Universal Eyeing JOHN WICK Directors For COWBOY NINJA VIKING Starring Chris Pratt

Variety reports that John Wick co-directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski in talks with Universal to helm their adaptation of the comic book Cowboy Ninja Viking.

The comic book film already has Chris Pratt (Guardians of The Galaxy, Jurassic World) attached to star with a script from Zombieland and Deadpool screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese. Apparently, they've met with Pratt and he gave the studio the go-ahead to start talks with them.

A man who suffers from multiple personality disorder and is put into a government program to be turned into a super-soldier with the attributes of a cowboy, a ninja and a viking.

It's been said that Pratt would play the character outside the persona, with other action leads taking the roles of the three personalities.

I'm a bit upset we're not getting a Wick sequel quickly put together but the directing duo founding the stunt company 87Eleven means the action will be top notch.



SOURCE: VARIETY

DEADPOOL Begins Production In March

Canadian news outlet Global has confirmed that Fox's X-Men spin-off Deadpool will indeed begin production in March. First-time director Tim Miller is helming the project with a revised script from writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

The film has Ryan Reynolds finally playing as the wildly popular and insane mutant mercenary. It will spend two months shooting in location at North Shore Studios in Vancouver. It should be a comfortable shoot for the actor since Vancouver is his hometown. North Shore was the studio space for Fox's X-Files.

Ryan also shot Blade Trinity in Vancouver, but it's expected this production will go a lot smoother.

The rest of the casting should start coming together soon as most of the cast would likely need time to get prepared for action sequences and fight/weapons training.

As production is ramping-up within the next two months we'll likely start getting announcements from trades and Fox concerning it's cast. T.J. Miller and Ed Skrien were in the mix for roles but they haven't been confirmed.

SOURCE: GLOBAL 

TJ Miller Being Looked At For Comedic Role In DEADPOOL..Is It Weasel Or Bob?

Deadpool will be released next February but we don't have much casting for the film at the moment. TheWrap has an update with news that both TJ Miller (Big Hero 6, Silicon Valley, Cloverfield) and Ed Skrien are being looked-at for major roles in the film. Miller's role is said to be comedic of nature, which I assume means it could be Weasel or Fox's version of Bob Agent of Hydra.

Ed Skrien on the other hand is said to be the up for the villain role. We have no idea who that character could be since the major script rewrites, but I would take a guess that Taskmaster or someone like that is a strong candidate. Skrien is best known for his roles in Game of Thrones and Transporter: Legacy, both of which were extremely action-heavy characters. This leads me to believe he very well could be Taskmaster or another extremely psychical X-Men villain.

Here's why I believe Taskmaster is a strong candidate to become a major villain in Deadpool.

At one time Fox tried to have a Taskmaster film put together by Joe Carnahan, who later developed a gritty Daredevil reboot for them as well. My assumption is that Fox still holds the rights to the character, since we haven't heard anything about him returning to Marvel. The Marvel villain has tangled with Deadpool on many occasions and seems like a threat that would outside the mutant world. He's also one of the more recognizable villains Deadpool has clashed with over the years.

Nothing says it couldn't lead to him getting his own spin-off eventually, since we know Fox did want to give the character his own movie. Plus, after all the extensive rewrites that the original script underwent after it leaking a lot stuff could have been scrapped.

Carnahan confirmed to SuperheroHype back in 2010 he was indeed working on the Fox movie project, adding he'd like to make a Juggernaut film as well. His vision for the Taskmaster film was a mix of Punisher, Deadpool and Blade, too bad it never came together. Joe is currently attached to direct an adaptation of Mark Millar's comic Nemesis and his successful series Blacklist airs on NBC.

"For Alex (Young, producer of "The A-Team") I was going to do Taskmaster. Originally I wanted to do Juggernaut ’cause I had a really good take on that, and then Taskmaster was something we talked about, and I haven’t discussed it with him for ages, but I would love to get back in. I love the idea of a guy with photographic reflexes, he can see something and repeat it, I thought that was such a cool idea. I think there’s a Moon Knight series where he just beats the sh*t out of Taskmaster and kind of ruined him, and it’s a cool character. I think it might be one of those Marvel characters you really need to reimagine because he’s got the whole skull and cape—it’s a bit grandiose I think—but it would certainly be a cool thing."

"It was very much in the realm of the Punisher," he continued. "It’s kind of funny because it’s almost what they were going to do with Deadpool, that same sort of smart-ass thing, before they went the way of–and I know that there are fans that hated Fox for doing that whole thing with Deadpool and Reynolds in ‘Wolverine’–but you have to create that differentiation. I think at least Taskmaster, he’s so below the radar. He’s even below where Blade was considered a B-tier Marvel character, this guy is even lesser-known. It would be a lot of fun to write it as a series and then see what came from there."

Here is the sizzle reel Joe Carnahan made for his Daredevil reboot pitch which was never made it past concept. I assume some of this helped Marvel consider a darker tone for their upcoming Netflix series dropping in April.



SOURCE: THEWRAP

Ryan Reynolds Indeed Returning To X-MEN Universe For Tim Miller's DEADPOOL And Shoots In March

Deadline reports that Ryan Reynolds is closing a deal to reprise the role of Wade Wilson better known as Deadpool in his own movie. The development on the project has been in the works since the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine back in 2009, but only just got the greenlight in September after extensive rewrites to the script. Blur Studio's Tim Miller (Thor: The Dark World) is still directing the film with a script written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernik (Zombieland). Production is said to begin in March, while the rest of the cast hasn't been announced or rumored.

I assume we'll hear official news coming very soon. Fox is also casting lead roles for Bryan Singer's X-Men: Apocalypse, so it's getting busy at those casting offices. I'll be interesting to see if people linked to Apocalypse roles will also read for Deadpool as well.




SOURCE: DEADLINE

Chris Pratt Confirms Involvement With Universal's COWBOY NINJA VIKING

Collider revealed a story that Chris Pratt (Guardians of The Galaxy, Jurassic World, Zero Dark Thirty) would be taking the lead role in Universal's adaptation of the comic book Cowboy Ninja Viking. An assassin with multiple personality disorder gives him the abilities of a cowboy, ninja and viking. The concept seems equally as insane as Fox's X-Men spin-off Deadpool, which shouldn't surprise us that the same screenwriters are working on both films. Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick penned the script, who are best known for writing/creating Zombieland. The project had Marc Forester (World War Z, Quantum of Solace) attached to direct, but Pratt confirms that it's without a director currently.

Pratt responded via Twitter to the rumor, by actually confirming it. Also, putting it out to Twitter who should direct it. Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer tackle another Reese/Wenick script. It was revealed recently that Pratt passed on Sony's Uncharted film, and this could be a big reason for that.

“@jbkelly80: @prattprattpratt pic.twitter.com/lNR1NYxT56” YES! But who is our director? That is the question. Who do u think it should be?
— chris pratt (@prattprattpratt) November 20, 2014

SOURCE: TWITTER

Fans Rejoice, Fox's X-MEN Spin-Off DEADPOOL Officially Coming February 2016!

THR has news that 20th Century Fox has finally greenlit the long in-development Deadpool spin-off. The film set in the X-Men universe has been trying to get pushed into production for years. Problems stemmed from it's R-rating, and a completed script leaked online a while back. The character doesn't really lend itself to a PG-13 rating, as his signature is hyper-violent and filthy mouth. Since then, screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (Zombieland, G.I. Joe: Retaliation) did a bunch of rewrites to the existing script. Fox has officially given the spin-off a release date of February 12th, 2016.

Director Tim Miller's test footage featuring Ryan Reynolds leaked online not too long ago. It's sort of fun, but also a bit average. Perhaps, being all digital might be the main problem people like myself have with it. Ryan played the mercenary's alter-ego Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and has been loosely attached throughout the entire development. It looks like Ryan is set in the role, and it's ready to go.

Lauren Shuler Donner is set as producer, as she heads-up all the films in the X-Men franchise. The producer has been vocal about trying to make the film with a smaller budget, to keep it's R-rating intact. It's February release could mean that Fox has agreed to this, as the winter months have been known as the dropping season for smaller studio R-rated genre flicks. X-Men: Apocalypse is said to begin shooting this April in Montreal, with a release date only months after Deadpool in May. The impression this gives me is that Deadpool is ready to go into production soon, or it will have less post-production and will be a smaller film.

I'm not sure how much of connection this film will have with the rest of the X-Men universe, considering Deadpool understands he's in a comic book and breaks the fourth-wall all the time. He'll likely end-up directly talking to the audience and making high-volume pop culture references. Two things we really haven't seen in other X-Men films. One of the weirder comic book characters in Marvel's lineup, it'll make for an unique movie.

At a point it was unknown if Fox would actually pursue the film. As five other Marvel projects have come into light since X-Men: Days of Future Past was announced. Another main X-Men film with Apocalypse, sequels to James Mangold's successful The Wolverine and Josh Trank's unreleased Fantastic Four. Other projects without release dates but are in development include Jeff Wadlow's X-Force and another spin-off focusing on Gambit (possibly played by Channing Tatum). This will be the first time Fox will release two X-Men films in one year, so it'll be interesting to see if this becomes a regular thing. As Marvel Studios has proven the demand is clearly there for these comic book movies, and the market can handle two major releases from a studio.




SOURCE: THR

Paramount Will Make G.I. JOE 3

Variety has confirmed that Paramount Pictures is moving forward with a third G.I. Joe film after the excellent box office of G.I. Joe: Retaliation. It's expected that Dwayne Johnson and director Jon M. Chu could be returning for the second sequel. No word if screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese have been asked to write the next installment. There have been teases from producers that it's possible to see a crossover with Transformers in the future.

Ryan Reynolds Says DEADPOOL's Rating Holding Back It's Greenlight, Could Director Tim Miller Exit?

HeyUGuys while interviewing Ryan Reynolds about his animated film The Croods got a brief comment about Deadpool's current status. It doesn't sound like Fox is ready to put it into production just yet, as the rating might be holding it back. Nothing says the studio will change their mind since there are plenty of R-rated comic book films coming out this year. It's had a script in place by Paul Wernick and Rheet Reese (Zombieland, Venom, G.I. Joe: Retaliation) for years now along with Tim Miller attached to direct.

"It's up to the studio. The studio I think is reluctant to pull the trigger on such a hard Rated-R script. Then the guys who wrote it and the producers won't make it unless it's that hard and, you know, raunchy." 

Fox at the moment is busy with The Wolverine (coming in July), X-Men Days of Future Past (shooting   this Spring/Summer) and The Fantastic Four reboot (later this year or early 2014). R-rated comic book films are getting more of upswing recently. 300, Sin City and Kick-Ass have been very popular and profitable R-rated comic book films post-Blade. All three movies will have sequels released in 2013 and are expected to make a solid amount of box office. So it's hard to think the rating is the only thing holding Deadpool back. Fox is also putting together an adaptation of Mark Millar's Nemesis with Joe Carnahan (attached to write/direct) which is also going to end up with a hard R-rating.

On the production side of things, since landing the directing gig on Deadpool Tim Miller has signed on to make a numerous amount of other films including Gravel (Legendary Pictures), Seasons (Sony Pictures) and just recently Artemis (20th Century Fox). I assume Miller's involvement with the film could be questionable at this point with three other films in development. My assumption is that Joe Carnahan might end up taking over direction duties. Joe already put together another Marvel film for Fox with their attempt at a Daredevil reboot. He also tried to put together a film based on the Marvel villain Taskmaster for Fox.

The elephant in the room is the disaster of Green Lantern bombing and it's massive failure could have tainted Ryan's career as a lead in superhero films. Rumblings that R.I.P.D. could have similar issues might be giving Fox cold-feet about having Ryan kept as the lead of the film. So don't be shocked if Reynolds leaves the production and Fox looks for other actors. I could see actual comedic actors like Jason Segel, Zachary Levi and Bill Hader be considered if Ryan ultimately leaves. If Chris Pratt can get super ripped for Guardians of The Galaxy these guys can do the same.

RUMOR: Dane DeHaan And Josh Trank Re-Teaming For Venom Spin-Off?

CBM is reporting on a possible rumor that could see Chronicle star Dane DeHaan and director Josh Trank re-team for the Venom spin-off. They claim that Sony hired Dane for the Harry Osborn role which would lead to him starring in Venom. Instead of having Eddie Brock Jr. or Flash Thompson Sony could be looking for a more developed and recognizable Spider-Man supporting character like Harry to become Venom. This is expected to be slowly introduced in Amazing Spider-Man 2 and would lead to the Harry becoming the anti-hero in his own spin-off. No word if Venom will come out before or after Amazing Spider-Man 3.

Venom has been in development for a while now at Sony with Josh Trank attached to direct. A script has been in place written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Deadpool, Zombieland, G.I. Joe: Retaliation). At one point Garry Ross was going to direct but exited to focus on The Hunger Games instead. Trank would eventually attach himself to the project along with Fox's Fantastic Four reboot. The latter is expected to go into production first with Matthew Vaughn recently joining the reboot as it's producer along with another writer finishing up the script. It will be interesting to see which Venom Sony ends up going with either the classic Eddie version or the new gun toting Flash take.

RUMOR: Could Harry Osborn Be Venom In AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2? Leading To VENOM Spin-Off Which Gary Ross And Josh Trank Were Linked To Direct?

A rumor has started online via CBM that Venom could be showing up or at the very least introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. This rumor stems from a recent set image that director Marc Webb tweeted to celebrate Dane Dehaan's birthday. The image is a possible lab locker which in the Ultimate Spider-Man comics (which the new films are based on) is where Parker discovers the Venom symboite. Could the rebooted version of Venom see Harry Obsorn the host instead of Eddie Brock?

This is speculation of course but Sony has been planning a Venom spin-off for years now. Exactly how Venom or the spin-off would fit into the new Spider-Man universe is unknown. A script exists from screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese best known for penning Zombieland along with upcoming projects G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Fox's Deadpool. At one point Hunger Games director Gary Ross was attached but eventually exited to focus on Games instead. Ross passed on making the next three Hunger Game sequels, so it's possible he could be back in the running. Josh Trank director of Chronicle (which stars Dehaan) recently landed the directing job for the Fantastic Four reboot but was also linked to direct Venom down the line too. Dane Dehaan is a rising star and quite possibly could be talented enough to pull-off his own Marvel franchise. You might be confused as both Eddie Brock and Flash Thompson (both unlikable characters at least in the comics) have been hosts to the Venom in the comics. Yet, to make it more cohesive with the Amazing Spider-Man franchise they might be looking at a stronger supporting character with a longstanding history and depth to be face of the new cinematic villain/anti-hero.

'VENOM' Spin-Off Update From Avi Arad

Sony hasn't revealed too much about their Spider-Man spin-off Venom concerning it's direction. What we do know is that it will have a script from Rhett Resse and Paul Wernick. The pair had previously wrote Zombieland and a promising script for the X-Men spin-off Deadpool. Josh Trank who make the small-budget superpower film Chronicle has been linked for director's chair. Some might remember that a pre-Hunger Games Gary Ross was originally attached to direct during it's early development. Topher Grace won't be reprising the role seemingly confirming that we'll see the anti-hero get a new origin separate from Spider-Man 3. Spider-Man producer Avi Arad has revealed that this movie will follow the classic story of Eddie Brock. I'm sure in the weeks leading up to and after the release of The Amazing Spider-Man we'll be hearing more from Avi and Sony on the project.

"It's an Eddie Brock story," said Arad. "We want to be as close to the comics as possible. Especially in Eddie Brock's story. But again, pseudo-sceince is becoming science. All these tidbits about webs, artificial webs, is a huge industry now. Spiderwebs have unique qualities that will be huge for communications, fibers, and so forth. So we have taken the approach that we want to make the huge amazing movie about Eddie." Tolmach adds, "He was a journalist. He had the wrong story, he got in trouble for it, he got fired. The whole essence to us for the Marvel characters. Stay close to the bible, stay close to the emotional story, and the rest is fun."

There had been some question to who would don the Venom symbiote since Brock hasn't been the only one and Sony would have access to other characters. Mac Gargan, the Spidey villain Scorpion had taken over the suit and was added to the lineup of the Thunderbolts. More recently Flash Thompson was re-envisioned as a disabled war hero given the Venom symbiote by the government. Flash is hired by the government to be a special agent wearing the Venom symbiote. Flash is only allowed to wear the suit for up to 48 hours, or risk a permanent bonding with the symbiote. The Government is also equipped with a "kill switch" designed to take Flash out if he loses control. That doesn't mean we won't see these characters explored eventually.

The symbiote sagas don't exactly fit into the Spider-Man franchise since they are traditionally dark material and include a body count. If anything a Venom film could benefit from a mature adaptation similar to Blade. Considering it would be hard to bring a serial killer supervillain like Carnage (a mass murderer) in a PG-13 franchise like Amazing Spider-Man. However, the sheer volume of characters involved could be enough to keep a mature franchise going. Carnage and Scream could end up becoming possible villains leading to more symobites and more mature Spider-Man universe villains making appearances. I could also see villains such as Sorpion (a little too similar to The Lizard for Spidey sequels) and possibly Morbius (apart of Marvel's Blade rights?) the living-vampire.



SOURCE: Hollywood

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.

Marc Forster Will Direct Cowboy Ninja Viking For Universal

Deadline reports that Universal has hired Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace, Machine Gun Preacher) to direct Cowboy Ninja Viking. Forster is currently wrapping up the Brad Pitt zombie action film World War Z. This relatively unknown comic book film got some heat when Zombieland/Deadpool writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese signed on to write the film's script when it was originally setup at Disney. The studio ended up passing on the film as it was too edgy for the family friendly Disney. Universal would eventually take on the project and it's finally moving forward.

Deadpool And Wolverine Shooting Within The Year?

20th Century Fox has a lot on their plate with their comic book films. They currently have Daredevil, Fantastic Four and an X-Men First Class sequel in different development stages. David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) is set to direct the Daredevil reboot and Josh Trank in talks for Fantastic Four. Matthew Vaughn is still being pursued to return for First Class 2 but hasn't signed on.

Two projects that have been delayed include the spin-off/reboot Deadpool and the Japanese saga The Wolverine. TheGeekFiles reports that a source from Fox confirms both films will go into production within the year. I assume they're still aiming for a summer 2013 release date for The Wolverine and I expect a late summer/fall  2013 release for Deapool. He's a rundown of the two movies and what's happened since their original announcements.

The Wolverine is expected to more of a one-off than a sequel to the Origins film. Taking inspiration from the Japanese saga written by Frank Miller and Chris Claremont. Solid source material considering the mess the first film was. The terrible disaster that effected Japan pushed back the Wolverine's original 2011 production date which was expected to shoot a good chunk of the movie there. Personal issues lead to the exit of director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem From A Dream) and James Mangold (Walk The Line, 3:10 To Yuma) stepped in. The film's script written by Christopher McQuarrie (Usual Suspects) ended up getting rewrites from Mark Bomback (Total Recall, Die Hard 4, Jack The Giant Killer). Again the film's expected Spring 2012 shoot was put into question when Hugh Jackman signed onto Tom Hooper's Les Miserables which is about to start production. It was confirmed that we'll be seeing characters like Silver Samurai, Viper, Yukio and The Hand.

Deadpool hasn't had as many issues as The Wolverine but still did have some during it's development. It's script written by the duo Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese who brought us the successful zombie comedy Zombieland ended up leaking online, revealing it's characters. Those included at the time of the leak Blind Al, Patch, Copycat, Ajax (villain) and X-Men member Colossus. While Fox seemed to freak out about the script being all over the web everyone who ended up reading it loved it. It will be interesting to see how many changes if any will end up in the final film.

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez had been named as dream directors for the project. While Rodriguez took a look at the script and had talks with Fox he ended up making Spy Kids 4 instead. VFX expert Tim Miller ended up landing the directing job which seemed to confuse a lot of people unfamiliar with his work. He owns and works for VFX company Blur Studios making some of the best cinematic trailers for video games. Miller was involved in the effects departments for both X-Men and X2. It's expected that Blur will end up doing the Deadpool's effects. They've previously worked on films like Scott Pilgrim, Avatar and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Ryan Reynolds had been eager to play Deadpool for years and was cast as Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins:Wolverine. The film was a total mess angering Deadpool fans who felt the studio ruined the on screen character. Ryan went on the defensive and the studio looked to push for a spin-off in the meantime. Even if Reynolds had been clamoring his constant involvement in giving fans a faithful Deadpool film it was questionable if he was going to stick around. During Green Lantern's production a trilogy had been brought up and it looked like Ryan could exiting Deadpool. Luckily for Fox, Green Lantern tanked and WB's rushed sequel didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon. It's been confirmed yet again that Ryan is still attached to the project and is just waiting for the production date.

Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld recently confirmed that the studio has shot around eight minutes of hard-R test footage which he's been able to preview. It seems that pre-production is currently about to start and they're just waiting for a greenlight from both Fox and producer Lauren Shuler Donner. Donner confirmed not too long ago she would be pushing the studio to go with the R rating.

Is There 8 Minutes Of R-Rated Test Footage For Deadpool?

There hasn't been much development concerning Fox's reboot of the character Wade Wilson better known as Deadpool. BleedingCool picked up creator Rob Liefelf stating he may have seen some R-rated test footage Fox could have shot. If this is indeed true it could mean that the studio could be finally figuring out when/how they will shoot. Fox seemed to have been mulling over what to do with the Merc-With-A-Mouth as the script written by the dynamic duo of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland, G.I. Joe 2) is clearly for an R-rated movie. There seemed to be some hesitation to pursue that type of rating considering all five X-Men universe films have been PG-13 money makers. X-Men franchise producer Lauren Shulder Donner recently spoke on the subject and even sounded like she was championing decision to go with an R rating. If this does happen this will be Fox's first R-rated Marvel film.

While rating isn't everything these days since Christopher Nolan was able to give us a down and dirty Batman film with the Dark Knight even if it was PG-13. Some might say the censors turned a blind-eye to a few scenes. However, when it comes to Deadpool the mercenary character needs to live in a hostile environment which he contributes to with a massive body count. He's also mentally unstable and unpredictable so explicit language is necessity. Here's hoping Fox comes to their senses and moves forward with this film soon. At one point it looked like Ryan Reynolds was going to walk from the project. Luckily, Green Lantern bombed and it doesn't look like that sequel will sweep him away.

"They’ve got a great director on the movie, they’ve got a great script. I may or may have not seen some sort of test of footage that would blow your mind if you saw it and go holy crap and that’s Deadpool in costume. Katana swords, guns, shooting people’s faces off and making me laugh. And I may or may not have seen something that looks just like that. And you’ve got what would amount to the first R Rated X-Men movie. Because that script is R Rated. 


 They may or may not have wanted to shoot eight minutes to see how it would play. And all I can tell you, it’s close. It’s closer that it’s even been to going, or going Naaah, that’s too scary a proposition to make a R Rated Deadpool movie.”

Elodie Yung To Play Jinx In G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes

HeatVision reports French actress Elodie Yung is in talks to play the role of Jinx in G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes. Jinx is a Joe who like Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow is a member of the Arashikage Ninja Clan. Yung is no stranger to action she had a rather psychical role in the French action film District 13: Ultimatum. She also has a role in David Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo playing Rooney Mara's girlfriend.

Elodie would join Dwayne Johnson (Roadblock), Channing Tatum (Duke) and Ray Park (Snake Eyes). It's also expected that Byung Hun Lee will return as Storm Shadow since he's gaining a lot of praise for his work in the Korean thriller I Saw The Devil. I have to admit I'm starting to become impressed with the new additions to the cast. They seem to be actually setting up a viable action film franchise here.

Dwayne Johnson In Talks For G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes

Deadline reports that Dwayne Johnson is circling the role of Roadblock in G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes. The sequel will re-tool the characters and tone of the first film. A bulk of the cast from the first film along with the director won't be returning for the second installment.

Dwayne Johnson is the first step in the right direction. He's slowly gaining back the action star credibility he had originally earned from The Rundown. Johnson got distracted with paychecks for terrible family films but with Faster/Fast Five he seems back on track. He's a legitimate action star which the Rise of Cobra was missing among other things.

For Paramount G.I. Joe 2 might be their big summer film of 2012 as Star Trek 2 is being pushed back to the holiday season. I'd like to think that they know there is a solid fanbase for Joes like with Transformers but they need to reel in the quality to expand interested audiences. New director Jon M. Chu gives the impression he's an actual fan of the characters and could make a slightly more grounded adventure. Working with a script from Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Deadpool, Zombieland) who are it would be hard not to outdo the original.

Ray Park Confirms Returning As Snake Eyes In G.I. Joe 2

Ray Park (X-Men) has confirmed via Twitter that he is returning for G.I. Joe 2. Reprising the role of silent Joe Snake Eyes. It had been mentioned by actress Rachel Nichols that Duke, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes would be the only returning characters. I find it doubtful that they would exclude Cobra Commander and Baroness as they are the most popular of the Cobra members. Park is the first confirmed returning cast member. I'd hope that Paramount would consider recasting Duke and Baroness and making this more of a reboot/reworking than a sequel. The film has a script written by Rhett Reese and Wernick (Zombieland, Deadpool) which is expected to be giant step up from the first film.

Fox Hires Director For Deadpool!

Deadline reports that 20th Century Fox and producer Lauren Shuler Donner have chosen a director for Deadpool. They've hired first time director Tim Miller with Ryan Reynolds still attached to star. Miller is an interesting choice as he is best known as a visual effects director working on comic book films such as X-Men 1-2 and Scott Pilgrim. It's not that terrible of an idea as the film would have a similar "look" as the first two X-Men films while being it's own thing. Neill Blomkamp had a similar background as Miller before making District 9 and working on the effects himself cutting down the post-production costs. Eventually making a 30-40 million dollar film look like it was done for $100-150 million. This could be a tactic used by Fox to make a large scale R-rated film like District 9 without spending the money they would on a PG-13 comic book film.

It's unknown when this could start production as Fox is still looking for a director to take over The Wolverine for Darren Aronofsky. I wouldn't be shocked to see Deadpool move forward sooner than expected with a script and director now in place. Ryan is also attached but not committed to R.I.P.D. which Zach Galifianakis just dropped out and is set for summer production start. I'd like to think Reynolds would be more committed to making Deadpool first as he's been involved with it since day one.

Lauren Shulder Donner Talks Deadpool, Will Be Faithful R-Rated Comedy & Renyolds Still In

X-Men producer Lauren Shulder Donner also talked to Empire about their spin-off Deadpool. She confirms that they are currently looking for a director. Also the film is an R-rated comedy that will be a complete reboot and could take shots at the fan-hated version seen in Wolverine. This confirms previous statements made by Daredevil director David Slade that Fox was looking for comedy directors to make Deadpool. Lauren gives the impression that the studio is willing to wait for Ryan Reynolds and he's very involved with the film's script.

"We're looking for a director, yes. He’s very involved, Ryan. He’s working with the writers on the screenplay and it is as much as it is ours....mindful of Reynolds' ever-growing logjam of work, added that the film would shoot in the next year or so."

"We’re either going to pretend that didn’t happen or mock it, which he could. It’s insane, it’s definitely comedy, but it’s an R script, it’s really irreverent and violent. Right away, we’re out of the X-Men world...I'm tellin' ya, it's true to the comic. You’ll see all of them. You’ll see Wade Wilson, the good-looking Ryan Reynolds! You’ll see Deadpool in his costume and you’ll see the cancer-scarred face."