Motion Picture: Remakes, Girl Power, & Fast Cars
Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi: Disney’s live-action The Lion King had its European premiere this past weekend ahead of its theatre release happening later this week. The star-studded red carpet included Beyoncé (Nala) and Childish Gambino (Simba), as well as, many others including none other than The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The film may be premiering in the U.S. July 18th, but it has already hit China’s box-office (the second biggest market after U.S./Canada) and is making waves as it is poised to be one of the most successful Disney remakes in the country. Despite a lukewarm reception from critics, the film is projected to make $200 million domestically its opening weekend here in the states. A major expectation considering Aladdin has a domestic gross of $331.5 million currently after being out for almost two months. All eyes will be on the pride this weekend as the industry waits to see if the film will deliver.
Greg Russo’s R rated Mortal Kombat film adaptation has found its Sub-Zero in actor Joe Taslim (The Raid). The most recent film, set to be produced by James Wan of The Conjuring, is the first to have the R rating— a big deal considering the video game is known for its “Fatality” catchphrase. The picture starts production in Australia during the latter end of the year and is said to be the biggest production South Australia has seen to date. Simon McQuoid will be making his feature film debut after working for many years directing video game commercials. With Taslim being the first one cast, we are looking forward to seeing more news of the reboot come in as we get closer to its March 5th, 2021 release.
The 25th James Bond movie will introduce a whole new 007, with British actress Lashana Lynch announced to be taking over the famous spy’s code name. Killing Eve writer, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, has been brought on as a co-writer for the upcoming franchise installment and some are attributing her involvement with Lynch’s casting. The film is currently being shot in Italy and will pick up after the events of Spectre, taking the audience to catch up with Bond in Jamaica as he is called out of retirement and met with the news that a woman has taken his place.
Comedy: The Fast and the Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw had its red carpet premiere this past week. Star Dwayne Johnson was very vocal regarding the pride he felt being able to represent his Samoan heritage to such an extent in the film. He stated, “never before has a movie of this size and scale, in the history of Hollywood have we ever showcased this tiny island and this culture of Samoa and I’m very proud of that.” Johnson was joined on the red carpet by his castmates, Idris Elba, Jason Statham, and Vanessa Kirby. The storyline of the film will follow Johnson and Statham’s characters as they put aside their difference to join forces and save the world. The film will be in theaters on August 2nd.
Dora and The Lost City of Gold has released another trailer sharing a little more of the plotline and the children show’s infamous fourth-wall-breaking. The approach to the live-action comedy remake of the tv show appears to be having some fun with its source material, acknowledging the elephant in the room that Dora is not your typical kid. The film stars newcomer Isabela Moner as Dora and follows her as she gets kidnapped, lost in a jungle and naturally searches for the lost city of gold. The lighthearted family film is set to hit theaters August 2nd.
Drama: Hustlers starring Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Lili Reinhart, Keke Palmer and more is well underway as viewers got to see a small sneak peak on the star’s respective social media sites. The storyline is set to follow a group of former strippers who turn the tables on their former clients. The film started a little rough, being dropped from its initial home before landing at STX Entertainment and being set to release September 13th.
Kevin Hart moves from comedy to drama in the 2020 film Fatherhood. The film adaptation of the novel “Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love,” Matthew Logelin’s best-selling memoir, centers around a father left to raise his daughter in the wake of his wife’s death. The Sony picture will be directed by Paul Weitz, also known for his comedies including American Pie and Little Fockers.
Sundance Institute
Documentary: American Factory, hits the big screen this August. The film got its start in the Sundance festival this past January. Focusing around the factory workers of Dayton, Ohio, directors Steven Bognar, and Julia Reichert dive into what happens when a Chinese owned company takes the place of a shutdown General Motors factory. Fuyao Glass America comes onto the scene offering jobs to thousands of displaced workers, hoping to bridge the gap between the new American employees and the seasoned Chinese workers in the process.
Industry Update: Jackie Lee-Joe, BBC Studios former marketing head, has been announced as Netflix’s chief marketing officer. Her experience with BBC Studios, Skype and Virgin Mobile prove to be just what the company is looking for as they expand their reaches internationally. Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos says, "Jackie is a truly original thinker with a wealth of global experience — making her the perfect fit as our next chief marketing officer.”
