‘La La Land’ Director’s Next Project Makes Giant Leap Towards Release
After a stunning awards season, which culminated in one of the greats live TV gaffes of all time, La La Land director Damien Chazelle has already lined up his next project. First Man, a biopic of Neil Armstrong, based on the book by James Hansen, reteams Chazelle with his La La Land star Ryan Gosling as the famed astronaut. Based on a script from Spotlight screenwriter Josh Singer, First Man has plenty of awards season bait going for it, and appropriately, it’s getting an awards season release date. Universal has confirmed that First Man will drop on October 12, 2018, putting in directly in the midst of consideration for critical and guild awards. All that remains now is how Chazelle will work in tiring screeds on the nature of jazz, man.
(Variety)
‘Star Trek Discover’ Announces Captain, Clarifies Yeoh Casting
The oft-delayed Star Trek Discovery, originally scheduled for premiere in January before being pushed back to May which soon became sometime this Fall, and was intended to be the anchor of the new CBS streaming service All Access, has officially cast its captain. Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter) has been confirmed as Captain Lorca of the Starship Discovery, though the main character is said to be Sonequa Martin-Green’s (The Walking Dead) Lieutenant Commander Rainsford. The casting announcement caused some confusion as Michelle Yeoh had previously been announced as Captain Georgiou, though, it turns out, she’ll be captain of the Starship Shenzhou, an ancillary but apparently important ship. Given all the delays and controversy surrounding Discovery, CBS has better knock this one out of the park. It’s been over a decade since Trek graced the TV screens, and the relegation to a for pay streaming service has already built up some ill-will from fans, to say nothing of the delays. Isaacs brings some credibility as an actor to the project, but it could be a case of too little too late, especially considering how excited we all were for Yeoh.
(Variety)
Tracy Morgan and Luke Wilson are ‘Shitheads’
Tracy Morgan (30 Rock) and Luke Wilson (The Ridiculous 6) have signed on to star in Macon Blair’s (I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore) next film, The Shitheads. The pair will apparently play a pair of (I’m assuming?) shitheads who are hired to transport an unruly teenager to rehab despite their gross lack of qualifications to do so. With a title like The Shitheads, this will most likely be a streaming only affair, which makes sense considering Blair’s breakout Sundance film premiered on Netflix. Normally the MPAA won’t allow a film with profanity—like, say, The Shitheads—in its title to be released, but we’re in a new era now and streaming services allow for new rules. Anyway, the name of the film is The Shitheads, and I’m on board with that. No word yet on production start dates or premieres.
(THR)
Eva Green Potentially Reuniting with Tim Burton on ‘Dumbo’
Because no stone deserves to go unturned, Disney is currently in the middle of pre-production of a live action adaptation of their 1941 classic, Dumbo. Tim Burton (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children) has been tapped to helm the production, and now his Miss Peregrine has entered the mix as a potential star. Eva Green is reportedly in consideration for one of the three main roles in the film, though there’s no word on what that means. Burton and Green make a decent pair, and she was definitely one of the few high points in Miss Peregrine last year.
(Deadline)
