Author: Trafficblast

Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are splitting up. The producing partners who worked together on a number of comedy films such as Anchorman, Step Brothers, and Talladega Nights, are ending the lengthy partnership at production company Gary Sanchez in a move that sounds amicable.

Ferrell and McKay said in a joint statement that the past 13 years working together “could not have been more enjoyable and satisfying,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. “The two of us will always work together creatively and always be friends. And we recognize we are lucky as hell to end this venture as such.”

Ferrell and McKay have a number of films still in the works under their previous arrangement, including the Hustlers movie starring Jennifer Lopez. All of the in-production movies will go forward. THR points out that the specific details of how Gary Sanchez and Gloria Sanchez (the female-fronted label) will operate going forward are unknown.

McKay has pushed more into the drama genre lately with his Oscar-nominated movies like The Big Short and more recently the Dick Cheney movie Vice. At the same time, he’s continued to produce Will Ferrell comedies such as the recent flop Holmes & Watson.

McKay and Ferrell’s Sanchez Production also owns the comedy website Funny or Die.

“Thank you to everyone who collaborated with us for 13 years. Proud of the stuff we got to work on and most of all, the amazing people we worked with. Also excited for new stuff to come…” McKay said on Twitter.

A new Marvel movie will film in Sydney, though it’s unclear at this stage what production it is. A news release from Mitch Fifield, Australia’s Minister for Communications and the Arts, and New South Wales Minister for the Arts Don Harwin, confirmed that the “Untitled Marvel Studios Feature Film” will begin production at some point in 2019 in and around Sydney.

The Australian Federal Government put in $24 million from the “Made in NSW fund” to help entice Marvel and owner Disney to film in Australia. Filming will take place at Fox Studios Australia and “other locations” in the country. Disney claimed ownership of Fox Studios Australia as part of its acquisition of Fox.

It’s not the first Marvel movie to film in Australia, as Thor: Ragnarok also filmed in the country.

According to Fifield, the new Marvel movie filming in Australia will create 4,700 new jobs and utilise the services of around 1,200 local businesses. In total, Australia is expecting to see “over $150 million of new international investment” related to this decision.

The production of the movie is expected to spend in excess of $100 million in New South Wales and establish as many as 770 jobs for local screen professionals specifically.

“The film needs a large workforce of highly specialised special effects technicians and will also require sophisticated stunts, all of which NSW’s incredibly skilled and experienced screen industry can deliver,” Harwin said in a statement.

“Marvel Studios thanks the Australian and NSW Governments and is thrilled to be returning to Australia to work with the talented and highly skilled Australian crew, stunt performers, and actors together with the thousands of small businesses across Australia that supply world class equipment, goods, facilities, and services to large budget productions,” Marvel Studios vice president David Grant said.

According to Sydney Morning Herald, the Marvel movie shooting in Sydney is Shang-Chi, which would be Marvel’s first superhero film starring an Asian protagonist.

The next Marvel movie is the much-anticipated Avengers: Endgame, which will wrap up 10 years worth of MCU storytelling.

Rush Hour stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker have yet again teased the next Rush Hour film. Tucker posted a picture of himself and Chan on Instagram, with each actor raising four fingers.

This image itself doesn’t confirm anything, but it appears to be a tease for the fourth film that both actors have been talking about for a while now.

In 2017, Chan said he had been turning down scripts for new Rush Hour films for seven years, but he finally read a script that was good enough. The plan, at least at one point, was for a second draft of the approved script to be finished in 2018. He said he was eager to make the fourth Rush Hour film with Tucker sooner rather than later before they get old.

As for Tucker, he said on an ESPN podcast in 2018 that the fourth film will be the “rush of all rushes.”

Chan and Tucker play mismatched police officers in the Rush Hour series. The first movie came out in 1998, with sequels following in 2001 and 2007. Together, the movies have made around $850 million. Each film was directed by Brett Ratner, who in 2017 was accused by multiple women of sexual harassment or misconduct. In 2011, he was dropped as a producer of The Oscars after he made a gay slur.

It’s been quite a while since Sony has shared any details on The Last of Us: Part II. And with Sony not coming to E3 this year, some fans are wondering when they may hear more about the long-awaited PlayStation 4 game. It’s still unknown when more details or footage may be released.

Naughty Dog community manager Arne Meyer said on Twitter that he appreciates the enthusiasm from fans, but all there is to say for now is that Naughty Dog will share more details when the studio is ready. Meyer tweeted in response to an article from the satirical website The Onion that made a joke about The Last of Us: Part II launching 2019.

Sony showcased The Last of Us: Part II during its E3 2018 briefing where Naughty Dog premiered a brutal new gameplay trailer. We haven’t seen much of the title since then.

The Last of Us: Part II is directed by Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau, both of whom were lead game designers on Uncharted 4 and worked on the first Last of Us. The original Last of Us was directed by Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley; Druckmann has since been promoted to Vice President of Naughty Dog, while Straley has left Naughty Dog.

Druckmann has teased that “no one is safe” in The Last of Us: Part II. No release date has been announced for the PlayStation 4 game.