‘God of War’ Star Responds to First Look Backlash

Drew Goddard says he’s still working on a Matrix 5 script. Karl Urban still hopes he could return to Dredd some day. Plus, Delroy Lindo says he’s spoken to Ryan Coogler about maybe heading to Wakanda for Black Panther 3. Spoilers away!

The Matrix 5

Drew Goddard confirmed he’s still attached to write and direct a fifth Matrix movie in a new interview with Screen Rant.

[The Matrix 5 is] still in the works. I’m in my writing cave writing. I don’t know how long I’ll be in that writing cave, but whenever I come out, I’ll have news to share.

Black Panther 3

Speaking with THR, Delroy Lindo revealed he’s spoken to Ryan Coogler about a potential role in Black Panther 3. 

I expressed to Ryan that if the stars line up, I would love to be in Black Panther 3. One of the things he said to me was anything that he were to offer me, he would want to be sure that it was worth my time. He didn’t say exactly that, but that’s essentially the sentiment. And I respect that.

Dredd 2

Elsewhere, Karl Urban told The Playlist he’s still interested in playing Judge Dredd if the Powers That Be want to take him up on that.

I would love to reprise that role in a heartbeat. I really would. I had so much fun making that movie. If I’m not part of it, then I’m all good with it. I just want to see more Dredd stories.

The End of Oak Street/Flowervale Street

World of Reel also reports David Robert Mitchell’s Flowervale Street has changed its title to The End of Oak Street. Starring Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway, the mysterious project—described as an “‘80s-set thrill ride shot on IMAX with a budget of around $85M”—somehow involves dinosaurs. Warner Bros. CEO Michael De Luca has also likened the story to an episode of The Twilight Zone.

The Deep Dark

French miners awaken a long-slumbering monster from its crypt in the trailer for The Deep Dark.

God of War

Series star Ryan Hurst took to Instagram (via Comicbook) to ask fans, “don’t believe everything you see on the internet” in the wake of a backlash to Amazon’s first-look reveal of Hurst in costume as Kratos.

Carrie

Matthew Lillard revealed Mike Flanagan’s Carrie TV series updates the story by inflicting more modern bullying techniques on poor Carrie White.

We finished the six-month shoot in Vancouver just before Christmas. It was awesome. So much fun. In case you don’t know, Carrie had a movie that came out. Brian De Palma shot it with Sissy Spacek. There’s this iconic image of her being covered in blood at the prom. All of that is great. It’s a very specific portion of the book that was pulled in to make that movie. That book is pretty dense and has this rich tapestry of things that weren’t in the De Palma film.

So, Mike [Flanagan] went back, pulled out other elements from the book, then took real-life examples of what’s happening with bullying in America and applied them to this new adaptation. He’s literally ripping things from the headlines and applying them to modern day so that people can relate to what Carrie’s going through. He then really looked at it from three points of view. It’s the parents and how they deal with it. It’s the faculty at the high school, where I play the principal, and then there are the kids.

And I think what sets it apart is that Mike is an incredible storyteller. He’s so good, and I think he’s particularly good at Stephen King. His tempo, the way he approaches the work, and the honesty with which he’s building characters are great. It has an incredible cast of young actors. Summer Howell plays Carrie, and she’s incredible. Samantha Sloyan plays the mother, which is an iconic part that’s a star-making turn for her.

I’m really excited. For me, being in Mike Flanagan’s world is one of the best things that ever happened in my career. Just being amongst those people, they become friends. And that has been just an unbelievable experience.

[Screen Rant]

Ghosts

Finally, John Michael Higgins guest stars in the trailer for this week’s new episode of Ghosts.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.