Rounding up yesterday’s big news stories…
The big story from yesterday is a report that Warner Bros. is in early development on a reboot of The Matrix, having tapped Zak Penn (X-Men 2, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Avengers) for a new take on the material, which could potentially star Michael B. Jordan (Creed, Fantastic Four). Matrix creators the Wachowskis are not on board the relaunch – not yet, anyway – but it’s said that the studio will be looking to at least secure their blessing. Read more here.
It looks like Warner Bros. won’t be going into production on The Batman this year after all, with new director Matt Reeves’ commitments to War for the Planet of the Apes said to leave a 2018 start date as the most likely scenario. The report also suggested that Reeves won’t be meeting with any actors until the summer, so any rumours relating to casting would just be fabrications. So instead we got a rumour saying it’s getting a page-one rewrite. Read our report here.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards has been discussing the original ending to the blockbuster Anthology movie, and why the decision was made to retool the third act, including the Battle of Scarif and the inclusion of Darth Vader’s memorable final scene. Read Edwards’ comments here.
With Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk noticeably absent from last year’s Captain America: Civil War, Hemsworth has revealed that he thought Marvel had decided to fire him. As we now know, it was because Marvel had other plans for the God of Thunder and the Green Goliath, and we’ll get to see those unfold this November with the release of Thor: Ragnarok. Read Hemsworth’s comments here.
FIRST LOOK AT DISNEY-PIXAR’S LATEST
Following this summer’s sequel Cars 3, Disney-Pixar will get back to original features with the release of Coco in November, and we’ve had our very first look at the film thanks to the release of the official teaser trailer. Watch it here.
Any Matrix fans still incensed after reading the opening story might want to skip this one (or maybe click it just to vent), but Luke Owen thinks that The Matrix is perfect for a reboot, and now is the time to do it. Read Luke’s article here.