By Matt Neglia & Will Mavity
We’re bombarded with a few dozen “breaking news” stories a day. And unless your eyes never leave your Twitter feed, then you probably miss a few. We usually include these as a part of the weekly podcast on the main show but we wanted to give you all a chance to see these new stories and trailers here in one place for your eyes to see. We will continue to post these on a weekly basis so that you’re never out of the loop on what’s going on in Hollywood.
As Cannes ramps up, expect many and many sales to be made, and huge projects to be announced. Here are just a few of the many huge bits of information the last week has brought us in the world of film.
Special thanks to Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline for the following stories which are all linked to their original source below.
May 5th
- Daisy Ridley is reportedly circling “Piece of Mind” for Paramount/Bad Robot. The coming-of-age story focuses on a girl who suffered a traumatic brain injury at a young age. Forced to move in with her college-age brother in NYC when her main caregiver dies, she must learn to develop her strengths and function in the world. Ryan Knighton (a famed memoirist who has written extensively about his blindness) is adapting the novel.
- Ralph Fiennes, Rebecca Hall, and Mark Strong join John Michael McDonagh’s “The Forgiven.” The film is based on Lawrence Osborne’s novel of the same name, which focuses on “the dramatic fallout following a random accident on the lives of an English couple (Fiennes and Hall), their friends and the local Moroccans who all converge on a luxurious desert villa during a decadent weekend-long party.” McDonagh (Brother of “In Bruges” & “Three Billboards” director Martin) is best known for his two Brendan Gleeson projects, “Calvary” and “The Guard.”
- Thought we were done with the Rambo franchise? Not even close. Stallone has announced that Rambo 5 is coming and will see the 71-year-old action hero going after The Mexican cartel.
May 7th
- Bruce Willis is lined up to play Cus D’Amato (The coach who trained Mike Tyson) in the boxing biopic, “Cornerman.” Actor Rupert Friend (“Pride & Prejudice” & “Homeland”) will direct the project in his directorial debut.
- Gary Oldman and Dylan O’Brien star in “Bayou,” a blues-filled crime drama set in New Orleans.
- Oscar-winning composer Mychael Danna (“Life of Pi” & “Moneyball”) will score Felicity Jones’ potential Oscar vehicle, the Ruth Bader Ginsberg biopic, “On The Basis of Sex.”
May 8th
- Oliver Assayas follows up “Personal Shopper” with a Cuban spy thriller “based on the true story of Cuban spies in American territories during the 1990s and explores the reach of a terrorist network based in Florida that had ramifications across Central America.” Pedro Pascal (“Game of Thrones” & “Narcos”) and Edgar Ramirez (“Joy” & “American Crime Story”) will star.
- After years of rumors, a third “Bill and Ted” film is actually happening. The project is written by the franchise’s creators Chris Matheson (“Imagine That”) and Ed Solomon (“Men in Black”), while Dean Parisot (“Galaxy Quest”) is directing.
- Elisabeth Moss will lead the punk rock drama, “Her Smell.” She is joined by a massive ensemble, including Cara Delevigne, Dan Stevens, and Eric Stoltz.
- Those lucky enough to have seen “Hereditary” should be extra excited. A24 has announced it will re-team with “Hereditary” director Ari Aster for his next horror film, which will start production later this year.
- Jordan Peele has already been busy producing projects (Like “BlackkKlansman,” which premieres next week at Cannes), but he has announced a cast and release date for his next directorial effort. His horror follow-up, entitled “Us” will open next March, and has already attached impressive names like Elisabeth Moss, Lupita Nyong’o, and Black Panther’s Winston Duke.
- The cast for Quentin Tarantino’s next project, “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” has become INSANE. Leonardo and Brad Pitt were already attached, but this week, the cast has expanded to include Margot Robbie, Burt Reynolds, Tim Roth, Kurt Russell Timothy Olyphant, and Michael Madsen.
- Beanie Feldstein (“Lady Bird” & “Neighbors 2”) moves from a supporting character in other people’s coming of age dramas to the central figure in the upcoming adaptation of Caitlin Moran’s acclaimed coming-of-age novel, “How To Build A Girl.” Coky Giedroyc (“The Killing”) will direct.
- Rosamund Pike’s “A Private War,” the narrative debut of documentary director, Matthew Heineman (“Cartel Land” & “City Of Ghosts”) gets an Oscar-friendly November release date. The film also stars Jamie Dornan, Stanley Tucci, and Tom Hollander, with cinematography by Oscar winner Robert Richardson. The film focuses on the real-life reporter, Marie Colvin, who was killed while covering the conflict in Syria. The film sounds on paper like the type of project that could bring Rosamund Pike back to the Oscars once more.
May 9th
- Asgar Farhadi’s “Everybody Knows” received somewhat divisive reactions, but that didn’t stop perennial Oscar player Focus from acquiring it.
- Felicity Jones, Thomas Brodie Sangster (“Love Actually” & “Game Of Thrones”), Patrick Stewart, and Freddie Highmore will lend their voices to the animated fantasy film, “Dragon Rider,” based on Cornelia Funk’s acclaimed children’s novel.
- Despite already having lent itself to a successful film and an acclaimed TV series, “Friday Night Lights” is being rebooted again, this time with David Gordon Green (“Pineapple Express” & “Stronger”) directing a script from Robert Schenkkan (“Hacksaw Ridge”). Universal has confirmed the film is not a sequel to the original film, nor a spinoff of the TV series, but instead an entire reboot of the property.
- Last week, we revealed the Cary Fukunaga and Jake Gyllenhaal were teaming up for a biopic of famed composer Leonard Bernstein. Now this week, Bradley Cooper has announced he will follow up his directing debut (“A Star Is Born”) with his own Leonard Bernstein biopic, which he will also star in, and co-write alongside Oscar Winner, Josh Singer (“Spotlight” & “The Post”).
May 11
- Bleecker Street has acquired the Mads Mikkelsen led solo survival film, “Arctic.”
- Ezra Miller will join Ben Kingsley and Lesley Manville in the Salvador Dali biopic, “Dali Land,” playing a young Dali.
- Paramount is clearly anticipating one toy spinoff film (This year’s “Bumblee”) will be a success, and has already announced a GI Joe spinoff film, focusing entirely on the ninja character, “Snake Eyes.” Evan Spitoullos (“Beauty and the Beast” & “The Huntsman: Winter’s War”) will direct.
NEW TRAILERS
You can follow Matt & Will and hear more of their thoughts on the Oscars & Film on Twitter at @NextBestPicture & @mavericksmovies
