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.
Derek Cianfrance to Direct Wolfman Reboot
Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) is set to direct Ryan Gosling in Wolfman for Universal. Cianfrance steps in for Leigh Whannell, who parted ways with the project earlier this year due to scheduling. Cianfrance will also write the script from a pitch from Gosling.
Wolfman is believed to be a modern take on the classic Universal Monster. Cianfrance seems like he is looking forward to the project. He remarked, “I’m thrilled and inspired to work with the good folks at Blumhouse and Universal to bring this monster back to life in our collective unconscious.”
Jake Kasdan to Direct Red One
Jake Kasdan (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) is set to direct Red One, an upcoming holiday adventure comedy starring Dwayne Johnson (who may be playing Santa Claus). The two previously worked together on the Jumanji movies.
Chris Morgan (The Fast Saga) wrote the screenplay, which Amazon describes as a “globe-trotting, four-quadrant action-adventure comedy, imagining a whole new universe to explore within the holiday genre.” It will begin shooting next year for a targeted release sometime during the holidays in 2023.
The Boondock Saints III Announced
The Boondock Saints III is officially a go. Director Troy Duffy and stars Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery will all return from the previous two films for the latest instalment in the saga of fraternal twin Irish brothers Connor and Murphy MacManus.
Duffy and Flanery co-wrote the script, with “a lot of input” from Reedus. The hope is to begin shooting the threequel next year. They also hope that Willem Dafoe will return, but Dafoe’s reps say he is not involved in the project at this time. Apparently, according to Deadline, everyone involved hopes Saints III could evolve into a “John Wick-type global action franchise.”
The Northman Delayed Two Weeks
The Northman, director Robert Eggers‘ latest film, has been pushed back two weeks. The Viking revenge tale was initially set to hit theaters on April 8, 2022. It is now scheduled for release on April 22, 2022.
Brat Memoir to Get Documentary Adaptation
Deadline reports that Network Entertainment has optioned Brat: An ’80s Story, Andrew McCarthy‘s bestselling memoir. McCarthy will direct the documentary adaptation.
Brat is set to follow “McCarthy across the country as he goes directly to the source, seeking out other Brat Pack members to find out what it has meant to each of them to have been a part of that famed acting group. He’ll reconnect with actors he hasn’t seen in years, discuss the iconic films they made from 1982-89 and learn about their experiences since those days.”
Guy Ritchie, Jake Gyllenhaal Teaming for The Interpreter
STXInternational is launching sales on The Interpreter, an action-thriller that has Guy Ritchie onboard to direct and Jake Gyllenhaal set to star. Ritchie will direct from a script he co-wrote with Ivan Atkinson & Marn Davies (The Gentlemen).
Gyllenhaal will play “Sgt. John Kinley, who on his last tour of duty in Afghanistan is teamed with local interpreter Ahmed to survey the region. When their unit is ambushed on patrol, Kinley and Ahmed are the only survivors. With enemy combatants in pursuit, Ahmed risks his own life to carry an injured Kinley across miles of grueling terrain to safety. Back on U.S. soil, Kinley learns that Ahmed and his family were not given passage to America as promised. Determined to protect his friend and repay his debt, Kinley returns to the warzone to retrieve Ahmed and his family before the local militias reach them first.a soldier who returns to a warzone to repay a debt to his interpreter.”
Deadline reports that Ritchie was “inspired to tell the compelling story after conversations with soldiers and the interpreters who risk their lives to help them.” Principal photography begins next January in Spain.
Val-Zod Superman Series Finds Its Writers
Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters will script the upcoming Val-Zod / Superman limited series for HBO Max. The duo is known for their Amazon project Nola and for doing script work on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Deadline reports the two have an “unexpected take on the iconic Earth-2 character’s origin story.”
Michael B. Jordan is executive producing the project, and may star as Val-Zod (although he has not yet committed to the role). It is one of two competing Superman projects currently in the works at DC. The other is the J.J. Abrams / Ta-Nehisi Coates Superman film that will reimagine Clark Kent as black.
John Woo to Direct Joel Kinnaman in Silent Night
John Woo is set to direct Silent Night, an action film starring Joel Kinnaman. It will mark Woo’s first American film since 2003’s Paycheck. Capstone is in negotiations to finance the film.
Deadline reports that the film will follow “a normal father [who] heads into the underworld to avenge his young son’s death.”
Jeff Nichols No Longer Directing Quiet Place Spin-off
Jeff Nichols (Mud) has departed the Quiet Place spin-off. Nichols and Paramount have amicably parted ways, according to Deadline, for one good reason. Instead of A Quiet Place film, Nichols will instead work on an original sci-fi film that he is developing at Paramount.
Paramount is currently searching for a new director to replace Nichols. The untitled “A Quiet Place” spin-off hits theaters on March 31, 2023.
That’s it for last week. What projects mentioned are you interested in seeing once completed? Tell us down in the comments!
