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WIRE Buzz: M. Night Shyamalan slates 2 new movies; Jupiter's Legacy loses showrunner; more
Following the release of 2019's Glass, M. Night Shyamalan will stick with Universal Pictures for his next two movies, Variety has confirmed. While we don't know a lot about these projects, it is confirmed that they will open on Feb. 26, 2021 and Feb. 17, 2023 respectively. Since the writer/director exclusively operates in the genre space, we can probably assume that both features will fall within horror, sci-fi, or fantasy.
"M. Night Shyamalan continues to create exciting, highly original stories that keep global audiences on the edge of their seats,” Universal Pictures president Peter Cramer said in a statement run by Variety. “There is no one like him: he is a master filmmaker working at the height of his powers, and we are honored that he has once again chosen Universal to be the home for his next two incredible projects.”
“There are wonderful studios out there, but Universal has made it a mandate to release original films,” the filmmaker said in his own statement. “They are the best at finding an audience for new stories with unexpected tones. I believe original films are crucial to the longevity of the theatrical experience. I am so excited to be working with them again and bringing new stories to the movie screen for years to come.”
Shyamalan is currently anticipating the debut of Servant on Apple TV+. The psychological thriller will consist of 10 episodes and star the likes of Rupert Grint (Harry Potter), Lauren Ambrose (The X-Files), Toby Kebbell (Kong: Skull Island), and Nell Tiger Free (Game of Thrones).
Netflix's adaptation of Jupiter's Legacy by Mark Millar just lost its showrunner and executive producer, Steven S. DeKnight, Variety also reports. DeKnight, who had also showrun Marvel's Daredevil and directed Pacific Rim Uprising, allegedly parted ways with the comic book series over creative differences. DeKnight has an overall creative deal with the streaming service, but according to this story, he's trying to get out of the contractual arrangement before it expires next year.
Jupiter's Legacy centers on the children of demi-gods as they struggle to live up to the mantles of their parents.
Four out of the eight episodes for the first season have reportedly been filmed already. DeKnight wrote and directed the pilot. With his departure, however, Netflix is currently looking to fill his spot as soon as possible.
There's no premiere date or window for the show, which stars Josh Duhamel, Ben Daniels, Leslie Bibb, Mike Wade, Matt Lanter, Elena Kampouris, and Andrew Horton.
During an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, actor/comedian Dan Aykroyd confirmed that he would be appearing in Jason Reitman's Ghostbusters film that will be released next summer.
“I’m not in the pictures so much anymore. We’ve got the Ghostbusters movie that we’re working on now and I will have to be performing in that," he said, describing the movie as "really good."
Aykroyd did not say whether or not he'd be reprising the role of Ray Stantz or if he'd simply make a small, unrelated cameo role like he did in the 2016 movie from Paul Feig. He also touched on the creative differences that he and original Ghostbusters director, Ivan Reitman, had with Feig. That said, he emphasized he still really enjoyed the all-female version that was the center of great controversy.
"It's gonna be Ghostbusters' third movie that directly links back [to the originals]," he said, getting back to Jason's take on the franchise, adding that they're working to get Bill Murray on board. "It'll be most of the original people and then young stars ... It's gonna be great. I'm so excited about it and it's just wonderful to be able to go back and revisit that."
These comments jive with what Sigourney Weaver said back in June about her coming back alongside Aykroyd and Murray. Not long after that, Reitman revealed via Twitter that the original cast members had read the new screenplay. Aside from the three we just mentioned, Ernie Hudson, Rick Moranis, and Annie Potts are all able to come back as Winston Zeddemore, Louis Tully, and Janine Melnitz respectively. Sadly, Harold Ramis passed away in 2014 and is therefore not able to reprise the role of Egon Spengler.
Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), Mckenna Grace (Captain Marvel), Carrie Coon (The Leftovers), and Paul Rudd (Avengers: Endgame) have also been cast, which is why Aykroyd mentioned "young stars."
Ghostbusters 2020 will begin to haunt theaters everywhere July 10 of next year.
And finally, you can take a look behind-the-scenes of Zombieland: Double Tap with the sequel's stars in a brand-new featurette.
Double Tap shambles into theaters looking for fresh brains Friday, Oct. 18.
