WIRE Buzz: Serial Box teams up with DC; Stanley Tucci & John Bradley land on Moonfall; more

Serial Box is playing both sides, so it always comes out on top. After its series of popular Marvel audio productions, the company is partnering with DC for original content inspired by Batman and Wonder Woman.

First up, we've got Wonder Woman: Heartless, an audio drama that pits Diana Prince, Jill Carlyle (Crimson Avenger), and British archeologist Dr. Barbara Minerva against two sisters. One sister has been enjoying a killing spree in Washington D.C. by magically stealing the hearts of her victims, while the other sister may have the power to stop the rampage. Natalie C. Parker (Seafire trilogy), Tessa Gratton (Lady Hotspur), Alaya Dawn Johnson (The Summer Prince), and Heidi Heilig (A Kingdom For A Stage) comprise the core writing team.

The Caped Crusader production is titled Batman: The Blind Cult, and follows Bruce Wayne and Zatanna facing off against a foe that plans to bring Gotham City to its knees. Catherynne Valente (The Fairyland novels) leads the writing crew of K Arsenault Rivera (The Warrior Moon) and Martin Cahill (It Was Never the Fire).

Credit: DC Comics

"We are honored to be entrusted with developing original stories for Batman and Wonder Woman, characters with rich histories and strong fan allegiance," Serial Box co-founder and CEO Molly Barton said in a statement. "Our talented writing teams have crafted thrilling new adventures linked to character origins and relevant to our challenging times. We see Batman grappling with the fact that he is actually part of the 1% and Wonder Woman dealing with the consequences of a politically divided public responding to a series of high-profile murders — and finding her belief in the justice system challenged in the process."

Both stories are scheduled to arrive Spring 2021.

Up next, Deadline is reporting that Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games) and John Bradley (Game of Thrones) have joined the cast of Roland Emmerich’s upcoming sci-fi disaster epic, Moonfall. 

In a story that definitely sounds like it plays to the strengths of the director of Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow, Moonfall tells the story of how a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit and sends it hurtling towards Earth, leading to a team of astronauts attempting to prevent the cataclysmic collision. 

Tucci and Bradley join a cast that includes Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, and Charlie Plummer.

Tucci will play wealthy car dealer Tom Phillips, who’s married to the ex-wife of Brian Harper (Wilson). Bradley, meanwhile, will play KC Houseman, the eccentric genius who discovers that the Moon has fallen out of its orbit. Josh Gad was originally set to play Houseman, but had to leave the project due to scheduling conflicts.

Production on the Lionsgate film is set to begin in Montreal this fall, pandemic permitting, of course.

And finally, click your heels three times, kids, ‘cuz we’re once again off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Here's hoping he has some doggy treats, because this time, we're returning to that Wonderful Land of Oz a lot shorter and with a lot more fur. 

Per Deadline, which first broke the news, Warner Bros. Animation is developing a feature musical adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of the Wizard of Oz. Loosely based on the Harper Collins book, the animated feature will tell the classic story of The Wizard of Oz from the point of view Dorothy’s four-legged companion. 

John August (Aladdin, Dark Shadows) has written the script, with Alex Timbers (Mozart in the Jungle) on board to direct.