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B O X O F F I C E who’s making the money | F I L M N E W S who’s making the headlines | ||
I N T H E U K . . .
I N T H E U S . . .
T O P N E W S T R E A M E R S . . .
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Unsurprisingly, Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney will be back for the sequel THE HOUSEMAID'S SECRET, based on the second novel in Freida McFadden's trilogy. Seyfried's character doesn't appear in the book, but is being written into the film. Director Paul Feig and writer Rebecca Sonnenshine are both back on board. Sebastian Stan is lined up to join Robert Pattinson in THE BATMAN: PART II, which is again being written and directed by Matt Reeves. Costars include Scarlett Johansson, Coin Farrell, Barry Keoghan, Jeffrey Wright and Andy Serkis. Plot details are still under wraps. Jeremy Allen White is joining his The Bear costar Molly Gordon in PEAKED, a comedy about two former high-school mean girls who decide to relive their glory days at their 10-year class reunion. Gordon is also directing and cowriting with Allie Levitan. Chris "Ludacris" Bridges will star in LIMITED EDITION. Aside from being an action thriller, no other details are being released about the movie. But it's likely to have a comical edge, as Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (Novocaine) are writing and directing. Vinnie Jones is reteaming with Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie for the action thriller VIVA LA MADNESS, based on JJ Connolly's novel, a sequel to Layer Cake as the still-unnamed mobster tries to lay low in the Caribbean. With cartel thugs trying to kill him, he heads back to London. Elisha Cuthbert, Stana Katic and Talia Asseraf will star in SILENT NIGHT FALL, a horror film made by the producers of the Terrifier franchise. Plot details are being kept under wraps. Director Danny Friedman will start filming this month in Ontario. Eman Esfandi (Ahsoka) and Billy Clements (Deadpool & Wolverine) will appear in SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, which comes out in July. Esfandi's role is being kept under wraps, while Clements will play the villainous Ramrod. Destin Daniel Cretton is directing the film, which stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Mark Ruffalo, Jon Bernthal and Sadie Sink. Greg Tarzan Davis (Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning) and Sonja O'Hara (Root Letter) will star in the psychological thriller SNARE, about a scientist who gets caught in an obsessive romantic triangle with her ex and a new lover. O'Hare is also cowriting and codirecting with Adam Hoelzel. Joanna Natasegara will direct a documentary that traces how Gisele Pelicot is working to rebuild her life after surviving a decade of abuse, drugged by her husband and 50 other men. Rather than focus on her horrific ordeal, the film centres around her ongoing work with fellow survivors around the world. And it looks increasingly likely that Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood will reprise their roles as Gandalf and Frodo for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM, which is set just before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. Andy Serkis is directing the film and also reprising his title role. Other characters will also be back.
It's official: the original team is reuniting for OCEAN'S 14, including Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Andy Garcia. Apparently the plot will focus on a group of ageing friends getting back together for another heist. Simu Liu will team up with Indonesian filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto (Nobody 2) to make a film based on the videogame SLEEPING DOGS. It's an action adventure about an undercover cop trying to take down a Hong Kong mobster. Stephen Graham is lined up to play a younger version of Robert De Niro's character in HEAT 2, Michael Mann's prequel/sequel to his 1995 thriller about an elaborate heist in Los Angeles. Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale are also involved, perhaps as younger versions of characters played by Al Pacino and Val Kilmer. Chevy Chase says he would love to reteam with his Three Amigos costars Steve Martin and Martin Short, either in a sequel to that 1986 comedy or perhaps with a role on their TV series Only Murders in the Building. Marina Zenovich's documentary I'M CHEVY CHASE AND YOU'RE NOT opened this week. Rising Indian star Sheena Chohan (Sant Tukaram) will star in ARJUNANIN ALLIRANI, a Tamil-language romantic action drama about a folk artist who is facing caste discrimination. Vino Vikraman Pillai (Kafir) is directing from a script by acclaimed author B Jeyamohan, with music by iconic composer Ilaiyaraaja. Jordan Peele is reportedly being lined up to direct a Marvel movie, with rumours that it will feature a face-off between Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. Of course, nothing at all has been confirmed. James Cameron says that, after 30 years of development, he will finally produce his remake of FANTASTIC VOYAGE. The 1966 original is about a scientist who discovers miniaturising technology that is used to shrink a team of specialists who enter his bloodstream to repair a threatening clot. ITV executive David George says that work is underway to create a feature film based on the LOVE ISLAND reality TV series. The show has been on the air in the UK for several years, but it broke into the US ratings this year, and now of course they want to expand the brand. Starting in 2029, the Oscars will be shown on YouTube, including the nominations announcement, Student Academy Awards, Governors Awards, Scientific and Technical Awards, nominee luncheon, red carpet, ceremony, backstage content, interviews and podcasts. ABC, which has aired the awards since the early 1970s, will finish its contract with the 100th Oscars in 2028. The top film at the worldwide box office in 2025 was the Chinese animated epic Ne Zha 2, followed by Zootopia 2, Lilo & Stitch, A Minecraft Movie and Jurassic World: Rebirth. In sixth place is Avatar: Fire and Ash, which is still ruling in cinemas. The most anticipated films for this coming year include Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, Greta Gerwig's first Narnia movie The Magician's Nephew, Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day and Emerald Fennell's take on Wuthering Heights. There's also a whole bunch of sequels, including Avengers: Doomsday, Toy Story 5, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Dune: Part Three, Shrek 5, Scream 7 and The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Zoe Saldana and Matthew McConaughey will team up for the romantic caper movie POSITANO. The plot is being kept under wraps, and the only thing revealed is that it's set in the eponymous village on Italy's Amalfi coast. Daniel Roher (Navalny) is directing. Rob Lowe and Maddie Zieglar will team up for the romantic comedy HOLIDAZE, based on the novel about a young woman who finds herself in a time loop that involves reliving the same Christmas over and over again. Amy Madigan is joining John C Reilly and Jason Segel in SPONSOR, a psychological thriller about a guy in a court-ordered alcoholism support group where his sponsor takes an unnerving approach. James Ponsoldt is directing from a script he cowrote with Segel. Natasha Lyonne will write, direct and produce BAMBO, a comedy-drama that follows a boxing promoter in 1980s Brooklyn who sets out to become the next Don King, with his young daughter at his side. Before that, Lyonne is directing UNCANNY VALLEY, set in the world of immersive videogames. Mads Mikkelsen is joining Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence in WHAT HAPPENS AT NIGHT, Martin Scorsese's next film. It's about an American couple who travels to a snowy Scandinavian town to adopt a baby, encountering enigmatic people who have dark secrets. The script is by Patrick Marber. Rupert Grint has joined the cast of EBENEZER: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, perhaps playing Bob Cratchit alongside Johnny Depp in the title role. This is Ti West's horror-style adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic holiday ghost story. Lars Eidinger will play Braniac in the Superman sequel MAN OF TOMORROW, which again stars David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, Isabela Merced and Frank Grillo. James Gunn is also back as writer-director. Lauren Hutton, Michael Angelo Covino, Devon Bostick, Sean Kaufman, Jose Zuniga and Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine are joining the cast of Ron Howard's military drama ALONE AT DAWN, alongside Adam Driver, Anne Hathaway, Jonathan Ajayi and Betty Gilpin. It's based on the true story of the investigation into the heroic actions of an Air Force officer in Afghanistan. Jonathan Lipnicki, Matt Walsh and Geneva Carr will star in WILLISTON, a psychological thriller about developers trying to secure a parcel of land in North Dakota that's owned by a Native American man. Adam Seidel is writing and directing. Sylvester Stewart Jr will direct a documentary about his father, Sly Stone. The film will take a personal approach, exploring Stone's music and legacy using clips from the family's personal archive, as well as new interviews. And Paul King (Paddington/Wonka) will direct a film based on the fad-sparking LABUBU range of ugly-cute Chinese dolls. There's no word yet on what the story might be, or if the film will be animated or feature live-action humans.
Olivia Colman and Andrew Scott will star in ELSINORE, based on the true story of how actor Ian Charleson took on an enormous challenge to play Hamlet at London's National Theatre. Simon Stone is directing from a script by Stephen Beresford. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are officially reprising their Hunger Games roles for the prequel SUNRISE ON THE REAPING, possibly alongside Woody Harrelson in the story's epilogue. The film stars Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Ralph Fiennes, Jesse Plemons, McKenna Grace, Maya Hawke and Kelvin Harrison Jr. Francis Lawrence is directing. David Oyelowo will reteam with Selma director Ava DuVernay to produce and star in HEIST OF BERLIN. The plot is being kept under wraps, but it's being described as an art-world thriller set in present-day London. The script is by Jesse Quinones. LaKeith Stanfield will play Dennis Rodman in the biopic 48 HOURS IN VEGAS, based on his infamous celebrity partying excess surrounding the 1998 NBA finals. Apparently, Michael Jordan was sent to retrieve Rodman for the big game. Sharon Stone, David Strathairn, Ed Helms and Ashley Park are the latest cast members to join Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick in BABIES, a comedy about a couple facing instant parenthood when their divorced friend moves in with a toddler. Lauren Miller Rogen is writing and directing. Johnny Depp will produce and star in THE MASTER AND MARGARITA, based on Mikhail Bulgakov’s satirical 1940 novel about the devil visiting 1930s Moscow. The book inspired the Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil. John C Reilly and Jason Segel will team up for SPONSOR, a thriller about a guy who attends a court-ordered alcoholism support group, where he meets a sponsor who takes an unnerving approach. James Ponsoldt is directing from a script he cowrote with Segel. Freddie Highmore will produce and star in the romantic comedy LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS, about a socially awkward astronomer who finds unexpected romance. Pat Cunnane is writing the script. Brandon Sklenar and Hassie Harrison will star in THE RESCUE, a dramatic thriller about a rodeo cowboy searching for his missing daughter while accompanied by his dog. Potsy Ponciroli is directing from a script by John Fusco. Taika Waititi will direct BARN 8, based on the novel about two government egg auditors who plot an elaborate heist to free a million chickens from a factory farm. The script is by Jessica Gao (She-Hulk). Jacobi Jupe (Hamnet) is joining Scarlett Johansson in Mike Flanagan's new EXORCIST movie, which is being described as a reboot/reimagining of the original film, as opposed to sequels that are still in the works. And Amy Sedaris will team up with writer-director Paul Dinello for THE WASP WOMAN, a blackly comical reimagining of the 1959 cult classic about a cosmetics company executive who uses wasp serum to reverse ageing, with very nasty side effects. OLDER NEWS >> | ||
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S T A G E & M O R E beyond the big screen... | |||
 Make the yuletide gay STAGE: The Fit Prince brings a hilarious sense of holiday romcom anarchy to King's Head Theatre until 3rd Jan...  Let it all hang out STAGE: Golden Goose Theatre's new production of cheeky song and dance hit Boys in the Buff until 10th Jan...  Tale as old as time STAGE: Charing Cross Theatre presents its annual queer adult pantomime Beauty and the Beast until 11th Jan...  The boss’ new groove DANCE: ZooNation's a dazzling hip-hop take on Dickens, Ebony Scrooge at Sadler's Wells East until 4th Jan... STAGE: RVT's panto Growled riotously spins Beauty and the Beast, until 3rd Jan... STAGE: Brick Lane Music Hall's The Magic of Christmas dinner-theatre until 19th Dec...
NOV TV: Boots, Only Murders 5, Chad Powers, Peacemaker 2, MobLand, The Morning Show 4, Alien: Earth, more... DANCE: Ballet Black's Shadows, a new double bill at Sadler's Wells... DANCE: Pite and McBurney's staggering Figures in Extinction at Sadler's Wells... DANCE: Akram Khan and Manal AlDowayan's elemental Thikra at Sadler's Wells... STAGE: KC and the Sunshine Band musical Get Down Tonight at Charing Cross... STAGE: Ghost Stories returns to London's Peacock Theatre... DANCE: Hofesh Schechter's surreal Theatre of Dreams at Sadler's Wells... SEP TV: Chief of War, Wednesday 2, Smoke, Dexter: Resurrection, The Institute, Stick, Fisk and more... DANCE: Andrea Pena's Bogota explores history and culture at Sadler's Wells East... DANCE: Acosta Danza celebrates A Decade in Motion at Sadler's Wells...
MORE >>
NEWS SOURCES:
Dark Horizons.
The Hollywood Reporter.
Variety.
Deadline.
The industry.
| ALSO: Empire. IMDb. Rotten Tomatoes. Ain't It Cool News. Digital Spy. The Wrap. Sight and Sound. Entertainment Weekly. BBC. CNN. Evening Standard. The Guardian. Film Threat. indieWire. Screen International. © 2025 by Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall HOME | REVIEWS | NEWS | FESTIVAL | AWARDS | Q&A | ABOUT | TALKBACK | ||
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WICKED: FOR GOOD
