The Ray Pletcher Blog

  After an intensive week of testing and auditions this week for the new DC film Batgirl , the role of Barbara Gordon has finally been cast as In the Heights star Leslie Grace has been selected to portray the titular superhero in the new DC film which is one of a wave of mid-budget HBO Max releases to come in competition to Marvel’s Disney + programming.      Several actresses made it to the finals this week in the rigorous auditioning process including Isabella Merced, Zoey Deutch, and Haley Lu Richardson. Richardson was the runner-up for the role of Barbara Gordon next to Leslie Grace with Grace ultimately winning out. Batgirl will be directed by Bad Boys for Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah with a screenplay by Bumblebee writer Christina Hodson.      As detailed by a report from Complex last winter DC is planning on ramping up its production to release 4 major theatrical releases a year by 2022 with 2 more “riskier” projects designed...

  Matt Damon and Adam Driver face off against each other in a duel to the death in the trailer for Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel . Directed by Scott ( The Martian ), The Last Duel follows Matt Damon and Adam Driver as characters living in medieval times who become locked in a duel together after Driver’s character Jacques Le Gris attacks the wife of Matt Damon’s character Jean de Carrouges. Jean’s wife, Marguerite (Jodie Comer) refuses to stay silent against her attacker who denies the accusations even though her life is put on the line for what she is saying.          The action takes place during the Hundred Years War, the trailer looks incredibly visceral with the conflict between Damon and Driver feeling dangerous and deadly. Ben Affleck reunites on the big screen with Matt Damon in this picture but in a very untraditional role for him as he plays Count Pierre d’Alencon surprisingly sporting a blonde hairstyle. The scope seems to imply warring factions...

“I’ve got red in my ledger… I’d like to wipe it out,” Natasha Romanoff declares to Loki in response to his query towards the former Russian spy about her place in the world in the aftermath of the fall of the Soviet Union during the first Avengers film. This line has significant thematic weight to it nearly a decade later as in Romanoff’s first solo outing, Black Widow , the origin story of the character is explored in-depth, telling the story of her painful past and how that ultimately formed the woman that she is today. The bulk of the storyline taking place in between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War with Romanoff a fugitive from the law and on the run, this film is a superb spy thriller that delivers a tense, suspenseful and deeply character-based story that will forever alter your perception of the Black Widow character.      Audiences were first introduced to Romanoff in Iron Man 2 (2010), where Scarlett Johansson made her debut as the vivac...

  It looks like Zorro will be fighting alongside Indy or should I say against him as Antonio Banderas has officially joined the cast of Indiana Jones 5 in a mystery role. Deadline reports that Banderas will co-star alongside Harrison Ford, Phoebe-Waller Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook, and Shaunette Renee Wilson. Filming is already well underway for the film which recently saw its shooting schedule reconfigured a few weeks ago due to Ford injuring his shoulder during a fight scene rehearsal but he is reportedly well on the mend and may very well be back on set shooting already.     Steven Spielberg is taking a step back from directing duties for the fifth installment with James Mangold ( Kate & Leopold , Ford V. Ferrari ) taking the reins with Spielberg still very much involved in a producer capacity. Recently Mangold spoke out against online critics who questioned his ability to deliver a quality Indiana Jones movie in the spirit of the original trilogy: "I do...