Welcome back to PCR’s newsletter! As we enter into a new month, Hollywood has provided us with some fresh film news, and we’ve grabbed the biggest headlines and put them into one article so you don’t have to go searching yourself. Read on to find out all the latest happenings in the worlds of DC, Disney, and even Jumanji, coming straight out of the first week of July (July 1st – 5th).
Casting News: Lurhmann’s Elvis Biopic Begins Search for Lead
Filmmaker Baz Lurhmann (The Great Gatsby) is on the hunt for someone to play Elvis Presley in his upcoming biopic based on “The King of Rock and Roll”. According to THR, the biopic will focus on the earlier years of Presley’s life and his rise to fame. With that in mind Lurhmann is looking to cast a younger actor for the role, and THR also reported that five actors have currently tested to play Elvis: Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nocturnal Animals), Miles Teller (Whiplash), Harry Styles (Dunkirk), and Austin Butler (The Dead Don’t Die). What do you think? Do any of these actors look (or sound) the part for the role?
Trailer: Jumanji: The Next Level
In 2017 Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle took the world by storm, raking in a total of $962M worldwide – Think about that for a second, a non-superhero/non-Disney pic managed to gross almost $1B at the worldwide box office. Jumanji truly shattered all expectations, largely due to their A-list cast (who are all returning for the sequel) mainly comprised of Karen Gillan, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart. Two years later and Sony Pictures are ready for us to pop the headset on and dive back into the world of Jumanji. Watch the trailer for Jumanji: The Next Level below, and prepare for some surprise appearances:
Casting News: The Little Mermaid Finds It’s Ariel
Disney has found it’s lead for the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid! Singer/Songwriter/Actress Halle Bailey most commonly known for being in the R&B duo “Chloe X Halle” has boarded the film as Ariel, the titular lead. Jacob Tremblay, Melissa McCarthy, and Awkwafina are also in talks to join the film. If successful, Tremblay will be playing Flounder, Awkwafina will be playing Scuttle, and McCarthy will be playing Ursula.
Trailer: Knives Out
Filmmaker Rian Johnson (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) returns to theaters this Thanksgivings with Knives Out, an original modern day murder-mystery inspired by the works of Agatha Christie. The biggest attraction of the film, aside from it being a wholly original murder mystery from one of the most exciting filmmakers of late, is the stellar cast (which you can see in the photo above) that Johnson managed to get on board for the pic. Knives Out stars: Daniel Craig (Spectre), Chris Evans (Avengers: Endgame), Ana de Armas (Blade Runner: 2049), Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween), Toni Collette (Hereditary), Don Johnson (Brawl in Cell Block 99), Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water), Lakeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You), Katherine Langford (Love, Simon), Jaeden Martell (It), Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World), and Noah Segan (Looper) – We told you it was a star-studded lineup! Watch the trailer below, along with a look at the stylish first poster:
WB/DC’s The Flash Hires New Director and Screenwriter
WB have found a potential replacement director and screenwriter for The Flash, after Game Night directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein both exited the project after “creative differences” with star Ezra Miller. Andy Muschietti (It) is in talks to direct the project, with Christina Hodson (Bumblebee) potentially penning the screenplay for the film based on the popular DC speedster. The news comes straight after we found out that Miller was collaborating with comic book legend Grant Morrison on a script, after disagreeing with Daley & Goldstein over the direction and tone of the film – the script in question has since been rejected by the studio, however they are still adamant in keeping Miller as the star. If Muschietti and Hodson accept the offers we could see a Flash film in theaters very soon.
Casting News: Sam Claflin Joins Enola Holmes
Last week we reported that Enola Holmes had casted Superman actor Henry Cavill to play the role of Sherlock Holmes, and this week we can report that Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) has also boarded the film. Who he will be playing is currently unknown. The film currently has a cast comprised of: Millie Bobbie Brown (Godzilla: King of the Monsters), Henry Cavill (Mission: Impossible – Fallout), Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), Fiona Shaw (Lizzie), and Adeel Akhtar (Murder Mystery).
Academy Sends Out 842 New Invites
The Academy (of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) sent out 842 new invites this year, inviting a diverse group of people from all sectors of film to join and be eligible for deciding on next year’s potential nominees and winners! The Academy revealed that among the 842 new members invited to join, 50% of them are women, and 29% are people of colour. This is a huge deal when compared to previous years in which the percentage of members that were women and/or people of colour was abysmal. We won’t list all of the new members invited, but we’ll highlight a few that stood out. Having had a quick skim of the list, invitees that instantly stood out were: Sterling K. Brown, Gemma Chan, Marina de Tavira, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Kent, Jonathan M. Chu, Michael Abels, and Ludwig Göransson. If you want the entire list of 2019 invitees head on over to Variety!
That’s it for the first week of July! Make sure to follow us on Twitter at @PopCultureRevs, and turn on notifications for the latest in film and television news!
Missed out on the previous weeks? Click the links below to catch-up on all the film news from last month: June 10-14, June 17-21, June 24-28.
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