WIRE Buzz: Andrew Lincoln humbugging it up as Scrooge; Chaos Walking update; and more

God bless us, every one...and Rick Grimes. Andrew Lincoln is trading zombies for ghosts for a live-streamed stage production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic, A Christmas Carol.

Lincoln will play the iconic and penny-pinching role of Ebenezer Scrooge, working off a script adapted by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child writer Jack Thorne. The production (set to be performed between Dec. 12-24)  is part of the "In Camera" series started by London's Old Vic Theatre. Matthew Warchus, who has overseen stage translations of Matilda and Grounhog Day, is directing.

Take a look at Lincoln in full costume below. It's enough to make you say "bah, humbug!"

Melissa Allan ("Little Fan"), Rosanna Bates ("Jess"), John Dagleish ("Bob Cratchit"), Tim van Eyken ("Nicholas"), Sam Lathwood ("Ferdy"), Eugene McCoy ("Fred"), Myra McFadyen ("Ghost of Christmas Past"), Gloria Obianyo ("Belle"), Maria Omakinwa ("Mrs Cratchit"), Golda Rosheuvel ("Ghost of Christmas Present/Mrs Fezziwig"), Michael Rouse ("Father/Marley"), Clive Rowe ("Fezziwig"), and Samuel Townsend ("Young Ebenezer/George") comprise the rest of the cast. 

Rayhaan Kufuor-Gray, Lara Mehmet, Lenny Rush, and Eleanor Stollery are all sharing the role of Tiny Tim.

Get more info here.

What the heck happened to Doug Liman's Chaos Walking?

The big screen adaptation (based on Patrick Ness's sci-fi novel series) is one of those bizarre studio projects that sits on the shelf for years, collecting dust, even after shooting has taken place. But why is Lionsgate sitting on a film that counts Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Cynthia Erivo, David Oyelowo among its A-list cast. Well, it was originally scheduled to open in March 2019, but the film was indefinitely delayed after executives found it to be "unreleasable." More reshoots were then ordered.

We haven't heard anything about the feature since it was slated for a January 2021 release in February of this year...until now, that is. Speaking with Empire for the magazine's December issue, cast member Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) provided a ray of hope for Chaos Walking's future.

"I did my final touches on the ADR three months ago, so I think they're getting close to something," the actor said. "Doug works on a different level than the rest of us. He's so f—ing special and creative and you just have to hang in there when he's talking about stuff and say, 'I think I got it, Doug. Let's do it.' What I saw looked really amazing."

Credit: Lionsgate

So there you have it: the picture is one step closer to being released unto the public. If Lionsgate is sheepish about a wide theatrical rollout, it may just decide to offload Chaos onto a streaming platform, especially in a time when many theaters are closed and moviegoers are wary of sitting in one for an extended period of time.

Demián Bichir, Kurt Sutter, and Nick Jonas co-star in the movie, which takes place in a dystopian future where all women have died out. Or at least that's what Todd Hewitt (Holland) has been raised to believe. His preconceptions of the world are completely shattered when he meets an actual female: Viola Eade (Ridley). In this future, individuals can read the thoughts of people and animals through a form of telepathy known as "Noise."

Director Neil Marshall is entering The Lair for his next movie. According to Variety, the Overlord-esque horror project centers around Lt. Kate Sinclair, who is shot down over Afghanistan during a final mission. She seeks shelter in an underground bunker, but gets more than she bargained for after awakening a ravenous pack of half-human, half-alien creatures. Sinclair escapes the monsters (known as "Ravagers") only to lead them to a nearby U.S. Army base. 

Based on that synopsis, it sounds like Marshall (who is also producing) is trying to recapture the magic of his second directorial feature: 2005's The Descent. That movie dealt with a group of spelunkers who unwittingly find themselves hunted by humanoid, subterranean beasts. The filmmaker himself agrees with that sentiment in the following statement he provided to Variety:

"The Lair is my true return to full-blooded horror and intense genre action in the style of Dog Soldiers, The Descent, and Doomsday. I’m making something scary as hell, pulse-pounding and great fun. This is a crowd pleaser, an adrenaline pumping roller-coaster ride; spectacular and loud, inspired by classic genre movies like Aliens, Predator, and The Thing and their incredible use of practical creature FX. Featuring a new breed of screen terror, The Lair will be a snarling, ravenous beast of a movie. I’m going to get my hands bloody making this one!"

Credit: Peter Kramer/Getty Images

Production is looking to kick off in spring 2021. No casting has been announced. Highland Film Group is in charge of global sales and will look for a potential buyer at the American film Market, which opens next week.