Motion Picture: Dua Lipa Makes Acting Debut In ‘Argylle,’ Taika Waititi Touts ‘Love And Thunder’ As ‘The Craziest Film’ He’s Ever Done
Action: Javier Bardem in set to star in the musical film adaptation of Bernard Waber’s 1965 children’s book Lyle, Lyle Crocodile with music written by La La Land’s Justin Paul and Benj Pasek. The story about a crocodile living in the bathtub of a family’s Victorian brownstone, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile is directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, with an adapted screenplay by Will Davies. The Sony Pictures film is set for release July 22, 2022.
Samuel L. Jackson is joining the growing cast of Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming spy thriller Argylle. Jackson’s co-stars will include Henry Cavill, John Cena, and Bryan Cranston, as well as pop artist Dua Lipa in her debut film role. Vaughn will direct the script from Wonder Woman’s Jason Fuchs with his production company MARV set to produce. Filming for Argylle will begin this August in Europe.
A new trailer has dropped for Disney’s latest animation project Encanto, featuring original music from Hamilton and In the Heights creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Set in the fantastical town of Casa Madrigal, Mirabel (voiced by Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Stephanie Beatriz) must come to terms with her lack of magical abilities, her trusty accordion the only talent to her name. Set in Columbia, Encanto is directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush, with Charise Castro Smith serving as co-director and screenwriter. Encanto is set for release Nov 24.
In an interview with Empire Magazine earlier this month, Ragnarök director Taika Waititi described his next project, Thor: Love and Thunder, as “the craziest film [he’s] ever done.” Though featuring returning cast members from the previous Thor films – Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Christian Bale as antagonist Gorr, and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster – Waititi says fans are in for quite a new experience. “There’ll be far more emotion in this film. And a lot more love. And a lot more thunder. And a lot more Thor if you’ve seen the photos.” Thor: Love and Thunder is set for release May 6, 2022.
Adele Lim - Albert L. Ortega
Comedy: Crazy Rich Asians co-writer Adele Lim is making her directorial debut with a currently untitled comedy featuring Emily in Paris star Ashley Park. The planned R-rated comedy is set to follow four Asian American women as they set off on a trip to Asia to locate their birth mothers. The film is a joint effort between Lionsgate and Point Grey Pictures, with Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Chisom Ude, Josh Fagen, and Meredith Wieck producing. Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao (Awkwafina is Nora From Queens) will write the script based on the story by Lim, with production expected to begin this fall.
Shaka King - Pool
Drama: Judas and the Black Messiah director Shaka King is attached to direct a feature centered around American political insurrection with previous collaborators Ryan Coogler and Charles D. King as well as Lil Rel Howery. While details surrounding the plot are under wraps at this time, the untitled project will be produced by Coogler for Proximity Media, King for MARCO, and Lil Rel Howery. Executive producers include Sev Ohanian, Zinzi Coogler, Poppy Hanks, Greta Fuentes, and Brandon Harris.
Shonda Rhimes - Toni Anne Barson
Industry Update: The collaboration between Shonda Rhimes and Netflix is expanding to include feature films, gaming, and virtual reality. This partnership allows Shondaland Media and Netflix to exclusively produce and distribute content along with merchandise deals and the possibility for live events along the way. Rhimes is currently working on Netflix’s Bridgerton season 2 to launch 2022, with seasons 3 and 4 already confirmed.
The Parent Hood actress Suzzanne Douglas passed away at the age of 64. In a heartfelt Facebook post, Douglas’ cousin Angie Tee wrote of the late actress: “I can remember growing up, there weren’t very many black actresses who had starring roles but there was my cousin with the lead role in ‘Tap’ starring alongside great dancers such as Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. She also performed with Angela Bassett and Whoopi Goldberg in ‘How Stella Got Her Groove Back.’ The Inkwell, Jason’s Lyric and so much more the list goes on. The world will miss your talent, but your soul will live on forever.”
A bill recently unveiled at the California state legislature if passed would boost the state’s film and television tax credits program by $330M, with $150M of that fund dedicated to new soundstage construction, allowing for more space for the state’s growing productions. This is a significant increase from Governor Gavin Newsom’s original budget-bump estimate of $75M from earlier this summer. The bill is sponsored by senator Anthony Portantino and assembly members Wendy Carrillo and Autumn Burke. Should the bill pass, the state film commission can begin distributing the funds sometime next year.
