Zoe Kravitz Cast as Cat Woman:
“Big Little Lies” star Zoe Kravitz has been tapped to play Catwoman, the antiheroine and sometime love interest of the Caped Crusader, in Matt Reeves’ upcoming “The Batman.” Kravitz will star opposite Robert Pattinson as Batman. In recent weeks, the role came down to Kravitz, Zazie Beetz of “Atlanta,” “Deadpool 2” and “Joker,” “Baby Driver’s” Eiza Gonzalez and Oscar winner Alicia Vikander. Ultimately, Kravitz won out, despite some worry about scheduling issues with “Fantastic Beasts.” Pre-production on the Warner Bros.-DC Comics pic is expected to start this summer. No official start date has been set, although insiders tell Variety that filming could start in late 2019 or early 2020. “The Batman” is scheduled to hit theaters June 25, 2021. Reeves, the filmmaker behind the last two “Planet of the Apes” sequels, took over “Batman” directing duties from Ben Affleck in January 2017. Affleck departed his role as Batman following “Justice League,” allowing Reeves to pick his own Bruce Wayne. Reeves’ “Planet of the Apes” collaborator Dylan Clark will produce. Read More
Jonah Hill Backs out of ‘Batman:’
After being offered a role in “The Batman,” Jonah Hill has moved on from the project. Why exactly Hill is passing is currently unknown, and insiders tell Variety that when the news was initially reported, it was very early in the negotiations and that a deal was far from closing. The news comes after Zoe Kravitz was recently tapped to play Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman, in the Matt Reeves-directed pic that also stars Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader. One of the points brought up in negotiations was whether Hill would play the Penguin or Riddler, and now Reeves and Warner Bros. will have to go back to the drawing board to see which actors will take on those roles. Hill starred opposite Emma Stone in Netflix’s sci-fi series “Maniac,” and made his directorial debut last fall with “Mid90s,” which he also wrote. He most recently appeared alongside Matthew McConaughey in “Beach Bum,” which hit theaters in March. Read More
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris has reportedly landed a role in Matrix 4. The actor will join other cast members including Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, according to Variety. Jada Pinkett Smith could join that list too, as she’s in negotiations to return to the franchise, Deadline reports.Not much is known yet about the upcoming film’s plot. It’ll reportedly start production in 2020 and will be produced and directed by Lana Wachowski. The first Matrix film opened in the US 20 years ago. Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions, the follow-ups to the movie, both came out in 2003. Representatives for Harris didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Read More
Venom 2’s Two New Villains:
Ever since a red-wigged Woody Harrelson appeared as incarcerated serial killer Cletus Kasady in the Venom mid-credits scene, fans have been expecting that the character will transform into the bloodthirsty Carnage in the upcoming Venom 2, and that’s been all but confirmed at this point. However, now it’s being reported that he won’t be the only villain present for the sequel; Shriek will also appear. Shriek, who has close ties with Carnage in the Marvel Comics universe, will apparently take part in Venom 2, though Sony declined to comment to the outlet about if this is indeed the case, citing the “early-days status of the project.” According to Deadline’s sources, “the net is cast wide toward many kinds of actresses” for the role, with mostly unknowns being looked at right now. Venom 2 is scheduled to begin principal photography soon (though supposedly not as early as next month), so if Shriek is actually participating in the sequel, then we should find out relatively soon who will play her. Read More
