First look at Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler

Pretty much what everyone expected it to be.

X-Men: Apocalypse is set to hit theaters on May 27, 2016.

Fox orders new episodes of The X-Files

Guys... this is really happening.

Fox has ordered a 6-episode "special event" from creators of The X-Files. There isn't an official air date yet, but Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny are both set to return as Agents Mulder and Scully. Show creator Chris Carter is on board, as well.
The X-Files aired from 1993 to 2002 and spawned two films and spin-offs. Most supernatural related things in film and television find themselves either compared to the show or flat out connect themselves to it.

Most people online so far are cynical, but I'm excited. I mean, who didn't love this show?

Jennifer Lawrence to exit X-Men franchise

I hope you all enjoy X-Men: Apocalypse because after that installment the X-Men universe will lose Jennifer Lawrence. The actress confirmed that Apocalypse will be her last appearance as Mystique in Fox's longstanding X-Men franchise. Lawrence first appeared as the blue mutant in X-Men: First Class back in 2011. She returned for X-Men: Days of Future Past last year. Personally, I have really enjoyed what she's brought to the character so it's sad to see her go.

X-Men: Apocalypse is proving to be fairly interesting so far. Knowing now that it will be the last we see of Lawrence, it is also going to be just the second X-Men film not to feature Patrick Stewart or Ian McKellen. Bryan Singer is returning to direct and we will see new additions Oscar Isaac, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, and Alexandra Shipp. It's set to open in theaters May 27, 2016.

Fantastic Four 2 delayed one week in 2017

After confirmation that Star Wars: Episode VIII will be hitting on May 26, 2017, 20th Century Fox has decided to shift the sequel to this year's Fantastic Four reboot by one week. Fantastic Four 2 was originally set to hit theaters on June 2, 2017 but the studio wants more of a break between the two films and it will now be released on June 9th.

As it currently stands, Fantastic Four 2 has June 9th to itself but I highly doubt that will hold. Not to mention we haven't seen Fantastic Four yet and there is no telling how it's going to be received. If it sucks and people hate it, Fox might scrap the sequel altogether. Only time will tell.

Fantastic Four stars Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Michael B. Jordan, and Toby Kebbell. It hits theaters on August 7th, 2015.

Wolverine 3 to start filming in 2016

The Wolverine director James Mangold went to Twitter to confirm that the sequel, still starring Hugh Jackman, will begin filming sometime in 2016. The only thing we really know about this project so far is that it's been in development at Fox pretty much since The Wolverine hit theaters in 2013 and it's set for a 2017 release.

Hugh Jackman has been Wolverine seven times since making his debut as the character in 2000. He previously stated that he wanted to wrap up his tenure as the character after this new Wolverine film, but he now says that he wants to play the character as long as X-Men movies are being made.
I'm pretty sure Jackman is on board to play Wolverine in X-Men: Apocalypse but I'm not positive. We're getting Apocalypse on May 23, 2016 while the release for the third Wolverine movie is set for March 3, 2017. 

Fox orders pilot for Lucifer

Fox has officially ordered a pilot commitment based on Lucifer, a character in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman comics. The character is based on the fallen angel, Lucifer, and he did later spawn into his own comic series.

Total Recall director Len Wiseman is on board to direct and Jerry Bruckheimer is producing. Reports so far insist that the show will focus on the ruler of Hell as he becomes bored of his post and resigns his position. He rises into Los Angeles where he assists the LAPD in capturing and torturing criminals. Lucifer will join a lineup of two more similar adaptations (Sleepy Hollow and Gotham).

Kodi Smit-McPhee joins X-Men: Apocalypse

Fox is underway casting younger versions of the X-Men heroes and we have our fourth official casting announcement. Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee joins the young cast already consisting of Tye Sheridan (Cyclops), Sophie Turner (Jean Grey), and Alexandra Shipp (Storm) and he will be playing the character of Nightcrawler in X-Men: Apocalypse. 

Smit-McPhee came onto the radar fairly young and was fantastic in Let Me In, the American version of Let the Right One In. He most recently reunited with Let Me In director, Matt Reeves, in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Nightcrawler was previously portrayed in the X-Men movies by Alan Cumming. Director Bryan Singer previously stated that he wanted to include Nightcrawler and Gambit in Apocalypse and he's already halfway there. Channing Tatum has been cast as Gambit for a solo film, but there is no confirmation (or denial) that Gambit will appear in Apocalypse.

Deadpool set to begin filming in March

20th Century Fox has been sitting on this project since before X-Men Origins: Wolverine showed up and pretty much failed to meet every possible expectation anyone had. As a result, Deadpool was shelved and was pretty much thought to be dead until Comic-Con International last year. Some old test footage leaked and (yada yada yada) Fox greenlit the project. We now have even more confirmation that this is actually happening as the studio has set a filming date and location.

Deadpool, starring Ryan Reynolds, will start filming in Vancouver in March of this year. Vancouver is not only Reynolds' hometown but it is a big film hub for Fox. X-Men: Days of Future Past was even filmed there back in 2013. Tim Miller is attached to direct the film that is set for a February 12, 2016 release.
I still think that Guardians of the Galaxy had a lot to do with this as it proved that audiences were open to a superhero film not 100% grounded in reality. It also showed that we were willing to laugh a bit and be silly with our heroes. With that said, the reason that Fox never moved forward with Deadpool was because they weren't sure there was a wide market for it outside of the existing fanbase. I think the success Marvel has had with Guardians and their upcoming gamble on Ant-Man, Fox finally decided to take the plunge. There is no confirmation on whether they will stay completely true to the character and go for an R-rating, but even if it goes PG-13 I'm sure we will get an unrated version on DVD/Blu-Ray. 

Fantastic Four pushed back to late Summer

In addition to Fox announcing a Deadpool film, they made a couple more changes to their schedule. The upcoming Fantastic Four reboot has been pushed back from June 16, 2016 to August 17, 2015. It is taking the spot of Assassin's Creed which seems to have been pulled from the schedule altogether.

Many are speculating that Fox is going to test the August market after Marvel's overwhelming success with Guardians of the Galaxy. For a film that has yet to have any official marketing (seriously, not even a logo), it is somewhat curious as to what caused a delay. Is it to try and have a better box office market or is it because they needed more time? Fantastic Four stars Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Kate Mara, and Toby Kebbell.
As far as Assassin's Creed goes, this is even more curious. Michael Fassbender has been attached to star and produce for quite sometime, but Fox removing it from the schedule entirely isn't a good sign. Production on this has been moving at turtle speed and with it still not moving forward when it had a release date of less than a year away was a bit odd. The project isn't officially dead at this point, but it has a big fat "TBD" as of right now.

Deadpool receives an official release date

I guess leaking test footage around Comic-Con was genius because Fox has just announced an official release date for a long-awaited Deadpool film.

Deadpool is currently set for February 12, 2016 and it is expected that Ryan Reynolds will return, but nothing is set in stone so far. Reynolds played Deadpool (aka, Wade Wilson) in the 2009 X-Men spinoff, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The film will be directed by Tim Miller and produced by Marvel President Kevin Feige and Lauren Shuler Donner. If the February 12th release date sticks it will compete with Gods of Egypt, How to Be Single, and an untitled Universal project.
This character first appeared in print back in 1991 and has quickly become a fan favorite due to his talkative sass and impressive skill. If Reynolds does sign on to play Deadpool it will mark his first superhero appearance since the 2011 box-office bomb, Green Lantern.

This is so exciting it's ridiculous. I have been waiting for a Deadpool movie since X-Men: Origins so I am really excited. I'm not the biggest fan of Ryan Reynolds, but judging from what the leaked test footage looked like I think he would do just fine. Hopefully this is released before the announced Gambit spin-off and that it's R-rated. If it isn't R-rated I won't see it.

Fox delays Poltergeist reboot

Fox announced some release shifts today to go along with some announcements from Warner Bros. They have decided to delay both the Sam Raimi reboot of Poltergeist and the upcoming Matthew Vaughn film, Kingsman: The Secret Service.

Poltergeist was originally supposed to premiere opposite Fifty Shades of Grey on February 13, 2015 but it will now be released on July 24, 2015. Taking the February slot will be Kingsman: The Secret Service which was originally slated for this October.
I think Fox probably saw Kingsman as a more competitive film to go up against the sure to be box office hit, Fifty Shades of Grey. It isn't necessarily a Valentines Day movie, but neither is Poltergeist. I think more people would be apt to choose that one than they would a horror film.

Deadpool test footage is leaked

I know I am a couple days behind on this, but I don't really care. All I have to say is... WHY WON'T THIS EVER HAPPEN?!



DEADPOOL - Official Test Footage [HD] Ryan... by movietrailerz

Fox sets Gotham for Mondays; shifts schedule for new shows

Fox has shifted their television schedule a bit to fit in the new Batman origins series, Gotham, as well as a new comedy series titled Mulaney.

Gotham will be joining Sleepy Hollow on Monday nights beginning at 8pm. This put two rather dark-genre shows together in the same night. Gotham will air before Sleepy Hollow and each will last one hour.

Several other new shows including Mulaney, Utopia, Red Band Society, and Gracepoint have caused schedule shifts:

• The Andy Samberg comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been moved to Sunday along with The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, and American Dad. Mulaney has also been given a Sunday slot after Family Guy.
• The Gordon Ramsay cooking show, Hell's Kitchen, has been shifted from Thursdays to Wednesdays and is now paired with Red Band Society.
• Utopia apparently will be airing twice a week. It has been paired with New Girl and The Mindy Project on Tuesdays and with the new installment of Masterchef on Fridays.
• Gracepoint will debut alongside Bones on Thursdays.

Personally, I don't take television schedules like this very seriously for the sheer fact that the average lifespan of a show these days seems to be 1-2 seasons. If a show is lucky it will get a third season before being axed. Out of the new shows I think the most popular bet is Gotham because of the superhero craze, but it depends on how good it is. The trailer looked pretty lousy so I'm not counting on it.

Fox releases trailer for Gotham

I know I am a little behind on this one, but I just got around to watching the trailer for Gotham. I must say despite having some initial excitement for this show it looks pretty terrible.




I don't know why they decided to reveal just about every single character in the trailer as well. It leaves no room for people to be surprised when they show up. Not to mention they've already announced that the show will feature The Joker.

smh.

X-Men spinoff being considered by producers

We have already had a spin-off for Wolverine and had planned spin-offs for Deadpool and Magneto that pretty much got scrapped in terms of the initial X-Men Origins idea. Now the X-Men producers, Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg, are considering a new spin-off featuring Mystique.

It's no secret that Mystique has risen in popularity simply because she is currently played by Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence. She is pretty, popular, and is Katniss freakin' Everdeen. She also did a pretty good job as the character in X-Men: First Class. What's not to love?
This isn't really surprising as Lauren Shuler Donner has previously expressed interest in reviving the Origins storylines to feature Gambit and Deadpool. Channing Tatum's name was even thrown out there for the role of Gambit. Regarding Mystique, she thinks that Lawrence's work is being overshadowed by a crowded ensemble and she would love to have a film solely dedicated to her.

According to several fan polls floating around the internet, people just want a Deadpool movie. No one wants any other X-Men Origins films after seeing what an overall disappointment X-Men Origins: Wolverine was. The downside is the studio and producers don't want an R-rated superhero movie which is what a Deadpool movie would have to be. As far as Mystique goes, it would need a really good plot to pull me in. I like Mystique and Jennifer Lawrence, but she isn't really a solo character. I think it would be hard to carry the weight there.

Fox announced release dates including Wolverine sequel

Fox isn't wasting any time pushing their own Marvel franchises and yet another installment of Taken. The following release dates have been made official:

• Fantastic Four 2 will hit on July 14, 2017
• A sequel to The Wolverine is set for March 3, 2017
• Taken 3 has reserved January 9, 2015
• The Secret Service has switched from March 6, 2015 to October 24, 2015. It swapped places with an untitled Vince Vaughn flick. 
• Frankenstein, starring Daniel Radcliffe, has moved from January 16, 2015 to October 2, 2015
• An untitled Marvel project has reserved the date of July 13, 2018

Call me crazy, but I am expecting the untitled Marvel film to be yet another X-Men movie. There would be no telling whether it will be a solo origins movie or a continuation of X-Men: Apocalypse, set for release on May 27, 2016. At least not until we see Days of Future Past this May and Fantastic Four. I would bet if a FF sequel is hitting in 2017 that we won't see those characters again the very next year. Fox just doesn't own that many Marvel properties so we have limited options here. Especially since they gave up Daredevil.
However, Fox has already hired Simon Kinberg and given him the task to create an Avengers-like movie for with the Marvel properties they own, so it could very well be an X-Men/Fantastic Four crossover movie. Maybe something that takes place the same time as The Avengers, but without the other characters actively showing up.

Personally, I am still hoping for a Deadpool movie but who knows if they will ever have the guts to make it happen.

Rob Zombie to make Charles Manson TV series for Fox

Fox and Alcon Entertainment have tapped Rob Zombie and Bret Easton Ellis to develop a television series about the Manson murders in 1969. This is very early in development, but if all goes according to plan the material will be written by Ellis with Zombie directing. The task at hand is to develop a multi-part series into the storytelling of people and events from different points of view leading up to the murders.
Rob Zombie has been venturing into the world of film since his directorial debut in 2003 with House of 1000 Corpses. He has since directed films such as The Devil's Rejects, Lords of Salem, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, and the 2007 remake of Halloween. Zombie stated, "I have been obsessed with this insane story since I was a kid, so obviously I jumped at the chance to be involved in this incredible project. After speaking with Bret, I immediately realized that we shared the same vision for this epic madness." Zombie's 2013 haunted house, Rob Zombie's Great American Nightmare, included segments inspired by the Manson Family murders.

If you are unaware of the Charles Manson murders, it is a very short timetable taking place in just two days in August 1969. Manson led a small group of followers (aka, the Manson Family) and on his command they murdered a total of seven people from August 8th through the 10th. The most famous victims included Roman Polanski's pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, along with coffee heiress Abigail Folger. Charles Manson, along with his "family," were convicted of first-degree murder in 1971 with Manson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins, Charles Watson, and Leslie Van Houten all receiving the death penalty. In 1972 the state of California abolished the death penalty, so all sentences were transformed to life in prison.

Charles Manson was denied parole for the 12th time in April 2012.
Patricia Krenwinkle was denied parole for the 13th time in January 2011.
Charles Watson was denied parole for the 16th time in November 2011.
Leslie Van Houten was denied parole for the 19th time in July 2010.
Susan Atkins died in prison in September 2009.

Planet of the Apes takes Fast & Furious 7 release date

Fox has shifted its schedule a bit to cater to the delay of Fast & Furious 7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has shifted and will now be released on July 11, 2014, the slated release weekend of Fast & Furious 7. Planet of the Apes previously had a release date of July 18th. There is still no news on exactly when Fast & Furious 7 will resume filming, so my guess is a late 2014 release date or a push all the way to 2015. Even with that said, Universal still hasn't announced an official release date shift so as of right now the plan is to still have Fast and Furious on July 11th. Obviously Fox doesn't think they'll make it either.

FXX lands The Simpsons; will stream for the first time

The Simpsons, aka the longest running show on television, has just completed one of the biggest syndication deals of all time. The FX network, FXX, has just obtained syndication rights for all 24 seasons for a 9-figure price. All 530 episodes will be available for airing by August 2014.
In addition to this, being on FXX means the show will be available for streaming for the first time in its history. FXX subscribers will be able to watch episodes via the upcoming FXNOW mobile app. However, this means Netflix and/or Hulu will not get any Simpsons action for quite sometime.

There has always been hefty competition for Simpsons syndication. Until now all re-run episodes have been aired on Fox, but seeing that FX is a 21st Century Fox subsidiary this isn't all that surprising. FX launched FXX as a more comedy-centered network to appeal to a younger audience. So far regular FX shows such as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, and The League have been moved to FXX. Wilfred and Legit  are also set to move to FXX in 2014. The Simpsons will join other syndicated programs on FXX such as Arrested Development, Spin City, Freaks and Geeks, Bob's Burgers, How I Met Your Mother, and Parks and Recreation.
I personally don't see the draw to FXX and have resisted ordering the channel seeing that the re-runs they play can be watched on DVD or Netflix and I don't like the shows they moved from FX. I will only consider it if they move Archer over. I wouldn't be surprised if by 2014 Anger Management and/or Louie move to FXX, though. Just throwing that out there.

Now to go watch some Simpsons on DVD.

Gotham television series picked up by Fox

Fox has picked up a television series titled Gotham which is set to focus on the origins of police Commissioner James Gordon from the Batman/DC Universe. This comes after Fox acquired television rights from Warner Bros.. Not to mention right after ABC premiered Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tonight.

Gotham will be a full series commitment for Fox. It is notable to mention how odd it is that Gotham will appear on Fox instead of The CW which has aired several DC properties in the past, specifically the Superman origins series Smallville. The network has also been airing Arrow and will shortly be airing a series on The Flash.


Either way, this will prove to be interesting. I'm wondering who will be cast as Gordon.