Need a quick recap of the past week in movie news? Here are the highlights:
Jake Gyllenhaal is Prophet: That’s John Prophet, a comic book superhero conceived by Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jake Gyllenhaal will star as the character, who receives super-strength via medical experiments during World War II but then is knocked out for 20 years. The movie, titled Prophet, will be directed by Marvel stunt coordinator and Russo brothers protégé Sam Hargrave (Extraction) with a script by Marc Guggenheim (Green Lantern). This will be a return to the genre for the Oscar-nominated actor following his portrayal of the Marvel villain Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Bill Skarsgård to play a world-killing Boy: Spider-Man and The Evil Dead filmmaker Sam Raimi will produce the action movie Boy Kills World. Deadline reports that actor Bill Skarsgård, best known for playing Pennywise in It, will star as an imaginative killer called Boy. Martial arts star Yayan Ruhian (The Raid: Redemption) will play his mentor while Ready or Not star Samara Weaving will co-star as an assassin. The project will mark the feature directorial debut of Moritz Mohr, with a script by Arend Remmers (Snowflake) and Child’s Play remake writer Tyler Burton Smith.
Cillian Murphy to portray Oppenheimer: Christopher Nolan’s next movie, Oppenheimer, recently found a home at Universal Studios and has now confirmed its lead actor. According to Variety, rumors are true that Nolan regular Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins, Inception, Dunkirk) will star as titular scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who led the creation of the first atomic bomb during World War II. Nolan also wrote the script for the film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography American Prometheus and has announced plans to shoot the project on IMAX cameras. Universal has additionally announced its release date as July 21, 2022.
Nafessa Williams joins the Whitney biopic: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, the biographical drama based on the life of Whitney Houston, has found another important piece of its cast. Deadline reports that actress Nafessa Williams, best known for roles in Twin Peaks and the superhero show Black Lightning, will portray Houston’s longtime friend and assistant Robyn Crawford. Houston and Crawford met as teens while working as summer camp counselors, briefly became lovers and eventually developed a business relationship focused on Houston’s music and film career. Interestingly enough, Williams previously co-starred in the 2015 made-for-TV biopic Whitney, in which she played Bobby Brown’s girlfriend. This one will be out in theaters in December 2022.
