Updates From The Matrix 4, Lucifer, and More

Updates From The Matrix 4, Lucifer, and More

Ed Solomon’s next project is a peculiar stop-motion revival. Bruce Campbell wants you to know the next Evil Dead is going big. Oscar Isaac discusses Dune’s relevance in our modern society. Plus, Mike Flanagan wants his hands on The Dark Tower and Danny Trejo is fighting demons. To me, my spoilers!

Illustration: Jim Cooke
Illustration: Jim Cooke

Automatons

In conversation with Coming Soon, Ed Solomon revealed he and Bill & Ted co-writer Chris Matheson are actively trying to revive Automatons, an abandoned stop-motion feature film written and recorded fifteen years ago. Featuring the voices of Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Sylvester Stallone, John Cleese, Fred Armisen, Holly Hunter, Billy Bob Thornton, Gary Shandling, William H. Macy, Rachel Dratch, Catherine O’Hara, Deidrich Bader, Dennis Haysbert, and Chris Parnell, the story concerns two “two robots created during World War II to stop Hitler” wandering around the bottom of the ocean for 70 years after their submarine was scuttled by enemy forces. The duo eventually “emerge in Minneapolis St. Paul, still trying to find Hitler. But somehow, the pressure of being underwater has created a little bit of a human characteristic, so they are unfortunately totally insecure and neurotic.”

In the premise, Hitler and Tojo and Mussolini happen to be in Minneapolis because they’ve frozen themselves cryogenically and are trying to redeem themselves by putting on a production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, but they don’t get the rights, so they have to write their own version called You’re a Very Good Boy, Charlie Blue. They try to perform it, and Otto and Rob basically are trying to stop them. It’s the world’s most absurd movie.

We made four two-minute episodes and we were so certain that we could get this thing set up that we financed ourselves a recording of the entire movie with Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Silvester Stallone, John Cleese, Fred Armisen, Holly Hunter, Billy Bob Thornton, Gary Shandling, William H. Macy, Rachel Dratch and Catherine O’Hara. We had Deidrich Bader, we had Dennis Haysbert, we had Chris Parnell. I mean, it was this unbelievable group. And we recorded the whole damn thing, and still, every studio was like, ‘Are you out of your mind? This is the weirdest thing, and you have Hitler putting on a musical. This is not going to ever work.’ But you know, my fantasy is that one day maybe I can do it again. I won’t be able to use those voices because that was a long time ago, and even though we own them, it wouldn’t really be ethically correct to just repurpose their voices 15 years later. But you know, maybe we can do it in bytes again somewhere. It might be really fun.

Evil Dead Rise

Bruce Campbell confirmed Evil Dead Rise will indeed be set in a major city during an event at the Mahoning Drive-In Theatre in Leighton, Pennsylvania over the weekend.

The Evil Dead are going to fuck up a city this time.

[1428Elm]

The Matrix 4

Appearing as a guest on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM show, Keanu Reeves praised Lana Wachowski for creating “a beautiful story and a beautiful script” before adding, “I am really grateful to be here and be a part of this story.” [THR]

Dune

Oscar Issac also hyped the social relevancy of Dune in a recent interview with Empire Magazine.

It’s about the destiny of a people, and the different way that cultures have dominated other ones. How do a people respond when it’s at the tipping point, when enough is enough, when they’re exploited? All those things are things we’re seeing around the world right now.

The Last Exorcist

When a terrorist attack kills every priest in the world trained in exorcisms, two sisters are left to battle a demon on their own in the trailer for The Last Exorcist, featuring (in some capacity) Danny Trejo.

The Dark Tower

Speaking with Syfy, Mike Flanagan stated his “Holy Grail” project would be an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower people actually liked.

The Dark Tower is forever going to be the story I wish I could tell. That would be the Holy Grail. I mean, talk about an adaptation challenge… So many very talented people have poured so much time and heart and soul and blood, sweat and tears trying to crack that.

Lucifer

According to Chris Rafferty, the second half of Lucifer’s fifth season was “95% done” before filming temporarily shuttered amidst covid-19 concerns.

Lovecraft Country

Finally, HBO has released a trailer for Lovecraft Country: Sanctum, a series of tie-in VR experiences premiering tonight at 10PM ET / 7PM PT on Youtube.

Banner art by Jim Cooke.