Review of 2015 from January to August

A couple of months ago we released our top picks for the first half of the year but, with the summer season finishing, we’ll give an overview of the year’s films from a commercial and critical perspective.

Film: Taken 3
Director: Olivier Megaton
Starring: Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Dougray Scott
IMDb/RT: 6.1/10 – 9%
Budget: $48 million
Opening weekend: $39 million
Box-office: $325 million
Summary: The second highest grossing outing in the series is thankfully the last. There’s been growth since Taken ($226 million) but less than Taken 3 ($376 million).

Film: Blackhat
Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Leehom Wang, Ritchie Coster, Holt McCallany, Viola Davis
IMDb/RT: 5.4/10 – 34%
Budget: $70 million
Opening weekend: $4 million
Box-office: $18 million
Summary: The star of Thor ($644 million) and Rush ($90 million) and the director of Heat ($187 million) and Collateral ($217 million) should have been a match-up to enjoy but somehow Blackhat flopped.

Film: The Wedding Ringer
Director: Jeremy Garelick
Starring: Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuco Sweeting, Alan Richson, Jorge Garcia
IMDb/RT: 6.7 – 27%
Budget: $23 million
Opening weekend: $20 million
Box-office: $79 million
Summary: A slip up in comparison to Kevin Hart’s 2014 hit Ride Along ($154 million).

Film: Mortdecai
Director: David Koepp
Starring: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Paul Bettany
IMDb/RT: 5.5/10 – 12%
Budget: $60 million
Opening weekend: $4 million
Box-office: $30 million
Summary: This disastrous caper is proof of former superstar Johnny Depp’s dwindling popularity outside of Pirates.

Film: Jupiter Ascending
Directors: Andy and Lana Wachowski
Starring: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, Terry Gilliam
IMDb/RT: 5.5/10 – 25%
Budget: $176 million
Opening weekend: $18 million
Box-office: $182 million
Summary: This effort from the creators of The Matrix ($463 million) suffered from its release delays and ridiculously overpriced budget.

Film: Fifty Shades of Grey
Director: Sam Taylor Johnson
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eloise Mumford, Jennifer Ehle, Marcia Gay Harden
IMDb/RT: 4.2/10 – 25%
Budget: $40 million
Opening weekend: $85 million
Box-office: $570 million
Summary: Being critically reviled didn’t get in the way of this erotic drama.

Film: Kingsman: The Secret Service
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Samuel L Jackson, Sophie Cookson, Mark Strong
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 75%
Budget: $81 million
Opening weekend: $35 million
Box-office: $406 million
Summary: The spy thriller from Kick-Ass ($96 million) Vaughn turned out to be his most acclaimed and profitable yet, even out grossing the likes of The Bourne Legacy ($276 million).

Film: Focus
Director: Glenn Ficara, John Requa
Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro, Gerald McRaney, BD Wong
IMDb/RT: 6.6/10 – 57%
Budget: $50 million
Opening weekend: $19 million
Box-office: $159 million
Summary: A strong performance from Smith renews his popularity after the mediocre After Earth ($243 million).

Film: Chappie
Director: Neill Blompkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver, Die Antwoord
IMDb/RT: 7.0/10 – 30%
Budget: $49 million
Opening weekend: $13 million
Box-office: $102 million
Summary: A let down in comparison to Blomkamp’s more lucrative works – District 9 ($210 million) or Elysium ($286 million).

Film: Cinderella
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgard, Helena Bonham Carter
IMDb/RT: 7.1/10 – 85%
Budget: $95 million
Opening weekend: $68 million
Box-office: $542 million
Summary: Branagh’s lavish take on the period fantasy romance has successfully found a new following for the fairy tale.

Film: Insurgent
Director: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Kate Winslet
IMDb/RT: 6.4/10 – 30%
Budget: $110 million
Opening weekend: $53 million
Box-office: $295 million
Summary: The Divergent series has quickly turned out to be the inferior of The Hunger Games.

Film: Home
Director: Tim Johnson
Starring: Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Matt Jones, Steve Martin
IMDb/RT: 6.7/10 – 45%
Budget: $135 million
Opening weekend: $52 million
Box-office: $387 million
Summary: Dreamworks are struggling to stand out with their new properties in a market dominated by the likes of Warner Bros’ The Lego Movie or Disney’s Frozen.

Film: Get Hard
Director: Etan Cohen
Starring: Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Alison Brie, Tip Harris, Craig T Nelson
IMDb/RT: 6.1/10 – 29%
Budget: $40 million
Opening weekend: $34 million
Box-office: $106 million
Summary: The combination of these celebrated comics ought to have been special but didn’t come close.

Film: Furious 7
Director: James Wan
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham
IMDb/RT: 7.4/10 – 81%
Budget: $190 million
Opening weekend: $147 million
Box-office: $1.512 billion
Summary: The blockbuster sequel made seven times more than the original did 14 years ago ($207 million) but the series might not have much room to grow into for film eight.

Film: The Avengers: Age of Ultron
Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, James Spader
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 74%
Budget: $280 million
Opening weekend: $191 million
Box-office: $1.401 billion
Summary: A slight slip up from 2012’s Avengers Assemble ($1.520 billion), the sequel still delivered the goods for the fans.

Film: Pitch Perfect 2
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld, Elizabeth Banks
IMDb/RT: 6.7 – 67%
Budget: $29 million
Opening weekend: $69 million
Box-office: $285 million
Summary: Pitch Perfect is quickly rivaling Jump Street and Bridesmaids to be the best comedy of the decade so far, while growing from the original’s $115 million.

Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Director: George Miller
Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Rosie Huntington Whitely, Zoe Kravitz, Nicholas Hoult
IMDb/RT: 8.3/10 – 98%
Budget: $150 million
Opening weekend: $45 million
Box-office: $374 million
Summary: A stunningly successful return from the road warrior.

Film: Tomorrowland
Director: Brad Bird
Starring: Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Hugh Laurie
IMDb/RT: 6.6/10 – 50%
Budget: $190 million
Opening weekend: $33 million
Box-office: $208 million
Summary: While it polarized critics, concealing many secrets during marketing may have been the financial downfall of the underrated sci-fi adventure and another disappointment for Disney after John Carter ($284 million) and The Lone Ranger ($260 million).

Film: San Andreas
Director: Brad Peyton
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Ioan Gruffudd, Paul Giamatti
IMDb/RT: 6.4/10 – 50%
Budget: $110 million
Opening weekend: $55 million
Box-office: $469 million
Summary: The disaster thriller was a success but not a 2012 ($769 million) style smash hit.

Film: Spy
Director: Paul Feig
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Jude Law
IMDb/RT: 7.3/10 – 94%
Budget: $65 million
Opening weekend: $29 million
Box-office: $236 million
Summary: After striking big with Bridesmaids ($288 million) and The Heat ($229 million), Paul Feig is continuing to put himself on a good track for the Ghost Busters reboot.

Film: Jurassic World
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan, Omar Sy, Vincent D’Onofrio
IMDb/RT: 7.3/10 – 71%
Budget: $150 million
Opening weekend: $208 million
Box-office: $1.642 billion
Summary: With a sequel coming in 2018, the franchise (dormant for fourteen years) is now set for big things.

Film: Inside Out
Directors: Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen
Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Hader, Kyle MacLachlan
IMDb/RT: 8.6/10 – 98%
Budget: $175 million
Opening weekend: $90 million
Box-office: $701 million
Summary: Inside Out has become Pixar’s third biggest original feature.

Film: Ted 2
Director: Seth MacFarlane
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Seth MacFarlane, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Patrick Stewart
IMDb/RT: 6.6/10 – 46%
Budget: $68 million
Opening weekend: $33.5 million
Box-office: $180 million
Summary: A very disappointing follow up to 2012’s Ted ($549 million). After the mediocre performance of MacFarlane’s western A Million Ways to Die in the West ($86 million), there’s increasing doubt in the Family Guy creator’s popularity.

Film: Terminator Genisys
Director: Alan Taylor
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Jason Clarke, JK Simmons
IMDb/RT: 6.9/10 – 26%
Budget: $155 million
Opening weekend: $27 million
Box-office: $352 million
Summary: While it was a healthy opening but the franchise has long lost its previously stellar hype. Still not an improvement on 2009’s Terminator Salvation ($371 million).

Film: Magic Mike XXL
Director: Gregory Jacobs
Starring: Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Amber Heard, Jada Pinkett Smith
IMDb/RT: 6.3/10 – 65%
Budget: $14 million
Opening weekend: $123 million
Box-office: $117 million
Summary: The progressive stripper comedy sequel has decreased from Steven Soderbergh’s 2012 original ($167 million) and other raunchy blockbusters have been more profitable – for example Fifty Shades of Grey ($569 million) – but it’s still an impressive tally.

Film: Minions
Directors: Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Pierre Coffin, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Geoffrey Rush
IMDb/RT: 6.7/10 – 54%
Budget: $74 million
Opening weekend: $115 million
Box-office: $1.004 billion
Summary: This triumphant spin off managed to surpass and compete with the previous instalments of the beloved Despicable Me franchise ($543 million – $970 million).

Film: Ant-Man
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Michael Pena, Michael Douglas
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 79%
Budget: $130 million
Opening weekend: $57 million
Box-office: $363 million
Summary: It’s an underperformance in comparison to Marvel’s fellow Phase 2 superhero flicks such as Iron Man 3 ($1215 million), Thor: The Dark World ($644 million), Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($714 million) or Guardians of the Galaxy ($774 million) but is a worthy reception for the kings of summer blockbusters.

Film: Trainwreck
Director: Judd Apatow
Starring: Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, John Cena, Tilda Swinton
Budget: $35 million
Opening weekend: $30 million
Box-office: $123 million
Summary: A traditional fooled-around-and-fell-in-love rom-com might have sank but the presence of rising star Amy Schumer has elevated this to the likes of Apatow’s The 40 Year Old Virgin ($177 million) or Knocked Up ($219 million).

Film: Pixels
Director: Chris Columbus
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Josh Gad, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage
IMDb/RT: 5.6/10 – 17%
Budget: $88 million
Opening weekend: $24 million
Box-office: $174 million
Summary: This sci-fi adventure’s financial reception didn’t live up to the premise but a budget half the size of Tomorrowland’s means that it may actually breakeven at the box-office.

Film: Southpaw
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Oona Laurence, Naomie Harris, Rachel McAdams
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 60%
Budget: $25 million
Opening weekend: $17 million
Box-office: $67 million
Summary: This sport drama failed to rekindle the mass popularity of boxing flicks such as Rocky ($225 million).

Film: Paper Towns
Director: Jake Schreir
Starring: Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Halston Sage, Jaz Sinclair, Austin Abrams
IMDb/RT: 6.9/10 – 55%
Budget: $12 million
Opening weekend: $13 million
Box-office: $75 million
Summary: A decent opening for the young adult romantic drama but well off the other John Green adaptation The Fault in Our Stars ($307 million).

Film: Vacation
Directors: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
Starring: Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Leslie Mann, Chris Hemsworth, Chevy Chase
IMDb/RT: 6.3/10 – 26%
Budget: $31 million
Opening weekend: $15 million
Box-office: $69 million
Summary: The comedy reboot of the adored Chevy Chase franchise didn’t inspire a great amount of nostalgia for fans of the originals.

Film: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 93%
Budget: $150 million
Opening weekend: $56 million
Box-office: $445 million
Summary: The Cruise action vehicle builds off the wobble of Edge of Tomorrow ($369 million). The spy series returned in style and will grow throughout the summer.

Film: Fantastic Four
Director: Josh Trank
Starring: Miles Teller, Michael B Jordan, Jamie Bell, Kate Mara, Toby Kebbell
IMDb/RT: 4.0/10 – 8%
Budget: $120 million
Opening weekend: $26 million
Box-office: $134 million
Summary: A superhero reboot full of hope and promise morphed into the year’s most depressing car crash. It was even a decrease from the 2005 film ($330 million) and its sequel ($289 million).

Film: Straight Outta Compton
Director: F Gary Gray
Starring: O’Shea Jackson Jr, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Aldis Hodge, Paul Giamatti
IMDb/RT: 8.4/10 – 89%
Budget: $28 million
Opening weekend: $60 million
Box-office: $125 million
Summary: The musical biopic has become one of August’s biggest hits but did smaller numbers than 2002’s Eminem effort 8 Mile ($242 million).

Film: The Man From UNCLE
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Hugh Grant
IMDb/RT: 7.6/10 – 67%
Budget: $75 million
Opening weekend: $13 million
Box-office: $57 million
Summary: The star studded spy thriller from the director of the Sherlock Holmes films ($524 million – $545 million) has struggled to find a home with fans.

Weekend box-office – 7th to 13th of January 2015 – will Kingsman be a service to the UK?

Some of the UK’s most influential filmmakers of the past few years include Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Interstellar), Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips, The Bourne Ultimatum) and Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trance) while James Marsh’s The Theory of Everything is flying our flag at the Oscars but today’s focus is on London born Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class, Kick-Ass, Stardust, Layer Cake) who is releasing the Colin Firth-starring spy thriller Kingsman: The Secret Service this week. It’s a major departure from his more studio-oriented material of late so it’ll be interesting to see how it fares. Meanwhile last week, we predicted that (in the US) American Sniper would keep on top.

US:

1. American Sniper – Director: Clint Eastwood – $30.7 million
2. Project Almanac – Dean Israelite – $8.3 million
3. Paddington – Paul King – $8.3 million
4. Black or White – Mike Bender – $6.2 million
5. The Boy Next Door – Rob Cohen – $6.1 million

UK:

1. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams – £4.3 million
2. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – £4.2 million
3. American Sniper – Clint Eastwood – £1.6 million
4. The Theory of Everything – James Marsh – £1 million
5. Taken 3 – Oliver Megaton – £0.8 million

Kingsman has arrived in second but it’s still a very respectable entry. Disney’s animated superhero adventure Big Hero 6 has beaten it to the post in a very tight competition. While it slipped up in the UK, American Sniper is still reigning in the US for the third week is a row, fending off rivals such as time-travel action Project Almanac and racial drama Black or White. This week I’ve scored 2/10.

US:

1. Jupiter Ascending – The Wachowskis
2. American Sniper – Clint Eastwood
3. The Seventh Son – Sergei Bodrov
4. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paul Tibbitt
5. Paddington – Paul King

UK:

1. The Interview – Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
2. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn
4. Shaun the Sheep Movie – Mark Burton, Richard Starzak
5. Jupiter Ascending – The Wachowskis

Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller in American Sniper, this week’s US number one.

The character of Scott Adsit in Big Hero 6, this week’s UK number one.

Derrickson to direct Doctor Strange, Trank appointed for Star Wars and Jupiter Ascending’s release gets pushed

Andy and Lana Wachowski are yet to find real success beyond The Matrix. Across its three instalments, the sci-fi phenomenon has made near $2 billion while their follow ups Speed Racer (an infamous flop) and Cloud Atlas (greatly underrated) have underperformed at the box-office. This year, every financial prediction for the summer’s cinema pitched Captain America 2, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men 7, Transformers 4, Godzilla and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes dominating while the Wachowski’s new sci-fi adventure Jupiter Ascending was expected to fail, despite its ensemble cast and $150 million budget, and now the release date has been pushed back.

We don’t like to see films get delayed but it seems as if this is for Jupiter’s own good. As well as the competition, difficulties with visual effects have been cited but it is frustrating to see it falling into a January/February slot, notoriously poor fare for blockbusters hoping to pushover the awards contenders – this year producing flops such as The Legend of Hercules and I Frankenstein with only Ride Along and The Lego Movie really making good returns. Jupiter Ascending will star Mila Kunis (Black Swan, Ted), Channing Tatum (White House Down, 21 Jump Street), Douglas Booth (Noah), Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables), Doona Bae (Cloud Atlas), James D’Arcy (Hitchcock), Terry Gilliam (Monty Python) and Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings, Goldeneye, Equilbrum, Sharpe, Game of Thrones).

It’s no secret that George Lucas’ sci-fi phenomenon Star Wars is making its return next year. In 2015, JJ Abrams (Super 8, Star Trek Into Darkness) is bringing us Episode VII; that’ll be flanked by a yet unrevealed spin off in 2016, helmed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla); following that is Abrams’ Episode VIII, a second spin off, Episode IX and a final spin off in 2020. With that short summary in mind, we’re pleased to announce that Josh Trank will direct the second standalone film. Trank made his feature debut in 2012 with the brilliant superhero horror Chronicle but you may remember that he’s also attached to The Fantastic Four. That superhero action wouldn’t conflict with its 2015 release but the planned sequel may prove problematic. We’re yet to find out which characters will be getting their own adventures but the rumours point towards Han Solo, Yoda and Red Squadron.

Edgar Wright’s departure from Ant-Man has left Marvel in a pickle in a battle to appoint a new director. Its reported that Adam McKay (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) and Rawson Marshall Thurber (We’re the Millers) have already passed on the opportunity to be a replacement but strides are being made in Marvel’s other projects. The director of fantasy action Doctor Strange has finally been announced as Scott Derrickson and we are thrilled. Derrickson directed the horror hits Sinister and The Exorcism of Emily Rose so its obvious that Marvel chief Kevin Feige’s vision is to bring some more frightening elements into Strange’s world. Derrickson will be experimenting with a bit more action in this August’s gothic thriller Deliver Us From Evil. Should progress continue, we can expect casting announcements before the end of the year but fan polls seem to be proving Joseph Gordon Levitt, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jon Hamm as popular choices.

Doctor Strange – 2016

Ant-Man – July 17th 2015

Star Wars: Episode VII – December 18th 2015

Star Wars spin-off 1 – December 16th 2016

Star Wars spin-off 2 – 2018?

Jupiter Ascending – February 6th 2015

The Matrix rumoured for a further sequel and 12 Years a Slave wins at the Indie Spirit

Tonight is Oscar night but we’re focussing on a less mainstream event. The Indie Spirit Awards tend to provide a more alternative view but this year’s results seem to be going the same way as the others.

Best Feature:

12 Years a Slave

All is Lost

Frances Ha

Inside Llewyn Davis

Nebraska

Best Director:

Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave

Shane Carruth – Upstream Colour

JC Chandor – All is Lost

Jeff Nichols – Mud

Alexander Payne – Nebraska

Best Leading Actor:

Matthew MacConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club

Bruce Dern – Nebraska

Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave

Oscar Isaac – Inside Llewyn Davis

Michael B Jordan – Fruitvale Station

Robert Redford – All is Lost

Best Leading Actress:

Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine

Julie Delpy – Before Midnight

Gaby Hoffman – Crystal Fairy

Brie Larson – Short Term 12

Shailene Woodley – The Spectacular Now

Best Screenplay:

John Ridley – 12 Years a Slave

Woody Allen – Blue Jasmine

Julie Delpy, Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke – Before Midnight

Nicole Holofcener – Enough Said

Scott Neustadter, Michael H Weber – The Spectacular Now

Best Supporting Actress:

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave

Melonie Diaz – Fruitvale Station

Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine

Yolanda Ross – Go for Sisters

June Squibb – Nebraska

Best Supporting Actor:

Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club

Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave

Will Forte – Nebraska

James Gandolfini – Enough Said

Keith Stanfield – Short Term 12

The first Matrix film, 1999, was the biggest sci-fi game changer since Star Wars and subsequently launched itself to icon status. While massively profitable, its sequels were frostily received. Andy and Lana Wachowski haven’t quite reached those heights since, with the flop Speed Racer and the brilliant but widely misunderstood Cloud Atlas. Its now apparent that the brother/sister duo are negotiating a return to the series with a fourth, possibly fifth or sixth, instalment. Latino Review’s report doesn’t really suggest facts or speculation however stars Keanu Reeves, Hugo Weaving, Carrie Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne have themselves become icons for their own performances as Neo, Agent Smith, Trinity and Morpheus say can we expect them to return?

The Matrix 4 – 2017?

Jason Momoa joins Batman vs. Superman, teasers for Jupiter Ascending and Godzilla and Whishaw confirmed for Mercury

Sacha Baron Cohen was originally the man to play Freddie Mercury in the biopic of the Queen frontman’s life. He departed due to disagreements about the tone of the film – he wanted a darker portrayal of the events while the Queen members themselves were after a more loving tribute to their lost friend. Since then, actors such as Dominic Cooper, Daniel Radcliffe and others have been rumoured for the role but now we’ve finally got the names of the key star and director. Cloud Atlas and Skyfall star Ben Whishaw will be playing Mercury on the big screen while Dexter Fletcher (director of Sunshine on Leath and Wild Bill and star of Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) will be calling the shots.

We move onto the latest adventure of Conan, Bullet to the Head and Game of Thrones star Jason Momoa. The portrayer of HBO’s Khal Drogo is now negotiating for a role in Zack Snyder’s superhero mashup Batman vs. Superman. The Hollywood Reporter had the scoop about Momoa entering talks to join Ben Affleck (Batman), Henry Cavill (Superman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Diane Lane (Martha Kent) and Laurence Fishburne (Perry White). We’ve no idea who he could be playing or if it’s actually a character from the comics but the current favourites seem to be DC’s Martian Manhunter and Hawkman.

We do apologies for the lack of movie news this week and today but we thought we’d make up for it by allowing you to revel in the spectacle of the new trailers for two epic new films. The first is Godzilla. This new vision of the tale is from Monsters director Gareth Edwards and stars Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Wantanabe, Bryan Cranston and Sally Hawkins and the trailer can be found here.

The next film is Jupiter Ascending. Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Sean Bean, Terry Gilliam, Douglas Booth, Eddie Redmayne, Doona Bae and James D’Arcy all star for this sci-fi from the ever imaginative Wachowskis who brought us The Matrix and Cloud Atlas. Find out more with the first official trailer.

Freddie Mercury – late 2014?

Batman vs. Superman – July 17th 2015

Godzilla – May 16th 2014

Jupiter Ascending – July 25th 2014