The movie industry is one that's constantly changing, and as a result of that, there are consistent and exciting rumours being pumped out of Hollywood. Following last month's round-up of all the biggest and best film gossip, we've decided to take a look back over July 2018, and pick out some of the freshest whisperings from the world of cinema and beyond.
It’s important to remember that everything we talk about in these articles are rumours, and cannot be proven to be completely accurate or based in reality. Take everything you read here with a grain of salt.
5. Has Zack Snyder been working on his own Justice League cut?
Filmmaker Zack Snyder may have put his heart and soul into Justice League, but when principal photography wrapped up, the director was forced to step away from the movie following a family tragedy. Joss Whedon was brought on board by Warner Bros. and a number of extensive reshoots began on the film. Since that point, Snyder's most vocal fans have been calling for a "Snyder cut" of Justice League to be released, but Warner Bros. have (so far) refused to bite.
Those fans however gained a little glimmer of hope this past month, when a piece published by Revenge of the Fans editor-in-chief Marco-Francisco Robles claimed Snyder had been working on his own cut of the movie following it's cinematic release, without Warner Bros. by his side. Putting together his own cut of the flick is a brave thing to do, as it's still very possible it won't see the light of day. Snyder would have to get permission from Warner Bros. before releasing even a trailer.
Raiden was last seen in hit video game Mortal Kombat X
Hopefully all of the talk turns into action, and Warner Bros. allow Snyder's vision to be seen by the world. We're not sure why they wouldn't want to make some extra coin following the less-than-impressive box office takings and reviews the "official" Justice League saw...
4. Is Raiden a teen in the new Mortal Kombat movie?
Video game movies haven't got the best reputation, with talk of an adaptation curse plaguing the majority that make their way to the big screen. Hopefully, that's all about to change, with films being created for the likes of The Division, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Mortal Kombat. We've seen MK on the big screen before, with the fighting game's cult audience lauding the efforts that have been made to bring the title's fantasy characters to life. Now, we'll be getting another dose of that if the new MK flick does indeed make it to fruition.
Over the past few weeks, a sheet of characters has been making the rounds on the web, making various claims about the recognisable names we should see in the film. The biggest surprise for fans comes from the description of Raiden: the protector of Earthrealm in its earliest years. We all assumed we'd be seeing an adult version of Raiden in the new movie, but according to this report, he'll be just 14-years-old, yet will still serve as a "trainer for the Earth team in the Underworld".
3. Kristen Stewart for Batgirl?
Kristen Stewart is one of the biggest names in Hollywood, thanks to her role in the Twilight Saga series of films, and a number of other big projects that she's been a part of since. Because of that, it's very easy to believe the rumour from Twitter user DanielRPK that suggests Warner Bros. are looking for Stewart to play Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl in her upcoming solo film. The tweet even goes as far to say that if she doesn't want the role, then they'll be looking for a "Kristen Stewart prototype".
It's hard to deny Stewart physically fitting the role of Batgirl perfectly, and if her acting ability in previous movies is anything to go by, she would bring a layer of true believability, and even relatability to the crime-fighting superhero. Whether or not she wants to step into the Worlds of DC remains to be seen, but we imagine this is a rumour that will roll on for some time. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled and our ears close to the ground for further information...
2. Is the Alien franchise moving to TV?
Alien: Covenant may be the final Alien film we see on the big screen, despite the franchise celebrating 40 years since its debut in 2019. Neill Blomkamp's rumoured Alien 5 looks to have been shelved for the foreseeable future, despite the exciting prospect of bringing back Ripley and other fan-favourite original characters. The franchise as a whole however, may be moving to television...
According to Geeks WorldWide, chatter about Alien moving to the small screen actually started back in April, but after no announcement was made on "Alien Day", it was dismissed as being factually incorrect. Cut to this past July, and the show is being talked about once more. No details are given about a potential plot or who would star, so the report says if it is indeed in development, it's in its earliest stages, and it could still be some time before we see it make its way to TV.
Still, this is hugely exciting news for Alien fans - we may be getting more content from the franchise in the coming years after all!
1. Are Disney about to bring James Gunn back to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
In mid-July, James Gunn was removed from the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie after hundreds of tweets resurfaced from the filmmaker's past. In those social media messages, Gunn "joked" about topics including but not limited to child abuse, sexual assault, and the Holocaust. He also used a number of derogatory slurs against minorities. Despite the tweets being from many years ago, Disney announced that Gunn had been removed as director on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and that they wouldn't be working with him again in the future.
Despite all of that, the cast of Guardians penned an open letter supporting Gunn, calling for Disney to bring him back on board for Vol. 3, and it turns out that the multi-billion dollar organisation might actually be listening. According to DisInsider editor-in-chief Skyler Shuler, The Disney Company are to sit down with Gunn for conversations that may lead to his reinstatement.
Disney are never going to be able to please everybody with the final decision they make. There were plenty of people who applauded the decision to remove Gunn from Guardians, citing the disgusting comments made by the director. Others however thought that the move was a calculated one, and something that shouldn't have been done because of how much time had passed between the messages being posted on social media, and Gunn's time working for Disney.
We've certainly not heard the last of this one, and we'll be keeping a close eye on any developments so we can bring you the latest as and when we get it!