Holy uncertainty! What we thought was a done deal–Ben Affleck’s writing, directing, and starring in The Batman–now appears to be somewhat up in the air. Also in today’s Movie Morsels, Vin Diesel talks xXx: Return of Xander Cage, our latest look at A Cure for Wellness, our first look at the two stars of the live-action Fullmetal Alchemist, a Mean Girls musical (!), and more…
The Batman
Yes, it seems Oscar winner Ben Affleck isn’t exactly one hundred percent committed to helming the first solo Batman film since Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. Speaking with The Guardian about his latest movie Live by Night, Affleck says that he won’t tackle The Batman unless its script is up to snuff. “Itâs not a set thing and thereâs no script,” he explains. “If it doesnât come together in a way I think is really great Iâm not going to do it.”
I can’t blame Affleck for being extra cautious about this project (even if Joe Manganiello has already signed on to star as Deathstroke in the film), since the first two movies in which he appeared as the Dark Knight, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, met with a pretty tough critical response.
[AV Club]
xXx: Return of Xander Cage
Vin Diesel is talking up his return to the role of the superspy he originated in xXx. And in the following video the actor says he’s back in xXx: Return of Xander Cage “purely for the thrill” and the “Vinsanity.” Ah, if only Vinnie D would lend his name to a cologne. I can see the commercial now: “Between madness and obsession lies…Vinsanity.”
A Cure for Wellness
With a first name like Gore you knew it was only a matter of time before he’d be back in the horror business. And judging by the latest video promos for Gore Verbinski’s A Cure for Wellness, the Ring helmer is trying his darnedest not to disappoint us with his return. Here are three spots cleverly designed to resemble pharmaceutical commercials, albeit ones we might see in our darkest nightmares.
Mean Girls
Actress Lindsay Lohan has mentioned her hopes of returning to her best loved role in a sequel to Mean Girls. But whether or not that ever happens, one thing we can look forward to is the Broadway musical adaptation of the 2004 high school comedy hit. The stage version of Mean Girls will have its world premiere in the fall at the National Theater in Washington, with the film’s screenwriter Tina Fey developing it alongside her husband Jeff Richmond, who’s composing the music, and Nell Benjamin (of Legally Blonde musical fame), who’s writing the lyrics. The Book of Mormon‘s Casey Nicholaw will direct.
Fullmetal Alchemist
An image has arrived online of the film adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist‘s two principal characters. This is our first good look at the adaptation’s Ed (played by Ryosuke Yamada) and his brother Alphonse in his alchemically-mutated armored form. As longtime fans can see, it’s a more-or-less faithful recreation of the Elric brothers as they appear in creator Hiromu Arakawa’s original manga…
Here’s your first good look at Edward and Alphonse in Japan’s live-action Fullmetal Alchemist movie https://t.co/sW0jQ0jd6w pic.twitter.com/ABDBlcqaSo
â Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) January 2, 2017
[Twitter]
The Jetsons
Finally today… The idea of a live-action Jetsons movie is something that Hollywood has been batting around ever since the live-action Flintstones movie. Is Fast and Furious and Star Trek Beyond filmmaker Justin Lin campaigning to helm the film? If so, he’s just created a fine little pitch for the job in the form of a TV commercial that shows us just what a 21st century Jetsons could look like if one were to take it seriously.
[Arconic]
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Featured Image: Warner Bros.
Images: Warner Bros., Paramount