Development news: Hobbs & Shaw wraps, Vampire Chronicles gets showrunner, more

First up in this edition of SYFY WIRE’s development roundup, production has wrapped on Hobbs & Shaw, the Fast and the Furious spinoff film starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jason Statham, and Idris Elba.  

Johnson posted a photo of him and Statham standing in front of a helicopter (no doubt ready to punch its stupid face) on Instagram along with the message: “Last men standing. HOBBS & SHAW is officially wrapped. Easily the most challenging film I’ve ever produced and starred in, however based on the fans’ insanely hyped 'break the internet' reactions to our first trailer — this film is also shaping up to be my most rewarding.”

Based on what we gathered from Hobbs & Shaw’s trailer, Diplomatic Security Service Agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson) and former MI6 agent-turned-mercenary Deckard Shaw (Statham) must set aside their differences and team up to bring down a criminal mastermind (Elba) who's undergone some sort of Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier-like cyborg enhancement to make himself bulletproof and superhumanly strong. That, and a bunch of car chases, fights, and derring-do. 

Fast & Furious Present: Hobbs & Shaw careens into theaters on Aug. 2.

Up next, the standalone Black Widow film reportedly has brought Ned Benson on board to rewrite the script. Citing unnamed sources, Collider writes that Marvel has hired The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby scribe to give the Scarlett Johansson-led film an added polish. 

A representative from Marvel declined to comment. Neither Johansson’s nor Benson’s representatives immediately responded to SYFY WIRE’s request for confirmation and additional information.

Black Widow's previous draft was written by Jac Schaeffer (The Hustle) and will focus on Black Widow’s past as a Russian agent. So, it’ll take place before the first Avengers film. Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland (Lore) will helm the feature.  

Black Widow does not yet have a release date.

At long last, The Vampire Chronicles, the much-anticipated TV series based on Anne Rice’s series of vampire novels, has a showrunner. Christopher Rice, son of the author and executive producer of the series, revealed the new creative overseer on the show’s Facebook page.

“Today, I’m thrilled to tell you that after an exhaustive search, we’ve joined forces with the perfect showrunner, a woman of vast experience and impeccable professionalism who brings with her a deep respect for the material. Say hello to Dee Johnson.” 

Rice goes on to point out Johnson’s credits, which range from “critically acclaimed dramas like Boss, to network hits like Nashville, to the world-building, science-fiction odyssey, Mars.” 

Hulu will air the series. Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, American Gods, Star Trek: Discovery) was originally set to be the showrunner but “chose to move on” to pursue other endeavors.

The series will center around Lestat de Lioncourt, a Frenchman-turned-vampire in the late 1700s.

And finally, Deadline is reporting that Sky One has commissioned Intergalactic, an original sci-fi drama about a prison break set in the future.

Written by Prisoners’ Wives and Secret Diary of a Call Girl scribe Julie Gearey, Intergalactic is a sci-fi drama set in the 23rd century following a crew of female convicts who break free from prison and go on the run. The 10-part series centers on Ash, a falsely imprisoned young flight cadet who becomes involved in a prison break and is forced to go on the lam. Gearey will also serve as showrunner.

Intergalactic will air on Sky One and begin shooting later this year.