WIRE Buzz: The Eternals snags Train to Busan star; animated comedy Gerald's World; more

Marvel's The Eternals project is looking to beef up its cast, while Denise Richards is returning to action flicks with a new sci-fi project called Timecrafters. To round out the news, DJ Producer and Actor Dillon Francis is getting his own animated series with 20th Century Fox TV called Gerald's World.

First off, Marvel Studios has tapped Train to Busan actor Ma Dong-seok for a role in the upcoming film adaptation of Jack Kirby's The Eternals. First reported by The Wrap, this will be the actor's debut appearance in an American feature film. He initially skyrocketed to fame with his breakout role in the 2016 South Korean zombie flick.

The actor, who also goes by Don Lee, joins previously cast Angelina Jolie (Maleficent) and Kumail Nanjiani (The Twilight Zone) on the project. It's not clear what role Ma Dong-seok will play, but it's exciting to see this obscure 1970s comic about space deities coming to life to help take the MCU in another direction post-Avengers: Endgame.

Critically acclaimed indie director Chloe Zhao (Songs My Brother Taught Me) is at the helm and is joined by Matthew and Ryan Firpo who are penning the script. It'll be interesting to see how the creative team handles bringing this race of incredibly powerful, if not often elusive, beings and their battle against the grotesque Deviants to the big screen. The Eternals remains one of Kirby's lesser-known comics but its narratively rich and psychedelic world is ripe for deeper exploration.

Denise Richards (Starship Troopers, The World is Not Enough) is going back to her roots in the upcoming sci-fi action series Timecrafters: The Treasure of Pirate's Cove. Variety reports this will be the first film in a planned franchise about time-traveling pirates who try to retrieve a treasure map from kids in a local town called Pirate’s Cove. There's definitely nothing fishy about that...

As one can expect when attempting to steal a treasure, it doesn't end well. The team of seamen find themselves travelling 300 years into the future after lightning strikes their ship and opens up a portal into the modern world. Whoops! Richards will play single mother Victoria Dare, who is on the hunt for love and someone to help raise her son. Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) is also attached to the project as Captain Lynch. Lynch wants nothing more than to find this treasure map and uncover the secrets of Pirate's Cove. Time traveling pirates, a Steam Punk time machine and canon battles? Sounds good to us.

Gerald's World is the new animated comedy series announced by 20th Century Fox TV and DJ Producer and actor Dillon Francis. Francis is co-writing the series with Spencer Porter (Family Guy, We Bare Bears). Gerald's World is based on Francis' real-life donkey piñata. Francis, who recently played the music festival Coachella, is rarely seen without his beloved piñata who is part alter-ego, part best friend. He even threw Gerald a first birthday party and invited all of his piñata friends. Francis' more bombastic sense of humor alongside Porter's absurdist slice of life writing style has the potential to produce interesting results. The series does not yet have a premiere date but we'll be watching Gerald and Francis on social media for any clues.

(via Deadline)