Netflix kills that $150 million Nancy Meyers movie

Netflix has decided to scrap a romantic comedy from Nancy Meyers, the queen of the romcom. She wanted a $150 million budget, which Netflix was not keen on at all. The streamer was willing to go as high as $130 million for the film, which was seeking to cast Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz, Owen Wilson and Michael Fassbender.

The film is now being shopped elsewhere. A lot of jokes about the $150 million and how that buys a lot of fancy kitchen were being made as word broke out about the budget dispute.

I'd suggest it is worth keeping in mind that the $150 million would also cover the expense of the above the line talent. The way Netflix structure the pricing for the film is that the cast and key creatives/producers are paid higher amounts up front as there is no back-end profits to be made from box office takings and other sales of a film after release.

Captain Shazam!

Last night I attended a preview for the new DC Comic film Shazam: Power of The Gods. I really liked the first Shazam movie from a few years ago - it was light and breezy, has an appealing cast of kids in it, and actually felt like a complete movie.

The good news is that the second film continues with all of what worked about the 2019 film. It's not quite as good as the first (I found Zachary Levi's performance a bit strange in that it didn't age up like the kids did between the first and second films), but worth getting along to if you're into that kind of thing.

It's an interesting film in that it is softly connected to the other DC films, but with the DC universe of films set to be rebooted between now and July 2025, there are questions around whether the Shazam films will have a future beyond this film. Word from Warner Bros is that it will all depend on the box office this weekend. There's an expected opening weekend take of $85 million worldwide.

As a heads up - fans of DC TV show Peacemaker may want to make sure they stick around for the closing titles of the film...

Other DC things:

Zack Snyder is promoting something seemingly DC-related titled "Full Circle" which is set for release April 28-30. Read: Screencrush
James Gunn will direct the first rebooted DC film, Superman: Legacy -due for release July 2025. Read: Indiewire

Disney+ has cancelled the Willow TV series after just one season. Read: THR
Days of Our Lives has been renewed for two more seasons at streamer Peacock, bringing the show to 60 seasons. Read: TV Line
Upcoming CBS Justin Hartley drama 'The Never Game' has been retitled 'Tracker'. That's really not much better, CBS. Read: Next TV
Brian Tyree Henry and Kate Mara will star in upcoming Hulu/FX/Star series Class of 09, which is about a group of FBI academy graduates. It debuts May 10 and isn't to be confused with Amazon Prime Video's Class of 07, which debuts later this week. Read: thefutoncritic
Channel 4 in the UK has given the greenlight to a whopping 6 seasons of Taskmaster, along with a new Junior version. Y'know, for kids. Read: Deadline
The BBC has acquired Aussie comedy Colin From Accounts from streamer Binge. Read: C21
The BBC has apologised to the audience over disruptions to broadcasts as 1000 staffers protest. It is understood that the protests are about cuts at the BBC and is unrelated to the acquisition of Colin From Accounts - which is actually pretty good and not worth industrial action. Read: Deadline
With a second season of Squid Game still yet to move forward at Netflix, the streamer is working on a US version of the show. Read: Dark Horizons
Where are the missing Academy Awards statues that have disappeared over the years? Unrelated(?), I really need to clean out the room downstairs. Read: The Guardian
The final Quentin Tarantino film is believed to be titled The Movie Critic and will be about a female critic in 1970s Hollywood - likely inspired by Pauline Kael. I am hoping it is Tarantinos' most violent film yet. Read: THR

Ali Wong and Steven Yeun star in Netflix series Beef, which debuts April 6.

A road rage incident between two strangers - a failing contractor and an unfulfilled entrepreneur - sparks a feud that brings out their darkest impulses.

Aunty Donna’s Coffee Café will air weekly on ABC from April 12.