Disney’s D23 announcements – The Force Awakens, Toy Story 4, Doctor Strange, Finding Dory and more!

If you felt that Comic-Con didn’t lift the lid on Disney’s upcoming works enough than D23 is for you. The expo of all things Disney enlightened us on all of their properties from Star Wars to Pixar to Marvel and all of the studio’s very own animated and live action features. Sadly there’s been no word on the likes of in the works projects such as Wreck-It Ralph 2, Frozen 2 or proposed remakes of Dumbo and Pinocchio. Firstly…

Pixar!

After critical and commercial triumph of Inside Out, the studio is rolling out its slate of six upcoming movies. The Good Dinosaur will tell the story of an alternate reality where humans are the Earth’s secondary species and dinosaurs still rule. It comes from director Peter Sohn (Partly Cloudy) and stars Anna Paquin (X-Men), Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale), Steve Zahn (Dallas Buyers Club) and Frances McDormand (Burn After Reading). November 25th 2015

Thirteen years after Finding Nemo, Finding Dory will pick up with the characters of the previous instalment when Dory finds herself in a marine study institute. Newly announced cast members include Hayden Rolence (Whom I Fear), Ed O’Neill (Modern Family) and Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). Andrew Stanton (Wall-E) and Angus MacLane (Toy Story of Terror) direct the cast of Ellen DeGeneres (Ellen), Albert Brooks (Drive), Diane Keaton (The Godfather), Eugene Levy (American Pie), Ty Burrell (Modern Family), Dominic West (The Wire), Idris Elba (Pacific Rim) and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man). June 17th 2016

Toy Story 4 is also on the way and a teaser poster graced and it was revealed that it will focus on a love story between Woody and Bo Peep. John Lasseter (Toy Story 1-2) and Josh Cooley (George and AJ) direct while we expect Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump), Joan Cusack (Say Anything) and Tim Allen (Galaxy Quest) to star. June 16th 2017

Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) has long been developing a film centred on the Mexican celebration of The Day of the Dead. It has finally been given a release date and a title, Coco. No casting announcements have yet been made. November 22nd 2017

Another sequel on the way is Cars 3. No plot details were offered but we do know that John Lasseter (Cars 1-2) will write and we’d expect Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers) and Larry the Cable Guy (Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector) to reprise their roles as Lightning McQueen and Mater respectively. June 15th 2018

The sequel Pixar fans have actually asking for will finally come out, 15 years after they asked for it. Assuming that the studio don’t want two sequels in the same year, The Incredibles 2 will head for a 2019 release. Brad Bird (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) will direct while we’d expect Craig T Nelson (Poltergeist), Holly Hunter (The Piano) and Samuel L Jackson (Avengers Assemble) to star.

Next up…

Disney Animation!

Disney’s latest animation Zootopia will portray a metropolis populated by mammals. Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time) and Alan Tudyk (Serenity) were already set to star but the latest addition is pop star/actress Shakira. The directors are Byron Howard (Tangled), Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph) and Jared Bush (behind the creative team of Big Hero 6). March 4th 2016

Next, the team behind Aladdin, Hercules and The Princess and the Frog arrived to unveil more from their latest work, Moana. Dwayne Johnson (Fast Five) and Alan Tudyk (Serenity) will star in the story of a plucky young woman who is assisted by a demi-god to reach a fabled island. November 23rd 2016

The newest announcement was Gigantic. Tangled‘s Nathan Greno will collaborate with Frozen’s songwriters, Robert and Kristen Lopez to bring the story of Jack and the Beanstalk to Spain in the age of exploration. March 9th 2018

Following that was…

Disney live action (aka Worlds, Galaxies and Universes)

True life disaster thriller The Finest Hours will depict the struggle for survival of a group of sailors in 1952. Craig Gillespie (Million Dollar Arm) directs with a cast including Chris Pine (Star Trek Into Darkness), Ben Foster (Lone Survivor), Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone), Holliday Grainger (Cinderella) and Eric Bana (Munich). January 29th 2016

The latest adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book was promoted by director Jon Favreau (Iron Man) as well as Oscar winning stars Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) and Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and newcomer Neel Sethi. The classic story of an orphan raised by the animals of the jungle also stars Scarlett Johansson (Avengers Assemble), Idris Elba (Pacific Rim), Bill Murray (Ghostbusters), Giancarlo Esposito (The Usual Suspects) and Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter). April 15th 2016

Alice Through the Looking Glass will build upon the established world built in the Lewis Carroll books and the Tim Burton’s 2010 billion dollar hit. James Bobin (The Muppets) directs a cast featuring Mia Wasikowska (Crimson Peak), Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean), Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises), Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech), Alan Rickman (Die Hard), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon), Andrew Scott (Pride), Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill), Toby Jones (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Lindsay Duncan (About Time), Stephen Fry (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) and Timothy Spall (Mr Turner). May 27th 2016

Next up was the family fantasy adventure Pete’s Dragon, about a young boy who seeks refuge from his family with a dragon. David Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) directs while the film stars Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), Wes Bentley (Interstellar), Karl Urban (Dredd) and Robert Redford (Captain America: The Winter Soldier). August 12th 2016

Two films delivered no material as such but were teased or mentioned. Firstly, Queen of Katwe – a drama about a girl from Uganda who trains to become a world chess champion. Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and David Oyelowo (Selma) will star with director Mira Nair (The Namesake). 2016

Also, Disney’s new iteration of Beauty and the Beast was present. The reboot (telling the story of a relationship between a monstrous prince and a young woman) is directed by Bill Condon (Mr Holmes) and stars Emma Watson (Harry Potter), Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Luke Evans (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), Josh Gad (Frozen), Gugu Mbatha Raw (Belle), Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting), Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games), Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wonda), Emma Thompson (Saving Mr Banks) and Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings). March 17th 2017

Finally, there was news from the fifth instalment of a legendary franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. This one will see Captain Jack in search of the trident of Poseidon. Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings) was announced to be returning as Will Turner for the first time since 2007. The duo of Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki) direct an ensemble including Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands), Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech), Kaya Scodelario (The Maze Runner), Brendon Thwaites (Maleficent), David Wenham (300), Stephen Graham (This is England) and Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men). July 17th 2017

Marvel

We won’t include Marvel’s full extensive line up but two of their instalments next year. Because of the studio’s infamous secrecy, none of the material shown has made it to the public. Captain America: Civil War showed off its trailer to the D23 audience. Anthony and Joe Russo (The Winter Soldier) direct with a cast including Chris Evans (Snowpiercer), Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau), Scarlett Johansson (Lucy), Daniel Bruhl (Rush), Sebastian Stan (Black Swan), Frank Grillo (The Purge: Anarchy), Emily VanCamp (Revenge), Robert Downey Jr (Sherlock Holmes), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla), Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind), Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda), Tom Holland (The Impossible), William Hurt (Artificial Intelligence) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit). April 29th 2016

Doctor Strange is another of Marvel’s latest. Scott Derickson (Sinister) directs the supernatural thriller of which the recent concept art many likened to Inception. Marvel head Kevin Feige (Iron Man trilogy) could neither confirm or deny the rumours of Rachel McAdams joining the film but we do know that Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave). November 4th 2016

Star Wars

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was heralded by this stunning poster from Drew Struzan – the legendary poster designer who craft iconic works for Back to the Future and Blade Runner. JJ Abrams (Star Trek Into Darkness) directs a cast including Harrison Ford (Blade Runner), Mark Hamill (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Carrie Fisher (When Harry Met Sally), Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), John Boyega (Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (Toast of London), Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Adam Driver (Frances Ha) and Max Von Sydow (Shutter Island). December 18th 2015

The first spin-off has had a full title announcement, cast reveals and first still. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has added to its ranks Alan Tudyk (Serenity), Donnie Yen (Ip Man), Wen Jiang (Devils on the Doorstep) and Mads Mikkelson (Casino Royale). Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) will direct with the cast of Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Ben Mendelsohn (Killing Them Softly), Diego Luna (Elysium), Jonathan Aris (Sherlock), Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler) and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland). December 16th 2017

There wasn’t any news on Star Wars: Episode VIII – directed by Looper’s Rian Johnson and coming out May 26th 2017 – or the Han Solo spin off – directed by 21 Jump Street’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller and coming out May 25th 2018.

It was revealed that the third and final instalment of the new sequel trilogy (Star Wars: Episode IX) will be directed by Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) but the returning cast members are yet to be announced!

Colin Trevorrow rumoured for Star Wars

Disney’s ownership of Star Wars as taken the franchise in a new direction with five upcoming releases. With amazing filmmakers including JJ Abrams (Super 8), Rian Johnson (Looper) and Gareth Edwards (Godzilla), they’ve been poaching talent in – most recently Sony wonder-boys Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Jump Street). The latest rumour is that Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed, Jurassic World) has been tempted from Universal’s Jurassic Park series to Star Wars for Episode IX. Here’s the franchise’s schedule so far.

Film: Star Wars
Director: George Lucas
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness
Release: May 1977
Oscar nominations: 11
Box-office: $775 million

Film: The Empire Strikes Back
Director: Irvin Kershner
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones
Release: May 1980
Oscar nominations: 4
Box-office: $538 million

Film: Return of the Jedi
Director: Richard Marquand
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Ian McDiarmid, James Earl Jones
Release: June 1983
Oscar nominations: 5
Box-office: $572 million

Film: The Phantom Menace
Director: George Lucas
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan MacGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Terence Stamp
Release: July 1999
Oscar nominations: 3
Box-office: $1 billion

Film: Attack of the Clones
Director: George Lucas
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, Natalie Portman, Samuel L Jackson
Release: May 2002
Oscar nominations: 1
Box-office: $649 million

Film: Revenge of the Sith
Director: George Lucas
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Natalie Portman, Samuel L Jackson
Release: May 2005
Oscar nominations: 1
Box-office: $848 million

Film: The Force Awakens
Director: JJ Abrams
Starring: Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford
Release: December 2015

Film: Rogue One
Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Felicity Jones, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, Sam Claflin, Forest Whitaker
Release: December 2016

Film: Episode VIII
Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis
Release: May 2017

Film: Han Solo
Directors: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Starring: ?
Release: May 2018

Film: Episode IX
Director: Colin Trevorrow?
Starring: Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Andy Serkis, Max Von Sydow
Release: 2019

Han Solo spin-off to be directed by Lord and Miller – casting: Aaron Paul? Miles Teller? Chris Pratt?

The development problems of the second Star Wars spin-off began with the quitting of Josh Trank (Chronicle, Fantastic Four) but the latest report states that replacements have been found in the form of Phil Lord and Chris Miller (the duo behind The Lego Movie and the Jump Street movies) and writers Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark) and his son Jon (The First Time). This confirms that Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past) has been given the boot. Additionally, we now know that it’ll be a prequel centred on legendary smuggler Han Solo.

Here’s a list of actors who’ll make awesome Hans.

Name: Aaron Paul
Age: 35
Nationality: USA
Previous works: Breaking Bad (2008-2013), Need for Speed (2014), Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), Bojack Horseman (2014-)

Name: Chris Pratt
Age: 36
Nationality: USA
Previous works: Parks and Recreation (2009-2015), The Lego Movie (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Jurassic World (2015)

Name: Jamie Bell
Age: 29
Nationality: UK
Previous works: Billy Elliot (2000), King Kong (2005), The Adventures of Tintin (2011), Fantastic Four (2015)

Name: Nick Robinson
Age: 20
Nationality: USA
Previous works: Broadwalk Empire (2012), The Kings of Summer (2013), Jurassic World (2015), Being Charlie (2015)

Name: Dave Franco
Age: 30
Nationality: USA
Previous works: 21 Jump Street (2012), Warm Bodies (2013), Now You See Me (2013), Bad Neighbours (2014)

Name: Michael B Jordan
Age: 28
Nationality: USA
Previous works: Chronicle (2012), Fruitvale Station (2013), That Awkward Moment (2014), Fantastic Four (2015)

Name: Shia LaBeaouf
Age: 29
Nationality: USA
Previous works: Transformers (2007), Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), Lawless (2012), Fury (2014)

Name: Ellen Page
Age: 28
Nationality: Canada
Previous works: Hard Candy (2005), Juno (2007), Inception (2010), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) (*played Han Solo in an Empire Strikes Back script read)

Name: Miles Teller
Age: 28
Nationality: USA
Previous work: The Spectacular Now (2013), Divergent (2014), Whiplash (2014), Fantastic Four (2015)

Name: Jack O’Connell
Age: 24
Nationality: UK
Previous work: Skins (2009-2013), Starred Up (2014), ’71 (2014), Unbroken (2014)

Name: Taron Egerton
Age: 25
Nationality: UK
Previous works: Testament of Youth (2015), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015), Legend (2015), Eddie the Eagle (2016)

Name: Bradley Cooper
Age: 40
Nationality: USA
Previous works: The Hangover (2009), American Hustle (2013), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), American Sniper (2014)

Name: Michael Fassbender
Age: 38
Nationality: Germany
Previous works: X-Men: First Class (2011), Prometheus (2012), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Steve Jobs (2015)

Name: Ryan Gosling
Age: 34
Nationality: Canada
Previous works: Drive (2011), Crazy Stupid Love (2011), The Ides of March (2011), The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)

Name: Harrison Ford
Age: 72
Nationality: USA
Previous works: Star Wars (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Blade Runner (1982), The Fugitive (1993)

Star Wars Anthology: Han Solo – May 2018

Forest Whitaker in Rogue One, Katherine Waterston joins Fantastic Beasts and Rupert Wyatt in line for Gambit

The first of the Star Wars Anthology series, Rogue One, has assembled an impressive team and cast but there’s been a new addition. Oscar winning actor Forest Whitaker (Platoon, Good Morning Vietnam, Panic Room, The Last King of Scotland, The Butler) is in negotiations to join the film. It’s unclear if this is a villainous role or more of a Obi-Wan esque mentor role. Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark) writes, Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) directs and the cast includes Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler, Four Lions), Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, Like Crazy), Ben Mendelsohn (The Dark Knight Rises, Killing Them Softly), Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Riot Club) and Diego Luna (Elysium, The Terminal).

After Eddie Redmayne was cast as Newt Scamander, David Yates/JK Rowling’s Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has been looking for two female leads. Previously, the older casting was between Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby) and Kate Upton (The Other Woman) but the British star of Paul Thomas Anderson stoner comedy Katherine Waterston has instead been cast. The role has been revealed and Porpentina, whose younger sister Quennie will be played by either Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, The Grand Budapest Hotel), Lili Simmons (Banshee), Alison Sudol (Transparent) or Dakota Fanning (Coraline, Now is Good).

X-Men: Days of Future Past opened up the series to new areas to explore. This includes a sequel to First Class, Bryan Singer’s Apocalypse (2016, and also new spin offs such as Tim Miller’s Deadpool (2016), James Mangold’s Wolverine 3 (2017) and Josh Boone’s The New Mutants (2017). Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street, Foxcatcher) has been signed on to play Gambit for a long time but he has now found a director in the form of Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Escapist).

Gambit – October 7th 2016

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – November 18th 2016

Rogue One – December 16th 2016

Mission: Impossible 5 posters, James Gunn teases Guardians 2 title and Star Wars director rumours

The new Disney-owned Star Wars franchise has assembled a brilliant set of filmmakers including writers Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3) and Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past), producer Kathleen Kennedy (Lincoln) and directors JJ Abrams (Super 8), Rian Johnson (Looper) and Gareth Edwards (Godzilla). When Josh Trank (Chronicle) departed the second spin off film he left a vacancy that’s looking to be filled. The latest rumour indicates that the two directors in contention for the job are Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class, Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Zathura, Elf, Chef). Thematically, Favreau is more in tune with the Star Wars spirit but Vaughn’s consistency gives him the edge. The current rumours on this spin off are that it’ll focus on an adventure involving Han Solo and Boba Fett.

Marvel’s entries tend to vary between having a subtitle or not. In one camp there’s the Iron Man trilogy, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Avengers Assemble and the upcoming Ant-Man and on the other there’s Captain America: The First Avenger, The Winter Soldier and Civil War, Thor: The Dark World and Ragnarok and the recent Avengers: Age of Ultron. We’d assumed that the follow up to last year’s smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy would simply be titled Guardians of the Galaxy 2 but in a recent tweet director James Gunn (Slither, Super), who has just finished the script, suggested that there’d be a new title:“No spoilers – not even the title.” We’d suspect that the title will give away a key villain or location in the film.

We’re expecting the cast to include Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Quill, Zoe Saldana (Avatar) as Gamora, Vin Diesel (Pitch Black) as Groot, Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) as Rocket, Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) as Thanos, Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) as The Collector, Dave Bautista (Spectre) as Drax, Karen Gillan (Oculus) as Nebula, Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead) as Yondu, John C Reilly (Chicago) as Denarian Dey, Glenn Close (Dangerous Liaisons) and Seth Green (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as Howard the Duck.

Finally, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation has begun the obligatory character poster campaign. In the spy sequel, Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher) directs the cast of Tom Cruise (Edge of Tomorrow, Minority Report), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, Avengers Assemble), Rebecca Ferguson (The White Queen, Hercules), Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Stark Trek), Sean Harris (Prometheus, ’71), Simon McBurney (Rev, The Theory of Everything) and Alec Baldwin (Still Alice, 30 Rock).

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – July 30th

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – April 28th 2017

Untitled Star Wars Anthology – May 2018

Ava DuVernay in talks with Marvel, Fox announce new X-Men and Diego Luna joins Rogue One

For those unaware, The Marvel Cinematic Universe so far is split into two phases: Phase 1 featured Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger and Avengers Assemble while Phase 2 was comprised of Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man.

Phase 3 is set to be a belter with ten films: Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Spider-Man , Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Inhumans and Avengers: Infinity War 1+2. As well as returning favourites Anthony and Joe Russo and James Gunn, Scott Derickson has been added to the directorial role call but the latest addition is Ava DuVernay. The director of Best Picture nominee Selma is reportedly either helming Black Panther (starring Chadwick Boseman and Andy Serkis) or Captain Marvel (written by Guardians’ Nicole Perlman and Inside Out’s Meg LeFauve).

Fifteen years after its debut, the X-Men franchise is moving faster than ever. The upcoming projects are Deadpool starring Ryan Reynolds, Gambit starring Channing Tatum, Wolverine 3 starring Hugh Jackman and X-Men: Apocalypse starring Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, Nicholas Hoult, Evan Peters and Oscar Isaac. A new film in the canon has been announced with The Fault in Our Stars director Josh Boone. The New Mutants focusses on a younger team of new superheroes.

Finally, The Terminal and Elysium actor Diego Luna is part of the cast of Rogue One, the first Star Wars Anthology spin off film. The film tells the story of the rebel pilots who steal the plans for the Death Star. Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) directs the cast of Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, The Invisible Woman), Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler, Four Lions), Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games, The Riot Club) and Ben Mendelsohn (Killing Them Softly, The Dark Knight Rises).

Rogue One – December 16th 2016

The New Mutants – 2018?

Black Panther – July 6th 2018

Captain Marvel – November 2nd 2018

Brad Bird discusses directing Star Wars

As it stands this is the Star Wars franchise’s directing lineup. The Force Awakens (2015) is directed by Star Trek Into Darkness’ JJ Abrams; Rogue One (2016) is directed by Godzilla’s Gareth Edwards; Episode 8 (2017) is directed by Looper’s Rian Johnson and JJ returns for 2019’s Episode 9. There’s now a vacancy to be filled as Josh Trank (Chronicle, Fantastic Four) has (for one reason or another) quit the second spin off film. Pixar protogee Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Tomorrowland) has been mentioned with Star Wars before and he’s now discussed reentering negotiations for the series as well as some of his other future projects.

“Well, Kathy (Kennedy) and I have discussed the possibility of – I mean she’s basically saying this is a very large sandbox and other people can play in it. I was particularly attracted to the idea of picking up and – J.J. got very excited about the notion of shaping the next trilogy, and that idea was interesting to me too. But I kind of – I’m writing a sequel to The Incredibles and I can’t think too much farther beyond that. I have other things I want to do as well.”

Personally, we’d want to see someone with a solid filmography like Guillermo Del Toro (Pacific Rim, Pan’s Labyrinth) or Joss Whedon (Serenity, Avengers Assemble)

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – December 18th

Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One – December 16th 2016

Star Wars: Episode VIII – May 26th 2017

Star Wars Anthology project – May 2018

Final candidates in Spider-Man castings and Josh Trank exits Star Wars spin off

We picked up a report recently that Marvel’s candidates for the role of Spider-Man were considerably younger than previous stars Toby Maguire (The Great Gatsby) and Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) as well as earlier rumours about Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner) and Logan Lerman (Fury). The latest news on the subject is that The Fault in Our Stars’ Nat Wolff, The Way Way Back’s Liam James and Interstellar’s Timothee Chalamet are out of the running and two contenders remain. There are young Brits Asa Butterfield (Hugo, Ender’s Game) and Tom Holland (The Impossible, Wolf Hall). The information comes from well informed Hollywood insider Devin Faraci. The MCU Spider-Man debuts in next year’s Captain America: Civil War before his spin off in 2017, directed by Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods).

Josh Trank’s career seemed to be on a great track after the found footage superhero hit Chronicle. Fox snapped him up for the upcoming reboot Fantastic Four while Disney employed him for the second Star Wars Anthology spin off. However, Fantastic Four has been plagued by reshoots and rumoured behavioural issues and that may have worried the Star Wars brain trust (Lawrence Kasdan, Kathleen Kennedy, Rian Johnson, JJ Abrams). The latest announcement is that Trank is no longer attached to the film despite a year’s work on it. We might be hearing about a replacement very soon.

By comparison, spin off Rogue One is running smoothly with director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) and stars Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler), Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games) and Ben Mendelsohn (The Dark Knight Rises). Meanwhile, The Force Awakens is directed by JJ Abrams (Star Trek Into Darkness) and stars Harrison Ford (Blade Runner), Oscar Isaac (Drive), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Adam Driver (Tracks), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), John Boyega (Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (Mr Selfridge), Max Von Sydow (Minority Report) and Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings).

Rogue One – December 16th 2016

Star Wars spin-off – May 2018

Spider-Man – July 28th 2017

Asa Butterfield and Tom Holland in Spider-Man rumours and Riz Ahmed joins Rogue One

Since Sony’s Spider-Man franchise dissolved, its been up to Marvel to find the new casting. Previous reports cited that 23 year olds Logan Lerman (Fury) and Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner) were the frontrunners to play a teen Peter Parker but these new cast contenders seem far more intriguing.

Star: Asa Butterfield
Age: 18
Nationality: England
Roles: Hugo, Ender’s Game, X+Y

Star: Timothee Chalamet
Age: 19
Nationality: United States
Roles: Interstellar, Men Women & Children, Homeland

Star: Tom Holland
Age: 18
Nationality: England
Roles: The Impossible, Locke, Wolf Hall

Star: Liam James
Age: 18
Nationality: Canada
Roles: The Way Way Back, 2012, Psych

Star: Nat Wolff
Age: 20
Nationality: United States
Roles: The Fault in Our Stars, Stuck in Love, Paper Towns

Following a breakout role in the chillingly brilliant thriller Nightcrawler, Four Lions breakout star Riz Ahmed is a rising star that has grabbed the attention of the new Star Wars brain trust. The writing/directed/producing team of The Force Awakens and beyond (Super 8’s JJ Abrams, Looper’s Rian Johnson, Empire Strikes Back’s Lawrence Kasdan, Lincoln’s Kathleen Kennedy) are also overseeing the first of the Star Wars Anthology, Rogue One, and Ahmed is reportedly in the running for the lead role while Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games’ Finnick) has also been mentioned in connection. Rogue One is set between Episodes III and IV and depicts the rebel plot to steal the plans of the death star. Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) directs the cast of Ben Mendelsohn (The Dark Knight Rises) and Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything).

Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One – December 16th 2016

Spider-Man – July 28th 2017

Anthony Hopkins joins the cast of Rogue One

We were excited enough when Rogue One, the first official spin off of the Star Wars films, was announced and added Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) as a director and Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) and Ben Mendelsohn (The Place Beyond the Pines) as its stars. The newest confirmation is the Oscar winner and legendary actor Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, The Remains of the Day, Amistad, The Elephant Man, Thor) but you’ll be even more thrilled when you find out who he’s playing.

He’ll be portraying the older wisened Jar Jar Binks, a classic fan favourite character introduced in the equally adored episode The Phantom Menace. The Gungan’s tragic but heroic tale begins with his injust banishment from his people followed by his triumphant return to as one of the galaxy’s most respected politicians. Members of the new Star Wars brain trust share your excitement.

JJ Abrams (Super 8, The Force Awakens) said “This is a greatly promising opportunity to bring an iconic and beloved character into our expanding cinematic universe. You can rest assured that Jar Jar will be at the heart of the brilliant story we have to tell.” Rian Johnson (Looper, Episode 8) added “It is the greatest privilege of my career to be reviving Jar Jar for the new generation of fans. We’ll hope that he can leave a lasting legacy of inspirational cinema.”

Hopkins himself weighed in claiming that: “Meesa looking forward to playing an action hero in Star Wars.” What’ll be next? Morgan Freeman as the ghost of Jabba? Javier Bardem as Admiral Ackbar? Ian McKellen as a Jawa? We can only dream.

Rogue One – December 16th 2016