Welcome to Development Hell, the fiery pit into which we fling recent developments in casting, distribution, and everything else that’s new and mildly interesting in the Boschian phantasmagoria of the entertainment industry.
As we sigh deeply and flip our “Days Without A Mass Shooting” sign to “0,” let’s shift our focus, just for a few minutes, from the horrors of reality to the pop culture we use to escape that reality:
- The Greatest Showman’s Rebecca Ferguson has joined the cast of Warner Bros.’ Doctor Sleep, starring opposite Ewan McGregor—who will be playing a grown-up version of The Shining’s Danny Torrance—in an unknown role. The film is being directed by Mike Flanagan, who also made last year’s well-executed King adaptation Gerald’s Game. [Variety]
- While we’re on the subject of Stephen King adaptations, Universal and Blumhouse’s remake of Stephen King’s Firestarter—previously made into a feature film starring baby Drew Barrymore back in 1984—has its director. Faith Akin, who directed last year’s disappointing Diane Kruger revenge drama In The Fade, has been put in charge of the production. [Variety]
- And speaking of unknown roles, Damon Lindelof’s complete reinvention of Watchmen means that we don’t know who anyone is playing on the upcoming HBO series. Whatever it is, it’s looking interesting, as Sleepy Hollow’s Tom Mison, Titanic’s Frances Fisher, and SuperFly’s Jacob Ming-Trent join a cast that already includes Jeremy Irons, Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Adelaide Clemens, and Andrew Howard. [Deadline]
- DC’s standalone streaming service, DC Universe—future home of the company’s previously announced Titans, Doom Patrol, and Swamp Thing series, as well as new animated Young Justice and Harley Quinn series—will be ready for its debut this fall. Along with original series, the service will also include digital versions of vintage DC comics, as well as the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, Batman: The Animated Series, the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman series, and assorted other catalog titles. No word yet on an exact date or how much this will cost per month. [Deadline]
- As part of its attempt to expand its presence in India, Netflix is adapting Salman Rushdie’s 1981 classic Midnight’s Children—about the birth of Indian independence (and 1,000 telepathic children) in 1947—into a series. [The Hollywood Reporter]
- The Walking Dead franchise is once again headed to court, as the creator of a comics series called Dead Ahead wants a bite (sorry) of the profits for Fear The Walking Dead. It actually sounds like that creator, Mel Smith, might have a case, as Robert Kirkman’s business partner, David Alpert, was helping Smith shop Dead Ahead around to various movie and TV studios around the time Fear—which, like Dead Ahead, features zombies at sea—was being developed. [Deadline]
- Finally, Tetsuo: The Iron Man director Shinya Tsukamoto is working on a new film, but sadly, there won’t be any cyberpunk body horror involved—unless Tsukamoto can work some into a period samurai drama. To be fair, if anyone can, it’s him. [Variety]
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