‘Kong: Skull Island’ Final Trailer Teaser; Posters Revealed

Monsters exist. The upcoming reimagination of King Kong in Kong: Skull Island by director Jordan Vogt-Roberts is said to be taking things back to its roots as the film will feature a much more monster like Gorilla than more recent versions.

With the film only five months away from its theatrical debut in the United State, the marketing campaign is beginning to ramp up. Last week we got our first clear image of the super-sized Gorilla per Entertainment Weekly and today we have a short teaser for the upcoming final trailer for the film set to debut tonight on Jimmy Kimmel.

Warner Bros. has also released two new posters that offer a look at the monstrous scale of King Kong himself.

Monsters exist. #kongskullisland pic.twitter.com/pOdvaQZIQp

— Kong: Skull Island (@kongskullisland) November 16, 2016

The film stars Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Corey Hawkins, Toby Kebbell, Tom Wilkinson, Terry Notary, John Goodman and John C. Reilly with a script penned by Max Borenstein, Derek Connolly, John Gatins, Dan Gilroy, directed by Jordan-Vogt Roberts.

Kong: Skull Island hits theaters March 10, 2017

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ “Kong: Skull Island” reimagines the origin of the mythic Kong in a compelling, original adventure from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts. In the film, a diverse team of explorers is brought together to venture deep into an uncharted island in the Pacific—as beautiful as it is treacherous—unaware that they’re crossing into the domain of the mythic Kong.

‘The Flash’: “Shade” Scene; Producers Preview

Further consequences of the alternate timeline of “Flashpoint” are about to catch up to Barry and the rest of the team on tonight’s episode of The Flash when Dr. Alechemy begins to push visions of Kid Flash into Wally’s head.

The Flash airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

WALLY HAS VISIONS OF BEING KID FLASH — When Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) starts having dreams about being Kid Flash, Barry (Grant Gustin) realizes he has to tell Wally, Iris (Candice Patton) and Joe (Jesse L. Martin) about what happened to Wally in Flashpoint in order to keep him safe.

Harley Quinn/Birds of Prey Spinoff Finds Screenwriter

Whether you loved or hated it the third outing in the DCEU Suicide Squad, there’s no denying that actress Margot Robbie was indisputably the best part of the film with her fantastic realization of the fourth most popular character in DC comics history, Harley Quinn.

Coming off the heels of the film, it came as no great surprise when Robbie struck a first-look deal to develop and produce three feature films at Warner Bros. through her production company, LuckyChap Entertainment.

According to The Wrap, Warner Bros. has tapped screenwriter Christina Hodson to pen the script for a Harley Quinn/Bird of Prey spinoff. While Hodson isn’t well known to audiences now, she will be a name to look out for in the coming years as she has already turned in a Bumblebee spinoff script for the Transformers franchise over at Paramount Pictures as well as reboot for The Fugitive over at Warner Bros. She first made a name for herself when her spec script “The Eden Project” made the blacklist and was bought up by Sony and Material Pictures. Her first effort to hit the silver screen, Shut In, released in theaters yesterday.

Whether the Harley Quinn/Bird of Prey spinoff is good or bad, tt will be interesting to see it come to fruition. Considering the shift in course Warner Bros. is making after the negative critical reception to Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, it’s probably a good thing none of the members of the Birds of Prey lineup have been introduced into the DCEU as of yet, giving them a fresh slate to move forward into development with.

Birds of Prey currently features Barbra Gordon, The Huntress, and the Black Canary. Just a few years ago The CW’s Arrow experimented with The Huntress and Sara Lance’s Canary going head to head in an episode titled “Birds of Prey”, but the female team never came to be. While the producers of Arrow weren’t thrilled with their interpretation of Helena Bertinelli’s Huntress, fans did respond to her character and the Birds of Prey episode positively. Considering it was revealed recently that Arrow was a testing ground for the squad lineup in Suicide Squad, I wouldn’t be surprised if Warner Bros. went with the current Birds of Prey team.

SOURCE: THE WRAP

J.K. Rowling Hints That Dumbledore Could be Openly Gay in ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Sequels

Author J.K. Rowling confirmed at a press conference yesterday that the new ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise, a prequel series to the Harry Potter franchise, will see several Potter characters in their younger years. One we know for sure will be the Headmaster of Hogwarts himself, Albus Dumbledore. Rowling hinted that we could see a less private Dumbledore struggling with his own sexuality in the sequels to come, Variety reports.

Well, I’m very comfortable with the question. I would like to say, because this is obviously a five-part story, there’s lots to unpack in that relationship … You will see Dumbledore as a younger man and quite a troubled man. We’ll see him at that formative period of his life. As far as his sexuality is concerned. Watch this space.

Although Dumbledore’s sexuality was never explored in the films or the books, Rowling confirmed the character was gay back in 2007 during an interview at Carnegie Hall.

My truthful answer to you… I always thought of Dumbledore as gay. [ovation.] … Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald, and that that added to his horror when Grindelwald showed himself to be what he was. To an extent, do we say it excused Dumbledore a little more because falling in love can blind us to an extent? But, he met someone as brilliant as he was, and rather like Bellatrix he was very drawn to this brilliant person, and horribly, terribly let down by him. Yeah, that’s how i always saw Dumbledore. In fact, recently I was in a script read through for the sixth film, and they had Dumbledore saying a line to Harry early in the script saying I knew a girl once, whose hair… [laughter]. I had to write a little note in the margin and slide it along to the scriptwriter, “Dumbledore’s gay!” [laughter] “If I’d known it would make you so happy, I would have announced it years ago!”

With the inclusion of Grindelwald played by Johnny Depp in the upcoming sequels to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them — which is currently capped at five films — it seems likely the films will explore this challenging time in Dumbledores life.

While the LGBTQ community is majorly underrepresented in Hollywood and still has a long way to go, I applaud Warner Bros. for making the brave choice to stay true to Rowling’s vision and realize such a major character as Dumbledore as a gay character on screen. No doubt the studio — which has been struggling to craft a successful franchise since the end of The Dark Knight trilogy — saw this as a major financial risk and it’s good to see they are going to take the chance anyway. The risk-adverse nature of Hollywood is starting to backfire on studios, evident in the amount of rejected remakes, reboots, and sequels from this past summer. With Netflix taking chances and having them pay off in major ways, it would seem they truly are shaking up the industry and moving us back towards a place where films take bold creative risks.

The first entry in the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise titled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits theaters November 18, 2016.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident…were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob (Dan Fogler), a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

SOURCES: VARIETY, THE LEAKY CAULDRON

First Look at King Kong in ‘Kong: Skull Island’

Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have released the first image that gives us a clear look at King Kong in the upcoming Kong: Skull Island via Entertainment Weekly.

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts offered some enlightenment on the thought process behind the iconic monsters design:

With Kong, there’s been obviously so many different versions of him in the past and ours needed to feel unique to our film. I had a mandate that I wanted a kid to be able to doodle him on the back of a piece of homework and for his shapes to be simple and hopefully iconic enough that, like, a third grader could draw that shape and you would know what it is. A big part of our Kong was I wanted to make something that gave the impression that he was a lonely God, he was a morose figure, lumbering around this island.

The film stars Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Corey Hawkins, Toby Kebbell, Tom Wilkinson, Terry Notary, John Goodman and John C. Reilly with a script penned by Max Borenstein, Derek Connolly, John Gatins, Dan Gilroy, directed by Jordan-Vogt Roberts.

Kong: Skull Island hits theaters March 10, 2017

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ “Kong: Skull Island” reimagines the origin of the mythic Kong in a compelling, original adventure from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts. In the film, a diverse team of explorers is brought together to venture deep into an uncharted island in the Pacific—as beautiful as it is treacherous—unaware that they’re crossing into the domain of the mythic Kong.

SOURCE: EW

David Yates Confirms Dumbledore for ‘Fantastic Beasts 2’

Just last week it was confirmed that ‘Fantastic Beasts 2’ will see Johnny Depp added into the mix and today director David Yates has officially confirmed to Screen Rant that Ablus Dumbledore will indeed be present in the sequel.

The current rumor is that the sequel will see Depp as Grindelwald, a onetime friend of the legendary head of Hogwarts before he succumbed to dark wizardry.

Along with the casting news, Warner Bros. also released six new clips from the upcoming film this past Saturday including seven minutes of B-roll. (via Comicbook.com)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits theaters November 18, 2016.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident…were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob (Dan Fogler), a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

SOURCE: SCREEN RANT

New ‘Wonder Woman’ Trailer Debuts Online Plus Three New Posters

Wonder. Power. Courage.

Warner Bros. has released the second U.S. trailer for the upcoming Wonder Woman film which will hit theaters June 9, 2017. The fourth outing in the D.C. extended universe will be the first D.C. film of next year followed by Justice League in the fall. Along with the trailer, three new posters have also been revealed.

The film stars Gal Gadot in the titular role as Wonder Woman, Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Robin Wright as General Antiope and Connie Nielson as Queen Hippolyta with a script penned by Alan Heinberg and Geoff Johns, directed by Patty Jenkins.

Wonder. Power. Courage. #WonderWoman pic.twitter.com/oYsJNTo85G

— #WonderWoman (@WonderWomanFilm) November 3, 2016

‘Wonder Woman’ hits movie theaters around the world next summer when Gal Gadot returns as the title character in the epic action-adventure from director Patty Jenkins. Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.

‘The Flash’ Loses Another Director

It seems no director can keep up with DC’s film adaptation of the scarlet speedster, The Flash starring Ezra Miller. According to TheWrap, director Rick Famuyiwa has exited the Warner Bros. production, citing creative differences as the reason for his departure. A source close to the production told TheWrap that the film, originally slated for release on March 16, 2018, will most likely be delayed due to the loss of Famuyiwa.

Famuyiwa broke onto the scene with his indie hit Dope just last year. The director was hired to replace Seth Grahame-Smith who penned the script and also exited the project due to creative differences. Before that, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were attached to direct. Lord and Miller developed the story for the film, however. The pair left to direct the upcoming ‘Untitled Han Solo Star Wars Story’.

Famuyiwa and the rest of the directors exiting the project doesn’t exactly bode well for the outcome of the film but it’s important to remember that films made within the studio system are a shared vision between the studio and the director. No doubt Warner is shifting course after the negative critical response to the grim Batman V. Superman, but all this really means is the studio has not yet found the right director for the project.

Plenty of directors have exited projects before and the films have still come out fantastic in the end. Just two years ago director Edgar Wright left Ant-Man for the same reasons given by Famuyiwa and was replaced by Peyton Reed. We all know how that turned out so don’t lose hope yet. Plus if the movie doesn’t turn out well, we still have an incredible version of The Flash over on The CW.

Fans got a peek at Miller as The Flash in BvS but he will get his official debut in the DCEU in next year’s Justice League. That should be plenty to hold us over until the solo Flash film finally hits theaters.

 

Ezra Miller as The Flash in Justice League. (Warner Bros./DC Entertainment)

 

SOURCE: THEWRAP

Marvel’s Agenda Supports Gender Equality Says Exec VP

Marvel has long presented characters that have pushed the boundaries of all creation, suffered the indignity of discrimination, and fought for their rights on every battle field available, side-by-side, a mighty conglomerate front for change. Now, outside the pages of our beloved comic books, avatars for equality are rallying together. Gender inequality in Hollywood is still a real, live entity, and thankfully (speaking as a woman in the industry, myself) these issues are continuously being brought into the light to be discussed publicly.

Monday, at the Women in Technology luncheon provided by the Hollywood Professional Association’s Women in Post and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Marvel Productions’ Executive Vice President of Physical Production, Victoria Alonso, spoke about Marvel’s role in influencing Hollywood towards gender equality.

“We have had gender inequality for some time. It wasn’t always talked about ….  In the past year, it bubbled up and it’s no longer acceptable to women and some men. …Change is needed and hopefully we can make a balanced Hollywood for the next generation.”

With the recent, strong showing of female presence in the Marvel projects of late including the efforts of its Netflix show, Jessica Jones, which will feature an all women line up of directors for its second season, and Captain Marvel, the first Marvel film to feature a female lead, it seems gender equality is becoming reality sooner than later.

Other studios, such as Warner Bros. are also answering the call to action in Wonder Woman, due out June 2nd, 2017 as well as Justice League due out November 17, 2017.

“I don’t want to be the only [woman]  in the room,” Alonso added. “Our rooms should be 50/50. If any of you — men or women — can lift [women] up, we’ll all be better for it.”

Alonso was also careful to mention the men who were in attendance at the luncheon:

“You are important change makers. When you wonderful men say ‘balance is necessary.’ …You open that door and the product is going to be better [with varied perspectives].”

With continuing discussions revolving around the need for gender equality in the movie industry receiving much deserved attention, and the efforts of Marvel being so warmly received with the many successes of its heroines behind and before the cameras, I’m anticipating the kind of change that will lend an abundance of success for us all to share.

SOURCE: THR