Fox hopes it's found its very own Hunger Games. Khal Drogo gets a new lease on life as a badass werewolf patriarch. Kick-Ass 2 gets another insane villain. There's a photo of Jamie Chung as Mulan in Once Upon a Time. And how about Space Jam 2... starring LeBron James?
Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from Doctor Who.
Robocop
After a discouraging couple of weeks that saw an early negative review for the script and Hugh Laurie exit the project, leaving the movie's strategic reserves of awesome British supporting players at just Gary Oldman, the Robocop reboot could really use some good news. Well, this translated quote from Fernando Meirelles, the director of the unspeakably awesome City of God, on how his friend and fellow Brazilian director Jose Padilha is faring with Robocop is most definitely not that good news:
I talked to José Padilha for a week by phone. He will begin filming Robocop. He is saying that it is the worst experience. For every 10 ideas he has, 9 are cut. Whatever he wants, he has to fight. "This is hell here," he told me. "The film will be good, but I never suffered so much and do not want to do it again." He is bitter, but it's a fighter.
Of course, some disclaimers here about the fact that this is hearsay, and translated hearsay at that, so this shouldn't necessarily be considered a completely accurate reflection of Padilha's current state of mind. Still, unless either Padilha or Meirelles just enjoys outright making crap up to mess with people's heads, it would seem this is a less than ideal situation for Padilha. Considering his involvement was a key reason why we were excited in the first place, that is most definitely not good news. [Screen Crush]
Kick-Ass 2
The website for Death at a Funeral and The Brothers Bloom supporting actor Andy Nyman reveals he has apparently been cast as The Tumor, one of the supervillains in the Kick-Ass sequel. As I constantly point out, said team is led by Christopher Mintz-Plasse's newly renamed villain The Motherfucker, but the actual name of the supervillain team is so much more coarse and awful than that that I'm really only comfortable pointing you toward the link for that particular nugget of information, if you're so inclined. That said, I'm kind of guessing the team name will be changed for the film to something that's slightly less horrendous. [Bleeding Cool]
Wolves
Game of Thrones actor and roving warrior poet Jason Momoa has reportedly joined Watchmen writer David Hayter's directorial debut, which Hayter has previously described as "Twilight with a bit more bite to it, and without abstinence." The film reportedly deconstructs the werewolf mythos in terms of a young man's sexual awakening, and the young man in question will reportedly be played by X-Men: First Class actor Lucas Till. The latest description says Till will play "an 18-year-old who's forced to hit the road after the death of his parents and finds his way to an isolated town to hunt down the truth of his ancestry — giving rise to the question of who's hunting whom." The town in question is the rather aptly Lupine Ridge. Momoa's part has been described both as "the villain in the town" and "a badass werewolf patriarch", which seems like the most Momoa part imaginable short of just throwing caution and logic to the wind and green lighting The Continuing Adventures of Khal Drogo. Anyway, the third reported cast member is Merritt Patterson, who no doubt you all remember from the Disney Channel's Radio Rebel and will play a character called Angela Timmins. [Variety and Heat Vision via Coming Soon]
The Maze Runner
Fox has reportedly become the latest studio to option a dystopian young adult series in the hopes of getting their hands on some of that sweet, sweet Hunger Games money. Their selection is James Dashmer's The Maze Runner, which unlike a lot of the YA books currently being optioned for movies has the distinct advantage of actually having been published. Fox reportedly already has a script from first-time screenwriter Noah Oppenheim, and the studio recently signed on director Wes Ball, who attracted some attention with his short film Ruin. Here's the official description for the novel to give you some idea of what to expect:
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade-a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they've closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up — the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.
Resident Evil: Retribution
Here's a behind-the-scenes featurette looking at the movie's story, because if there's one thing people going to see the fifth entry in the Resident Evil franchise care about... it's the story.
Space Jam 2
In response to perhaps the most crucial question ever asked by some random fan on Twitter, Miami Heat superstar LeBron James tweeted that he loves the original Space Jam and would love to star in the sequel. In case you're wondering why James would feel any particular attachment to the film, keep in mind that he was 12 years old when the film came out. Of course, much like Ghostbusters 3, this movie's existence really ought to depend on whether Bill Murray wants back in or not. [Film Stage]
Doctor Who
Karen Gillan says her final scene on the show, in "The Angels Take Manhattan," is intense and heartbreaking: "The day I had to shoot my final ever scene… everything that happens in the scene was not even acting. It's just real." [Forbes]
Here's a spoiler-y tidbit, courtesy of E! Online:
The person to keep an eye on this season? Chloë Sevigny's character Shelly. Not just because she's a nymphomaniac, but because she'll go head to head with Jessica Lange's character. And we all know how well those situations turn out.
And here are four creeptastic posters. [EW via SpoilerTV]
Continuum
Just as I pretty much assumed yesterday, Syfy is reportedly close to finalizing a deal to start airing the Canadian time travel show. [Deadline]
Additional reporting by Rob H. Dawson and Charlie Jane Anders.