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SYFY WIRE Frank Grillo

WIRE Buzz: Jiu Jitsu rounds out roster; His Dark Materials casts Will Parry; more

By Christian Long
Frank Grillo Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The fight card for the Nicolas Cage martial arts flick Jiu Jitsu just got a little bigger.

According to Deadline, an impressive roster of actors, including Tony Jaa, Frank Grillo, Rick Yune, Marie Avgeropoulos, and JuJu Chan have all signed on to co-star.

Written, directed, and produced by Dimitri Logothetis, Jiu Jitsu follows an ancient order of fighters who spend every six years facing off against an evil alien named Brax to protect the Earth. Cage, Grillo, and Jaa all play members of the order who defy its longstanding rules to rescue a war hero, played by Alain Moussi, after he's defeated by Brax.

The film is expected to begin production later this month.


Next up, the adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials has cast the pivotal role of Will Parry. 

The show's official Twitter account made the announcement earlier today, along with the quote "One day, you’ll follow in your father’s footsteps. You’re going to be a great man too. You’ll take up his mantle."

The role of Will Parry went to Amir Wilson, a relative newcomer who had an uncredited part in The Kid Who Would Be King. Parry is first introduced in the second book of the series and is described as an intense kid with a soul-piercing gaze. And, honestly, looking at his headshot, he seems to meet those criteria.

Joining Wilson in the co-production between HBO and the BBC are Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulter, James McAvoy as Lord Asriel, and Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby. Oscar winner Tom Hooper will be helming the series.

There's no release date for His Dark Materials just yet, but it's expected to premiere sometime in the near future.


Finally, Sony has sorted out a handful of its upcoming release dates through 2020-2021, per Deadline.

Most notably, the remake of the Naughty Dog/PlayStation title Uncharted is due in theaters Dec. 18, 2020. The film will star Tom Holland, who's shedding his Spidey suit to play treasure hunter Nathan Drake, with Black Mirror director Dan Trachtenberg helming from a script by Jonathan Rosenberg and Mark Walker.

Additionally, the upcoming remake of Cinderella, starring pop superstar Camila Cabello, will open on Feb. 5, 2021, while the horror sequel Escape Room 2 gets a little more time on the clock as it's pushed back from April 17, 2020, to Aug. 14, 2020.