Hulu wants to turn its Bite Size Halloween series into something not so bite sized. Another live-action remake is in the works at Disney. Matt Reeves discusses the tone of his lengthy, lengthy Batman movie. Plus, the Beauty and the Beast Disney+ prequel adds to its cast. Spoilers now!
Hulu’s Bite Size Halloween Franchise
According to Bloody-Disgusting, Hulu has decided to expand nine short films from its Bite Size Halloween series to feature length. Confirmed titles include Appendage, “the story of a young fashion designer whose anxiety physically manifests” starring Rachel Sennott and Eric Roberts; Grimcutty, “a teen tech horror thriller” starring Shannyn Sossamon; Wormeater, “a rural British family trauma body horror” with Kate Dickie; The Hug, said to concern an animatronic panda bear “who terrorised children in his Pizza Palace” and Clock, in which a woman attempts to “fix her broken biological clock.”
The AristoCats
Deadline reports a live-action remake of The AristoCats is also in development at Disney. Will Gluck and Keith Bunin have been hired to write the script.
The Meg 2
According to KFTV, The Meg 2 begins filming the week of January 24 in the United Kingdom.
The Batman
In conversation with Moviemaker Magazine (via The Wrap), Matt Reeves described his three-hour Batman as “almost a horror movie.”
This idea of a place that is corrupt, and you try to swim against the tide in order to fight against it and make a difference, is quintessential Batman. And at the centre of those noir stories is almost always the detective, right? And that’s why he is the world’s greatest detective. And so this story is, in addition to being almost a horror movie, and a thriller, and an action movie, at its core, it’s also very much a detective story.
Reeves goes on to confirm The Riddler’s plan involve murdering Gotham’s “pillars of society.”
The premise of the movie is that the Riddler is kind of moulded in an almost Zodiac Killer sort of mode, and is killing very prominent figures in Gotham, and they are the pillars of society. These are supposedly legitimate figures. It begins with the mayor, and then it escalates from there. And in the wake of the murders, he reveals the ways in which these people were not everything they said they were, and you start to realise there’s some kind of association.
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3
You may now watch Zoe Saldana remove her Gamora makeup while on set in a new Instagram video.
Batgirl
Batgirl Film has our first look at Brendan Fraser on set as Garfield “Firefly” Lynns. Sadly, he is not wearing the iconic flame-retardant insect costume (yet!). Click through to have a look.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Elsewhere, a new Multiverse of Madness t-shirt available at Amazon appears to tease a “variant” version of the Avengers that could or could not appear in the movie.
Something in the Dirt
Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead discuss their new X-Files-inspired horror movie, Something in the Dirt with the Sundance Film Festival.
It’s a sort of love letter to Los Angeles. And the movie is a mystery, so we don’t want to give away too much. But… generally the movie’s about these two new neighbours–one of them just moved into an apartment… something that might be paranormal or otherworldly happens. And they decide to explore it together. It’s a reaction to, ‘What if you made The X-Files today?’ How would you do it?
Squid Game
Variety reports Squid Game has been officially renewed for a second season at Netflix, with co-CEO Ted Sarandos adding that “the Squid Game universe has just begun” at the streamer.
Beauty and the Beast: The Prequel Series
Deadline has word that actor Jelani Alladin (The Walking Dead: World Beyond) has joined the cast of the Beauty and the Beast prequel series as Jean-Michel, a “charming,” “cool” and “talented” artist with a “quick wit, sharp intellect” and “fierce independent streak.”
Peacemaker
Peacemaker vents his concerns regarding the direction of Project Butterfly in a trailer for next week’s episode, “Monkey Dory.”
Blade Runner: Black Lotus
Finally, Adult Swim has a new clip from this week’s episode of Blade Runner: Black Lotus.
Banner art by Jim Cook