Lee Cronin teases Evil Dead Rise’s connections to the wider franchise. Bryce Dallas Howard will lead Disney+’s Witch Mountain reboot. Plus, filming wraps on Dune 2, and check out two more sneak peeks at Sonic Prime. Spoilers away!
The DCU
In response to a fan on Twitter, James Gunn confirmed Superman “is a huge priority” in his vision of the DCU going forward, “if not the biggest priority.”
Yes of course. Superman is a huge priority, if not the biggest priority.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 10, 2022
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse/Spider-Verse 3
In a recent interview with TotalFilm (via Game Radar), Across the Spider-Verse co-director Kemp Powers revealed the Spot will remain the central villain of the third Spider-Verse movie.
The Spot is an interesting villain because he seems like a joke, but when you really look at his powers, there’s incredible potential. His ability to open portals across dimensions sets him up perfectly for the Spider-Verse. He’s the villain of the next two films… and let’s just say that the Spot and Miles are connected in surprising ways.
John Wick: Chapter 4
Also speaking with Total Film (via /Film), Chad Stahleski stated John Wick: Chapter 4 “has a very Japanese theme to it” about “friendship” and “the art of living.”
I’m a huge fan of Chambara films — sword-fighting films, samurai films — from Harakiri to Seven Samurai. I can literally name off all 26 episodes of Zatoichi, plus the TV shows! So, obviously, that’s a huge influence. This one has a very Japanese theme to it. It’s about a certain code, whether it’s friendship or the art of living. Even though everyone in the movie is a bad guy, there’s a code.
Evil Dead Rise
Lee Cronin also promised TotalFilm (via /Film) that Evil Dead Rise is “firmly set in the universe” of the previous movies and will include “a lot of fun callbacks” to the franchise.
It still needed to maintain some of the claustrophobia and that translated really well from the cabin into an urban environment. This is about a family in a rundown building stuck in their apartment, so it follows the same rhythm but puts it in a more contemporary space.
It’s firmly in the universe. There’s a lot of fun callbacks, and there are direct lines to the past. But part of the goal of making this movie was to create something that could expand the Evil Dead universe further.
Meanwhile, ComingSoon has a new photo of the film’s cast.
Dune: Part Two
Filming has officially wrapped on Dune: Part Two, according to Timothée Chalamet on Instagram.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part 1
IMAX theatres will begin previewing an “exclusive behind-the-scenes look” at Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part 1 starting this Thursday.
Starting this Thursday, @IMAX theaters will be showing an exclusive behind the scenes look at #MissionImpossible Dead Reckoning: Part 1, which hits theaters next July! pic.twitter.com/IlhbEBdw23
— Fandango (@Fandango) December 12, 2022
Circle Line
A rat-dinosaur hybrid attacks a subway car in the trailer for Circle Line, Singapore’s first-ever giant monster movie.
Witch Mountain
Disney+ has ordered a pilot for a TV series based on 1975’s Escape to Witch Mountain starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Isabel Gravitt, and Levi Miller. Set “in the shadow of the titular mount,” the pilot follows Tia (Gravitt) and Ben (Miller) “two teens that develop strange abilities and in turn discover that their sleepy suburb may not be as idyllic as it seems.” Howard has been cast as Audrey, Tia and Ben’s “loving mother” whose “husband died from a mental illness. Ever since, she has tried to reassure Tia that she shows no sign of following her father’s dark spiral.” [TV Line]
Quantum Leap
TV Line reports NBC has renewed Quantum Leap for a second season.
The Nevers
HBO Max has cancelled Joss Whedon’s The Nevers and plans to remove the series from its servers entirely. Though “only the first half of the show’s 12-episode order has aired,” Variety notes “the remaining six could eventually stream on another platform” somewhere down the line.
Real Steel: The Series
In conversation with Collider, Shawn Levy stated he’s “finally getting really excited” at the prospect of TV series based on his 2011 boxing robot movie.
I will say that we heard a lot of pitches. And I realised, over the course of those pitches, that I am fiercely protective of Real Steel. I’d rather make no show than the wrong show. And I finally heard a take that takes the lore of the movie and does some really exciting things with it. I’m finally getting really excited about where we’re headed.
Star Trek: Prodigy
Dal swaps minds with a Starfleet Admiral in the synopsis for “Mindwalk,” this week’s episode of Star Trek: Prodigy.
Desperate to warn Starfleet of their dilemma, a daring experiment goes awry as Dal inadvertently swaps minds with a Starfleet Vice Admiral.
Written By: Julie Benson, Shawna Benson
Directed By: Sung Shin
His Dark Materials
The seedpod-rolling mulefa debut in the trailer for next week’s episode of His Dark Materials, “No Way Out.”
Sonic Prime
Finally, Sonic meets Baby Eggman while an alternate universe Amy brings down her ubiquitous giant hammer in two new clips from Sonic Prime.