Maleficent: Linda Woolverton, who wrote the screenplay for Disney's Maleficent, has been hired to come up with a sequel. The studio wants Angelina Jolie to reprise her role as the mysterious titular character, but no deal is in place. The movie has made more than $760 million since it was released last year and sparked Disney's plans to make other live-action versions of its classic animated films. [Deadline]
Star Wars: Rogue One: Forest Whitaker is in negotiations for a role in Star Wars: Rogue One. If all goes well, he will join a cast led by Felicity Jones, Riz Ahmed, Diego Luna and Ben Mendelsohn; Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) is set to direct. Described as a heist movie, the story will follow rebel soldiers who attempt to steal the plans for the Death Star first seen in the original Star Wars in 1977. It will hit theaters on December 16, 2016. [Variety]
Gambit: Rupert Wyatt (The Gambler, above; Rise of the Planet of the Apes) will direct Gambit. The X-Men spin-off will star Channing Tatum as the titular character, aka Remy LeBeau, a mutant from Louisiana who is a card shark and speaks with a Cajun accent, at least in the Marvel comic books. Production is aiming to get underway in October, with a release date scheduled for October 7, 2016. [Deadline]
SPECTRE Video: The opening scene of SPECTRE, the next James Bond adventure, will celebrate Mexico's Day of the Dead, according to a new behind-the-scenes video. The focus in the video is on the massive amount of costumes required, but it looks like the Mexican holiday will provide a vibrant setting for the traditionally elaborate opening action sequence. Daniel Craig stars; the movie will open in theaters on November 6. [Sony]
