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On this episode of Collider Movie Talk (December 15th, 2016) John Campea, Kristian Harloff, Jeremy Jahns, Jon Schnepp, Natasha Martinez, and Wendy Lee discuss the following:

  • Warner Bros. Shakeup: Greg Silverman replaced with New Line’s Toby Emmerich
  • Opening this week
  • Disney’s Cruella adaptation hires a director
  • Sony fast-tracks Lin-Manuel Miranda’s animated movie Vivo
  • Casting Catwoman and Poison Ivy
  • Wrestling Biopics
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Warner Bros. announced yesterday that it is shaking up its executive team by replacing creative development and production chief Greg Silverman with New Line’s Toby Emmerich as the new president and chief content officer. In an article from Variety, the reasons given for the ousting is due in large part to costly flops from the studio that include Pan and In the Heart of the Sea, as well as the company’s leadership being unhappy with the poor critical reception for Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Emmerich will share green-light authority with Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara, and will effectively take the position after the new year.

Legendary announced via a press release yesterday that Godzilla 2 and Pacific Rim 2 have undergone a couple title changes. First is the official title for Godzilla 2, the follow-up to Gareth Edwards’ 2014 monster blockbuster, which is now officially titled Godzilla: King of Monsters. Second up is a new title for Pacific Rim 2, which was first called Pacific Rim: Maelstrom, and is now titled Pacific Rim: Uprising. Krampus filmmaker Michael Dougherty is scripting the Godzilla sequel and is also in talks to replace director Gareth Edwards, while Pacific Rim: Uprising is currently in production and set for a February 23, 2018 release date.

OPENING THIS WEEK

Collateral Beauty – When a successful New York advertising executive (Will Smith) suffers a great tragedy, he retreats from life to seek answers from the universe by writing letters to Love, Time and Death. When his notes bring unexpected personal responses, he begins to understand how these constants interlock in a life fully lived and how even the deepest loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty.

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Image via Roadside Attractions

Manchester by the Sea – After the death of his older brother Joe, Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is shocked to learn that Joe has made him sole guardian of his nephew Patrick. Taking leave of his job, Lee reluctantly returns to Manchester-by-the-Sea to care for Patrick, and is forced to deal with a past that separated him from his wife Randi (Michelle Williams).

BUY OR SELL

Universal Pictures has released its first trailer for Despicable Me 3. In the sequel, Steve Carell reprises his role as Gru as well as voicing a new addition to the franchise, Gru’s long-lost twin brother Dru; who is “exactly like Gru except with hair, and also different in every way.” Despicable Me 3 will see Gru facing off against Balthazar Bratt, voiced by Trey Parker, a former child star driven to become a supervillain as a result of the cancelation of his TV series. Despicable Me 3 opens in theatres on June 30, 2017.

According to a report from THR, Mozart in the Jungle co-creator Alex Timbers is in negotiations to helm Disney’s live-action Cruella De Vil origin story entitled Cruella. The movie will star Emma Stone as the title character, with a script by Fifty Shades of Grey and Saving Mr. Banks’ Kelly Marcel. No release date has been set for the project.

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Image via Joan Marcus

Deadline reports that Sony Pictures Animation chief Kristine Belson has fast tracked Vivo, an animated musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, featuring 11 songs written by the Hamilton creator. Miranda’s In The Heights collaborator is writing the script with The Croods‘ helmer Kirk De Micco set to direct. Vivo is a longtime passion project for Miranda about a capuchin monkey with a thirst for adventure and a passion for music who makes a treacherous passage from Havana to Miami to fulfill his destiny. Sony has now dated the picture for a December 18, 2020 release date.

MAIL BAG

Ryan writes:

What's up Collider crew?  Now that WB has announced the Harley Quinn Gotham Sirens movie, I wanna know who you would like to see cast as Catwoman and Poison Ivy, respectively?  I think the obvious names out there are Alicia Vikander & Sofia Boutella, but I'd like to see who you think could deliver a powerful performance.

Thanks for all the content and keep up the filthy!

Kyle writes:

Hey Collider Crew, I've been watching for years now and I always have a huge grin on my face when you guys make wrestling references. I'm a huge wrestling fan and I cannot wait for the Chris Benoit biopic Crossface. There's so much drama inside and outside of the ring which could make amazing films and biopics.  What wrestling biopics would you like to see? I believe the Montreal Screwjob would make an amazing film.

LIVE TWITTER QUESTIONS

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Image via Warner Bros.