‘Ghostbusters’ Denied Release in China
After months of debate, anticipation and heavy marketing, Paul Fieg’s all-female Ghostbusters reboot has finally arrived. But the world’s most populous nation — and No. 2 film market — won’t be joining the fun anytime soon. The Sony tentpole has been denied a release in China, sources close to the decision-making process in Beijing tell The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s been confirmed that Ghostbusters won’t be coming to China, because they think it’s not really that attractive to Chinese audiences,” says one Chinese executive. “Most of the Chinese audience didn’t see the first and second movies, so they don’t think there’s much market for it here,” the exec adds.
First Photos of Keiynan Lonsdale as Kid Flash in The Flash Season 3
The CW and DC Entertainment have announced that another speedster is racing to The Flash in its upcoming third season, and it’s a familiar face! When Keiynan Lonsdale’s Wally West was revealed in season two, many fans knew it was only a matter of time before he suited up himself, and Wally will be doing just that in the season three premiere! Check out the first Kid Flash photos below. It was previously revealed that the The Flash Season 3 premiere will be titled “Flashpoint,” confirming that the new season will be based (at least in part) on the popular event story from DC Comics.
Javier Bardem Eyed for Frankenstein Role in Universal’s Monster Universe
Having already filled its upcoming monster universe with A-list talent including Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp and Russell Crowe, Universal is now eyeing another star to revive a famous character. Sources tell Variety that Javier Bardem is in talks to star as Frankenstein in Universal’s classic monster movie series. It’s currently unknown which monster feature Bardem would first appear in. Cruise and Crowe’s “The Mummy,” the first film in the monster series, is nearly done with filming. Universal is also developing a “Bride of Frankenstein” feature, but sources indicate that Bardem’s Frankenstein would likely appear in another monster pic first with the possibility of getting a spin-off down the road.
Marvel ‘X-Men’ Series from Matt Nix, Bryan Singer Lands Put Pilot Commitment at Fox
Fox is entering the Marvel universe. The network has made a put pilot commitment for a new “X-Men” action-adventure series, hailing from writer Matt Nix, Variety has learned exclusively. The untitled series will focus on two ordinary parents who discover their children possess mutant powers. Forced to go on the run from a hostile government, the family joins up with an underground network of mutants and must fight to survive. 20th Century Fox Television and Marvel Television will co-produce the series with 20th handling physical production. Nix will serve as exec producer with Bryan Singer, Lauren Shuler Donner, Simon Kinberg, plus Marvel’s Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory.
‘Supergirl’ Adds ‘The Family’ Grad as Gay DC Character Maggie Sawyer
The CBS-turned-CW series has tapped Floriana Lima (The Family) for the series regular role inspired by the gay DC Comics character, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Created by John Byrne, Maggie was first introduced in 1987 as a captain of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit where she was a highly skilled member of the Science Police, the division of the police department that deals with metahumans. Additionally, Maggie was revealed to be a lesbian in the Superman titles, making her one of the first openly homosexual characters in mainstream comics. She later went on to become romantically involved with another famous female superhero, Batwoman, in addition appearance in several Batman titles.
Oh Hell Yes: Big Trouble in Little China and Escape From New York Are Crossing Over in a New Comic
The world may be full of bad news, but here’s a glimmer of joy, especially if you’re a fan of Kurt Russell and John Carpenter’s cinematic collaborations. Cult antiheroes Jack Burton and Snake Plissken will meet on the pages of a comic from Boom! Studios, and with the full approval of Carpenter. The six-part crossover comes from writer Greg Pak and artist Daniel Bayliss, and it will be out in October. The basic plot is that Big Trouble in Little China’s tank top-wearing Jack Burton time-travels from 1986 to the year 1997, and the dystopian realm of Escape from New York’s eyepatch-wearing Snake Plissken.
Sly Stallone Denies Involvement In Female ‘Expendables’ Spinoff
While it remains to be seen whether he will take part in any more installments of The Expendables action franchise, Sylvester Stallone has tired of erroneous media reports cropping up around the world that he is in the center of The Expendabelles, a spinoff film that will team a group of female operatives. Stallone wants it known that he isn’t in any way participating in an all-female cast offshoot of Expendables and that he has absolutely no future plans to be associated with the long-planned film.
