Moviefone Editorial

Tag: christina hodson

  • Glen Powell Starring in New Firefighter Movie

    (Left) Glen Powell arrives at The 89th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 26, 2017. Credit/Provider: Mike Baker / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S. (Right)

    Preview:

    • Glen Powell is attached to a new movie about firefighters.
    • Ron Howard is aboard to direct.
    • Amazon MGM has picked up the project.

    Glen Powell could truly be described as one of the hottest rising stars around right now, and his plan to team up with veteran filmmaker Ron Howard could be something really hot –– literally.

    According to reporter Jeff Sneider, Powell and Howard are joining forces to develop a new movie about firefighters that the former would star in and the latter would direct.

    The new movie, which is currently untitled, will come with a script from ‘Birds of Prey’ and ‘Bumblebee’ writer Christina Hodson, who Powell and Howard got in touch with and asked to pitch ideas. And Amazon MGM Studios has snapped up the pitch project with the three attached.

    Powell would produce via his Barnstorm company, alongside Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment.

    Related Article: Bidding War Launches For Glen Powell Starring Sci-fi Erotic Thriller ‘Homewreckers’

    What is the story of the new firefighter movie?

    Kurt Russell and William Baldwin in 'Backdraft'.
    (L to R) Kurt Russell and William Baldwin in ‘Backdraft’. Photo: Universal Pictures.

    Hodson’s script is largely under wraps, but we do have a few details.

    The story is apparently about disparate childhood friends, now elite firefighters, who must rekindle their fractured relationship when a series of deadly fires sweep across Texas.

    Certainly sounds like something that would fit Powell’s style, and it’s not like Ron Howard doesn’t have experience bringing fearsome cinematic fire to life.

    After all, he made 1991’s ‘Backdraft’, which starred Kurt Russell, William Baldwin and Robert De Niro in the tale of feuding siblings carrying on a heroic family tradition as Chicago firefighters.

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    That movie was so successful that it spawned an attraction at several Universal Studios theme parks. A 2019 sequel popped up, featuring some of the cast (including Baldwin and Donald Sutherland) but Howard had little involvement beyond an executive producer credit.

    And indeed, there was chatter last year about a potential ‘Backdraft’ remake with Brian Grazer’s backing, and that included talk of Powell potentially being involved.

    Here’s what Grazer had to say:

    “Imagine [Entertainment] has always played in that zone where there is that chance, high probability of chance, that it [a movie] will be successful in a movie theater. It’s great for us because we’ve built, over 30 years, over 100 different products –– brands. Whether it’s ‘Backdraft’ which I’m now going to do today with Glen Powell, or whether it’s 24, a movie that we’re going to do in a very interesting way with Disney-Fox.”

    We haven’t heard anything about a formal ‘Backdraft’ remake since then, but this sounds awfully like a new take on that concept, given it’ll be about strained relationships between firefighters who must team up to tackle new blazes.

    Where else can we see Glen Powell?

    Glen Powell as Tyler in 'Twisters', directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
    Glen Powell as Tyler in ‘Twisters’, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.

    Even though he’s said he’s trying to take a break of late, Powell has been as busy as ever.

    The actor, who was last seen in ‘Twisters’ will next star in the Hulu comedy series ‘Chad Powers,’ which follows a disgraced college quarterback named Russ Holliday who disguises himself as Chad Powers and walks onto a struggling southern football team to revive his football career.

    On the big screen, he’ll be seen in Paramount’s adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘The Running Man’ from director Edgar Wright. That one will be in theaters on November 7th.

    There is also John Patton Ford’s ‘Huntingdon’, about a young man who hatches a murderous plot to inherit his family’s wealth, which has yet to score a release date.

    And he’s been working on J.J. Abrams’ mysterious new movie, which might be called ‘Ghostwriter’ and co-stars Jenna Ortega.

    Beyond those, he recently entered a first-look deal through Barnstorm with Universal, which will begin with the upcoming ‘The Natural Order’ directed by Barry Jenkins.

    Finally, he’s attached to the likes of John Lee Hancock’s ‘Monsanto’ and an untitled new comedy that Judd Apatow has been developing to direct.

    What else is Ron Howard working on?

    Ron Howard in 'The Studio,' now streaming on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+.
    Ron Howard in ‘The Studio,’ now streaming on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+.

    Howard is no slouch in the working hard department either. You might have caught him recently playing a version of himself on Apple TV+ series ‘The Studio’ and he also has a thriller called ‘Eden’ on the way.

    That movie follows a group of people fueled by a profound desire for change; in order to turn their back to society they leave everything behind and set their futures on the harsh landscape of the Galapagos.

    It’ll be out on August 22nd.

    And given how active Howard is as a producer, there is a laundry list of projects that he’s involved in, too many to document here.

    When will the new firefighter movie be on screens?

    Despite the seeming drawing power of both Powell and Howard, Amazon MGM has picked this up as a pitch and there’s still a chance it could fall into development limbo.

    (L to R) Seth Rogen and Ron Howard in 'The Studio,' premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Seth Rogen and Ron Howard in ‘The Studio,’ premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.

    List of Glen Powell Movies:

    Buy Glen Powell Movies on Amazon

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  • James Mangold in Talks for ‘Swamp Thing’ Movie

    DC Comics' Swamp Thing.
    DC Comics’ Swamp Thing. Photo courtesy of DC.com.

    Just yesterday, DC Studios Co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran made the first of what will likely be several big announcements about the future of DC movies, TV series and video games, which they’re aiming to link together in one unified universe (excepting the likes of ‘The Batman’ and ‘Joker’, which will exist as ‘Elseworlds’ titles).

    While Gunn didn’t go into many details about other filmmakers who will be involved in crafting the movies and series in his actual announcement, he did drop a few names. “Tom King has been my partner throughout all of this. He was giving me answers to shit before I took the job,” said Gunn in a presentation. “So me, him, Christal Henry who worked on ‘Watchmen’ and is doing ‘Waller,’ Christina Hodson who wrote ‘The Flash,’ Drew Goddard, and Jeremy Slater, who just did ‘Moon Knight.’ That group of people we’ve been meeting with and, you know, putting all of this together.”

    One name he didn’t drop was James Mangold, but the director dropped a teasing hint about his potential collaboration by posting a ‘Swamp Thing’ image on social media.

    That immediately sparked speculation that he might be involved in the movie, which was one that Gunn mentioned in his announcement. And now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, he’s in early talks to write and direct the ‘Swamp Thing’ film but wasn’t brought up because the deal isn’t done yet.

    “This is a film that will investigate the dark origins of Swamp Thing,” Safran said on the DC blog the day of the announcement. It’s intended as a horror movie, but Swamp Thing will end up interacting with other characters down the line.

    As a character, Swamp Thing was created by writer Len Wein and horror artist Bernie Wrightson, first appearing in a stand-alone story in 1971’s ‘House of Secrets # 92.’ The character proved popular enough that he got his own book soon after, although it was short-lived. Swampy achieved his peak in the 1980s during a seminal run written by Alan Moore and drawn by John Totleben and Stephen R. Bissette and has since gone on to become a key figure in the darker side of DC, spurring the creation of the Vertigo imprint.

    ‘Swamp Thing’ first appeared on screens in 1982 in a movie directed by Wes Craven, while ‘The Return of Swamp Thing’ landed in theaters in 1989. There was a live-action TV series that ran for three seasons in the 1990s, an animated series and a short-lived live-action show on the equally short-lived DC Universe platform.

    Mangold, meanwhile, has form with comic book based movies with ‘The Wolverine’ and the acclaimed ‘Logan’. Next up for him is ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’, headed to theaters on June 30th this year. And after that’s complete, he still intends to make a film about Bob Dylan’s early life starring Timothée Chalamet.

    James Mangold arrives on the red carpet of The 90th Oscars®
    Oscar® nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay, James Mangold arrives on the red carpet of The 90th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, March 4, 2018. Photo: Ross Costanza Photography.
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  • First Look at Leslie Grace as ‘Batgirl’

    Leslie Grace as 'Batgirl'
    (Via Instagram) Leslie Grace as ‘Batgirl’

    “Holy new costume, Batgirl!”

    Actress Leslie Grace set the Internet ablaze late on Friday when she premiered on her Instagram account a first look photo of herself as Barbara Gordon in her full superhero costume for the upcoming HBO Max movie ‘Batgirl.’

    The film is currently shooting in Scotland for a late 2022 release on the streaming service and will also see Oscar winner J.K. Simmons return as Barbara’s dad, Commissioner James Gordon, as well as Michael Keaton’s return as Bruce Wayne/Batman, after his upcoming appearance in November’s ‘The Flash.’

    The photo reveals a purple and yellow Batgirl suit reminiscent of the costume the character wore in DC Comics’ 2011 reboot “The New 52,” which was also the template for most of the previous DCEU movies.

    Grace also posted along with the photo a quote from the seminal 2003 series, “Batgirl: Year One” by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon. “I use their expectations against them. That will be their weakness. Not mine. Let them all underestimate me…and when their guard is down, and their pride is rising, let me kick their butts.”

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Leslie Grace (@lesliegrace)

    Created by television producer William Dozier, editor Julius Schwartz, writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino for inclusion in the 1960’s ‘Batman’ TV show, the character made its debut first in Detective Comics #359 before appearing in the third season of the series in 1967.

    ‘Batgirl’ will mark the third time the iconic crime fighter has appeared in live-action following Yvonne Craig in the ‘Batman’ TV series, and Alicia Silverstone’s performance in 1997’s ‘Batman and Robin.’

    In the comics, Gordon is eventually injured by the Joker, and becomes the paraplegic computer expert, Oracle. While there is no indication that this version of the character will appear in “Batgirl,’ Oracle has appeared in live-action television series including the 2002 show ‘Birds of Prey’ played by Dina Meyer, and more recently in the third season of ‘Titans,’ portrayed by Savannah Welch.

    With ‘The Flash’ set to introduce the idea of the DC Multiverse, and bring Michael Keaton’s Batman back into the fold, it’s a little unclear which DC universe the movie will take place in. Simmons returning as James Gordon would indicate that it is a continuation of Zack Snyder’s DCEU, but Keaton’s inclusion, and not Ben Affleck’s, means all bets are off.

    Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (‘Bad Boys for Life’), written by Christina Hodson (2020’s ‘Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)’), and also starring Brendan Fraser as the villain Firefly, ‘Batgirl’ is set for release on HBO Max later this year.

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  • ‘It’ Director Andy Muschietti May Helm DC’s ‘Flash’ Movie: Report

    ‘It’ Director Andy Muschietti May Helm DC’s ‘Flash’ Movie: Report

    Warner Bros.

    After years in development limbo, DC’s long-gestating standalone “Flash” movie may finally have gotten the charge it so desperately needed.

    According to a scoop from The Hollywood Reporter, Andy Muschietti — who helmed the massively popular “It” remake, and its upcoming sequel, “It: Chapter Two” — is currently in talks to take the director’s chair on the project. Muschietti would also produce, alongside his sister and producing partner, Barbara Muschietti.

    Another big potential behind the scenes change is a new script, which sources tell THR will be written by Christina Hodson. Hodson already has experience spinning off franchises for Warner Bros., having previously penned “Bumblebee” and the upcoming “Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).”

    Despite those significant creative shifts, titular star Ezra Miller remains attached to this new version. Miller has been a staunch protector of “The Flash,” fighting to keep the flick in development by working on a new version of the script himself, alongside comics veteran Grant Morrison. While his desired darker direction for the character was ultimately rejected by Warner Bros., they still want to keep him on board, according to THR.

    The trade reports that deals have not yet been finalized, but Muschietti’s success with fellow Warner Bros. series “It” suggests that he may be the right fit for this feature. “Flash” fans should keep their fingers crossed.

    [via: The Hollywood Reporter]