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.
Michael Mann Wants to Make Heat 2
Michael Mann has revealed in an interview with Empire that he wants to direct an adaptation of his upcoming Heat 2 novel, which will be published later this summer. The novel will act as both a prequel and a sequel to the original Heat film and focus on Al Pacino’s Vincent Hanna and Val Kilmer’s Chris Shiherlis.
“It’s totally planned to be a movie,” Mann said. “Is it a modest movie? No. Is it a very expensive series? No. It’s going to be one large movie.”
Cole Sprouse, Kathryn Newton to Star in Lisa Frankenstein
Kathryn Newton (Freaky) and Cole Sprouse (Riverdale) will star in Lisa Frankenstein. Zelda Williams will direct the Focus Features film from a script written by Diablo Cody. Filming will begin later this summer.
The film will be set in 1989 and follow “an unpopular high schooler who accidentally re-animates a handsome Victorian corpse during a lightning storm and starts to rebuild him into the man of her dreams using the broken tanning bed in her garage.”
True Detective: Night Country Gets Greenlight
HBO has officially greenlit a fourth season of True Detective, which will be titled True Detective: Night Country. Kali Reis will star opposite Jodie Foster in the upcoming season. Issa López will act as writer, director, and showrunner on Night Country.
Here’s the Season 4 synopsis: “When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the six men that operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.”
Spy Kids Reboot Casts Zachary Levi, Gina Rodriguez & More
Zachary Levi, Gina Rodriguez, Everly Carganilla, and Connor Esterson have been cast in Robert Rodriguez‘s new Spy Kids movie. Rodriguez will write, direct and produce the upcoming film Netflix, Skydance, and Spyglass, which will introduce the world to a new family of spies. Racer Max will co-write the film’s script.
The new Spy Kids film is set “after the children of the world’s greatest secret agents unwittingly help a powerful game developer unleash a computer virus that gives him control of all technology, leading them to become spies themselves to save their parents and the world.”
Logan Lerman, Phoebe Dynevor to Star in The Threesome
Logan Lerman and Phoebe Dynevor are attached to star in The Threesome, an upcoming rom-com described as “a high-concept, character-driven comedy in the vein of Knocked Up.” Chad Hartigan will direct from a script by Ethan Ogilby.
The film explores “the aftermath of one impulsive, seemingly innocuous decision. When a young man’s perennial crush leads him into an unexpected threesome, he thinks it’s his ultimate fantasy come true. But when the fantasy ends, all three are left with sobering real-world consequences, forcing them to take responsibility for their actions — even if it means compromising the lives they’ve always envisioned.”
Cameron Diaz Comes Out of Retirement for Back in Action
Cameron Diaz is coming out of retirement for Back in Action, an upcoming Netflix action-comedy film. Jamie Foxx is also starring in the film. Diaz and Foxx previously worked together on 1999’s Any Given Sunday and 2014’s Annie, the latter being Diaz’s final film before her “retirement.”
Seth Gordon is directing the movie from a script he wrote with Brendan O’Brien. Plot details are being kept under wraps. Production is expected to begin later this year.
Leigh Whannell to Direct The Green Hornet and Kato
Leigh Whannell is in negotiations to direct The Green Hornet and Kato for Universal. David Koepp wrote the script. As soon as Whannell’s deal closes, the film will be fast-tracked into pre-production.
Other Film Updates
- Nia Vardalos has revealed that My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 has begun production in Athens. Vardalos will be pulling double duty as the film’s lead Toula Portokalos and its director. The threequel will be set in Greece and focus on Toula and Ian’s daughter Paris’ wedding.
- Henry Czerny has joined the cast of Scream 6.
- Hunter Schafer (Euphoria) has joined the cast of Lionsgate‘s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Schafer will play Tigris Snow, “Coriolanus’s cousin and confidante, who advises him in everything – from his role as mentor to the core of his moral compass.”
That’s it for last few weeks. What projects mentioned are you interested in seeing once completed? Tell us down in the comments!
