Justin Lin Replaces Roberto Orci As STAR TREK 3 Director

Director Justin Lin might be apart of Fast And Furious franchise directing the last four installments, but has helped turned that dumb series of films into something fun. We all have to admit those movies have been better with each installment, and Justin is apart of that success. He's been bouncing back and fourth with a bunch of different projects. Lining-up potential directing gigs with projects like Terminator 5, Highlander, The Crow and eventually deciding on the sequel to The Bourne Legacy. The latter project was recently delayed because of Matt Damon returning to the Bourne series, and that film was getting made first.

It looks like he's finally found his next film, as reports he's replaced Roberto Orci as the new director of Star Trek 3. Orci stepped-down recent and Paramount put-out a search that included names such as Rupert Wyatt and Lin. It seemed like Wyatt was the frontrunner, considering being linked before Orci, having the blessing of producer J.J. Abrams and having great success rebooting Planet of The Apes with Rise of The Planet of The Apes. There is even chatter that Roberto Orci is still very much involved as a producer, but won't be contributing to the script.

While audiences seemingly enjoyed the last two films, in the era of blockbusters I'm sure Paramount is a bit disappointed the films haven't broken $500M worldwide. Perhaps, Justin will be able to pump new energy into the franchise which is having problems attracting international audiences. Considering the last film cost $190M+ to make, the studio would likely want a much bigger return.

The release date has also been officially set for July 8th, 2016. A date that will see the film arrive just in time for the 50th anniversary of the original series.

SOURCE: VARIETY

RUMOR: Matt Damon Teaming-Up With Jeremy Renner For BOURNE 5?

Sometimes when a rumor is too good and extremely likely, it has a very hard time going away. We've been hearing for years that Matt Damon has been considering returning to Universal's Bourne franchise. There were even rumblings that Jeremy Renner's Aaron Cross could be paired-up with Bourne in future films. Well that talk has resurfaced, and it's coming from a very creditable source.

LatinoReview is reporting that the reason Universal has delayed Justin Lin's (Fast And Furious 6) Bourne 5, is to include Matt Damon in the film. THR reported the fifth installment was originally set for August 14th, 2015, the film is being delayed and is now being released on July 15th, 2016. LR believes this new delay is to allow Damon join the production.

It's not surprising since Bourne Legacy didn't set the world on fire, and Matt's last few movies haven't done too well at the box office. Damon returning to the series that allowed him to make the jump to the world of action films, might be just what he needs to reenergize himself. I doubt that Renner will be stepping-aside, since he's about to take a big role in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

SOURCE: LATINOREVIEW

Rob Liefeld Calls On Dwayne Johnson To Play Cable In X-FORCE

Ahead of 20th Century Fox's Comic-Con announcement that they'll be making an X-Force film with Jeff Wadlow scripting. The comic's creator Rob Liefeld has been quite vocal online about the project. Revealing recently that Cable and Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) would be the focus of the film. He's gone to Twitter again and called out Dwayne Johnson to consider taking the role of Cable.

Johnson has had a massive year earning close to a billion dollars in box office thanks to G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Fast And Furious 6. Making him a bankable choice to take a superhero role. He's currently shooting Hercules and might be involved with G.I. Joe 3 down the line. There had also been talk of possibly taking on a villain role in the Terminator reboot. Personally, I'd rather see Dwayne tackle his own Marvel franchise with X-Force than playing a character like Luke Cage. Johnson actually had to turn down the part of Drax in Guardians of The Galaxy because of his commitments to Hercules.

Hey @TheRock I'm throwing Cable out there once again. Marvel doesn't have a character this big left in their catalogue. 5 million copies!
— robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) July 15, 2013

Luke Evans Will Be Our Eric Draven In THE CROW Remake

Deadline reports that British actor Luke Evans is looking like the final name being attached to The Crow remake. A steady stream of others had been linked previously which included Bradley Cooper, Mark Wahlberg, James McAvoy and Tom Hiddleston. Evans' profile will be raised this year as the villain in Fast And Furious 6 and Bard The Bowman in the second Hobbit installment.

SAW's James Wan Will Direct FAST AND FURIOUS 7

Deadline adds another name to the list of possible directors for Fast And Furious 7. They say that Universal is very interested in James Wan (Saw, Insidious) and are currently in finalizing talks. James even has franchise director Justin Lin backing him up. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are expected to return with a rather large action star playing the villain. The film set for a Summer shoot might not have Dwayne Johnson or a few others returning.

Wan's horror smash-hit Saw is still one of the more unique films of the genre in the last fifteen years, making it a favorite of mine. Hopefully he can bring the Fast And Furious franchise full circle to awesome thriller from over the top action fest. It will be interesting to see who Universal gets to replace Dwayne Johnson, Luke Evans and possibly Gina Carano.

Luke Evans Will Star In Universal's DRACULA: YEAR ZERO

THR reports that Luke Evans will star in Universal's Dracula origin horror film Dracula: Year Zero. Evans has an interesting resume of projects which includes Bard The Bowman in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Three Musketeers, Fast And Furious 6 and Immortals. The film will be directed by Gary Shore which will be his feature debut.

"A young prince who, when the lives of his wife and child are put in danger by a bloodthirsty sultan, risks his soul to save them, and in the process becomes the first vampire."

LONE WOLF AND CUB Next For Director Justin Lin?

It was revealed by THR this week that director Justin Lin won't be making Fast And Furious 7 leaving a bit of a window for him to make one his many projects he's attached himself to. One of the them being his recent involvement with a western take on the classic Japanese manga tale Lone Wolf And Cub. Which was revealed that Janet and David Peoples were tasked write the film's script back in March 2012. The screenwriting pair are best known for writing the scripts for Twelve Monkeys, Blade Runner and Unforgiven. David is also currently working with Ridley Scott and Alcon Entertainment on a sequel to Blade Runner. At one point Darren Aronofsky was also trying to make a version the adaptation but ultimately they lost the rights. I expect that Lin might be able to make Lone Wolf next if the script is completed.



The manga series was turned into a very successful string of gory samurai exploitation films in Japan. One of them with the American title Shogun Assassin which would influence Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. There hasn't been an update in a while but it's possible that more talk on it's development will be sparked during the press tour for Fast And Furious 6. Considering the massive amount of material that led to five original films there's a strong possibility this could be another franchise for Justin. I assume this one will be based on Sword of Vengeance and could even take the title. Since Lin's strong relationship with Universal I wouldn't be shocked to see them pickup distribution rights for the film.

"Ogami Itto, the Shogun’s elite executioner. In an attempt to take his position, the rival Yagyu clan falsely accuses Itto of a crime and murders his wife. Disgraced, Itto is forced to wander Japan with his three-year-old son Daigoro as an assassin for hire, earning the title 'Lone Wolf and Cub.' Ultimately, Itto and Daigoro seek revenge on the Yagyu clan."

Theatrical Trailer For FAST AND FURIOUS 6, This Time It's Vehicular Warfare

Extended First Look For FAST AND THE FURIOUS 6

Paul Walker To Star In HITMAN Reboot

Deadline reports that Paul Walker (Fast And Furious franchise) has signed on to play the bald assassin in a reboot of Hitman based on the wildly popular video game series. They've brought back the original screenwriter Skip Woods (Die Hard 5) who is known for some really average at best action films such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The A-Team. Luckily, Predators co-writer Michael Finch has also contributed to the script, so it might have more a punch to it. They've hired Aleksander Bach as the film's director who will get his chance for his first feature debut working mostly on commercials. The film will begin production in June on location in Berlin and Singapore.

Oddly, enough I find it weird that Vin Diesel didn't get this role. Vin has more an international appeal and is bald in all his movies. Whatever keeps Walker from taking a role in Terminator 5 is fine with me. Fox might have learned from releasing both Die Hard 4 and Hitman as PG-13 cash-grabs moving forward with more of a R-rated feature. Infusing this reboot with tons of blood soaked squibs ala Django Unchained. Along with making it more about the assassinations rather than playing cat and mouse.

FAST AND FURIOUS 6 Super Bowl Spot Makes It Finally Look Like A Fun Ride

DREAM CAST: Dwayne Johnson And Gina Carano For TRANSFORMERS 4

Now that director Michael Bay is revving up re-casting for Transformers 4 starting with Mark Wahlberg. We should be expecting a "different" group of actors selected this time around. Mark is better known for his action roles but has landed himself in the awards arena recently with The Departed and The Fighter. Wahlberg is also a solid straight-man in comedies like Ted and The Other Guys. So he's got the acting chops, charm and humor to add something human to the film franchise which has been lacking from it's human characters throughout the trilogy.

Granted I'm not a big fan of Bay's Transformers films but this next installment could change the entire tone of the films.  It's unknown how serious the studio will be going, likely a little more towards the recent reboot/sequel to G.I. Joe. A bit more grounded than previously but still including the humor and spectacle you'd expect from a summer blockbuster. I have two other recommendations that could greatly help this new era of the franchise. I feel like having an Expendables-type cast of action stars could help boost the quality of the film. That being said, I could see Dwayne Johnson and Gina Carano becoming excellent additions to the new cast.

Dwayne has broken out as an action star (again) after a rather terrible string of family friendly films. He's already jumped on board the Fast And Furious and G.I. Joe (another Hasbro film) franchises seemingly giving them new action cred. Production of his Hercules (also with Paramount) film with Brett Ratner directing is also ramping up in the new year. I assume with connections to both Bay and Wahlberg from working on Pain And Gain along with three projects for Paramount. He's a strong candidate to be the next name added to the lineup. Hiring someone that can be as charismatic as Johnson could be something the franchise could really use. We've seen three films already where character development and charisma is thrown out the window. It would be nice to see someone else with actual personality added to the mix.

Gina is the MMA fighter turned action heroine, thanks in part to her starring role in Steven Soderbergh's Haywire. The film was a huge success and has since seen Gina land roles in Fast And Furious 6 (alongside Dwayne) and the lead in a female version of The Expendables. Bay has been notoriously lazy with casting female actresses in the Transformers films, not to mention sexist. Girls tend to watch these genre films as well and having models playing damsels in distress is beyond cliche. It's time they developed a female character (lack of them as well) that wasn't just eye candy for Bay and teen boys.