Han Solo ‘Star Wars’ spin-off wraps production, gets an official title and logo

By Jordan Peterson | Follow @thefilmmajor

After a historically troubled production (read about it here), Director Ron Howard took to Twitter today to official announce that the Han Solo Star Wars spin-off movie has wrapped production. Howard’s tweet also revealed that the official name for the aforementioned space adventure is Solo: A Star Wars Story. In addition, we also got a look at the film’s new logo.

Catch Ron Howard’s tweet below.

Hey #Twitterville we just wrapped production so here’s a special message #StarWars pic.twitter.com/8QJqN5BGxr

— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) October 17, 2017

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What do you think of this new title and are you surprised at all? Let me know in the comments below. I want to hear your thoughts!

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‘John Wick’ to expand to TV with prequel series ‘The Continental’

Wherever John Wick goes, things explode. That includes the box office. In fact, John Wick: Chapter 2 did so much damage in theaters that Lionsgate is now looking to expand the IP beyond the flaming hot film franchise starring Keanu Reeves.

Recently, IndieWire learned that co-creator Chad Stahelski, along with screenwriting cohort David Kolstad, will be bringing John Wick to television, or at least the world of John Wick. Under the name The Continental, the series will explore the fascinating, mythological world of assassins and the various franchises of the titular hotel found all around the globe.

It’s also being reported that the series will serve as a prequel to the original John Wick film. Stahelski has also stated that there are plans for Wick himself to make an appearance on the show but clarified that the show will not center around him.

A writer for the show has not been announced nor are there currently any scheduled production or premiere dates.

What do you all think of a John Wick TV series centered around the Continental? Are you like us and completely stoked about this news? Or could you care less? Let us know in the comments below!

‘The Conjuring 2’ gets second spinoff in ‘The Crooked Man’

Just like the demons of its namesake, The Conjuring cinematic universe grows stronger the more fear it spreads. It just keeps growing and growing, this time adding a film that fans have actually been clamoring for.

THR reports that, along with The Nun, The Conjuring 2 will also be spinning off into The Crooked Man. Mike Van Waes (whose only other IMDb credit includes an upcoming Wizard of Oz horror project) will pen the script for a story by James Wan, though no release date has officially been announced.

The Crooked Man character has roots in an English nursery rhyme:

There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile.

He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse.

And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

The first spinoff of the series came out in 2014 and went to the possessed doll Annabelle with a film of the same name. A prequel to Annabelle (aptly titled Annabelle: Creation) is currently in the works and scheduled to hit theaters August 11th this year. It is directed by David F. Sandberg, who wrote and directed the surprise horror hit Lights Out last year.

The next entry in The Conjuring universe, The Nun, is slated to drop Friday, July 13th of 2018. The film stars Demian Bichir as a priest who investigates the mysterious death of a nun.

As of now, the films of The Conjuring universe have scared up a worldwide total nearing $900 million.

What do you guys think of this news? Are you excited for The Crooked Man? Do you enjoy these spinoffs? Let us know in the comments below!

Adam Wingard will direct ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’

Adam Wingard is the new King of Monsters. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker has officially signed on to spearhead the forthcoming Godzilla vs. Kong for Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment.

If the title is anything to go by, the film promises to pit against one another the two movie monstrosities, paw-on-claw. One from Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Godzilla and the other from this year’s Kong: Skull Island (catch our review here).

Wingard himself is a busy guy. So far he’s established a cult fandom with B-list horror flicks like You’re Next and The Guest (starring Dan Stevens). He’s also been recognized for his standout entries in the two anthology horror series V/H/S and The ABC’s of Death. The filmmaker’s last directorial effort came in the form of last year’s surprise sequel Blair Witch and he’s currently wrapping up an American-ized Death Note film for Netflix.

Godzilla vs. Kong will start tearing up theaters May 22, 2020. If you can’t wait that long to sink your teeth back into this shared monster-verse, don’t fret. Godzilla: King of Monsters, a sequel to the 2014 film, is slated for release on March 22, 2019.

So what do you think of this news? Does Wingard’s involvement make you more or less excited for this film? Sound off in the comments below with your thoughts and let us know!

Sony’s ‘Venom’ finds its star in Tom Hardy

You read that correctly.

The in demand actor Tom Hardy is set to star in Sony’s standalone Venom movie, which will feature the titular Spider-Man villain from space. Zombieland‘s Ruben Fleischer will direct from a script written by Scott Rosenberg (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) and Jeff Pinkner (The Dark Tower).

Venom will be the first entry in Sony’s planned Spider-Man extended cinematic universe. Ironically, there are currently no plans to include the web-head in this cinematic universe (at least not the current Tom Holland version). Sony has also announced a standalone Black Cat and Silver Sable film.

Venom swings into theaters on Oct. 5th, 2018.

*Opinion*

This is a bold move on Sony’s part. It’s smart casting and a strong foundation for a Spider-Man movieverse without Spider-Man. Initially, I wasn’t excited by the idea. Now, I’m dying to see this movie!

What do you think of this news? Does this excite you for Sony’s Spider-Man-less Spider-Man universe? Let us know in the comments below!

Sean Bailey talks ‘Beauty & the Beast’ prequel & remaking more Disney classics

Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty & the Beast clawed through box office expectations this past weekend, bringing in more than $170 million domestically (the sixth best opening weekend ever). It should come as no surprise then that Disney is looking for ways to capitalize on this success.

You can find the specific tallies of this weekend's box office along with our analysis here.

During an interview with Deadline, Walt Disney Studios’ President of Production Sean Bailey disclosed that they’re already considering a possible prequel or spinoff for the tale as old as time. Deadline also reports that there are no plans to do a sequel, suggesting the studio learned their lesion with Alice Through the Looking Glass.

That said, Disney does not feel pressured to franchise their ‘Beauty’ anytime soon. As it is, the plan is to keep on with live-action adaptations of “classic [Disney] properties.” Bailey took this statement a bit further, saying no 2D animated film is off limits if a filmmaker can find a way in. Bailey did make it clear though that what is off limits are the post-2000’s CGI 3D films from both Pixar and Disney Animation. Of course, this could (and probably will) change once the Mouse House runs out of remake fuel.

Until then, we can look forward to years of live-action remakes of our favorite childhood Disney films. And if they’re all as good as Beauty & the Beast, I’m fine with that (click here for our full review of Beauty & the Beast).

Which Beauty & the Beast spinoff film would you like to see? Or would you rather not see one? Let us know in the comments below!

Warner Bros. postpones ‘Aquaman’ to December 2018

Well it looks like Aquaman is diving deeper into 2018. Warner Bros. made the announcement Thursday that the James Wan seafaring superhero venture starring Jason Momoa has been pushed back two months, from October 5, 2018 to December 21, 2018.

This move doesn’t come as a huge surprise, however. Recently Disney and Lucasfilm announced that the second Star Wars spin-off film (centered around a young Han Solo) will be released May 25, 2018 and not inside the December window, which they have dominated since The Force Awakens. The opportunity to swoop in and claim a spot within the coveted holiday time frame must have been too tempting for W.B. to pass up.

This now means that Aquaman will be squaring off against Sony’s animated Spider-Man movie featuring Miles Morales. Originally, it was set to compete with Fede Alvarez’s next film The Girl in the Spider’s Web (also a Sony property).

Of course fans won’t have to wait until then to see the King of Atlantis in action. They can wet their appetites (Ha! Get it?) with Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which is slated for release November 17th, 2017.

Aquaman is directed by James Wan (Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring) and also stars Nicole Kidman, Amber Heard, and Patrick Wilson.

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