Spooky Stories: ‘Wednesday’ Season 2, Two ‘V/H/S 7’ Tapes, Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan Vampire Thriller to Shoot Next Month; DC’s ‘Teen Titans’ Filming, Plot Details Reportedly Revealed
Spooky Stories: ‘Wednesday’ Season 2, Two ‘V/H/S 7’ Tapes, Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan Vampire Thriller to Shoot Next Month; DC’s ‘Teen Titans’ Filming, Plot Details Reportedly Revealed
Plus, production updates on Disney’s live-action ‘Hercules’ remake, Paramount's live-action/animated hybrid ‘The Smurfs Musical’, and ‘Jurassic World 4’ filming timeline.
Hello one and all, and welcome to yet another flaming issue of TheTrailBlazer! While a lot of Hollywood projects are gearing up for a lukewarm spring season (hell, I’ve been told we are likely to get snow this weekend where I live! I mean, what gives? It’s already cold as hell, so that fits right in with this issue’s spooky theme), it seems that the weather and the increasingly likely potential that IATSE may go on strike (despite a partial tentative agreement being reached) should their well-deserved and hard-earned demands get met, studios are not showing signs of slowing down anytime soon. I was in the process of writing a different story for this week’s issue with an intriguing follow-up scoop, though that wasn’t ready in time before this week’s Production Weekly listing from Rich Browski was released, and I wanted to get ahead of the juicy details in that listing this time to make up for the delay with the last issue (at the cost of some much-needed sleep). Though, because my schedule has recently cleared from some other commitments, that issue may be out this weekend.
Without further ado, the listing provides some intriguing details for several horror and thriller-based projects are preparing to begin filming within the next month, giving an early start to the spooky season this year with enough thrills and chills that they will bring with them, from the death stares of Wednesday with season two to the sharp bite of Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s vampire thriller pic, and the possessive nature of the seventh V/H/S film, there is a lot of scares to go around in this issue! In perfect timing for these reveals, the sci-fi horror film Alien: Romulus, an “interquel” from director Fede Álvarez set between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), recently dropped its trailer, while Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is also set to receive a trailer today. The Romulus trailer looks like a fresh take on the franchise with a real niche approach from Álvarez, a known horror visionary with the likes of 2013’s Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe. You’ll also read about DC Studios’ recently revealed superhero pic Teen Titans, which reportedly has a production schedule and first plot details ready to go! I felt generous with today’s issue, so much of the information is totally free, though paid subscribers can access some production updates on Paramount’s The Smurfs Musical, Disney’s live-action Hercules remake, and Jurassic World 4 in terms of filming times and locations, plus some brief plot details.
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When and Where ‘Wednesday’ Season 2, Horror Sci-Fi ‘V/H/S 7’, and Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan’s Genre Vampire Pic Are Filming Next Month, Plus First Details on Two ‘V/H/S’ Tapes
The second season of MGM and Netflix’s hit teen supernatural drama series Wednesday, from Tim Burton (who is making waves with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which well-connected folks around town and tied to this film are saying is incredible) and starring the ever amazing Jenna Ortega (who stars in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) as Wednesday Addams herself, is nearly closer to returning. It is no surprise that Netflix and MGM both wanted to get back to work on this next season of spooky mischief sooner rather than later given the first season’s impressive and well-deserved success. The second season was previously reported by Deadline to begin filming this April in Ireland, and we now have some additional details on that via Production Weekly. Shooting is set to begin in late April, taking place at Wicklow, Ireland, under the working title “Willow Hill”. Series creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville) return as showrunners, with Burton also returning to executive produce alongside Andrew Mittman, Kevin Miserocchi, Jonathan Glickman, Gail Berman, Kayla Alpert, Steve Stark, and Kevin Lafferty, who are joined by Ortega as an EP for this season.
The seventh film in the found footage anthology horror film series V/H/S, reportedly titled V/H/S X, was first announced at the New York Comic Con last October as including five sci-fi horror tapes to release in 2024 exclusively on Shudder. Produced by Josh Goldbloom, Brad Miska, and James Harris for Tea Shop Productions, Shudder Original Films, Bloody Disgusting Films, Cinepocalypse, and Studio71, is set to begin filming on April 1 in Los Angeles, per Production Weekly. The listing also provided details on two of the tapes that will be included in this next installment: Stork, written and directed by Jordan Downey (ThanksKilling, The Head Hunter) and Live and Let Dive, from writer Ben Turner and director Justin Martinez (V/H/S, Southbound). You can read an intriguing interview from Downey on The Head Hunter here. Martinez is one-third of the filmmaking group Radio Silence, which have worked on many of the V/H/S films in a behind-the-scenes capacity. It could not be easily determined who Turner is or what he has previously worked on.
The hot package for Warner Bros. from writer/director Ryan Coogler (Creed, Black Panther) and Michael B. Jordan (Creed III), which is reportedly described as “a genre style vampire thriller, set in 1930s Jim Crow South” starring Jordan in multiple roles as a pair of vampires, according to Puck, recently set a March 7, 2025, release date. That pic, produced by Coogler’s Proximity Media partners Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian alongside executive producers Rebecca Cho, line producer Will Greenfiel, and composer Ludwig Goransson, is set to begin filming in April, per Deadline, with production taking place in New Orleans, as previously reported by Collider and The Hollywood Reporter. The newest details from this Production Weekly issue is that filming will use the working title “Grilled Cheese”. That could be referring to some slice-and-dice action that one of Jordan’s vampire characters could be up to in this IMAX event, and could be an indication as to what blood-thirsty thrills may be in store. The pic is using Chime Productions, LLC, which appears to be a Warner Bros. production unit based in Louisiana, per corporate registry pages, for its production services.
Superhero Bits: DC Studios’ ‘Teen Titans’ Reportedly Eyes Late 2025 Filming, First Plot Details Revealed; Plus Brief ‘Superman’, ‘Thunderbolts’ Updates
This past week, DC Studios was revealed by The Hollywood Reporter to be developing a live-action feature film Teen Titans, centered on the team of teenage superheroes, for their franchise the DC Universe (DCU) from James Gunn and Peter Safran. Ana Nogueira, who wrote the pic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow for the studio, is writing this film.
There have been a lot of ideas floated around since this film’s development was revealed as to what the team roster may be, and the recent issue of Production Weekly, which reports that production is set to begin in late 2025, may offer some insight into what the film may be centered on through its logline:
“The Teen Titans are further apart than ever before...until Damian Wayne recruits Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy and the new Kid Flash to join him in a fight against his own grandfather, Ra's al Ghul.”
That description is taken directly from Teen Titans Vol. 1: Damian Knows Best, which was written by Benjamin Percy with art by Khoi Pham, Diogenes Neves, and Jonboy Meyers, and a cover by Jonboy Meyers. That comic was released in five parts from December 2016 through April 2017, as part of the “DC Rebirth” event, and makes up Teen Titans (Volume 6), which ran until January 2021. Gunn is no stranger to appreciating recent DC Comics storylines and using them in some fashion for the DCU, so it is quite likely that this one holds true, though I will note that Production Weekly does sometimes just include basic descriptions of the subject provided to them. The Kid Flash in that comic is none other than Wally West, who in that universe is the nephew of the Flash, Barry Allen.
Based on that description above, one could expect for Ra’s al Ghul to factor into the DCU’s version of a Batman movie in director Andy Muschietti’s Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which centers on Batman with Bat-Family members, including but likely not limited to Damian Wayne. It could also be presumed that Ra’s’s daughter Talia al Ghul could pop up, and if this film were to delve further into the ninja and more fantastical aspects of the Batman character with a semi-established crimefighting family, that can do wonders to help set it apart from Matt Reeves’ The Batman films. Batman did appear in the Damian Knows Best storyline, so, if the DCU is truly setting out to build a cohesive universe, one may expect a brief appearance from the Caped Crusader, should he be cast in time. No tentative filming locations are known yet, though speaking of Jenna Ortega from above, I would love to see her as Raven, given she has enough veracity and finesse for the part, though I know that fan-casting gets thrown around a lot and is just another type role for her. She could definitely pull it off. I do find it interesting that while DC is making Teen Titans, Marvel Studios is simultaneously developing a Young Avengers film. It should sure be an intriguing match to see whose gets made first, and how well they perform against each other in the minds of fans and audiences.
Production Weekly has also listed that the Ohio unit for James Gunn’s Superman is set to take place from June 16 to July 18 this year, although, it was previously reported this would be from April 1 through August 23, so only time will tell as to which one lines up. It is worth noting that this listing for Superman did only specify Cleveland, and not Cincinnati, which is another filming location, so this could be for when filming is in Cleveland. Filming in Macon, Georgia, was also recently shared as taking place in late May/early June for South African roles and in Fayetteville, Georgia in April/early May.
Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about Marvel, which still gets a brief shoutout for their ensemble pic Thunderbolts. Filming, which uses the working title “Oops All Berries”, was previously announced to be filming in the Emery and Grand Counties of Utah, and it is now revealed via Production Weekly to have its filming in the state last from this May 29 to June 12, with the bulk of the film’s shooting likely taking place in its home base at Trilith Studios in Atlanta. According to casting calls released in recent weeks, filming is set to take place in April and May for a few scenes. One of which is described as being “crucial to the film's storyline” with military types, another is for filming “vibrant and pivotal courthouse scenes”, as well as for a high-end and upscale “Black Tie Gala” scene. The production is also casting for background roles as vendors, pedestrians, press, cabbies, bike messengers, and reporters for filming in New York City during those months.
Singing Smurfs, Demigods, and Dinosaurs, Oh My! The Line Between Live-Action, Animation Is Blurred
Paramount Pictures is getting ready to save the music (whoops, too early for that one) with their upcoming Surfs musical feature film, reportedly titled The Smurfs Musical, per Production Weekly. The film was initially announced by Paramount at CinemaCon in August 2021, and it is intended to be the first in a new series of animated theatrical Smurfs films. Puss in Boots and Shrek the Third helmer Chris Miller is set to direct the film for Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon, which partnered with Smurfs brand owners LAFIG Belgium and IMPS to produce the new series of films following a successful series of two animated theatrical films and a short film produced by Sony Pictures Animation. Pam Brady (Team America: World Police) is writing the pic, which has Ryan Harris (The Lego Batman Movie) and Joel MacDonald attached as producers. Singer Rihanna will also produce and star as Smurfette, in addition to providing music for the feature. The pic is set to open on Valentine’s Day 2025, after swapping its original December 2024 release with Para’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3.