ICYMI: James Cameron Dishes on Avatar Sequels, Unreleased Pixar Movies and Sequels, Mary Magdalene trailer, Tag, The Shaft and Goldfinch new release dates, Ridley Scott on Third Alien Prequel

James Cameron discussed with Vanity Fair his plans on the first of the four long-awaited Avatar sequels. The sequel will be released on December 18, 2020, followed by Avatar 3 on December 17, 2021. Filming will then begin on Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, which will be released on December 20, 2024 and December 19, 2025. Cameron talked about collaborating once more with his Titanic star Kate Winslet.

Coming Soon wrote about canceled Disney-Pixar movies that almost made it to the big screen, but didn’t, due to unfortunate events. A live-action feature film called 1906 was set to be directed by Oscar winner Brad Bird; the animated film Newt, directed by Pete Docter, director of Up; and Henry Salick’s The Shadow King. Abandoned sequels such as Toy Story 3, Monsters, Inc. 2 and Finding Nemo 2 were also described as projects that could have happened.

The first official trailer for Mary Magdalene, starring Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix, dropped on Youtube. Directed by Garth Davis (Lion), the film hits theaters on March 16, 2018 and tells the story of Magdalene (Mara) and her life with Jesus (Phoenix).

Warner Bros. has changed the release date for the comedy Tag, as well as movies Shaft and The Goldfinch for 2019. Tag, starring Jeremy Renner, Rashida Jones and Annabelle Wallis, has moved from June 29 to June 15, 2018. Shaft will premiere on June 14, 2019. The Goldfinch is set for October 11, 2019.

Ridley Scott discussed how the third Alien prequel will have “less alien, more robot”, according to Coming Soon.

“People say, ‘You need more alien, you need more face pulling, need more chest bursting,’ so I put a lot of that in ‘Covenant’ and it fitted nicely. But I think if you go again you need to start finding another solution that’s more interesting.”
‒ Ridley Scott

Sony Pictures has moved All the Money in the World’s release date from December 22 to Christmas Day, December 25, 2017. Director Ridley Scott replaced Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer, reshooting all of his scenes with the full support of the cast after the sexual harassment allegations against Spacey.

For more movie news you may have missed, check out last week’s issue of Movies After Dark.

Guess Who: Big Little Lies’ Kathryn Newton Cast in Pokemon Movie, IT’s Jack Dylan Joins Shazam!, Dexter Fletcher replaces Bryan Singer on Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody and more!

Fans of Big Little Lies will be surprised to hear that actress Kathryn Newton is in negotiations for the lead role opposite The Get Down’s Justice Smith, according to Coming Soon. Newton will play the role of Lucy, a journalist who accompanies Smith’s character on an adventure.

Jack Dylan, star of the critically acclaimed horror remake IT, is joining the cast of David F. Sandberg’s superhero movie Shazam! Zachary Levi (Thor films, Chuck, Tangled), who will play the “world’s mightiest mortal,” and Asher Angel, who will play Billy Batson in the DC adaptation, also co-star. Sandberg has confirmed Shazam!’s release date for April 2019.

Eddie the Eagle director Dexter Fletcher has replaced Bryan Singer on the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, according to Coming Soon. This comes after Bryan Singer was fired from the production after he didn’t show on the set after Thanksgiving break. Production was first suspended, then Singer was fired on December 4. Bohemian Rhapsody is set to arrive in theaters on Christmas Day in 2018.

André Øvredal, director of The Autopsy of Jane Doe and Trollhunters, is set to helm the upcoming horror film Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, according to Coming Soon. Guillermo Del Toro (The Shape of Water, Hellboy) was originally set to direct, but is now to produce with Sean Daniel, Jason Brown and Elizabeth Grave. Production is set to begin next summer.

Andi Matichak (Orange Is the New Black, Underground) has been cast in David Gordon Green and Danny McBride’s Halloween, according to Coming Soon. The Blumhouse and Universal Pictures production also stars Judy Greer and Jamie Lee Curtis. Andi Matichak will play Allyson, the daughter of Greer’s character.

Blue is the Warmest Color star Jérémie Laheurte has been cast in the futuristic sci-fi thriller Vestige, from Stephon Stewart. Mickey Rourke, Anne Heche and Analeigh Tipton also co-star.  Laheurte will play Infinity, a sexually-charged, mysterious artist who is also a prostitute that has a passionate relationship with Tipton’s character.

Shippers Ahoy!: The Star Wars: The Last Jedi Cast on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The Star Wars: The Last Jedi cast ‒ Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Laura Dern, Gwen Christie, Kelly Marie Tran and Domhnall Gleeson, along with director Rian Johnson and special guest BB-8 ‒ made a guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! They discussed all things Star Wars, including the first word of the movie. See videos of the cast here.

Interviews: The First Look of Aquaman Movie, Sandra Bullock Teases Ocean 8’s All-Female Cast

EW has revealed the first look of Jason Momoa in the standalone Aquaman movie, directed by James Wan (Furious 7, The Conjuring). Both Momoa and Wan gave an interview, teasing what is to come for the Marvel aquatic superhero film. Aquaman is set to release on December 21, 2018.

Sandra Bullock sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss the highly anticipated all-female Ocean’s 8 movie. The star talked about using the movie as a weapon against Internet sexists, the camaraderie between so many female stars, and more. Ocean’s 8 hits theaters on June 8, 2018.

“I would say, isn’t that funny how with the guys, I don’t remember ever hearing anything about potential discord. But you so get it with women. If there’s ever more than two women in the film there’s rumblings of, ‘oh, they’re having cat fights.’ We all were able to fit in this trailer while we were getting fluffed and folded, and share information.”

Star Wars: The Last Jedi star Adam Driver sat down with Coming Soon to discuss his pivotal role as Kylo Ren in the latest installment. He talked about serious topics like the public’s (mostly kids’) reaction to Kylo killing his father and how those reactions have affected him as an actor. Driver also talked about light-hearted topics like his favorite Kylo Ren parody, and whether he was pro-porg or anti-porg. Watch the interview here.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling explained her feelings and thoughts about the controversy of casting Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Many fans of the franchise were angry about Depp’s part in the series after allegations of spousal abuse by the actor’s ex-wife, actress Amber Heard.

Jennifer Lawrence conferred on why and how she would be returning as Raven in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, quite accidentally. The actress’ deal expired with the 2016 mutant installment, but Lawrence couldn’t turn down good friend and franchise writer/producer Simon Kinberg.

Coming Soon: The First Photos of X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and so much more!

The first photos of X-Men: Dark Phoenix have arrived, released by Entertainment Weekly. See the first poster and more photos on Coming Soon. X-Men: Dark Phoenix is set to open in theaters on November 2, 2018.

EW released the first two photos from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, starring Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander and Jude Law as young Albus Dumbledore. The movie is slated for release on Nov. 16, 2018.

Marvel Entertainment has taken the wraps off Marvel Rising, a new multiplatform animation franchise featuring the next generation superheroes. Six four-minute digital shorts are planned to be focused on Spider-Gwen beginning next year, followed by a feature-length animated film, Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors, to premiere later in 2018.

Paramount Pictures has announced release dates for The Pet Sematary and Instant Family. Pet Sematary, a reboot of the Stephen King classic, has been given a slot on April 19, 2019. Instant Family, starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne, is set for February 15, 2019.

The first trailer of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom has arrived and showcases the returns of stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom drops on June 22, 2018.

Marvel Studios has released the new Black Panther international poster, which relinquishes the black power of Wakanda. Black Panther debuts in theaters on February 16, 2018.

Universal Pictures has released the first story details on the latest Jurassic World installment, Fallen Kingdom, coming June 22, 2018.

20th Century Fox released the first poster for The New Mutants, the first in an X-Men horror trilogy coming April 13, 2018.

Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures showed the first featurette of Pacific Rim Uprising as part of Tokyo Comic-Con’s presentation.

The Predator star Jake Busey teased what the next film will be about, especially as to why the Predators are here on Earth in the first place. The Predator drops in theaters August 3, 2018.

Saban Films dropped Day of the Dead: Bloodline’s first trailer. The trailer introduces the remake’s new version of beloved zombie Bub, among other horror-filled adventures. Bloodline arrives in theaters, VOD, and Digital HD on January 5, 2018.

M. Night Shyamalan wrapped filming on Unbreakable and Split’s sequel, Glass on December 5th. Glass will arrive on January 18, 2019.