Film News Roundup: Michael B. Jordan, Jordan Vogt-Roberts Team for Monster Movie

In today’s film news roundup, Michael B. Jordan is producing a creature feature, billiards champ Cisero Murphy is getting a movie, the sixth Terminator movie gets a title, and Graham King receives an honor.

PROJECT UNVEILED

New Regency and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society are partnering on an untitled monster movie from “Kong: Skull Island” director Jordan Vogt-Roberts.

Vogt-Roberts, who’s based in Detroit, will produce alongside Outlier Society’s Jordan and Alana Mayo as well as New Regency. Exact plot details are being kept under wraps other than the project being set in Detroit. A search for a writer will get underway immediately.

“Kong: Skull Island” grossed $565 million at the global box office, leading Legendary to ramp up its Monsterverse franchise with the upcoming “Godzilla vs. Kong.” His other credits include “The Kings of Summer,” which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and the pilot for FX show “You’re the Worst,” in addition to episodes in the final season, which is currently airing. He is attached to the film adaptation of video game “Metal Gear Solid” for Sony Pictures.

New Regency produced “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which won four Academy Awards and grossed $879 million worldwide. It’s also set to release James Gray’s upcoming “Ad Astra,” starring Brad Pitt, Ruth Negga, Tommy Lee Jones, and Donald Sutherland.

Outlier Society was founded by Jordan in 2016 and was one of the first companies to publicly adopt the inclusion rider. It’s signed a first-look film deal with Warner Bros. Studios and a first-look television deal with Amazon Studios earlier this year. Forthcoming projects include an adaption of “Red Wolf”; WWII action drama “The Liberators”; “61st Street” for AMC; and the OWN drama series “David Makes Man” from Tarell Alvin McCraney.

Jordan broke out as Oscar Grant in the drama “Fruitvale Station” and portrayed boxer Adonis Creed in the two “Rocky” sequels. He played the antagonist Erik Killmonger in last year’s hit “Black Panther.” Vogt-Roberts is represented by UTA and 3 Arts Entertainment. Jordan and Outlier Society are represented by WME.

The Lagralane Group and United Film House have secured rights to the manuscript detailing the life of billiard champion Cisero Murphy, Variety has learned exclusively.

In 1965, Murphy became the first African-American to play in and win a world billiards tournament. Cisero Murphy Jr. has written the manuscript.

“We’ve been developing this project for several years with Cisero Jr. to make sure his father’s story will be told as authentically as possible,” says Camille LaBry West from United Film House.

Camille LaBry West and Blake West will be producing the project from United Film House with Jason Delane Lee, Yvonne Huff Lee, and Matthew Soraci from Lagralane.

MOVIE TITLE

Paramount has announced “Terminator: Dark Fate” as the title for the sixth Terminator movie, which will open Nov. 1 against Sony’s revamped “Charlie’s Angels.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger is reprising the role of his iconic cyborg, while Linda Hamilton will be returning as Sarah Connor.

The sequel will be produced by Skydance and series creator James Cameron. The upcoming installment will mark the first time that Hamilton, Schwarzenegger, and Cameron will be working together on the franchise since 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”

HONOR

Graham King will receive this year’s CinemaCon International Filmmaker of the Year Award on April 1 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas at the International Day Luncheon.

“With over 20 years of bringing films to audiences around the world, Graham King has continued to produce not only blockbuster releases but films that have been heralded by critics, film groups and audiences alike,” said Mitch Neuhauser, managing director of Cinemacon.

“With the astounding success of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ a passion project which took nearly 10 years to bring to the big screen, King continues to show his dedication to bringing audiences worldwide films that entertain, empower and intrigue,” he added.

King won the Academy Award for best picture for “The Departed” and was nominated for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Aviator,” and “Hugo.”

Michael B. Jordan and 'Kong: Skull Island' Director Teaming Up for Original Monster Movie

The creature feature will be set in Jordan Vogt-Roberts' hometown of Detroit.

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts is returning to the big ol' monster genre that shot his name into the spotlight, and he's bringing along resident Black Panther baddie Michael B. Jordan with him. THR reports that the Kong: Skull Island filmmaker's next project will be a creature feature set in Detroit over at New Regency, the production company behind Bohemian Rhapsody. Jordan is set to produce under his Outlier Society banner alongside Alana Mayo; no word yet on whether the Creed standout also plans to star.

The report notes that a search for a screenwriter to tackle the monstrous film is now underway.

Plot details on the movie—which is based on an original story pitch from Vogt-Roberts—are being kept hush-hush for now. But the Motor City setting isn't a surprise. Vogt-Roberts grew up in the city and maintains a strong relationship with the local artistic community; In 2011 he co-founded The Detroit Creativity Project, a non-profit that fosters the city's youth through improv comedy.

Kong: Skull Island proved Vogt-Roberts knows his way around a creature feature as well. The filmmaker's take on the iconic mountain-sized monkey not only brought in $567 million worldwide, but it also officially opened up the door for Legendary's shared monster-verse, which continues in this year's Godzilla: King of the Monsters and will come to a titanic head in 2020's Godzilla vs. Kong.

If Jordan ultimately doesn't star in the project, it's most likely because the dude is so dang busy. The actor is in talks to star in A Journal for Jordan directed by Denzel Washington as well as re-team for Black Panther and Creed director Ryan Coogler for the filmmaker's Wrong Answer, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This coming off a massive 2018 that began with his Black Panther antagonist Erik Killmonger becoming the best technically-not-wrong villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor also continued the Rocky franchise with Creed II and starred across from Michael Shannon in HBO's Farenheight 451 adaptation. Jordan has upped his presence behind the camera as well, serving as an executive-producer on Rooster Teeth's gen: Lock anime series. Back in January, his Outlier Society officially inked a first-look deal with Warner Bros.

The actor is attached to the next project from the 'Dunkirk' director.
John David Washington is set to star in Christopher Nolan's next film, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Nolan's next project will be produced by the Dunkirk director and his partner Emma Thomas. Warner Bros. earlier announced that Nolan's upcoming untitled film will open in Imax on July 17, 2020.

Washington, star of Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman, is also the son of Denzel Washington.

The upcoming project is described as an event film, but nothing else is known about Nolan’s latest venture. The writer-director has a propensity for secrecy, penning his scripts away from any prying eyes. Nolan is also of such a stature that he can attract the actors he wants, package his project with talent and then present it to a studio with what amounts to a simple yes or no question: Are you in or are you out?

Nolan is coming off of the World War II film Dunkirk, which won three Academy Awards and earned the filmmaker his first best director Oscar nomination. The Warner Bros. film grossed $526.9 million globally.

Washington was one of the stars of HBO’s Ballers, but it is was his performance in BlacKkKlansman that earned him leading-man status. In the movie, which earned a best picture nomination, the actor played a police officer who infiltrates the KKK, with the part being dramatic, comedic and even romantic.

Nolan is currently more than 20 years into his filmmaking career. After releasing his $6,000 feature debut, Following, in 1998, he broke out with 2000's Memento, which earned him and his brother, Jonathan Nolan, best screenplay Oscar nominations. He has gone on to carve out a reputation for crafting cerebral blockbusters, which have also included 2002's Insomnia and 2006's The Prestige.

The French actor, who faced her fear of heights to play a trapeze artist in the Disney reimagining, also recalls initially rejecting her breakout role: “Ugh, a Bond girl? What kind of prissy girl is that?”

After inspiring James Bond’s Vesper martini, Eva Green is flying high yet again thanks to Tim Burton’s Dumbo.

As positive social media reactions roll in for Disney’s live-action reimagining of its classic animated film, Green has a lot to be proud of as she not only flew Dumbo but conquered her deep-rooted fear of heights in the process. The Casino Royale star plays aerialist Colette Marchant, and much to Green’s dismay, director Tim Burton requested that she perform some of Colette’s aerial stunts.

After a couple months of rigorous training alongside circus performers and acrobats, Green realized that she just might be able to pull off the impossible.

This is Green’s third collaboration with Burton, and the actor has become known for stepping into highly stylized worlds. But she first broke out in a grounded and hard-edged reboot, 2006’s Casino Royale. Green’s star-making role of Vesper Lynd helped launch the Daniel Craig era of Bond films, and her performance still has many 007 enthusiasts ranking her as the preeminent “Bond girl."

Oddly enough, Green nearly missed out on her breakout role after turning down an audition nine months prior to actually getting the part. By the time producers returned to Green, production was looming and Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron were also in the running.

“I was probably a bit stupid or naive. I said, ‘Ugh, a Bond girl? What kind of prissy girl is that?’ They also kept the script secret,” Green tells The Hollywood Reporter. “So it wasn’t until they gave me the script [nine months later] that I realized it was a meaty role. I didn't see her as a Bond girl. She’s a strong character; she’s got cracks.”

In a conversation with THR, Green opens up about working with Tim Burton for the third time, her reluctance to return to her native French accent for Dumbo, and her fondness for Bond producer Barbara Broccoli.

Clearly, you thrive alongside Tim Burton since Dumbo is your third film together. What makes his sets such a fertile environment for you to create?

First of all, he’s such a kind man. You feel safe as he always wants the actors to feel comfortable. There’s never any judgement or anything like that. His sets are very playful. You don’t have the pressure or the tension that you might have on other projects. He just trusts you; he lets you be free. He also has a very particular way of communicating as well. He would draw and say, “This is how I see the scene.” Suddenly, off we go. It’s just a fun way to be working.

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