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  • Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced and Ed Gathegi Join ‘Superman: Legacy’

    (Left) Isabela Merced in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline,' exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios.(Center) Nathan Fillion at the premiere of 'Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.' (Left) Edi Gathegi in 'Aporia.'
    (Left) Isabela Merced in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios.(Center) Nathan Fillion at the premiere of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.’ (Left) Edi Gathegi in ‘Aporia.’

    Now that he has found his key cast members for ‘Superman: Legacy’ in David Corenswet (as Clark Kent/Superman) and Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), James Gunn has gotten on with the business of building the ensemble around them.

    Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced and Edi Gathegi are the new recruits (though in Fillion’s case, we somewhat suspect Gunn had been looking for a role for his regular collaborator before he even started the search for Supes.)

    They’ll be playing Guy Gardner (a Green Lantern), Hawkgirl and Mister Terrific, respectively.

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    Who is Guy Gardner?

    Green Lantern Guy Gardner.
    Green Lantern Guy Gardner. Courtesy of DC Comics.

    Fillion (who has appeared in many of Gunn’s previous movies, including ‘The Suicide Squad’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’) will be Gardner, one of the main ring bearers of the Green Lantern corps. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, he first appeared in the pages of Green Lantern #59, published in March 1968.

    According to Vanity Fair’s Anthony Breznican, who broke the news of the latest casting, he’ll stay true to his comics background: Gardner is known as an abrasive, sometimes obnoxious presence (something we know Fillion can do while still be remaining fun). The character is known for his iconic bowl cut haircut, which will be a part of the actor’ look in the film.

    Who is Hawkgirl?

    Hawkgirl from DC Comics.
    Hawkgirl from DC Comics. Courtesy of DC Comics.

    Merced, known for playing Dora The Explorer in ‘Dora and the Lost City of Gold’ is on to play Hawkgirl, a warrior who favors swords, spears, and maces. She’s been seen on TV in ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’, but this is a new actor and take on the character.

    Who is Mister Terrific?

    Mister Terrific (Michael Holt).
    Mister Terrific (Michael Holt). Courtesy of DC Comics.

    Finally, we have Gathegi (seen in the ‘Twilight’ movies and most recently on Apple TV+’s space drama ‘For All Mankind’), who has been cast as Mr. Terrific. Also known as Michael Holt, he’s not only a skilled combatant but one of the world’s most brilliant inventors and tacticians, orbited by the floating T-Sphere weapons he designed.

    Related Article: David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan to play Clark Kent and Lois Lane in ‘Superman: Legacy’

    What’s the story of ‘Superman: Legacy’?

    (Left) David Corenswet in Netflix's 'The Politician.' (Right) Rachel Brosnahan on Prime Video's 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.'
    (Left) David Corenswet in Netflix’s ‘The Politician.’ (Right) Rachel Brosnahan on Prime Video’s ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.’

    Little is truly known about the plotline at this point, but Gunn has been clear that he’s eschewing the usual exploding home planet Krypton/arrival in Smallville origin story (though those will likely be referenced) in favor of more of a workplace film with Clark showing up to work at the Planet, where Lois will already be an established reporting star.

    Peter Safran said this about the new movie during the duo’s big announcement about DC films and series going forward:

    “It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned.”

    ‘Superman: Legacy’ is scheduled to land in theaters on July 11th, 2025 –– that’s right, just about two years from now. So, if long waits are your kryptonite, we can only apologize.

    Writer, director, co-chairmen and co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn and Superman.
    (Left) Writer, director, co-chairmen and co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn. Photo courtesy of James Gunn’s Twitter account. (Right) Superman. Photo courtesy of DC Comics.com.

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  • Casting Update: John Cena, Awkwafina and Simu Liu join ‘Grand Death Lotto’

    John Cena, Awkwafina and Simu Liu join director Paul Feig's ‘Grand Death Lotto.’
    (L to R) John Cena, Awkwafina and Simu Liu join director Paul Feig’s ‘Grand Death Lotto.’

    Paul Feig is putting together something of a ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ reunion, casting Simu Liu and Awkwafina in his latest, ‘Grand Death Lotto,’ with the additional bonus of John Cena.

    The new action comedy, which Feig will direct from Rob Yescombe’s script, will kick off filming next week and will premiere on Prime Video worldwide.

    Says Feig, “I love action comedy and extreme physical comedy and this movie has both in abundance, as well as a boatload of heart and hilarity. This lotto will make winners of us all.”

    According to Amazon and MGM Studios boss Jennifer Salke,

    “’Grand Death Lotto’ is the kind of original idea audiences have been craving, and there’s no one better than the endlessly talented Paul Feig to steer the ship. We can’t wait to watch John Cena, Awkwafina, and Simu Liu bring this fun, action-packed script to life for our Prime Video customers around the world.”

    Though he’s mostly been known for more straightforward comedy, Feig is hardly a stranger to adding action in the mix –– 2016’s ‘Ghostbusters’ featured plenty of spooky combat, while there was espionage threats in ‘Spy’, cop shootouts in ‘The Heat’ and magical battles in his recent ‘The School for Good and Evil’.

    Paul Feig attends the World Premiere Of Netflix's 'The School For Good And Evil' at Regency Village Theatre on October 18, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
    Paul Feig attends the World Premiere Of Netflix’s ‘The School For Good And Evil’ at Regency Village Theatre on October 18, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix.

    Related Article: Director Paul Feig Talks Netflix’s ‘The School for Good and Evil’

    What’s the story of Paul Feig’s new movie?

    The official synopsis reads: “In the very near future, the Grand Lottery has been established in economically challenged California. The only catch? Kill the winner before sundown and you can legally claim their prize. New LA transplant Katie (Awkwafina) accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket and must join forces with amateur jackpot protector Noel (Cena) to make it to sundown in order to claim her multi-billion dollar prize, all while dealing with Noel’s protection rival Louis Lewis (Liu), who also wants to get her to sundown in order to claim his rich protection commission.

    Awkwafina will next be seen in horror comedy ‘Renfield’ (in theaters on April 14th) and heard in Disney’s new version of ‘The Little Mermaid’, which will swim into theaters on May 26th.

    Liu has ‘One True Loves’ due out on April 7th and has a role in Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’, which is out on July 21st.

    And Cena –– assuming anyone can see him –– will reprise his role as Jakob Toretto in ‘Fast X’, headed our way on May 19th.

    John Cena in 'F9.'
    John Cena in ‘F9.’

    The fear of violent death is also something that will concern Isabela Merced, who is transitioning from the romantic complications of Hulu’s ‘Rosaline’ to the new ‘Alien’ movie that Fede Álvarez is making.

    Having made the likes of ‘Don’t Breathe’ and ‘Evil Dead’, Álvarez surprised everyone by convincing Ridley Scott –– who is considered the man largely in charge of decisions about future movies containing killer xenomorphs and more –– to let him make a new entry in the long-running sci-fi terror franchise.

    Merced, who has also been seen in movies such as ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ and the recent ‘Father of the Bride’, will join Cailee Spaeny in the film along with David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu.

    Isabela Merced as Juliet in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline.'
    Isabela Merced as Juliet in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    What is Fede Álvarez ‘s new ‘Alien’ movie about?

    Little is yet known about exactly what will happen in the movie, but according to the basic official logline, a group of young people on a distant world find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

    And we don’t, of course, know how Spaeny, Merced and the rest’s characters will factor into that, but we’d have to guess they’ll spend some time fighting for their lives.

    The new movie won’t directly follow the original series of extraterrestrial horror/action movies as kicked off by Scott’s ‘Alien’ in 1979, nor will it continue the story in the director’s ‘Prometheus’-led prequel films (Scott keeps saying he’ll make another of those himself).

    Álvarez certainly has the horror chops to pull off a compelling new ‘Alien’ movie, which for the past few years has largely been the province of Scott. And though he’s been prolific of late, he hasn’t returned to the universe since 2017’s ‘Alien: Covenant’.

    Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in James Cameron's 'Aliens.'
    Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in James Cameron’s ‘Aliens.’

    Neill Blomkamp took a crack around 2014/2015, releasing concept art for a movie that would follow Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley from the Scott films, but aside from a lot of social media activity, it eventually got delayed indefinitely so as not to muddy the xenomorph waters before ‘Covenant’.

    You can imagine, then, that Álvarez must have come up with something interesting to have Scott give him the thumbs up. Either that, or the venerable filmmaker has so many other projects on his plate between directing and producing duties that he simply realized he needed to give someone else a chance for a while. He has his ‘Napoleon‘ film, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby, in post-production now.

    Though it has yet to announce a release date, we can imagine that, with filming underway, the movie could well hit theaters in 2024.

    Merced has a couple of other movies on the way, including John Green adaptation ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ and Sony’s Spider-universe superhero film ‘Madame Web’, which will be out on February 16th next year.

    Prometheus Alien
    2012’s ‘Prometheus.’

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  • ‘Rosaline’ Trailer Debuts

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    ‘Romeo & Juliet’ is easily one of the most adapted pieces of fiction in history. Shakespeare’s story of the doomed lovers has been the inspiration for all sorts of other movies, TV shows, books and more.

    But what about Rosaline? In the original play, she’s an unseen, unrequited love of Romeo’s before he falls for Juliet, mentioning that he writes her poetry.

    The new romantic comedy ‘Rosaline’, though, spins out the idea that she was actually his girlfriend before he met Juliet – and she’s pissed off that he’s thrown himself whole-hearted into this new relationship… in just three days.

    Kaitlyn Dever, who has been so good in the likes of ‘Booksmart’, ‘The Spectacular Now’ and on the small screen in ‘Dopesick’, ‘Unbelievable’ and ‘Justified’, is Rosaline here, who complains to her nurse (played by Minnie Driver) about how she feels. And soon, she’s planning to win him back.

    Of course, the fact that Juliet (Isabela Merced of the recent ‘Father of the Bride’) is her cousin makes that a little harder – though it does also give Rosaline an upper hand in influencing her (in one case here, trying to convince her to sample the buffet of men that is out in the wider world).

    But mostly, it’s a comic romp of her trying to throw a wrench in the world’s most famous romance.

    Isabela Merced as Juliet, Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline, and Spencer Stevenson as Paris in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline.'
    (L-R): Isabela Merced as Juliet, Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline, and Spencer Stevenson as Paris in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

    ‘West Side Story’s Kyle Allen here plays Romeo, while Sean Teale is Dario, with Henry Hunter Hall as Mercutio. And then there’s Bradley Whitford, who, we’re assuming from his stance in the trailer, plays Rosaline’s father.

    The new movie was directed by ‘Yes, God, Yes’ filmmaker Karen Maine from a script by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (who have some romantic movie experience via ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ and ‘(500) Days of Summer‘) who adapted the novel ‘When You Were Mine’ by Rebecca Serle.

    Oh, and one of the producers behind this one? Shawn Levy, who has a few projects on screens right now (maybe you’ve heard of ‘Stranger Things’ or ‘The Adam Project?)

    This is in keeping with what appears to be a trend at the moment – snarky takes on historical (even if this is fictional) stories. Lena Dunham’s medieval coming-of-age tale ‘Catherine, Called Birdy’ features ‘Game of Thrones’ Bella Ramsey as a young woman facing the prospect of being married off so her parents can profit, while ‘The Princess’ saw Joey King as a battling royal fighting back (literally) against the idea of being wed to a slimy suitor.

    And the tone here is definitely modern-meets-Shakespeare, with its poppy soundtrack and less-than-strictly-bard-style dialogue. Will anyone bite their thumb at anyone else? We’re not sure at this point. They’re probably more likely to flip the bird.

    ‘Rosaline’ will launch on Hulu on October 14th.

    Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline and Sean Teale as Dario in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline.'
    (L-R): Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline and Sean Teale as Dario in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline.'
    Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Sean Teale as Dario and Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline.'
    (L-R): Sean Teale as Dario and Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Sean Teale as Dario in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline.'
    Sean Teale as Dario in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Minnie Driver as Rosaline's Nurse and Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline.'
    (L-R): Minnie Driver as Rosaline’s Nurse and Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Isabela Merced as Juliet in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline.'
    Isabela Merced as Juliet in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Isabela Merced as Juliet and Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline,' exclusively on Hulu.
    (L-R): Isabela Merced as Juliet and Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Isabela Merced as Juliet and Kyle Allen as Romeo in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline.'
    (L-R): Isabela Merced as Juliet and Kyle Allen as Romeo in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Kyle Allen as Romeo in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline.'
    Kyle Allen as Romeo in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
    Kyle Allen as Romeo and Isabela Merced as Juliet in 20th Century Studios' 'Rosaline.'
    (L-R): Kyle Allen as Romeo and Isabela Merced as Juliet in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
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  • Emma Roberts Joins ‘Madame Web’

    Emma Roberts attends the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California.
    Emma Roberts attends the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images.

    As with much of Sony’s non-animated, non MCU-connected Spider-Man universe output, we’re still not sure what to expect from ‘Madame Web’. Aside from digging into the comic books to ferret out potential plot nuggets, and divine possible character choices, it’s a mystery. Especially since the studio has staunchly refused to release so much as a logline at this early stage.

    What we’ve had to go on so far is the casting, and the latest word has now made it into the world: Emma Roberts is joining the ensemble, according to Deadline.

    She joins a cast that already includes Dakota Johnson (who has the lead role, and presumably plays a version of the title character – more on that below), Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced and Tahar Rahim. There are zero details on who anyone is playing just yet.

    SJ Clarkson, who has worked on shows including ‘Jessica Jones’ and ‘Succession’, is making her film directing debut here, with Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless writing from the script and replacing an earlier draft by Kerem Sanga.

    Originally created by writer Denny O’Neil and artist John Romita Jr., Madame Web first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #210, which was published in November 1980.

    Known as Cassandra Webb, she is usually depicted as an elderly blind woman suffering from a chronic neuromuscular disease that makes it difficult to move and breathe, and as such, she’s connected to a life support system that looks like a spider web. The clairvoyant character has telepathic, precognitive, and astral projection abilities and once helped Spider-Man find a kidnap victim.
    It doesn’t exactly sound like the basis for a thrilling superhero outing, but Madame Web’s history has crossed path with various heroes. Plus, as you might expect from a comic book character, there has been more than one holder of the title.

    madame web comics
    mo Photo courtesy of Marvel Entertainment.

    In Amazing Spider-Man #636, Madame Web transfers her powers into a younger woman, Julia Carpenter, who takes over the role and oversees storylines such as Spider-Island, which finds all of Manhattan’s population developing Spider powers.

    The younger character sounds like who Johnson will be playing, though of course at this stage it’s anyone’s guess what the movie team will pick and choose to use in the final story. What if, for example, that younger cast points to a variety of potential Madame Webs… or is it Madames Web? Probably not.

    This, of course, is the latest evolution on Sony’s plan to keep its live-action Spider-spin-offs growing. They’ve been a hit and miss affair so far: the ‘Venom’ movies overcame negative critical reactions to generate big box office (a third is in the early stages)meanwhile ‘Morbius’ has… not so much.

    Next up is ‘Kraven the Hunter’, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, a ‘Silk’ TV series, and likely much further down the line, a potential ‘Sinister Six’ team up of Spider-villains.

    For now, then, ‘Kraven’, ‘Madame Web’ and the next ‘Venom’ are carrying the hopes of Sony’s Spidey time.

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