Welcome back, Studio Coffee Folks! It’s been a Week here in the entertainment world, in case you couldn’t tell from all the news about Bob Iger leaving Disney. We’ll cover that first, then move on to more Mouse news as Spider-Man 3 reveals its working title. Meanwhile, in the indie comics world, the critically acclaimed Ice Cream Man scoops up a TV adaptation and in the Jurassic World we’ve got news on a title. Then, we’ll spend a chunk of time in the casting corner for Josh Brolin back on the farm, some additions to the Pennyworth crew and an American Horror Story reveal that might leave you looking like this:
Then, as is tradition, we’ll send you on your way with all of this week’s trailers. Let’s get started!
Disney says bye bye Bob Iger, hello Bob Chapek
In a surprising changeup, Disney revealed this week that CEO Bob Iger is ending his 15 year reign and being replaced with former theme parks boss Bob Chapek. If you haven’t already seen headlines here, I’d be shocked, but let’s get into some quick details of the sudden power shift.
Who is this guy?
Good question! As mentioned before, he was formerly the head of parks and boasts 27 years at the Mouse, almost double the experience Iger had in his role before ducking out. At first he seemed like a dark horse, but folks are quickly warming up to him. Given that managing Disney’s various theme parks means juggling its oligarchic range of I.P., employees say he’s already got the needed experience for the company at large.
Why the transition?
Truly, no one is certain. The news knocked media and fans alike off their feet. Iger is leaving as the company monopolizes box office revenue and prepares to do the same in the streaming field, and he’s taking two years to oversee creative operations, so it seems he’s on good terms with the company. The LA Times reports that Iger is even going to continue growing the sites’ streaming reach as he hopes to “spend more time working with TV and movie studio executives growing Hulu and ESPN+.”
What’s next?
Chapek, though an expert in just about every other category, seems to have a dirge when it comes to movies. Iger, meanwhile, has made a point to downplay the ramifications of his departure, instead preaching unity as he wraps his time with Disney. So, it could be that Iger plans to show Chapek the entertainment ropes over these next few years as he becomes acclimated to his new role.
In other Disney-related questions…
What’s the deal with the Spider-Man 3 working title?!?!
Completing its trilogy of Seinfeld related working titles, Spider-Man 3 is being internally referred to as Serenity Now. If you’re not familiar with the Seinfeld’s final season, the title is a classic exclamation from George Costanza which, as you might guess, is employed as a calming mantra.
Oddly, the Spidey franchise seems to have an affinity, not only for Seinfeld, but for George in particular. Homecoming’s working title was Sumer of George and Far from Home’s was Fall of George. Why? Well we could be realistic and say someone just really likes George, or we could have some fun and pretend to live in a world where Spidey saves George from constant peril. I’m going to go with the latter. Spider-Man 3, AKA, Serenity Now, picks up on Tom Holland’s Marvel misadventures with his secret identity now revealed. It’s expected to hit theaters on July 16, 2021.
Image Comics’ horror anthology Ice Cream Man is heading to television with Quibi
The sugary and sinister Ice Cream Man is creeping over to streaming thanks to shortform newcomer, Quibi. The Image comic is an anthology series written by W. Maxwell Prince with art by Martin Morazzo, colors by Chris O’Halloran and letters by Good Old Neon that’s narrated by the titular dairy delivery dude. Of course, he’s atypical for his profession, given that he possesses the ability to shapeshift, spawn monsters and, in general, cause ludicrous amounts of mayhem for his customers.
Sneaky Pete’s Adam & Max Reid will write and EP, along with Good Fear Content’s Chris Bender and Jake Weiner and Alibi’s Jake Wagner. Quibi launches officially on April 6, at $4.99 or $7.99 a month, depending on your ad preferences, though a release date for this show is TBA.
Jurassic World title revealed with a warning from Chris Pratt
Day One#JurassicWorld pic.twitter.com/UnQIUFwJ3t
— Colin Trevorrow (@colintrevorrow) February 25, 2020
Jurassic World has its title, as revealed by Colin Trevorrow in a tweet earlier this week, teasing the image above. As you can see, Dominion looks to be the subtitle for the franchise’s third entry. And, if you couldn’t piece together why it might be called that, Chris Pratt has you covered. He followed up with an Instagram post of the same image, but this time with the dictionary definition of the word dominion, along with the warning “hold onto your butts.” Now, this could hint at the little-known butt-eating dinosaurs, although. Okay, sorry! Anyway, Jurassic World: Dominion hits theaters on June 11, 2021, starring Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard along with Jeff Goldblum reprising his role as Dr. Ian Malcom, Laura Dern as Dr. Ellie Sattler and Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant.
A casting cacophony as we check out what’s new with Josh Brolin, Pennyworth, the CW’s Kung Fu and American Horror Story
Thanos leaves the farm for the frontier in Amazon’s Outer Range
The Thanos and Cable actor is making moves to Amazon in his most recent casting in Outer Range. Along with starring, Josh Brolin is also executive producing for the rancher drama, along with Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment. The story follows Wyoming rancher Royal Abbott in his fight to protect his family and land – and deal with whatever lies at the wilderness’ edge.
Pennyworth adds a nickel’s worth to its cast
Pennyworth is enlisting a few more members ahead of its second season premiere. Joining Jack Bannon as the soldier turned butler are newcomers James Purefoy, Edward Hogg and Jessye Romeo, while Roman Tikaram and Harriet Slater have moved up from recurring roles to regulars. Pennyworth is DC origin story following a young Alfred Pennyworth as he begins his working relationship with Thomas Wayne in their nascent security company. Season two is hopeful for a summer 2020 return with 10 new episodes and, if you meant to watch season one, but didn’t, you can check out Hussein Wasiti’s recaps of the show right here!
The CW’s Kung Fu reboot finds its star
Olivia Liang (Legacies) is set to lead the CW’s Kung Fu pilot; a reboot of the 1970s show following a shaolin monk (David Carradine) in his travels through the wild west. Like many of its CW siblings, the show is under the Berlanti Productions umbrella, with Christina M. Kim, Martin Gero, Sarah Schechter and Warner Bros. TV along for the ride as well. In this new take, Kim writes Liang’s character as a young Chinese-American woman ready to make some drastic changes. She heads off to her hometown in China, only to find it overrun with crime and corruption. Of course, it’s up to her to stop it all – and find her mentor’s killer along the way.
The American Horror Story cast is home alone
FX’s beloved anthology series, American Horror Story, announced the cast of its upcoming season this week, including Home Alone’s Macaulay Culkin in his first ever outing as a series regular, and returning stars Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters. AHS, soon to be airing season 10, is already renewed through season 13 and is FX’s most watched original series. For the official announcement, check out showrunner and co-creator Ryan Murphy’s eerie Insta post above.
Two trailers for the kids, and one about a kid who’s all grown up
Netflix’s The Letter for the King is an adaptation of the eponymous (though Dutch) novel De brief voor de Koningzi by Tonke Dragt. The streamer is taking the novel’s premise and serializing it into six episodes aimed at a younger crowd. Amir Wilson (His Dark Materials) stars Tiuri, the adolescent knight hopeful who finds himself responsible for delivering the titular postage revealing treachery in the kingdom. Ergo, it’s up to him and his pals to get to the castle and save the world. The Letter for the King hits Netflix on March 20.
Paramount is gearing up for Rumble; a monster showdown movie starring Will Arnett, Terry Crews and Geraldine Viswanathan. In a world where monsters go head to head in wild wrestling matches, the young human Winne (Viswanathan) hopes to train her friend Steve (Arnett), an orange underdog, to beat the reigning champ, Tentacular (Crews).
I’ve saved the best for last here, honestly. Candyman is back, thanks to director Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) and Jordan Peele’s Monkey Paw Productions. We’ve got Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen) in the starring role as Anthony McCoy, the now grown-up baby who was kidnapped in the original movie. Now, he’s trying to make it as an artist and researcher, who can’t put away his obsession with the Candyman. Get your own sweet treat when Candyman hits theaters on June 20, 2020.
That’s a wrap for this week; I’ve gotta dive back into all things C2E2 2020, but we’ll catch you back here next time!
Theme park boss to be in charge of Disney movies. Looks like Scorsese got it right.
Disney blocks John Oliver show critical of India’s Modi. Craven cowards.
https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/walt-disney-in-india-blocks-john-oliver-show-critical-of-modi
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