It’s been another busy week in film.
Television shed a bunch of shows, an old sitcom is getting a revival, a video game movie has some hype, and a long-time screenwriter is finally making the jump into directing. Check out everything that happened in film last week.
A Slew of TV Cancellations
TV networks and streaming services are cleaning house on a lot of their series. It’s not uncommon to see such a cropping up of cancellations given the abundance of shows being developed, where it seems like there’s a new TV series every week. So here’s a brief rundown of what shows are being canceled.
Hulu: “MODOK”
NBC: “Mr. Mayor”
The CW: “Charmed”, “Naomi”, “Dynasty”, “Roswell: New Mexico”
You may have noticed that the CW has the highest amount of cancellations. They come coupled with the recent announcements of canceling the DC Comics Arrowverse shows “Batwoman” and “Legends of Tomorrow”. A big part of this is that it seems like Paramount and Warner Bros are placing The CW channel up for sale. The future could be looking much different for the network once known for teen dramas and superhero series.
Kurtwood Smith on That 90’s Show
The TV sitcom “That 70’s Show” will be returning with a spin-off sequel series of sorts. Currently in production is “That 90’s Show”, a sitcom that will continue onward with the couple of Red Foreman and his wife Kitty, reprised by Kurtwood Smith and Deborah Jo Rupp respectively.
In an interview with Comic Book, Smith spoke a little about his return to the character:
“I can’t tell you too much, but I can tell you that the big thing for me was getting to play that character again and getting to play that character with Deborah Jo Rupp playing my wife Kitty. Those two things were enough to entice me to want to do the project. I thought that, and then third was the fact that Gregg [Mettler]… who was a writer from the original show was a writer on this, not just the writer, excuse me. He’s pretty much the creator on the show.”
What little we know about the show at this point is that it will take place in 1995 and center around Red and Kitty being grandparents.
Will Johnny Cage Be in Mortal Kombat 2?
Warner Bros is soon heading into production with a sequel to 2021’s “Mortal Kombat”. The film will continue the violent showdowns of a tournament deciding the fate of Earth. For being based on a video game, there’s a lot of questioning about what characters will be included in the next installment.
The screenwriter of the sequel, Jeremy Slater of “Moon Knight” fame, spoke with Comic Book about the upcoming film. He briefly went over the prospect of fan-favorite Johnny Cage appearing, given that he was teased at the end of the last movie.
“Johnny Cage is one of my favorite characters, and I think there’s definitely a promise with the way the first movie ends of seeing Cole being like, ‘Okay, my next stop is to go recruit Johnny.’ So I think if he wasn’t included in the sequel at all, it would feel very strange. It’s still a little bit up in the air how much he will be included, it’s one of the things we’re currently working on. But yeah, I love Johnny and I would love to really do the definitive version, if possible, and really take everything that’s fun about that character and bring that to live action.”
No release date has been chosen for the film.
John Logan Makes Horror Directorial Debut
John Logan is a big name in screenwriting. He’s created “Penny Dreadful” as well as having penned the screenplays for “Gladiator”, “The Aviator”, “Hugo”, “Skyfall”, and a host of other movies. But now he’s taking the next big step in his career by finally directing a film of his own.
Logan has directed the film “They/Them”, a horror film set a gay conversion camp. It will star Kevin Bacon, Anna Chlumsky, and Carrie Preston with Jason Blum and Michael Aguilar producing.
Logan briefly spoke about working on the first film he has ever directed:
“They/Them” has been germinating within me my whole life. I’ve loved horror movies as long as I can remember, I think because monsters represent ‘the other’ and as [a] gay kid I felt a powerful sense of kinship with those characters who were different, outlawed, or forbidden. I wanted to make a movie that celebrates queerness, with characters that I never saw when I was growing up. When people walk away from the movie, I hope they’re going to remember the incredible love that these kids have for each other and how that love needs to be protected and celebrated.”
Here’s the press release on what we can expect from the film:
“Theo Germaine (they/them) plays Jordan, a transgender and non-binary camper from a religious background who has made a deal with their parents to legally emancipate if attending Whistler doesn’t “work.” Quei Tann (she/her) plays Alexandra, a transgender woman whose parents have threatened to kick her out of the house if she didn’t attend the camp. Austin Crute (he/him) plays Toby, a gay camper who negotiated with his parents for a trip to New York in exchange for a week at Whistler Camp. Monique Kim (she/her) plays Veronica, a bisexual camper who wants to stop fighting who she really is.
Anna Lore (she/her) plays Kim, a closeted lesbian camper who puts on a perfectly crafted front for her family and friends, assuming that when she fits in, she’ll finally be loved. Cooper Koch (he/him) plays Stu, a jock with aspirations of a swim scholarship and joining his father’s fraternity — things he doesn’t feel he can achieve if he’s open about being gay. Darwin del Fabro (he/him) plays Gabriel, a sensitive gay camper tired of the persistent name-calling and bullying he’s endured his entire life.”
“They/Them” will debut on the Peacock streaming service on August 5th, 2022.
