Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and subsequent production shut down on Warner Bros.’ The Matrix 4, Lionsgate was forced to push back filming on John Wick 4 into next year as franchise leading man Keanu Reeves was suddenly unavailable for the rest of 2020.

However, it appears as though the extended pre-production has been good for the team and has really gotten the creative juices flowing for Reeves and director Chad Stahelski, as they’ve turned their shoot for one sequel into two.

On yesterday’s investor’s earnings call, Lionsgate CEO John Feltheimer officially announced John Wick 5 and confirmed plans to shoot the fourth and fifth installments in the critically acclaimed action series back-to-back at the top of 2021 – once Reeves’ extremely busy schedule clears up. 

“We’re also busy preparing scripts for the next two installments of our John Wick action franchise, with John Wick 4 slated to hit theatres Memorial Day weekend 2022. We hope to shoot both John Wick 4 & 5 back to back when Keanu becomes available early next year.”

The decision to shoot the two sequels back-to-back isn’t exactly an unprecedented move for big-budget actioners, and has often been done to cut production costs since they can film continuously with the same crew in place. Also, in this scenario, the studio’s decision to shoot both films together may have been influenced by what a post-pandemic world could look like for film productions across the globe, and potentially having two John Wick films in the bag is always more appealing that having just one.

The next two installments in Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible franchise are also currently shooting back-to-back; a tactic Marvel Studios recently implemented to film Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. 

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“Knight Rider, a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of man who does not exist…”

A big-screen reboot of popular ’80s action adventure series Knight Rider is in the works at Spyglass Media. Aquaman helmer James Wan is developing the project through his Atomic Monster production house. If he is also in line to direct, there’s no mention of it in Deadline’s report.

Former video game writer TJ Fixman is adapting the screenplay.

Knight Rider ran on NBC from 1982-1986 and starred David Hasselhoff (Baywatch) as a mysterious crime-fighter named Michael Knight. The main attraction for most fans, however, was K.I.T.T. (Knight Industries Two Thousand), the high-tech computer that controlled Knight’s black Pontiac Firebird and served as his protector and sidekick.

The show has amassed a big cult following over the years, with spin-offs, video games, books, comics, and even a convention known as KnightCon.

Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the reboot is said to be “a present-day take that will maintain the anti-establishment tone of the original.”

What do you guys make of this news? Were you a Knight Rider fan back in the day? Let us know in the comments, and have a listen to that classic opening theme below.

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No one knows exactly when the trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune will drop, but when it does, it sounds like fans will be blown away by what they see. Zendaya, who has a small part in the sci-fi film, recently had the chance to view the trailer and couldn’t help but gush about what she saw.

“Dune was incredible,” the actress boasted to InStyle. “I wasn’t in it very much, so when I was watching the trailer, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ I called Timothée [Chalamet, who stars in it] and said, ‘Dude! You should be proud.’ It is a big deal to even be a small part of something with such a massive cast. And I love sci-fi stuff too. It’s fun to escape into another world.”

Dune is easily one of this year’s most anticipated sci-fi movies and Warner Bros. is still holding on to its original December 18th release date. However, with the ongoing pandemic putting everything in flux and director Denis Villeneuve recently admitting it would be “sprint” to get the film finished in time for December, who knows if that date will stick.

The trailer for Dune is expected to arrive at some point this month. Original reports had it tied to the international re-release of Inception on August 12, but more recent claims say it’s now more likely to debut when Inception releases stateside on August 21 as to minimize bootlegged copies.

For now, all we have some really impressive stills that have had to hold us over since April.

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The Hollywood Reporter has shared a report from Parrot Analytics which reveals that The Mandalorian was the most in-demand original show from any of the new streaming services. Four have launched over the past nine months, but the first live-action Star Wars TV series came out well ahead. 

Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, and Peacock were all compared, but demand for The Mandalorian was 55x higher than any other TV series during that same week. 

It’s clear the show really resonated with viewers, and excitement for season two is at an all-time high. Interestingly, Marvel’s What If? also receives a mention despite it not being available on Disney+ until next year. All we can assume is that after seeing a handful of clips from it in Marvel Studios: Expanding The Universe, fans were desperate for more from that animated TV show.

All of these streaming services are nipping at the heels of Netflix, and their monopoly on that market is now more. As time goes on, people will obviously have to decide which ones they want to subscribe to on a long-term basis because accessing all of them simply won’t be affordable. 

Was The Mandalorian a priority for you when it arrived on Disney+ last November? 
 

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Earlier this week, Disney confirmed that in countries with Disney+ (which is most of them at this point), Mulan will be released on the streaming service for a premium fee. That’s going to be $29.99 in the United States, and is likely to be the same across the globe. While that price point was controversial, the decision to have it skip theaters proved to be even more divisive.

Theater owners outside the U.S. – where around 1000 people per day are still dying from COVID-19 – have been left in equal parts baffled and angered by Disney’s decision. After all, Mulan would have been a big draw for families looking to return to their local multiplex after months of closures. 

In response to the news, one French cinema owner decided to take what looks like either a baseball or cricket bat to a Mulan standee. He completely destroys it and then stands triumphantly over its remains, clearly hoping to send a message to Disney.

Ultimately, should this live-action adaptation prove to be a hit on Disney+, this could become the norm for the studio. As a result, theaters are going to have to accept that people might want to watch new blockbusters at home instead of venturing into somewhere they risk catching a potentially deadly virus. 

Check out the destructive video below:
 

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