Motion Picture: Bad Bunny’s ‘El Muerto’ Shelved, Zendaya Serves in Tennis Drama ‘Challengers’

Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Horror: Formerly announced as part of Sony’s Spider-Man spinoffs, El Muerto has since been taken off Sony’s release schedule. The news comes at the heels of the ongoing Writer’s Guild of America strike, leaving many projects dead in the water before a mere day of shooting. The film had been set to star international sensation Bad Bunny as the titular character, and Jonás Cuarón, writer of Oscar-winning 2013 film Gravity, had signed on to direct. El Muerto would have been the first Marvel film with a Latino lead. Based on a character from the Marvel comics, El Muerto is an anti-hero luchador empowered by a mystical mask. With a release date of January 12, 2024, the film would have either had to face major setbacks in its release date or rush production. The script was not where Sony wanted it, so it would have needed further rewrites before production could take place. With no writers available for rewrites, Sony has seemingly cut their losses. The public’s rejection of many modern superhero films could also explain the cancellation, such as The Flash and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which both flopped at the box office. These films point to signs of fatigue for the superhero genre, making spinoffs far more financially risky than they would have been a few years ago.

On the topic of superhero films, Simu Liu, who starred as the film’s main character in the 2021 film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, recently spoke out that the upcoming sequel has been pushed back, once again, by Marvel Studios. The film marked Marvel’s first film with an Asian lead. The character has not appeared since his debut, likely not appearing again until 2026 in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. The actor displayed his dissatisfaction with this in a post on Threads:

“[I] was told [the Shang-Chi sequel] would follow avengers but that keeps pushing back due to circumstances beyond my control :( hope to have more concrete news to share soon.” 

This pushback comes at the heels of Disney’s announcement that they will be slowing down on production for Marvel and Disney properties.

Wicked Part Two, directed by Asian American director Jon M. Chu, will be released a month earlier than expected, in November 2025 instead of December. Chu’s 2018 film, Crazy Rich Asians, marked an important step in representation in American cinema with a nearly entirely Asian cast. Wicked Part One is set to come out a year before, in November 2024. Based on the Broadway musical of the same name, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will star as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively.

On the other side of release date changes, James Cameron’s fifth film in his Avatar franchise has been postponed to 2031, much to Zoe Saldana’s dismay. Initially set to release in 2028, Saldana went to her Instagram story to comment: “Great! I’m gonna be 53 when the last ‘Avatar’ comes out.” James Cameron’s perfectionism is already apparent within the Avatar franchise, with the sequel to the original Avatar taking nearly 13 years to release after the initial 2009 hit.

The sequel to the 2021 film Mortal Kombat has added a number of actors to its already large cast. The film has cast Martyn Ford Outworld as Emperor Shao Kahn, Desmond Chiam as Edenian King Jerod, Damon Herriman as Quan Chi, and Ana Thu Nguyen as Queen Sindel. The first film’s release was hindered by COVID-19 restrictions, leading the film to gross a mere $84 million worldwide. However, its performance on the streaming service Max was successful enough to warrant a sequel. Chiam and Nguyen add to the already diverse cast of the Mortal Kombat franchise, which features many Asian main characters. Desmond Chiam recently appeared in the critically acclaimed film Joy Ride, which also pushed for representation with an almost entirely Asian cast.

Universal is developing an untitled monster-related movie under the production company Radio Silence. Recently, African American actor Giancarlo Esposito has been added to the cast. Universal had attempted to launch a franchise off of its monster-related properties, releasing The Mummy with Tom Cruise in 2017, which flopped at the box office. Giancarlo Esposito’s role, much like the rest of the details of the film, is kept under wraps. The film’s release date is April 2024.

Set to join the upcoming third season of Bridgerton, black actor Daniel Francis will also be joining Raimi Productions’ upcoming horror film, Don’t Move. The film follows an experienced killer using a paralyzing agent, forcing a woman to run away before the chemical sets in. Daniel Francis will be playing a police officer in the film. Adam Schindler and Brian Netto will helm the role as directors themselves, while Sam Raimi produces under his production company.

Tom Shu-Yu Lin - VCG

Comedy/Dramedy: Taiwanese filmmaker Tom Shu-Yu Lin is set to direct an indie rom-com called Worth the Wait, featuring an all-Asian cast. The film, said to be similar to Love Actually, weaves interconnected stories between Kuala Lumpur and Seattle. Lana Condor (To All the Boys I Loved Before), Sung Kang (the Fast and Furious films), and Andrew Koji (Bullet Train) make up some of the main stars of the cast. Following a large Asian ensemble cast, Lin mentioned the importance of the cast for the film:

“After 15 years of directing in Asia, I’m thrilled to make my first U.S. film with such incredibly talented actors and accomplished fellow filmmakers. Growing up in both the U.S. and Taiwan, the American side of my upbringing has always been a huge part of who I am, and I am so excited to finally be able to showcase that with ‘Worth The Wait.'”

Producers Dan Mark and Rachel Tan also commented on how the importance of diversity in modern cinema led to the creation of Worth the Wait:

“We’ve always loved ensemble romantic comedies like ‘Love Actually’ and are so excited to be able to share our own take on the genre with an all Asian cast and a script inspired by our own love story, our family, and different stages of our lives. Having produced Asian American films since 2015, we feel honored for our labor of love to be a part of this incredible moment that Asian Americans are having in cinema right now.”

Columbia Pictures has filed a lawsuit over the 1995 buddy comedy film Bad Boys, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as policemen in the Miami Police Department. Columbia’s lawsuit comes in reaction to George Gallo’s initial copyright termination notice for the creation of the upcoming fourth Bad Boys film. Gallo’s script “Bulletproof Hearts,” which he wrote in 1985, served as inspiration for what the film would become. According to Gallo, Columbia lost all rights to create derivatives of his initial story in June 2022. However, Columbia argues that Gallo’s story was a work-for-hire, meaning no termination could take place. The legal disputes are ongoing, and the fourth Bad Boys film is still in development.

Upcoming conspiracy film They Cloned Tyrone, stars John Boyega alongside Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris. Boyega is set to play a hustler named Fontaine, Foxx will play a pimp named Slick Charles, and Parris will star as a prostitute named Yo-Yo. The film will be released on Netflix on July 21st, and is described as a deconstruction of the Blaxploitation genre as the characters uncover a government conspiracy.

On the animation side of the industry, Idris Elba will voice act in the upcoming R-rated animated film Fixed, which follows a dog named Bull going out one last night before he is neutered the next day. Idris Elba stars alongside well-known comedian actors such as Adam Devine, Fred Armisen, and Kathryn Hahn. The comedy will feature Elba as Rocco, a close friend of Bull (voiced by Devine), who encourages him to get the best out of his last night before being neutered.

Drama: Luca Guadagnino’s new film, Challengers, stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist as professional tennis players in a love triangle. Zendaya stars as Tashi, who convinces her husband Art (played by Faist) to enter the Challengers tennis competition. Once Art realizes he will be playing a former lover of Tashi’s named Patrick, competition, sex, and drama ensues. In the first trailer, a scene featuring the three leads making out appears, which took the internet by storm. Guadagnino’s film aligns with many of his provocative projects in the past, including Call Me By Your Name and Bones and All.

Latina actress and director Eva Longoria is still processing the success of her directorial debut, Flamin’ Hot. The film, which told the story of the Frito-Lay executive who came up with the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto, went on to become Searchlight Pictures’ most streamed film of all time. Following this, Longoria is grateful for how audiences responded:

“It’s not just a Latino movie. It’s an underdog story, a perseverance story, a rags-to-riches story and American dream story. So when you see the territories and the reach, it’s really blown me away.”

Longoria also commented on the pressure of her identity in creating a film like this and how the support of others helped her through it:

“We — female filmmakers, Latina filmmakers — don’t have the luxury of failing… I couldn’t afford to fail, and we carried that with us every day on set. Everybody was in the room with me directing that movie. I did not do it alone. That really lifted me up to show up as my best self to deliver the best movie.”

Longoria recently attended a showing of the film in the White House for President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden. 

Black actor Shane Paul McGhie, who appeared in the streaming show Poker Face, will star in Max Winkler’s upcoming drama Last Days of Basic Cable alongside actors such as Michael Imperioli, Jessica Barden, and Daniel Zolghadri. The film will focus on a group of twenty-year-olds dealing with love and life in a town in New England. Zolghadri will star as a writer named Aaron alongside McGhie, who will play his roommate named Jason.

Saamer Usmani and Amy Forsyth are set to star in Indian-born director Amar Wala’s new film Shook. Focusing on a South Asian immigrant family in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto, the film explores how Ashish (played by Saamer Usmani) is caught between the worlds of his family and becoming a writer. Born in Pakistan, Usmani is known for his roles in Succession and Inventing Anna, while Forsyth appeared in Best Picture Winner CODA. The film is said to explore the immigrant family and how moving to a new country creates tension in the family’s identity.

As a breakout actor from this year’s Sundance film festival, rapper and actress Tia Nomore has signed on with Range Media Partners after her role in A24’s drama Earth Mama. Range Media has agreed to represent Nomore in both acting and music, following her acclaimed performance in Earth Mama as a pregnant mother with two children already in the foster-care system. 

Documentary: Moroccan-American rapper French Montana’s upcoming documentary For Khadija focuses on the story of Montana’s mother, Khadija, and her immigration to the United States instead of the international rap star (whose real name is Karim Kharbouch.) French recently commented on the reasoning behind this, adding:

“It became more than just a French Montana story. Because my story still hasn’t ended because I’m still in the prime of my career. But my mother’s story was like, okay, this story needs to come out because this lady was here for 25 years, didn’t see her family or nothing and sacrificed everything for her kids. And I was like, okay, this is something that I want the world to see. And that’s when I said, this documentary now makes sense to me.”

Netflix has acquired the documentary short film The Dads, a docu short dedicated to relationships between fathers and their LGBTQ+ children. Directed by black filmmaker Luchina Fisher, the short follows five parents of trans kids and the parent of infamously murdered college student Matthew Shepard as they discuss the love they share for their children during a fishing trip to Oklahoma. Basketball star Dwayne Wade, who has a trans daughter himself, will executive produce the docu short.

Similarly, Magnolia Pictures has acquired the rights to distribute Invisible Beauty, an upcoming documentary about fashion icon Bethann Hardison, within the United States. Directed by Lisa Cortés and Hardison herself, the documentary explores the career of Hardison within the fashion industry and as a black model. The film includes interviews from famous models like Zendaya and Naomi Campbell, discussing the widespread impact Hardison has had on the industry for decades.

California Legislative Black Caucus

Industry Update: The Walt Disney Co. has announced that CEO Bob Iger’s contract has been extended, leaving him running Disney through the end of 2026. Iger’s return to the CEO position in late 2022 served as an attempt to recuperate lost profits following the pandemic, which had left Disney bleeding revenue due to the loss of theme parks and movie theaters. This announcement comes at a controversial time for Iger, who had just received backlash for referring to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes as “disturbing.”

Cineflix Studios has entered a partnership with December Films, agreeing on a first-look agreement that would allow Cineflix to co-produce and distribute content produced by December Films. The deal comes fresh off of the first season of December Film’s Reginald the Vampire on Syfy, which has been renewed for a second season. The deal would also give Cineflix first dibs on international distribution rights for content made by the studio.

Netflix and Newfest have announced the recipients of the New Voices Filmmakers Grant. As one of New York’s premiere LGBTQ+ media organizations, Newfest picked three people of color, including Terrence Daye, Emily May Jampel, and LaQuan Lewis, out of the many LGBTQ+ filmmakers across the nation to receive the $25,000 grant. Daye is a filmmaker from Long Island and recipient of the Spike Lee Production Fund. Jampel is a filmmaker from O’ahu who has had work featured in the Palm Springs Film Festival, and Lewis writes and directs in Los Angeles, having received multiple awards at film festivals. 

The Sundance Institute has also announced the Sundance Women to Watch x Adobe Fellowship recipients. The eight winners, all people of color, receive $6,250 and creative workshops as part of the fellowship. The recipients are all incredibly talented in many aspects of filmmaking, including filmmaker Jalena Keane-Lee, filmmaker Naomi Ko, filmmaker Dawne Langford, producer Neyda Martinez, filmmaker Fox Maxy, director April Maxey, artist Gabriela Ortega, and filmmaker Keisha Rae Witherspoon.

UTA (United Talent Agency) has announced the acquisition of a consulting firm named James and Co., which does most of its work in the sports and entertainment sector. The executive search company is said to help expand the agency’s reach in the media sector. This comes on the heels of a series of acquisitions by UTA, including sports firm Klutch and advisory firm MediaLink.

NBCUniversal has partnered with Indian streaming service JioCinema to bring thousands of hours of Universal’s content to the streaming service. Owned by Viacom18, JioCinema’s Premium tier will include Universal’s content, including hits like The Office and Downton Abbey, on a Peacock-themed page in the streaming service.

Following the departure of many black executives in Hollywood, the California Legislative Black Caucus is calling on major studios like Disney, Netflix, and Warner Bros. to explain these unexpected departures. Five firings of black film executives by major studios raised accusations of discrimination by the Caucus, which the organization has called upon these studios to address and fix.

Similarly, Congressman Joaquin Castro has called upon the National Film Registry to include more Latino films in their archive. With merely 24 of the 850 films directed by Latino talent, Castro has called on the public to nominate more Latino-led films. Speaking of the importance of inclusion within the National Film Registry, Castro commented:

“As the Library of Congress works to preserve the films that shaped American culture, public nominations will put a spotlight on the Latino-driven films that have sold out theaters and defined generations. As we launch this year’s push for inclusion, I look forward to hearing from folks across America about the Latino films that have made an enduring impact on their lives.”

Professional skateboarder Nyjah Huston has signed with the William Morris Endeavor Agency (WME) to represent him in brand deals, production, and even directing. Heralded as one of the best skateboarders of all time, Huston has already signed brand deals with Monster and Nike. His agreement with WME suggests that Nyjah Huston may be interested in stepping behind the camera in the future, as the deal includes content creation and directing.