Need a quick recap of the past week in movie news? Here are the highlights:
ThunderCats hears Adam Wingard’s roar: Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard is the box office king this week with that MonsterVerse mashup, and he’s also in the news for another project based on a beloved franchise. Deadline reports Wingard will helm the computer-animated ThunderCats feature that has long been in development and is now set up at Warner Bros. Working with his regular collaborator Simon Barrett (The Guest), Wingard will also rewrite the latest script for the movie, an adaptation of the ‘80s cartoon about cat-like humanoid alien heroes.
Anthony Ramos joins Transformers: Speaking of people involved with the MonsterVerse franchise, Godzilla: King of the Monsters co-star Anthony Ramos is also in the news for a movie based on an ‘80s cartoon, according to Variety. The actor, who leads the upcoming Lin-Manuel Miranda musical adaptation In the Heights, is reportedly in talks to star in the next Transformers sequel. This installment will continue from Michael Bay’s series of movies but will be directed by Creed II helmer Steven Caple, Jr.
Russell Crowe will appear in Thor 4: Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe, who played Superman’s Kryptonian father in the DC movie Man of Steel, is now about to make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. According to Deadline, the Gladiator star will make some sort of appearance in the upcoming sequel Thor: Love and Thunder. Crowe’s part has not yet been revealed, but reportedly it’s a cameo role, similar to that of Matt Damon, who is reprising his Asgardian thespian role from Thor: Ragnarok.
Matt Reeves to produce Sputnik: Cloverfield director Matt Reeves, who also helmed two Planet of the Apes sequels and the upcoming DC superhero movie The Batman, is producing a remake of the acclaimed 2020 Russian sci-fi horror movie Sputnik. Deadline reports Reeves’ company 6th & Idaho is teaming with Village Roadshow Pictures (Joker) and XYZ Films (Mandy) for the movie, which is about an astronaut who returns to Earth with a deadly alien parasite embedded inside his body.
Laika to branch out with Seventeen: For the first 15 years of its existence, the Oregon-based movie studio Laika (named after the dog who went to space in the Soviet craft Sputnik 2) has exclusively been making stop-motion animated features, including Coraline and The Missing Link. Now, Collider reports, the company is venturing into live-action territory for the first time, picking up the rights to adapt a soon-to-be-published novel titled Seventeen as an action thriller for the big screen.
Jordan Peele might direct Steven Yeun: Current Oscar-nominee Steven Yeun, who is up for Best Actor for his performance in Minari, could be joining the next Jordan Peele movie. Deadline reports Yeun is in negotiations to join star Keke Palmer in the as-yet-untitled feature, which Peele will write and direct. The filmmaker’s Get Out lead, Daniel Kaluuya, who is also a current acting-Oscar-nominee, is in talks for a part as well. The movie’s premise is a secret, but it has a release date set for July 22, 2022.
