WIRE Buzz: John Boyega cloned on Netflix; The Rock goes Han Solo in Jumanji; Escape Room 2

Paul Rudd isn’t the only actor Netflix has an interest in cloning. Star Wars actor John Boyega is next in line for the sci-fi duplication treatment seen in the recently released series Living With Yourself, this time in the streaming service’s upcoming film They Cloned Tyrone.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Boyega (playing Tyrone) will be the subject of a mystery with sociological elements harkening to films like Get Out ... but in a down-home setting like Friday. Boyega will team with two other actors (yet to be announced) to form an unexpected trio facing extremely unexpected situations.

Before Star Wars cast him as reformed stormtrooper Finn, Boyega was known for another inner-city sci-fi spin: Attack the Block. Mix in some doppelganger goodness recently explored in Jordan Peele’s Get Out follow-up Us, and They Cloned Tyrone sounds like a good time — and certainly funnier than Us.

Boyega will reportedly be taking the role after negotiations with actor Brian Tyree Henry (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) didn’t work out. Creed 2 writer Juel Taylor makes his directorial debut with the film, which he co-wrote with Tony Rettenmaier. The film aims to begin production in early 2020.

Next, the second film in the rebooted Jumanji series may be going head to head with Star Wars once again this holiday season (as The Rise of Skywalker looms over theaters), but Jumanji: The Next Level star Dwayne Johnson isn’t shying away from the iconic sci-fi franchise. In fact, his character in the two films actually has a Star Wars reference built into his look.

Speaking to TotalFilm, Johnson explained that video game avatar Dr. Smolder Bravestone took visual inspiration from one of Star Wars' most smoldering characters: Han Solo.

“I am admittedly a massive fan of Star Wars,” the actor said. “And so much so that my costume for Jumanji — especially my belt, my holster — was just a small visual reference to Han Solo. So if you compare both of our holsters ... I said to our costume designer, ‘I want to pay homage to Han Solo in this film.’”

Perhaps now that the modern Jumanji films are entering their second film, Bravestone will continue the Solo references and become frozen in carbonite — or, seeing the chilly new images released from the film, frozen in regular old ice.

Jumanji: The Next Level is out on Dec. 13, a week before The Rise of Skywalker drops on Dec. 20.

Finally, that Escape Room sequel is ramping up, with the box-office surprise from director Adam Robitel and writer Bragi F. Schut casting its ensemble for its followup.

Deadline reports that Escape Room 2 is adding a slew of new faces to its cast, which includes returning stars Taylor Russell and Logan Miller. Joining the film are Holland Roden (Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block), Indya Moore (Pose), Thomas Cocquerel (The 100), and Carlito Olivero (Step Up: High Water).

Somewhere between the Saw and Cube franchises, Escape Room put its young cast through hell in a series of tricky torture rooms ... and made a bundle doing so. The cheaply produced film ($9M) took in over $155M worldwide — something the sequel will surely seek to replicate.

Escape Room 2 will be confined to theaters in August 2020.