‘Minecraft’ With Jason Momoa Lands 2025 Release; ‘Aquaman 2,’ ‘The Color Purple’ Swap Dates – Film News in Brief
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“Minecraft,” a live-action adaptation of the wildly popular video game starring Jason Momoa, has been set by Warner Bros. to open on April 4, 2025. The film will be directed by Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite,” “Nacho Libre”), with Roy Lee, Jill Sobel Messick, Mary Parent, Lydia Winters and Vu Bui producing.
The announcement was part of a larger reshuffle of Warner Bros.’ feature slate. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” (also with Momoa) and “The Color Purple” have swapped release dates, with the DC superhero sequel now set to bow first on Dec. 20 of this year, followed by the musical adaptation on Christmas Day. Originally, “The Color Purple” — based on the Broadway musical that was itself based on Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel — had been scheduled to open first on Dec. 20.
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“The Wise Guys,” the gangster drama in which Robert De Niro is set to play dual roles as warring crime bosses, also landed a release date of Feb. 2, 2024. Barry Levinson (“Rain Man,” “Wag the Dog”) is directing from a script by Nicholas Pileggi (“Goodfellas”).
“The Wise Guys” takes over the date that had been previously assigned to the animated feature “Toto,” which tells the story of “The Wizard of Oz” from the perspective of Dorothy’s titular dog. The film is now undated. A placeholder for an untitled DC film set for Sept. 22, 2023 was removed from the schedule entirely, in the wake of the new regime at DC Studios.
Finally, an “Untitled WB Event Film” was dated for Dec. 19, 2025.
Alyssa Milano to Executive Produce ‘For The Animals: A Dogumentary’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Actor and activist Alyssa Milano has signed on to executive produce the upcoming documentary “For The Animals: A Dogumentary,” directed by Sadhvi Siddhali Shree and Sadhvi Anubhuti.
Milano previously teamed with Anubhuti and Shree for the production of their 2022 documentary “Surviving Sex Trafficking.” The film will be distributed by Filmhub toward the end of 2023.
“For The Animals” is a feature-length documentary about a small group of animal rights activists in Houston, Texas, dedicated to saving the lives of stray cats and dogs living on the street. The group is led by twin sisters Tena Lundquist Faust and Tama Lundquist who are committed to helping stray animals Texas. Proceeds from the film will be used to help companion animals find homes and contribute to their welfare.
“Working with Sadhvi Siddhali Shree and Sadhvi Anubhuti is always so fulfilling because their projects beautifully combine my love of filmmaking with my activism,” stated Milano. “This film is yet another opportunity to use my platform and my voice for the voiceless. I hope it leads to forever homes for these stray animals.”
Filmmakers Shree and Anubhuti are also Jain monks of the Siddhayatan Tirth spiritual retreat center based in Dallas, Texas.
“There is nothing purer than an animal’s unconditional love,” Anubhuti said. “As Jain monks, we have dedicated our lives to raising awareness about non-violence and the importance of respecting all living creatures, uplifting their status, and seeing all souls as equal. This film aims to help more people understand the extent of the problem and how it is solvable.”
In addition to Milano, executive producers of the documentary also include Tena Faust, Tyson Faust, Tama Lundquist, Dr. Peter Farrell, Susan and Dan Boggio, Sue Smith, Jan Duncan and the Zikomo Foundation.
Feature Entertainment Studio Will Power ‘Lollipop’ Racing Franchise Written by David Ayer and Chris Long
Entertainment studio and technology company Feature has announced their plans to utilize blockchain protocol Polygon to generate “Lollipop,” a racing franchise written and executive produced by David Ayer (“The Fast and the Furious”) and Chris Long of Cedar Park Studios.
“Lollipop” is a revolutionary content experience created by Feature that is set to blend features of episodic streaming, gaming and professional sports for users to indulge in.
“We’re incredibly excited to be partnering with Polygon Labs as we pioneer next-generation content experiences and bring the world’s first next-generation storytelling project to market with ‘Lollipop,’” says Feature’s founder and CEO, Steven Ilous. “Polygon technology will play an integral component in seamlessly bringing the ‘Lollipop’ experience to audiences across the globe.”
Feature utilizes technology to elevate content experiences via gamification, artificial intelligence and user-generated content. The company is backed by Cedar Park Studios, an independent film studio founded by Ayer and Long. Together, they will lead the narrative of the “Lollipop” exhibition.
Submissions Open for the 10th Annual Location Managers Guild International Awards
The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) have announced that submissions for their 10th Annual LMGI Awards are open and will close on May 21. This year’s ceremony marks the 20th anniversary of the LGMI which aims to highlight and commemorate “the instrumental role of filming locations” that enhances tone, characters and storytelling narratives. The LMGI Awards, too, celebrate film commissions that exemplify outstanding scouting, pre-production and production processes of particular projects.
Both domestic and international submissions are to be accepted with productions that were released between June 2, 2022 and June 1, 2023, with a minimum of 60% of the production being shot on location.
Contemporary Film, Period Film, Contemporary TV, Period TV, TV Serial Program/Anthology/Limited Series, Commercials and Film Commissions categories will be presented with outstanding location awards. Honorary Awards are to include the Humanitarian, Lifetime Achievement, Trailblazer and Eva Monley Award.
The 2023 LMGI Awards co-chairs are John Rakich, LMGI president, and Robin Citrin, supervising location manager.
All nominations will be announced on June 30. The LMGI Awards ceremony will be held on Aug. 26.
Boom Box Post Opens New Post-Production Sound Studio In Burbank
Boom Box Post, a full-service animation post-production sound studio, has opened a brand-new facility in Burbank, Calif. The facility will provide clients with top-notch sound design and mixing services, including Pro Tools systems and Dilby Atmos mixing stages and 5.1 editing suites.
Kate Finan and Jeff Shiffman, founders of Boom Box Post, say that their spaces are more than just workspaces, but places for collaboration and opportunity.
“We wanted to create a space that encouraged creativity and collaboration,” said Shiffman. “Our new facility is a perfect representation of our commitment to providing the best possible service to our clients while maintaining the artistic integrity of our work.”
“We are thrilled to be opening our doors to the new facility in Burbank,” said Finan. “It’s an exciting time for us as we continue to expand and push the boundaries of what’s possible in post-production sound.”
The pair have an extensive combined career, with 41 award nominations between them, including a Daytime Emmy and three Golden Reel Awards.
film•raderie Sets Date for ‘The Future on Film’ Virtual Event
film•raderie has announced that their inaugural event, The Future on Film, will be held virtually on April 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. PT. The conference is set to explore the future of film, TV and new media, specifically to investigate the influence of science in the modern entertainment industry. The Future on Film will kick off with a keynote address followed by two industry-filled panels.
Keynote speakers include Ted Schilowitz, futurist-in-residence of Paramount Pictures, and Darrien Michele Gipson, executive director of Film-Raderie.
Ryan Silbert will moderate the “Envisioning the Future” panel set to feature NASA scientists and innovate storytellers. Panelists include Swati Mohan (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Michelle Thaller (NASA), and Nicole Perlman (screenwriter of “Guardians of the Galaxy”).
The second panel, entitled “Designing the Future,” will be moderated by Eric Molinsky with a variety of film creatives to discuss the futuristic influences present in their work. Panelists include Jeff Desom (VFX, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”), Gersha Phillips (costume designer, of “Star Trek: Discovery”) and Alexandra Schaller (production designer of “After Yang”).
Patrick Cheh Secures Television and Film Rights to “WingMakers” Novels
Producer Patrick Cheh has secured the television and film rights to six “WingMakers” novels, a series of books that center around multidimensionality, consciousness, technology, and artificial intelligence. Cheh has been making films since 1994, including “The Watcher” starring Keanu Reeves.
First published in the 1990s, the “WingMakers” series includes five books by an anonymous author writing under the pseudonym James Mahu.
The producer is looking to adapt the upcoming sci-fi thriller “Copernicus” (which will be the sixth book in the series) for television. The book tells the story of Copernicus, a self-aware artificial intelligence machine as it sets out to upend the world in a mission to “do the greatest good for the greatest number of beings.
Cheh is a fan of Mahu’s ability to turn such complex subjects into such digestible literature. “I love James’ unparalleled insight and deep perspectives on matters that are cosmological, interdimensional and even spiritual in nature and he’s written them in popular genres such as action, fantasy, sci-fi and mystery thriller,” said Cheh.
“But what really got me is that they are all heart-centered in nature and that they invoke an intuitive sense of connection to one another and to the universe.
The WingMakers series includes the novels “The Ancient Arrow Project,” “The Dohrman Prophecy,” “Quantusum,” “The Weather Composer: The Rise of the Mahdi” and “The Weather Composer 2: The Battlefield is Born.”
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