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.
Sister Act 3 Secures Its Writer & Director
Madhuri Shekar (Welcome to the Blumhouse: Evil Eye) has been hired to write the script for Sister Act 3. Additionally, Tim Federle (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) has been tapped to direct.
Whoopi Goldberg will reprise her role in the belated threequel. The first two Sister Act movies were released in 1992 and 1993.
Wonka Begins Production
Warner Bros. recently announced that Wonka has begun production. The upcoming film will be an origin story for Willy Wonka with Timothée Chalamet in the titular role. Paul King (Paddington 2) is directing from a script by King and Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2).
The full cast was also revealed for the film. The movie will star Rowan Atkinson, Mathew Baynton, Jim Carter, Olivia Colman, Tom Davis, Simon Farnaby, Rich Fulcher, Sally Hawkins, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Paterson Joseph, Keegan-Michael Key, Calah Lane, Matt Lucas, Colin O’Brien, Natasha Rothwell, Rakhee Thakrar, and Ellie White.
Mattson Tomlin to Write BRZRKR Movie
Mattson Tomlin (The Batman) will pen the script for BRZRKR, an adaptation of the comic created and written by Keanu Reeves and Matt Kindt. Reeves is set to star in the lead role.
BRZRKR follows an “immortal warrior, known as Berzerker, as he fights his way through the ages.”
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone Grows Cast
Jaeden Martell (It: Chapter Two) and Donald Sutherland (The Hunger Games) have been cast in the upcoming Stephen King adaptation of Mr. Harrigan’s Phone. The project is set up at Blumhouse. It is being written and directed by John Lee Hancock (Saving Mr. Banks) and will release on Netflix in 2022.
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is a short story from Stephen King’s short story anthology collection If It Bleeds. The story follows “a young boy Craig, living in a small town, who befriends an older, reclusive billionaire Mr. Harrigan. The two form a bond over books and an iPhone, but when the man passes away, the boy discovers that not everything dead is gone, and finds himself able to communicate with his friend from the grave through the iPhone that was buried with him.”
Regé-Jean Page to Star in Heist Movie From Noah Hawley
Regé-Jean Page (Bridgerton) is set to star in an untitled heist thriller for Netflix. Noah Hawley (Fargo) will write and direct the movie. Joe and Anthony Russo (Captain America: Civil War) are producing. Details are under wraps, but The Hollywood Reporter states it is based on an original idea from Hawley.
Apple Studios Lands Watts-Clooney-Pitt Film Package
Apple Studios has made a deal for an untitled film that will be written and directed by Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming) and star George Clooney and Brad Pitt. The film will get a get a “robust theatrical release.” Sources state that “Clooney and Pitt left an eight-figure sum on the table to ensure the theatrical release component.”
The thriller follows “two lone-wolf fixers assigned to the same job.” Apple beat out several other contenders including Sony, Lionsgate, Annapurna, MGM, Universal, Warner Bros, Netflix and Amazon.
Guy Ritchie’s Next Film Gets Title, Synopsis & Release Date
Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham have another thriller coming out early next year. Previously known as Five Eyes, the film has since been titled Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre. It will hit theaters on January 21, 2022.
The film will follow “super spy Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) who must track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology wielded by billionaire arms broker Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant). Reluctantly teamed with some of the world’s best operatives (Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes, Bugzy Malone), Fortune and his crew recruit Hollywood’s biggest movie star Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett) to help them on their globe-trotting undercover mission to save the world.”
Additional Casting Updates
- Variety reports that Helena Bonham Carter is officially on board to reprise her role as Eudoria Holmes, the mother of Sherlock, Enola, and Mycroft in Enola Holmes 2.
- Nafessa Williams has been tapped to play Robyn Crawford in the Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Williams steps in for Moses Ingram, who recently departed the role.
- The Hollywood Reporter states Pilou Asbæk has joined Salem’s Lot in the key role of Richard Straker, Kurt Barlow’s familiar who prepares for the arrival of his master and does plenty of dirty work.
That’s it for the last week. What projects mentioned are you interested in seeing once completed? Tell us down in the comments!
