New Films in Production, v.2

[DarkImbecile]

According to Deadline, Eli Roth is finally making a feature-length Thanksgiving

[colinr0380]

Elizabeth Banks directed a thriller called Cocaine Bear, inspired by true events that took place in 1985 Kentucky, during which a 175-pound black bear ingested 88 pounds of pure cocaine and went on a murderous rampage. A star-studded cast includes Keri Russell, Margo Martindale, Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and the late Ray Liotta

OK, that sounds a lot more interesting than Pitch Perfect 2.

And here's the trailer.

[yoloswegmaster]

Mike Leigh to begin shooting his new, secretive film this year.

[FrauBlucher]

New Lord of the Rings in the works from Warner Bros. No story details yet

[thirtyframesasecond]

Elizabeth Banks directed a thriller called Cocaine Bear, inspired by true events that took place in 1985 Kentucky, during which a 175-pound black bear ingested 88 pounds of pure cocaine and went on a murderous rampage. A star-studded cast includes Keri Russell, Margo Martindale, Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and the late Ray Liotta

OK, that sounds a lot more interesting than Pitch Perfect 2.

And here's the trailer.

Cocaine Bear was good fun, particularly if you're watching with an audience that goes along with the sheer ludicrousness of the film. There isn't much to explain really as the title tells you all you need to know. It's completely absurd and the cast play it pretty seriously, and at just over 90 mins, it moves at a fair lick too. Not sure I'd rewatch at home, but chalk it down as a fine cinema experience.

[colinr0380]

As long as Cocaine Bear is at least as good as Grizzly Rage I will be happy.

[The Narrator Returns]

Don't know how I missed this, but Brady Corbet is in pre-production on his next film, titled The Brutalist, with a terrific cast including Joel Edgerton, Marion Cotillard, Mark Rylance, Sebastian Stan, Issach De Bankolé, Vanessa Kirby, Alessandro Nivola, as well as Vox Lux's Raffey Cassidy and Stacy Martin.

Any word on if this project is still happening? It still reads as in pre-production online with no updates since 2020, and I have to imagine this cast isn't going to wait around forever...

The agency representing Lol Crawley (Corbet's DP) posted a news item about it adding crew members a week ago, with at least the top three of Edgerton, Cotillard, and Rylance still being attached.

EDIT: The CV of the newly-hired costume designer doesn't list Edgerton but has Cotillard, Rylance, and Kirby, plus Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones.

[therewillbeblus]

Well that's the least brutal news of the day, thanks!

[DarkImbecile]

Um, we might get Gladiator 2 after all.

Denzel Washington may take the second lead role opposite Paul Mescal; Paramount is apparently confident enough that it will happen that they've set a Thanksgiving 2024 release date

[DarkImbecile]

Jordan Peele’s untitled fourth film has been set for release on Christmas Day 2024

[yoloswegmaster]

Cineuropa is reporting that Mati Diop's next film is a documentary about the return of the royal treasures of Abomey in Benin, snatched away by colonial plunder, to a country that has had to build itself up and come to terms with their absence.

[therewillbeblus]

Ari Aster apparently has two films in development. A few days ago, he said his next film would likely be a "western."

But then, he also has Acting Class in development with Emma Stone, Christopher Abbott, and potentially Joaquin Phoenix in talks for roles (Stone is likely a lock for a working relationship, having moderating a Q&A with Aster the other day, and she and Abbott have been spotted with him in the wild - plus they've been rumored as attached to this project for several months now). It'll be an adaptation of Nick Drnaso’s novel, with the following synopsis:

Ten strangers are brought together under the tutelage of John Smith, a mysterious and morally questionable leader. The group of social misfits and restless searchers have one thing in common: they are out of step with their surroundings and desperate for change. A husband and wife, four years into their marriage and simmering in boredom. A single mother, her young son showing disturbing signs of mental instability. A peculiar woman with few if any friends and only her menial job keeping her grounded. A figure model, comfortable in his body and ready for a creative challenge. A worried grandmother and her adult granddaughter; a hulking laborer and gym nut; a physical therapist; an ex-con. With thrumming unease, the class sinks deeper into their lessons as the process demands increasing devotion. When the line between real life and imagination begins to blur, the group’s deepest fears and desires are laid bare.

[bdsweeney]

It looks like the fashion house Saint Laurent is launching a film production outlet. Already announced colaborators include David Cronenberg, Abel Ferrara, Jim Jarmusch, Gaspar Noé, Paolo Sorrentino and Pedro Almodóvar. Saint Laurent Launches Production Banner With Cannes-Bound Movies by Pedro Almodóvar, David Cronenberg’s New Film

[therewillbeblus]

A lot if not all of these artists have already directed ads/shorts for them over the last few years

[Big Ben]

John Hillcoat is adapting Blood Meridian. Yes, that Blood Meridian. This will be nuts if he can actually pull this off.

[willoneill]

John Hillcoat is adapting Blood Meridian. Yes, that Blood Meridian. This will be nuts if he can actually pull this off.

Blood Meridian is one of those films that’s been announced enough times that I refuse to believe the news until I see a trailer.

[therewillbeblus]

We read this instead of No Country for Old Men in a Western film studies class in college as supplementary reading for revisionist westerns, and I'll never forget devoting half a class to discussing the crucial element of casting for the Judge to make the film version successful. My teacher advocated for John Malkovich and I haven't been able to get the idea out of my mind since

[flyonthewall2983]

Tom Noonan. I’ve only just started the novel but that’s who came to mind.

[Mr Sausage]

Cameron Britton from Mindhunter.

[flyonthewall2983]

oh that’s good

Um, we might get Gladiator 2 after all.

Denzel Washington may take the second lead role opposite Paul Mescal; Paramount is apparently confident enough that it will happen that they've set a Thanksgiving 2024 release date

Connie Nielsen returns. Interesting that Spencer Treat Clark isn’t reprising his role, as he’s still a working actor.

[Finch]

For Blood Meridian, I always wanted to see Ian MacShane as the judge but Noonan would look and sound the part too. I like The Proposition but I didn't care for The Road. I kinda wish Lynne Ramsay was directing it instead because I believe she expressed interest at some point.

[therewillbeblus]

Not thrilled with Hillcoat at the helm either. I'm not sure MacShane possesses the natural temperament the role requires, which to me is not only elasticity in performance but a chilling unreadable, intangible disposition. MacShane's smile inherently channels menace- he's a pretty defined emotional performer, so that tangibility destroys a lot of the power the character possesses that makes them so unnerving. He's not quite Klaus Kinski, but he's closer to him than the abstract horror the part demands. Noonan is a great choice, and Cameron Britton is inspired too

[Finch]

That's a fair argument against McShane. I'm struggling a little to see Malkovich in the role.

[senseabove]

Not quite "in production," but Hansen-Løve is working on the script of her next film, which will be a period piece set in the UK.

[Finch]

Allowing for the caveat that the source is Jordan Ruimy, The Exorcist Believer had a pretty poor test screening in NYC and a podcast alleges that the shoot was a troubled production: something about issues with 90 year old Ellen Burstyn on set (Burstyn only accepted the role by her own admission after they agreed to financially support an actors' scholarship that she was passionate about). Green and Blum already botched all three of their Halloween entries and the plot description for this one sounds terrible: you get not just one but two possessions. This sort of doubling down screams of desperation. I guess if they spent this much money on the rights ($200m? EDIT: holy shit, it was actually double that!), they're stuck now, and so, if Believer is a disaster, I think giving stewardship of the additional sequels to someone like Mike Flanagan or Guillermo Del Toro to write as well as direct would be a sensible course correction. Again though, I'd much rather Blum give money to Christopher Landon to do his thing but I wonder if things have soured a little between the two after Landon complained about the lack of support for Freaky compared to the rollout Green's second and third films got.