News Shotgun 11/15
- FXX pays $750 million for Simpsons syndication rights: It was announced earlier this year that The Simpsons would finally be coming to cable with a massive syndication deal and it was announced that Fox-owned FXX will be getting the rights to air the first 24 seasons of The Simpsons on their network and on VOD through their app for $750 million.
- Jeeper Creepers 3 in development: Director of the first two movies, Victor Salva, has announced that a third entry in the horror franchise is currently in production and a day of shooting may have already been completed. There was a rumored story for a third entry where the survivors of the first and second films would team up to finally take down the threat of the Creeper.
- Beowulf TV Show coming to SyFy: SyFy has a ton of new series in the works and a recently added addition is a show based on Beowulf. Not based on any particular version, like the Robert Zemeckis mo-cap version from a few years ago, this version will detail more of Beowulf’s rise to power and his battle with Grendel.
- CW getting a new Tales from the Darkside: Kurtzman and Orci, along with Locke & Key’s Joe Hill, are bringing a new version of the anthology horror show, Tales from the Darkside, to the CW. The original debuted in 80’s and was created by the master of zombies, George Romero.
- The Heat getting a spin-off: The Heat was one of the big comedy hits of this year and it’s apparently getting a spin-off in lieu of a sequel, as Sandra Bullock especially said she didn’t want to do a sequel. The spin off, according to director Paul Feig, will follow the characters Gina and Beth, who are dating two of Melissa McCarthy’s brothers in the movie and are super aggressive and dumb. I don’t know about those characters carrying a whole movie but if it focused on the Mullens clan, that includes Bill Burr, Michael Rappaport and Jane Curtin, that might be more interesting.
- Mission Impossible 5 coming Christmas 2015: With the Summer of 2015 jam packed, the rest of the year is starting to get filled as well and joining Star Wars Episode VII at the end of that year is Mission Impossible 5, coming Christmas Day, 2015, with Tom Cruise back as IMF agent Ethan Hunt.
- Chris Pratt may star in Jurassic World: Josh Brolin was rumored as the main lead of Jurassic World but that apparently fell through so now Parks & Rec and Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt may be in running for the lead role. Life of Pi’s Irrfan Khan is also apparently in talks for a supporting role.
- Rupert Sanders to direct “Napoleon”: The “Snow White and the Huntsman” director will direct a bio pic about the rise to power of Napoleon for Warner Bros.
- Idris Elba starring in Bastille Day: Elba will get to flex his solo action chops in the upcoming Bastille Day, coming from director/producer Garry Marshall, who has previously done estrogen fueled fluff like Valentine’s Day. He won’t be directing and there’s no director chosen yet. Elba will star as a washed up CIA agent who must try to prevent a terrorist attack on Paris.
- Independence Day 2 moved to Summer 2016: As jam packed as 2015 is, Roland Emmerich and ID4 2 probably made a smart move and pulled out until the following summer, July 1, 2016. This may mean more time to get Will Smith to reprise his role as Captain Steve Hiller.
- A&E making a reality show about Mark and Donny Wahlberg’s hamburger joint: In case you weren’t aware, the Wahlberg brothers have a restaurant in Boston caleld Wahlburgers, where their brother, Paul, is the head chef. The show will apparently follow the day to day running of the restaurant with Marky Mark and Donny heading back to help and get into not all scripted shennanigans.
- Drew Goddard may write the Daredevil show: After breaking nerd brains last week with the announcement of 5 new Marvel shows on Netflix, the first details are starting to come out and it seems like Cabin in the Woods director Drew Goddard may be writing the Daredevil show for Netflix. Goddard is a frequent collaborator with head honcho Joss Whedon.
- Fox rearranges schedule: Fantastic Four is now coming in June of 2015, Assassin’s Creed in August, Susan Cooper with Melissa McCarthy is coming May of 2015 and The Secret Service from director Matthew Vaughn is coming March 2015.
- Jason Statham replacing Daniel Craig in Layer Cake sequel: Based on the sequel to the Layer Cake novel, Viva La Madness, Jason Statham will be stepping into the shoes of the unnamed gangster played by Daniel Craig in the Layer Cake movie. The movie follows Statham as he gets involved with an international money laundering/drug smuggling deal.
- Girls star Adam Driver may be Nightwing: Dick Grayson is rumored to make an appearance in the upcoming Batman vs Superman and possibly in his role as Nightwing, having had sort of a falling out from Bruce Wayne/Batman. Girls star Adam Driver is rumored to be in talks for the role.