Robert Downey Jr., Shane Black Reunite for Adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s ‘Parker’ Series at Amazon

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s a hot one. Jodie Comer is to star in a series based on Jen Beagin’s upcoming book Big Swiss.

EXCLUSIVE: Devon Bostick (Pink Skies Ahead) is the latest addition to the cast of Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer for Universal Pictures.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaWhen Christopher Nolan was shopping for a studio for “Oppenheimer,” his look at the creation of the atomic bomb, Donna Langley sprang into action. The Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman believes that Nolan, along with Steven Spielberg and Jordan Peele, is one of the few filmmakers whose name above the title demands that audience will pay attention.

In the first five minutes of his conversation with Universal Film Entertainment Group Chairman Donna Langley today at SXSW, CNN’s Frank Pallotta got to the aorta of what anyone in Hollywood wants to know from the studio boss: what’s the situation on theatrical-day-and-date, the state of moviegoing and whether the pandemic truly messed the business up.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaFlorence Pugh may soon be touching down in Arrakis.The Oscar-nominated star of “Little Women” and “Black Widow” is in negotiations to join the cast of “Dune: Part 2,” Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros.’ follow-up to the critically acclaimed, commercially successful (for a pandemic) “Dune.” If the deal closes, Pugh will play Princess Irulan Corrino, a royal who becomes romantically entangled with Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides. It’s a critical role, one with the potential to grow if “Dune” stretches deeper into novelist Frank Herbert’s literary canon.Production on the sequel is expected to start this summer, and the film is slated to hit theaters on Oct.

Florence Pugh is in early talks to join the cast of “Dune: Part Two,” according to an individual with knowledge of the project.Denis Villeneuve will return to direct the sequel, which is set for release in October 2023.As implied by the final scene of the film, “Dune: Part Two” will see Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) continue to train his powers of foresight and mind control under the aid of his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and the Fremen on Arrakis. Chani (Zendaya) becomes both a lover and a guide to Paul as he slowly grows in power among the Fremen as their prophesized messiah; and considering how Jessica’s role was expanded by Denis Villeneuve to give her more emotional depth, it wouldn’t be surprising for “Part Two” to make Chani into a hero in her own right.The foresight scenes Paul experiences throughout “Dune” foreshadow much of what is to come in the sequel, including a bloody war with the evil House Harkonnen over control of Arrakis.

Though Part One is in the home stretch of its award season campaign, Warner Bros. and Legendary’s Dune Part Two is ramping up its pre-production efforts as sources tell Deadline Florence Pugh is in negotiations to join the cast. While not confirmed, sources say she will play Princess Irulan Corrino, the eldest daughter to Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV. She will join returning cast members that include Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Josh Brolin with director, producer and co-screenwriter Denis Villeneuve also returning.

The Batman” offers a new take on the Caped Crusader a decade after Christopher Nolan wrapped up his Dark Knight Trilogy and a few years after Ben Affleck’s take on the character somewhat petered out. This new film comes from “War for the Planet of the Apes” and “Let Me In” filmmaker Matt Reeves, who draws from gritty crime procedurals like “Seven” and “Zodiac” to craft a nearly three-hour detective story with a man dressed as a bat following clues left behind by a serial killer calling himself The Riddler. It’s a dark, moody and wildly compelling twist on the Batman character that somehow manages to feel fresh.

Peaky Blinders star Joe Cole has opened up about leaving the hit BBC show, which returned to screens last weekend (February 27).The actor played John Shelby in the show, brother of Tommy Shelby played by Cillian Murphy. He held the role for three seasons before leaving in 2017.Speaking to Radio Times about leaving the show, Cole said he had no regrets.“In society we’re told to play by the rules and live your life in a certain way,” he began.

Robert Downey Jr. is embarking on a new project!

Veteran producer Joel Silver (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey’s Team Downey and Amazon Studios are partnering to develop a series of feature film and television projects based on Donald E. Westlake’s series of highly popular Parker crime fiction novels, written under the pseudonym Richard Stark.

EXCLUSIVE: Louise Lombard (After franchise) has signed on to a role in Christopher Nolan’s Universal Pictures thriller Oppenheimer.

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticWhere do you go after “The Dark Knight”? Ben Affleck blew it, and even Christopher Nolan, who brought unprecedented levels of realism and gravitas to that franchise-best Batman saga, couldn’t improve on what he’d created in his 2012 sequel. So what is “Cloverfield” director Matt Reeves’ strategy? Answer: Go darker than “The Dark Knight,” deadlier than “No Time to Die” and longer than “Dune” with a serious-minded Batman stand-alone of his own.

The highly-anticipated Season 6 premiere of period gangster epic Peaky Blinders was watched by 3.8 million viewers in the UK on Sunday, according to overnight figures. That makes it the biggest launch for the Shelby clan ever, coming in above the Season 5 debut’s 3.7 million overnight average. It also ties the series record previously set by the Season 5 finale in September 2019. The market share was 21.8% on Sunday with a peak of 4.1 million viewers. The episode faced strong competition from the season finale of ITV drama Trigger Point which ended up winning the 9pm slot.

Zack Sharf Mark Wahlberg revealed on KFC Radio this week (via Esquire) that he tried and failed to pitch to Warner Bros. a sequel to Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winner “The Departed.” Wahlberg earned an Oscar nomination for supporting actor thanks to his role in “The Departed,” which grossed $291 million worldwide and won four Academy Awards (including best picture and best director). Scorsese’s cast included Wahlberg opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon.“I went into a meeting with [screenwriter] Bill Monahan at Warner Bros.