CinemaCon 2023; Warner Bros make huge splash, roping in Margot Robbie, Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya

CinemaCon 2023 has only just started before feeling like it’s wrapped up for the year, but the discussions emanating out of the cinema convention have almost rivalled those you’d expect from San Diego Comic-Con; considered the mecca of comic book and pop culture conventions. The event, held at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, has already brought to the forefront the news of Bad Boys 4 currently in production, Aaron Taylor-Johnson potentially saving the Sony Spider-Man Universe in Tom Holland’s absence with Kraven The Hunter and Joaquin Phoenix revealing his involvement in Ridley Scott’s upcoming Napoleon film.

But we have to give credit where credit is due - the talk of CinemaCon this morning has been the presentation that Warner Bros. Discovery offered to those who attended their panel. A revolving door of celebrities brought onto the stage to reveal new footage or field questions from reporters in the hall coupled with announcements regarding the DC Universe on the small screen and confirmation of films that have been rumoured to be in pre-production.

Which means that we will be getting that Beetlejuice sequel, by virtue of the logo for the film being revealed, and fans of shark movies (like myself) will be overjoyed with the new that Jason Statham is set to return to the ocean in a sequel to the fun mega-shark film, The Meg. Footage for The Meg 2: The Trench showed the prehistoric shark taking on a T-Rex - begging the question why the SyFy Network didn’t jump onto that idea first.

The team behind Blue Beetle, including the director and actors, also provided insights about the upcoming film set to hit theatres on August 18, 2023. As highlighted in the trailer, the protagonist Xolo Maridueña's transformation into Blue Beetle will heavily rely on his family. Not only will Xolo's journey be the focus, but his family members will also experience their own heroic journeys, as director Angel Manuel Soto described these arcs as "sometimes very funny and sometimes very surprising."

But what of those heavyweight moments during the Warner Bros. Discovery presentation, and has Ezra Miller, despite all his transgressions, saved the rot that superhero movies have faced lately? 

Wonka/Dune: Part Two

Timothee Chamalet was very much the talk of the Warner Bros presentation yesterday, with his involvement in two huge films with equally huge casts. Chamalet was on hand to present some new footage from Wonka, a prequel to the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory films based on Roald Dahl’s book and reveal that Hugh Grant would indeed be playing an Oompa Loompa. 

He was then joined later on stage by Peopleworld favourite Zendaya, to discuss more about the upcoming Dune: Part Two film that the pair have once again been cast in. But the topic of their co-star, Oscar nominee Austin Butler, became all the chatter in the presentation room afterwards - with the dashing actor after an exclusive trailer for the film having said to show Butler with a shaved head and looking “ghastly” in the role of  Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, who is described as an Olympic sword master who is a psychotic crossed with Mick Jagger.

Wonka has a release date currently scheduled for December 15 2023 while Dune: Part Two is slated to be released on November 3 2023.

Barbie

As Molly Paul mentioned in her piece, there was a lot of cast members dressing up for their respective roles at CinemaCon - and at fan conventions as a whole of this magnitude - so it comes as no surprise that when Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling took to the stage for their moment to discuss Barbie, they were indeed rocking the Barbiecore trend. 

The new footage on show during the presentation was said to begin in Barbie's world and things start going wrong for our heroine. She then finds herself in the real world and has to deal with all that entails for someone who grew up in a toy world, giving some semblance of Greta Gerwig’s approach to the source material - a more fish out of water element dealing with being a literal material girl in a world trying not to be so material.

The real revelation however was Ryan Gosling’s admission when he finally “got” Ken; “one day I was bleaching my hair and shaving my legs and it all came on like a fever.”

Barbie is scheduled for release on July 21 2023 in the United Kingdom

The Flash

Much has been discussed about The Flash film, given the numerous incidents that Ezra Miller has been embroiled in through the post-production of the film that there came a point many fans were expecting the film to be shelved. Incredibly so, as the raft of bad publicity came at a time Amber Heard was also embroiled in a very public trial against Johnny Depp.

But somehow, Miller managed to keep his lead role in the film, which got an exclusive screening at 4pm yesterday afternoon to a number of CinemaCon attendees and the general verdict for the film? Overwhelmingly positive, with some stating that the film might save the rot superhero movies are currently in. 

Variety's Scott Mantz wrote the film is "one of the very best DC movies," specifically highlighting Ezra Miller and Michael Keaton's impressive performances: “'The Flash' is awesome! One of the very best DC movies, a perfect blend of action, heart & humor! So many WOW & chill-inducing moments that longtime DC fans will love! EZRA MILLER is superb (twice, actually!) & MICHAEL KEATON’s still got it!"

Speaking of Michael Keaton, who to say has been warmly welcomed back into the DC canon is an understatement, a question was asked to the film’s producers how they managed to rope him into the role of Batman once again. Their response? “We bought him lunch” (credit - Comic Book Movie)

The Flash is scheduled for cinematic release June 16, 2023.

The Colour Purple

Perhaps one of the more surprising appearances came in the form of Oprah Winfrey, who was at the presentation to discuss the upcoming remake of The Colour Purple. Winfrey has a close affinity to the work, as it was one of her first big screen appearances when the film premiered in 1985. 

In addition to being a producer for the new film, Oprah expressed that it celebrates sisterhood and is not a typical retelling of the story. She described it as "not your mama's Colour Purple," suggesting that it brings a fresh perspective to the beloved story. Furthermore, the upcoming movie is expected to incorporate elements of magical realism, adding a touch of enchantment to the already powerful narrative.

The Color Purple will be released in theatres on December 25, 2023.