The future of television has been largely fuelled as of late by a return to the past. Networks are raiding cinema's back catalogue in order to find their next small screen success. This past month alone, we've heard news of a Rush Hour reboot, a Minority Report reboot, and heck, there's even going to be a do-over of the Tom Hanks 80s classic, Big. While most of those projects have the blessing or direct involvement of their original creators, that's not always the case. Especially when it comes to Cameron Crowe's teen angst dramedy, Say Anything.
Last week, Robert Downey Jr. changed his stance on the fate of Iron Man 4 yet again. Throwing a cryptic tidbit to reporters (“I’m sure we’ll ride that thing. You’ve got to surf that all the way in to shore.”), he essentially reneged on what he'd said the previous month. He then followed that up during an interview with Deadline, in which he jokingly said he'd reprise the role if Mel Gibson directed the pic. At the beginning of September he had completely sworn off the possibility of returning for a solo Tony Stark adventure, bluntly stating “There isn’t one in the pipe. No, there’s no plan for a fourth ‘Iron Man.’”
There's nothing that defines the winter season moreso than the arrival of a new chapter in an existing franchise. It's during the coldest, darkest months of the year that audiences are less inclined to venture outside and remain indoors. You might prefer the warmth of a fire, perhaps? Or failing that the imposing body heat of two hundred strangers with whom you're packed in a cinema? Well, what better movie to kick off the winter multiplex season than yet another Tolkien epic. In case you'd not heard, there's more Hobbit action to come with The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies.
The behind the scenes activities on a movie set are often captured on sweet, cleverly-packaged "making-ofs." Appearing in the special features section of your DVD or Blu-ray, you can see the actors being filmed while they're shooting a scene! BAH! It's crazy.
Ben Affleck's taken quite a lashing from DC fans. Since it was announced last year that he'd signed on to star as Batman in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, the actor has put on a very brave face. After all, he's already been held accountable for the lacklustre Daredevil. In the span of a year, however, the general consensus on Affleck donning the caped crusader's outfit has changed. While fans aren't exactly satisfied (a nigh-on impossible outcome), they're finally easing into the realization.
The World War II drama season is soon upon us. Well, I say season, but there's only the Benedict Cumberbatch code-breaking thriller, The Imitation Game, and David Ayer's Fury. While they broadly cover the same topic - the Second World War - they couldn't be more different. Ayer's action-packed bromancer looks set to rile up scores of Brad Pitt's loyal Fight Club followers and possibly the same amount who're hoping to see Shia LeBeouf meet a grisly fate.
Universal, Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes know when they're onto a good thing. The three joined forces for two outings of The Purge - and now they're aiming for a hat trick. Another night of utter bonkers behaviour is on the cards, as development has officially begun on The Purge 3.
While there's always something stirring about one Marvel project or another, there's one property that's been suspiciously quiet as of late. It's been a good six weeks since we've had any news on their troubled title, Ant-Man. Even then, it was a straw-clutching report about Evangeline Lilly's haircut.
Sarah Wayne Callies might have perished in The Walking Dead's zombie apocalypse, but she's keen to take on the challenge of an invading regime once more. Deadline reports that the actress has signed on to co-star in Carlton Cuse's forthcoming pilot for USA, Colony.
If you haven't had quite enough duplicitous domesticity with Gone Girl, then you've not got long before Hollywood takes another stab. Rowan Joffe's Before I Go To Sleep might not have the hype that preceded the aforementioned whodunnit, but it'll likely still appeal to those who dig secrets and lies.
