Today's News: New Black Underworld

This is all I have to show for this week, since there wasn't much news to begin with, plus I had to deal with a minor illness.

Fox maakt X-Men spin-off

Technically, Fox already was making an X-Men spin-off with Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, but most fans wouldn't want to be reminded of the connection between the two names after the dismal way the character was handled in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. By any rate, this new project has far more ties with the X-Men proper to warrant the designation 'spin-off'. Same school, even some of the same characters, but mostly new faces. Younger ones, too, though the "true" X-Men are already undergoing a sort of rejuvenation with the younger cast currently assembled for X-Men: Apocalypse. But hey, that's likely a different time line, so that's where that comparison ends. Interestingly enough, reports indicate the studio opts for a standalone approach to this film, even though it offers much material for expanding the X-lore, which would help in building that cinematic universe Fox previously seemed eager to get going. Maybe they wisely let that thought go. It already seems they abandoned plans for a crossover between the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, and now even their X-titles will refrain from intertwining. Maybe Fox had a look at the manner in which rival studio Sony mishandled the Spider-Man franchise despite initially harbouring great plans for an epic fleshing out of the character's world. That failed, and Sony felt the need to work together with that other rival, Marvel itself, to recraft the character into something the fans do appreciate. It's not inconceivable Fox is attempting to keep the same from happening to their X-verse, so for now, they're taking it one step at a time again. It only takes one piece of the puzzle of a cinematic universe failing to fit in to get the house crashing down after all, and with six Marvel movies currently in the works, that's something Fox would want to deter. Besides, in the case of New Mutants, not much effort is needed to let the spectators know this story is taking place in the same realm as the X-films they've already seen. The name Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and the often dropped term 'mutants' are dead giveaways if ever we saw them. You don't need many recurring characters - apart from Xavier himself, perhaps - to understand the connection.

Regisseur voor Black Panther gevonden?

I find the notion of hiring a director based on the colour of his/her skin or her gender to fit the profile of the protagonist of the piece somewhat disturbing. It makes more sense to go for the quality of his/her work first and foremost, other attributes being a bonus rather than an obligation for the job. I thought it had already been disproven that only black people can direct other black people, and only women understand women. This is the 21st Century, shouldn't we have grown past such levels of discrimination? Even though, admittedly, it does benefit getting said minorities in the directing chair, since I won't deny the number of black and female directors for Hollywood blockbusters is still meagre at best. So sure, give Ava DyVernay the directing gig of either Black Panther or Captain Marvel, she's shown ample skills in making movies to deserve it. Considering her previous film, Selma, already dealt with what in a sweeping instance of generalization on my part can be termed "black issues", I would prefer to see her tackle Captain Marvel, just to show she can avoid limiting herself in terms of topics. However, Black Panther is definitely of historical significance to the coloured community - or at least, it ought to be - so as to avoid any potential black backlash, I can't blame Marvel for wanting a black director. At least Black Panther isn't a female character, so having a woman directing a male superhero is worthy of some notice. But I would have preferred it entirely if Marvel had shown some true guts and had stated they wanted DuVernay for something not related to her as a person, like Thor: Ragnarok. A black woman directing a blond, blue eyed male thunder god, now that would be progress.

Beckinsale terug voor Underworld 5

And here's a female's return to the big screen I could have done without. The Underworld movies can be categorized in the same type of film as the likes of Resident Evil, mindless action flicks that have a total B-movie vibe around them but still get surprisingly major releases. And both franchises are running for a lot longer than people usually realize. I wasn't even aware there was a fourth movie. Still, some people apparently keep paying to see them, so the studio keeps making more. All good and well, I understand the way the world works, even though I would have preferred to see that money spent on  more original projects. Kate Beckinsale isn't hard to look at anyway, though that's totally sexist of me. Her acting suffices for the subject matter, but is otherwise simply forgettable, few would disagree. Apparently, she wasn't expected to revisit this particular character again, but the odds turned out in Underworld's favour. Maybe she's hoping this franchise will develop in similar lines as the Fast & Furious franchise, which also seemed to be in decline halfway through, and then against expectations got bigger and better all of a sudden, to become the eagerly antincipated blockbuster series it is today. I doubt fate has that in store for Underworld, but that's what people undoubtedly said about F&F back in the days. Playing an undead character sure doesn't hurt Beckinsale's chances.

Today's News: women take over, men get left behind

Quite the girl power news all of a sudden:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/156794/bridesmaids-regisseur_beoogd_voor_ghostbusters_

Since reuniting the original cast and crew seems ever more unlikely - since one half is dead and the other has lost heart accordingly - starting from scratch might very well be the best bet for the Ghostbusters franchise (other than just let it be, which is not how Hollywood works). The studio now seems intent on adding some flair by making the next generation of exterminators of ghostly apparitions an all-female team, as opposed to the old guard which was entirely male. Shrewd manoeuvring. It makes the new Ghostbusters appear different enough, while thematically and in terms of content, nothing much changes at all. I don't see the zany comedic approach of old traded in for a major new plot direction just because the protagonists have swapped genders. The more things change, the more they stay the same, would be the best way to describe this apparent state of affairs. However, I must call for some consistency by saying the studio had better go all the way now and also hire a female writer and director. But if they insist on Paul Feig for the director's chair, that would constitute a missed opportunity. Feig already seems to be Hollywood's go-to-guy for comedies involving mostly female characters aimed at a predominantly female demographic. Basically the girls are still told what to do by a guy. Why not stray away from this routine for Ghostbusters? Because so far it's making the studio money, obviously. So you bet Feig stays on, and he'll likely bring Melissa McCarthy (and probably Sandra Bullock too) with him, as she's Hollywood's go-to-funny-gal, basically the female equivalent of (a younger) Bill Murray. You might be inclined to believe the new Ghostbusters is heading into new territory by the sex reversal, but so far, it seems you are wrong in that assessment.

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/156803/sony_wil_vrouwelijke_spider-man_spin-off

On the other hand, the same studio (Sony) does seem hellbent on entering new territory for the Spider-Man franchise. However, it becomes increasingly clear they still don't have a long term strategy as how to handle the character's universe they are so eager to translate to the big screen. Initially, it seemed pretty straightforward with Amazing Spider-Man 2, 3 and 4 in the works and possible spin-off worthy characters introduced in those films along the way before acquiring their solo features. Now, however, the spin-offs seem to overtake the main character's story line. The Sinister Six and Venom movie - the latter of which was revealed to be titled as the woefully uninspired and spoilerific Venom Carnage this week - will now debut well before Spider-Man's third film. Which means half the team of villains as well as the titular symbiote will be introduced to new audiences in their own film, while Spider-Man seems relegated to a side role. Seems like a terribly illogical way to approach things, likely to confuse audiences. To top it all, Marvel's top boss Kevin Feige commented on the lack of superheroine centered flicks thus far and the intention to remedy that, after which Sony swiftly announced they're also planning to make just such a film, dealing with a character from the pages of Spider-Man's history. They wouldn't say her name. You know why? Because they don't know who they're gonna pick. It's become apparent Sony desperately wants to make the big bucks by following Marvel's Avengers example, but they have no clue as how to carefully construct such a universe as they are in such a hurry to catch up with Marvel proper. As a result, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 already turned out to be a mess, more concerned with introducing as many characters as possible than with delivering a balanced plot. Considering their current suggestions, Sony seems about to repeat that film's mistakes. I sympathize with the poor superpowered girl on who will be bestowed the honour of starring in the first superheroine film in this studio's current chaotic affairs, as well as the female target audience that needs to be enticed into liking superheroes via the movie of a studio that can't be bothered to get their spidershit together. Better make it a Spider-Woman movie at least, as most of the incarnations of that character don't share as many ties with the webslinger and could prove to stand on their own in greater capacity.

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/156813/eerste_trailer_left_behind

And now for something completely different: the Rapture. Works on men and women both and does not discriminate in terms of race, religion and ideology either, or so Left Behind seems to suggest. Admittedly, the premise is intriguing: what would the effect, both emotional and existential, of the Rapture be on those who turned out not to be eligible to join their Creator? The result in Left Behind seems to be a fairly average break-down of society, after which the film feels the need to focus on the microcosmic tale of a father and a daughter coping with their loss and just trying to survive. Not the most original or effective way to deal with such a world shattering event. Casting Nicolas Cage as the protagonist also doesn't seem to be the safest bet considering the number of lousy movies he has made over the last few years, many of them also dealing with Heaven, Hell and the human condition (e.g. both Ghost Rider movies, Season of the Witch and Drive Angry). Cage of late seems to be the go-to-guy for religious B-fare. From the looks of this trailer, Left Behind seems to risk being the stuff to be added under said category in the not too distant future.

Today's News: exit Potter, enter Scamander

Breaking News from MovieScene (unfortunately posted a day too late since I was gone yesterday):

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/150016/harry_potter_spin-off_aangekondigd

You know it had to happen sooner or later. Potter was much too profitable and is still hugely popular, so they couldn't just let it rest. More money is to be made here most definitely, therefore ignoring the franchise was never an option, leaving only two routes to take: rebooting Potter for the movies, which would have been too controversial since the last movie is less than two years old, or exploring the Potterverse in more detail via some other way. I'm glad Warner Bros. went for the most sensible option, since we'll be getting something new now, which is simultaneously the stuff of fantasy audiences are already comfortable and familiar with. I'm also glad to see Rowling is connected more closely than she ever has been before, doing her first bit of genuine screenwriting. Say what you will about being overprotective of her brainchild, a bit of creative and quality control on her part certainly can't hurt this upcoming second franchise.

But will this work on screen? I haven't read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (yet), so I can't truly speak from experience, but what I know about the book is that it's basically meant as a fun tie-in to Potter proper, an encyclopedic textbook about various fictional creatures devoid of a specific narrative (though with hand written notes of Harry and his friends), never meant to be adapted into a movie or any similar audiovisual formats. That means there still is a lot of writing to be done here before the project's plot is in decent shape to start filming. In fact, at this point nearly everything in terms of story has yet to be conceived other than the protagonist, Newt Scamander, and the assorted magical creatures he deals with. Therefore, I think it's highly unwise Warner immediately decided to make an ungoing series of films based solely on this single book. It would have been more tactically sound to start with one movie and see the results first. After all, more than one recent franchise has had the misfortune of being the victim of overly enthusiastic corporate planning in advance and just ending up being dropped after disappointing box office results, thus losing a lot of money as pre-production on the sequel had already begun. Nevertheless, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them seems a fascinating project containing those elements we've come to love most about Potter: magic, unusual locations and vistas and odd creatures of all shapes and sizes. This time, it takes place seven decades before the events of Potter, so as a bonus we'll get an undoubtedly lavish period look to the piece, which is always most welcome. Though it's too early to get overexcited just yet, it's guaranteed Rowling's next baby is one to keep track of as it grows and grows. I'll be sure to do just that!