Universal Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

The biggest marketing pull for Universal‘s “F9” is the promise that the film will bring “Justice for Han,” a phrase referring to the character of Han Seoul-Oh who is apparently coming back to life after being dead the past three movies. Sadly, it seems fans of the “Fast & Furious” saga will have to keep waiting to get some justice, because “F9” has been delayed yet again, and it’s all James Bond’s fault.

By and large, Zac Efron has really focused on making people laugh in his roles on the big screen.

With the news this week that Disney decided to reshuffle most of its remaining 2020 film slate and pushed the majority to 2021, the fall schedule is looking grim. Sure, films are being released in theaters every week, but when you look at major studio releases, really it’s been “Tenet” in early September and then…nothing.

Ryan Gosling has been surprisingly missing from the big screen since 2018’s “First Man.” However, that doesn’t mean that actor hasn’t been busy. He’s already signed on to star as the title character in the upcoming Blumhouse horror remake, “The Wolfman.” He’s apparently going to star in another space film, this time with Lord & Miller behind the camera.

Since the debut of “Tenet” in theaters, analysts have been paying close attention to see if the current state of theaters (with reduced capacities and stringent safety protocols) could support a major studio release. Well, the answer isn’t as cut and dry as people would have hoped.

Often, when you see reviews of film biopics, there’s the criticism that the filmmaker took liberties with personal events and situations to make for better plotting. Most recently, you can see a lot of artistic license in the Oscar-winning film, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” However, one way to get around that criticism is to make sure the subject of the biopic writes and directs the film, which is what Universal is doing with the studio’s upcoming Madonna biopic.

If you were hoping to see what happens when dumb people say “Candyman” in front of a mirror a bunch of times this Halloween, you’re going to have to wait a little longer or say it on your own to see what happens. Universal and MGM have pushed back the “Candyman” remake to some unspecified time in 2021.

Universal clearly has a lot of confidence in the upcoming film adaptation of the award-winning Broadway musical, “Dear Evan Hansen.” Not only is the studio hoping that the popularity of recent releases like Disney+’s “Hamilton” and musicals such as “Mamma Mia” and “The Greatest Showman” will make “Dear Evan Hansen” a huge hit when it finally hits theaters, but the studio is putting together an incredible cast to ensure that success.

“Jurassic World: Dominion,” the forthcoming sequel in the billion-dollar film franchise, is one of the first blockbusters to go back into production after being shut down for several months due to COVID-19. However, being the first also means the production will be under added scrutiny from the public, as Universal and the cast and crew implement new safety procedures to prevent the virus from infecting anyone.

Jordan Peele is one of the best filmmakers working today. And even though he only has two features under his belt as a director, that statement is far from hyperbolic.

Remember “Cats“? The big-budget adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical that became part of our collective nightmares the moment the first trailer came out? Though the film was neither the critical nor a commercial success that director Tom Hooper intended, probably no one was as disappointed with the film’s failure than singer and actor Jason Derulo, who was convinced the movie was “gonna change the world.” READ MORE: Andrew Lloyd Webber Really Didn’t Like James Corden’s “Unfunny”

Last week, a landmark deal between AMC Theatres and NBCUniversal rocked the film industry, as the two agreed to shorten the exclusive theatrical windows for films from nearly three months to merely 17 days, allowing for the film studio to release features on Premium VOD less than three weeks after they debut on the big screen.

Just a few months (in fact, exactly three months to the day) after the theatre chain proclaimed it would no longer play movies from the studio, AMC Theatres and Universal Pictures have signed a multi-year agreement that will allow the studio’s films to premiere on premium video on demand (including the theater’s own, AMC Theatres On Demand) within just three weeks of their theatrical debuts.

Sometimes we talk about film development in terms of years, as it sometimes takes a filmmaker a long time to get a project off the ground. However, in the case of Tom Cruise and his upcoming space movie, it only takes a matter of weeks, apparently.

It’s a damn shame that actor Gael García Bernal isn’t in the conversation with folks like Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and other A-list actors that always deliver quality films with excellent performances. Let’s be honest, project for project, Bernal is up there with anyone in terms of films with incredible, awards-worthy performances and collaborations with some of the best filmmakers working today.

While the rest of the industry begins to start filming on blockbusters, yet again, Universal has already got the ball rolling on Colin Trevorrow’s highly-anticipated sequel, “Jurassic World: Dominion.” Though the US is still dealing with spiking COVID-19 numbers and plenty of uncertainty, ‘Dominion’ seems to be moving ahead in the UK with the cast and crew all back at work.

Stop me if you’ve already heard this one before, but the release of yet another blockbuster may get released. “No Time To Die” was one of the first major releases to get pushed due to the still ongoing pandemic, but a new report suggests that MGM and Universal are considering delaying the James Bond film yet again to the Summer of 2021.

“Twister” is an interesting film to discuss with folks. Some will swear by its campy, silly tone and say the Jan de Bont film is a classic.

Similar to folks like Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino is a long-time advocate for the theatrical experience and all that entails. Needless to say, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever see Tarantino create a film that can only be viewed on TV screens, tablets, or laptops.

When the history books are written about this era of Hollywood filmmaking, the entry about cinematic universes will be headlined by the MCU, and then, somewhere further down, there will be a discussion of the biggest crossover failure, Universal’s Dark Universe. Originally meant to compete with Marvel, the studio’s attempt to reboot the various Universal Monsters in one cohesive continuity bombed before it really took off thanks to “The Mummy” reboot starring Tom Cruise.

While he’s preparing to restart filming on “Jurassic World: Dominion” early next month, it appears that filmmaker Colin Trevorrow is already set to head to “Atlantis” next. According to Deadline, Trevorrow has signed a deal with Universal for a new film titled “Atlantis” about the mythical continent of legend.

As the world waits to see Edgar Wright’s upcoming psychological terror, “The Last Night in Soho”— delayed into spring 2021 thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic—the admired English filmmaker already has a new film on his radar. Wright will be adapting the popular, Amazon book “The Chain,” written by Irish writer Adrian McKinty.

Timur Bekmambetov is one of the more creative filmmakers working today. Sure, not all of his films are great, but he, much like Ang Lee and James Cameron, is all about pushing the film medium further with technology, specifically his Screenlife model.

After the utter failure of “The Mummy” and The Dark Universe, and the big success of “The Invisible Man,” Universal is shaping up to add yet another monster to their revival of classic monsters.

Universal Pictures is shaking up its release calendar, setting new dates for Illumination’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru” and “Sing 2.”

Universal and Illumination have postponed the release of “Minions: The Rise of Gru” amid the coronavirus crisis. The animated family film was scheduled to hit theaters July 3 and doesn’t have a new launch date.

With movie theaters closing or reducing seating capacity due to coronavirus, Universal Pictures will make its movies available on home entertainment on the same day as the films’ global theatrical releases.

Universal Pictures is teaming with “Aquaman” director James Wan on a horror/thriller inspired by Universal’s monster legacy.

In 2018, director Leigh Whannell met with Universal Pictures executives, thinking that they wanted to talk about another project. Instead, they brought up a surprising idea, to reinvent H.G. Wells’ “The Invisible Man” as a stand-alone thriller targeted to a new generation. 

Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass in “The Invisible Man,” written and directed by Leigh Whannell