The weather is cold outside, but the showbiz news is still hot. Time for a round-up!
Warner Bros. has released a new clip from The Batman, its HBO Max live action feature, showing a funeral scene with tense and violent overtones. The main trailer was released earlier this month (see “’The Batman’ Trailer“). The film will be released on March 4 (see “Geek Movie Calendar“).
Netflix and Mattel are developing a Masters of the Universe live-action feature, the companies announced. The Nee Brothers (The Lost City, Band of Robbers) will co-direct from a screenplay co-written with David Callaham (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). Kyle Allen (West Side Story) will star as Prince Adam/He-Man. The logline is, “When an orphan named Adam discovers he is a prince destined to be the savior of a faraway land, he must quickly learn of his power and the importance of saving his true home from an evil force.”
A Percy Jackson and the Olympians series has been officially greenlit by Disney+, with James Bobin attached as the pilot director. Bobin previously worked on The Mysterious Benedict Society for Disney+. Rick Riorden, the author of the hit middle-grade novel series on which the TV show will be based, first teased the series on Twitter back in 2020 (see “Percy Jackson at Disney+“).
Peacock has given a season 1 order for a series based on the AfterShock comic series Dead Day, created by Ryan Parrott, the company announced. Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson (both of Vampire Diaries) will be co-showrunners, writers, and executive producers for the series. The comic told the story of an annual holiday when the dead rose from the grave for one night to complete unfinished business. One volume is currently available; a second is planned.
Netflix is bringing beloved stop-motion animated characters Wallace & Gromit back for a new film. Creator Nick Park is also on board to continue the duo’s zany adventures. He will be joined by Aardman Animation’s Creative Director Merlin Crossingham and Mark Burton as a writer. Aardman’s Chicken Run is also returning with Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, a sequel to the highest-grossing stop-motion animation film of all time, in 2023. Aardman Animations, the studio behind Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, became employee-owned back in 2018 (see “Aardman Goes Employee Owned“).
Universal International and Carnival Films have pushed back the release date of the Downton Abbey movie sequel, according to Deadline. Downton Abbey: A New Era was originally scheduled to arrive on December 22, 2021 (see “‘Downton Abbey 2’ Gets Date“), and it was then moved to March 18, 2022. It will now release on April 29, 2022 in the UK and make its U.S. debut on May 20, 2022 where it will be up against DC’s League of Super-Pets (see “2022 ‘Best in Shows’ Geek Movie Calendar“). Source: ICv2
