WIRE Buzz: Psych 2 trailer; Elizabeth Banks leads Magic School Bus movie; Initiation horror

A few weeks after revealing its opening few minutes to fans, the second Psych movie — a continuation of the long-running series about semi-supernatural detective abilities — has dropped a full trailer. 

The film, titled Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, is a launch title of NBCUniversal’s upcoming streaming service Peacock. Now fans can get even more amped to see the return of Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and Burton Guster (Dulé Hill) — ready to help an old friend that’s seeing ghosts. Or...maybe ghosts. Possible ghosts.

Take a look:

Fan service and fur coats are just two of the promises this trailer has, with plenty of wisecracking buffoonery to boot. Timothy Omundson and Sarah Chalke co-star in the film, which comes from writer/director Steve Franks and co-writers Andy Berman and Roday.

Psych 2: Lassie Come Home drops alongside Peacock on July 15.

Next, Ms. Frizzle and her Magic School Bus are heading to the big screen and, no, Arnold, this is NOT going to be a normal field trip.

Deadline reports that the feature film version of the educational series (which had both books and a famed PBS TV show, the latter of which was recently revived on Netflix) is coming from Elizabeth Banks and Universal. The live-action take on the franchise that often takes the eccentric Frizzle’s class to extreme places (like inside the human brain or the bottom of the ocean) for the sake of knowledge will star Banks as Frizzle.

While no creative team has yet been set for the film, the studio agreements already in place (Scholastic Entertainment is already on board) mean that this will likely happen sooner rather than later. They better start working on their transforming bus.

“We are delighted to bring to life the iconic Ms. Frizzle and her zest for knowledge and adventure in a fresh new way that inspires the next generation of kids to explore science and supports the dedicated teachers who help make science real and accessible for young learners every day,” said Scholastic President and Chief Strategy Officer Iole Lucchese in a statement.

Finally, a festival horror film is getting a full-scale release thanks to Saban Films.

Initiation, the SXSW Midnighters entry that showed off its horror thrills under the title of Dembanger, had its North American rights acquired by the company - which means those stateside will get to check out writer/director John Berardo’s spooky slasher.

The film—which stars Lochlyn Munro, Isabella Gomez, Jon Huertas, Froy Gutierrez, Bart Johnson, and Yancy Butler—is about a streak of social media-linked killings influenced by the secrets held by a group of college kids. Basically, think Unfriended without the computer-screen gimmick. Brian Frager and Lindsay LaVanchy co-wrote Initiation with Berardo. 

“We hope that the film’s topical themes and innovative portrayal of social media resonate with the cultural zeitgeist to create a thought-provoking thrill ride that will appeal to digital natives and genre fans alike,” Berardo said in a statement. “Initiation pays homage to the nineties horror classics I grew up on, but with a modern take for today’s socially conscious generation.”

No release date has yet been set.