John Wick 4 Could Film Later This Year According to Star

The world of entertainment remains a giant question mark for the most part even though things appear to be returning to a sense of normalcy. Films and TV shows are back in production, high profile projects have already been released and plenty of others are penciled in for the rest of the year. That said, not everything that's been announced can happen, like how Lionsgate's previously published plans for John Wick 4 have had to be altered multiple times. Speaking in a new interview though, one of the stars of the series says he thinks the film will finally get in front of cameras later this year.

"Keanu [Reeves] and I exchanged New Year’s greetings and said, 'Hope to see you this year.' I know the script is being written and they’re hoping to do it this year," Ian McShane told Collider. I know they announced they were gonna do ['John Wick 4'] and ['John Wick 5'] together, but who knows. The studios announce all sorts of things. No doubt, at some point this year, we’re gonna do 'John Wick 4'."

McShane, who plays the part of Continental Hotel owner Winston, also reflected on the success of the first movie and how he knew in those early days that it could lead to the current blockbuster franchise.

"They got such a good cast for the first one and it was a very good script. I thought the second one wasn’t quite as good, but people by then loved it and went with it. I think the third one was really terrific, so it lived up to it. I always thought it had legs because of Keanu, a dead wife, a dog, a gun, and a great car. It had all of the elements, so how can you fail?"

Not only does John Wick "have legs" as McShane put it, but the series already has two more movies announced as being in the pipeline. Lionsgate previously revealed their intentions to shoot John Wicks 4 and 5 back to back. The studio made this declaration in August of last year, meaning they were well aware of the risks of filming during the ongoing pandemic, but updates on that specific plan haven't been announced in the time since.

The Seven Deadly Sins Announces New Sequel Movie

The Seven Deadly Sins has announced a new sequel movie is on the way! The fourth and final season of the anime series, The Seven Deadly Sins: Dragon's Judgment, is currently premiering new episodes in Japan (but fans in other territories will have to wait until later in 2021 to check out the new season on Netflix) and it seems the anime franchise is gearing up to continue further. Although the anime has set Dragon's Judgment as the final season of the series overall, it's not going to be end of the anime in general as a new film will continue beyond the events of the final season.

Kodansha has announced The Seven Deadly Sins will be releasing a brand new anime feature film set after the events of Dragon's Judgment. Aiming for a release in Japan later this Summer, The Seven Deadly Sins: Cursed by Light, will feature a completely original story from original series creator Nakaba Suzuki.

With The Seven Deadly Sins: Dragon's Judgment currently making its way through Japan, there's no telling what this new story will entail or whether or not the final events of the manga will be reflected in the anime's currently scheduled 24 episode run. The original manga release of the series will also be getting an official sequel some time this year as well, so maybe the film could even be tied into that. But it's far too early to tell, of course.

Mortal Kombat Movie First Look Revealed

Following a tease yesterday from actor Lewis Tan, Warner Bros. Pictures has released the first images from the live-action Mortal Kombat film reboot! While the images themselves are pretty exciting, they still leave a lot of mystery of what's to come, so fans worried about spoilers can check them out without worry. For longtime fans of the franchise, this should be pretty exciting! Prior to the release of these images, Tan's role in the film had remained undisclosed, but ComicBook can now confirm that the actor will play Cole Young in the film.

With a few months left until the film's release, very few details have been revealed about Mortal Kombat. Directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan and Todd Garner, the film will star Ludi Lin (Liu Kang), Jessica McNamee (Sonya Blade), Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero), Hiroyuki Sanada (Scorpion), Mehcad Brooks (Jax), Lewis Tan (Cole Young), and Chin Han (Shang Tsung). Unlike previous films based on the video game franchise, this one will receive an 'R' rating, potentially allowing it to cut loose in a way that previous Mortal Kombat movies have not. For the first time, fans will truly get to see fatalities represented on the big screen!

It will be interesting to see the reaction to the film when it releases. More than 25 years after its debut, the 1995 Mortal Kombat film still holds a special place in the hearts of a lot of franchise fans. Mortal Kombat 11 developer NetherRealm Studios has embraced that fact, releasing a number of skins based on the film last year, as well as bringing back some of the actors to reprise their roles. Whether or not this year's film reboot will be able to earn itself a similarly passionate following remains to be seen!

Like many of Warner Bros. Pictures other 2021 releases, Mortal Kombat will release simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. Theater goers and subscribers will have the opportunity to check out the film on April 16th. In the meantime, you can check out all of our previous coverage of the Mortal Kombat reboot right here.

The Umbrella Academy Renewed for Season 3 at Netflix

While Netflix may have a bad habit of cancelling some of its promising originals after just a couple of seasons, the streamer knows when it has a hit on its hands. Like Stranger Things and The Witcher, The Umbrella Academy was a bit of an instant hit at Netflix, and fans of the live-action adaptation are getting rewarded with another season in the near future. On Tuesday, Netflix officially announced that The Umbrella Academy will be returning for Season 3.

This renewal news isn't exactly surprising, given just how popular the second season of The Umbrella Academy was when it was released back in July. The series was a staple of the Netflix Top 10 for quite some time, and found itself as one of the most popular shows of the summer according to the Nielsen streaming ratings.

 The announcement was first made by Netflix on Twitter. A graphic of the number three with an umbrella was posted to the NX on Netflix Twitter account, along with a tease of what's in store for Season 3.

"With time travel, you never know where you'll end up," reads the tweet. "Season Three of The Umbrella Academy is on the way!"

The third season of The Umbrella Academy will begin production in February in Toronto. Netflix confirmed that stars Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castaneda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Justin H. Min, Ritu Arya, and Colm Feore will all be reprising their roles in the new installment. Steve Blackman will be returning as showrunner and executive producers, joined by fellow EPs Jeff F. King, Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg, Jesse McKeown, Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba.

You can check out the official synopsis of The Umbrella Academy Season 2 below.

"Five warned his family (so, so many times) that using his powers to escape from Vanya’s 2019 apocalypse was risky. Well, he was right - the time jump scatters the siblings in time in and around Dallas, Texas. Over a three year period. Starting in 1960. Some, having been stuck in the past for years, have built lives and moved on, certain they’re the only ones who survived. Five is the last to land, smack dab in the middle of a nuclear doomsday, which - spoiler alert! - turns out is a result of the group’s disruption of the timeline (déjà vu, anyone?). Now the Umbrella Academy must find a way to reunite, figure out what caused doomsday, put a stop to it, and return to the present timeline to stop that other apocalypse. All while being hunted by a trio of ruthless Swedish assassins. But seriously, no pressure or anything."

Scorpion King Reboot Announced, Produced By Dwayne The Rock Johnson

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is involved with a revival of The Scorpion King, one of his first major starring roles and a spinoff from the 1999 adventure film The Mummy, which turned out ot be a box office hit and earned two sequels, an animated series, and a long-running Scorpion King franchise, which ran until 2018. The new installment will be written by Jonathan Herman, best konwn for the film Straight Outta Compton and one of the most in-demand screenwriters in Hollywood. Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions will produce the film, which marks his first involvement in the franchise in years.

According to Deadline, who broke the story, Johnson is unlikely to play the title role given the many commitments he has on his schedule, which has become even more densely packed after the covid-19 pandemic shut down production for half a year. That doesn't mean he might not appear in a future installment in some capacity, though.

"The Scorpion King was my very first role ever on the silver screen and I’m honored and excited to reimagine and deliver this cool mythology to a whole new generation," Johnson said in a statement.I" wouldn't have had the career I'm lucky enough to have had it not been for The Scorpion King and I'm thrilled that we at Seven Bucks Productions can help create those same opportunities for other hard working actors today. I believe Jonathan Herman will put in the hard work to deliver a fantastic script for our global audience."

The franchise, which takes place in ancient Egypt about 5,000 years before the events of The Mummy, centers on that film's villain, Mathayus, and tells the story of his rise to become the legendary Scorpion King. The first film, which was the only one to star Johnson, also featured Steven Brand as Memnon; Kelly Hu as Cassandra; Michael Clarke Duncan as Balthazar; and Peter Facinelli as Takmet.

Following the film's release, there were initial plans for a sequel with Johnson to return as Mathayus and go up against a new villain, Sargon, but these plans eventually fell through and the project was shelved. A direct-to-video prequel, The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior, was released in 2008 with Michael Copon as Mathayus and Randy Couture as Sargon.

Sequels, which were released between 2012 and 2018, starred actors like Victor Webster and Zach McGowan played Mathayus, opposite a number of cult-favorite heavyweights like Billy Zane, Michael Biehn, Rutger Hauer, Lou Ferrigno and former WWE wrestler Eve Torres.

The most recent revival of The Mummy, which starred Tom Cruise and was supposed to kickstart a shared "dark universe" for Universal's monster films, failed to connect with audiences and turned out to be a flop that killed the Dark Universe idea. Whether it was because they knew that was a possibility, or just because they hoped to get Johnson involved again, that film used a new and different villain, leaving Mathayus for his own films down the line.

Fantastic Beasts Fans Weigh in on Mads Mikkelsen Replacing Johnny Depp as Grindelwald

Some fans have been professing their wish that Johnny Depp would exit the Fantastic Beasts series for years following allegations against him regarding domestic abuse, with those audiences finally being granted their wish last week when he announced he was stepping away from the role of Gellert Grindelwald at the request of Warner Bros.

While some audiences hoped to see Colin Farrell return to the series, a recent report claims that the studio is hoping to tap Doctor Strange star Mads Mikkelsen for the role. With the upcoming sequel currently in production, the studio will likely secure the role imminently, as the talks of Mikkelsen taking on the role have sparked a variety of reactions from fans.

Mikkelsen's impressive body of work has caused some fans to share their enthusiasm about the notion of him joining the series, yet others are still bemoaning the fact that Depp has left the role. Other fans, meanwhile, would still rather have Mikkelsen bide his time so he can film a fourth season of the cancelled TV series Hannibal.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: James Gunn Is Not Making the Movie Without Dave Bautista

Fans of DC and James Gunn alike are stoked for the director's upcoming The Suicide Squad, but that's not the only comic book movie he's got on his agenda. Gunn plans to return to Marvel for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and he recently answered some fan questions about the movie on social media. He revealed yesterday that the "script is written and most of the production heads have been hired." Another fan reached out to Twitter and asked about Dave Bautista's involvement in the film and Gunn made it clear he wouldn't make the movie without his Drax.

 "Is @DaveBautista coming back?," @AngryBatman52 asked. "Would I do a Guardians movie without
@DaveBautista?," Gunn replied. Knowing Gunn, this was a rhetorical question. He loves Bautista and would certianly not want to make the movie without him."

In the comments someone else asked, "Would you ever do a GOTG movie with some random, nobody in a small, yet integral role? Not just someone off the street … but an actor that just graduated or got their footing.” Gunn replied, “I’ve done this dozens of times in my films. I cast most roles based off auditions and we audition many hundreds of people."

Back in September, Gunn shared that Marvel Studios boss, Kevin Feige, paid a visit to The Suicide Squad set, and explained that "there isn't the enmity behind the scenes like there is in the fan community." This comment received some backlash, so Gunn clarified, "I think by far the majority of folks in the fan community are accepting, cool people. But to say there isn’t a lot of unnecessary fractiousness between some Marvel & DC fans would be denial, ignorance, or dishonesty." In another recent tweet, the director added that he'd love for some of the other DC directors to visit him on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Currently, we have no idea what to expect from Gunn's next Marvel movie. Karen Gillan, who plays Nebula, previously teased that it will be the best yet.

Ip Man: Kung Fu Master Trailer Released

Martial artist and actor Dennis To returns as the real-life legendary teacher of the Chinese martial arts form Wing Chun in the trailer for Ip Man: Kung Fu Master, the upcoming film set to open in select theaters as well as on demand on December 11th from Magnet Releasing. The film marks the second time that To has played the martial arts icon, having previously portrayed him in 2010's The Legend is Born - Ip Man.

"This is my second time playing the role of Ip Man. But this time, Ip Man is also the 'Black Knight,' which made me look forward to making the film even more," To said in a press release. "After I got the script, I pondered over and over again. This time I was able to bring the role of Ip Man not only a higher level of Wing Chun skill, but also a deeper level of interpretation."

Per the film's official plot synopsis, "Ip Man: Kung Fu Master harks back to Ip’s early days before the Communist Revolution in 1949. Ip, portrayed by Dennis To for the third time as the martial artist who famously tutored Bruce Lee, was then a police captain who was framed for the murder of a ruthless but honorable mobster, and targeted for vengeance by his dangerous daughter. Forced to quit the force, Ip soon also has to contend with the arrival of the Japanese army in Guangzhou."

In addition to Dennis To, Ip Man: Kung Fu Master also stars Yuan Li Ruoxin, Tong Xiaohu, Yue Dongfen, Chang Qinyuan, Zhao Xioguang, Ren Yu, and Michael Wong. The film is directed by Li Liming. In addition to the official trailer -- which you can check out in the video player -- photos from the film as well as the poster have also been released. You can check them out below.

Ip Man: Kung Fu Master opens in select theaters and on demand on December 11th.

The Conjuring Director James Wan to Produce Post-Apocalyptic Horror Movie

Modern horror maestro James Wan is gearing up to produce what sounds like a pretty exciting new horror project. Deadline brings word that Wan's Atomic Monster production company and WB's New Line Cinema are set to produce a new untitled original horror film from newcomer Bishal Dutta who will also direct. Though no title or official logline were revealed in the report, the project is described as "an original horror film set in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles." The film marks the latest collaboration between Wan's company and New Line, having established a years long relationship that is set to continue for the next few years.    

The work between New Line and Atomic Monster has helped re-establish the WB subsidiary back into its horror roots. Originally an independent company in the 1980s, New Line was previously known as "The House that Freddy Built" as the success of producing the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies established New Line as a major player in Hollywood. Wan and New Line have collaborated on the entire "The Conjuring Universe" franchise including the three Annabelle spin-offs, the two sequels to The Conjuring, and The Nun solo film. They've also developed some other non-Conjuring movies like The Curse of La Llorona and Lights Out, plus the upcoming original film Malignant which marks Wan's next feature as a director.

Details on Malignant remain under wraps, though we do know that the film will star Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, Jake Abel, Jacqueline McKenzie and Ingrid Bisu. Bisu co-wrote and executive produced the film with Wan, and other producers include Wan's Atomic Monster partner Michael Clear.

"There’s been a bit of speculation as to what my next project is… all I’ll say is, I’m super excited to go back to my indie roots with this hard-R thriller," Wan said of the project last year. "An original horror idea (not a reboot/remake or anything based on existing IP) with old school, practical effects and no giant, blue screen sets.”

Initially scheduled to debut in August of this year, Malignant has been delayed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic with no premiere date in sight. Star Annabelle Wallis had high praise for the film and Wan's direction in a previous interview, saying: "I think it’s genre-bending. I think it’s so brave. It’s so original. I just haven’t read anything like it. And you know, again, I’m at a place in my life and my career where it’s time to be brave."

P-Valley – Is It Based On A True Story?

Starz’s P-Valley is a story of Black Women who and their life as sex workers. P-Valley also deals with issues like misogyny, homophobia, colorism, classism, racism. It seems like a story about women who are trying to make end meets. Like last year with Hustlers – starring Jennifer Lopez – P-Valley is a story exploring a business that is generally not looked upon as respectful.

The Details that are realized until now are: P-Valley is created by Playwright and showrunner Katori Hall. It is a show with all-women directors. The show is about ambitious and at times misguided women. The scrutiny they undergo due to their different profession. The problems they face with their family. It is probably releasing at a very appropriate time.

P-Valley is a female-empowering show, no doubt about it. With the Black Lives Matter movement going on, it cannot come at a better time. It is not exactly based on a real like story but is a story that portrays real-life happenings. It seems like a show about women by women but for everyone to enjoy.

P-Valley premiered at 9 pm ET/PT on Starz. Given the Sunday night prime spot, the network must expect some good to come out of the show.

P-Valley might give some insight into the life of sex-workers to the viewers. The concept is also based on the American dream and the women who dream it. The show will surely black women who work as sex-workers. It is expected to show that they more than they seem and they do don’t just try to make ends meet but live. P-Valley is the kind of show we need to put things in perspective for the viewers. It is a story that is based on the life that is real.

Kanye West and Family Roam the Cold Wyoming Landscape in "Closed on Sunday"

Kanye West’s last video from his Jesus Is King album was “Follow God,” which starred his father as they traversed a picturesque landscape in a rugged all-terrain vehicle. West is mirroring that theme for his new music visual for the song “Closed on Sunday.” This time around, ‘Ye gets the whole family involved and it’s almost a reunion of sorts as we see Kim Kardashian and kids, Kourtney and kids and even Kris Jenner.

The vibe of the video feels a bit post-apocalyptic but with a more hopeful tone. Towards the end of the clip, we also see the Sunday Service gospel ensemble perform with West at the lead. The release of the video is very appropriate as today is Thanksgiving, a day when most celebrate the occasion with family and “Closed on Sunday” echoes that sentiment with its family-themed direction.