Director News: Matt Reeves For ‘The Batman’ And David Fincher For ‘World War Z’ Sequel?
Following Ben Affleck’s exit from The Batman in a directorial capacity, Warner Bros. are hastily looking for a replacement director. Dawn of… and War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves, who has been top of the shortlists since last week, has now formally met with the studio and is said to be ‘committed’ to the project. And there has also been an update on David Fincher’s next project – the filmmaker was previously rumoured to be re-teaming with Brad Pitt for a sequel to World War Z. Following Paramount pulling the film from their release schedule for the time being, new reports have come out suggesting that Fincher is still interested in the project, with Paramount’s Brad Grey holding things up… [Variety/THR]
Marvel Drops Avengers: Infinity War First Look Featurette As Production Ramps Up
Just a couple of weeks following the start of production on what is said to be the ‘conclusion’ of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios have released a behind-the-scenes featurette – featuring concept art from the two-parter as well as interview snippets with directors Anthony and Joe Russo, MCU showrunner Kevin Feige and cast members Robert Downey Jr, Chris Pratt and Tom Holland. [The Verge]
Remake News: Jack Nicholson And Kristen Wiig In ‘Toni Erdmann’ Remake; Coen Brothers Rewriting ‘Scarface’
Just as the film’s popularity is ramping up ahead of the Oscars (as well as following the UK release – review coming this week), Jack Nicholson has ‘come out of semi-retirement’ to get an English-language remake off the ground at Paramount. The project currently has Nicholson set to star as Erdmann (originally played by Peter Simonischek) in his first role since 2010, and Kristen Wiig as Sandra Hüller’s daughter character. Despite earlier reports however, original director Maren Ade is unlikely to be involved in the remake. Also on the remake front – Joel and Ethan Coen are set to take a crack at the script for the upcoming remake of Scarface, with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story‘s Diego Luna currently attached as the lead. Following Antoine Fuqua’s exit from the project, Hell or High Water‘s David Mackenzie and Peter Berg are currently the two frontrunners to direct. [THR/SlashFilm]
Thandie Newton In Talks For Han Solo ‘Star Wars’ Spin-Off
Following her resurgence with a critically acclaimed turn in Westworld, the BAFTA winner is currently in negotiations to star in Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s currently in-production Han Solo Star Wars Story – joining Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson and Emilia Clarke. [Variety]
Trailer of the Week – The Beguiled
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