Industry UPdates--March 22, 2016

BUDGET CUTS:

THEO JAMES, ANSEL ELGORT, & SHAILENE WOODLEY IN ALLEGIANT

LIONSGATE AND SUMMIT PRODUCTION COMPANIES ARE CUTTING THE BUDGET FOR THE FOURTH INSTALLMENT OF THE DIVERGENT SERIES, ASCENDANT. ALLEGIANT ONLY OPENED WITH $29 MILLION, SO THE BUDGET HAS BEEN CUT. THE DIVERGENT SERIES HAS SEEN A GRADUAL DECLINE IN REVENUE SINCE THE FIRST MOVIE WAS RELEASED. ASCENDANT WILL STILL BE RELEASED ON TIME. THE FOURTH INSTALLMENT OF THE DIVERGENT SERIES WILL PREMIERE JUNE 9, 2017, SLOTTED FOR THE SAME DAY AS WORLD WAR Z 2 AND THE MUMMY.

 WWZ GETS AN ENCORE & THE MUMMY GETS A FACE LIFT

BRAD PITT, PIERFRANSCESCO FAVINO, & DANIELLA KERTESZ IN WWZ

TOM CRUISE (LEFT) & BRENDAN FRASER (RIGHT)

SPEAKING OF THE WWZ 2 AND THE MUMMY, BRAD PITT WILL BE BACK TO FIGHT THOSE ZOMBIES AS GERRY LANE IN WORLD WAR Z 2. THE PLOT FOR THE ZOMBIE THRILLER IS UNKNOWN. AS FOR THE MUMMY REBOOT, TOM CRUISE WILL BE THE NEW FACE OF THE FRANCHISE. BRENDAN FRASER HAD STARRED AS THE MALE LEAD IN THE 1999, 2001, AND 2008 INSTALLMENTS ALONG SIDE RACHEL WEIZ (THE BOURNE LEGACY &  ENEMY AT THE GATES) , ARNOLD VOSLOO (G.I. JOE RETALIATION & BLOOD DIAMOND) , ODED FEHR (RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION & DEUCE BIGALOW) , AND JOHN HANNAH (SPARTACUS & THE HURRICANE).

WANT BATMAN V. SUPERMAN? WELL YOU GOT IT!

WHO WILL WIN? IN 2 DAYS FIND OUT

AT LEAST THE MUSIC THAT IS! WARNER BROS HAS RELEASED THE SOUNDTRACK. HANS ZIMMER AND JUNKIE XL HAD A HAND IN THE AUDIO PRODUCTION FOR THE FLICK, WHICH MEANS IT HAS TO BE GOOD! SO IF YOU NEED A LITTLE SOMETHING TO HOLD YOU OVER UNTIL THURSDAY NIGHT OR WHENEVER YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE BATMAN TAKE ON THE MAN OF STEEL,  YOU CAN HAVE A LISTEN TO THE SOUNDTRACK TO GET YOUR FIX.

 TO A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY...

STAR WARS:ROGUE ONE TEASER POSTER

IT COMES AS NO SURPRISE THAT ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT THE UPCOMING STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE FILM HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO CIRCULATE. OBVIOUSLY AFTER THE OVERWHELMING SUCCESS OF EPISODE VII THE PRODUCTION TEAM, LUCASFILM, AND ALL THOSE INVOLVED WITH THE STAR WARS FRANCHISE WILL WANT TO HYPE THE UPCOMING MOVIE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. SO WHY NOT RELEASE A NOVEL AND A PREQUEL COMIC? THEY WILL BE RELEASED THIS UPCOMING FALL AND STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE WILL DROP DECEMBER 16, 2016.

SPEAKING OF STAR WARS

LARA CROFT ANIMATED (LEFT) & DAISY RIDLEY (RIGHT)

THE BREAKOUT STAR OF EPISODE VII, 23 YEAR OLD DAISY RIDLEY HAS CONFIRMED THAT SHE IS IN TALKS TO POSSIBLY BE IN THE TOMB RAIDER REBOOT AS LARA CROFT. AS OF RIGHT NOW RIDLEY IS LISTED AS THE MAIN ACTRESS ON IMDb.COM. SO WE'LL SEE IF THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENS. IT HAS BEEN 13 YEARS SINCE THE LAST LARA CROFT MOVIE WAS RELEASED. NORWEGIAN DIRECTOR ROAR UTHAUG WILL BE UNDERTAKING THE TASK OF GETTING THE NEXT TOMB RAIDER OFF THE GROUND AND RELEASED BY NEXT YEAR. I WONDER IF ANGELINA JOLIE WOULD ENDORSE AND PUT HER STAMP OF APPROVAL ON RIDLEY TAKING ON THE ROLE?

HARRISON FORD (LEFT) & TARON EGERTON (RIGHT)

 ALSO IN STAR WARS NEWS, KINGSMAN, TARON EGERTON CLAIMS THAT HE HAS NOT IN FACT BEEN CONTACTED BY LUCASFILM TO BE IN THE HAN SOLO SPIN OFF.

THE QUESTION IS WHO WILL THE NEW SOLO BE?