As the fall TV season draws closer, we’ve got more news on the future of the Arrowverse, thanks to the CW network President. Plus, Universal is busy over on the film side of things: The studio has signed on the directing team that brought us The Lego Movie and has also brought on a key member to one its upcoming adaptations. Living legend Guillermo del Toro, meanwhile, is moving on from his recently released Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as he begins cementing his cast for Nightmare Alley.
To round out the weekend, some salt on wound of the Sonic the Hedgehog design and a time capsule of a trailer for all the web-heads out there.
The Arrowverse is wrapping up the show that started it all, but we may see a spin-off in the future
As Arrow prepares for its final bow, the CW announces it may already be looking for another show to fill its shoes, per The Hollywood Reporter. Network president Mark Pedowitz confirmed that he’s on the search for a new title on Sunday during the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour, also hinting that it’s possible we may see an Oliver Queen related spin-off in the Arrowverse.
The hint comes from Pedowitz’s remarks on the topic of the Arrow‘s upcoming final season, when he said, “Nothing is ever 100 percent done. You learn that over time. There’s a possibility, but we haven’t had a discussion about what that storyline will do as [we plot the] next generation [of DC shows]. There is another property we’re looking at for the following season.” The fact that the entire Arrowverse continuity is named after the show says all you need to know about the DC adaptation’s unexpected success.
Although that’s about all the information Pedowitz would give on new shows, he told reporters that Batwoman represents the future of the Arrowverseand that he has high hopes for its first season, along with continuing optimism for Supergirl, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. This fall, the franchise stands to bring in more viewers than ever with its highly anticipated Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, for which the Arrowverse is bringing in Brandon Routh as Superman and the inimitable Kevin Conroy as Batman.
While we’re talking Arrowverse — make sure you stay tuned to The Beat this fall as we recap every episode. On another note, can we still call it the Arrowverse once Arrow wraps things up?
Universal inks a deal with director duo Lord and Miller
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have officially signed on with Universal Pictures for a first-look film production deal. Aside from receiving the Best Animated Picture Oscar together for their work on Spider-Verse, Lord and Miller also directed and wrote Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and The Lego Movie and directed Twenty-One Jump Street and its sequel.
Needless to say, the bidding war for their talents has been intense. In the team’s first movie deal, they’re set to develop comedy and dramas in original and adaptive spaces. After inking the deal, Lord and Miller told reporters, “Universal has a history of breaking new ground and championing unexpected voices, so for us it’s a very welcoming environment to make bold, original films that push the medium forward. We also feel a deep obligation to leave something behind for future generations of studio executives to reboot.”
The Space Opera movie has found its adapter
In more Universal news, the studio’s movie adaptation of Catherynne M. Valente’s Space Opera is being helmed by Joe Epstein, per a Variety exclusive. Originally a sci-fi with an extremely literal name, Valente’s story pits planets against each other in a universe-spanning battle of the bands called the Metagalactic Grand Prix. Every participating ensemble represents their species in a battle for survival. Just about everyone is a winner, you see, but the losers, the absolute worst band of them all, gets their entire species wiped off the face of the universe for good. Appropriately, the movie is planned to rely heavily on musical elements.
Hopefully humanity’s existence doesn’t hinge on Epstein’s success with this movie – but if it did we might have a good chance! His 2017 screenplay, Health and Wellness, landed on the Black List and he’s also sold an untitled script to Paramount Pictures, which is now set to be produced by the Darren Aronofsky-owned Protozoa Pictures producing. For his work on Space Opera, Epstein be joined by producers Marc Platt (La La Land), Adam Siegel (Drive) and Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World). For the time being, a director, writer and cast are TBA.
Get hype for the Maleficent sequel with a new poster
As the spookiest month of the year draws closer, so does the premier of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Although it doesn’t hit theaters until October 18, Disney did just give fans a fresh new poster to ogle.
In the Joachim Rønning-directed sequel, we meet back up with Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning), a few years older than when we saw them last. Aurora is making marriage moves – but her mother doesn’t approve. The two are eventually caught on opposite sides of a war that may just tear them apart for good. If you haven’t already, make sure to check out the trailer, in which Jolie embodies the fiercest energy of 2019.
Del Toro cements his dream cast for Nightmare Alley
Guillermo del Toro‘s Nightmare Alley remake is lining up yet another star for its cast in Thor: Ragnarok star Cate Blanchett. Per Variety, Blanchett is in talks to join Bradley Cooper for the Oscar-winning director’s next project. Del Toro is also looking to bring on Hereditary’s Toni Collette, the ubiquitous Richard Jenkins, Hellboy himself Ron Perlman, star of the upcoming The Lighthouse Willem Dafoe, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’s Rooney Mara, and The Shape of Water’s Michael Shannon – all of whom are reportedly in various stages of negotiation to hop on board.
The movie itself is a revisit of a 1947 movie adaptation of 1946 novel, both titled Nightmare Alley. The book, written by William Lindsay Gresham, takes place in a carnival, where the protagonist meet grifters, schemers and low-lifes. Said to be an examination of the absolute lows of showbiz, one 2010 reviewer called it “a creepy, all too-harrowing masterpiece.” So, although the monster-loving director isn’t working explicitly with creatures, you can count on plenty of metaphorical ones — all played by some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Jim Carrey has some thoughts on the Sonic the Hedgehog redesign
Speaking of monsters, remember when the internet got its first look at the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog? Jim Carrey, who’s playing the blue hedgehog’s mustached villain, Dr. Robotnik, recently spoke out on the decision to redesign the titular character. Having returned to acting after an extended hiatus to recenter himself and make some political satire, Carrey makes some interesting points about audience input and ownership.
“Sometimes, you find the collective consciousness finds it wants something and then when it gets it: ‘I just wanted it, I didn’t care about it. I just jumped on the bandwagon,'” Carrey said at a TCA panel for his Showtime TV show, Kidding. “Ownership of anything is going out the window for all of us.”
Carey, an artist himself, seems to point out that, at the end of the day, it’s up to creators to make decisions on their projects — not the audience. He told attendees he believes this particular instance, in which fans memed and ridiculed the Sonic design to death, is directly related to a nostalgic attachment to the character. Of course, director Jeff Fowler is more concerned with appeasing those fans. After the initial backlash, he pushed the release back to 2020, tweeting #GottaFixFast.
https://twitter.com/fowltown/status/1124056098925944832
Turn back the clock with this Spider-Man trailer
Have you seen the new teaser for Spider-Man? No, not Tom Holland — we’re talking Tobey.
The first movie of Sam Raimi‘s web-slinging trilogy released back in 2002 – just a year after the Twin Towers fell in 9/11. Before those events, when the movie was still in production, scenes had been filmed featuring the landmarks prominently. Just about every movie or TV show at the time did. After the attacks, though, the Towers were removed from every piece of media they were featured in, since many thought their presence would be in bad taste. Following suit, an entire teaser for Spider-Man never made it off the cutting room floor, until last week.
The ‘lost’ trailer made the rounds on the internet in extremely low-def, but one YouTuber, YoshiKiller2S, was determined to preserve its original quality in a digital format. They acquired the original 35mm through eBay and remastered it themselves, with help from some friends. Now, nostalgic fans can watch the lost trailer in an impressive, color corrected 4k.
And yes, the early 2000s vibes are extreme.
That’s it for the weekend wrap-up! If you’re able to drag yourself out of that early aughts stupor we just sent you through, we’ll see you this Friday when Edward Douglas is back in the driver’s seat for more Studio Coffee Run.
You’re mistaken about the Spider-Man teaser. It was released to theaters before 9/11, and pulled from circulation after. (How would there be a 35mm print of it if it “never made it off the cutting room floor”?)
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