The geek showbiz news has been rolling in over the past week, and we round it up here.
Eternals took in $71 million at the U.S. box office over the weekend, the fourth largest opening of the pandemic era, behind Black Widow, Shang-Chi, and Venom: Let there Be Carnage, according to Variety. The opening of Eternals, which is only available in theaters (see “’Eternals’ Gets Theatrical Exclusive“), is still somewhat below expectations of $75-$80 million. Eternals took in $90.7 million in international markets, for a total of $161.7 million worldwide.
Marvel Studios is shutting down production on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever due to an on-set injury sustained by star Letitia Wright, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Wright was injured while filming in Boston in late August; shooting has continued without her, but cannot proceed any further until she’s recovered. Production will be shut down Thanksgiving week until early 2022, according to the report. The release date for the movie was recently pushed back to November 11, 2022 (see “Five Marvel movies Pushed Back“).
The CW will debut its new Naomi series, starring Kaci Walfall (see “’Naomi’ First Look“) on March 11, following the launch of the second season of Superman & Lois, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series is the work of Oscar nominee/Emmy winner Ava DuVernay and Arrow‘s Jill Blankenship.
Sony Pictures is planning a live-action feature adaptation of the Gantz manga, by Hiroya Oku, according to Deadline. Julius Avery is attached to direct, and Marc Guggenheim, who’s got extensive TV credits on DC-based series, will adapt the script. Dark Horse Comics has been releasing the manga in softcover omnibus editions over the past few years; the seventh was released last month.
Taika Waititi is attached to co-write and direct a feature film version of The Incal, the classic written by Alejandro Jodorowsky with art by Moebius, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Jemaine Clement and Peter Warren will collaborate with Waititi on the script. Waititi was retained by Humanoids, which will seek a studio once a script has been written, according to the report. Most recently, Waititi wrapped up shooting on Thor: Love and Thunder (see “’Thor’ Starts Shooting“).
Daniel Dae Kim will star as Fire Lord Ozai in the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series for Netflix, according to Deadline. He joins Gordon Cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka, and Dallas Liu as Zuko (see “’Last Airbender’ Gets Showrunner, Cast“). Source: ICv2
