Hollywood makes nothing but reboots and sequels these days, amiright? Well, that’s the way it looks based on the biggest sci-fi news that dropped this Friday. For starters – James Cameron has summed up his upcoming and long-awaited follow-up, Avatar: The Way of Water in a surprisingly colorful way. Meanwhile, Disney has managed to find a property to relaunch that it hasn’t touched in… oh, just over a decade. Let’s dive in.
James Cameron boils down the plot of Avatar 2 to a simple five-word phrase
The original Avatar is obviously a visual spectacle, but movie fans have been criticizing its overly simplistic plot — which owes a lot to everything from Dances with Wolves to Pocahontas — for years now. Well, it sounds like its sequel might not sport the most demanding storyline ever, either. Although, to be fair, James Cameron’s foul-mouthed sum-up of the premise has got our attention. Apparently, we can look forward to Jake and Neytiri experiencing “a bunch of bad sh*t” come this Dec. 16.
Bryce Dallas Howard seems set to lead a reboot of a classic property for Disney
Bryce Dallas Howard already has a rapport with Disney, thanks to her directing gigs in the Star Wars TV universe and role in the underrated 2016 Pete’s Dragon remake. Now — according to the latest intel — she’s about to lead a reboot of one of the studio’s longest-running sci-fi franchises. Disney Plus is reportedly working on Witch Mountain, a new chapter in the Escape to Witch Mountain saga which began in 1975 and was last on our screens in 2009’s Race to Witch Mountain, starring The Rock.
Movie fans remind themselves why a YA franchise was so bad that it crashed and burned before its final film
Hey, remember that movie franchise so bad its last chapter was never made? Yes, the Divergent series — as based on the dystopian novels by Veronica Roth — initially hoodwinked the Twilight crowd into supporting it, but after the first two films the allure quickly wore off, causing the third to underperform at the box office, meaning the planned fourth never happened. Now, film fans have decided to lay into the saga all over again – reliving its most egregious crimes. Stop, stop. It’s already dead.
Streaming spotlight: One of the grossest sci-fi horror flicks you’ll find anywhere finds fresh attention
Off the back of his Cabinet of Curiosities Netflix series and his upcoming Pinocchio remake, it seems streaming audiences can’t get enough of Guillermo del Toro projects, as a gross-out sci-fi horror flick he exec produced back in 2009 is unexpectedly doing the rounds right now. Starring Adrien Brody, the film — which is a bit like if The Island of Dr. Moreau met The Fly — follows a couple of geneticists who create human/animal hybrids. The result is a curious mix of eurgh-inducing moments and existentialism.
Return tomorrow for more of the latest news from the sci-fi sphere.