Multiverse News

Avengers: Endgame has once again reclaimed the global box office crown from Avatar, narrowly passing it with $2.9255 billion worldwide after its return to theaters. Avatar sits second with $2.9237 billion. Meanwhile, Nicolas Cage is taking aim at the franchise’s current direction. During a recent Q&A at Fan Expo Dallas, Cage said he misses when Marvel movies focused more on story, character development, and weaving together different backstories. Cage said watching talented actors put on “ridiculous outfits” only to prepare for the inevitable big fight makes it difficult not to see the MCU as “a well-funded and glorified WWE.” 
Despite the shake-up at Skydance amid the Warner Bros. and Paramount merger, insiders say that James Gunn and Peter Safran are reportedly expected to remain in charge of DC Studios. Meanwhile, production on The Batman Part II has been temporarily paused as director Matt Reeves stepped away to focus on a family matter. Warner Bros. and DC Studios said Reeves has their “full support” and that they look forward to continuing the film’s journey soon. 
On Tuesday it was announced that David Ellison’s Paramount completed its $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, officially combining two legendary film studios, an enormous conglomeration of TV networks, two large streaming services, and multiple news organizations into one player that the mogul hopes will let him compete with the likes of Disney and Netflix, to say nothing of Amazon, Apple and Google. The new mega company will be called Skydance, dropping both of the historical names that are well-known. 
Focus Features and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster have given Curry Barker‘s upcoming horror-comedy Anything But Ghosts a release date of May 7, 2027. 
Warner Bros. announced last week that Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest is set for theatrical release on June 1, 2029. Owen Harris directs the film that has a script from Beau Willimon, marking the first feature film for the franchise that adapts author George R.R. Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy book series. 
Bradley Cooper has signed on to star as field commander Duke in Paramount‘s G.I. Joe movie from Danny McBride. Paramount also confirmed that G.I. Joe has been “uncoupled” from the Transformers franchise. That crossover was teased at the end of 2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
Sources tell Deadline that Walton Goggins is set to join Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler in Universal’s Miami Vice ’85 in a villain role. 
Warner Brother's Tom Cruise led Digger opened to a disastrous $20 million dollars worldwide box office this weekend, the lowest opening for Tom Cruise in nearly 20 years. Amazon MGM's Colleen Hoover adaptation Verity took the number one spot with a $62.5 million dollar worldwide opening. Both films received C+ Cinema Scores, indicating steep drop offs coming next weekend. 
Sources tell Deadline that Paramount and Hasbro Entertainment have appointed Steven Spielberg to focus on all creative aspects of the next live-action Transformers film alongside Michael Bay, who is in early talks to return as director. Michael Bay directed 5 live action Transformers films from 2007 to 2017.

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Avengers: Endgame took back the number one spot at the box office this weekend, with the Endgame: Encore re-release opening to $86 million worldwide. It lands as Joe and Anthony Russo keep a tight lid on Avengers: Doomsday, telling Empire Online that Bruce Banner is certainly involved in the story revolving around Doom while declining to confirm or deny whether the Hulk appears, and adding that there are characters and actors in the film who have not been announced. That is on top of the 31 Marvel characters already confirmed for the December release. Deadline also reports that Sony has a theatrical re-release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day in the works featuring new and unseen footage, including a cut scene with Rosario Dawson, though no date has been set.
Lucasfilm has enlisted Jon Watts to direct the first installment of a new Skywalker saga trilogy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Watts directed the first three Tom Holland Spider-Man films and has been in this galaxy before, co-creating the Disney+ series Skeleton Crew with Christopher Ford in 2024. Simon Kinberg was previously attached as a writer on the trilogy, which would feature Daisy Ridley’s Rey in a supporting role. Nothing has been dated yet, and Star Wars: Starfighter, the Shawn Levy film starring Ryan Gosling, is still the next theatrical entry on the calendar for May 28, 2027.
DC Studios has released what it is calling the final trailer for Clayface, the last big marketing push for a film that arrives October 23. James Watkins directs the horror thriller from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, with Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a Gotham actor left disfigured by a crime boss who takes an experimental treatment that restores his looks but costs him his grip on reality. It lands at a pivotal stretch for the DCU, coming after Supergirl finished its summer run at roughly $126 million worldwide against a reported production budget north of $170 million, and with Lanterns closing out its first season on HBO Max next Sunday. 
Warner Bros has made release date changes to a pair of upcoming films. DC Studios animated film Dynamic Duo is moving from June 30, 2028 to September 22, 2028, and the Chris Columbus directed untitled Gremlins film is shifting from November 19, 2027 to October 6, 2028.
Elsewhere at the box office, Resident Evil stayed strong in its second weekend and is about to cross $200 million. Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson, opened to $20.3 million worldwide, though its release was limited outside the United States.
A24 has dropped a full trailer for You Can See Everything, the Elizabeth Holmes documentary from Lance Oppenheim and Nathan Fielder, and confirmed an October 16 release date.
Blumhouse, Atomic Monster and James Wan have enlisted Mike P. Nelson to direct a new Saw movie. Nelson previously directed 2021’s Wrong Turn and the 2025 remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night.
John Goodman, Ian Alexander and Laura Bailey have joined the season three cast of HBO’s The Last of Us. Alexander and Bailey have both voiced characters in the video games, though they are not reprising those roles in live action.
Prey director Dan Trachtenberg is in talks to direct an original film inspired by Sleeping Beauty at Disney, according to Deadline. The untitled project is in early development and is said to take the story in an entirely new direction.
Prime Video has renewed Reacher for a sixth season just 12 days after the season four finale, marking the first time the show has received two renewals in the same year. Season four drew 66 million viewers globally in its first 28 days, topping season three.
Jennifer Lawrence will star in Zach Cregger’s next film titled The Flood. Nothing is known about the plot of the film, but Warner Bros. executives call it “bold and wholly original.” The Flood is set to release August 11, 2028.

According to sources for The Hollywood Reporter, the forthcoming third season of Daredevil: Born Again will be the show’s final season. The decision comes about two months after the show’s third season wrapped filming. The move also comes as Marvel has quietly parted ways with showrunner Dario Scardapane, whose contract was up and was not renewed. The parting of ways is eyebrow-raising as it means that Scardapane is exiting the show in the middle of post-production. It has not been reported as to who will oversee the final stages of the show. The same article confirmed that Marvel has three to five live-action shows in development, and sources say it just greenlit a spy thriller referred to as the codename Zodiac. The most notable Marvel comics reference of Zodiac is tied to a criminal organization headed by a villain named Scorpio that featured villains themed to the constellations. In the comics, it was known for going head-to-head against SHIELD.
According to industry insider Jeff Sneider, Mason Thames has been cast as Dick Grayson and Logan Kim has been cast as Jason Todd in the upcoming DC Studios animated film Dynamic Duo. Chris Pine has been offered the role of Batman. The animated film is yet another Batman Elseworlds project even though it will live under the DCU banner. Thames’ name will be familiar as Hiccup in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon, and Kim played the character of Podcast in both Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. 
Empire magazine has published several first look images at Greta Gerwig's upcoming adaptation of The Magician's Nephew from The Chronicles of Narnia. In the article, it is confirmed that Meryl Streep will voice Aslan, as well as that the film is inspired by rock operas of the 70s and 80s. The film comes to cinemas February 12, 2027, and will be streaming on Netflix beginning April 2, 2027. 
Paramount has reached a settlement with California and 11 other states, clearing a major legal hurdle for its roughly $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. As part of the deal, Paramount has agreed to produce at least 30 movies a year, invest another $1.5 billion in U.S. film production, and create a $47.5 million fund for workers affected by the merger. The deal still needs final court approval, but it essentially clears the path for Paramount and Warner Bros. to become one massive Hollywood company. 
After more than a decade of false starts, Paramount is finally closing in on making a sequel to its 2013 hit World War Z. Brad Pitt is set to return to star in the feature that also has Edward Berger, the filmmaker behind All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave, on board to direct. 
Zach Cregger's Resident Evil opened strong at the box office this weekend with a $108 million worldwide opening, $60 million of which was made domestically. This opening is not only a best for Cregger, but it is also a best for the Resident Evil franchise. 
Netflix has released a trailer for David Fincher's The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, in which Brad Pitt reprises his Oscar-winning role as the stuntman first introduced in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The film is set to premiere in Imax theaters on November 25, before hitting the streamer December 23.
Alan Ritchson is in talks to star in Sony’s adaptation of its PlayStation video game property, Helldivers. The move comes after Jason Momoa exited the project in early June and would be the first time the Reacher star headlines a theatrical studio feature. 
Actor John Leguizamo has been cast as a villain in Joseph Kosinski's upcoming Miami Vice '85, a film reboot of the 1980s TV show. The cast already includes Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler in starring roles.

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The X-Men roster keeps filling out, with The Hollywood Reporter reporting that Asa Germann is in final talks to play Angel in Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men film. Germann is coming off superhero series Gen V and horror hit Scream 7, so this would be his second trip into comic book territory in as many years. Marvel has not confirmed the casting or said anything about where Warren Worthington fits into the story. 
The first trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero arrived last week with Takashi Yamazaki back to direct a sequel set two years after the events of his 2023 hit Godzilla Minus One. The footage points to a fragile postwar peace giving way to a new threat, though the studio has kept the specifics of that threat under wraps. The film opens in North American theaters on November 6. 
The 78th Emmy Awards were handed out Monday night, and the story of the evening was Matthew Rhys, who took lead actor in a comedy for Widow's Bay and lead actor in a limited series for The Beast in Me, making him the first male performer to win two lead acting Emmys in the same year. His show had the bigger night by volume, with Widow's Bay winning best comedy series and finishing as the most awarded program of the year at 14 trophies across the three ceremonies. The Pitt took best drama series for a second straight year alongside a lead actor win for Noah Wyle, DTF St. Louis won best limited or anthology series, and Jean Smart made history of her own with a fifth consecutive lead actress win for Hacks. Kate O'Flynn, Stephen Root, Allison Janney, Rhea Seehorn, Tom Pelphrey and Sally Field also took acting trophies, while The Late Show With Stephen Colbert won best variety series and The Traitors won best reality competition.
Warner Bros.’ Practical Magic 2 opened to $30 million domestically from 4,146 theaters, ending Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s six-weekend run at number one. Spider-Man took second with $8.4 million, bringing its domestic total to roughly $935.2 million and leaving it about $1.4 million short of The Force Awakens’ all-time domestic record.
Peacock has released the full trailer and first-look photos for Crystal Lake, its Friday the 13th prequel series from A24 and creator Brad Caleb Kane. Linda Cardellini stars as Pam Voorhees, and all eight episodes arrive October 15.
Paramount and Skydance Sports have released the trailer for Mr. Irrelevant, a biopic about late New York Giants running back John Tuggle. David Corenswet stars and the Jonathan Levine directed film premieres over Christmas.
Netflix has ordered a new take on Lonesome Dove to series, from co-showrunners Zoe Kazan and Jeb Stuart. The pair are also co-showrunners on the streamer’s upcoming East of Eden, and the Larry McMurtry novel was previously adapted into an award-winning 1989 CBS miniseries starring Robert Duvall.
John Mulaney is in talks to star in a Get Smart reimagining in early development at Warner Bros., per The Hollywood Reporter. Now You See Me, Now You Don’t screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith is writing.
HBO’s Harry Potter series has added a trio of cast members for season 2 which is currently in production including Rafe Spall as Arthur Weasley, Molly Hewitt-Richards as Moaning Myrtle, and Jasper Ambrose as Colin Creevey.
Paramount Pictures has entered talks with Paul Feig to direct a follow up to the 2003 film The Italian Job, which starred Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton and Jason Statham. The studio is still looking for a writer.

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According to Deadline, Prime Video has cancelled Spider-Noir after one season, ending Nicolas Cage’s run as the 1930s black-and-white Spider-Man while the streamer weighs a greenlight on a different series pulled from Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters. The timing is hard to miss, since the news landed the same weekend the show walked out of the Creative Arts Emmys with a handful of wins, including cinematography, visual effects and title design, with eleven total nominations. Prime Video has not said what the next Sony Marvel  series would be, and no reason for the cancellation has been given publicly.
The summer box office officially closed on Labor Day at an all-time domestic record of $4.76 billion and it was the first summer where May, June, July and August each cleared a billion on their own. Spider-Man: Brand New Day took its sixth straight weekend at number one to lead the season, and after the holiday frame it stands at $923.2 million domestically and $2.4 billion worldwide. Behind it, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey landed at $1.63 Billion, Toy Story 5 at $1.14 billion, and Focus Features’ Obsession at $509 million, with Michael, The Devil Wears Prada 2 and A24’s Backrooms filling out the rest of the top seven. 
Lucasfilm has announced that the original Star Wars will get its first ever IMAX release as part of its 50th anniversary re-release on February 19, 2027, screening in newly restored form at select IMAX 70mm locations. Star Wars: Starfighter follows on May 28, the anniversary weekend itself, also in IMAX 70mm, marking the first time the franchise has been presented in the format.
Netflix is developing Ravenloft, a live-action series set in the gothic horror corner of Dungeons & Dragons, from writer and executive producer John August, executive producer Alfonso Cuarón and Hasbro Entertainment. It replaces The Forgotten Realms, the D&D series Netflix put into production early last year and has since been cancelled.
Sony and Nintendo’s live-action video game adaptation has a title, and it is simply The Legend of Zelda. The Wes Ball directed film keeps its April 30, 2027 release date.
A surprise A24 documentary from Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim premiered at Telluride this weekend and hits theaters in October. You Can See Everything was made over three years after Elizabeth Holmes allowed Fielder and his crew to profile her and her family for 34 days in her home ahead of the fraud sentence she is still serving.
Obsession star Inde Navarrette is attached to star in The Waffle House Index, a sci-fi thriller package just picked up by Apple Original Films. She will also executive produce, a first for her.