IP Stays Hot: Paramount Prepping New 'Star Trek,' WB Brings Back 'Gremlins,' Universal Revives 'The Mummy,' Etc.

Happy Monday, folks!

In case you missed it, I dropped a double-whammy last week, reporting that Gareth Edwards is nearing a deal to return for the next Jurassic World movie, and that Final Destination: Bloodlines helmers Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky will direct the genre flick Long Lost for Universal Pictures and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners.

I meant to watch the indie movie Foibles on Tubi this week, so that one’s high on my list, though I did watch a ton of other movies and TV shows this past week, including…

The Plague - An impressive debut from writer-director Charlie Pollinger about insidious bullying going on at some kind of water polo camp where Joel Edgerton is in charge, and supervision seems rather lax. Surprisingly, Edgerton is a total afterthought in this film, which is all about the kids, who really deliver — namely, Everett Blunck as the protagonist, Kayo Martin as the sinister bully, and Kenny Rasmussen as the bullied, who suffers from a skin disease that the others refer to as “The Plague.” That introduces an element of body horror to this riff on Lord of the Flies, and overall, the combination works, even if the ending is a bit anticlimactic and on the nose.

Twinless - I didn’t see James Sweeney’s feature debut, 2019’s Straight Up, but this is a solid sophomore effort from the Asian-American filmmaker. I don’t want to reveal too many details about the plot, but Dylan O’Brien stars as a guy who attends a support group for people who have lost a twin, where he befriends a young gay man. I plan to write more about the O’Brienaissance that is upon us, but this is the rare indie that justified its strong reviews out of Sundance.

Dead Man’s Wire - I’ll have more to say about Gus Van Sant’s new film closer to its release next month.

Die My Love - This is not a date movie! Who knew? I can’t say I was a big fan of Lynne Ramsay’s latest — like Kelly Reichardt, I respect Ramsay, I’m just not on her wavelength — but I can’t say I hated this movie, either, as Jennifer Lawrence is excellent in this movie. She gives a hypnotic performance that’s remarkably open, and I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing her earn an Oscar nomination for this daring work, even if it left my audience cold, judging by all the grumbling I heard on the way out. I guess this one earned its D+ CinemaScore, though I suspect most people had no idea what they were getting into. Also, I didn’t care for Robert Pattinson in this movie. Lawrence acted circles around him, and between this film and Mickey 17, I remain unconvinced…

Tether - I enjoyed this 15-minute short film from writer-director Meredith Berg and producer Ethan Erwin, which is very much in the vein of Gravity and The Martian, with Geffri Maya (All-American: Homecoming) in the Sandra Bullock/Matt Damon role. The film boasts some cool wirework for a low-budget short, so keep an eye out for this one on the festival circuit.

Predator: Badlands - Dan Trachtenberg’s latest grossed $40 million domestic at the box office, and that’s a direct result of word-of-mouth (an A- CinemaScore) and the goodwill that Trachtenberg earned with Predator fans thanks to Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers, both of which debuted on Hulu. He did right by the fans with both of those films, and they paid him back by showing up in droves to Badlands, which I really liked. Maybe not as much as Prey, but it’s a fast-paced, action-packed sequel that adds to the lore of the Predator franchise, yet also works on its own as a standalone entry.

Trachtenberg is a major talent, and while I’d like to see him finish what he started with Prey, Killer of Killers, and Badlands, because all three of those films are in conversation with one another, I also think he’s worthy of a Top Gun: Maverick/F1-style blockbuster. All I know is that I trust him as a filmmaker, even if Badlands is a little too videogame-y for its own good, and the baby Kalisk, Bud, is a little too cutesy/pandering for my taste.

Those are my only real complaints, as I loved the sense of world-building that Trachtenberg displays here, and not only does the action deliver, but so do Elle Fanning and the film’s VFX team, who really make us care about the young Yautja named Dek, played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi with an emotionally expressive CG face.

I’ve also seen the fascinating pilot for Vince Gilligan’s new Apple TV series Pluribus, which I can’t wait to watch more of, and most of Season 2 of Hijack, though I can’t talk about that one for another couple of months.

I can talk about Season 2 of Squid Game: The Challenge (aside from the finale), which is absolutely riveting television. I’m on the edge of my seat every episode, and by Episode 8, contestants have dropped the act and begun showing their true colors as their numbers dwindle and visions of a $4.56 million grand prize dance in their heads.

If only Squid Game were real! I imagine more than a few industry workers — both employed and not — would love a shot at such a prize. I mean, you know things are bad when THR is writing stories about how to take the bus in Los Angeles.

Of course, the bus is for people without any IP to their name. If you’ve got IP, well, that makes all the difference these days, as IP rules Hollywood, where originality is either in short supply or it’s batshit crazy like Megalopolis, all due respect to Mr. Coppola.

IP is the top story in tonight’s newsletter, which takes a look at Star Trek, Gremlins, The Mummy, The Expendables, Ocean’s 11, Bewitched, Eloise, V for Vendetta, and The X-Files.

There are also items about Zach Cregger’s possible follow-up to Resident Evil, Meryl Streep teaming up with Sigourney Weaver, Keanu Reeves’ being caught in a deadly time loop, Shailene Woodley’s race through Death Valley, Toni Collette getting stuck in a sauna, Elijah Bynum’s follow-up to Magazine Dreams, Jake Gyllenhaal keeping it in the family, and the Wahlberg brothers’ new co-stars. Plus, a look at the trailer for Michael, which looks like it’s going to make a mint for Lionsgate and Universal.

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