This week in movie news:
10 biggest mistakes in superhero movies (see above); a horse was accidentally killed on the set of Fast & Furious 8; The Shallows gets a teaser trailer; Storks receives a new trailer at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards; The Chronicles of Prydain film in the works at Disney; The Lobster gets a new trailer; Olivia Munn joins Office Christmas Party; High-Rise receives a second trailer; Guillermo del Toro's supernatural Cold War film begins casting; The Wild Life gets a new trailer; Abbie Cornish and Caleb Landry Jones join Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
A horse was accidentally killed on the set of Fast & Furious 8
A tragedy on the set of Fast & Furious 8 claimed the life of a horse named Jupiter when gale force winds on the film's Iceland set sent a fake iceberg flying into a nearby paddock. The incident injured a second horse that is expected to recover, but the injuries that Jupiter sustained -- including a broken leg -- led the animal to be euthanized.
The film, of course, is the latest installment in the long-running action blockbuster series featuring an ensemble cast led by original stars Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez. Fast 8 will mark the first entry in the franchise without the late Paul Walker, whose character was poignantly written out in Furious 7 last year. Fast 8 is slated to hit theaters on April 14, 2017.
Source: TMZ
The Shallows gets a teaser trailer
Sony Pictures has released a new trailer for The Shallows, an upcoming ocean-set thriller starring Blake Lively. The actress -- who most recently starred in romantic drama Age of Adaline last year -- plays a woman surfing alone on a secluded beach who must make her way to shore after surviving a shark attack.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan), The Shallows marks the filmmaker's return to horror after a run of three action thrillers featuring Liam Neeson. Collet-Serra previously directed the 2005 remake of House of Wax, and his new film -- which also features Óscar Jaenada and Sedona Legge in supporting roles -- is set for release on June 24, 2016.
Source: Sony Pictures
Storks receives a new trailer at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
At the recent Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, Warner Bros. released a new sneak peek at its upcoming animated comedy Storks. The film is directed by Nicholas Stoller (Neighbors) and Doug Sweetland -- who makes his feature directorial debut after helming the 2008 Pixar short Presto -- and centers on a stork named Junior (voiced by Andy Samberg) who accidentally creates an unauthorized baby girl.
Set in a world wherein storks now deliver packages for an online retailer, the film looks to be one of the more promising original animated films hitting theaters this year. In addition to Samberg, the film's cast includes such acclaimed funnymen as Kelsey Grammer, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. Storks is scheduled for release on September 23, 2016.
Source: Warner Bros.
The Chronicles of Prydain film in the works at Disney
Disney has acquired the film rights to The Chronicles of Prydain, a five-novel series by Lloyd Alexander. Originally published from 1964 to 1968, the film follows Taran, an assistant pig-keeper with dreams of becoming a hero, and heavily leans on Welsh mythology in telling its epic tale, which unfolded with the annual release of each book.
The first two books in the franchise served as the basis for the 1985 Disney animated film The Black Cauldron, a release which is among the studio's most notorious box office misfires. There's no word just yet on what creative team will be behind the new version, though it will certainly be groomed as the next big fantasy franchise for Disney.
Source: Variety
The Lobster gets a new trailer
A24 -- the company behind Oscar-winning films Amy, Room and Ex Machina -- has released a new trailer for The Lobster, the upcoming romantic comedy/drama from director Yorgos Lanthimos. The film marks Lanthimos' English-language debut and stars a stellar ensemble cast that includes Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, John C. Reilly, Ben Whishaw, Léa Seydoux and Olivia Colman.
The Lobster is set in a dystopian near-future where single people are given 45 days to find a romantic partner before they are transformed into animals. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at last year's Cannes Film Festival, ultimately winning the Jury Prize, and was met with widespread critical acclaim. The Lobster is set to arrive in theaters on May 13, 2016.
Source: A24
Olivia Munn joins Office Christmas Party
Olivia Munn is in negotiations to join Office Christmas Party, an upcoming comedy directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon. If she does join the film, Munn will star alongside Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, T.J. Miller and Kate McKinnon. Aniston and Bateman previously shared the screen in 2010 comedy The Switch, the last directorial effort by Speck and Gordon.
The film centers on a group of co-workers during an office party that goes horribly awry. No word on who Munn will play, though fans can soon see her on the big screen as Betsy Braddock a.k.a. Psylocke in this summer's X-Men: Apocalypse. Office Christmas Party is set to shoot this spring and will hit theaters on December 9, 2016.
Source: Variety
High-Rise receives a second trailer
High-Rise -- the upcoming sci-fi drama starring Tom Hiddleston -- has received a new trailer. The Thor star plays a man who finds himself a world of chaos and debauchery after he moves into a new apartment building. Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elizabeth Moss and James Purefoy round out the film’s main cast.
The film is based on the 1975 novel by J.G. Ballard and directed by Ben Wheatley (Kill List). High-Rise premiered last year at the Toronto International Film Festival and will be available on video-on-demand services -- including Amazon Video and iTunes -- on April 28, ahead of its theatrical release on May 13, 2016.
Source: Magnolia Pictures/Magnet Releasing
Guillermo del Toro's supernatural Cold War film begins casting
Guillermo del Toro is ramping up for production on his untitled Cold War drama, which is set to begin filming later this year. The film is being described as a supernatural love story set in 1963 and, as such, is the second consecutive period romance for del Toro, after last year's gothic horror film Crimson Peak.
Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine, Paddington) is confirmed to star in the film, and Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (The Help) is in talks to join the project as well. Other than those cast members, little is known about the film's plot or its characters, and it has yet to receive a theatrical release date. del Toro's previous films include Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth and Pacific Rim.
Source: Deadline, Guillermo del Toro
The Wild Life gets a new trailer
Lionsgate has released a new trailer for animated comedy adventure The Wild Life. From directors Vincent Kesterloot and Ben Stassen, the film retells the story of Robinson Crusoe, the classic Daniel Defoe novel initially published in 1719, from the perspective of the animals that inhabit the tropical island paradise.
The French-Belgian project stars the voices of Ilka Bessin, Dieter Hallervorden, Matthias Schweighöfer, Aylin Tezel and Kaya Yanar. The Wild Life is set to hit U.S. theaters on September 9, 2016. Pierce Brosnan previously played Robinson Crusoe in a 1997 film that received a very limited release during its initial run.
Source: Lionsgate
Abbie Cornish and Caleb Landry Jones join Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Abbie Cornish and Caleb Landry Jones have joined the cast of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, the upcoming film from director Martin McDonagh. Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell are already set to appear in the film, with the latter two stars having previously appeared alongside Cornish in McDonagh's Seven Psychopaths.
The story centers on a woman (McDormand) who goes to war with the local police over the unsolved murder of her daughter. Cornish will play the wife of Harrelson's small-town sheriff, and Landy Jones has landed the role of Red, an advertising salesman who assists McDormand's character on her quest. Cornish previously starred in Sucker Punch and Robocop, while Landry Jones starred in The Last Exorcism and X-Men: First Class.
Source: Deadline