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.
Meg Ryan to Direct & Star in What Happens Later
Meg Ryan is set to direct What Happens Later, a film described as “an evolved and nostalgic take” on the rom-com genre. Ryan will also co-star alongside David Duchovny (The X-Files). The film will be based on the stage play Shooting Star by acclaimed playwright Steven Dietz. He adapted his own story for the screen, and co-wrote the script with Ryan and fellow playwright Kirk Lynn. The film is aiming for a 2023 release.
Here’s the official synopsis: “What if late one snowy night you came face to face with someone from your long ago? Someone who once held your secrets, because once, long ago, that person held your heart. Ex-lovers Willa (Ryan) and Bill (Duchovny) are reunited for the first time since their split decades prior when they both find themselves snowed in, in-transit, at an airport overnight. Willa is still the wilful, independent spirit she once was, free of any ties. Bill, recently separated, is reassessing his life and his relationships with his estranged wife and daughter. All each wants is to get home, but over the course of the night they find themselves at first reluctantly drawn together yet compelled to revisit their past, along with what could have been and what might well be again. But when the versions of their shared history don’t quite add up, where do they go from there?”
A Quiet Place, Mission: Impossible & Avatar Get Official Sequel Titles
A trio of upcoming sequels have received official titles. The A Quiet Place spinoff will now be known as A Quiet Place: Day One. Pig’s Michael Sarnoski will direct the upcoming prequel. The film hits theaters on September 22, 2023.
The seventh Mission: Impossible film has been titled Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One with the eighth film being titled Part Two. I don’t hate the title, but I hope they drop Part One and give the eighth film its own title. Part One hits theaters on July 14, 2023. Part Two follows on June 28, 2024.
Avatar 2, a film nobody has been asking for, will be released as Avatar: The Way of Water. The film is “set over a decade after the events of the first film, but will revisit the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their children) as they continue to fight to stay alive, keep their people safe, and figure out a way to overcome the tragedies they experience.” The film hits theaters on December 16, 2022.
Apple Lands Untitled Michael J. Fox Documentary
Apple Original Films has landed an untitled feature film about the life of beloved actor and advocate Michael J. Fox. Davis Guggenheim will direct. The film is currently in production in New York, Los Angeles, and Vancouver.
The film, “which will incorporate documentary, archival and scripted elements, will recount Fox’s extraordinary story in his own words — the improbable tale of an undersized kid from a Canadian army base who rose to the heights of stardom in 1980s Hollywood. The account of Fox’s public life, full of nostalgic thrills and cinematic gloss, will unspool alongside his never-before-seen private journey, including the years that followed his diagnosis, at twenty-nine, with Parkinson’s disease. Intimate and honest, and produced with unprecedented access to Fox and his family, the film will chronicle Fox’s personal and professional triumphs and travails, and will explore what happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease. With a mix of adventure and romance, comedy and drama, watching the film will feel like… well, like a Michael J. Fox movie.”
Big Mouth & Human Resources Renewed, Space Force Canceled
Netflix has renewed Big Mouth and Human Resources for a seventh and second season, respectively. The streaming service has also canceled the Steve-Carell-led comedy series Space Force after two seasons. I don’t think anyone is going to be missing that show.
Other Film & TV Updates
- HBO Max has handed Noonan’s, a Harley Quinn spinoff series, a series order. Noonan’s will focus on “Charles Brown/Kite Man and his new girlfriend, Golden Glider, as they commit crimes to help support Noonan’s, a seedy bar in Gotham City that they own.” The first season will consist of 10 episodes. Matt Oberg will reprise his role as Kite Man.
- Devery Jacobs (Reservation Dogs) has joined the cast of Echo, an upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe show. Jacobs will play Julie, a leading character described as “resilient and strong-willed.”
- Johan Renck (Chernobyl) will direct the first two episodes of Dune: The Sisterhood, an upcoming HBO Max series set in the Dune universe focusing on the Bene Gesserit order.
- The untitled Super Mario movie has been delayed. The film will now hit theaters on April 7, 2023.
- Set photos indicate that Casey Affleck has been cast in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
- Wicked director Jon M. Chu announced that the upcoming musical film based on the Broadway smash hit will actually be a two-part film. Part One will hit theaters in December 2024 while Part Two is expected in theaters in December 2025.
That’s it for the last few weeks. What projects mentioned are you interested in seeing once completed? Tell us down in the comments!
