Film Development for 4/14/16: Speilberg in for ‘Kidnapping’ Pic, ‘Jungle Book’ Sequel in the Works, Benedict Cumberbatch Set to Play the Grinch
Lots of stuff happening this week, including a bunch of new names attaching themselves to the National Lampoon film, A Futile and Stupid Gesture, Natalie Morales joining the cast of Battle of the Sexes, a new villain for Despicable Me 3, and Benedict Cumberbatch’s new voiceover role. As usual, there’s plenty more, so click the link to read on. (SSN)
Nine Shockers From This Year’s Cannes Festival, Including Snubs and Surprises
What year of Cannes is this again? Woody Allen’s opening the festival, Steven Spielberg’s got an out-of-competition slot, Pedro Almodovar’s in the main competition. All of these things have come to pass before. But even as the 69th edition of the festival provides a global platform for these filmmakers, they aren’t the whole story. (IW)
It’s Official, Ryan Reynolds and the Gang Are All Definitely Coming Back For ‘Deadpool 2’
Twentieth Century Fox is finally confirming that we’ll see Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth back on screens with the entire creative team from the film returning. That includes director Tim Miller, who made his feature directorial debut with Deadpool, and yes, screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are back as well. (COL)
Now, There Are Not Just Three ‘Avatar’ Sequels Coming, There Are Actually Four Of Them
Taking the stage for a surprise appearance at 20th Century Fox’s CinemaCon presentation today, director James Cameron admitted that the story spanning the new Avatar movies was such that he had to add an extra one. According to the director, the four follow-ups will have stand-alone plots that nevertheless connect to form one big saga. (EMP)
It’s a Big Day For Jackie Earle Haley, Who Lands Not One, but Two Big Jobs
The Oscar-nominated actor is set for a key villainous regular role opposite Peter Serafinowicz in the Amazon pilot The Tick a new take on Ben Edlund‘s comic book character with an all-new cast. Additionally, he is in negotiations for a co-starring role opposite Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey in The Dark Tower. (DH)
TNT Officially Greenlights ‘Tales From the Crypt,’ Plus New Pilot For M. Night Shyamalan Horror Block
Cable network’s horror block is officially in progress, as it has greenlit 10 episodes of Tales From the Crypt with a newly reinvented Crypt Keeper, which will anchor the TNT’s upcoming 2017 horror block curated by Shyamalan. TNT also announced a pilot order for anthology series Time of Death, which Shyamalan will exec produce, plus a development project, Creatures. The terror-filled programming block is slated to debut next year. (VAR)
Jason Statham Will Take On a Giant Shark In the Long Gestating ‘Meg’
After being stuck in development limbo for nearly 20 years, Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror, based on Steve Alten’s science-fiction book, is finally moving forward, with Jon Turteltaubdirecting and Statham now signed on to star as Jonas Taylor, who while on a “top-secret dive into the Pacific Ocean’s deepest canyon,” finds himself “face-to-face with the largest and most ferocious predator in the history of the animal kingdom.” (UR)
Another Stephen King Tale Is Getting the TV Adaptation Treatment, as Spike TV Green Lights ‘The Mist’
Cable net is officially moving forward on an original scripted series based on the premise of one of King’s most bizarrely frightening stories. The series has been in the works at Spike for months, and the network has now ordered the project series. Spike had previously greenlit a production pilot for the show, but the pitch and the script were evidently enough to warrant the order to series without seeing footage first. (CB)
Aliens, Adventure, and a Return To the Spielbergian Era
It seems like we’re starting to see a real shift in what audiences want. A shift backwards in time to a more optimistic era, when movies weren’t downbeat examinations into hearts of darkness, but rather idealistic and hopeful tales of triumph. An era we can call, for lack of a better term, Spielbergian. (TB)
Trailer Buzz: ‘The Neon Demon’
Amazon Studios has released the first trailer from the upcoming film by filmmaker Nicholas Winding Refn. Starring Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Karl Glusman, Bella Heathcote, Abbey Lee, Desmond Harrington, Christina Hendricks and Keanu Reeves, the movie opens in June. (TP)