New Black Mass poster, Bryce Dallas Howard talks Marvel and first Hunger Games 4 trailer

The first two instalments of the Hunger Games franchise were genuine phenomenons, the first taking $691 million and Catching Fire receiving $864 million but Mockingjay: Part 1 slipped up with a drop to $752 million. The trailer for the series’ conclusion has been released and is hoping for a return to form.

Francis Lawrence (I am Legend) directs a cast including Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), Josh Huthcherson (Epic), Liam Hemsworth (Cut Bank), Jena Malone (Inherent Vice), Sam Claflin (The Riot Club), Donald Sutherland (Ordinary People), Juliianne Moore (Still Alice), Woody Harrelson (True Detective), Elizabeth Banks (The Lego Movie), Stanley Tucci (Margin Call), Toby Jones (Infamous), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Jeffrey Wright (Source Code), Mahershala Ali (House of Cards), Willow Shields (Beyond the Blackboard), Elden Henson (Daredevil), Natalie Dormer (Rush) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master).

Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help, 50/50) once worked with Marvel playing Gwen Stacy in 2007’s Spider-Man 3. Whilst promoting the new sci-fi sequel Jurassic World, she was questioned about returning to the studio in a different role, specifically Captain Marvel. Howard seemed immensely in favour of the idea.

“Oh my God, will you write that? Will you write that please? Yes, let’s start a campaign now. That would be rad. Those movies are so fantastic, because talk about just these incredibly drawn characters! That’s the joy of the comics, is that you fall in love with these characters and it’s who they are that carries you from journey to journey to journey… it’s not just about set pieces. It’s really about who these people are, and so, yes, I just would love to be in a Marvel film.”

So far the only serious suggestion for a casting and director are Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road, Prometheus) and Angelina Jolie (Unbroken) respectively. We do know that the script is penned by Meg LeFauve (Inside Out) and Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy) and is heading for a 2018 release.

Johnny Depp’s career is in a particularly horrific phase of his career. The star of Edward Scissorhands, Donnie Brasco and Pirates of the Caribbean hasn’t hit the spot recently besides 2009’s Michael Mann thriller Public Enemies, 2011 animation Rango and cameos in 21 Jump Street and Into the Woods. A varied reception for Alice in Wonderland, The Tourist, The Rum Diary and Dark Shadows plus financial failures The Lone Ranger, Transcendence and Mortdecai. Gangster drama Black Mass might be a return to Oscar contender form. The first proper poster for the film has been released.

Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Out of the Furnace) directs a cast including Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game, Sherlock), Joel Edgerton (Warrior, The Great Gatsby), Juno Temple (Atonement, Maleficent), Corey Stoll (House of Cards, Ant-Man), Dakota Johnson (21 Jump Street, Fifty Shades of Grey), Adam Scott (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Parks and Recreation), Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad, The Homesman), Julianne Nicholson (August: Osage County, Masters of Sex), Peter Sarsgaard (Jarhead, Blue Jasmine) and Kevin Bacon (Apollo 13, Cop Car).

Black Mass – November 13th

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 – November 20th

Captain Marvel – November 2nd 2018

Gosling, Pitt and more confirmed for Big Short and first look at Johnny Depp in Black Mass

Writer director Adam McKay is well renowned for his excellent comedy work with Step Brothers, The Other Guys and the cult classic Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy but he’s moving into a different phase of his career with a Marvel film in the works and now the new political drama The Big Short. It has already assembled one of the finest casts of any upcoming film.

The cast of the film will feature Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March, The Notebook, The Place Beyond the Pines, Drive), Brad Pitt (Fight Club, Burn After Reading, Moneyball, Seven), Steve Carell (Foxcatcher, The 40 Year Old Virgin, The Office, Despicable Me), Melissa Leo (Frozen River, Prisoners, Oblivion, The Fighter), Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler, My Cousin Vinny, In the Bedroom, The Lincoln Lawyer), Rafe Spall (Life of Pi, Prometheus, What If, Hot Fuzz) and Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, American Psycho, American Hustle, The Prestige).

Following a chilling turn as The Wolf in Into the Woods, we can now see the latest transformation of Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean, Finding Neverland, Public Enemies, Edward Scissorhands) as the gangster Whitey Bulger in the new thriller Black Mass. Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Out of the Furnace) directs while Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey), Joel Edgerton (Warrior), Juno Temple (The Dark Knight Rises), Corey Stoll (House of Cards), Adam Scott (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad), Julianne Nicholson (August: Osage County), Peter Sarsgaard (An Education) and Kevin Bacon (Apollo 13) also star.

Black Mass – September 25th

The Big Short – 2016

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty review

Director: Ben Stiller

Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Kathryn Hahn, Shirley MacLaine, Sean Penn, Adam Scott, Patton Oswalt, Olafur Darri Olaffson

Ben Stiller has proved himself as a great comedic actor more than plenty of times but his directorial efforts have varied from Oscar nominated comedy Tropic Thunder and cult favourite Zoolander to the less successful Reality Bites and despised The Cable Guy. His new adventure comedy, based on both the original short story and the Danny Kaye film of the same name, is a triumph despite it being being remarkably absract.

Walter Mitty (Stiller) works in the photograph department of Life Magazine where he constantly drifts off into daydreams to escape his dull drab life; his fantasies range from him rescuing hundreds from an exploding building, having office crush Cheryl (Wiig) fall into his arms or just having the confidence to speak his feelings. With the magazine under new ownership from the menacing Ted (Scott) and the final issue in need of a cover photo, Walter discovers that a roll of negatives sent by legendarily untraceable photographer Sean O’Connell (Penn) is missing the all important submission for the cover. An inspired Walter hurries off to track down Sean and find the negative, learning that living the adventure is superior to just dreaming it.

Embracing the adventure is all you need to do to enjoy The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It’s hugely funny and moving with similarities to It’s a Wonderful Life and Forrest Gump. However that’s not to say that it’s flawless. The film intentionally has a slow and plodding start but that’s necessary for the audience to get sense of Walter’s enclosed world.

Also, the film never addresses if its subject is the adventure or the comedy. Occasionally, it’s a little too bonkers for its own good, subtracting from some of the more believable action. The balance between the two never finds its feet but there are some excellent set pieces in comedy and action. Additionally, the enchanting soundtrack from Icelandic legends Of Monsters and Men does a great job of stylising the film.

Kathryn Hahn and Adam Scott’s performances seem a little forced but Kristen Wiig, Patton Oswalt and Sean Penn are good, Shirley MacLaine is great and Ben Stiller gives another brilliantly engaging performance but the real star is Stiller’s stunning directing and cinematography, particularly in the Icelandic and Himilayan sequences. As inspirational as it is visually stunning and funny, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty deserved credit for pulling off something ridiculously abstract and ambitious with great style.

9/10

“Life is about courage and going into the unknown.”

Rossio to write Masters of the Universe, Ehle joins 50 Shades, new Walter Mitty and Limitless TV show

Bradley Cooper’s 2011 mystery thriller was an excellent one. Two years on, Limitless, which itself was based upon sci-fi novel The Dark Fields, is set for a television remake. The plot centres around Eddie Morra, a failing writer who accepts an experimental drug called NZT from an old acquaintance who claims it to be legal and that it allows your brain to reach it’s unused 80%. His use of the drug and rising intelligence gets him noticed by those who find him a great business venture (I.E Robert De Niro’s Carl Van Loon) or those who want the drug for themselves (Andrew Howard’s Gennady). We don’t know if Cooper will star but we think the Academy Award nominee from The Hangover and Silver Linings Playbook is set to be executive producer. We still don’t know if the film’s director, Neil Burger (currently busy finishing off young-adult novel adaptation Divergent), will return though.

Next, we’ve a new casting for 50 Shades of Grey. The EL James adaptation stars Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim) as young billionaire Christian Grey while his lover Anastasia Steele will be portrayed by Dakota Johnson (21 Jump Street). Jennifer Ehle has joined the project under the directing excellence of Sam Taylor-Wood. Ehle was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress British Academy Film Award back in 1997 for biopic Wilde and won a television BAFTA in 1995 for the beloved mini-series Pride and Prejudice where she starred alongside Colin Firth. Since then, she’s starred in Contagion, The King’s Speech, Zero Dark Thirty, the upcoming sci-fi action RoboCop and now 50 Shades of Grey where she play’s Steele’s stern mother Carla whose now married to her fourth husband.

We move on to a potential He-Man reboot. Masters of the Universe tells the story of Adam, Prince of Eternia, whose granted with magical powers and sets out with a team of heroes, Battle Cat, Man At Arms, The Sorceress, Teela and Orco, who set out to take down the villainous Skeletor. Terry Russio will now script the production. He’s a regular writer on the Pirates of the Caribbean series and recently scribed Gore Verbinski’s unappreciated Western The Lone Ranger. He also won a BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar for his work on Dreamworks animation Shrek.

Finally, we’ve got the new trailer (on Empire because it wasn’t accessible on Youtube) for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Ben Stiller stars in and directs this comedic adventure with Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids), Sean Penn (Milk), Patton Oswalt (Young Adult), Kathryn Hahn (Anchorman) and Adam Scott (Friends With Kids).