There’s a lot of breaking news in Hollywood happening every minute. In the age of the blockbuster, it’s easy for some smaller movie and television news to slip through the crack. Last Week in Hollywood is our new weekly series highlighting all the interesting news from the last week that we thought didn’t warrant its own post, but was still worth mentioning. It’s less personal opinions and more a hearty roundup of what you might have missed.
Bird Box Sequel in Development
Everyone remember Bird Box, the Netflix film everyone wouldn’t shut up about a couple years ago? Well, apparently there’s going to be a sequel to the film which takes place in the aftermath of the decimation of the world’s population by an mysterious entity that compels people to commit suicide, usually in a gruesome fashion, after they’ve laid their eyes upon it.
The streaming service is currently developing a sequel based on Malorie, the follow-up book from author Josh Malerman. Inverse first reported the news in an interview with Josh Malerman leading up to the release of Malorie yesterday. Malorie is set twelve years after Bird Box meaning it could offer fans (are there such things?) a whole new look at this post-apocalyptic world.
Home Alone Adds Saturday Night Live Alums
Disney+ has added more cast members to its upcoming Home Alone reboot no one asked for.
Archie Yates (Jojo Rabbit) is set to star in the lead role, and now reports are stating that Kenan Thompson, Chris Parnell, Ally Maki, Aisling Bea, Pete Holmes, Timothy Simons, and Mikey Day have joined the film.
Disinsider was first to report the news and they also have who everyone is playing. Thompson will play Gavin, Parnell will play Uncle Stue, and Maki will play Mei. All these actors join Rob Delaney and Ellie Kemper who were previously cast as the main character’s parents.
The new Home Alone is said to focus on “a young boy named Max who goes to war with a husband and wife after he takes a porcelain doll from them.” Sounds absolutely nothing like Home Alone, so why bother even using the branding!
But on the bright side, rumor states Macaulay Culkin might make a cameo which means we can hold out hope for a proper Home Alone sequel someday in the future.
Jon Hamm is Fletch
That’s right, Jon Hamm will be starring as a modernized version of Irwin Maurice Fletch (formerly played by Chevy Chase) in an upcoming reboot of the property. Greg Mottola (Superbad) will helm the project. Fletch is actually based on a popular book series written by Gregory Mcdonald consisting of 11 novels.
Chase starred as the character in two films released in 1985 and 1989. Further sequels ended up being stuck in development hell. But now The Wrap says Hamm will star in and produce a new Fletch reboot for director Greg Mottola at Miramax. The reboot will apparently take a less comedic route and try for a film noir esthetic mixed with comedic moments. It will also adapt the second book in the series Confess, Fletch.
Just Cause Hires Michael Dowse to Direct
Hollywood has been trying to make a movie adaptation of the popular action/adventure video game Just Cause for more than a decade. But like most video game adaptations, they either end up being stuck in development hell or sucking massive balls.
Well, Michael Dowse (Goon) has been hired to direct the upcoming adaptation from a screenplay by Derek Kolstad (John Wick). The four Just Cause games follow a special ops soldier named Rico Rodriguez who is essentially dropped into enemy territory and tasked with destroying their strongholds to help save the world. That’s enough of a basic premise to definitely craft up a compelling feature. Deadline reports that Romancing the Stone will be an influence on the film, so take that as you may. No studio distributor is on board yet.
The Woman King Will Be Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
Hot off the success of the Netflix original The Old Guard, director Gina Prince-Bythewood has signed on to direct an Viola Davis in The Woman King, about a female general leading an all-female military unit in Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. The film, inspired by true events, will follow “Nanisca (Davis), general of the all-female military unit, and her daughter Nawi, who together fought the French and neighboring tribes who violated their honor, enslaved their people and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for.”
Noah Centineo is the Atom-Smasher in Black Adam
Noah Centineo (To All the Boys, The Perfect Date) is making the jump from Netflix original films to DC Films. Honestly, I’m not sure if that’s an improvement (I kidd, I kidd), but the actor is set to play Atom-Smasher in the upcoming Black Adam film. Dwayne Johnson is still signed on as the titular character, and reports state that Centineo will be sort of a loose ally to Johnson’s Black Adam. Perhaps we’ll find out more during next month’s DC FanDome.
Netflix Adapting The Gray Man With Insane Talent Involved
Netflix likes spending money, so it’s committed to dropping $200 million on The Gray Man, an adaptation of the espionage thriller by Mark Greaney. The Russo Brothers are set to direct the project which will star leading men Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. Joe Russo wrote the script, which will be polished by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. It’s sort of a Captain America reunion although I’m not quite sure why Gosling is there.
The Gray Man is described as a “deadly duel between killers as a freelance assassin and former CIA operative named Court Gentry (Gosling) is hunted across the globe by Lloyd Hansen (Evans), a former cohort of Gentry’s at the CIA.” The plan is for the film to launch a new franchise with future installments based on the next novels in the series.
I love everyone involved with this project so I am definitely onboard. I love a good espionage thriller, and with this cast how can I not follow this project as it moves through development and into production!
That’s it for last week. What projects mentioned are you interested in seeing once completed? Tell us down in the comments!
