It’s Official: ‘Suicide Squad’ Lands PG-13 Rating
It’s official: Warner Bros. Suicide Squad has landed a PG-13 rating, the norm for summer tentpoles hoping to play to the widest audience possible, including families. Every other film directed by David Ayer, including his most recent pic, Fury, was rated R. Hollywood studios, however, are loath to slap their superhero offerings with an R rating. The one film daring to break the rule was Fox’s Deadpool, which stunned in earning north of $772 million at the worldwide box office earlier this year despite the restrictive rating.
‘Supergirl’ Casting Superman for Season 2
Superman is officially coming to “Supergirl” in Season 2, with casting currently underway for the role of Clark Kent/Kal-El, the cousin of titular heroine Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist). Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg released a statement on behalf of the show’s producing team, which includes EPs Greg Berlanti and Ali Adler. “Greg, Ali and I are beyond thrilled to welcome Clark Kent and his slightly-more-famous alter ego to the world of ‘Supergirl,’” Kreisberg said. “Superman will be appearing in the first two episodes of the new season and we cannot wait to see who next dons the red cape!”
‘Star Wars’ John Boyega Takes Lead In ‘Pacific Rim’ Sequel
Legendary Pictures has set Star Wars: The Force Awakens star John Boyega for the lead role for the second installment of its Pacific Rim franchise. Steven S. DeKnight is directing the film, which will begin production in the fourth quarter of this year, based on the world created by Guillermo del Toro and Travis Beacham. Boyega will play the son of the character played by Idris Elba in the del Toro-directed original film. Universal will release the film worldwide, everywhere but China. The 2013 original grossed $411 million.
X-Men: Apocalypse Deleted Scene Will Showcase Jubilee’s Powers
With X-Men: Apocalypse opening this weekend, moviegoers have been exposed to plenty of promotion for the film. Videos, stills and set photos included images of Jubilee (Lana Condor), the bubbly, Asian-American Beverly Hills teen whose fireworks-like mutant skill is as flashy as her ’80s/’90s neon wardrobe. The character had previous appearances in the original X-Men movie trilogy, but her role largely ended up on thecutting room floor. Fans who were still feeling nostalgic about the 90s X-men cartoon version of Jubilee were excited by the prospect of her finally having a larger part in the action in Apocalypse. Now it looks like they will be disappointed once again. Despite Condor’s assertion that she’d serve as a sort of “comic relief” in the film, early reviews have noted she hardly seems to be in it at all. Now writer/director Bryan Singer has revealed to Fandango that the scene where Jubilee actually uses her powers will only be on the DVD release. He added that he wanted “more Jubilee,” but had to make sacrifices for the overall good of the film.
‘Howard the Duck’ Star Lea Thompson Will Cameo in Chip Zdarsky’s ‘Howard the Duck’ Comic Book
Marvel movies may seem nigh unstoppable today, but back in the 1980s a Marvel movie became one of the most notorious flops of all time. Critics hated Howard the Duck, fans were vocal about their disappointment, and audiences mostly failed to show up at all. But the tide is slowly turning for Howard. His film’s attracted a cult following over the years, and in 2014 he made a splashy cameo in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, leading fans to speculate about a possible movie. (So far, no dice.)
Sacha Baron Cohen Is Mandrake The Magician!
Finally! Cease your clamoring, millennials! Last week, Sony Pictures announced that it had signed action star/sirloin slab Dwayne Johnson to star in a Doc Savage film. Last night came reports that Sacha Baron Cohen has been attached to Warner Bros.’ upcoming big screen adaption of classic hero/gadabout/mesmerist Mandrake the Magician. So basically it’s a been a big couple of weeks for characters whose names are on everyone’s lips, if we define “everyone” to mean “your gran-gran’s mah-jongg circle.” No, that’s unfair: Both heroes have displayed remarkable staying power in the decades since they first appeared (Doc in 1933, Mandrake in 1934).
Jeff Goldblum Talks The Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok
Marvel Studios dropped a bombshell back in May when they confirmed the cast for the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok, confirming that Cate Blanchett and Tessa Thompson would join the film along with Karl Urban and none other than Jeff Goldblum. Speaking with Empire, Goldblum opened up about what we can expect from his character, The Grandmaster.
