Could Clint Eastwood's Next Movie Land Over At Disney/Fox?

Could Clint Eastwood's Next Movie Land Over At Disney/Fox?

Disney is still figuring things out when it comes to the new Fox studio that the company now owns. There were many projects in various stages of development, and it's likely that not all of them will continue moving forward. However, one project that looks like it may have a chance at life is The Ballad of Richard Jewell and Clint Eastwood is looking at directing.

The Ballad of Richard Jewell was already a project under consideration under the previous 20th Century Fox administration. It now belongs to the new Disney/Fox and Clint Eastwood has been in talks with the new studio about helming the film.

Not every Fox project is doing as well under the new guard. Wes Ball's Mouse Guard, which was very near going into active production, was just stopped by Disney/Fox. The project may get picked up elsewhere, but the new company is already making the call to close down projects it doesn't want. This project, especially if Clint Eastwood does agree to direct, looks to be one Disney/Fox wants to move forward with.

The Ballad of Richard Jewell is based on a Vanity Fair news article of the same name about Richard Jewell, who was a security guard during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics who recognized a suspicious package, which turned out to be a bomb, and saved many people in the process. However, after the events were over Jewell was looked at as a possible suspect. This information became public and Jewell's life was turned upside down. While he was eventually exonerated, his life, and health, were never the same and he died of heart failure at the age of 44.

The Ballad of Richard Jewell is a project that's been around for a while. The script was written by Billy Ray, who previous wrote Captain Philips. Several years ago, Jonah Hill was attached to star as Richard Jewell and Leonardo DiCaprio was considering coming on board to play Jewell's lawyer and friend. Paul Greengrass had considered taking on directing the project, but it never went anywhere. Deadline reports that Eastwood would be looking to put together his own cast with an eye toward beginning production as early as this summer.

Richard Jewell feels like just the sort of character that would be of interest to Clint Eastwood. Many of his recent directorial projects have been stories based on real people. Sully, 15:17 to Paris, American Sniper, and even Eastwood's most recent film, The Mule, in which he also starred, were all based on real people. Clearly, there's an interest in dramatizing these real events and the story surrounding Richard Jewell is one that certainly lends itself to drama.

If The Ballad of Richard Jewell does go into production this summer we could see it as early as the first half of 2020. Although, on paper, this one could have the potential to be an awards contender, which would likely give it a late 2020 release.

Bryce Dallas Howard Really Wants The Original Actors Back For Jurassic World 3

Bryce Dallas Howard Really Wants The Original Actors Back For Jurassic World 3

Last year, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom finally gave fans a taste of what they’d been asking for with the return, albeit in cameo form, of Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm. Now, with Jurassic World 3 set to close out the trilogy that began in 2015 with Jurassic World, there is a hope that we will see the whole trio of Jurassic Parks actors return. And we’re not alone because actress Bryce Dallas Howard really wants the original actors back for Jurassic World 3, as she explained:

Yes, very much so. If that happens, I don't know. I don't know what's been confirmed or whatever, but I'll blink if it's happening and maybe.

Bryce Dallas Howard, who plays Claire Dearing in the Jurassic World films, seems to want the original Jurassic Park trio of Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill to return for Jurassic World 3 as much as the rest of us, and perhaps more so because it would give her a chance to work with them.

In fact, in her comments to MTV News about the possibility, she seemed positively giddy at the prospect. And who could blame her? The original Jurassic Park is an iconic film and one that Bryce Dallas Howard, like so many of us, presumably grew up with. So of course she is all in on that trio coming back for more dino droppings and chaos theory.

This isn’t the first time Bryce Dallas Howard has championed this idea either. The Rocketman actress has spoken in the past about how she didn’t get a chance to actually work with Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom because her character never interacted with Ian Malcom. She has also said that if she could bring back one of the original cast to the franchise, it would be Laura Dern’s Ellie Sattler.

To Bryce Dallas Howard’s delight, she may get her wish. In her comments to MTV News, she mentions that she doesn’t know what has been confirmed, playing it coy and not wanting to say too much. But when she says “I’ll blink if it’s happening,” she purposefully blinks a bunch. It’s not the same as an official press release, and we can’t say for sure yet, but that would seem to indicate that things are looking good for the original Jurassic Park trio to return for Jurassic World 3.

Jeff Goldblum has also teased Laura Dern’s return in the past and the actress herself has made it plain that she would come back if asked. It makes sense that these three would be brought back now too. Jurassic World 3 isn’t just the concluding chapter of the Jurassic World trilogy, it is also (for now at least) the culmination and end of the Jurassic Park story that began in 1993.

Therefore it would be a bit of a bummer if we didn’t see these beloved characters one last time. Director Colin Trevorrow agrees with that sentiment, which is hopefully good news for Bryce Dallas Howard and Jurassic Park fans.

Jurassic World 3 hits theaters on June 11, 2021. That’s a long way off and presumably you’ll want to see some other movies before then. Check out what you can look forward to this year in our 2019 Release Schedule.

Mark Hamill Loves All The Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Speculation

Mark Hamill Loves All The Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Speculation

Hey, remember when we were all like "Who is 'The Last Jedi?'" Good times. Star Wars fans immediately returned to speculation mode after the title of Star Wars: Episode IX was revealed to be The Rise of Skywalker.

Which Skywalkers are rising? Who is a Skywalker?

You know who loves this? Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill. No stranger to trolling, Hamill must be cackling as hard as Emperor Palpatine at all the furious scrambling for answers. He seems relieved to finally be able to address the "cool title" J.J. Abrams went with for the end of the Skywalker Saga. He also helpfully added names to the Skywalker speculation list, as if he doesn't already know exactly what the script reveals:

As usual, Star Wars fans responded with some great comments and suggestions. We all have our favorite and least favorite characters and storylines, whether they carried over from the original trilogy, the prequels, or the sequels. I'm fond of this debate over Kylo/Ben Solo (Adam Driver):

Yes to slow digestion for a thousand years. I'm not sure Ben would rise from the dark just to ask Rey out -- and Daisy Ridley did tell fans The Rise of Skywalker wouldn't have another shirtless Kylo/Rey ForceTime scene. But as the son of Leia, Ben Solo does have Skywalker blood. He, Luke and Leia are the known Skywalkers at this point. The Force Awakens hinted to Rey also possibly being a Skywalker, but The Last Jedi seemed to shut that down. Seemed to, anyway. Who knows what's ahead now.

Mark Hamill openly invited speculation on his own Twitter thread, so fans replied with their own predictions. Since both Luke and apparently Palpatine are returning, despite both appearing to have died in past Saga movies, some fans are hoping for major Force ghost action ahead.

Mark Hamill was ultimately re-seduced by The Dark Side of The Force and trolled fans with this Joker/Star Wars crossover, pretending he was the cackle at the end of the trailer instead of Palpatine:

Nice try, man.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the culmination of all three trilogies, so fans are looking back to the prequels and original trilogy for hints on what characters might be involved. Director J.J. Abrams said the title of this film "had a very weird responsibility" since it had to mark the end of nine movies.

Anything goes at this point, just one day after the first teaser was revealed at Star Wars Celebration 2019. And I do mean teaser. We should expect a full official trailer to arrive later in the year. So feel free to share your own theories and prepare to revise them in the months ahead before Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens in theaters December 20. After that, there will be some kind of hiatus before the next Star Wars films rise.

Fans Won't Stop Casting Dave Bautista As Bane In The Suicide Squad, And We're Here For It

Fans Won't Stop Casting Dave Bautista As Bane In The Suicide Squad, And We're Here For It

After years of waiting for news on the proposed sequel to Suicide Squad, things have really been moving forward in the past few weeks. We've known for several months now that James Gunn would be taking over to write the second big screen appearance of the supervillain team, and he's also on tap to direct, as well. Because of that, folks can't stop hoping that Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista will step in to fill a role somewhere in the new film, with a lot of people set on him playing Bane, and now one artistically inclined fan has offered up some inspiration for just such a dream to come true. Take a look:

Oooh...impressive, right? All the elements are here. Instagram user willgrayart has done a fantastic job of turning Dave Bautista into a perfect vision of what his Bane could look like in _The Suicide Squad. He's clearly got some Venom pumping through his veins, via the neon green tubing that wraps around his body in various spots, and the artist managed to really make the character look like Bautista by including one of his very recognizable real-life tattoos. We're even gifted the luchador-esq mask that Bane often sports in the comics, while still obviously getting a look at what Bautista would look like in such a getup. My only semi-complaint would be that Bautista actually doesn't look quite as hugely muscled as he usually does, but there's only so much you can fit into an Instagram post and still have us be able to see all the awesome details, so, I'm not mad at it.

Interestingly enough, this is the second time that someone has given us a look at what Bautista could look like as Bane in the new movie. Several months ago, fan favorite Boss Logic gave us another glimpse at Bautista in the potential role, but that one noticeably left out details that made the hulking actor recognizable. So, while that was a cool effort that definitely gave fans something to chew on, and offered up lots of details that were missing from our last big screen representation of Bane, the work of willgray_art has some additional positives going for it.

Ever since James Gunn was fired by Disney last summer amid some of his insensitive old tweets resurfacing, which put the future of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in jeopardy, the cast of that film, and several of Gunn's fellow superhero movie directors, have stood by him. While everyone in the cast was vocally supportive, with everyone signing a letter asking Disney to reconsider the decision to fire him, Dave Bautista was the only one who was obviously angry at the decision and publicly said he'd be willing to skip out on Guardians 3 if Gunn's vision for the movie wasn't fulfilled somehow, with either him returning as director or his completed script being used.

While there has been some talk of Bautista potentially boarding the total reboot of the franchise, most of the rumors on that front have come in the form of Bautista taking on the part of a less well known character, Peacemaker, who is actually much more of a hero than a villain in the comics. But, we saw some good guys join forces with the team before, so this wouldn't be any kind of stretch.

With fans lamenting the lack of Will Smith's Deadshot...and then rejoicing in the inclusion of Idris Elba's new take on the character, and without knowing how much Harley Quinn we might be able to expect, lots of people are wondering just how James Gunn's version of the team will shape up in The Suicide Squad, so the inclusion of someone who's been so eager to take part in the film would do wonders to keep up excitement for the still sort of mysterious project.

We're sure to get more news about The Suicide Squad, and whether or not Dave Bautista will be involved, in the coming months, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest!

J.J. Abrams Nearly Said ‘No’ To Working On Star Wars Episode IX

J.J. Abrams Nearly Said ‘No’ To Working On Star Wars Episode IX

J.J. Abrams took on a herculean task when he agreed to write and direct the first new Star Wars movies in years with The Force Awakens. While the movie certainly has its detractors, it was largely viewed as a success, and it certainly was at the box office, where it became one of the highest grossing films of all time.

In addition to being the creative force behind the first film, Abrams has remained part of the new Star Wars universe as a producer, but that doesn't mean he was ready to just jump in to direct Star Wars Episode IX. Abrams admits that when Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy asked him to take on writing and directing duties, he very nearly turned the job down...

I wasn’t supposed to be there. I wasn’t the guy, ya’ know? I was working on some other things, and I had something else that I was assuming would be the next project, if we’d be so lucky. And then Kathy Kennedy called and said, “Would you really, seriously, consider coming aboard?” And once that started, it all happened pretty quickly. The whole thing was a crazy leap of faith. And there was an actual moment when I nearly said, ‘No, I’m not going to do this.’

J.J. Abrams has a lot on his plate. As a writer, director, and especially a producer, he has numerous film and television projects rolling at any one time. Adding something like a Star Wars movie is certainly going to throw a wrench in those works in a big way. However, it seems that it wasn't simply the fact that Abrams had something else he thought he would be working on that caused him to hesitate.

Instead, the major reason J.J. Abrams almost turned down Star Wars Episode IX was because he was so happy with the way that Star Wars: The Force Awakens turned out. As a major Star Wars fan himself, Abrams was incredibly nervous that the first film wouldn't work, and he largely feels that the movie succeeded. He was proud of his work and proud that he got to make a Star Wars movie. He tells Fast Company that he felt trying to do it all again would be tempting fate...

I was trepidatious to begin with, getting involved, because I love Star Wars so much and felt like it was... It was almost, on a personal level, a dangerous thing to get too close to something that you care that much about. And yet, with Force Awakens, I feel like we managed to introduce these new characters—for some people, new actors—and continue a story in a way that I thought had heart and humanity and humor and surprise. Though of course I’m aware that there are critics of that movie, it felt to me like we dodged a bullet. Like we got in there, we got to do something. And I left loving Star Wars as much as I did when I got there. Like, somehow, it was on a personal, selfish level something I was really happy to have done. Not just excited about doing but happy to have done. And to ask to have that happen again, I felt a little bit like I was playing with fire. Like, why go back? We managed to make it work. What the hell am I thinking?

Originally, Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow had been tapped to write and direct Star Wars: Episode IX. However, in the fall of 2017, it was announced that Trevorrow and Lucasfilm had different visions for the conclusion of the trilogy, and therefore had decided to part ways. Rumors have indicated that Lucasfilm didn't like Trevorrow's script.

This meant that Star Wars Episode IX had to go from zero, with no script, to completely finished in a little over two years. The release date of Episode IX was originally going to be the summer of 2019, but it was pushed back to December around the same time Abrams was brought on board. This was another reason that the director was hesitant about taking the job. There was so much work to be done in a finite amount of time.

Part of Abrams solution to the problem was to get help, specifically, he called Chris Terrio to ask if the Justice League writer would be interested in co-writing Episode IX with him. Terrio was quite excited to get on board, which helped J.J. Abrams in an unexpected way. According to the director...

And what I realized in that moment was, I hadn’t been aware until then that I needed to work with someone who would scream at the prospect of working on Star Wars. Because I had been through the process, and I was looking at brass tacks: This is what it’s going to take, this is the reality of it. And he was looking at it sort of childlike: Oh my God, I can’t believe we get to play in this world, which I needed to be reminded of. I needed that point of view, because that’s not where I was. Of course, I was excited about what we could do, but I was acutely aware of how little time we had to do a fairly enormous job.

And yet, an enormous job is exactly what J.J. Abrams agreed to undertake. Star Wars Episode IX is in post-production as we speak and we sit here on the eve of Star Wars Celebration, where we expect to finally begin to learn a few details about the story. The first trailer, which will almost certainly include the full title, will probably drop then, and we'll finally get a look at everything J.J. Abrams has been working on for the last two years.

Abrams was happy with the way he brought Star Wars back and launched this new trilogy. Now he has the equally massive, if not even bigger task, of ending the trilogy in a satisfying way. We'll see if he truly stuck the landing when Star Wars Episode IX arrives in December.

Looks Like The New Mutants Is Coming To Theaters After All

Looks Like The New Mutants Is Coming To Theaters After All

The superhero genre is in a fascinating place right now, especially when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and X-Men franchises. The MCU is just weeks away from the release of Avengers: Endgame, while the X-Men will continue their tenure on screen this June with Dark Phoenix. But with Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox official, the future of the mutant-centric property and its spinoffs seem unclear.

The Deadpool franchise may be safe, but the myriad other developing X-Men projects have been put on hold for the time being. There's still the question of Josh Boone' The New Mutants, which will be a horror inspired mutant movie. The film's fate has been a major question surrounding the merger, as its already been delayed a number of times and still hasn't commenced reshoots. But there was some good news for New Mutants at this week's CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

Yesterday at CinemaCon, Disney presented its plans for the future, including some releases that were originally under Fox's control before the merger. The New Mutants was one of the movies presented, revealed to have a release date of August 2nd. This is surprising and hopeful news, as the awesome first trailer arrived back in 2017, before the film's delays started kicking in. And now it looks like Josh Boone's ambitious project is finally arriving in theaters.

After New Mutants was delayed and Disney acquired Fox, it was unclear if/when the project would ever be brought to audiences. Some fans theorized it might end up on Disney+ as the House of Mouse rolls out its upcoming streaming service. What's more, the cast seemed totally clueless regarding the film's future and their X-Men debut. Maisie Williams recently dropped the mic about the prospect saying:

Who knows when the fuck that’s gonna come out.

Well, the answer is apparently August 2nd. While the release date is an exciting update, The New Mutants still has to get reshoots in the can. Reshoots are pretty standard for superhero movies, and will give Josh Boone the chance to finish crafting his story, and allow for the editor's bay to do their magic. But August isn't that far all things considered, so the cast and crew is going to have to hustle to get the new footage in the can and included in the theatrical cut.

Despite its delays, The New Mutant has some good things going for it. The superhero genre doesn't typically tap into the horror world, especially X-Men. Josh Boone assembled a very talented young cast, including Glass' Anya Taylor-Joy, Game of Thrones favorite Maisie Williams, and Stranger Things standout Charlie Heaton. And with a release date ahead, its a relief to know that Disney is still intending on giving the flick a full theatrical release.

The New Mutants will arrive in theaters on August 2nd, following Dark Phoenix on June 7th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Sherlock Holmes 3 Is Coming Way Later Than We Expected

Sherlock Holmes 3 Is Coming Way Later Than We Expected

It's been eight years since we saw Robert Downey Jr. take the role of the big screen Sherlock Holmes and it had been so long we began to wonder if we would ever see the character again. We now know that we will, but it turns out we'll have to wait a bit longer than previously announced. While the third Sherlock Holmes movie had been set for a Christmas 2020 release, the feature has now been pushed back a full year to December 2021.

Originally set for a Christmas Day release in 2020, THR has now revealed the film will instead open December 22, 2021.

While release date shuffling is nothing new, it rarely happens without a reason, though the reason for this decision is not immediately clear. No other major releases have been announced to hit in December 2020 that might have sent Sherlock Holmes 3 looking for a more protected release window.

The film was already going to be going up against Avatar 2 in 2020 and will now instead be going up against Avatar 3. That's probably a slightly better position. The second film in the franchise, being the first one in years, is likely to draw a larger audience than the third, which will only be the first one in a year. It's like going up against Star Wars: The Last Jedi at the box office instead of The Force Awakens. It's possible the decision making was as simple as that.

Although, the more likely reason was simply one of scheduling. Perhaps production of Sherlock Holmes 3 needed to be pushed back and that resulted in the delay for the release as well. It could be that Robert Downey Jr. or Jude Law had something change in their schedules which has made the delay necessary. It could be that the script from Chris Brancato is taking longer than anticipated to finish. Perhaps another writer is coming in to rewrite or polish it which will result in it taking longer than previously scheduled.

It's also possible that the issue could be one of who is going to direct. Guy Ritchie directed both of the previous two Sherlock Holmes films but he has never been officially announced as directing Sherlock Holmes 3. If Ritchie is looking to direct, it could be his schedule that made the release date move if he won't be available to go into production later this year, Alternatively, it could be that the production is still looking for a director and thus had to push things back in order to have more time to find one.

In order to hit the 2020 release date Sherlock Holmes 3 would have needed to go into production later this year. Now, the film has an additional 12 months of breathing space. If fans have waited this long, they can wait another year.