Karl Urban updates on Dredd 2, Bill Murray casts his own Ghostbusters and Robert Downey Jr opens up on Iron Man 4

The Iron Man trilogy has transformed the fledging Robert Downey Jr (Sherlock Holmes, Chaplin, The Judge) into the decade’s biggest action star. The three films have an average of $750 million each with the final film making $1.2 billion internationally. The first film is generally lauded, the second is regarded as mediocre while the third is greatly audience dividing but there’ll be great financial gains from whatever Iron Man does next. However, particularly after Guardians of the Galaxy’s incredible success, Marvel’s packed schedule (Avengers 2, Ant-Man, Captain America 3, Doctor Strange and Guardians 2 are confirmed while Black Widow, Thor 3, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, The Inhumans and Avengers three are in the pipeline).

There were rumours of director Shane Black tying up the unresolved plot thread of The Mandarin and The Ten Rings but Downey Jr himself has shut them down. “There isn’t one in the pipe. No, there’s no plan for a fourth Iron Man.”

2012’s Dredd gained mixed critical approval and diminished box office returns upon its release but became a huge hit on DVD and gained a cult status. The fan demand for a sequel is great but star Karl Urban (Star Trek Into Darkness, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Bourne Supremacy) has stated interest in the project being a prequel. “It’s more likely that we’ll do the Origins story, with Dredd trekking through the Cursed Earth to find the first Chief Judge Fargo.” This will easily excite 2000 AD fans out there but part of the first film’s appeal was that it was a regular day in Dredd’s life. Upping the ante to a greater villain, a greater threat or “Dredd’s greatest battle yet” by take away that charm.

There are few actors who command as adoring as fan base as Bill Murray’s. The Ghostbuster/Lost in Translation/Groundhog Day/Rushmore star recently celebrated Bill Murray Day at the Toronto Film Festival and, while interviewed there, managed to fan cast his own female-lead Ghosbusters reboot. “Melissa McCarthy would be a spectacular Ghostbuster. And Kristen Wiig is so funny — God, she’s funny! I like this girl Linda Cardellini a lot. And Emma Stone is funny. There are some funny girls out there.”

Murray has clearly picked up on the fact that Paul Feig (The Office, Bridesmaids, The Heat) is in negotiations to direct the film, after Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) and Phil Lord and Chris Miller (21 Jump Street, The Lego Movie) reportedly passed. He’s gone for a few Feig regulars, namely Bridesmaids alumni Kristen Wiig (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Paul, Despicable Me) and Melissa McCarthy (The Heat, Identity Thief, Gilmore Girls). Cardellini is a veteran of Freaks and Geeks, ER and Mad Men while Emma Stone (Zombieland, The Help, Easy A, Crazy Stupid Love, Birdman) is perhaps better versed in the world of action fantasy after a leading role in The Amazing Spider-Man films.

Iron Man 4 – never probably?

Dredd 2 – 2017?

Ghostbusters 3 – 2017?

Lord and Miller rumoured for Ghostbusters 3, Andy Serkis reads Jungle Book and Patton Oswalt set for Agents of Shield

It was recently announced that Ivan Reitman would not be returning for the upcoming sequel Ghostbusters 3, although producers were determined that the project was still in place. This is perhaps because they had a new director, or directors, in mind. It’s rumoured that Phil Lord and Chris Miller will be rebooting a series that hasn’t seen a genuinely successful instalment since its 1984 beginning.

Lord and Miller are of coarse the brilliant minds behind The Lego Movie, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street. For potential stars, we reckon surviving G’busters (RIP Harold Ramis) Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd will have a small role, and I doubt appearances from the original’s Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver or Ernie Hudson but will most likely be handing the baton over to a new era of Slimer-fighters and (Stay Pufft) Mashmallowman-hunters. Altogether now: Who you gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS!

There’s two adaptations of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book racing into production at the moment. Disney have gone as far as appointing Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Zathura, Elf) as director and Idris Elba (Pacific Rim, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, American Gangster) for the voice role of Shere Kahn while Warner Bros named Ron Howard (Rush, Apollo 13) atop of their list of potential shot-callers. The latter production has now stalked the jungle for their new director who’s none other than Andy Serkis. Serkis (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Return of the King’s Gollum, Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ Caeser and King Kong’s King Kong) is set to make his directing debut with The Jungle Book although his not alien to the job – he’s worked very closer with Oscar winning director Peter Jackson as second-unit director on The Hobbit films where he directed the Moria battle sequence.

Patton Oswalt has consistently proved himself as a comic talent in Young Adult, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and a brilliant cameo role in Brooklyn Nine-Nine (pictured) as well as having the lead in animation Ratatouille. He’s now attached to star in an upcoming episode of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, a show which had a rough beginning, took and extended Christmas break and then returned with (hopefully) better quality of writing to finish off and to bid for a second season greenlight. Others set to join the main cast of Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennett, Elizabeth Henstidge and Iain De Caestecker include Jaimie Alexander and Bill Paxton.

Oswalt had this to say: “I’m lucky that I’m visible enough that they wanted to bring me in to play this character. I’d worked with Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy, Angel and Firefly and director of Serenity and The Avengers)  before on Dollhouse, and I guess I wasn’t too annoying and they decided to put me on another one of his shows. So I was very lucky.”

Agents of SHIELD – continues on ABC and Channel 4

Ghostbusters 3 – 2016?

The Jungle Book – 2016?