Sony Pictures

[SONYESP]

FRIDAY, MAY 4

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY---two new videos were released.

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDNzJXAMLYY

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgaC0ytqdv4



THE LORD OF THE RINGS---Ian Nathan's book ANYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE: PETER JACKSON AND THE MAKING OF MIDDLE-EARTH reveals that disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein tried to derail Peter Jackson's THE LORD OF THE RINGS franchise. Weinstein demanded that Jackson produce only one streamlined two-hour movie and threatened to replace him with Quentin Tarantino if he didn't agree to the producer's wishes. Producer Ken Kamins said, "‘Harvey was like, ‘you’re either doing this or you’re not. You’re out’. And I got Quentin ready to direct it’".
Jackson has a 1998 memo from Miramax development head Jack Lecher which said Weinstein wanted Jackson to adopt a "more radical, streamlined approach" to THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Jackson replied, “It was literally guaranteed to disappoint every single person that has read that book. We’d rather have our lives and do our films and not deal with all this crap anymore. Tell Harvey to go ahead and make his film and good luck.”
Weinstein was eventually persuaded to agree with Jackson's idea for more more than one movie.





SPAMALOT---20th Century Fox movie underway based on the Broadway musical which was inspired by MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL. Eric Idle will return as the writer.





THE HEAVY---Paramount Pictures superhero movie underway with JJ Abrams as the producer. No plot details were released.

ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES---the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted to expel Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski after their sex scandals. Polanski's attorney, Harland Braun, said Polanski was "blindsided" by his expulsion and plans to ask the Academy to reconsider its vote.

LAST MAN STANDING---Fox is in talks to reboot the Tim Allen sitcom that was cancelled by ABC.

QUEEN AMERICA---Catherine Zeta-Jones stars in this Facebook Watch series about top beauty pageant coach Vicki Ellis who has the daunting task of trying to get hapless Samantha Stone to be crowned Miss America.

CHARLIE JOHNSON IN THE FLAMES---Liam Neeson will star in this movie based on the novel about a BBC war correspondent who investigates a woman's murder in the Congo and discovers a conspiracy.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT---Jeffrey Tambor will return for Season 5 after speculation was he might not be back due to his TRANSPARENT sex scandal.

INDEPENDENCE DAY---Dean Devlin said he's no longer involved with his two hit sci fi movies, INDEPENDENCE DAY and STARGATE, “I really don’t know, after GEOSTORM I really came to the realization that I’m not the kind of guy who should ever work at studios, so I excused myself from both STARGATE and from INDEPENDENCE DAY, so they may be going forward but I don’t know, I’m not involved anymore.”

MALEFICENT 2---Chiwetel Ejiofor is in talks to co-star in the sequel for an undisclosed role.

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS---FX tv series underway based on the vampire mockumentary.

UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT---Season 4 will be the last season with Netflix planning a tv movie as the series finale.

TRIVIA---Christian Slater, a self-professed Trekkie, has a cameo in STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY thanks to his mother, May Jo Slater, the movie's casting director.
Slater said his uniform in the scene was worn by William Shatner in STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN and he absconded with it after VI was finished.

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPMMO2sNYXU


Slater played the Excelsior Communications Officer in STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY.




Slater wore, and now owns, William Shatner's uniform from STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN.

[SONYESP]

MONDAY, MAY 7

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY---spoiler alert (see below).

RAMBO V---Sylvester Stallone is the star/writer of the latest sequel in which Rambo travels to Mexico to rescue a friend's daughter who was kidnapped by a drug cartel.





FATHER AMORTH---Screen Gems bought the exclusive movie rights to Father Gabriele Amorth, who performed thousands of exorcisms for the Vatican. The deal includes his two memoirs which will be part of an Amorth franchise. William Friedkin (THE EXORCIST) recently released a documentary on Amorth, THE DEVIL AND FATHER AMORTH.

JUMANJI 3---Jack Black spoke about his suggestion for the sequel, "I say we take this mother into space. ‘Cause my question with Jumanji is, ‘What is this game? Who invented this game?’ It has to be some alien technology. Am I right? Or it’s some crazy jungle medicine man magic. I wanna know where it’s from. Give me some f–king origins, y’all!"





CORNERMAN---Bruce Willis will star in this movie about boxing trainer Cus D'Amato who comes out of retirement to train a young Mike Tyson. Rupert Friend (THE DEATH OF STALIN) is the writer/director.

THE OPERATIVE---Martin Freeman (SHERLOCK) will co-star with Diane Kruger in this movie based on the book about a rogue female Mossad agent who seeks to drail Iran's nuclear weapons program.

PET SEMETARY---John Lithgow will play Jud Crandall in the remake of the 1989 movie based on the Stephen King novel. Fred Gwynne played Crandall in the original movie.

MESSIAH---Michelle Monaghan will star in this miniseries about a man in the Middle East who claims to be a messenger from God.

PETER RABBIT---the Sony Pictures sequel is underway.

THE EDUCATION OF FREDERICK FITZELL---Dylan O'Brien stars in this movie about a man who, “slowly begins to unravel a long-hidden mystery about a missing girl, a drug called Mercury, and a terrifying creature that has now followed him into adulthood. As past, present, and future begin to intersect and parallel each other, Fred explores all the possible lives he could lead. Which one will he choose?”

TRIVIA---more James Bond movie trivia.
Q (Quartermaster) is the head of Q Branch which develops gadgets for MI6. Ian Fleming's real name for Q is Major Boothroyd. He derived the name from British firearms expert Geoffrey Boothroyd. who wrote Fleming to tell him that James Bond's Beretta .25 was "a lady's gun" and recommended the Walther PPK as a more suitable weapon for 007. The PPK became Bond's personal firearm for most of the Bond movies.
Peter Burton was the first actor to play Q in DR. NO, but when he was unavailable for the sequel, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, Desmond Llewelyn was chosen to play the role and did so in all the Bond movies from 1964-1995 except LIVE AND LET DIE. Llewelyn's Q became one of the most endearing characters in the franchise.

In DR. NO, Q (Peter Burton) gives James Bond his new Walther PPK to replace his Beretta .25.




In GOLDFINGER, Q (Desmond Llewelyn) and 007 are in the Q Branch laboratory.




Llewelyn played Q for the last time in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH with Pierce Brosnan.



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SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY---Mark Hamill revealed one cameo in SOLO, [Anthony] Daniels was so happy, ’cause he’s in every single STAR WARS movie. Every single one. All the Prequels, he’s in ROGUE ONE, he’s in SOLO… Whoops! I hope that’s not, erm… But anyway, he’s in Every. Single. STAR WARS movie. That’s not such a reveal – all STAR WARS fans expect him to be in every movie."
Also, Ron Howard commented on if there might be sequels to SOLO, "...there are no concrete plans...I think [Disney and Lucasfilm are] going to be very interested to see how people respond to it and take it from there."

[SONYESP]

TUESDAY, MAY 8

THE COW---Ewan McGregor stars in this World War II comedy movie about a US pilot flying for the RAF who is shot down over Germany and tries to escape to France 200 miles away by using a cow. Marc Forster (WORLD WAR Z) is the director. THE COW is the remake of the French comedy movie LA VACHE ET LA PRISONNIER.





RAMBO V---more details were released on the sequel. Rambo, suffering from PTSD, helps a friend whose granddaughter went to Mexico for a party and disappeared. In Mexico, Rambo teams up with a journalist, whose half-sister is also missing, and they discover the girls were victims of a sex trafficking ring.

DOCTOR WHO---former showrunner Russell T. Davies said Hugh Grant turned down the offer to play Doctor Who in 2004, “I have always wanted to work with Hugh Grant. Always. I literally offered him Doctor Who in 2004. I told him that and he was like ‘really?!’ He knew nothing about that. I love him. I think he’s one of Britain’s finest actors.” The role went to Christopher Eccleston.





STAR TREK 4---Jennifer Morrison, who played the wife of Captain George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) in the 2009 JJ Abrams reboot movie, clarified her earlier comment which appeared to hint that Hemsworth might be returning for STAR TREK 4, "I just wanted to clear this up. I was just jokingly referencing a convo with a fan. I have no info here. At all. I promise. I have no idea what they are planning for the next Star Trek. I’ve never talked to anyone involved with the project."

MARVEL STUDIOS---Mark and Jay Duplass said they turned down an offer to direct a Marvel movie. Mark said, “There was a moment where Marvel was interested in us taking on one of their properties. It would have been a $150 to $180 million-dollar budget and about three years of our lives.” Jay added, “‘We own you’ essentially.”

THE HITMAN'S BODYGUARD---the sequel is underway with Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson expected to return.

BILL & TED 3---Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter announced they are returning for the sequel, "We couldn’t be more excited to get the whole band back together again. Chris [Matheson] and Ed [Solomon] wrote an amazing script, and with Dean [Parisot] at the helm we’ve got a dream team!”

GAMBIT---Jordan Vogt-Roberts (KONG: SKULL ISLAND) is one of five or six candidates to direct the long-gestating Channing Tatum movie.

THE GOLDBERGS---Rick Moranis will provide the voice for Dark Helmet in a tribute to the Mel Brooks SPACE BALLS movie which spoofed STAR WARS.

BRIGHT---the Netflix sequel is underway with the script by Evan Spiliotopoulos (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST).

THE RESIDENT---Fox renewed the series for Season 2.

SANTA CLARITA DIET---Netflix renewed the series for Season 3.

TRANSPARENT---Amazon announced that Season 5 will be the last season.

FINAL SPACE---TBS renewed the series for Season 2.

TRIVIA---in THE GUNS OF NAVARONE when Gregory Peck enters the radio bunker to shoot the radio operator, the song "Treu Sein" is being played by the German soldiers. The song was sung by actress/singer Elga Andersen, who later became famous for starring in the racing classic LE MANS, in which she was Steve McQueen's love interest in the movie and in real life.

In THE GUNS OF NAVARONE, as Gregory Peck enters the radio bunker, the German soldiers listen to "Treu Sein" sung by Andersen.

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErZcXD631gA





Andersen and Steve McQueen in LE MANS.






Andersen was given one of the four Porsche 911T sports cars used by the LE MANS production crew. The photo is from its auction in 2015.

[SONYESP]

WEDNESDAY, MAY 9

JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM---new tv commercial released.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ueSEKgDPG8



ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD---Burt Reynolds, Kurt Russell, Michael Madsen and Tim Roth will co-star with Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in the Quentin Tarantino movie based on the Charles Manson Cult murders. Reynolds will play George Spahn who owned the ranch where the Manson Cult lived. No information was released about the other roles.





KUNG FURY---Eiza Gonzalez (BABY DRIVER) will co-star with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Fassbender and David Hasselhoff in this action comedy movie about Miami kung fu cops who travel back in time to battle Adolf Hitler.




IN THE TALL GRASS---James Marsden (WESTWORLD) is in talks to star in this Netflix movie based on the novella co-written by Stephen King.

LIVE---Ben McKenzie (GOTHAM) and Aaron Eckhart (THE DARK KNIGHT) star in this movie about a disgraced cop who must rescue the police commissioner's kidnapped daughter while an online reporter films it.

THE PASSAGE---Mark-Paul Gosselaar stars in this Fox series about a Federal agent who must guard a young girl who may be the key to ending a global vampire plague.

LETHAL WEAPON---Clayne Crawford was fired from the Fox series based on the Mel Gibson movie series after two reprimands for disruptive behavior. The role is open, but numerous actors have reportedly turned it down.

NCIS---Pauley Perrette's final episode was watched by 14.8 million viewers which was a season high.

IRON MAN---the original Mark III suit worn by Robert Downey, Jr. in the movie apparently was stolen from a movie prop facility where it was being stored. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the disappearance of the suit which valued at $320,000.

BRIGHT PATH: THE JIM THORPE STORY---biomovie underway about the Olympic gold medal-winner who helped found the National Football League. Angelina Jolie is the producer.

WASP NETWORK---movie underway based on the book THE LAST SOLDIERS OF THE COLD WAR which is about Cuban spies in the US who were involved in terrorist activities. Edgar Ramirez and Pedro Pascal star.

THE SIX BILLION DOLLAR MAN---director Damian Szifron has left the Mark Wahlberg movie based on the Lee Majors tv series due to creative differences.

THE CHANGELING---remake underway of the 1980 horror movie.

A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL---Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw star in this BBC One/Amazon three -part miniseries about House of Commons member Jeremy Thorpe who was acquitted of conspiring to murder his gay lover.

CW---the network cancelled LIFE SENTENCE and VALOR.

TRIVIA---Lee Marvin had a #1, gold hit in England with his vocal "Wand'rin' Star" from the movie musical PAINT YOUR WAGON which also starred Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg. Marvin turned down the lead role in Sam Peckinpah's THE WILD BUNCH to star in PAINT YOUR WAGON because it payed more and because he felt his THE WILD BUNCH role was similar to his role in THE DIRTY DOZEN. Seberg said Marvin's singing was, "like rain gurgling down a rusty pipe".

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jYk5u9vKfA

[SONYESP]

THURSDAY, MAY 10

THE PREDATOR---official trailer released for the movie.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NhxthKUINQ



ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD---Margot Robbie has signed to play Sharon Tate in the Quentin Tarantino movie about the Charles Manson Cult murders. Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt also star.





RED NOTICE---Gal Gadot is the "top choice" of Universal Pictures to co-star with Dwayne Johnson in this movie about an Interpol agent tracking the world's top art thief.





PETER JACKSON---a rumor claims Peter Jackson is deciding between joining Amazon's THE LORD OF THE RINGS tv series or directing a DC Comics Extended Universe movie.





CAPTAIN MARVEL---Annette Bening will play Marie Danvers, the mother of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson).

355---photo released of the cast of the all-female spy movie: Penelope Cruz, Fan Bingbing, Marion Cotillard, Jessica Chastain and Lupita Nyong'o.





BIGGER---photo released of Julieanne Hough and Tyler Hoechlin starring in the movie about Joe and Ben Weider who founded the modern body-building sport, the Mr. Olympia competition and discovered Arnold Schwarzenegger.





AVENGERS---Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger said more AVENGERS movies are in the future, "...we will try our hand at what I’ll call a new franchise beyond AVENGERS, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t see more AVENGERS down the road. We just haven’t made any announcements about that.
Given the popularity of the characters and given the popularity of the franchise, I don’t think people should conclude there will never be another AVENGERS movie.”

STRANGER THINGS---Francesca Reale will play Heather, a lifeguard at the Hawkings community pool, who will "become the center piece of a dark mystery."

THE ROOKIE---Nathan Fillion stars in this ABC cop series about a man who has a midlife crisis and joins the Los Angeles Police Department to become its oldest rookie.

VIVARIUM---Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg star in this sci fi movie about a young couple who buy their starter home in a housing development and are forced to raise an unworldly child.

THE SILENCING---Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (GAME OF THRONES) stars in this movie about a reformed hunter who tracks down the killer who kidnapped his daughter years before.

PIECE OF MIND---Daisy Ridley stars in this movie about a young woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury as a child and moves in with her brother where she discovers she has extraordinary abilities.

AMUNDSEN---Paul Sverre Hagen and Katherine Waterston stars in this biomovie about Arctic explorer Roald Amundsen.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS---David Gordon Green (STRONGER) is in negotiations to direct the reboot movie based on the book.

JAMES BOND---Morena Baccarin (GOTHAM) commented on who will succeed Daniel craig as the next 007, “I think it’s going to be me. Of course, I have to be the next one. I have training.”

OUTLANDER---Starz renewed the series for Seasons 5 and 6.

PROVEN INNOCENT---new Fox legal series about a wrongful conviction law firm headed by a woman who was wrongfully convicted when she was younger.

TRIVIA---writer/director John Milius (APOCALYPSE NOW, DIRTY HARRY) was a leading force in President Theodore Roosevelt being posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for the charge up San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War. Milius was the writer/director of two projects featuring Roosevelt: THE WIND AND THE LION (Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith) and the miniseries ROUGH RIDERS (Tom Berenger, Sam Elliott, Gary Busey).

Milius helped lead the effort to Theodore Roosevelt being posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for the charge up San Juan Hill.





Milius wrote and directed THE WIND AND THE LION with Brian Keith playing Roosevelt and Sean Connery and Candice Bergen in the other lead roles.






Milius was the director and co-writer of the miniseries ROUGH RIDERS starring Tom Berenger as Roosevelt.

[SONYESP]

FRIDAY, MAY 11

TREMORS---trailer released for pilot of the Syfy series starring Kevin Bacon that wasn't picked up.

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1EAgpuDyPw



STAR WARS---Jon Favreau commented on the status of the live action tv series, “I’ve written half of the season already for the new STAR WARS show that I’m working on."
It is set seven years after the Battle of Endor from RETURN OF THE JEDI and before THE FORCE AWAKENS. It will introduce new characters and feature the latest CGI/motion capture technology used in Favreau's THE JUNGLE BOOK.





SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY---an inside source said Ron Howard had to reshoot 70% of the movie after directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were fired. The source added, “Ron wanted to go back to the spirit of the original trilogy, while Phil and Chris were looking forward to something new, more like GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY."
After viewing a cut from Howard's movie, Lord and Miller chose not to seek co-director credits.





STAR WARS: EPISODE IX---Colin Trevorrow was reportedly fired after Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy was unhappy with Trevorrow's first draft of the script, even tough he asked for a chance to rewrite it.

OBI-WAN KENOBI---a rumor says the movie is in pre-production with the "main shoot" at Pinewood Studios beginning in April, 2019 and will "move onto stages" in January.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD---Timothy Olyphant (JUSTIFIED) is in negotiations to co-star with Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie in the Quentin Tarantino movie based on the Charles Manson Cult murders.

GAME OF THRONES---a scientist at DataRobot used an algorithm to predict the chances that a character might die in Season 8. The algorithm used about 2,000 character profiles from A Wiki of Ice and Fire.

Daenerys Targaryen – 83.77%
Jaime Lannister – 72.91%
Tyrion Lannister – 70.76%
Bran Stark – 66.02%
Cersei Lannister – 60.39%
Jon Snow – 58.99%
Euron Greyjoy – 54.95%
Sansa Stark – 50.28%
Arya Stark – 49.04%
Gendry – 39.87%





AVENGERS 4---a rumor said the sequel will feature the original Avengers with Hawkeye hunting down the Skrulls in Japan where they are posing as the Yakuza.

LEONARD BERNSTEIN---Bradley Cooper is the star/director of this Paramount Pictures biomovie about composer Leonard Bernstein. Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese are the producers. This is biomovie not related to the Bernstein biomovie starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

RABID---Laura Vandervoort (SMALLVILLE) will star in the remake of the 1977 David Cronenberg horror movie. The Soska sisters (DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK) are the directors.

THE PUNISHER---Annette O'Toole (SMALLVILLE) and Corbin Bernsen (LA LAW) will play a powerful, wealthy and devious couple in Season 2.

THE BATMAN---Michael C. Hall (DEXTER) said he would like to replace Ben Affleck if Affleck doesn't return, '"I’m Batman, tell your friends about me.’ I love that, that was the Michael Keaton version. Well, thanks, sure – I’m all for that."'

FOX---the network cancelled THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, BROOKLYN NINE-NINE and THE MICK. Hulu may pick up BROOKLYN NINE-NINE.

COBRA KAI---YouTube renewed the series for Season 2.

THE EXPANSE---Syfy cancelled the series with Season 3 being the last season. It will be shopped to other networks.

TAKEN---NBC cancelled the series. It will be shopped to other networks.

RICK AND MORTY---Adult Swim ordered 70 more episodes of the series.

TRIVIA---in THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS (Steve Martin, Kathleen Turner), the voice for Dr. Hfuhruhurr's love interest, Anne Uumellmahaye (Brain #21), is Sissy Spacek.

[SONYESP]

MONDAY, MAY 14

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY---Alden Ehrenreich said he hopes any future Han Solo sequels will follow the INDIANA JONES franchise, "Well, I think I just want to see more of his relationships with these characters. I think that would be really a lot of fun. And I think each being its own kind of adventure story and like almost the INDIANA JONES mold would be pretty fricking cool."
Also, SOLO co-writer Jonathan Kasdan wants to do a spinoff Lando Calrissian movie, "First of all I'm dying to see a Lando film. I would help in anyway I was asked to. I think that's a great movie. I mean, I think you know one of the things though that's interesting is, I want to see a Lando film very similar way to the way I think Larry [Kasdan] was excited by a Han film. Which is in this movie, Lando gets to occupy, the role that Han occupied in the earlier films, which is he doesn't have to carry the burden of being the protagonist. He gets to have all the jokes. He gets to be the foil, you know. So one of the tricky challenges of making a Lando movie is, suddenly Lando is at the center of it."
Kasdan said SOLO is the first STAR WARS movie without C-3PO, but Anthony Daniels has a cameo, "...Anthony Daniels is in the movie as a different character. In the PAPILLON type offshoot story, the Wookiee that helps them escape, Chewbacca’s best friend, is played by Anthony Daniels – and beckons him to join them as they escape on a different ship."





DUNE---Denis Villeneuve commented on the status of his two-movie project based on the Frank Herbert novel, “Eric Roth (FORREST GUMP) has written the first draft and then I worked on it on my side. I have not had such fun creatively since INCENDIES. I wish I could direct both movies at the same time but it would have been too expensive. We’ll do them one at a time.”





WILLOW---Ron Howard said a sequel to his 1988 Lucasfilm fantasy movie is underway, “I don’t want to give away too much, but there is a little talk of WILLOW. We wouldn’t call it WILLOW 2, I think it would focus a lot on Elora Danan, although Willow would have to be significantly involved.”

THE LAUNDROMAT---Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas are in talks to star in the Steven Soderbergh movie based on the book SECRECY WORLD which focuses on papers leaked from the Panamanian law film Mossack Fonseca which revealed financial schemes by international politicians and the ultra-wealthy to avoid paying taxes.

FOX---Fox renewed LETHAL WEAPON for Season 3 with Seann William Scott (AMERICAN PIE) replacing the fired Clayton Crawford. Scott will play a new character.
Fox also renewed GOTHAM for Season 5 which will be the last season.
The network picked up LAST MAN STANDING, which was cancelled by ABC, and cancelled LUCIFER.
The network said it has no plans for a THE X-FILES Season 12 after Gillian Anderson said she will not return.





MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.---ABC hasn't decided to renew the series for Season 6, but a source posted, “#AgentsOfSHIELD is still in contention. Decision expected in the coming days.” A decision is expected on Tuesday.

BROOKLYN NINE-NINE---NBC picked up the series after it was cancelled by Fox.

CBS---CBS ordered the MAGNUM, PI reboot series starring Jay Hernandez (SUICIDE SQUAD) and Perdita Weeks (PENNY DREADFUL).
The network renewed ELEMENTARY for Season 7 and cancelled KEVIN CAN WAIT; 9JKL; ME, MYSELF & I; LIVING BIBLICALLY and WISDOM OF THE CROWD

LOST IN SPACE---Netflix renewed the reboot series for Season 2.

CW---the network ordered reboot series for CHARMED and ROSWELL. It also ordered LEGACIES, the spinoff series of THE ORIGINALS which was a spinoff series of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES.

GREENLAND---Chris Evans stars in this Neill Blomkamp movie about a family trying to survive a cataclysmic natural disaster.

MONSTER HUNTER---Milla Jovovich (RESIDENT EVIL) and her husband, director Paul WS Anderson, are reuniting for this movie based on the video game.
A RESIDENT EVIL tv series is being considered.

MS. MARVEL---Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige said a MS. MARVEL movie is underway, “We’re doing CAPTAIN MARVEL right now. CAPTAIN MARVEL‘s shooting right now with Brie Larson. MS. MARVEL, which is another character in the comic books, the Muslim hero who is inspired by CAPTAIN MARVEL, is definitely sort-of in the works. We have plans for that once we’ve introduced Captain Marvel to the world.”

SNAKE EYES---Paramount Picture sis developing the G.I. JOE spinoff movie with Evan Spiliotopoulos (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) writing the script.

DISTURBANCE IN A SMALL TOWN---Guy Pearce (LA CONFIDENTIAL) stars in this movie about a former Texas Ranger, with a tragic background, who must defend his small town from a biker gang.

F.E.A.R.---movie underway based on the video game.

TRIVIA---more James Bond movie trivia.
Mie Hama and Akiko Wakabayashi were the Bond Girls in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (Sean Connery, Donald Pleasence). Five years before, they co-starred together in KING KONG VS. GODZILLA, which was a monster hit in Japan.

Mie Hama and Akiko Wakabayashi co-starred in KING KONG VS. GODZILLA in 1962.






Hama played Kissy Suzuki in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE.




During the cave swimming scene, Hama was ill and Connery's then-wife, Diane Cilento, filled in for her.






Wakabayashi played Aki in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE.

[SONYESP]

TUESDAY, MAY 15

MILE 22---trailer released for the movie starring Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan and John Malkovich.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CVV8X01824



JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM---new featurette released for the sequel.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJvUqNi-1nc&t=27s



STAR TREK---Simon Pegg commented on the Quentin Tarantino movie, "Everyone sort of assumes it’s gonna be like PULP FICTION in space, but I think his devotion to TREK and his understanding of it… It won’t be ordinary, it’ll have him all over it, but it won’t be anything a STAR TREK fan will have to worry about. He has an acute understanding of the story and he’d never do anything to tear it down. I haven’t read the treatment yet, but I might be able to in the next couple of weeks, so I’m excited about that."
Tarantino's movie is not connected to the sequel being directed by SJ Clarkson which reportedly has Captain Kirk meeting his father after a time travel incident.





THE MEG---new photo released of the Jason Statham movie based on the novel about a giant Megalodon shark.





DCEU---Tom Cruise commented on if Henry Cavill, his co-star in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE-FALLOUT, tried to get him to join the DCEU, "There's always another mountain in anything. I'll never say no if I find something that's interesting, and I think an audience would like to see it, and they're going to be entertained by it, and I feel like I can contribute something."





THE WALKING DEAD---Lauren Cohan will have a reduced role in Season 9 and will appear in six of the season's first eight episodes. This allows her to co-star in ABC's WHISKEY CAVALIER spy series.

MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.---ABC renewed the series for Season 6.

THE LAUNDROMAT---Meryl Streep will star in the Steven Soderbergh movie about the leaked Panamanian Papers revealing the international elite's schemes to avoid paying taxes.

BETWEEN WORLDS---Nicolas Cage stars in this supernatural thriller movie about a man, who lost his wife and daughter, helps a woman who seeks to find her comatose daughter's soul only to have her possessed by Cage's dead wife.

GUILLERMO DEL TORO PRESENTS 10 AFTER MIDNIGHT---new Netflix horror anthology series from Guillermo del Toro.

THE BATMAN---a source said Ben Affleck may return as Batman, "Tag it under rumor for now; I hear Ben Affleck now wants to stick around as the DCEU's Batman."

DOOM PATROL---tv series underway for the DC Universe digital service which features Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Girl, Crazy Jane and Dr. Niles Caulder.

FAST AND FURIOUS 9---Daniel Casey (KIN) will write the sequel script.

9-1-1---Jennifer Love Hewitt will play 9-1-1 operator Maddie, the sister of fireman Buck Buckley.

24---another reboot of the Fox series is underway. A 20th Century Fox source said it might involve a female main character and another source said it might involve a female attorney trying to get her client off death row.

UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT---Kevin Hart is in negotiations to star in this remake of the 1974 movie that starred Sydney Poitier and Bill Cosby.

TRIVIA---in THE NAKED GUN (Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley), Susan Beaubin played O.J. Simpson's wife, Mrs. Nordberg. In AMERICAN CRIME STORY: THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON, Beaubin played jury foreman Amanda Cooley.

Beaubin as O.J. Simpson's wife in THE NAKED GUN.




Beaubin as the jury foreman in AMERICAN CRIME STORY: THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON.




Jimmy Lee Simpson, the father of the Heisman Trophy recipient and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, was a well-known San Francisco drag queen.

[SONYESP]

WEDNESDAY, MAY 16

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE--FALLOUT---official trailer released for the sequel.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiHiW4N7-bo&t=15s



MAKING SOLO---new featurette released for SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNbk0UgfKHE



LANDO CALRISSIAN---Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy confirmed a Lando Calrissian spinoff movie is underway, "We think that the next spinoff will be dedicated to Lando Calrissian. Of course, there are still many stories to tell about Han and Chewbacca, but Lando will be next.”





ZOMBIELAND 2---co-writer Paul Wernick confirmed the original cast of Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are returning for the sequel which will premiere in October, 2019.

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT---VARIETY writer Ramin Setoodeh posted about the mass walkout at the Cannes premiere of the Lars von Trier serial killer movie that stars Matt Dillon and Uma Thurman (who did not attend the premiere), "Lars von Trier’s ‘The House That Jack Built’ was one of the most unpleasant movie-going experiences of my life."
He added, "'I’ve never seen anything like this at a film festival. More than 100 people have walked out of Lars von Trier’s ‘The House That Jack Built,’ which depicts the mutilation of women and children. “It’s disgusting,” one woman said on her way out."'
The controversial director was banned at Cannes seven years ago after making Adolf Hitler jokes.





IT: CHAPTER 2---James Ransone (THE WIRE) will play the adult Eddie Kasbrak in the sequel.

MUSCLE---Vin Diesel stars in this new action/comedy movie franchise, but no plot details were released.

THE ETERNALS---Matthew and Ryan Firpo will write the script for the Marvel Studios movie.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY---James Gunn confirmed the next sequel will be titled GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3.

MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.---Season 6 will premiere in the summer of 2019 and will be shorter than a regular season.

DESIGNATED SURVIVOR---Netflix is in negotiations to pick up the series that ABC cancelled.

HAP AND LENARD---Sundance TV cancelled the series.

THE POISON ROSE---John Travolta, Morgan Freeman, Famke Janssen and Robert Patrick star in this movie about a woman who hires her high school boyfriend, now a private detective, to investigate a murder.

TRIVIA---THE GOLDEN GIRLS stars Rue McClanahan and Betty White said they weren't liked by co-star Bea Arthur. She particularly disliked White, who was a former friend. White said, "Bea had a reserve. She was not that fond of me. She found me a pain in the neck sometimes. It was my positive attitude -- and that made Bea mad sometimes. Sometimes if I was happy, she'd be furious!"
Arthur said to McClanahan's husband, "I love Rue! Betty [White] is a c*nt!"




Arthur denied she ever served in the military, but The Smoking Gun obtained her military records via the Freedom of Information Act.
In her enlistment interview during World War II, a Marine officer wrote that Arthur was, "Argumentative...Over aggressive...Officious--but probably a good worker--if she has her own way!"
While stationed at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, a "misconduct report" was filed against Arthur after she contracted a venereal disease which resulted in her being "incapacitated for duty" for five weeks in 1944 which led to her pay being reduced for that period.

[SONYESP]

THURSDAY, MAY 17

STAR TREK---Nicholas Meyer (STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN) commented on the new Trek tv trilogy he is developing, “I was hired to write a stand-alone STAR TREK-related trilogy. I can’t discuss or I’d have to kill you. [Laughs] I was writing it for CBS [All] Access… but at the moment CBS is at a war with Paramount/Viacom. They’re in a power struggle, which turned really nasty this past week when CBS decided to sue [its parent company]. So, I don’t think my project is going anywhere in a hurry, because everything is on hold while they sort out this merger business. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”





OBI-WAN KENOBI---TMZ reported a rumored leak of the synopsis for the movie titled OBI-WAN: A STAR WARS STORY which will be directed by Stephen Daldry (THE CROWN). The working title is JOSHUA TREE.

"The synopsis reads as follows ... Obi-Wan is on Tatooine being an elusive hermit and stuff, but secretly watches over an infant Luke Skywalker, whom he delivered to his uncle, Owen. Tensions between the local farmers and a tribe of Sand People -- headed by a ruthless war chief -- eventually brings Obi outta hiding ... and into Jedi kickass mode. Scene."






STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE---Ron Howard talked about turning down the offer to direct THE PHANTOM MENACE, "I want to clarify that a little. It was a casual conversation in a car park. It was not like I read a script and weighed it carefully. It was a knee-jerk reaction because I immediately felt like George should do it."





LANDO CALRISSIAN---PREMIERE FRANCE issued a clarification in which it quoted Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy as saying a Lando Calrissian movie was underway, “Following the publication of our article, Lucasfilm informs us that there would have been a misunderstanding between our journalist and Kathleen Kennedy. ‘We would love to tell a story about Lando Calrissian one day, but it’s not relevant, it would be fun to tell the story of Han and Chewie ...’” A different translation puts that new quote as “We would love to tell a story about Lando Calrissian one day, but this is not news. It would also be fun to tell the story of Han and Chewie.”]

THE LORD OF THE RINGS---TheOneRing.net claims the Amazon tv series will focus on a young Aragon.

"[BREAKING] We have confirmed from multiple sources that @AmazonStudios new billion-dollar #LOTR series will open its first season centered on a young Aragorn."






TIMELESS---Leslie Jones (GHOSTBUSTERS) tweeted her threat to protest nude in front of NBC headquarters unless her sci fi series is renewed, "UM WHAT THE ACTUAL FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCK!!!! OK IF TIMELESS IS NOT RENEWED, WE GONE HAVE A PROBLEM @nbc I WORK IN YOUR BUILDING!! I WILL MARCH NUDE IN FRONT OF YOUR OFFICES WITH THE SIGN “RENEW TIMELESS” I SWEAR!!"





WONDER WOMAN---Paul Feig (GHOSTBUSTERS reboot) said he tried to get the movie rights years ago, “I loved Wonder Woman, actually! Years ago, I tried to get the rights to it, but Warner Bros. had it. And thank god they let Patty Jenkins do it, because she killed it. Absolutely nailed it."

IT: CHAPTER 2---Andy Bean will play the adult Stan in the sequel.

THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES---co-producer Bryan Fuller has left the Anne Rice tv series based on her vampire novels. This is Fuller's fourth departure from a series in about 18 months.

PENNYWORTH---EPIX ordered ten episodes of the tv series about Alfred Pennyworth, Batman's butler. The series is not a spinoff of GOTHAM.

CW---the 2018/2019 season will be the last for iZOMBIE, JANE THE VIRGIN and CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND.

THE CHRONOLOGY OF WATER---Kristin Stewart is the director/co-writer of this movie based on the memoir of Lidia Yuknavitch and her growing awareness of her bisexuality.

TRIVIA---In IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA, Ray Harryhausen's giant octopus had only six tentacles instead of eight because of budget restrictions.