Two New 'Transformers' Spinoff Films In The Works, Including 'Beast Wars'

Ever since the 1980s, people all around the world have fallen in love with the Transformers series of films, toys, television shows, and more. There has always been something extremely fascinating about these iconic robots that can transform themselves into fast cars, and it definitely shows. The first live action Transformers movie was released in 2007 and managed to rake in an impressive $709.7 million on a budget of $150 million.

Its sequels, such as 'Dark of the Moon' and 'Age of Extinction' also made quite a bit of money in the global box office, but none of them were really well received critically. That changed however, when their first spinoff film, Bumblebee, was released in the winter of 2018. People genuinely loved how the story of that movie felt much more grounded and was much more heartfelt.

What kind of story we will be getting in the future, we don't know. But what we do know is that there are now two Transformers spinoff films in the works at Paramount Pictures. Fans of the spinoff television series Beast Wars will be delighted to hear that one of the movies is a movie centered on that storyline, written by The Amazing Spider-Man's James Vanderbilt. But there is something for the Bumblebee fans too, because the other is reportedly going to be set in the universe of the 2018 film, penned by Army of the Dead's Joby Harold.

There is currently no set release date for either of these films, but one thing is for sure, we cannot wait to see what these two entries are going to have in store. Beast Wars could be an incredibly fun and thrilling movie, if it turns out to be true. [Deadline]

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Adam Sandler And Jennifer Aniston Reunite For Netflix's 'Murder Mystery'

I think there's enough empirical evidence to support the idea that Adam Sandler is at his best when paired up with a delightful female co-star. Whether it's Drew Barrymore, Winona Ryder, Emily Watson, or even Joey Lauren Adams, Sandler brings out a little bit of extra charm for his female co-stars. Sandler starred with Jennifer Aniston in 2011's Just Go With It and it turned out to be one of his biggest rom-com hits, and so it's not at all surprising to learn they are teaming up again, this time for Netflix.

Sandler and Aniston will star in Murder Mystery, a comedy about a husband and wife duo who become murder suspects while on a European vacation. Sounds stupid, yes, and the script very well could be with James Vanderbilt (White House Down, The Amazing Spider-Man) writing it. Behind the camera is Workaholics director Kyle Newacheck, who recently helmed Netflix's Game Over, Man!

I expect that if Aniston agreed to this then there's more to Murder Mystery than it appears. Or at least I hope that's the case. Sandler's been pulling huge numbers for Netflix so we know they're happy with him. Adding Aniston to the mix can only make those numbers shoot up higher. [Variety]

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Dwayne Johnson's 'The Janson Directive' To Kick Off A New Cinematic Universe

Best known as the author behind the "Jason Bourne" novels, Robert Ludlum's books encompass many corners of the espionage world. Universal jumped on the Bourne novels and found great success with Matt Damon playing the titular super-agent, and it continues this summer when Jason Bourne hits theaters. But they've also got Dwayne Johnson attached to their long-developing adaptation of Ludlum's The Janson Directive, which will be just the start of something much bigger.

According to THR, Ludlum's books are about to become part of a cinematic universe, with The Janson Directive kicking things off. No word on if Universal plans to meld 'Bourne' in with it, but even if they don't there are enough stories to make it pretty large. James Vanderbilt, who worked with Johnson on The Rundown, has been brought on to rewrite the 'Janson' screenplay, which centers on a top covert agent named Paul Janson who is framed for a crime and pursued by a female agent capable of predicting his every move.

Ludlum wrote more than two dozen novels, most of the espionage variety, before his death in 2001.  The Janson Directive was published posthumously in 2002, and was followed by three sequels written by other authors. It will be interesting to see if Universal decides to fit the 'Bourne' movies into this new universe, possibly setting up a crossover featuring Damon and Johnson.

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Interview: James Vanderbilt Talks 'Truth', Journalism, Casting Blanchett and Redford, and More

Screenwriter James Vanderbilt's most acclaimed film to date was Zodiac, in which Jake Gyllenhaal goes on an obsessive quest for answers about the infamous serial killer. Vanderbilt treads similar territory with his directorial debut, Truth, which is based on 60 Minutes producer Mary Mapes' book about her part in the "Rathergate" scandal that destroyed her career along with that of legendary news man, Dan Rather. The film, which stars Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford, centers on their equally-dogged quest to gain some honest answers about former President George W. Bush's military service. It's a film that examines the state of journalism today, and what the current definition of "truth" really is.

I had a chance to sit down and talk with Vanderbilt about Truth, his reasons for tackling such a hot-button political issue, and of course the casting of Blanchett and Redford. Check out that interview below and find my review of the film here.

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Review: 'Truth' Starring Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford

A journalist is only as good as their word. Lose that, and they've got nothing. Dan Rather was once the most trusted face on television, for decades delivering the tough truths no matter how hard they were for a nation to swallow. And then...just like that, it all went up in a puff of smoke because of one controversial story. Not just a story, because of one detail of a controversial story that angered the wrong people. James Vanderbilt's directorial debut, Truth, chronicles with crackling newsroom energy the scandal that became known as "Rathergate", but ironically the film tends to be a bit fuzzy on the details, leaving it open to scrutiny.

The film is based on the book by former 60 Minutes producer Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett), a force in TV news who had earned acclaim for breaking the Abu Ghraib story. Now she needed another gripping story, one that could spark similar global debate. What she came up with was a potential powder keg; a story that suggested President George W. Bush had gone AWOL from his military service in the Texas Air National Guard while others were shipping out to fight in Vietnam. To get an idea how explosive this could be, consider that it was 2004 just weeks before the Bush's re-election bid against war veteran John Kerry, who was in the process of being "swiftboated" into oblivion. If something like this were to get out it would definitely affect the election, but what a juicy story it would be!

Vanderbilt gets the speed which the news business works, especially a decade ago when it was beginning to be seen as less of a public trust and more of a financial burden.  The emphasis was less on hard journalism and more on ad revenue and TV ratings. Mapes was quickly swept up in it as CBS pushed her to get the story done in time for the elections when it will have the most impact. Assembling a team of eager sleuths that included Lt. Col. Roger Charles (Dennis Quaid), crusading newshound Mike Smith (Topher Grace) and Lucy Scott (Elisabeth Moss), a journalism professor, Mapes doggedly tracked the men who might have all of the answers. Most of these men are older, fearful of their cushy positions in the military or the government, and hesitant to talk. However, Mapes lands one key document that turns out to be the smoking gun. She has her story, and it's tight enough to give to Rather for air on 60 Minutes in just a few days.

Turns out it wasn't as air tight as Mapes might have thought, and before long the key document is being torn apart in the press and denied by those who previously verified it. Pretty soon that story isn't looking so good, and CBS starts getting nervous. Rather, who mostly shuffles in and out when something important needs to be said, sticks up for Mapes all the way. They stick up for one another, actually, leaning on their professional and personal bond to see them through. It doesn't help; not when the media is obsessed over the typeface on the story's key document. That's what it boils down to; typeface. Whether the story is true or not gets lost because the font might have been wrong.

Such is the nature of journalism now, and Vanderbilt laments the passing of a time when a network's news division was seen as the gold standard. You can tell because Mapes and her colleagues are all clearly defined as the muckraking heroes of this story. They had the guts to speak truth to power and were brought down by a powerful and corrupt system, which included execs at CBS' parent company, Viacom. While the conclusion Mapes' story draws may have been true (it was never officially denied by the Bush Administration), nothing excuses her half-assed sourcing which relied on easily contradicted evidence.  Mapes, who is played by Blanchett with Blue Jasmine levels of exasperation, delivers inspiring words to her peers about their responsibility as journalists. But it's nothing compared to Rather, who mostly offers pearls of wisdom such as, “You stop asking questions, that’s when people lose.”  Both Blanchett and Redford are terrific, as expected, especially Redford who has that commanding veteran presence which Rather must have carried.

Truth is a solid film about an issue which remains a hot topic for political wonks. But this is Mapes' story told only from her perspective, and having such a skewed view, entertaining though it may be, makes the film's title a little dishonest.

Rating: 3 out of 5

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Producer Says 'The Shining' Prequel 'Overlook Hotel' is "Its Own Film"

Last year Warner Bros. set out on a prequel to Stanley Kubrick's classic, The Shining, titled The Overlook Hotel. While this news wasn't exactly met with open arms, the talent hired to make it a reality was admittedly strong. Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go) is directing from a screenplay by The Walking Dead's Glenn Mazzarra, who is basing the story from Stephen King's unpublished prologue. But those worried the film will somehow trample on what Kubrick was able to accomplish, producer James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, Truth) is ready to assuage those fears. He tells Collider...

"Honestly, I think people will really be excited about it, because it’s not like ’20 Years Before The Shining!’ I don’t want to give too much away about the story but the way [screenwriter] Glen [Mazzara] cracked it and the way Mark [Romanek] has sort of cracked it, it’s completely it’s own film, which I think is super smart. It’s not like, ‘When Scatman Crothers was young, he…’ it’s not that."

So there's some good news, at least, and the idea of looking back at how The Overlook Hotel came to be is potentially interesting.  The story centers on the hotel's first owner, Bob T. Watson, a robber baron at the turn of the 20th century.

As of now there's no word on when filming on The Overlook Hotel could begin.

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Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett Break News In the Trailer for 'Truth'

In the news business, credibility is all one has. For Dan Rather, a true legend of the field, he had cultivated that credibility over decades, but all it took was one scandal to tear it all down. That's what happened in 2004 after the 60 Minutes newscaster, along with CBS producer Mary Mapes, aired a segment that questioned President George W. Bush's service in the National Guard. The ensuing firestorm would destroy their careers, and the story of how it all went down is depicted in Truth, which has just unveiled its first trailer.

Marking the directorial debut by James Vanderbilt with Robert Redford starring Rather and Cate Blanchett as Mapes, the film digs into the "Rathergate" scandal which saw their evidence against Bush thrown into question. The film debuted to solid reviews at Toronto and could see Blanchett competing against her performance in Carol when the awards nominations start trickling out. 

Also starring Elisabeth Moss, Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Dermot Mulroney, Bruce Greenwood, and Stacy Keach, Truth opens in limited release on October 16th. 

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Robert Redford to Play Dan Rather Opposite Cate Blanchett in 'Truth'

Robert Redford and political movies are like peanut butter and jelly, they just go together naturally. His politics have been at the forefront of many a film he's starred in and continues to this day, even rearing their head during his performance in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And now he's set to star in another political film in which he'll play 60 Minutes anchor, Dan Rather.

Redford will play Rather in Truth, an adaptation of 60 Minutes producer Mary Mapes' memoir Truth and Duty: The Press, The President, And The Privilege Of Power. The story centers on the events that took place in 2004 when Rather and Mapes reported on George W. Bush's record in the Air National Guard, a record that showed a dereliction of duty and the efforts by higher-ups to embellish his record. The report surfaced mere weeks before the 2004 election, and the documents put in as evidence had their authenticity challenged almost immediately. They were judged (but never proven) to be forgeries and the firestorm that followed got Mapes fired and basically ruined Rather's career. Of course this became a major issue to those on the "conservative" wing who claimed it showed a clear media bias against Bush.

So it's another hot button story with a ton of potential, and only making it more impressive is Cate Blanchett taking on the role of Mapes, and superstar writer James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) making his directorial debut on the film. Shooting is planned for this fall and you can bet studios will be lining up to snag this one and turn it into a potential Oscar contender.

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