Lucasfilm Announces FANTASTIC FOUR's Josh Trank Will Direct A Standalone STAR WARS Movie

Lucasfilm is going full-force with their future Star Wars plans. Episode VII is currently filming and it was revealed Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) would be directing an unnamed spin-off (likely Boba Fett) for a Decemeber, 2016 release. They have named another director for second unnamed standalone film. Chronicle and Fantastic Four director Josh Trank has been hired for the nameless Star Wars project. I'm assuming it will have a December release date in 2018.

The studio fails to name the project or even give any details, but it's rumored it could be their Han Solo movie. It's said to focus on the early smuggling days of Solo, a prequel of sorts. Another possibly is a Red Five movie, which could focus on the group of legendary X-Wing pilots (including Luke Skywalker) who took-on the Empire. We also heard about the studio considering a Yoda movie, the least interesting of the bunch (unless it's combined with Zack Snyder's Seven Samurai pitch).

SOURCE: LUCASFILM

Michael B. Jordan Confirmed As The New Human Torch In FANTASTIC FOUR?

SchomesKnow are claiming to have exclusive confirmation that Chronicle and Fruitvale Station star Michael B. Jordan has signed on to play Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in Josh Trank's Fantastic Four reboot. Jordan had been originally been linked for the project by TheWrap's Jeff Snider and the actor would go on to deny involvement. He had also been linked to testing for role in Star Wars: Episode VII. Michael is the first actor confirmed for the project and sounds like Fox is looking towards a more diverse cast than the previous films. While actors such as Kit Harington and Saoirse Ronan have been recently linked for other leads. The studio is still waiting for final script rewrites from Simon Kinberg.

Allison Williams And Michael B. Jordan Linked For FANTASTIC FOUR?

It looks like some possible new casting information concerning Fox's Fantastic Four reboot have started to rollout. First, Deadline says Girls actress Allison Williams might be in the mix for Susan Storm. While Chronicle's  Michael B. Jordan might be a contender for the role of the Human Torch according to TheWrap. It would be interesting to see more color-blind casting when it comes to superhero films and Fantastic Four is a perfect one to implement this. While Sue and Johnny are brother and sister, nothing is stopping Fox from making the Storms a non-traditional family.

Seth Grahame-Smith Hired To Polish FANTASTIC FOUR Script, Will The Kree And Skrulls Be Involved?

THR reports that author turned screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Dark Shadows) will polish Jeremy Slater's Fantastic Four script. It sounds like Fox is really putting the project in high-gear as Matthew Vaughn (X-Men First Class, Kick-Ass) was recently hired to produce the reboot with Josh Trank (Chronicle) set to direct.

Oddly, enough they also mention that it's possible that aliens such as the Kree, Skrulls and even characters from the Negative Zone (Blastaar and Annihilus) could be apart of the new franchise. The first two might not even be allowed to be featured in the film because Fox might not own the rights to them. While it was revealed that Fox owns the Super Skrull it was never mentioned they also owned the Kree or could use the entire Skrull race. It will be interesting to see if Marvel has agreed to share the rights with Fox or if the studio has bought them. You might remember that Marvel and Fox also share characters such as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

Matthew Vaughn Will Produce Josh Trank's FANTASTIC FOUR Reboot

Mark Millar has tweeted confirmation that Fox has landed Matthew Vaughn as a producer for Josh Trank's (Chronicle) Fantastic Four reboot. It's the first real update on the project in a very longtime since the hiring of screenwriter Jeremy Slater. This could mean that Vaughn will be apart of the casting process, helping to wrangle major talent to the reboot. The film has a set release date of March 6th 2015. While nothing is confirmed it's expected that Fantastic Four could be the next film to go into production after X-Men Days of Future Past is done shooting.

There had been some questions about Vaughn's relationship with Fox when he exited X-Men Days of Future Past to focus on The Secret Service. Matthew had also pitched his vision for Star Wars Episode VII to LucasFilm before J.J. Abrams ultimately landed the gig. Kick-Ass 2 which is another project Matthew has produced will be released later this year.

FANTASTIC FOUR Reboot Coming March 2015

ExhibitorRelations reports that Fox's attempt at the Fantastic Four reboot will be released on March 6th 2015. Josh Trank best known for last year's sleeper-hit Chronicle will direct with newcomer Jeremy Slater writing. 2015 is already boasting some very big films with Avengers 2, Ant-Man, Star Wars VII, Justice League and Avatar 2.

'FANTASTIC FOUR' Reboot Lands Director And Writer

It's official, Josh Trank who was long rumored for the directing gig for Fox's Fantastic Four reboot has been confirmed by Deadline. Trank gave Fox sleeper hit with his debut film Chronicle and would later be attached to direct Sony's Venom spin-off. HeatVision also reports that newcomer Jeremy Slater will write the script. Let's just hope they save us from rehashing the origin with a opening scene/title sequence.

Josh Trank Directing 'SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS' For Sony

Deadline reports that Chronicle director Josh Trank has signed on to helm an adaptation of Shadow of The Colossus for Sony Pictures. The project is based on the Sony video game which Trank had been a fan of. Josh is also currently attached to the Spider-Man spin-off Venom, The Red Star (based on a graphic novel) and a reboot of Fantastic Four. Fox's Tom Rothman recently confirmed Trank's early involvement with new Fantastic Four film. I assume Fox will be eager to move into production on the heels of Avengers.

"A young man who thinks his lover has died. Desperate to bring her back, he heads into a forbidden land, and summons a demon who can wake the dead. The price for bringing back his girl: slay 16 colossi that dominate this mystical place. These are skyscraper-sized giants that rise from the ground, fly through the air and come from the water. As the young man works through his quest on horseback, he begins to wonder if he is on a noble pursuit to bring back his lover, or perhaps has made a deal with the devil and is being used."

Josh Trank To Direct Red Star For WB

Deadline reports that Josh Trank has finally signed on for his next film. They say that the Chronicle director will direct the feature film adaptation of the graphic novel The Red Star for Warner Bros. It's been developed by producer Neal H. Mortiz (Total Recall, R.I.P.D., 21 Jump Street) with a script from Jason Rothenberg (Twilight Zone). The graphic novel written by Christian Gossett is set in an alternate USSR where futuristic technology co-mingles with magical elements. The protagonist is a Red Fleet soldier who goes up against an ex-leader who rules with an iron fist.

Trank had been offered to direct comic book films like the Fantastic Four reboot (Fox) and Spider-Man spin-off Venom (Sony) but never signed on. That doesn't mean that Josh won't still consider those films after he completes The Red Star for Warners.

Chronicle's Josh Trank Could Direct Venom For Sony

24Frames reports that Sony is in talks with Chronicle director Josh Trank to replace Gary Ross (Hunger Games) on their Spider-Man spin-off Venom. It had been originally setup with Ross set to direct along with a script from Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland, Deadpool). However, there were many rewrites and Gary eventually dropped out to focus on the Hanger Games franchise at Lionsgate. Josh was rumored to be in the mix for Fox's Fantastic Four reboot. He would later deny the rumors a couple of times. It's unknown if this is just wishful thinking but Trank is likely getting a bunch of offers.

At one point the studio's plan was to have a completely reboot of Venom, ignoring the events of Spider-Man 3. Perhaps, making this an Ultimate version of Venom to compliant Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man. There also had been talk of darker toned film than any of the Spider-Man films. It makes sense considering the anti-hero does end up becoming a hero of sorts even if he seriously hurts and kills the people who cross his path. Topher Grace won't be returning as the studio would be looking to find a new Eddie Brock. I personally think that Liam Hemsworth or someone of his size would make a good Brock.

Josh Trank Could Direct The Fantastic Four Reboot

20th Century Fox seems to have directors lined up for their current Marvel projects. Those names include James Marigold (The Wolverine), David Slade (Daredevil), Tim Miller (Deadpool) and possibly Matthew Vaughn for the First Class sequel. The one film that has been in limbo for years is their Fantastic Four reboot. ShowBlitz reports the studio is strongly considering Chronicle director Josh Trank for the new film. They are just waiting to see how critics and audiences react to Chronicle before making an official offer. The micro-budget superhero indie is gathering a lot of buzz and is expected become very successful. The studio has to make a new movie soon because the rights will eventually revert back to Marvel if they don't.

I just hope that Fox does for Fantastic Four what they did for X-Men First Class. Hiring aspiring talent and seasoned actors to fill roles instead of flavors of the week. The spandex costumes could also use a massive overhaul. The studio also holds the rights to a slew of other Marvel characters such as Doctor Doom, Galactus, Silver Surfer, Super Skrull, Ronan and Blastaar. Fox has a real chance to make Fantastic Four the cosmic adventure film that Green Lantern aspired to be.

Warner Bros. Can't Decide On Akira's Second Lead Actor

Deadline reports another reason Warner Bros. has put Akira on hold is that they can't figure out who should play Tetsuo and the actors are free to walk from the project if they want to. The two actors in question are Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire, The Dreamers) and Dane DeHaan (In Treatment, True Blood, Chronicle) their testing options have expired so they are currently free to go after other projects.

The character is basically the meatiest role of the picture as Tetsuo goes from nerdy gangland biker to a psychotic villain with overwhelming superpowers. Yet, I'm unsure what bastardized version of Tetsuo we'll end up seeing in the film since Kaneda is now a bartender/bar owner instead of a punk biker. Out of the two I have to go with Pitt as he's been wonderful on the first two seasons of Boardwalk Empire. However, Dane DeHaan's upcoming superpower film Chronicle is gathering a lot of buzz.