Let’s talk about the top stories in Hollywood this week!
Marvel Comics writer, editor and publisher Stan Lee passed away on Monday at the age of 95. Lee began the Marvel business in 1939 which has since grown into a media empire ranging from films to television, video games, toys and, of course, comics. This year’s top grossing films, Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther, featured some of Lee’s superhero creations. Lee is survived by family including his daughter and younger brother Larry Lieber, a writer and artist for Marvel. (Hollywood Reporter)
The domestic box office set the record for shortest time to gross $10 billion in a calendar year: ten months and 11 days. 2018 is pacing 5.6% ahead of 2016 which closed at $11.4 billion. This year’s box office success can be attributed to big blockbusters (Infinity War, Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp), as well as some surprising breakout films (A Quiet Place, The Meg, Crazy Rich Asians). There are still major releases to come this year, including the Fantastic Beasts sequel, Aquaman, Ralph Breaks the Internet and more. (Deadline)
Disney and Marvel Studios took home six of the ten People’s Choice Awards in the movies category, including Movie of 2018 which went to Avengers: Infinity War. Click here to see the full list of winners. (CBS News)
Star Wars’ John Boyega and Black Panther’s Letitia Wright are attached to a sci-fi romance project based on Katie Khan’s novel Hold Back the Stars. The book focuses on a man and woman trapped in space with only 90 minutes of oxygen left. It is being called “Romeo & Juliet meets Gravity.” Mike Cahill will direct a script by Christy Hall. (Variety)
Harrison Ford addressed Chris Pratt’s chances of joining him in Indiana Jones 5. During an interview with Variety, Ford simply stated “I think it’s him or me.” Pratt commented on the possibility of taking the mantle from Ford in 2015 saying “It’s all nothing until it’s something…It’d be cool. No one’s called me…it would have to be perfect to do it.” (Variety, /Film)
After news that Shazam! reshoots were extended to December, fans expressed concerns that major changes were being made to the film’s plot and connection to the DCEU. Director David F. Sandberg addressed the rumors on Twitter, simply stating the reshoots are “All normal stuff. No changing the tone, removing DC references or whatever else theories are out there.” Shazam! is still slated for an April 5, 2019 release. (Heroic Hollywood, Twitter)
Paramount Players has acquired Unboxing, a film about a young YouTube influencer who unboxes her father’s secret safe as a stunt for her channel, resulting in the release of “the treacherous Puck and his band of evil tricksters.” The script comes from Ice Age: The Meltdown writer Jim Hecht. It will be produced by indie studio Pocket.watch. (Deadline)
Mark Dindal, director of The Emperor’s New Groove and Chicken Little will direct an animated Garfield movie. The film was announced in 2016, but has not moved much since that news broke. “Comic strip characters have always had a special appeal to me,” said Dindal. “To have this opportunity to make a film with a classic character like Garfiled is a privilege and a thrill.” (/Film)
In a Steam community forum, Five Nights at Freddy’s creator Scott Cawthon announced some important developments, including a delay for Blumhouse’s live-action adaptation of Cawthon’s cult video game. “I had a script written,” wrote Cawthon, “Jason [Blum] liked it…but I tossed it. I had a different idea for it, one that I liked better. I take responsibility for this delay, it’s my fault.” (Polygon)
Click below to watch the latest trailers.
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (December 14)
- Mortal Engines (December 14)
- Aquaman (December 21)
- On the Basis of Sex (December 25)
- Alita: Battle Angel (February 14, 2019)
- Wonder Park (March 15, 2019)
- Captive State (March 29, 2019)
- Missing Link (April 12, 2019)
- Pokémon Detective Pikachu (May 10, 2019)
- Ugly Dolls (May 10, 2019)
- The Secret Life of Pets 2 (June 7, 2019)
- Toy Story 4 (June 21, 2019)
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Now, when you get to the theater early, you can play augmented reality games on the big screen! Download Noovie ARcade on the App Store or Google Play!
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: The second installment of the “Fantastic Beasts” series set in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World featuring the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander.
- Instant Family: A couple find themselves in over their heads when they adopt three children.
- Widows: Set in contemporary Chicago, amidst a time of turmoil, four women with nothing in common accept a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities, take fate into their own hands, and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.
- Green Book: A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.
- At Eternity’s Gate: A look at the life of painter Vincent van Gogh during the time he lived in Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise, France.
The Bigger Picture 