Next Spidey Decision Soon--Who Tested?

Despite reports that "Ender's Game" and "Hugo" star Asa Butterfield was all but set to play Spider-Man as a result of the deal between Sony Pictures and Marvel to have him integrate as a part of the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe--Heat Vision says the casting is still very much in flux with a shortlist of six possible candidates whom have all screen-tested in Atlanta for Marvel and Sony brass. Former Spidey Andrew Garfield is out.

 

Along with Butterfield and the previously reported on Tom Holland (In the Heart of the Sea), Judah Lewis (Demolition), Matt Lintz (Pixels), Charlie Plummer (Boardwalk Empire) and Charlie Rowe (Red Band Society) comprise the latest list of hopefuls.

The other contenders along the way included Nat Wolff (The Fault in Our Stars),Timothee Chalamet ("Interstellar," "The Adderall Diaries") and Liam James (The Way Way Back). There were reports that Lab Rats star Billy Unger had been added to the list--Unger has since denied the chatter on Instagram.=

When the deal first came down two names were quickly mentioned as potentials to take over the role- Teen Wolf series co-star and NJ native Dylan O'Brien and  Fury co-star Logan Lerman. Both are 23 years old, both have scored good notices for their work and both could still play high school age. Bad Ass Digest reported in March that 16 -year-old actor Mateus Ward ("Murder in the First") auditioned for the role.

The plan is to stick with Peter Parker rather than introduce the more recent 13-year-old, half black, half Hispanic Miles Morales who became Spider-Man in the "Ultimate Spider-Man" storyline. It would also confirm rumors that the studio is going much younger than previous incarnations, and looking at true teenagers for the role.

 Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies), Ted Melfi (St. Vincent), Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect), John Francis Daley & Jonathan M. Goldstein (Vacation remake) and Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) are all reportedly in contention to direct the Untitled Reboot of the film series--Drew Goddard, who was originally slated to write and direct the Spidey spin-off "The Sinister Six," was considered the frontrunner to call the shots--but is seemingly moving on.

The film is reportedly a coming of age tale that is targeting a John Hughes-style blend of emotion and humor amid the superhero stuff . There's also said to be plans to tell the story over several films with each covering a year of high school for Peter Parker who is already been bitten by that radioactive spider.

Parker is expected to make his first appearance in the MCU in "Captain America: Civil War" which has started filming. Parker's scenes are expected to be shot in June.

 Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal are set to produce the pic.`

El Mayimbe says that the title for the solo film--set for a July 28th 2017 release--may be "Spider-Man: The New Avenger". This would certainly clue audiences in on the direction the series is now headed.

Henry Cavill Ditches "Stratton"

Just five days before filming was to begin, actor Henry Cavill has abruptly pulled out of Simon West's a action thriller "Stratton" due to 'creative differences' over the script says Variety.

 Based on the the lead character in author Duncan Falconer's series--the first of eight novels called The Hostage, follows action from the borders of Kazakhstan and China, to mainland Europe and then London. The story focuses on John Stratton a Special Boat Service operative who works with the intelligence services in Northern Ireland.

The project was originally optioned and developed by Ileen Maisel and Lawrence Elman
The studio suits said in a statement that it plans to move ahead on the pic:

"It is with great regret that we announce that Henry Cavill has pulled out of ‘Stratton’ due to creative differences on the script of the movie. With production due to commence next week, we wish to keep the production team together and Simon West as director so are working now to replace Henry. Production will be delayed whilst we do this. Further announcements will be made in due course."

 Filming was due to begin in London and Rome next week

Tilda Swinton Linked To Gender-Swapped "Doctor Strange" Gig

Heat Vision says that the great Tilda Swinton is in negotiations to portray the Tibetan mystic known as The Ancient One in Marvel's long gestating Doctor Strange movie.

 Now part of the studio's Phase 3 Plans--Created in 1963 in the comics by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko--Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) tells the story of an arrogant surgeon who is injured in a car accident and goes on to become the Sorcerer Supreme of the universe. Using his magical powers Strange protects the earth from attacks from other realms.

 Morgan Freeman, Bill Nighy and Ken Watanabe were said to be the top candidates to play The Ancient One. The character is the previous Sorcerer Supreme who serves as Strange's mentor--and also ends up training but ultimately rejecting Baron Mordo, The long rumored bad guy in the film who is said even to make a cameo appearance in the upcoming "Captain America: Civil War". Edgar Ramirez has been mentioned to possibly play Mordo in the film.

"12 Years a Slave" star Chiwetel Ejiofor.is being courted to fill an unspecified role. It has been suggested that Ejiofor is wanted for a bad guy role, such as Mordo.

The studio hired Scott Derrickson to call action here. He was first reported in contention for the director job last year, along with names like Jonathan Levine ("Warm Bodies") and Mark Andrews ("Brave").

"Kung Fu Panda" scribes Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger were said to be poised to pen a recent screenplay draft. Back in January 2012, Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer-the writing duo behind the recent remake of Conan the Barbarian had their work seemingly approved by the studio. Recently we learned that Jon Spaihts, best known for writing the early and more "Alien"-inspired drafts of Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" is in talks to rewrite the script. The tone of the film will be similar to that of "Iron Man".

Casting is underway. Production will take place at Pinewood Studio in England. in November . "Doctor Strange"  is set to open on November 4, 2016.

Chris Pine Eyes "Wonder Woman"

Heat Vision has it that "Star Trek" star Chris Pine is negotiations to play Steve Trevor in Warner Bros/DC Entertainment's "Wonder Woman" solo movie.

"Fast Five" star Gal Gadot's playing Wonder Woman in the pic. The character was created by William Moulton Marston, (aka 'Charles Moulton') who saw the educational potential of comic books and in 1941 was hired as a consultant for National Periodicals/All-Winner Comics which later became DC.

Meet the Movie Press (via CBM) says that Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood) and Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games) were eyed to play love interest after Scott Eastwood passed on it--opting to appear in Suicide Squad.The other contenders have moved on.

Patty Jenkins is set to helm the pic  She steps in for Michelle MacLaren who backed away from the film last month over the standard "creative differences" line. there’s word from Variety (via Collider) posts details that may explain the split.

MacLaren has helmed episodes of "Breaking Bad" "The Walking Dead" "The Leftovers" and "Hell on Wheels". MacLaren came out ahead of two names- "Homeland" co-executive producer Lesli Linka Glatter and " The Babadook" helmer Jennifer Kent.

Names like  Kathryn Bigelow ("Zero Dark Thirty"), Catherine Hardwicke ("Twilight"), Mimi Leder ("Deep Impact"), Karyn Kusama ("Aeon Flux") Julie Taymor ("Across the Universe") and  Tricia Brock ("The Walking Dead") were also on the shortlist of potentials.

Jenkins ("Monster") was in line to call action on "Thor: The Dark World"--leaving that superhero film for the same reason. Alan Taylor took over there..

Bleeding Cool suggests that pic will be set in the 1920s, making it a prequel to Zack Snyder's upcoming superhero team-up film called "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. They add that the sequel to this film would be set during World War II and that she wouldn’t reunite with the Justice League until a third movie.

 Jason Fuchs penned the screenplay.

Charles Roven Richard Suckle. Zack and Deborah Snyder. are producing the film Production was said to be begin this Fall according to Deadline--to meet a June 23rd 2017 release.

"Point Break" Redux Peek

The first trailer for Alcon Entertainment's remake of the 1991 action thriller "Point Break" has dropped.

Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow's original flick remains one of the best guilty pleasure action flicks. Keanu Reeves played FBI agent Johnny Utah who goes undercover investigating a group of bank robbers called the Ex-Presidents who happen to be surfers -wanting to ride the ultimate wave. Patrick Swayze co-starred as Bohdi.

This new version though trades surfing and skydiving for "the world of international extreme sports" but we don't yet know which of those sports are going to be used as the pic's hook.

"300" and "Olympus Has Fallen" star 'Gerard Butler exited the lead role of  Bohdi in the redux last year over both creative differences and a scheduling conflict. Butler is committed to filming the "Olympus" sequel "London Has Fallen" this Fall. Edgar Ramirez now takes over the lead role.

Australian actor Luke Bracey will play the Utah role that really put Reeves on the map. Both Garrett Hedlund and Nicholas Hoult were considered for the part--the studio also tested Luke Grimes, and Christian Cooke for the coveted role, while Sam Claflin was also in the mix. Bracey came out on top.

Delroy Lindo ("Ransom," "Gone in 60 Seconds") will plays an FBI instructor who tries to motivate Utah to pass training. Theresa Palmer ("Warm Bodies") will play Bracey's love interest, matching the Lori Petty-Reeves romance dynamic of the previous film.Ray Winstone has joined the cast as Pappas, the role played by Gary Busey in the original flick. Clemens Schick is set to play one of the main henchmen.

The new version has been penned by Salt's Kurt Wimmer who promises the new script "infuses the story and characters with new twists and settings".

Cinematographer turned filmmaker Ericson Core ("Invincible") is at the helm.

 Michael De Luca, John Baldecchi, Chris Taylor Broderick Johnson Andrew Kosove and Wimmer will produce.

Production took place in ten countries across the globe to meet a December 25th 2015 release date.

Blog Update: A Few Requests And More

Hey kids!

I want to address some TLR Issues  that have come up recently...

Checking the blog email--there were several requests from filmmakers asking me to help promote their latest work-normally I would gladly do so but the injury to my right hand means that I am limited in the number of posts--I want to be fair with everyone--therefore even as I explore all of my options going forward I can't do the films justice-therefore the requests will be put on hold until further notice with my sincere apologies.

 Patricia from Buenos Aires suggested voice recognition software--Thanks so much--hope to avoid that route but definitely an option.

Thanks to an easier interface most TLR Tweets come courtesy of Empire Magazine.

Thanks for your loyalty patience and understanding It means so much...

You can follow me @TheLastReel on Twitter and join the Facebook page for updates.

Live life Happy and all the best.

T

John Williams Talks Star Wars: Episode VII Score

We know that series MVP composer John Williams is set to score for J J. Abrams' "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens".. as well as Episode VIII and Episode IX. Many have wondered how much of the composer's previous SW works will make it into his score the new film. Speaking with Vanity Fair, Williams confirmed that a few scenes will feature 'thematic pieces' from the earlier films:

"There are some scenes where we do make reference to earlier thematic pieces. We haven't done it yet, but we're planning to do it. It's something that I think will seem very natural and right in the moments for which we've chosen to do these kinds of quotes. There aren't many of them, but there are a few that I think are important and will seem very much a part of the fabric of the piece in a positive and constructive way."

Having composed the scores to the six previous "Star Wars" films, Williams was asked if he had a particular piece from any of them that stands out:

"I really don't. [Thinks about it for a moment anyway, then laughs] No. I've played so many of those pieces in concert over the year, and I think my affection for them, if I can put it that way, is pretty constant thing. If you pressed me, well, you could probably look up the concert programs over the years and say, You favored this one over that one. It's possible, I don't know, but I don't think I can say I have any favorites."

Original Trilogy stars Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker Harrison Ford as Han Solo  and Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Peter Mayhew playing the legendary Wookiee Chewbacca, and Kenny Baker as Astro droid R2 D2 will be back. Warwick Davis is in the film says Variety. Davis has already appeared in two films in the series 1983's "Return of the Jedi" and 1999's "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace".

Franchise creator George Lucas told Bloomberg Businessweek that he begun talks with original stars to have them return for new films -- before he had even begun the process of the ultimately $2 billion dollar sale. It's been said that Lucas' actually spent about a year planning the franchise's future before handing the reigns of Lucasfilm over to Disney. All that said we now know Lucas Ideas Were NOT used

The new cast members also include John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson,Christina Chong and  Max von Sydow as a villain character. 12 Years a Slave Best Supporting Actress Lupita Nyong'o and Game of Thrones co-star Gwendoline Christie have officially been cast in the film as well. Parkour master Pip Andersen and actress Crystal Clarke have joined the sequel--the pair were two of the 37,000 or so hopefuls who attended casting calls across eleven cities. Miltos Yerolemou, who had a small but memorable role as Arya Stark's sword trainer in the first season of "Game of Thrones," has joined the cast of in an undisclosed role reports The BBC. The role is said to be a minor one. Greg Grunberg has a role in the pic.

A series of trading cards recently revealed  that Isaac will play a character called Poe Dameron,  Ridley is Rey, Boyega is Finn, the dark hooded Sith character is called Kylo Ren, and the soccer ball droid is BB-8. Stitch Kingdom reports that the studio have registered trademark applications for all of these characters and one more - Captain Phasma.

Scottish actor Ian McDiarmid who played Emperor Palpatine attended the 2014 London Film and Comic Con and confirmed that he would not return to the "Star Wars" universe in the  upcoming trilogy--but he didn't rule out a return in a potential spin-off pre-Return of the Jedi:

"I'm definitely not in [Episode VII]. As you know, he's dead by then. I know, we believe in reincarnation, and holograms… But you know, they are going to take many twists on the story as the years go on, and I guess they may go back to a time - I've got no clue, I'm speaking off the top of my head - when the Emperor ran the universe. And I don't want anyone else to play him, do I?"

In a recent post Latino Review claims that Palpatine is part of the new trilogy after all--though played by another actor...

James Earl Jones, the man behind the voice of Star Wars villain Darth Vader was asked by Variety recently about the possibility of playing the character in more films, perhaps one of the Spin-Off Films for example set before "Return of the Jedi". He said: "Oh no. I've got no illusions that I will or even hankerings to be in them, but I'm very proud to have been part of the original."

Actor Liam Neeson was asked by HeyUGuys whether he'd been invited back to play his character from Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace--Qui-Gon Jinn in the franchise...While the answer was "No" He said that he would be up for a comeback.

Abrams wrote the script with Lawrence Kasdan for the film. Oscar winner Michael Arndt ("Toy Story 3," "Little Miss Sunshine") vacated his job scripting the next film--after disagreements over which characters the film will focus on.

Kasdan ("The Empire Strikes Back," "Raiders of the Lost Ark") and Simon Kinberg ("Sherlock Holmes," "X-Men: Days of Future Past") have reportedly closed deals to pen the final two installments of the new "Star Wars" trilogy. As to the stand alone/origin Star Wars features. Disney CEO Robert A. Iger recently revealed that the studio has three features in the works - not two as previously indicated.  "Godzilla" reboot director Gareth Edwards is going to direct the first of the upcoming Star Wars Spin-Off Films called "Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One". "Fantastic Four" reboot and "Chronicle" director Josh Trank was officially set to direct the as yet Untitled Number 2 stand alone. He vacated the job reportedly after clashes with Kinberg who also produced the FF redux...

The plan is to have each of these spin-off films come out in the years when we don't see a new episode of the saga - They would come out in 2016, 2018 and 2020. We still don't know which characters these spin-offs will focus on. Current franchise chief, Kathleen Kennedy spoke to Yahoo about the stand-alone films saying that they will NOT affect the main narrative of the Episodes.

While the character was rumored to be getting a solo film last year-Cinelinx posts that the studios are developing a separate trilogy of spin-off films dedicated to the character of Obi-Wan Kenobi--set between the prequel and original trilogy. Their source says:

"First up, they are not talking about an Obi-Wan spin-off movie but a trilogy of Obi-Wan movies . I need to stress that these movies are not connected. They aren't part of a story arc but three separate Obi-Wan adventures set between Episodes III and IV. It seems like the three movie ideas are as follows: One set completely on Tatooine and two where Obi-Wan travels elsewhere in the Galaxy. Qui-Gon Jinn is very much present in these stories. So too is Owen Lars . Several characters from the 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' TV Series would make an appearance. There would be flashbacks to Obi-Wan fighting in the Clone Wars."

Looking ahead "Looper" and "Brick" writer-director Rian Johnson has inked a deal to both pen and call action on "Star Wars: Episode VIII" as well as write a treatment for "Star Wars: Episode IX".

The Avengers: Age of Ultron star Mark Ruffalo previously worked with Johnson on The Brothers Bloom, with Ruffalo playing one half of a brotherly con act. In a recent interview with Collider Ruffalo tells the site that he contacted Johnson to tell him  that he wants to be in the sequel.

Kasdan and Kinberg would also join the projects as producers with Kennedy.

There was a scheduled two-week production hiatus last August to allow for adjustments in the shooting schedule following Ford's recovery from that injury where he  broke his left leg. The injury is also said to have happened during filming on a top secret set rather than on the Millennium Falcon set as was widely reported.

Production took place mainly at Pinewood Studio in England. The Force Awakens has a confirmed release date of December 18, 2015.

Star Trek 3 Will Be Less Trek-y

Some Vulcan eyebrow-raising quotes about Star Trek 3-- aka- "Star Trek: Beyond" hit today...

Since we found out that Roberto Orci was no longer directing the pic and that Fast and the Furious film franchise director Justin Lin will take over--Rumors suggested that the suits was unhappy with the script and Orci's plans for the franchise, which is why they kicked him out of the big chair.

Lin was on the shortlist for the gig with  Rupert Wyatt ("Rise of the Planet of the Apes"), Morten Tyldum ("The Imitation Game"),  and Daniel Espinosa ("Safe House"). Wyatt was reportedly at the top of the list but Lin was the only one actually offered the job.

Abrams commitments to the Star Wars: Episode VII kept him from coming back. Other names like "Attack the Block" filmmaker Joe Cornish and G.I. Joe: Retaliation" director Jon M. Chu were in the mix to call action--before Orci got the gig. Jonathan Frakes, best known to Trekkers as Commander Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation, indicated he wanted to sit in the director's chair but knew it was a long shot...Edgar Wright was mentioned as well.

 Orci co-wrote and produced J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" '09 and "Star Trek Into Darkness" with longtime partner Alex Kurtzman and is still involved...

Film Divider also claims that the film will introduce three new female characters - the ex-wife of Bones, a new Federation ship captain, and the female President of the United Federation of Planets. All that we know that certain at the moment is that the third film will pick up years after the events of 'Into Darkness' with the crew well into their famous five-year mission.

"Thor" and "X-Men: First Class" writers and "Fringe" producers Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz were eyed to script the sequel but opted not to do it.J.D. Payne, Patrick McKay and Orci were co-writing the next film. Orci confirmed that first draft of the screenplay was completed and would be closer in tone to the original 1960s show than the previous two films.

Taking questions on the TrekMovie.com message boards late last year, Orci answered the screenplay query saying he's "producing, nothing more or less."

Now Trek reboot co-star Simon Pegg is set to co-write the new script with with Doug Jung, creator of TNT's short-lived "Dark Blue" series and writer of the upcoming Bad Robot film "Diamond". Pegg's writing credits include co-writing Edgar Wright's Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy- "Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz" and "The World's End" - along with "Run, Fatboy, Run".

Variety reports that Idris Elba is in talks to play the villain. Details of the role are being kept under wraps, though rumors have abound that the Klingons will play much bigger antagonist roles this time around. Film Divider recently suggested that former "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston has reportedly "had words with the studio" about the role. "Kingsman: The Secret Service" co-star Sofia Boutella has landed a mysterious but major role in the pic according to Variety

Pegg told MTV that the plan is to have Elba to play an original character this time out:

"It will be [an original character], yes. This is the five-year mission now, we're out there. We don't always have to keep bumping into the same people… So we're gonna try and reflect that in the movie."

Pegg went on to say that the role is a "kick ass" one. He also says the hope is the new film will bring back the spirit of the show - something not really seen in the two rebooted movies outside of moments in the first film:

"We can invest in it the spirit of the show and get back to the essence of what it is, and so what we're hoping to do is make a Star Trek for today that doesn't forget where it came from."

 Pegg is now contradicting those words has saying that the next film will move even further away from the "Star Trek" mold than the two previous films.

Speaking with Radio Times (via The Guardian), Pegg discussed how he and Jung were brought onboard to work on the script after the departure of Orci:

"They had a script for Star Trek that wasn't really working for them. I think the studio was worried that it might have been a little too Star Trek-y."

Part of the problem is that the suits are looking at the returns of Marvel films and then at the numbers for "Star Trek Into Darkness" and wondering why the space franchise can't do the same:

"Avengers Assemble, which is a pretty nerdy, comic-book, supposedly niche thing, made $1.5 billion dollars. Star Trek: Into Darkness made half a billion, which is still brilliant. But it means that, according to the studio, there's still $1 billion worth of box office that don't go and see Star Trek. And they want to know why. People don't see it being a fun, brightly colored, Saturday night entertainment like the Avengers. [So they want to] make a western or a thriller or a heist movie, then populate that with Star Trek characters so it's more inclusive to an audience that might be a little bit reticent."

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Pegg, Anton Yelchin and John Cho are all expected to return to the Final Frontier in their respective roles as Kirk Spock Uhura Dr. McCoy Scotty Chekov and Sulu.

What started as rumors and then were confirmed that Star Trek-TOS star William Shatner is returning to the franchise in Trek 3. Shatner has admitted that one of the challenges of getting him into the rebooted timeline is that Kirk Prime died in 1994's Star Trek: Generations. The plan was to include a sequence in the Trek 3 script that would have reunited Shatner and Leonard Nimoy as Kirk and Spock for their first canon appearance together since 1991's "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country".Sadly Nimoy's passing prevents that---No word if Kirk Prime will still show up Shatner was originally in the script for a cameo in the '09 film but the notion was nixed.

Abrams Bryan Burke Orci and David Ellison will produce the film

Production starts in June to make a July 8, 2016 bow for Paramount--coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the "Star Trek" franchise

Batman v Superman-DOJ: Doomsday & Luthor Armor Chatter

Zack Snyder's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is once again making news.

 DOJ will see the return of Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent, Ben Affleck will play Bruce Wayne/Batman amid lots of fallout--while Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane are set to reprise their roles as Lois Lane, Perry White and Martha Kent. "Fast Five" star Gal Gadot's playing Wonder Woman. Jason Momoa has been cast as Aquaman,

El Mayimbe from the Shanlian on Batman podcast has apparently confirmed rumors that Doomsday from the famed Death of Superman comics storyline will indeed appear in the film  The design is said to be very faithful to the comic and looks "incredible".

Reports have suggested that Doomsday's creation ties back to the corpse of  General Zod (Michael Shannon) which will be a key point in the script. El Mayimbe also says that the line of "Do you bleed? You Will" line in the recent DOJ Trailer comes from a dream sequence within the film, though it's not clear who is having that dream.

The death of Thomas and Martha Wayne will be part of the narrative with "Watchmen" actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan said to be playing Thomas.

 Ray Fisher is playing the role of Cyborg in the film. Jeremy Irons has been cast as Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth. Jesse Eisenberg is playing Lex Luthor

There were reports that suggested that the chatter about former "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston was playing Lex in the upcoming movie were true were denied by the actor. In fact he and fellow early frontrunner Mark Strong were never offered the role. Tom Hanks was internally discussed but an offer was never made.

Instead, they stuck with a next generation' mandate. We were told that Joaquin Phoenix came up as a contender for Lex. The trade says that he passed.

Speaking of Lex--JoBlo posted a rumor suggesting that Luthor's iconic purple and green battle suit from the comics will make it to the big screen.

Though seen in the various animated series, no live-action version of the character has made use the armor at this point. The site claims the rumor comes from a "very trusted and reliable source".

Meanwhile Heroic Hollywood has posted two pieces of concept art from the film via  Instagram showing the two lead characters dunking it out.

Latino Review reports that four secondary villains are making an appearance in DOJ: Victor Zsasz Morgan Edge Amanda Waller and David Cain.

According to their sources, the serial killer Zsasz will fight with Affleck's Batman in an early Gotham City-set scene. Edge will be the slimy public relations head of LexCorp who goes toe to toe with Lois Lane on a TV talk show. Cain will meet with Luthor's bodyguard Mercy to set up an assassination. There's also another baddie  that is yet to be cast . In this incarnation Waller's a stern, intimidating senator who sees Superman as a threat and comes up with a counter measure to stop him.

Latino Review reports that a flashback scene was recently added to Batman v Superman which will see Oscar winner Jared Leto's Joker from the film version of  the "Suicide Squad" comic book beating Batman's sidekick Jason Todd (the second Robin) to death.

Holly Hunter, Callan Mulvey and Tao Okamoto ("The Wolverine") have joined the cast. Specifics about their new characters are being kept under wraps. Australian actor Mulvey (Zero Dark Thirty ," "Captain America: The Winter Soldier") has  been rumored for the role of an (unnamed) villain in the film for quite some time now....TMZ said that he is playing Batman's greatest foe --The Joker.....Scoot McNairy ("Argo," "The Rover") has joined the film. Nobody at the studio will confirm the news or reveal what the role is.

 Spanish site El Multicine which claims that "Looper"and "Edge Of Tomorrow" actress Emily Blunt inked a deal for an unspecified role.

Batman on Film also suggests that the character of Commissioner Jim Gordon is in the film, however there's no word on potential casting or confirmation at this time. The character is front and center in Fox Broadcasting's fantastic new Fall TV Series prequel Gotham starring  Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, and Jada Pinkett Smith

More rumors ran that Girls co-star Adam Driver was the frontrunner to play the character of Dick Grayson, the post-Robin Nightwing incarnation in the film. The original story mentioned that two other actors are in the mix for the role. Less than 24 hours later "Gossip Girl" and "Easy A" star Penn Badgley and "The Perks of Being A Wallflower" and "We Need To Talk About Kevin" star Ezra Miller were said to be in mix for the part. Driver denied any such talk...With good reason since he was really up for Lex. He turned it down due to scheduling conflicts. Denzel Washington was also among a list potentials for Lex generated by Thinkmcflythink as were Idris Elba and Colin Salmon.

Last August Superhero Report posted a photo of actress Jena Malone meeting her "Sucker Punch" director on the set. This led to speculation that she may make a cameo in the film. At the time Malone denied that talk, saying her set visit was just a visit. Channel 10 WILX in Michigan claims to have an anonymous film extra as a source who says that Malone is in the film and she's playing a female Robin aka Carrie Kelley.

Singer Justin Bieber uploaded a photo on his Instagram account showing him holding up what appeared to be a personalized script for the film with the hashtag "#Robin" but it turned out to be a prop for a Funny or Die skit.

The speedster The Flash is said to be in the script.

Meantime: The star of The CW's popular Arrow TV series Stephen Amell posted a "Justice League" comic image on his official Facebook page.  We already know that Flash (Grant Gustin) showed up there for a few eps before getting his own show (Watch an extended trailer). Could more of DC Entertainment's "Justice League" be coming to "Arrow"? The answer is yes...For now the DC Cinematic Universe will NOT co-exist with the TV heroics...There are rumors about where the films might go as well as the  TV side of things...

"Man Of Steel" writer David S. Goyer was back on the keyboard but now--THR reports that  Chris Terrio, who won an Oscar for writing Affleck's “Argo,” has been hired to write the latest draft of the MOS 2 script. 

Goyer is in the midst of developing several projects including an adaptation of author Neil Gaiman's  popular comic book series Sandman, which he’ll produce with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven return to executive produce the multi-hero film. 

Sources say the new movie is going for the tone of the relationship and fight seen in Frank Miller’s 1980s ground-breaking mini-series The Dark Knight Returns.

The DOJ release was delayed a full 10 months for a number of reasons. As a result, the original release date of July 17th 2015 was no longer. The studio then targeted a May 6th 2016 release. They quickly inserted the fantasy Pan into that original slot. The sequel was to go head to head with "Captain America 3" ...Nobody thought that the comic book pics would ultimately share the date--Sure enough DOJ blinked--and will now open on March 25th 2016.

Once DOJ is completed  Snyder will helm DC Entertainment's long planned Justice League movie The Justice League Part One--penned by "Argo" scribe Terrio

Asa Butterfield Is Probably New Spidey

Deadline says that "Ender's Game" and "Hugo" star Asa Butterfield is indeed the strong frontrunner among "approximately five" candidates to play Spider-Man as a result of the deal between Sony Pictures and Marvel to have him integrate as a part of the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, "but nothing is set in stone."  

Latino-Review goes further to add that it's "all about formalities now and then an official announcement from Marvel will follow shortly."

Tom Holland (In the Heart of the Sea) was tops to play the lead as well.  

We were told recently that the potential candidates to play the role is down to 5 names Former Spidey Andrew Garfield is out.

The other contenders are Nat Wolff (The Fault in Our Stars),Timothee Chalamet ("Interstellar," "The Adderall Diaries") and Liam James (The Way Way Back). There were reports that Lab Rats star Billy Unger had been added to the list--Unger has since denied the chatter on Instagram.=

When the deal first came down two names were quickly mentioned as potentials to take over the role- Teen Wolf series co-star and NJ native Dylan O'Brien and  Fury co-star Logan Lerman. Both are 23 years old, both have scored good notices for their work and both could still play high school age. Bad Ass Digest reported in March that 16 -year-old actor Mateus Ward ("Murder in the First") auditioned for the role.

The plan is to stick with Peter Parker rather than introduce the more recent 13-year-old, half black, half Hispanic Miles Morales who became Spider-Man in the "Ultimate Spider-Man" storyline. It would also confirm rumors that the studio is going much younger than previous incarnations, and looking at true teenagers for the role.

 Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies), Ted Melfi (St. Vincent), Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect), John Francis Daley & Jonathan M. Goldstein (Vacation remake) and Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) are all reportedly in contention to direct the Untitled Reboot of the film series--Drew Goddard, who was originally slated to write and direct the Spidey spin-off "The Sinister Six," was considered the frontrunner to call the shots--but is seemingly moving on.

The film is reportedly a coming of age tale that is targeting a John Hughes-style blend of emotion and humor amid the superhero stuff . There's also said to be plans to tell the story over several films with each covering a year of high school for Peter Parker who is already been bitten by that radioactive spider.

Parker is expected to make his first appearance in the MCU in "Captain America: Civil War" which has started filming. Parker's scenes aren't expected to be shot until June.

 Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal are set to produce the pic.`

El Mayimbe says that the title for the solo film--set for a July 28th 2017 release--may be "Spider-Man: The New Avenger". This would certainly clue audiences in on the direction the series is now headed.

Diego Luna Gets Plumb "Star Wars-Rogue One" Part

Variety reports that Diego Luna has won the male lead in Godzilla helmer Gareth Edwards "Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One" film.

 
The film will take place between the events of "Revenge of the Sith" and "A New Hope" with events chronologically closer to the latter. The movie is expected to be a large ensemble piece rather than one driven by two or three specific characters.

British tabloid The Sun (via io9) suggested in February that the breakout star of "Kingsman: The Secret Service," Taron Egerton might play a young Han Solo in the film.

Edgar Ramirez was one of two potential candidates for the male lead in the pic. Former Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul is the other. Paul was rumored to star in the film back in December. His role in the film was not specified. The actor used Twitter to deny the rumor at the time.

 In January we learned that Rooney Mara, Felicity Jones and Tatiana Maslany were testing for the female lead in the film--along with  Mara's sister and "House of Cards" co-star Kate Mara.
 Variety reported that Oscar-nominated and "The Theory of Everything" co-star Jones has begun official talks for the role. Ben Mendelsohn.may also star.

Most recently The Wrap reported that Sam Claflin ("The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides") was eyed for a role. Riz Ahmed ("Four Lions," "Nightcrawler") is in talks to join the cast as well.

We now know that Gary Whitta is no longer writing the script for the film. At the time Slashfilm suggested that Simon Kinberg ("X-Men: Days of Future Past," "Sherlock Holmes," "Mr. and Mrs. Smith") would take on the job--but his schedule prevents that. Instead Heat Vision said that Chris Weitz ("About A Boy," "Cinderella") will pen the next draft.

A while back chatter suggested the film will feature a team of bounty hunters and include a young Han Solo and his wookie co-pilot Chewbacca.Then more noise came that suggested the spinoff will focus on a team of bounty hunters hired by the Rebels to steal the plans of the first Death Star, as a result viewers would see the Millennium Falcon in action during the movie.

Sources for Bad Ass Digest said that the film "is about a group of 'pirates' as opposed to 'bounty hunters,' which could easily include young Mr. Solo." So rather than focusing on a group of characters like those we saw in "The Empire Strikes Back," we'd follow a team of likable rogues akin to James Gunn's film adaptation of Marvel 's Guardians of the Galaxy"

Latino Review reports that according to their sources, both Boba Fett and Solo will be featured in this spinoff. Said film will NOT revolve around stealing the plans for the first Death Star as had been previously indicated, but rather is reportedly set before that event. .

They say the story will deal with the relationships between Han, Boba and other criminals - specifically The Hutts which could "kick off a new series of Star Wars movies."

Meantime, Making Star Wars reports that the film will be shot in Mexico, and that "bounty hunters are important to the film." Crew members are also expected to redress some of the sets from J J. Abrams' "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" for use in the spinoff which will reportedly shoot under the code name "Los Alamos."

There is speculation that said Mexico location may be used to stand in for the planet Geonosis, the planet we saw in 'Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" where the plans for the Death Star were created and where Jango Fett's body is.
 
Production on the project is expected to get underway at Pinewood Studio sometime in 2015. The spin off is currently targeting a December 16th 2016 release.