Uncategorized

Movie News Bits: Anime Goes Live Action, Casting Updates and More

Welcome back to Movie News Bits. In today’s installment, we have movement on a hotly anticipated sequel, casting updates for some movies, the potential franchise future of Venom, and more.

  • Despite mixed reviews, Death Note was a pretty big success for Netflix. So, the company has confirmed that a sequel, simply titled Death Note 2, is in the works. Greg Russo is writing the script. No word on whether director Adam Wingard will return, or anything on a release date. One thing is for sure: Landon is very happy about the news. (Source: The Hollywood Reporter)
  • Star Wars Episode IX is now in production, but the film is still adding to its cast. Actor Dominic Monaghan (Lost) is re-teaming with director J.J. Abrams on the sequel, which will close out the sequel trilogy and the Skywalker saga. Monaghan said this about the news. “The galaxy far far away has had almost as much influence as the one I live in, so I am delighted to be involved.” Of course, there’s no word on who he’s playing. Episode IX hits theaters on December 20th, 2019. (Source: Deadline)
  • Pokémon is one of the biggest franchises in the world, and it’s finally getting the live action film treatment. Instead of Ash, the film opted to focus on….Detective Pikachu. Why choose a new video game over one of the franchise’s staples? Director Rob Letterman explains. “The Pokémon Company…already made many, many movies of Ash, and they came to Legendary with this idea of using a new character. So when I came onboard, I was pitched this character of Detective Pikachu, and I fell in love with the story behind it. It’s a really great story. It was something with a lot of heart, and it was just very unique. And because there’s already been so much work done with Ash, for the first live-action movie I thought it was a really good idea to try something new with a new character, but bake it into the universe of Pokémon. So it still follows all the rules, and we get to see a lot of our favorite things.” Be sure to click the source link for Letterman’s comments on Ryan Reynolds, the film’s process of bringing Pokémon to life, and more. Pokémon: Detective Pikachu hits theaters on May 10th, 2019. (Source: IGN)
  • Sony’s Venom is the cover story of the latest issue of Total Film. There, the cast and crew go all in to talk about the movie. Most interestingly, Tom Hardy confirms that he has signed on for three Venom movies, so wherever the franchise goes, Hardy is all in. Meanwhile, director Ruben Fleischer remains mum on those Carnage rumors, Michelle Williams would love to become She-Venom, and no one knows what its rating will be. Venom hits theaters on October 5th. (Source: Comic Book Movie)
  • Another day, another casting addition to Wonder Woman 1984Ranchi Diaries actress Soundarya Sharma has landed an unspecified role in the highly anticipated sequel. Sharma calls it a “dream come true,” and she is expected to begin filming by the end of October. Wonder Woman 1984 hits theaters on November 1st, 2019. (Source: The Hindu)
  • Wrapping up with some more DC news here. Warner Bros. is surely launching a merchandising blitz for Aquaman, and among that will be a new novel. Titled Aquaman: Undertow, the tie-in novel will depict a 13-year-old Arthur Curry struggling to fit in at school. But with help from his friend Claudia, Arthur begins to learn the mystery behind his mother. The book hits stores on November 6th, ahead of the film’s release on December 21st. (Source: HarperCollins Publishers)

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of WOBAM! Entertainment.