The Random: Paddington Bear 3, Shrek, Willy Wonka prequel, Once Upon A Deadpool, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, Fantastic Beasts and more

Once Upon A Deadpool

Fox is recutting the R-rated Deadpool 2 as a PG-13 film called Once Upon A Deadpool. It will have a limited-engagement that begins Dec. 12 and concludes on Christmas Eve. The lion’s share of Once Upon Deadpool is footage from Deadpool 2 that has been edited to meet PG-13 thresholds of violence and language. There’s also new footage in the form of a framing sequence that was conceived by Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Working with a small film crew, Reynolds and his cohorts filmed all the framing scenes in a day. Fred Savage will reprise his role from the 1987 classic, The Princess Bride, in the new framing sequence alongside Reynold’s Deadpool.

Reynolds explained to Deadline that for every ticket sold $1 will go to the audaciously named F-ck Cancer campaign, which will be temporarily renamed “Fudge Cancer” for the purpose of tie-in fundraising effort.

Paddington Bear 3

In an interview with Collider, producer David Heyman (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald) has officially confirmed that they currently in the process of developing a third Paddington Bear movie. However, Heyman has also added that director Paul King might not be returning to direct the third movie.

War of the Worlds

Greg Kinnear is in talks to star in Fox Networks Group’s European remake of War of the Worlds. Set in the present day, it will be a reimagined telling of HG Wells’ alien invasion story. It will air on Canal+ in France and on Fox across 50 territories across Europe and Africa. Studiocanal will distribute internationally.

It is currently in pre-production and sources close to production have told Deadline that it is set to start full production next year.

The BBC is also working on an adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic Sci-Fi tale, but that one is set in Edwardian England and stars Rafe Spall, Eleanor Tomlinson, Robert Carlyle and Rupert Graves.

Child’s Play

Beatrice Kitsos (The Exorcist) and Ty Consiglio (Wonder) have signed on to join the cast of MGM’s forthcoming reboot of Child’s Play. Kitsos and Consiglio will be playing the roles of Falyn and Pugg, two friends of Andy Barclay in the new film which is currently shooting in Vancouver, Canada. They join the previously announced cast Aubrey Plaza (Ingrid Goes West, “Legion”, “Parks and Recreation”) as Karen and Emmy and Tony nominee Brian Tyree Henry (“Atlanta”, Widows, If Beale Street Could Talk) as Mike – Bloody Disgusting

Willy Wonka

Simon Rich (Man Seeking Woman) is writing the script and David Heyman (Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises) is producing a new Willy Wonka movie. We have heard in the past they are looking at the likes of Ryan Reynolds or Donald Glover to play Wonka. Heyman has now said that the film will be a prequel to what has gone before.

– Collider

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

This new featurette takes a closer look at Jude Law as Dumbledore. FantasticBeasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in cinemas November 16.

Lou

Academy Award winner Allison Janney has signed on to star in Lou, a dramatic thriller from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot production banner. Anna Foerster, known for her work on TV’s Outlander and Jessica Jones, is helming the project, which will be produced by Abrams and Braden Aftergood (Hell or High Water). The script, by Maggie Cohn with revision by Jack Stanley, follows a young woman and her landlord, Lou, who team up to track down the former’s child after the girl is kidnapped by the woman’s estranged husband. The story has been described as being a tonal mix of Thelma and Louis and Taken. Janney will play the landlord, a hard-shelled and rule-breaking woman that has unexpectedly impressive tracking abilities, among other skill sets – THR

Hellboy

Thomas Hayden Church (Sideways, George of the Jungle, Spider-Man 3) may have joined the cast of Hellboy as 1930’s pulp hero Lobster Johnson – https://discussingfilm.wordpress.com/2018/11/04/thomas-haden-church-cast-as-lobster-johnson-in-hellboy-exclusive/Discussing Film

Le Brio

Letitia Wright (Black Panther) is attached to star in and executive produce the U.S. remake of 2017’s Le Brio, which is currently in development. The French original revolves around the relationship between a young French-Arab woman from an underprivileged neighbourhood (played by singer-turned-actress Camelia Jordana) and a brilliant but prejudiced professor (played by Daniel Auteuil), who is forced to coach her for an annual speech contest.

Wright will play the female lead in the remake, which will also explore the complex relationship between a student and a professor who come from different ethnic and social backgrounds. However, the plot of the movie won’t center on the speech competition – Variety

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, and Salma Hayek are officially returning for a Hitman’s Bodyguard sequel. Lionsgate will release “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” in North America, the studio announced Thursday at the American Film Market in Santa Monica, Calif., where Millennium Media is handling sales. Patrick Hughes will take on directing duties again from a script by Tom O’Connor. The sequel follows bodyguard Michael Bryce (Reynolds) enlisted by Jackson and Hayek’s characters to join them on a mission along the Amalfi Coast. Production is expected to start in March.

Shrek

Universal Pictures has tasked Chris Meledandri (Despicable Me) with finding some fresh storylines to reintroduce Shrek and Puss in Boots to new generations of moviegoers. One thing the animation guru doesn’t want to mess with is with the vocal performances –  Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas – Meledandri says he would like to get the band back together.

– Variety