This week in news: The Rock dons his swimming trunks, Doug Liman's up against The Wall, Oscar Isaac and Alex Garland reunite and Hans Zimmer takes up his pipe and super-slippers.
BRAAAM! Hans Zimmer says no more superhero movies
Hans Zimmer took over from John Williams as the father of the modern superhero soundtrack but he’ll soon be passing that baton on to another musical tyro. This week the great German tunesmith told the BBC that his days of scoring superhero movies are behind him now Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice is behind him. "This one was very hard for me to do,” he explained, "to try to find new language.” He definitely isn’t retiring but his music will be embroidering movies of a less superpowered nature, like the upcoming Dunkirk with his old collaborator Christopher Nolan. Read about it here.
Baywatch assemble!
No-one seems quite sure of what to expect from Dwayne Johnson’s unlikely Baywatch movie. There’ll be orange flotation devices, running down beaches and big huts on stilts. There may be a bit where someone drives a speedboat really fast. Beyond that? Nada. This week did provide a first look at The Rock and his whole life-saving ensemble in its full, well, ensembled state, plus a glimpse at the returning Mitch Buchanan. We’re still none the wiser, but we do at least now know what everyone looks like in their swimmers. View the pics here.
Next Machina?
Oscar Isaac and Alex Garland have already teamed up to terrific effect for the latter’s A.I. gem Ex Machina. Now the pair are reteaming for a new sci-fi, Annihilation, that kicks off a possible cinematic trilogy with Garland directing. Based on Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach novels, it’s set in a remote region called Area X and has Isaac joining Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez and Tessa Thompson, dealing with inhospitable conditions that’d stretch even the most durable scientists. Let’s hope he’s packed his winter coat.
Wonder Women
Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman - she of the funky electric cello riff - is getting the standalone DC treatment. This week delivered a first look at the movie. Here's Wonder Woman's posse, include the young Princess Diana's twin mentors, General Antiope (Robin Wright) and Menalippe (Lisa Loven Kongsli), set against a Themyscira backdrop. Head here for a closer look.
Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart are Intouchable
Back in 2011, The Intouchables set all manner of box-office records in France and launched Omar Sy towards stardom. None of this was lost on Harvey Weinstein, who was involved in helping directors Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano find their cut of the film, and now The Weinstein Company is overseeing a US remake. Hoping to do for the original what Roxanne did for Cyrano De Bergerac, the project has Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart stepping into the roles played by François Cluzet (quadriplegic millionaire) and Sy (no-nonsense carer). There’s no director yet, although they’ll probably need one at some point.
Doug Liman heads to The Wall
He’s still making Gambit – eventually – but [Doug Liman](
http://www.empireonline.com/people/doug-liman/) isn’t sitting around waiting for the big Cajun to get ready for his close up. No sir. He’s already signed up for another project, a black list script called The Wall that sets two snipers against each other in Iraq. The good guys find themselves pinned down and things promise to get tense as their foe tries to get the kill-shot. That might be a good time for Gambit to show up.