Motion Picture: Yann Demange To Direct Marvel's 'Blade' and First Images of Idris Elba in 'Luther'
Brittany o’grady - Matt Winkelmeyer
Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi: After parting with their original director Bassam Tariq due to creative differences, Yann Demange has signed on to direct Marvel Studios’ Blade. Demange has been hired alongside Michael Starrbury, who will write a new script. Blade has previously cast Mahershala Ali to play the half-vampire half-human vampire hunter in Marvel’s reboot of its original early 2000s trilogy. Other previously announced cast members include The Good Fight’s Delroy Lindo and The Underground Railroad’s Aaron Pierre. The film has been stuck in pre-production since Tariq’s departure from the project, but it is expected to pick up with the new creative team, of which Ali was involved in selecting. Production is expected to begin in Atlanta in 2023, with Blade’s current release date being September 6th, 2024.
White Lotus’s Brittany O’Grady has been cast in Edith Production’s It’s What’s Inside, an indie sci-fi thriller by director and scriptwriter Greg Jardin. O’Grady will star alongside James Morosini, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Gavin Leatherwood, Devon Terrell, Nina Bloomgarden, Reina Hardesty, David W. Thompson, and Madison Davenport. While the film’s plot is unknown, filming took place in Portland, Oregon over the course of 18 days. Producers include Colman Domingo, the owner of Edith Productions, Raùl Domingo, Kate Andrews, Jason Baum, William Rosenfeld, and Robert Kapp. It’s What’s Inside’s release date has not yet been announced.
The U.S. streaming rights to Bed Rest, a STXfilms thriller starring In the Heights lead Melissa Barrera, have been acquired by Tubi. The horror film follows the story of a pregnant woman, Julie Rivers, who moves to a new home with her husband and is put on bed rest. As she is confined to her room, Julie begins to suffer from mental illness and terrifying supernatural experiences. Bed Rest was directed and written by Lori Evans Taylor and produced by William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein, and Taylor Barrera. The film will be Barrera’s first producing credit. Bed Rest will be released on Tubi on December 7th, 2022.
The first images of Idris Elba as Luther have been released as filming on Netflix’s Luther began in early November. The upcoming film is based on Neil Cross’s British television series of the same name, also starring Elba as DCI John Luther from 2010 to 2019. While the plot is being kept under wraps, Elba’s co-stars include Cynthia Erivo, who will play a detective and Luther’s nemesis, and Andy Serkis, who will play the villain. James Payne, who directed the final season of the television series, will direct the feature film. Elba comments that Luther will “beak out of the gritty streets of London,” which “feels like now we’re entering a different life of the Luther experience.” An official trailer has not yet been released, although Netflix has announced that Luther will hit their platform in March 23rd, 2023.
Jooheony - The Chosunilbo JNS
Comedy: The upcoming Netflix film Lost In America has added MONSTA X’s rapper Jooheony to a cast that already includes Rebel Wilson and Charles Melton. Jooheon will make his acting debut and will play “a K-pop idol who is fluent in English.” The film will follow a stranded K-pop boyband as they attempt to make it from Texas to New York in time for their show. Jooheon will begin filming his role in March of 2023 and is expected to be finished a few months later in June. Yoon Je-kyoon will direct the film. Lost In America’s release date has not yet been announced.
Filming has almost finished on Film Constellation’s “darkly comedic thriller” Coup!, starring Skye P. Marshall, Peter Sarsgaard, Billy Magnussen, and Sarah Gadon. The film is set in 1918, during the height of the Spanish Flu, and follows a servant (Sarsgaard) who rebels against his boss (Magnussen). It is unclear what roles Marshall and Gadon will play. The rest of the supporting cast includes Faran Tahir, Kristiine Neilsen, and Fisher Stevens. Coup! was discussed with buyers at AFM.
hassan akkad - David M. Benett
Drama: Director Hassan Akkad is working on Matar, a film depicting the lives and hardships of asylum seekers in the U.K. The script is based on Syrian refugees and cinematographer Ayman Alhussein’s experiences. He will work as a camera operator for the film. The cast includes The Swimmer’s Ahmed Malek, House of Gucci’s Youssef Kerkour, and Dune’s Elmi Rashid Elmi. Filmmakers describe Matar as a story of “one man forced, through no fault of his own, to deal with the U.K.’s degrading and unfair immigration system.” Deadbeat Studios, WaterBear, Choose Love, and the Bike Project will produce the film. As the film is in the early stages of development, the release date has not been set.
leroy butler - Diamond Images
Documentary: LeRoy Butler, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Packer’s veteran, has announced that a documentary about his journey is in the works. The documentary, currently titled Leap of Faith: The LeRoy Butler Story, will follow his childhood bone disease diagnosis, his parent’s divorce, facing poverty in the south, being bullied, and his eventual big break in the NFL. Patrick Creadon, from O’Malley Creadon Productions, will direct and has commented that the documentary is “a story about a young kid and his mom” and will feature a large amount of football. The film will be independent with the team raising money themselves to fund it.
Amazon
Industry Updates: Amazon is reportedly going to spend $1 billion every year towards theatrical projects. This comes after Amazon’s purchase of MGM. With the $1 billion allotted per year, Amazon plans to release eight to ten theatrical films annually. However, this plan is in its early days, as they do not have an executive to run MGM and have not released an official statement.
