Need a quick recap of the past week in movie news? Here are the highlights:
Spider-Man 3 finds its “home”: After three of the stars of the Spider-Man franchise shared three fake “home”-centric titles for the next installment (Spider-Man: Phone Home, Spider-Man: Home-Wrecker and Spider-Man: Home Slice), lead actor Tom Holland revealed the true moniker via Instagram post. According to the shared video, his third Spidey feature is called Spider-Man: No Way Home. The sequel is due in theaters on December 17.
Superman returns again: On the other side of the superhero movie aisle, DC Films and Warner Bros. are rebooting Superman yet again. Shadow and Act reports that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams is producing the next iteration of the most famous superhero of all time, and he’s got author and comic book writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, best known for his novel Between the World and Me, working on the screenplay. No director or actor is attached to the project yet.
Angel Manuel Soto to direct Blue Beetle: DC Films and Warner Bros. are also developing their first feature focused on a Latino superhero, and they’ve just found its director. According to The Wrap, Puerto Rican filmmaker Angel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings) will helm Blue Beetle from a script by Mexican writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (the Miss Bala remake). The comic book adaptation will follow a Mexican-American teenager who becomes the titular DC character thanks to a powerful extraterrestrial battle suit that attaches itself to his spine.
Sasha Calle is Supergirl: Speaking of Latinx representation in the DC superhero movies, Colombian-American actress Sasha Calle has been cast as Supergirl, according to Deadline. Best known for her Daytime Emmy-nominated role on the TV soap opera The Young and the Restless, Calle will make her debut as the comic book character in The Flash, which is due in theaters in late 2022. Meanwhile, The Wrap reports that fellow Colombian-American actress Rachel Zegler (Maria in the upcoming West Side Story remake) has joined the DC superhero sequel Shazam: Fury of the Gods in an undisclosed “key” role.
Another lap for The Running Man: A second character from an ‘80s movie about to find a new face is Ben Richards, hero of The Running Man. According to Deadline, Hot Fuzz filmmaker Edgar Wright will co-write and direct a new adaptation of the Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman) story about a violent game show in a dystopian future. Reportedly, this will be a more faithful version than the 1987 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Dee Rees to remake Porgy and Bess: Speaking of redos, Porgy and Bess is the latest musical update heading for the big screen. Deadline reports that Pariah and Mudbound filmmaker Dee Rees will write and direct the new version of George Gershwin’s classic Broadway show for MGM. The romantic feature joins the trend including the aforementioned West Side Story remake and Paramount’s recently announced redo of The King and I.
Milla Jovovich heads into Lost Lands: Paul W.S. Anderson will again direct his wife and Resident Evil and Monster Hunter star, Milla Jovovich, in his next movie. According to Variety, Anderson is adapting In the Lost Lands, an epic story by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, which will feature Jovovich as a powerful sorceress. Dave Bautista will co-star as a drifter who joins her on a quest through the titular wilderness.
