It’s a Busy Week For Nicole Kidman, Who Might Just Be Signing On To Join “Wonder Woman’ Cast
The Oscar winner is in ongoing negotiations to play a high-ranking Amazonian warrior alongside Gal Gadot in the film, which Patty Jenkins is directing. Chris Pine is co-starring as Wonder Woman’s love interest Steve Trevor. Last week, Kidman signed on to star in Adrian Lyne’s thriller, The Silent Wife. (TW)
Start the Speculation: ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ Reshoots Will Feature Hugh Jackman
After word originally came down that Jackman’s Wolverine would not actually appear in the film, that information has proved to be incorrect. Director Bryan Singer and company are returning to Mel’s Studio in Montreal, Quebec, where the the bulk of the production was shot earlier this year. The production will be shooting there for a few weeks, and Jackman will be on hand. (SF)
BBC Greenlights TV Series Based on Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’
The BBC’s flagship channel, BBC One, has commissioned an initial eight-part series based on the three-part epic fantasy novel, from Bad Wolf and New Line Cinema, which will be produced in Wales. His Dark Materials is the first commission from Bad Wolf, a U.K./U.S. production company founded by former BBC executives Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner, and co-sited in South Wales and Los Angeles. The show is New Line’s first move into British television. (VAR)
‘Doctor Who’ Fans Can Relax, as Peter Capaldi Will Return For Another Season
While there were some whisperings that Capaldi was only going to be the Doctor for one season, showrunner Steven Moffat confirmed that the Eleventh Doctor will stick around for next season. The same can’t be said for the Doctor’s current companion Clara, because Jenna Coleman is definitely departing the series. (UR)
NBC Braces For U.S. Version Of UK Drama ‘Collision’; Eleventh Hour Developing
Originally aired as a five-part event series, show was a big hit for ITV in 2009. Created by Anthony Horowitz, a U.S. version is now being developed by the London-based shingle for NBC in partnership with TriStar Television. Horowitz will also showrun the American take, partnering with Carol Mendelsohn Productions. Horowitz is currently writing the first two episodes of a proposed 10-episode order. If it gets a greenlight, the show will go straight to series. (DH)
‘Mr. Robot’ Star Rami Malek Gets Rewarded For His Brilliant Work, Lands First Movie Lead
In his first leading role in a movie, Malek will head up the cast of Sarah Adina Smith’s indie Buster’s Mal Heart. The head-trippy mystery follows an eccentric mountain man (Malek) on the run from authorities who survives the winter by breaking into empty vacation homes. He’s haunted by a recurring dream of being lost at sea only to discover that the dream is real: He is one man in two bodies. This is the story of how he split in two. (THR)
‘The Archbishop and the Antichrist’ Lands Impressive Duo Of Forest Whitaker and Vince Vaughn as Leads
Pair is set to star in the upcoming drama from writer/director Roland Joffé. Based on the play by Michael Ashton, the feature film follows a fictionalized account of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s (Whitaker) meetings with brutal murderer Piet Blomfield (Vaughn), who seeks redemption for the atrocities he’s committed while he serves a life sentence in prison in post-apartheid South Africa. (CS)
We Now Have a Release Date For Mark Wahlberg’s ‘Six Billion Dollar Man’ Adaptation
Dimension Films has announced that Wild Tales director Damián Szifron’s film will hit theaters on December 22nd, 2017. Szifron also rewrote the script. Wahlberg will be Steve Austin, a former astronaut who barely survives a horrific experimental plane crash. To save his life, he is given high-tech enhancements by scientists who replace his legs, right arm and left eye with bionic systems. Gifted super-human abilities, he becomes a secret agent. (EMP)
Add John Goodman To the Cast Of Comic Book Adaptation ‘The Coldest City’
Goodman joins Charlize Theron and James McAvoy in the film, based on the Oni graphic novel by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart. Set on the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall, it centers on Theron’s Lorraine Broughton. She is ordered to find a list of undercover agents working in Berlin after the MI6 agent tasked with bringing the list back from the east of the city is found dead. John Wick co-director David Leitch is helming. Production is set to begin this month. (BC)
Online Film School: Ten Tips From ‘Spectre’ Director Sam Mendes
Sam Mendes has some advice for young filmmakers. The Spectre director, who was honored Friday night at BAFTA Los Angeles’ Britannia Awards with the organization’s John Schlesinger Award for Excellence in Directing, took his time on stage to offer up 10 helpful tips for up-and-coming directors who are looking to take on an action franchise. (THR)