Film Development For 4/21/16: J. A. Bayona Directing ‘Jurassic World 2’, Robert Downey Jr. Will Appear in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’, A24 Snags ‘I Want My MTV’
Lots of action this week, including a big, historical role for Gary Oldman, Nina Dobrev joining the Flatliners remake, Daisy Ridley and J.J. Abrams re-team for a new sci-fi flick, and Adam Devine earning his first solo starring role. There’s more, and for the full skinny, click the link. (SSN)
“Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Gathered Here Today To Get Through This Thing Called Life”: Hollywood Mourns Prince
The legendary pop superstar and Oscar winner died early this morning at the age of 57 at his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota. It didn’t take long for celebrities and fellow musicians share their reactions to the news, ranging from disbelief to honoring the award-winning artist. Even President Obama issued a statement on Prince on Thursday. (VAR)
Apparently Tone Deaf To the Zeitgeist, 20th Century Fox Announces New Slate of Films for Next Two Years Without a Single Female Director
Last week at CinemaCon, the annual convention run by The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), studio revealed its slate for their upcoming 2016 and 2017 films. Some big, money-making movies are on there, like next month’s X-Men: Apocalypse, the Independence Day sequel, the adaptation of Assassin’s Creed and more. But one trend running through the entire 23-film list is clear: not a single female director is on the list. (WAH)
Frank Zappa Pic Highest-Funded Documentary Ever On Kickstarter With Final $1.12M
Who The F*@% Is Frank Zappa, which has become the highest-funded documentary film in Kickstarter’s history, has a final tally: $1,126,036 from 8,688 backers. Outside of Kickstarter, Alex Winter collected another $91K to push the final to $1.2M. The funds will be used to mount a documentary film about the life of the composer as well as to preserve the Zappa archives as well. (DH)
Emma Stone, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell to Star in ‘Women in Business’
After a heated bidding war involving multiple studios, Fox has nabbed the hot comedy script b y Laura Steinel. Female-driven comedy, which has some strong attachments: Emma Stone, Kate McKinnon and Jillian Bell, has Jake Szymanski, who directed Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, attached to helm. (THR)
So, If You’re Keeping Score, That’s Robert Downey Jr. In To ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’, and Michael Keaton Out
On the heels of this morning’s announcement that RDJ was hopping aboard the project comes word that Keaton, who was in talks to play the movie’s undisclosed villain, has dropped out as talks broke down between Sony and the actor. Tom Holland will star as Peter Parker, making his first appearance as the character in next month’s Captain America: Civil War. (CB)
‘Blade Runner’ Sequel Pushed Forward to October 2017, Hinting at Oscar Contention
When a big-budget genre movie has its release date changed, it often signals production difficulties or studio uncertainty. The upcoming sequel looks to be an example of the opposite: Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up to Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi classic has been pushed forward from January 2018 to October 6th, 2017, making the as-yet untitled sequel eligible for Oscar consideration, which may hint at the studio’s intentions. (IW)
Warner Bros. Enlists Alfonso Cuarón To Help Out On Its Live Action ‘Jungle Book’
Andy Serkis has been tapped to make his directorial debut on the project, but now the studio seems to be rethinking his take on the subject matter. Enter Cuaron, who won an Oscar for helming the studio’s Gravity, who has now joined The Jungle Book as a “consultant.” What does that mean, exactly? Apparently, it “encompasses a lot of vague tasks from assisting in directing to even post-production work.” (COL)
More Superhero TV Ahead: Syfy Moves Ahead With Its Pilot For a DC Comics Krypton Series
The DC Entertainment universe continues to expand on the small screen as the previously-rumored series is close to locking in a pilot episode at the cable net. Said to be set 200 years in the past, the series will explore the history of Superman’s ill-fated birth planet with Kal-El’s grandfather the show’s central protagonist. (CS)
Trailer Buzz: ‘Cafe Society’
Amazon Studios has dropped the first trailer from Woody Allen’s latest film, which is bound for the Cannes Film Festival. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, Blake Lively, Parker Posey and Steve Carell and will hit theaters later this year. (TP)