Motion Picture: ‘Wang in There, Baby!’ Clip Releases, ‘Divorce In the Black’ Drives U.S. Prime Video Subscriptions
James Wan - Peacock
Action/Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi: Michael Balogun, Patricia Arquette, Kristina Tonteri-Young, and Vicky McClure, among others, have joined the cast of Kenneth Branagh’s (Mayday/Oppenheimer) next feature, The Last Disturbance of Madeline Hynde. Branagh will direct the film, which is described as a psychological thriller. Currently in production in the U.K., it also stars Jodie Comer, Aiysha Hart, and Gemma Whelan.
A remake of the 1954 film Creature From the Black Lagoon is coming from James Wan. Additionally, Wan is in early talks to direct the film for Universal Pictures. Wan’s remake is described as being grounded and modernized; it comes after other unsuccessful attempts at rebooting the film and Universal’s cancelled Dark Universe franchise. Wan’s remake is produced by his production company Atomic Monster.
Myha’la (Industry/Leave the World Behind) has joined the cast of the horror film They Will Kill You. The feature also stars Zazie Beetz, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, and Patricia Arquette, and comes from New Line and Nocturna Pictures, the horror label formed by Skydance and Andy and Barbara Muschietti. They Will Kill You is directed by Kirill Sokolov, written by Sokolov and Alex Litvak, and produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Andy and Barbara Muschietti, and Dan Kagan.
LaKeith Stanfield (Lear Rex/The Changeling) is in final negotiations to star in Die, My Love in an unknown role. Also starring Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Lawrence, the thriller follows a mother battling psychosis trying to maintain her sanity. It is directed by Lynne Ramsay, written by Ramsay and Enda Walsh, and produced by Justine Ciarrocchi, Lawrence, Andrea Calderwood, Black Label Media, and Martin Scorsese. Other upcoming projects for Stanfield include the El Paso, Elsewhere film adaptation and the feature Play Dirty.
Comedy/Dramedy/Musical: A clip from Phil Wang’s second Netflix comedy special, Wang in There, Baby!, has been released. According to Wang, the special’s topics include octopuses, being British, and America, among others. The special comes three years after Wang’s first Netflix comedy special, Philly Philly Wang Wang; it is produced by Avalon, and was filmed at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in London. Wang executive produces Wang in There, Baby!; it will be released on Sept. 3.
The romantic-comedy The Pet Nup will feature Emeraude Toubia (With Love/Shadowhunters), Gregg Sulkin (Runaways/Six Triple Eight), Halston Sage (Dark Phoenix/Late Night), and Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl/Welcome to Flatch) in its cast. The feature follows a divorced couple fighting for custody of their dog; it is directed by Elaine del Valle (Midnight Hustle/Brownsville Bred) and produced by Javier Chapa. The Pet Nup comes from Sony Pictures International Productions and Mucho Mas Media.
The untitled Keke Palmer-SZA buddy comedy film has added, among others, Dewayne Perkins (The Studio/Saved by the Bell), Amin Joseph (Snowfall/Justified: City Primeval), Gabrielle Dennis (The Big Door Prize/Rosewood), and DomiNque Perry (Insecure/Diarra From Detroit) to its cast. The feature’s plot details are currently unknown; it is directed by Lawrence Lamont, produced by Issa Rae, Sara Diya Rastogi, Deniese Davis, Charles D. King, James Lopez, and Poppy Hanks, and written by Syreeta Singleton, who also co-produces.
Manny Jacinto (The Acolyte/The Good Place) will star as the husband of Anna Coleman, portrayed by Lindsay Lohan, in the upcoming Freaky Friday sequel, recently announced to be titled Freakier Friday. The sequel follows Anna beginning a new chapter of her life, herself now a mother (the original film featured Anna and her mother, Tess, - portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis - switching bodies and lives for a day). The sequel also stars Curtis, Sophia Hammons, Chad Michael Murray, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, among others. Currently filming, Freakier Friday is directed by Nisha Ganatra and written by Jordan Weiss. It will be theatrically released in 2025.
Zendaya Coleman - Arnold Jerocki/Stringer
Drama: Jasmine Jobson (Top Boy/Bird) will star as British-Somali boxer, UNICEF Ambassador, and model Ramla Ali in the biopic In the Shadows; Jobson takes over the role from Letitia Wright. The feature, which tells Ali’s true story, follows her facing obstacles in her life, in addition to her romance with Richard Moore; both Ali and Moore will serve as executive producers. In a statement, Jobson mentioned feeling honored to portray Ali, while Ali herself spoke on her enjoyment of Jobson portraying the role, mentioning that she brings, in part, rawness and authenticity. In the Shadows is directed by Anthony Wonke, produced by Lee Magiday and Madeleine Sanderson, and written by Ursula Rani Sarma. Filming has begun in London.
Zendaya (Challengers/Dune: Part Two) and Robert Pattinson (The Boy and the Heron English language dub/The Batman) are in early talks to star in The Drama. The A24-Square Peg production is rumored to be a romance; it comes from Kristoffer Borgli (Dream Scenario/Sick of Myself), who will write the film. Upcoming projects for Zendaya and Pattinson include the third season of HBO’s Euphoria and the Bong Joon-ho-directed film Mickey 17, respectively.
India Amarteifio (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story) and Damian Hardung (Maxton Hall - The World Between Us) will star in the coming-of-age film Into the Deep Blue. In the feature, the two will star as best friends who have both experienced loss. The film is directed by Jonathan Wright (Awakening the Zodiac), produced by Aletha Shepherd and Jennifer Presser, and written by Jennifer Archer. It will be filmed in the U.K.
First-look images for the drama film Unstoppable have been released by Amazon MGM Studios. Based on the true story of Anthony Robles, the film is adapted from Robles and Austin Murphy’s book Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion, and follows Robles’ - who is an NCAA Division I champion wrestler - athletic journey. The released images showcase many of the film’s cast, including Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Canavale, Don Cheadle, and Michael Peña. Set to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, Unstoppable is directed by William Goldenberg, written by Eric Champnella, Alex Harris, and John Hindman, and produced, among others, by Robles, David Crockett, Gary Lewis, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, and Andy Fraser.
According to Amazon, its feature Divorce in the Black has driven more U.S. subscriptions to Prime Video than any other film from Amazon MGM Studios. Having been released on July 11, the drama film - which was written and directed by Tyler Perry - was viewed approximately 3.5 million times during the viewing period of July 8-14, according to Nielsen. According to Luminate, the film accumulated 93.2 million minutes watched during its third week on Prime Video; Luminate and Nielsen share an owner in Penske Media Corp. The film is produced by Perry, Meagan Good (who also stars), Will Areu, Dianne Ashford, and Angi Bones.
Ángel Salazar - Bobby Bank
Industry Update: Jaafar Jackson - the nephew of Michael Jackson, who is portraying his uncle in the upcoming biopic Michael - has signed with CAA for representation. Michael - in which Michael Jackson, during his time with the Jackson 5, will also be portrayed by Juliano Krue Valdi - is directed by Antoine Fuqua and produced by GK Films and the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate, John Branca and John McClain. It will be released worldwide on April 18, 2025.
Ángel Salazar, who portrayed Chi Chi in 1983’s Scarface, passed away on Aug. 11 at the age of 68. Salazar’s other film credits include 1979’s Boulevard Nights, 1985’s Sylvester, and 1993’s Carlito’s Way, another collaboration with Al Pacino. Salazar’s television credits include On Our Own and Jersey Mafia Chronicles. Additionally, the creative pursued stand-up comedy, beginning his career performing in New York City and performing up until July 2024.
