Reshoots are a hot topic once again in movie land, with the new Star Wars movie going back in front of the cameras at a rather late stage in its production. Meanwhile, there are some interesting tidbits in the superhero universe, with a big star circling a key female role and DC scoring a hot young director for one of their rather more unproven properties.
On the smaller scale of the cinematic spectrum, there’s a Sicario sequel in the pipeline and a horror icon is set to return to the big screen once again.
Here’s your weekly round-up of all of the most important movie news.
Rogue One goes back in front of cameras
Trouble in a galaxy far, far away? Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set to undergo reshoots in June, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Studio sources said that the reshoots were taking place to shift towards a more lighter tone, bringing the film closer to The Force Awakens, which benefited from its classic adventure film sense of fun and frivolity in amongst the necessary darkness. Others have suggested that the reshoots could be making room for a more extended cameo by Alden Ehrenreich as the young Han Solo.
The problem with this is not that studios want to alter Rogue One. That’s fine. The problem is the way that the online film community overreacts to the notion of reshoots. We saw it a few months ago when Suicide Squad reshoots were announced and we’re seeing it again now. Reshoots do not mean that the film is bad; they mean that the studio wants to make the film better. And that should be welcomed.
Rick Famuyiwa takes helm of The Flash
DC seemed to be in a bit of a mess when Seth Grahame-Smith stepped down as director of The Flash. They now have a chance to turn it around, though, with Dope director Rick Famuyiwa stepping into the hotseat. Deadline reported that Famuyiwa has been selected to direct Grahame-Smith’s script in an attempt to attract the same young audience that enjoyed Dope away from Marvel and into the DC fold.
This is a very interesting pick to direct The Flash, with Famuyiwa riding high after Dope became something of a festival darling last year. The DC universe needs to take a handful of risks if it is ever going to compete with its more successful comic book rivals and directing choices like this are a solid step in that direction.
The Flash will hit cinemas in March 2018.
Marvel-lous news for Brie Larson?
Brie Larson has had a hell of a year, landing a role in Kong: Skull Island and picking up the Oscar for Best Actress for her tremendous work in Room. There could be even more good news on the horizon for the actress, with Variety writing that Larson is the frontrunner to lead Marvel’s first female-centric superhero movie, Captain Marvel. Sources told the publication that Larson is in early talks to take on the iconic part.
It’s tough to think of a better choice for the role than Larson. She is at the peak of her powers right now and is on the brink of ascending into the blockbuster firmament. Captain Marvel is a tremendous role and one that will allow Larson to be a genuine trailblazer in terms of the world of female superheroes.
Captain Marvel is scheduled for release in March 2019.
Mary Poppins sequel gets worst title ever
The recently announced follow-up to the stone cold musical classic Mary Poppins has moved a step closer. Disney has confirmed the long-standing rumour that Emily Blunt is set to take on the iconic role of the magical nanny with the bottomless handbag and flying umbrella. The studio also announced that the sequel, set for release in December 2018, would be titled Mary Poppins Returns.
The title brings to mind a cheesy superhero movie rather than a future family classic, but Blunt is the perfect choice to take up the role. She was terrific in Into the Woods and will reteam with that movie’s director, Rob Marshall, to step into the shoes of Julie Andrews. There’s still a healthy scepticism about whether the film will be any good, but Disney is selecting all of the right pieces and putting them in all of the right places.
Elizabeth Banks is no longer Pitch Perfect
Aca-scuse me! Pitch Perfect 3 has lost its director. Elizabeth Banks, who helmed the last film in the franchise, has exited the project in what Variety has described as an “amicable” departure due to her increasingly packed schedule. It is unclear whether Banks will return to play snark-tastic commentator Gail.
It’s fair to say that Pitch Perfect 2 was a vastly inferior movie to its predecessor, although it remained an entertaining slice of popcorn silliness. There’s very little appetite for a third movie and it seems as if Banks might have left this one at the right time. It’s tough to imagine that the third film is going to be any good at all.
Sicario sequel smuggles in a title and a director
One of the best films of 2015 was the drug war thriller Sicario, which took a brutal look at the drug trade on the Mexican border. A sequel has now been announced and, according to Deadline, it will be titled Soldado, which means ‘soldier’. Gomorra director Stefano Sollima is apparently the frontrunner to direct the film.
The prospect of a sequel to Sicario, bringing back Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin, is a mouth-watering one. This could be another dark, gritty thriller with a distinctly modern concern at its heart. If it’s half as tightly wound and tense as its predecessor, it’s guaranteed to be a success.
Friday the 13th to become Father’s Day?
It looks like we could be about to meet Jason Voorhees’ father. A report over at Birth Movies Death has stated that the new Friday the 13th movie, from Prisoners scribe Aaron Guzikowski, features not only the murderous Pamela Voorhees, but Jason’s daddy Elias.
This is yet another example of pointless demystification of a genuinely terrifying horror villain. These characters work better the less we know about them and there’s no reason that we need to delve into Jason’s backstory. It’s great that a new Friday the 13th film is being made, but I’d rather see a solid slasher than a needlessly complicated character tale.
Do you think Rogue One’s reshoots are a bad sign? Who would you like to see play Captain Marvel? Will Pitch Perfect 3 suffer from the loss of Elizabeth Banks? Let me know in the comments section and come back next Sunday for another news round-up.