A breakdown of the biggest movie news from the last week (23 January – 30 January).

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio – Official Teaser Trailer (24 January)

This week saw the release of a teaser trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming film Pinocchio. The stop-motion musical’s star-studded cast includes Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton, and is billed as “a dark, twisted retelling of the famous Carlo Collodi fairy-tale about a wooden puppet who comes to life and dreams of becoming a real boy”. The film’s story takes place in 1930s Fascist Italy.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is currently set for release on Netflix in December 2022.

Mission Impossible 7 & 8 Delayed – Now Set To Release 2023 & 2024 (23 January)

Upcoming Mission Impossible sequels have been delayed (again) this week, with Mission Impossible 7 & 8 pushed back to 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Principal photography on Mission Impossible 7 wrapped in September last year, but has been further delayed by production shutdowns attributed to the pandemic. Mission Impossible 7 has had four previous release dates: 23 July 2021, 19 November 2021, 27 May 2022, and 30 September 2022. It is now set to release on 14 July, 2023.

Mission Impossible 8 is currently in development, and is now set for a 28 June, 2024 release date.

Source: Empire

Chris Evans And Dwayne Johnson To Star In Christmas Action Movie, Red One (24 January)

Chris Evans is now set to join Dwayne Johnson for a holiday action-adventure comedy, titled Red One.

Reportedly, the basic idea came from Johnson’s producing partner Hiram Garcia, and Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions will produce Red One. Jake Kasdan, director of the Jumanji sequels (also starring Johnson) is set to direct, and long-time Fast & Furious writer Chris Morgan has penned the script.

Red One is currently set to release around Christmas 2023.

Source: Deadline

The Rock Working On A New Video Game Adaptation (25 January)

Dwayne Johnson’s a busy boy lately, isn’t he? This week, The Rock announced that he’s bringing another video game franchise to the big screen, and speculation as to which property he’ll be adapting is running rampant.

While speaking with Men’s Journal about his training regime for his upcoming DCEU debut in Black Adam, Johnson was asked if he planned to bring any new video game characters to the big screen. The Rock had this to say:

“I’ve always been a big Madden fan. I can’t tell you which game in particular we’re doing, but there will be an announcement this year. We’re going to bring one of the biggest, most badass games to the screen—one that I’ve played for years. I’m really excited to bring it to fans around the world. Of course we’re going to do right by our gamer friends—but really we’re just going to make a great movie.”

Dwayne Johnson, Men’s Journal

As with every else Johnson does, there’s already a massive buzz around the mystery project. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine anything the wrestler-turned-actor can’t turn into another success story, so fans around the world will have to continue speculating until the project is officially announced.

Jake Gyllenhaal Set To Star In Speedboat Heist Thriller, Cut And Run (26 January)

It was also announced this week that Jake Gyllenhaal has signed on to star in heist thriller Cut and Run.

Cut and Run will focus on thieves who use high-powered speed boats to rob super yachts, with one of their capers taking a turn when they steal the wrong thing from the wrong people.

Gyllenhaal will also produce the film through his company Nine Stories Productions. John Glenn (Eagle Eye) penned the spec script, and Cut and Run is still on the hunt for a director.

Source: Variety

Mortal Kombat Sequel In The Works At New Line (26 January)

Mortal Kombat may not have impressed critics upon its release last year, but the 2021 video game adaptation is getting a sequel, mostly thanks to its box office success.

Jeremy Slater, main writer for the MCU’s upcoming Moon Knight series, is set to write the script for Mortal Kombat 2. Further details on the sequel are currently scarce.

Source: Deadline

Jason Momoa In Talks To Join Fast And Furious 10 (28 January)

The Fast and Furious franchise is one that prides itself on its ever-growing family – and a new star could be joining the franchise.

Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, is in talks to join the Fast 10 as an antagonist for the upcoming film. This comes after Momoa recently wrapped on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and it’s hard to deny that the Sweet Girl star would be a great fit for the Fast franchise.

Fast 10 is still in the writing stages, but it’s currently slated as a two-part finale to the franchise, and is intended to begin shooting this spring. Universal currently has the movie’s release date set as 19 May, 2023.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter