Hollywood continues to roll. Some of the week’s announcements could have a much bigger impact on the movie calendar than they initially suggest. Jennifer Lawrence is set to star in Zach Cregger’s thrilling sci-fi film; the cast of Miami Vice ‘85 continues to take shape; Curry Barker’s next comedy-horror has landed a release date; first reactions to new films, and new projects in the works are all part of this week’s major updates.
Who to Watch Out For
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jennifer Lawrence is to star in Zach Cregger’s upcoming sci-fi thriller, The Flood. Cregger will direct the film from his own script, again based on an original idea like Weapons (2025), which Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema also distributed. Amblin Entertainment and Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee and Miri Yoon are producing the film, which is set to release on August 11, 2028.
Bradley Cooper as Duke? That’s a G.I. Joe casting choice worth watching. Directed by Danny McBride, the latest live-action film from the Hasbro toy line will be led by Paramount, with Cooper playing the military unit leader, per Deadline. Plot details are still under wraps, but it’s expected to be the franchise’s reimagining and entirely separate from the scrapped Transformers crossover. Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian and Zev Foreman, the film marks another venture alongside Cooper’s upcoming Ocean’s prequel with Margot Robbie.
The casting spree doesn’t stop there, as Miami Vice ’85 is also expanding its lineup. Edi Gathegi (Superman) and Andrew Schulz (Feast of the Seven Fishes) have been cast in Universal Pictures’ take on the classic TV series. Joseph Konsinki (Top Gun: Maverick, F1: The Movie) is directing the pic, which will focus on the glamour and corruption of mid-80s Miami in a fresh take. The film’s cast already includes Michael B. Jordan, Austin Butler, Alden Ehrenreich, Whitney Peak, Camila Morrone, Danny Ramirez, and John Leguizamo. Produced by Dylan Clark via Dylan Clark Productions and Kosinski, the film is slated for a theatrical release on May 19, 2028.
Next up, the casting news gets a horror twist with Chase Infiniti joining Dylan Clark’s Portrait of God for Lionsgate. Variety reported that Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele produce the pic and are excited to work with a new horror director making his feature-film directorial debut with The Blair Witch reboot, scheduled for a 2027 release. Portrait of God will be based on Clark’s viral YouTube horror short of the same name. It centers on a religious student whose beliefs are tested as they prepare a presentation on a mysterious painting. The film does not have an official release date as yet.
What to Add to Your Future Watchlist
Curry Barker’s Anything But Ghosts sets May 2027 release date. Focus Features and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster back the project, which is co-written with Barker’s longtime collaborator, Cooper Tomlinson. The pair also co-lead the project alongside Violet McGraw, Chris Reinacher, Bryce Dallas Howard and Aaron Paul, per Variety. The plot revolves around fame-seeking ghost hunters who stumble into something far more terrifying than they expected. Jason Blum, Steven Schneider, Roy Lee, Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath are the producers. The film will hit big screens on May 7, 2027.
Elsewhere, Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki’s first-ever English-language film Grandgear will release on January 14, 2028. Sony Pictures announced the release date moved up from February 2028 to January. Yamazaki wrote, directed, and produced the film. Bad Robot’s J.J. Abrams and Glen Zipper are producing the film. It will mark the director’s debut in Hollywood, and its plot details are still unknown.
Another title joins the 2027 lineup, with River arriving on January 15. Universal and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster acquired the rights at TIFF Midnight Madness, where it currently boasts a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Joshua Giuliano writes and directs the story of three estranged siblings who reunite after their father’s death. Their journey to scatter his ashes on a remote river takes a terrifying turn. It stars Evil Dead’s Jane Levy, Jessica Rothe, and Max Mattern.
Danny Boyle confirmed that 28 Years Later 3 is still happening, with plenty of Cillian Murphy, according to Variety. He also said there’s “a very good script by Alex Garland” and that it will surely have plenty of Murphy, as shown in the ending of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026). Danny Boyle directed the first part of the trilogy, 28 Years Later, and he will now return for the untitled concluding chapter.
An exclusive report from Deadline states that Dan Trachtenberg will direct a film inspired by Sleeping Beauty for Disney with “a fresh spin.” With Predator: Badlands (2025) showcasing Trachtenberg’s knack for action, his next project could take a classic Disney story in an entirely new direction. Very little has been revealed about the plot so far; Trachtenberg and Rayna McClendon conceived the story, while Alex Anfanger and Dan Schimpf are handling the screenplay.
Update Courtesy of Madiha Ali
Feature Image Courtesy of Warner Bros/ Everett Collection
Madiha Ali
With bylines on Tea and Banter, Show Snob, The Irish Insider, Movie Insiderz, High on Films, and Screen Anarchy, Madiha Ali is a cine buff who watches films on a daily basis. A fan of The Matrix, Transformers, and Stranger…
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