The Fighting Shirley Chisholm: Danai Gurira to Play First Black Congresswoman in New Film

Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead, Avengers: Endgame, Black Panther) is attached to star in The Fighting Shirley Chisholm, portraying the first Black congresswoman Shirley Chrisholm in the new film about Chisholm’s historic 1972 presidential run, according to Variety.

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The Fighting Shirley Chisholm will be directed by Cherien Dabis (Ramy, Little Voice, Ozark) from a script by Emmy nominee Adam Countee (Silicon Valley, Run, The Mindy Project).

The movie is not being described as a biopic, instead focused more centrally on the campaign and how “the Chisholm Trail was populated by young people who sought social and political change during one of the most turbulent times in American history. At the time, Chisholm had already made history as the first Black congresswoman, and according to a description of the piece, recognized that she could make real change by challenging the status quo through her efforts to gain enough delegates to speak for the people at the Democratic Convention.”

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Stephanie Allain will produce the project through her Homegrown Pictures banner. Gabrielle Ebron will executive produce.

Chisholm was recently played on the small screen by Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black) in the miniseries Mrs. America, for which Aduba won an Emmy Award.

(Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images & Michael Tighe/Donaldson Collection/Getty Images)

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Michael Bay in talks with Gyllenhaal, eyeing González & O’Brien for Ambulance

After teaming with two of Fox’s Marvel stars on his last action-packed project, Michael Bay is looking to the MCU as he has entered talks with Spider-Man: Far From Home‘s Jake Gyllenhaal to star in his upcoming thriller Ambulance, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

RELATED: Michael Bay in Talks to Direct Remake of Danish Thriller Ambulance

The film, which is being penned by Chuck and Prodigal Son co-creator Chris Fedak, is being described as “a three-hander that tells of two brothers that steal an ambulance that is already in a heightened state with a female paramedic and a patient who is in critical condition,” with the story aiming for a tone akin to late ’90s and early ’00s action hits such as Speed and Training Day.

In addition to Gyllenhaal, who is in talks to portray the older brother of the story, the film has reportedly attracted the attention of Baby Driver and Bloodshot star Eiza González and Love and Monsters star Dylan O’Brien, who previously collaborated with Bay on the Transformers spin-off prequel Bumblebee, in which he voiced the titular Autobot.

Sources report that for his next directorial project, Bay was eyeing both Ambulance and a big-budget video game adaptation at Sony, which game it is is currently unknown, but thanks to the pandemic-friendly nature of the former’s production plan and his desire for a character-driven project in contrast to his standard explosion-happy fare, he landed on that. It will also mark the second project of Bay’s to shoot in Los Angeles during quarantine after the pandemic thriller Songbird, on which he was a producer.

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The project is currently being packaged by Endeavor Content, with Universal Pictures getting an inside track on acquiring the rights to the film.

(Photo Credits: Getty Images)

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CS Video: Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey Cast & Filmmaker on the Netflix Musical

ComingSoon.net had the opportunity to speak with Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey writer and director David E. Talbert, as well as cast members Keegan-Michael Key, Ricky Martin, Phylicia Rashad, Madalen Mills, Anika Noni Rose, and Forest Whitaker about Netflix’s upcoming family holiday musical debuting on Friday, November 13. You can check out the interviews now in the player below!

RELATED: Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey Trailer Plus New Art & Usher Single Released

A musical adventure and a visual spectacle for the ages, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a wholly fresh and spirited family holiday event. Set in the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, the film follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker) whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice (Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key) steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (newcomer Madalen Mills) — and a long-forgotten invention — to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within.

From the imagination of writer-director David E. Talbert and featuring original songs by John Legend, Philip Lawrence, Davy Nathan, and “This Day” performed by Usher and Kiana Ledé, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey reminds us of the strength of family and the power of possibility.

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The cast also includes Sharon Rose, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, Kieron Dyer, Justin Cornwell, Lisa Davina Phillip, and Hugh Bonneville.

The movie was produced by Lyn Sisson-Talbert, p.g.a., David E. Talbert, p.g.a., Kristin Burr, p.g.a., John Legend, Mike Jackson, and David McIlvain.

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Miles Teller & Shailene Woodley to Reunite in Political Satire The Fence

According to Deadline, Whiplash star Miles Teller and two-time Golden Globe nominee Shailene Woodley (Big Little Lies) have officially signed for the leading roles in Icelandic filmmaker Grímur Hákonarson’s forthcoming political satire film titled The Fence. In addition, Academy Award winner and MCU alum William Hurt (Kiss of the Spider Woman, A History of Violence, Avengers: Endgame) has also been cast to star in the film.

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The Fence will follow two liberal newlyweds as they find themselves increasingly at odds with their ultra-conservative ex-marine neighbor over a nine-foot-tall fence that he insists on building to keep his home safe from potential terrorists. The film will be directed by Icelandic filmmaker Grímur Hákonarson from a screenplay written by Shane Danielsen based on a story by Hákonarson.

The film will be produced by Justin Nappi and Juliet Berman for Treehouse Pictures. This project marks the fifth collaboration between Teller and Woodley, who have previously starred together in the acclaimed 2013 drama The Spectacular Now and in the Divergent films.

RELATED: Spiderhead: Chris Hemsworth, Jurnee Smollett & Miles Teller Join Netflix Drama

Teller’s notable film credits include Footloose, 21 & Over, That Awkward Moment, War Dogs, and Bleed for This. He will next be seen in Paramount Pictures’ Top Gun: Maverick starring alongside Tom Cruise and Jon Hamm;and Netflix’s Spiderhead opposite Chris Hemsworth.

Woodley is best known for her performances in The Descendants, White Bird in a Blizzard, The Fault in Our Stars, Snowden, Adrift, and Big Little Lies which had earned her Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress. She will next be seen in STX’s Mauritanian opposite Benedict Cumberbatch and Jodie Foster.

(Photo by Andrew H. Walker/FilmMagic)

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Millie Bobby Brown to Lead Netflix’s New Fantasy Film Damsel

Coming off of the successful release of Enola Holmes, it looks like Emmy-nominated actress Millie Bobby Brown has found her next project for Netflix with Collider bringing word that the Stranger Things star has officially signed on for the leading role in the streamer’s new fantasy film titled Damsel. Brown is set to portray the role of Princess Elodie, who is described as someone that has a fierce warrior spirit.

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Damsel will center around a young princess, who finds herself in an arranged marriage with their rival kingdom’s Prince Henry. However, her situation gets more complicated when she finds out that their rival kingdom has a despicable harvest season tradition of sacrificing their princess to a hungry dragon. Now, Elodie must fight off the dragon for her survival.

The film will be directed by Oscar-nominated Spanish filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo from a screenplay written by Wrath of the Titans scribe Dan Mazeau. In addition to starring, Brown is also expected to serve as an executive producer through her PCMA Productions banner along with Zack Roth, Chris Castaldi, and Mazeau. Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum have also boarded the project as producers.

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Millie Bobby Brown gained worldwide recognition for her breakthrough role as Eleven in Netflix’s hit sci-fi series Stranger Things which earned the young actress her first Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Damsel isn’t actually the only project that the 16-year-old actress has lined up with Netflix. Brown is also set to star and produce the streamer’s film adaptation of The Girls I’ve Been with Jason Bateman also serving as a producer.

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Watch The Croods: A New Age Wildest Wildlife Croodimals Documentary

Peacock Kids has released a new “documentary” for Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods: A New Age, providing an inside look at the upcoming animated sequel. You can check out the video now in the player below!

RELATED: The Croods: A New Age Trailer Introduces The Bettermans

The Croods have survived their fair share of dangers and disasters, from fanged prehistoric beasts to surviving the end of the world, but now they will face their biggest challenge of all: another family

The Croods need a new place to live. So, the first prehistoric family sets off into the world in search of a safer place to call home. When they discover an idyllic walled-in paradise that meets all their needs, they think their problems are solved … except for one thing. Another family already lives there: the Bettermans.

The Bettermans (emphasis on the “better”)—with their elaborate tree house, amazing inventions and irrigated acres of fresh produce—are a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder. When they take the Croods in as the world’s first houseguests, it isn’t long before tensions escalate between the cave family and the modern family.

Just when all seems lost, a new threat will propel both families on an epic adventure outside the safety of the wall, one that will force them to embrace their differences, draw strength from each other and forge a future together.

The Croods: A New Age features the voice talent of returning stars Nicolas Cage as Grug Crood, Catherine Keener as Ugga Crood, Emma Stone as their daughter, Eep; Ryan Reynolds as Eep’s boyfriend, Guy; Clark Duke (Hot Tub Time Machine) as Thunk and Cloris Leachman as Gran. They’re joined by new stars Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) as Phil Betterman, Leslie Mann (Blockers) as Hope Betterman, and Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: Episode VIII-The Last Jedi) as their daughter, Dawn.

The film is directed by Joel Crawford, who has worked on multiple DreamWorks Animation films, including Trolls and the Kung Fu Panda franchise, and is produced by Mark Swift (Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted).

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The movie will be released on November 25, 2020.

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Max Cloud Trailer: Scott Adkins Stars in New Sci-Fi Comedy Film

Well Go USA Entertainment has released the official trailer for their forthcoming sci-fi action comedy film titled Max Cloud, featuring English actor Scott Adkins as a video game avatar. The film is scheduled for a VOD release on December 18. Check out the video in the player below!

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When teen gamer Sarah finds an “easter egg” and accidentally opens a portal into her favorite side-scroller, she becomes trapped in a notorious intergalactic prison, home to the galaxy’s most dangerous villains. To escape, she must finish the game with a little help from her not-so-savvy friend on the outside…or remain a 16-bit character forever.

Max Cloud stars Scott Adkins (The Debt Collector, The Expendables 2, Doctor Strange), Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy), Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel, No Time to Die), Elliot Langridge (Twist), Sally Collett (Killers Anonymous), Franz Drameh (Edge of Tomorrow) and John Hannah (The Mummy films).

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Max Cloud is directed by Martin Owen from a screenplay he co-wrote with Sally Collett. The film is executive produced by Kirsty Bell, Loni Farhi, and Philippe Martinez with Alan Latham, Thomas Mattinson, Phil McKenzie, and Matt Williams serving as producers.

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The Water Dancer: Oprah & Brad Pitt to Adapt Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Debut Novel into Film

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oscar nominee Oprah Winfrey has officially partnered up with Oscar-winning actor-producer Brad Pitt to develop the film adaptation of author Ta-Nehisi Coates’ fantasy drama novel titled The Water Dancer. MGM will also produce and will handle the theatrical distribution of the film.

“Ta-Nehisi’s debut fiction novel has at its heart, a beautiful character in Hiram Walker, whose personal odyssey weaves the supernatural and spiritual, with the terrible reality of the forced separations endured by enslaved people and their families for centuries,” MGM’s film group chairman Michael De Luca and MGM’s film group president Pamela Abdy said in a statement. “Hiram’s story is one of devotion to those he loves, and the journey he takes to bring them together. All of us at MGM are incredibly honored to join Ta-Nehisi, Kamilah, Plan B and Harpo Films in bringing this film to the screen.”

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Set in the pre-Civil War South, The Water Dancer centers around Hiram Walker, who was born into slavery and has an amazing photographic memory despite having no memory of his mother, who have abandoned him when he was young. After almost drowning from a carriage accident, he discovers his superhuman ability which was suddenly triggered by his powerful memories of his mother. As he struggles to gain an understanding of this power, he becomes involved with the Underground Railroad and meets historical figures.

Pick up a copy of the novel here!

The film adaptation was also penned by Coates. Published in 2019, the novel became an instant hit and was featured on The New York Times fiction best-seller list. It was also featured on Oprah Winfrey’s Apple TV+’s series Oprah’s Book Club where the billionaire talk show host described it as one of the best books she has ever read in her entire life.

RELATED: New The Underground Railroad Teaser: First Look at Thuso Mbedu’s Cora

The Water Dancer will also be produced by Kamilah Forbes, who worked with Coates on the theatrical event of Between the World and Me. Winfrey and Pitt are set to produce through their Harpo Films and Plan B banners, respectively. This marks the second collaboration between Harpo and Plan B, who have first worked on 2014’s Selma.

(Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images, Michael Kovac/Getty Images for J/P HRO Gala & Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Gordon Parks Foundation)

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Exclusive Last Three Days Featurette Goes Behind-the-Scenes With Robert Palmer Watkins

ComingSoon.net has an exclusive behind-the-scenes featurette for the action mystery movie Last Three Days, featuring star Robert Palmer Watkins (The Walking Dead: World Beyond). You can check out the exclusive featurette now in the player below!

RELATED: Exclusive Last Three Days Trailer Starring Robert Palmer Watkins

Jack (Watkins) is a police officer with a marriage on the rocks working undercover to take down a Japanese crime syndicate. One night things go south and he wakes up to discover he’s missing his partner, his wife, and the last three days of his life.

The movie, written and directed by Brian Ulrich (Fishers of Men), also stars Thomas Wilson Brown (Silverado), Deborah Lee Smith (The Shasta Triangle), Roy Huang (Joyful Noise), and Gina Hiraizumi (Black-ish).

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Last Three Days was produced by Julianna Ulrich and Brian Ulrich, and executive produced by Todd Slater and Grant Slater. The movie is a Brotherhood Studios and Slater Brothers Entertainment Production.

The film will release in theaters and on VOD on November 13, 2020, from Gravitas Ventures.

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Warner Bros. eyeing Mads Mikkelsen for Fantastic Beasts 3 over Depp

It’s been a whirlwind of a week for Warner Bros.’ Fantastic Beasts 3 as it was announced the studio asked star Johnny Depp to resign from his role as villain Gellert Grindelwald and its release was pushed back to July 2022 and now it’s been revealed that the studio is in early negotiations with Hannibal alum Mads Mikkelsen to take over the role, according to Deadline.

RELATED: Fantastic Beasts 3: Warner Bros. Sets New Release Date for July 2022

Sources are reporting that David Yates, currently at work shooting the next installment in the Harry Potter prequel franchise, came up with a list of potential actors to replace Depp in the villainous role and that Mikkelsen was his first choice and now the studio is in early talks with the 54-year-old Danish star to take over the part. Depp was asked to depart due to his losing his lawsuit against a British tabloid for libel, but is reportedly still being paid his full salary for the film despite only having shot one day of film.

Fantastic Beasts 3 will again feature the return of Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein, Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski, Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein, Ezra Miller as Credence, Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore, and Jessica Williams as Professor Eulalie Hicks. Warner Bros. is currently recasting the role of Gellert Grindelwald following Depp’s exit.

The third installment will again be directed by David Yates from a screenplay written by J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves. The third movie in the franchise is currently filming in the UK.

RELATED: Johnny Depp Exits Fantastic Beasts Franchise, Will No Longer Play Grindelwald

The previous film in the Harry Potter prequel franchise, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, earned $653 million at the worldwide box office. The first two Fantastic Beasts movies were directed by David Yates, from a screenplay by J.K. Rowling, and produced by David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves, and Lionel Wigram.

Fantastic Beasts 3 is set to hit theaters on July 15, 2022.

(Photo Credit: Stefania M. D’Alessandro/Getty Images for RFF)

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