Movie Muser

With Pirates of the Caribbean 5 finally set to go in front of the cameras early next year, it’s time to start filling out the non-Jack Sparrow roles. As seems compulsory for the franchise, Jack needs a young, good-looking male co-star, but rather than Orlando Bloom or Sam Claflin, this time round it will be Aussie actor Brenton Thwaites, according to TheWrap.

As we reported a few weeks ago, the likes of Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service), George Mackay (Pride), Mitchell Hope (Descendants), Ansel Elgort (The Fault In Our Stars) and Sam Keeley (In The Heart Of The Sea), but Maleficent and Oculus star Thwaites won out.

There are few details on his role other than that he’ll be a British soldier called Henry.

Javier Bardem is likely to play the main villain (although it appears his deal hasn’t been finalised yet), with Geoffrey Rush and Ian McShane also believed to be returning. Next to be cast is likely to be a young, female key role, Barbosa’s daughter Carina Smyth.

Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rø (Kon-Tiki) are directing from a screenplay by Jeff Nathanson. A July 2017 release is expected.

Brad Pitt has got his producer hat on once again – a job he’s had great success with, including winning him a Best Picture Oscar for 12 Years A Slave – as he and his Plan B production company have signed up to develop sci-fi thriller Alpha.

Canadian filmmaker Anthony Scott Burns will make his feature directorial debut with the movie, which is based on a story and script by Robopocalypse author Daniel H. Wilson. Burns came to Hollywood’s attention after released a fan-made trailer entitled Tron Destiny, and a short film entitled Manifold (you can watch those here).

Not much is known about the plot, except that the plot will be a sci-fi survival tale that has been compared to the works of Jack London (White Fang). It’s not clear at the moment whether Pitt is viewing this as a potential movie to star or if he’ll just produce.

Disney is slowly piecing together it’s remake of Pete’s Dragon, with Robert Redford already in talks and young Oakes Fegley due to play Pete. Now another actor is being eyed, as Bryce Dallas Howard may be the female lead, according to Variety.

It’s not known exactly who Bryce Dallas Howard would play. She could be a character similar to Nora (Helen Reddy) from the original Pete’s Dragon, although the plot of the remake is rather different so she could be someone very different.

This time around the dragon with be CGI, and the story will also be rather different (it also won’t be a musical). This time around Pete was raised in a forest by the dragon after his parents died in a car accident. He has to take on a group of loggers who are cutting down all of the trees.

Redford will play a local who tells tall tales involving dragons that no one believes, the equivalent of Mickey Rooney’s Lampie from the original. If Howard is playing a Nora-like character, that would mean she is his daughter, although that’s certainly not clear at the moment.

David Lowery is directing from a script he co-wrote with Toby Halbrooks, with Jim Whitaker producing.