.
As promised two years ago, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two is coming to help bring full circle the director’s latest grand reboot of the classic 1984 sci-fi based on Frank Herbert’s novel. The official trailer is here as well following a spell of teases on Tuesday with lead actors Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, and Rebecca Ferguson joining the newly-added Florence Pugh, Austin Butler and Christopher Walken to the mix of new and returning cast.
Filming is underway for The Book of Clarence, the latest from The Harder They Fall helmer Jeymes Samuel. Production was announced on Tuesday with Samuel directing from his own script, as well as producing and scoring.
The Legendary Pictures Monsterverse has had a relatively successful run so far. Godzilla and King Kong have once more become household names in the West, but now that the Titans have battled, is it time for them to team up? Director Adam Wingard may be answering this question, as it’s been announced that Wingard will be returning to the Monsterverse, and is tasked with delving deeper into the clash among these Titans, with a story that will reach into the histories of Godzilla and Kong!
News rolled out over the weekend and was later confirmed via trade reports on Monday the greenlight of a fifth Monsterverse installation from Legendary Pictures. Plot details are unknown about the film which will otherwise shoot later this year in locations across the Gold Coast and the southeast, as announced by State Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures are going back to Arrakis to finish out director Denis Villeneuve’s ambitious revisal of the sci-fi classic saga, Dune, affirming fans with an October 2023 release date. The studio made the announcement via social media on Tuesday further citing statements from the director:
(l) Wikimedia Commons, (r) Saga Press
In the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance is in full swing, and only the Sangerye Family can save New York—and the world—from the supernatural forces threatening to destroy humanity. But the once-great family of monster hunters has been torn apart by tragedies and conflicting moral codes. The Sangerye Family must heal the wounds of the past and move beyond their differences… or sit back and watch a force of unimaginable evil ravage the human race.
I’m staunchly looking forward to rectifying my previous monster moviegoing experience this May with Michael Dougherty’s Godzilla: King Of The Monsters. The two official trailers that are online – second of which aired this week, are all but reaffirming this as a film not to miss, and I actually hope to make it out with friends by then.
LEGENDARY TO PRODUCE LIVE-ACTION FEATURE FILM BASED ON SUNRISE’S WILDLY POPULAR GUNDAM FRANCHISE
Universal and Legendary have reportedly bested some of the biggest studios in Hollywood in a major bidding contest for the new action pic Red Notice, which made headlines late Wednesday with actor Dwayne Johnson attached to star. As Deadline notes in its exclusive on Friday, the studio is fast tracking the film as a potential tentpole for Johnson who has reorganized his schedule to begin rolling cameras for Red Notice next Spring for a 2020 release.
The news comes just days after the spectacular Super Bowl LII trailer involving for the July 13 3D release of Central Intelligence helmer Rawson Marshall Thurber’s Skyscraper in which Johnson stars. Red Notice reteams Johnson once again with Thurber who starts writing next week per the deal, earning him an eight-figure payday with Johnson getting $20 million. Plot details are scant while general information at Deadline (apart from The Hollywood Reporter‘s exclusive on Wednesday) describes the story as a globe-trotting two-hander heist thriller with Johnson to be joined by another star in due time.
Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr. notes the haste and overall excitement of the deal is much ado with Red Notice reading as a “viable new IP with global appeal at a time when branded franchises are harder and harder to come by…”. Hence the 2019 start for Johnson who is also gearing up for two more theatrical releases in 2018, and is revving up with potential director David Leitch (Deadpool 2) for a spin-off of Universal’s Fast saga with Jason Statham among his already sizeable list of projects.
FlynnPictureCo and Seven Bucks Productions are producing Red Notice as they did Skyscraper, with Wendy Jacobson executive producing.
Legendary Entertainment announced today it has hired veteran film executive Jon Silk to serve as Executive Vice President of Production. Silk will join Legendary’s film division alongside Alex Garcia and Cale Boyter, who also serve as Executive Vice Presidents of Production, as well as Ali Mendes, Vice President of Production and Creative Executive Jay Ashenfelter. He will report to Mary Parent, Legendary’s Vice Chairman of Worldwide Production.
“We are thrilled to have Jon join the team. I have known Jon since he first started in the business and he has always had a great eye for material across all genres. His passion combined with his strong skill set will be a great addition to Legendary as we continue to grow our slate of films for worldwide audiences,” stated Parent.
Prior to joining Legendary, Silk was Jeff Robinov’s initial creative hire at Studio 8 and served as Executive Vice President, Creative where he worked on films including Nosferatu and White Boy Rick. Silk also spent six years at the Warner Bros.-based Lin Pictures, where he focused on identifying intellectual properties with franchise potential including the recent film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel IT, which Silk was an Executive Producer on and has grossed more than $650 million worldwide.
Legendary currently has four films in various phases of production including Pacific Rim: Uprising, Godzilla: King Of The Monsters, Skyscraper and Detective Pikachu, along with a number of films in development.
Moving into more comic book lore, we now get an IP that mingles tones shared by The Matrix and Guardians Of The Galaxy. Such is what Legendary now hopes to achieve in its treatment of Nate Simpson’s 2011 Image Comics publication, Nonplayer with Thor: Ragnarok scribe Eric Pearson scripting, according to Deadline on Thursday.
The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species—thought to be mere myths—rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.
A few years in the making, the film marks the latest foray for Legendary and Warner Bros. in an effort toward a cinematic universe that will include the March 10, 2017 release of Kong: Skull Island, and culminate in the release of Godzilla vs. Kong on May 29, 2020. Godzilla: King Of The Monsters opens March 22, 2019.
Some trade news over at Legendary has been made available via press release from Wanda Cultural and Legendary where Thomas Tull has been Chairman and CEO just a year before the release of the studio’s first film, Batman Begins. The following announcement below details Tull’s departure wherein he’ll still have other business apart from the staple where he’s since been the voice of many a blockbuster title, including the 2020-bound Godzilla VS King Kong, and Pacific Rim 2 when Guillermo Del Toro was still up to direct.
Read on:
STATEMENT FROM WANDA CULTURAL INDUSTRY GROUP AND LEGENDARY ENTERTAINMENT
Thomas Tull has resigned from Legendary Entertainment and effective immediately will assume the role of Founding Chairman of the company he established and led as Chairman and CEO since 2005. Wanda Cultural Industry Group has named Dr. Jack Gao, Group Senior VP & CEO, International Investments and Operations, Wanda Cultural Industry Group as Interim CEO, Legendary Entertainment while the Company pursues the identification of a full-time CEO.
Wanda acquired Legendary in January 2016 and in a year’s time has built a solid platform and business to expand the release of the studio’s tentpole films into China and beyond. Wanda will also continue to fully support Mary Parent and her creative team with the resources needed to develop and produce its existing and future film slate.
“We are thankful to Thomas for his founding vision of Legendary as well as his commitment, leadership and partnership this past year. He will forever be part of the Company’s already rich legacy and powerful DNA,” said Gao. “As we move forward, Wanda aims to transform Legendary into a next generation studio of the future with a far-reaching creative and global platform. We look forward to working with the creative team to manage our already viable film slate with more to come in the near future.”
Stated Tull: “Building Legendary has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I have had the unique opportunity to be at the forefront of where the business is going and lead an incredible group of people as we innovated the way we thought about the film and television business, and the possibilities of collaboration between the west and the east. After a year of transition, I know that the Company is stable with great leadership, so at this point I am able to leave and pursue the new interests and endeavors I have been planning.”
Under his stewardship, Thomas Tull built Legendary Entertainment into a leading media company with film, television, and digital and publishing businesses. During his time, in aggregate, Legendary’s associated productions realized grosses of more than $13 billion worldwide with films such as Godzilla, 300: Rise of an Empire, Pacific Rim, Man of Steel, the Dark Knight trilogy and the Jackie Robinson biopic 42.
Tull plans to focus time on his Tull Investment Group which invests in life science, media and technology companies such as Magic Leap, Oculus Rift, Pinterest, Heal and Zoox. Tull serves on the Board of Directors of Hamilton College, his alma mater, and Carnegie Mellon University. He also sits on the boards of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, the National Football Foundation, the San Diego Zoo, the Smithsonian Institution and is part of the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers ownership group, where he also holds a board seat.
Tull will retain the title of Founding Chairman and remain a stakeholder in Legendary; he will remain involved as a producer on the Monsterverse movies and Legendary projects based on Dune.
ABOUT JACK Q. GAO, Group Senior VP & CEO, International Investments and Operations, Wanda Cultural Industry Group
Dr. Jack Q. Gao, as Group senior vice president of Wanda Cultural Industrial Group and CEO of International Investments and Operations, joined Wanda Group in June 2015.
Dr. Gao was senior vice president for News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, 2006-2014). His roles included serving as CEO, NWS China Investments (2010-2014); CEO, Star TV China Co. (2006-2010); chairman, MySpace China (2007-2010) and chief representative, NWS Beijing Representative Office (2006-2014).Earlier, Dr. Gao was president and general manager of Microsoft China (NASDAQ: MSFT), general partner of Walden International, a leading venture capital firm in U.S., and corporate vice president and president of Emerging Geographies for Autodesk Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), where he directed all operations in Greater China and India.
Today, Dr. Gao is on the boards of AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Legendary Entertainment (Legendary Pictures, Legendary East etc.), Sunseeker Intercontinental in the United Kingdom, Europa City in France, and AGTech Holding Ltd. (HKEX: 08279). Dr. Gao graduated from the Harbin Institute of Technology and the University of California, Los Angeles with B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in engineering.
Bearing my soul here some, so here goes: Gareth Edward’s 2014 rendition of Toho property, Godzilla, kinda sucked. It may be because of the fact that I caught a late showing of it at the movies and fell asleep in the finale which is why I continually feel unresolved by it or it could be because to date, even watching it on television or on VoD, that I still end up falling asleep by the third act. Or maybe I’m just cranky and need more sleep. I don’t know.. Eventually I did catch the last part in the on/off bits-and-pieces viewing of it but it’s still a little frustrating and I’m probably alone on this. A friend of mine named Darren saw it and loved it and frankly I’m a little jealous. Ha!
The jury is still out on my own receival of Funimation Films’s release of Shin Godzilla so I’ll give my reaction to that one in due time. Meanwhile, Edwards’s film has been long due for a sequel since it was announced that same summer after earning a global box office turn out of $103 million dollars, and with him still at the helm. So, what of it then? Well, two years and a Star Wars spin-off later, he’s obviously not doing it anymore while the good folks at Legendary continue to plot the three-film course to a crossover of legends between Godzilla and King Kong beginning with Kong: Skull Island in March. That said, a bit of word from Screencrush has dibs on the sequel to Edwards’s film that states Krampus director Michael Dougherty is in talks to helm the film.
Dougherty and Krampus co-writer Zach Shields are penning the script for Legendary Pictures, while the report also suggests a possible writers’ room may be in progress of assembly to help put the films together and the suits at Legendary decide whether or not to make it official. Plot details and other ideas on what Dougherty and Shields might have in store are up for grabs among fans following along with further updates and news ahead, Toho’s own premiere animated 2017 Godzilla movie notwithstanding.
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