Did You Hear? is a weekly examination of headlines in the entertainment industry and a take on what they could mean for the future of the industry and (often), the little geeky bubble that we occupy!
Paramount+ Reveals Knuckles Trailer & Release Date
Yesterday the @SonicMovie Twitter account dropped the first trailer for the upcoming Knuckles streaming television series:
https://twitter.com/SonicMovie/status/1755592327874379855
Sonic’s most popular breakout character shared the same legacy when the video game world dropped to the silver screen in the Sonic movie franchise. Knuckles has appeared in several Sonic television adaptations and always enjoyed a special status as fan favourite character.
Idris Elba’s performance of the beloved echidna (he’s not a hedgehog!), edgelord was immediately beloved in the fandom. This spinoff project has gone through every possible incarnation from film to series and has now set an April 26th release date on streamer Paramount+.
Knuckles will have six episodes and Elba reprising his role as the red echidna. IMDB is currently categorizing the project as a “miniseries”, however I am willing to bet if these debut episodes do high enough numbers we could see the announcement of the project evolving into an “ongoing” series.
Idris Elba is joined by Colleen O’Shaughnessey in her iconic turn as Tails, Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride, Saw), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Stockard Channing (The West Wing), Paul Sheer (Star Trek: Lower Decks), Kid Cudi (Trolls Band Together, Silent Night), and more. At the time I sit writing this feature there are no roles listed for any of the aforementioned performers.
Jurassic World Loses Director
Today Deadline reported the loss of director David Leitch from the next installation in the Jurassic World franchise mere days after he was announced to have joined the project. Announcements to the public always come months – if not years – after work has actually begun, but that doesn’t stop this loss from seeming rather sudden.
Deadline opens their report as follows:
EXCLUSIVE: Universal is back on the search for a director to helm its next Jurassic World movie as Deadline is hearing David Leitch is no longer in talks to direct the film. Insiders say the parting was amicable and that ultimately the studio and Leitch had different visions for the film.
There’s no more details yet emerging about what caused the split or the talks to deteriorate, but Jurassic World fans certainly seem to be taking the loss as a bad omen as they take to social media to share reactions:
https://twitter.com/SwrveYT/status/1756008180029468955
James Cerio on Twitter: “David Leitch: “I want to make a hard action movie with horror elements with a plot that makes sense” Studio: Get Out! / Twitter”
David Leitch: “I want to make a hard action movie with horror elements with a plot that makes sense” Studio: Get Out!
With the size and scale of the Jurassic Park franchise represents at Universal Studios I predict the announcement or rumours of new talks of a replacement director before the end of the month.
Mando & Grogru are Getting a Movie?
Star Wars movies are back, babyyyyyy!
Remember when Disney announced they were going to be rolling back their Star Wars film and television projects? Yeah, me too. I don’t think anyone really believed this was going to come to pass, however, I definitely didn’t have a Disney+ original Star Wars series making the leap to the silver screen on my 2024 bingo card.
Earlier this week Disney had its shareholder meeting which means fans and journalists alike followed along for Easter Eggs heralding new projects we can look forward to. The breakout story from the call seems to be the evolution of the story being told in The Mandolorian. Mando and Grogru are jumping from the world of streaming to the world of movies:
“I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created,”
… director Jon Favreau said, adding:
“The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting.”
President of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy had this to say:
“Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have ushered into Star Wars two new and beloved characters, and this new story is a perfect fit for the big screen.”
The movie is slated to be titled The Mandolorian & Grogru. Speculation is for a 2026 release date.
What are your thoughts on The Mandolorian & Grogru? Are you team “This is the way” or perhaps a little more “This is not the way”? Share your thoughts with us!
