Today was a pretty dense news day, chewers. Let’s get to it.
First up, Community fans will be saddened to hear that Yvette Nicole Brown has left the show. According to the actress, she left to spend more time with her ailing father. I’m sorry to hear that her father is in ill health, and I hope her departure from the show is handled gracefully. The sixth season of Community is currently being written, and will shift production from the Paramount lot to the soundstages at CBS’ Studio Center. As I’m sure you know by now, this next (and presumably final) season will debut on Yahoo.
Next, those of you who enjoyed Captain America: The First Avenger will be pleased to know that Dominic Cooper will be reprising his role as Howard Stark on Marvel’s Agent Carter. It’s not known at this point if he’ll be a series regular or a guest star, but I think his presence could give the show a shot of Downey-esque roguish charm. However, overusing him could convolute the Stark family history. We know the character will reappear in Ant-Man, with John Slattery reprising the role from Iron Man 2. I trust that Kevin Feige and crew will keep his story tidy.
In today’s Netflix news, the official sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will premiere on (you guessed it) Netflix, with a simultaneous release in IMAX theaters. The film will bear the subtitle The Green Legend, and is being directed by famous Hong Kong fight choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping. Michelle Yeoh is back, and Donnie Yen is on board, too. The premiere date is set for August 28, 2015.
In an exclusive from Deadline, it’s been announced that screenwriter Dave Callaham is writing a draft of Zombieland 2. Callaham has a story credit for Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla, and has worked on The Expendables and 2005’s Doom. Director Ruben Fleischer is returning, and will be supervising Callaham during the writing process.
Lastly, in today’s weirdest news, Lionsgate has announced a short film contest that I’m sure will raise a few eyebrows: it’s only open to female filmmakers, and it’s Twilight-themed. The judges for the competition will be Twilight author Stephanie Meyer, Kristen Stewart, Kate Winslet, Octavia Spencer, Jennifer Lee, Catherine Hardwicke, and several others. Five winning shorts will get financing, and of the five shorts, one will be voted as the grand prize winner by fans. I’m sure you guys can deduce that I’m not a Twilight kinda guy, but hey, if this puts the spotlight on women in film, I’m all for it.