Secret Legendary Pictures Event Movie Claims Release Date Next To Harry Potter Spin-Off
When this week began, the only specific movie scheduled for the far-off month of November 2016 was Fox's animated Trolls adaptation. There was also, however, an untitled Disney animated film set to arrive that month. Then Warner Bros. added the Harry Potter spinoff, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, to the mix on November 18, 2016. Now Legendary Pictures is getting in on the fun. The company has just dated an "Untitled 2016 Event Project" for November 4, 2016. What could it be? We'll offer two options and speculation below.
First things first. The fact this announcement comes on the eve the release of Legendary's big 2014 film, Godzilla, is insignificant. That film is being released under their old deal with Warner Bros. and if a sequel is put into development, it would be at that studio. Same goes for a Pacific Rim sequel. Scratch those off your list.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, this project is "a film that is new and not a sequel or remake, though it may be based on underlying intellectual property." That's significant, as is the fact the announcement comes a day after Warner Bros. dated their huge franchise starter. It suggests this is something to compete with Fantastic Beasts in some way. It's as if Legendary Pictures and Universal and telling the other studios, "Stay out of November 2016, we've got this."
So – what could it be? Here are two possibilities. One is Brilliance, an adaptation of a novel by Marcus Sakey, to be directed by Julius Onah. It's set in a futuristic world where some people are born with special abilities, and one man uses his higher intelligence to hunt terrorists. Think X-Men meets Zero Dark Thirty. That film is set to star Will Smith.
Another could be Hot Wheels, an adaptation of the classic car toys, directed by Simon Crane. Both of those films have been publicly announced and 2016 would surely provide enough time to get them ready. Then again, if it was either of those films, why not just say that? A big Will Smith movie or toy adaptation would warrant some attention. The mere fact it's called the "Untitled 2016 Event Movie" suggests its another one of CEO Thomas Tull's big popcorn movies.
Also in 2016, Legendary Pictures will release Warcraft on March 11.
Do you like the trend of planting a flag on a date without a specific title?