Jeff Wadlow to Rewrite and Possibly Direct 'Masters of the Universe'

Last summer 20th Century Fox hired Jeff Wadlow to begin scripting their upcoming X-men spinoff, X-force, with an eye for him to direct it. This was based, at least in part, on what was expected to be a hit-making job on Kick-Ass 2. That didn't quite happen as the film bombed, but that hasn't steered studios away from him. Earlier this year, Jon Chu dropped out of the long-developing Masters of the Universe film, with Wadlow listed as a possible replacement. Now The Wrap says he's been hired to rewrite the screenplay, and there's the chance he could still win the directing job.

Wadlow will be taking a crack at the draft originally penned by Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean), while he's apparently still in contention to helm. Other frontrunners include Mike Cahill (I Origins), Harald Zwart (The Mortal Instruments), and The Lego Movie's Chris McKay. The guys over at Schmoes Know say Wadlow will be the guy behind the camera, but it sounds as if decisions are still being made.

Will this impact Marvel's X-Force? Who knows? We'll find out soon enough.

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'Masters of the Universe' Director Shortlist Includes Jeff Wadlow, Mike Cahill, and More

With toy movies all the rage again thanks to The LEGO Movie, Sony Pictures is ramping up their plans to bring He-Man & the Masters of the Universe to the big screen. In the works seemingly forever, the project most recently had Jon M. Chu on board before he split to focus on another toy franchise in GI Joe. Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean) was brought on to take a crack at the script, and now a new shortlist of potential directors has surfaced.

Variety and The Wrap have revealed the list of candidates to bring He-Man's adventures to the big screen for the first time since the comically awful Dolph Lundgren film. The most interesting name on the list is Mike Cahill, the indie filmmaker best known for working with Brit Marling on Another Earth and his Sundance film, I Origins (which is amazing, by the way). Also on the list are Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass 2) and Harald Zwart (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones), both having flopped hard with major studio efforts last summer. Last on the list is Chris McKay, an interesting choice because he served as an editor on The LEGO Movie and is a key component of Adult Swim's Robot Chicken. Zwart is close with Sony and may be the guy they ultimately turn to despite his recent failures.

Last month's rumor that had Rian Johnson, Phil Lord & Chris Miller, and Joe Cornish listed as candidates was proven to be totally incorrect. Not a surprise given the source.  This one's still a ways off and other directors are being considered

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Comic-Con: Will Cable Be the Leader in the 'X-Force' Movie?

The 20th Century Fox panel begins at Comic-Con later today, and there are expected to be a number of announcements, some of which may revolve around an expanded X-men universe. The opening salvo appears to be X-force, which has Kick-Ass 2 director Jeff Wadlow penning and possibly at the helm, but what we don't know is which version of the team he favors. While at Comic-Con, Cinemablend caught up with Wadlow and asked him a few questions, and his answers seem to suggest that the team's usual leader, Nathan "Cable" Summers, may not be involved....

Wadlow: "Here’s the thing, I love the current run of Uncanny X-Force. I love the classic run. Part of my take was addressing this idea that X-Force can be many different things, and that’s what got the studio excited. I think the fans will be excited, too."

He also revealed that the script is pretty far along for a project that was only recently announced...

Wadlow: "I’m pretty deep into it… I have the whole story completely worked out. I’m about 20 pages into my draft. If I wasn’t promoting Kick-Ass, I would probably have a draft [already], but Kick-Ass is going to slow me down just a little."

Cable has been the leader for much of X-force's many runs, and leads one of two versions of the team right now. But others have featured leaders who we know are currently part of the X-men 'movieverse, such as Wolverine and Storm. That may be the easiest approach for Wadlow to take, rather than introducing a complicated character like Cable. [via BleedingCool]

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Rose Byrne May Join 'Annie' and 'The Man from UNCLE' ; Jeff Wadlow to 'Go Fast'

* Rose Byrne is in talks to join the big screen Annie remake, which has Will Smith and Jay-Z on board as producers. Quvenzhane Wallis is set to play the famous orphan, with Jamie Foxx as Benjamin Stacks, a version of Daddy Warbucks. Byrne would play his assistant, and Cameron Diaz is also co-starring in the Will Gluck-directed musical.

Byrne is also being sought for a role in Guy Ritchie's The Man from UNCLE, based on the spy TV series. The film has had trouble securing big name stars, but seems to have settled on Henry Cavill as American agent Napoleon Solo, Armie Hammer as Illya Kuryakin, and Alicia Vikander in a supporting role. But the changes have led to a budget slash, and producers may have trouble signing Byrne. [THR]



* Jeff Wadlow is on something of a roll right now, and it doesn't seem to be easing up. In fact, it's about to go a lot faster. Wadlow has Kick-Ass 2 coming up this summer, and he's penning Fox's X-Force. Now he's set to direct Go Fast, which is described as Fast & Furious with speed boats. Seriously. If it works for cars, why not boats? Quite the on-the-nose title though, right? Clearly going for a Speed vibe. [Deadline]

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'Kick-Ass 2' Director Jeff Wadlow To Lead 'X-Force'

And just like that, we're no longer speculating about 20th Century Fox expanding their X-men universe, it's already moving forward with actual talent attached. Earlier today we learned of the studio's plans to bring Marvel's X-Force to the big screen, with an announcement to come at next week's San Diego Comic-Con, but whatever news they have in store has been beaten to the punch once again, as THR reports that Jeff Wadlow has been brought on to write and possibly direct it.

It's safe to assume that Fox's comics consultant Mark Millar had something to do with this, as Wadlow is the guy at the helm of this summer's Kick-Ass 2. What's unclear right now is what version of X-force Wadlow is planning to use. The original line-up consistent of younger mutants who had grown disillusioned with Charles Xavier's dream, and were led by Nathan "Cable" Summers, who happened to be the time-lost son of Scott "Cyclops" Summers.  Right now there are two versions of X-force on comic book store racks, one led by Storm, the other consisting of Cable, Domino, and Colossus. 

The other question that needs to be answered is where this will fit into the whole scheme of things, and if X-men: Days of Future Past will play into X-Force's formation. We can also assume that more titles will be revealed during the Fox Comic-Con panel on July 20th. 

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Three names emerge as contenders to direct 'Fast & Furious 7'

With Justin Lin announcing that Fast & Furious 6 will be his last time at the wheel of the franchise, Universal needs to get moving on finding his replacement quickly. Vin Diesel has said that filming could begin as soon as this summer, with the shortened production schedule a large part of the reason why Lin stepped down. Three names have reportedly emerged as contenders for the sought-after job, and they all come with varying degrees of franchise experience.

Harald Zwart, Brad Furman, and Jeff Wadlow are the three directors said to be in consideration to helm Fast & Furious 7. Wadlow just finished up with Kick-Ass 2 for the studio, and they may have been impressed enough to offer him the keys to one of their most prized vehicles. He's also a director who knows how to put a limited budget to solid use, having directed his slasher horror Cry_Wolf with the $1M prize he won at the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival. He may be the most logical choice based on Universal's familiarity with his work.

Zwart has the most franchise experience of all, having directed Agent Cody Banks, The Pink Panther 2, and Jaden Smith in The Karate Kid. He also has The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones due out soon, and if that film is a success he'll likely be called back for a sequel. Furman is the dark horse, having helped Matthew McConaughey's dramatic evolution with The Lincoln Lawyer. There have been rumblings of a sequel to the film, but nothing concrete at this stage. His only real stab at action was with the 2008 armored truck thriller, The Take, which happened to feature Fast and Furious co-star, Tyrese Gibson.

This list isn't final by any means, so there may be others in contention we don't know about. Whatever the case may be, expect an announcement to come down very soon.[Latino Review]

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*UPDATE* Looks like Jim Carrey's in for 'Kick-Ass 2' after all!

*UPDATE* Yep, Deadline has confirmed Jim Carrey for the role of The Colonel in Kick-Ass 2. Check out the earlier story below where Mark Millar and Jeff Wadlow pretty much announced it themselves.

With filming on Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall set to begin soon, one of the more intriguing rumors had them seeking out Jim Carrey for the role of The Colonel, known in the comic as Colonel Stars and an ex-mafia figured turned costumed vigilante. Carrey's a proven fan of Mark Millar's comic and of the first film, but reports that followed pegged the deal is "unlikely" to occur. Turns out that may have been a little premature, though, as director Jeff Wadlow and Millar took to Twitter to confirm that Carrey has agreed to join the film. Thanks to Bleeding Cool for capturing the tweet conversation that follows....

6 days till we start shooting... and we officially have our Colonel. Alrighty f'n then! @chloegmoretz @mintzplasse @donald_faison #kickass2
— Jeff Wadlow (@JeffWadlow) September 1, 2012

@jeffwadlow who do we got?!
— Chris Mintz-Plasse (@MintzPlasse) September 1, 2012

@mintzplasse @jeffwadlow clue- he lives with 200 raccoons and parrots, owns the mask of Loki and named by spielberg as a genius.
— Mark Millar (@mrmarkmillar) September 1, 2012

That's a pretty big get for a film that a lot of people are already looking forward to and doesn't really need the starpower. Carrey joins the returning Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Yancy Butler, along with new faces Lindy Booth, Donald Faison, Morris Chestnut, John Leguizamo, Claudia Lee, Robert Emms, and Andy Nyman. Filming begins on Kick-Ass 2 in five days for release on June 28th 2013.

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