Welcome back to another week of PCR’s film news roundup! This week we’ve got a lot going on in the film world. With San Diego Comic Con kicking off in the latter half of the week, we’ve got a plethora of trailers for your viewing pleasure, along with other news too! Read on to find out all the major headlines spinning out of the third week of July (July 15 – 19).
Trailer: The King’s Man
20th Century Fox has released the first official trailer for The King’s Man, a prequel to, yup you guessed it, the Kingsman films! The film stars Harris Dickinson, Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Gemma Arterton, Tom Hollander, Matthew Goode, Djimon Hounsou, and more. Watch the trailer below, along with a look at the official poster for the spy flick:
Casting News: Austin Butler Cast as Elvis in Upcoming Biopic
Singer/Actor Austin Butler has officially landed the role of Elvis, in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming biopic based on the legendary rock icon. Butler beat out tough competition from the likes of: Harry Styles, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Compared to the runner-ups Butler is a relatively unknown actor, however this summer he’ll be appearing in Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die, and also Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood. Co-starring alongside Butler in the biopic is Tom Hanks, who will be portraying Elvis’ manager Colonel Tom Parker.
Trailer: It: Chapter Two
The final trailer for the upcoming It sequel was shown to audiences attending San Diego Comic-Con on Wednesday night, and finally released online for everyone else the following morning after. The film assembles a gigantic star-filled cast that includes: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Jay Ryan, Isaiah Mustafa, Andy Bean, James Ransome, Bill Skarsgard, and of course the kid-versions of the Losers club! Watch the final trailer below, along with a look at the fresh new eerie poster:
Damien Chazelle’s Sets Sights on Babylon
Oscar-winning filmmaker Damien Chazelle has begun shopping around his next feature film to some major Hollywood studios. The film, which is currently titled Babylon, is said to be a period piece set in 1920’s Hollywood during the transition from silent films to ‘talkies’.
The film is already attracting big name actors, with Emma Stone in early talks to star, and Brad Pitt reportedly “circling” the project. Chazelle comes fresh off his Oscar-winning Neil Armstrong biopic First Man, and is currently collaborating with Netflix on a musical series titled “The Eddy”.
Taika Waititi Returning for Thor Sequel
After the critical and box office success of 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, filmmaker Taika Waititi is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe! He’ll be directing and writing the fourth Thor film, with Hemsworth expected to return as the titular character. This news unfortunately means that Waititi’s plans to direct WB’s live-action remake of Akira is being put on “indefinite hold”.
After the events of Avengers: Endgame, Thor is left in a very interesting place character-wise, and hopefully this will be developed further in either Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 or Waititi’s Thor 4.
Casting News: Omari Hardwick & Others Round Out Cast for Army of the Dead
Production has officially kicked off on Netflix and Zack Snyder’s upcoming zombie-heist flick Army of the Dead, and we can report that Snyder has rounded out his cast for the film. Joining previously announced cast members Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Theo Rossi, Huma Qureshi and Ana de la Reguera are: Omari Hardwick, Chris D’Elia, Hiroyuki Sanada, Garret Dillahunt, Raúl Castillo, Nora Arnezeder, Matthias Schweighöfer, Samantha Win and Rich Cetrone.
Army of the Dead sees Snyder return to horror film-making, as his feature-length debut was the 2004 zombie-flick Dawn of the Dead. The official synopsis for Army of the Dead reads as follows:
“During a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a man assembles a group of mercenaries to take the ultimate gamble: venturing into the quarantined zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.”
Trailer: Ad Astra
20th Century Fox has released a brand new trailer for James Gray’s highly anticipated sci-fi-drama starring Brad Pitt. Ad Astra follows Astronaut Roy McBride (Pitt) who embarks on a journey into space in search of his missing father – a scientist whose experiments and research potentially poses a massive threat to the solar system. Watch the trailer for the film below, along with a look at the new poster:
Casting News: Harry Styles in Talks for The Little Mermaid
Harry Styles is in early talks to star in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid as Prince Eric. After his appearance in Nolan’s Dunkirk, Styles is on the lookout for a new project to board, and with his screen tests for Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic proving to be unsuccessful, The Little Mermaid might be the film for him.
The Disney remake is currently in the process of casting as we previously reported two weeks ago. Alongside Halle Bailey, Awkwafina, Melissa McCarthy and Jacob Tremblay, Javier Bardem is also in talks to star in the film. If successful, he’ll be playing King Triton – the father of Bailey’s character.
That’s all for week three 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: June 24-28, July 1-5, July 8-12.
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