The upcoming reboot of Charlie's Angels is reportedly due to start filming in April, as director Elizabeth Banks prepares to bring an updated version of the female detective team to the big screen. Although very little is known about the production so far, the movie has apparently chosen the first location for shooting and is on track for its scheduled release in June 2019.
The incredibly popular female-led crime series ran on ABC from 1976 - 1981, and made household names out of actresses like Farrah Fawcett and Kate Jackson. Since then there have been the inevitable attempts to revive the franchise, most notably with McG's action-comedies in 2000 and 2003, which starred Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu. There was also the short-lived 2011 TV revival on ABC, which only managed to last four episodes before cancellation. Banks was tapped to direct this new reboot back in 2015, and the development of the film has slowly continued from that point. Interest in the production was given a boost earlier this year when it was reported that actresses Kristen Stewart and Lupita Nyong’o had been approached to play two of the Angels, but there have been no official updates since then.
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However according to Omega Underground, the movie is just about to start filming and the schedule will begin in an overseas location. Reportedly, cameras will start to roll on April 18th in Budapest. The capital of Hungary has become a popular film destination as of late, due to the local financial incentives and the available talent for crew work, as well as the picturesque architecture of the city itself. It seemingly indicates that this incarnation of the Angels has a larger scope than before, with most of their previous adventures taking place within the U.S.
If true, this presumably means that all the casting and pre-production work has been completed. Although Banks has briefly spoken about the project in interviews, the casting of Stewart and Nyong'o has never been officially confirmed by Sony Pictures. If filming is going ahead and the previous reports were accurate, then the third Angel must also have been cast and there has been no indication as to who this may be yet. But Stewart remains a interesting choice, as she has broken away from her links to The Twilight Saga with great performances in films like Personal Shopper. Nyong'o is also a very strong choice, with the Oscar-winning actress soon showing her action credentials in Black Panther.
After the failure of the 2011 series, and the lackluster box office for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, the franchise needs to radically reinvent itself and fit in with more current female-led action films like Wonder Woman and Atomic Blonde. Banks has proven that she can make a financially successful movie with an ensemble cast with Pitch Perfect 2. With the movie having gone through several rewrites, hopefully the formula is now in place to revive interest in the reboot. If the rumors so far are solid, we can expect to hear a lot more about Charlie's Angels in the next few months. We'll bring you more updates as we get them.
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Source: Omega Underground
