Iko Uwais And Two Other Badasses From THE RAID Films Join STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS

TwitchFilm has reported that three actors from the Raid franchise have joined Star Wars The Force Awakens. They include breakout star Iko Uwais along with fellow badasses Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman. All three are heavily trained in martial arts and acrobatics, perfect for a franchise like Star Wars.

I'll be interested to know if they're playing sith, jedi or something completely different. There is also the chance they could be doing the actual fight-work for the characters in the film, but I feel like that would be a waste of their on-screen talents. We've been hearing for ages the film will do it's best to reduce the use of CGI, and we could see Abrams hiring fighters instead of digital artists.

The franchise hasn't had really any noteworthy Asian cast members, so it would be nice to see a bit more diversity as well. Trade Federation, the villains of the prequels were said to be influenced by the Japanese of WWII (Empire/Storm Troopers in the original trilogy were inspired by the Nazis), while the prequel villains came-off racist as fuck. Among other aspects of the prequels being extremely insensitive to other cultures.

Lucas being known for this type of shit which we saw in Temple of Doom when exploring Indian culture and most notably cuisine. Eating snakes, bugs, eyeballs and monkey brains in a country mostly known for being vegetarian.



SOURCE: TWITCH

Marvel Screen Testing BLACK PANTHER And Wakanda In AGE OF ULTRON?

LatinoReview is picking up on a rumor that Marvel Studios could be screen testing for Black Panther. It should be noted that they aren't 100% sure about it, but it's very plausible. As we've been hearing Marvel beating-the-drum that a Black Panther movie is on the way (script written by Mark Bailey). There was even talk that he might be apart of Avengers: Age of Ultron. At one point the last Phase Two spot was a head-to-head between Panther and Guardians of The Galaxy.

A bunch of actors have been linked, wanted or campaigned for the title role. Those names include John Boyega (Attack The Block, Star Wars: Episode VII), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave, Children of Men, Serenity), Chadwick Boseman (Get On Up, 42), Idris Elba (Pacific Rim, Thor 1-2, Luther) and others. We have no idea if any of these people are indeed in the mix for the role.

Drew from HitFix has replied to the rumor by confirming that T'Challa's home country Wakanda will indeed appear in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The fictional Marvel African nation, which is self-sufficient and has the most advanced technology on the planet. It's currently unknown if Panther himself will show-up in the sequel, but Marvel has apparently "left the door open" for that to happen. I'm beyond excited to see Wakanda, it will be interesting to see how "sci-fi" the country becomes.

@elmayimbe Wakanda's in the film, but as of the start of production, Black Panther wasn't. They left the door open, though.
— Drew McWeeny (@DrewAtHitFix) May 5, 2014

SOURCE: LATINOREVIEW

Lucasfilm Confirms And Reveals STAR WARS EPISODE VII Cast, Release Date Set For December 2015

Lucasfilm has officially announced the cast of J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII. We have confirmation that original actors such as Mark Hamill, Carrie FIsher, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker will be returning in their respected roles.

They've also revealed that new additions include Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, Adam Driver and Max von Sydow, have also joined the Star Wars universe. We weren't expecting this reveal to include this many cast members, but it's a pleasant surprise. Their roles haven't been explained, and likely won't be for a long time. The studio did however snap a photo of the cast doing a table-read of the new script.

Andy Serkis (Tintin, King Kong, Hobbit, Lord of The Rings, Dawn of The Planet of The Apes, Rise of The Planet of The Apes) is also mentioned in the press release. I have to assume he'll be playing a motion capture character, due to his extensive background with it. Yet, he's just a great actor so they could use him anyway they want to.

A release date has also been confirmed for December 18th, 2015.

The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.

Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.

Director J.J. Abrams says, "We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."

Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.

SOURCE: LUCASFILM

John Boyega And Chadwick Boseman Talk BLACK PANTHER Role

Black Panther has been a hot-topic in development project at Marvel for years now, at one point Wesley Snipes was considered for the role. More recently, Mark Bailey completed a draft for the script which seemingly impressed insiders and the Marvel offices. However, the studio has pushed it back to make way for projects like Guardians of The Galaxy, Ant-Man and Doctor Strange. Kevin Feige stated last year, that they were indeed still developing the film. It's a bit more reassuringly than the shutdown on the Black Widow film.

When it comes to grilling potential actors about Black Panther, none are betting than BlackFilm. They've been getting a bunch of responses from actors over the last year or so. Another T'Challa candidate (according LatinoReview) is up-and-comer Chadwick Boseman (Get On Up, 42), and he commented on the possibility of doing Black Panther. He starts out coy, but eventually gives the impression the character would have to standout for him to do it. We currently don't even know if he's even in the running anymore.

Could you see yourself playing Black Panther?

Chadwick Boseman: I could see myself doing anything in terms of comic book, action, or anything like that. Black Panther, in particular, I’m not going to answer that.

If not, then which character?

CB: Let me put to you this way. If it’s character driven, I’ll do it. As long as it’s character driven, I would love to do it. If it’s just you in a suit and you with powers, then it doesn’t interest me, no matter how big it is. As long as it’s character driven, I’m totally into it. If they could figure out how to do Black Panther and make it fit the original or adapt to the times we’re in now and be new and innovative and be character driven and has the sense of what the comic book is supposed to be, but not bound by it, then yes, of course, I would want to do it.

As he finished speaking on the record, he asked if folks wanted to see a Black Panther film and I said yes. Then he asked, “What about Green Lantern?”

Attack The Block's John Boyega has been more vocal about his desire of playing a Marvel role. Speaking to FlicksAndTheCity he mentioned inspiring actors which included Sam Rockwell (Iron Man 2), Anthony Hopkins (Thor 1-2), and fellow Star Wars candidate David Oyelowo (also a favorite for Panther). He was also asked about Marvel and Joss Whedon calling, and he specifically names Black Panther and Blade as dream-roles.

"First of all, if Joss Whedon called. I would leave my life behind and fly out to L.A., and train for the role...But I'm a big Marvel fan and I'm a big DC fan, so I'm into all that stuff. I know of what film is auditioning, I can tell you right now and futuristically speaking, that's just because I'm a fan. So, obviously I'd be very happy if that happened. And, I'm pretty sure hopefully if everything goes well, it might just happen."

"So..I'm just going to be specific.. I would play the Black Panther in Marvel, Joss Whedon if you're listening make a good choice. I don't know there's loads, there's Black Panther, there's Blade, they want to do a Blade reboot. If Wesley Snipes handed the baton to me, that'd be good."

Back in December, John spoke to Metro explaining why the Black Panther story speaks to him.

"The Black Panther, the Marvel character. For me it’s the back-story. My family is originally from Nigeria and the Black Panther comics are about this African nation that is wealthy and healthy and totally cut off from the world. It’s never known slavery, it’s the ultimate nation – it neither buys nor sells oil. The Americans and the British want to know: ‘What’s the deal with these people?’ – they see the Black Panther as a kind of panther god. If I ever got that role, I’d think I’d died and gone to heaven."

It doesn't hurt his Marvel connections working with Ant-Man's Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish on Attack The Block. Walking the red carpet to support Joss Whedon (Avengers) and Drew Goddard's (Daredevil) horror hybrid Cabin In The Woods, which co-starred Thor's Chris Hemsworth. Having experience at Comic-Con and being a comic book fan might be asset as well.

He was recently connected to roles in both Star Wars: Episode VII and Terminator: Genesis (didn't end up with the part). The former could allow extra international exposure which would be needed for the Black Panther lead role (similar to Hemsworth's Star Trek exposure prior to Thor). At the moment, we don't expect the Panther solo movie to show-up until Phase Four, allowing Boyega to knock-out a couple of Star Wars films first (if he ends up landing a role). ThePlaylist has also made the case to consider John for the T'Challa role.


SOURCE: BLACKFILM

HUNGER GAMES Actor Dayo Okeniyi Takes Final TERMINATOR: GENESIS Lead Role

Variety reports that Hunger Games actor Dayo Okeniyi has landed a lead role in Terminator: Genesis. He'll play Danny Dyson, the son of Skynet key-creator Miles Dyson (last seen in Terminator 2). As a boy Danny was exposed to The Connors and the terminator, when Sarah went rogue and tried to assassinate his father. Miles went-on to help destroy his work and sacrificed his life. I assume that Danny's role will be action-focused.

Dayo apparently was up against John Boyega (Attack The Block) for the part. It's unknown if John's rumored participation with Star Wars: Episode VII casting had anything to do with not landing the role.


SOURCE: VARIETY

John Boyega And Ed Speleers Apart Of Short-List For Lead Jedi Role In STAR WARS: EPISODE VII

It looks like Star Wars: Episode VII casting is heating-up or just being dragged-out, as new names are being mentioned as contenders for a lead jedi role. Variety reports that actors such as John Boyega (Attack The Block), Ed Speleers (Downton Abbey), Matthew James Thomas (Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark) and Ray Fisher, have joined Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad) as in the mix for a lead part in the film. A character isn't mentioned but it's likely an apprentice of sorts.

Production is expected to begin in May, and nailing-down a cast is needed to happen soon. As the new actors will be given extensive fight, weapons and sword training for the film. Things will have to come together, or they won't have enough time before shooting begins.

Currently, Adam Driver (Girls) is the only new cast member expected to join the cast. Driver is said to be playing the villain of the film, which is in the vein of Darth Vader (possibly a sith?). The assumption that he'll be a new threat to the established Jedi Order, or the Rebel-led government. Boyega is my faovrite of the bunch, as he is also a fan favorite for Black Panther. He's got tons of charm and could easily bring this franchise into the right direction. After the wooden performances of the prequels, John would be a nice upgrade.

SOURCE: VARIETY

Matthew Vaughn Eyeing Jack O'Connell For Lead Role Alongside Colin Firth In THE SECRET SERVICE

TheWrap reports that writer/director Matthew Vaughn is keen on trying to get actor Jack O'Connell (300: Rise of An Empire) for the main role in The Secret Service. The film is based on the Mark Millar comic which would be a violent mix of My Fair Lady meets James Bond. As a veteran spy trains a young street smart teen to become a spy himself. Colin Firth is already set to play the mentor of the film and Jack is wanted for the hoodie role. Two other names in the mix also include John Boyega (Attack The Block) and Christian Cooke (Cemetery Junction).