Bad reviews be damned, audiences loved this fairy tale crime drama

Bright 2 is definitely happening. Bad reviews be damned, audiences loved this fairy tale crime drama, and it is now officially Netflix's first ever movie franchise.

Christmas holiday, and it brought in quite a bit of viewers. Leaked footage of Orc casting confirmed the rumors that there will be a sequel to Bright just this morning. The original movie starring Will Smith was released on Netflix just before the 

And even though some outspoken critics hated the movie, that isn't stopping the streaming giant from moving forward with more Orc magic.

David Ayer will return to write and direct Bright 2. Will Smith and Joel Edgerton are expected to return and Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless are set as producers. 

Bright premiered on Netflix on December 22, 2017, becoming the highest viewed Netflix film ever on the service in its first week of release, and one of the biggest originals (including sequels/additional seasons) Netflix has ever launched.

Bright is the #1 movie on Netflix in every country (190+ countries) since its release with more people viewing the film internationally than domestically. So it was a no brainer that Netflix would order another sequel. And there's a good chance that we could see a full blown trilogy if enough people tune in for the follow-up.

Set in an alternate present-day, Bright is an action-thriller directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad}, End of Watch, writer of Training Day) follows two cops from very different backgrounds (Ward, a human played by Will Smith, and Jakoby, an orc played by Joel Edgerton) who embark on a routine patrol night that will ultimately alter the future as their world knows it. 

Battling both their own personal differences as well as an onslaught of enemies, they must work together to protect a thought-to-be-forgotten relic, which in the wrong hands could destroy everything.

Bright 2 hasn't started shooting, so the first teaser doesn't have any footage from the upcoming sequel. Instead, it features two Orc actors auditioning for a job in the franchise. The two actors go on about wanting to be a part of Bright, and they both think it's a great film. 

Perhaps no Orcs reviewed it for Rotten Tomatoes, and that's why we didn't hear too much glowing praise at the time of its release. You can watch the teaser in full thanks to Netflix. It's actually pretty fun, especially if you liked the movie. If you're one of the haters, how did you even read this far down? Anyway, we're getting a Bright 2, and I for one, am pretty excited.

The Batman

Warner Bros.' DCEU stand alone adventure The Batman has been in a state of flux lately, with the latest report from earlier this month claiming that Ben Affleck will return as Bruce Wayne in the studio's Flashpoint movie, but, surprisingly, not for the solo outing, which Ben Affleck was at one point set to direct, co-write and star in. 

While it hasn't been confirmed if Ben Affleck is abandoning this coveted character, a report from earlier this month claimed that Jon Hamm was vying for the Batman role, should Affleck back away. Now we have a glimpse at what Jon Hamm could look like as the Caped Crusader.

The artwork comes from digital artist Bryan Fiallos, who put in his own two cents about the potential casting on Instagram, stating that he likes Jon Hamm as Batman, but adding that, "Affleck is just perfect for the role." 

While that may very well be true, especially considering the praise Ben Affleck has gotten thus far, it will all be moot if Ben Affleck walks away from this project. And if anyone is to replace him, Jon Hamm may be one of the top picks, but he's not the only contender waiting in the wings. 

We reported in November that The Batman director Matt Reeves' top choice for Batman is Jake Gyllenhaal, but there was also another report that claimed the studio wasn't too sure about him taking over.

There was also another report earlier this month that claimed the failure of Justice League at the box office has lead to a "major shake-up" at DC Films, with Jon Berg, who served as the head of DC Films, leaving his post to become a producer with Roy Lee (IT, The LEGO Movie), as Geoff Johns remains aboard as chief creative officer. 

The studio is actively looking for Jon Berg's replacement. It remains to be seen how this "shake-up" will directly affect The Batman, and/or Ben Affleck's possible plans to leave the franchise as a whole.

Another report from September claimed that The Batman will start shooting in Summer 2018, but that was never confirmed, and if the production needs to look for a new leading man, that may delay the production process by a considerable amount. Warner Bros. 

hasn't set a release date at this time, but if production does start this coming summer, it's possible that it could be ready for either of the 2019 dates that Warner Bros. has staked out, on April 5, 2019, June 14, 2019 or November 1. While it was originally believed that the studio would release Shazam! and Justice League 2 on those dates, Justice League 2 wasn't a part of the studio slate revealed at Comic-Con Experience Brazil, and while production will begin early next year on Shazam!, no release date has been confirmed. The studio also has four dates staked out for 2020 (February 14, 2020, April 3, 2020, June 5, 2020 and July 24, 2020), so it could be slated for any of those dates as well.

When director Matt Reeves came aboard, the filmmaker was said to have scrapped Ben Affleck's script, which Affleck co-wrote with DC Films' Geoff Johns, starting the script over from scratch. It isn't clear how far along on this new script Matt Reeves is, or how this story may be different than the original script by Ben Affleck and Geoff Johns. While we wait for more on The Batman, take a look at this new artwork, courtesy of Bryan Fiallos Instagram.

The Flash Star Gives Flashpoint Update, Is It Still Happening

Warner Bros. and DC dropped a bomb at San Diego Comic-Con, when they revealed that the new Flash movie will be Flashpoint. This was exciting for numerous reasons, but the most important was that we were actually seeing some movement for a Flash movie, since it had been in development hell for what seems like forever, searching for directors and scrapping scripts left and right.

 Another reason that the announcement was exciting was due to the fact that the Flashpoint story line is a time-twisting epic story that shakes up the foundation of all we thought we knew about our beloved DC characters. Now Ezra Miller has plans to call the DCEU the "DC Hyper-Extended Multiverse."
In the Flashpoint comics, Flash goes back in time to try to save his mom but he wakes up in an alternate universe where he's just Barry Allen, lacking superpowers, and the world is very different.

                    

The Justice League and Superman seem to have never existed, Bruce Wayne was killed (and his parents survived) during a robbery, Thomas Wayne became Batman, and Martha Wayne went full Joker. The bizarre story helped shape DC into what it is today and fans have been really excited about the project hitting the big screen.

Ezra Miller is also very excited about the Flashpoint project and says that this particular stage of development is the best that the Flash has had thus far, which is really saying something. Miller had this to say while talking to Entertainment Weekly.

Rumors have been going around that Warner Bros. is waiting to use the release of Justice League as a test to see if certain movies end up making it out of development and Flashpoint would fall under that "test." 

As far as early projections go, Justice League is expected to have a big opening weekend despite the bipolar reviews that the movie had received so far. Regardless, you can read more about what Ezra Miller had to say about the Flashpoint movie courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

After releasing the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 script for free, James Gunn revealed that Adam Warlock is not 100% confirmed for the next installment in the Guardians universe, adding that it might take a bit longer than expected for the character to "bake in that cocoon." After the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, many assumed that Adam Warlock was definitely going to be heading to the MCU next with the image of his cocoon and his name being mentioned during a post-credits scene. Gunn also teased fans over the summer by sharing on social media that he was reading up on Adam Warlock. So, what's the deal, is Adam Warlock showing up in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 or not?

James Gunn has said in the past that he was left alone to write Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and that he shared his stories with the Russo Brothers for Infinity War. That being said, Marvel gave the director a little bit of pushback for trying to include Adam Warlock in Vol. 2. As it turns out, Marvel was skeptical because they did not want to lead fans on into thinking that Warlock was going to show up in Infinity War, a movie that obviously does not need any more characters. Gunn took to Twitter after the release of Vol. 2 to announce that Warlock would not be appearing in Infinity War to reassure Marvel and to keep speculation from spreading. 

James Gunn had this to say."I had to fight for Adam in the post-credits sequence. Because I really thought that's where that should go. And I thought one of the main reasons to have the Sovereign in the movie was to give audiences the hint that Adam Warlock is coming. That was one of the reasons for them to exist. And I wrote that post-credits sequence in the first draft of the script. And then there were a lot of questions about whether or not we should put that in there, because people were going to expect Adam Warlock in Infinity War. So one of the things I promised - which I do all of the time on Twitter - is letting everyone know that Adam Warlock is not going to be in Avengers 3 or Avengers 4. It's just not going to happen. Because I didn't want people to have false expectations of what they thought was going to happen with Adam.

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 might not have Adam Warlock in it, but it's a safe bet to assume that he'll show up after the dust has settled following Infinity War and Avengers 4. Gunn has said that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will have a hand in setting up the next phase of the MCU and his teasing of Adam Warlock could very well be for the next phase. After all, James Gunn revealed just this week that he was already cooking up ideas for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 while he was writing Vol. 1. This is definitely a director who likes to start cooking things up early. You can read more about the inclusion of Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 below, courtesy of James Gunn's Twitter account.

Fast & Furious Live Arena Tour Is Coming in 2018

Audiences can now get ready for the ultimate adrenaline rush as one of the world's most popular and enduring film serials of all time, Fast & Furious, speeds into the live-entertainment arena. Universal has joined forces with Brand Events to present Fast & Furious Live, a global live-arena tour, it was announced today. Debuting in January 2018, the adrenaline-fueled show will transport fans straight into some of the most memorable scenes and stunts from the films.

Fast & Furious Live brings to life the physics-defying stunts that have defined the eight-film franchise. Using the most advanced technology and featuring all the favorite cars from the blockbuster series, Fast & Furious Live will evoke the most audacious moments from the beloved series. Audiences will feel the heat from flaming exhausts and marvel at mind-blowing vehicular acrobatics as scene after scene unfolds with the most immersive, entertaining technology imaginable.

 Re-creating the underground streets of Los Angeles to locations that crisscross the globe, Fast & Furious Live allows fans to relive the most extreme action as precision performance drivers-surrounded by blockbuster set design, authentic digital projections and state-of-the-art physical obstacles-execute pulse-pounding stunts. Here's what Vince Klaseus, President, Universal Brand Development, had to say in his statement.

Over the course of seven films that have successively stoked passion in an ever-expanding audience and an astounding $3.9 billion at the worldwide box office, Universal Pictures' record-smashing homegrown franchise has become the studio's most-profitable and longest-running one. On social media platforms, fan following for the movies and cast has grown into the biggest of any active franchise. 

On the heels of 2015's Furious 7, one of the fastest movies to reach $1 billion worldwide in box-office history and the sixth-biggest global title of all time, comes the newest chapter in one of the most popular and enduring motion-picture serials of all time: The Fate of the Furious. The film arrives in theaters on April 14, 2017. Here's what David O'Connor, Executive Vice President, Global Franchise Management and Brand Marketing, Universal Pictures, had to say in his statement.

Brand Events, in partnership with sports, media and entertainment specialists Epsilon Partners, have created and financed a joint venture company, Fast Live Productions Ltd, which will produce and tour Fast & Furious Live globally for 5-plus years. 

Brand Events previously worked with BBC Worldwide producing and touring the incredibly successful Top Gear Live shows around the world for more than 10 years. The business runs many other renowned automotive events and festivals-including Ignition Festival of Motoring, The London Classic Car Show and the CarFest festivals. The company is widely regarded as the most successful innovator in consumer events and production, with several industry accolades in recognition.

Universal Brand Development globally drives expansion of the company's intellectual properties, franchises, characters and stories through innovative physical and digital products, content, and consumer experiences. Along with franchise brand management, Universal Brand Development's core businesses include Consumer Products, Games and Digital Platforms, and Live Entertainment based on the company's extensive portfolio of intellectual properties created by Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment, DreamWorks Animation, and NBCUniversal cable and television. Universal Brand Development is a business segment of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, and part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. Take a look at the Fast & Furious Live logo below.