sequel surprise
The Force Is With 'Godzilla' Helmer Gareth Edwards To Direct A Star Wars Spin-Off
Following the success of his new blockbuster entry into the summer with Godzilla, director Gareth Edwards has been confirmed to direct a forthcoming Star Wars spin-off film. The news comes just as Edwards, whose own take on the classic Toho property broke opening weekend records at the box-office since its release a week ago.
Edwards‘ participation also arrives in time as Lucasfilm and Disney have already begun principal photography for the upcoming seventh installment being helmed by director J.J. Abrams who co-wrote the script with Lawrence Kasdan, who in turn, will also scribe Edwards‘ spin-off with X-Men: Days Of Future Past scribe Simon Kinberg. Details on what the plot of Edwards‘ film will be are currently unknown, except it is one of three spin-offs that were announced earlier this month, with at least one poised for a December 2016 release.
Edwards is also currently tapped to direct a second and third installment to Godzilla; Star Wars: Episode VII releases on December 18, 2015.
Stick around for more details!
H/T: THR
WOLFCOP Sequel. That Is All.
Prospects for writer and director Lowell Dean are only looking better going into the summer with news from the film festival circuit over at Cannes that independent film production and promotion platform, CineCoup, is greenlighting a sequel to the upcoming creature feature, Wolfcop. The news arrived on Monday on the last legs of the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for the first film, starring Leo Fafard in the title role, which now has less than a day left to raise its stretch goals as of this writing before making its Canadian screen debut on June.
GODZILLA Will Return For A Sequel
From L to R: Director Gareth Edwards with actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson on the set of Godzilla (2014). Photo: Warner Bros.
Godzilla continues to reign supreme scoring some major high marks with $103M worldwide at the box office and rising, making it the single largest opening weekend of the year. While some may have been, and continue to be doubtful of director Gareth Edwards‘ newest monster thriller reboot, in large part, all positive opinions outweigh any negative critiques that may be out there. Point in fact, our own Darren Bailey screened the film earlier this month and glossed over it in his latest review, callng it “the single greatest creature movie since Jurassic Park.”
I saw it in 3D in a late night showing on Friday, and I might see it again. However, if you have not seen it yet, all signs point to it as a must-see, if not merely a preamble to the sequel. Yes, Warner Bros has made it official and are now on board with Legendary Pictures to develop a second offering attributed as a true, visionary love letter to the 1954 thriller from Toho, with Edwards tapped once again to helm.
Personally, I’m happy this film won’t flop. It’s a great Hollywood reboot of classic franchise and does away with Roland Emmerich’s huge mistake of a film 1998. It’s also one of those proud moments in life where Hollywood finally gets it right. So, needless to say, there’s reason to rejoice, with more monster battles ahead and a great director that knows how to tap into the source material for a modern audience.
Good job, Gareth!
H/T: Deadline
‘Olympus Has Fallen’ Into A Sequel
Actor Gerard Butler will be putting in his time as an Eygptian desert god in Summit Entertainment’s upcoming film, Gods Of Eygpt from director Alex Proyas. But this week, we now have some particular movie news many of us probably didn’t see coming (I know I didn’t!).
If things work out, then it seems Nu Image may get its production going on May 5 of next year for the production of London Has Fallen, which will follow the events of the 2012 film Olympus Has Fallen, where North Korean paratroopers invaded the White House with a hail of bullets, rocket launchers and the threat of nuclear destruction. Screendaily reports the sequel will see Butler producing, as well as reprising his role as a resurrected Secret Service Agent alongside I, Frankenstein star Aaron Eckhart who will play the U.S. President, and Morgan Freeman as the House Speaker, in addition to actresses Angela Bassett returning as the Secret Service Director and Radha Mitchell as the wife of Banning’s character.
What’s tentatively known about the plot is that it will follow Butler, Eckhart and Bassett will be joining forces with an English MI6 agent to avert terroristic efforts to attack London on the day of the Prime Minister’s funeral. The film will be written by Katrin Benedikt and Creighton Rothenberger who provided the script for the first film, in addition to Millenium Films’ recently wrapped Patrick Hughes-directed The Expendables 3.
Alan Siegel will also be producing along Mark Gill, Matt O’Toole and Danny Lerner, while Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, John Thompson and Christine Crow will executive produce for Millenium.
The film did quite well at the box office, and although it took me a while to see it, I finally got down to watching it in recent months and enjoyed what its then-director, Anton Fuqua, gave us. (You can read my Film Of The Week review HERE). London Has Fallen doesn’t yet have a director in place, so more details will arrive soon enough.
QUESTION: What did you think of Olympus Has Fallen? And what do you think of the sequel announcement? Post your comments below or on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.
Could THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS Get A Sequel?
Impact Online is reporting that musician, producer, actor and director RZA‘s late 2012 comic book-hip-hop kung fu hybrid fantasy epic, The Man With The Iron Fists, may see its way to a hopeful sequel. Mike Leeder writes that despite the film’s lack of commercial success and mixed reviews, the news lends itself with much credit due to the film’s home sales on DVD, Blu-Ray and DVD.
The Man With The Iron Fists took seven years to finance, with years and months spent with RZA and fellow producer Eli Roth conceptualizing the story, pitching it to various studios and turning it into a solid script until Universal Pictures finally announced its involvement in 2010. While filming, the film.underwent several hefty edits and apparently left out a lot of material prior to its Hollywood premiere in October, followed by its North American release on November 2, 2012.
I particularly enjoyed The Man With The Iron Fists after its release. It wasn’t perfect, but the action was spectacular to look at, and most of the characters had their own unique charm about themselves that led me to appreciate the talent that RZA observed for the film. And with the way the mid/post-credits ending was structured, I honestly feel that the ending truly lended itself to a sequel that needs to happen, and it definitely needs to be theatrical. But what do you guys think?
QUESTION: What did you think of The Man With The Iron Fists? And are you looking forward to a sequel? Or a spin-off? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below or on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus or Pinterest.
RZA is also set to appear in the upcoming releases of Tom Yum Goong 2 and the upcoming “District B13” American remake, Brick Mansions.
Photo: Filmofilia