All articles tagged with #universal pictures
Camron Jones will portray Tupac Shakur in Universal's Snoop Dogg biopic directed by Craig Brewer, with Jonathan Daviss as Snoop Dogg, Myles Bullock as Dr. Dre, and Lauren London as Snoop Dogg's mother in the cast; the project is produced by Snoop Dogg, Brian Grazer, Allan Mandelbaum, and Sara Ramaker, and will incorporate music from Snoop Dogg's catalog, following the entertainers’ Death Row-era story.
Lauren London will portray Beverly Tate, Snoop Dogg’s mother, in Universal Pictures’ biopic Snoop, with Jonathan Daviss as Snoop and Myles Bullock as Dr. Dre. Craig Brewer directs a rewrite of Joe Robert Cole’s script; the film is produced by Death Row Pictures and Imagine Entertainment, slated for August 6, 2027, and will feature music from Snoop’s catalog as part of Death Row Pictures’ deal with NBCUniversal.
Jacob Chase, director of Insidious: Out of the Further, will helm Sleepover, a Universal Pictures/Blumhouse Atomic Monster horror based on Bryce McGuire’s short story; written by Chase and McGuire, with Jason Blum producing, Lilly Tyson overseeing, and a targeted October 8, 2027 release.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey arrives for digital rental/purchase on November 17 and on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray the same day, four months after its July theatrical debut; the film has grossed about $1.35 billion worldwide and features Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, and Charlize Theron.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has become his highest-grossing film ever, earning $1.104 billion worldwide in its first month and $461.1 million domestically, surpassing The Dark Knight Rises and The Dark Knight. It also set the all-time IMAX box-office record with $289.3 million and cements Nolan’s global box-office dominance, while marking milestone grosses for stars Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson and contributing to Universal Pictures’ strong slate.
Gareth Edwards has exited Universal's Jurassic World Rebirth sequel due to creative differences. The project, potentially the eighth film in the franchise, would reunite Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey with writer David Koepp, with production aimed for 2027 after the 2025 reboot that grossed about $870 million globally.
Deadline reports Gareth Edwards will not return to direct the next Jurassic World installment due to creative differences, with Universal and Amblin launching a search for a new director while Edwards shifts to other projects. Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali are expected to return, and David Koepp wrote the latest draft. The franchise relaunched in 2025 with Jurassic World Rebirth, which grossed about $872 million worldwide.
Vin Diesel posted on Instagram that the script for Fast Forever, the eleventh Fast & Furious film written by Michael Lesslie, is the best he’s read in decades and that he’s still crying. The movie is set for a March 17, 2028 release from Universal, envisioned as the finale to the franchise after Fast X, with a star-studded cast including Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Jason Statham, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Jason Momoa, Brie Larson and more. In addition, Universal is re-releasing the original The Fast and the Furious in theaters on Aug. 21 for its 25th anniversary.
Universal has greenlit Olivia Wilde's holiday comedy Naughty, starring Jennifer Aniston and Peter Dinklage, with LuckyChap producing; the story follows Mallory (Aniston) who must win custody of her son by getting Santa (Dinklage) to testify at her divorce hearing, with a November 5, 2027 release date.
Universal Pictures says it immediately initiated takedown protocols after unauthorized postings of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey appeared on X, with lower- and higher-quality pirated versions circulating before being removed or accounts suspended; the studio notes copyright enforcement and ongoing efforts to curb piracy, while the film remains a box-office hit, crossing $600 million globally in its second weekend with a star-studded cast.
Universal Pictures activated takedown protocols after a high‑quality online leak of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, with Nolan urging fans to experience the film in IMAX. By Sunday most leaked copies were removed, but the incident coincided with a strong second-weekend performance for the film, about $87 million at the domestic box office, helped by large-format showings (IMAX, PLFs, 70MM) accounting for roughly 57% of the weekend take; fans even countered the leak by Rickrolling watchers.
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is on track for an $84.5 million domestic second weekend, a 32% drop from last weekend's performance after a $123.5 million domestic opening and a $263.7 million weekend, signaling an unusually strong hold for a blockbuster. With no wide new releases this weekend, Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives next weekend. Globally the film has grossed about $322 million and has performed well on IMAX (roughly 23% of its opening haul), aided by intense sequences and a broader younger-audience appeal, including a large share of 18–34-year-olds in the opening weekend. The Odyssey is notable as the first narrative feature shot entirely on IMAX cameras.
A Swedish Viking Center lent its nearly 60-foot replica Glad av Gillberga to Charlie’s Tale Limited (a Universal Pictures subsidiary) for filming Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey; the ship returned with a cracked hull, damaged rigging and needed repainting, leading the center to bill about $6,000 for repairs done by volunteers. Universal says invoices were paid in full and disputes remain. The repairs caused downtime and revenue losses for the center, though the owner enjoyed seeing his ship onscreen in the movie, which has posted a strong opening at the box office.
Swedish owners of the Viking longship Glad av Gillberga, used as an escort vessel in The Odyssey, say Universal Pictures damaged the ship during filming and promised to cover repair costs, but has not paid about $6,000 for materials, leaving the Vikingaleden association feeling forgotten as the project continues.
Universal Pictures released an online trailer for the horror film Other Mommy, starring Jessica Chastain as a mother and her demon doppelganger, which played before screenings of The Odyssey and delivered jumpscares; based on the New York Times bestseller Incidents Around the House, the film follows Bela, an 8-year-old who confronts a sinister entity, with a release date set for Oct. 9, 2026, and a cast that includes Jay Duplass, Dichen Lachman, Arian Moayed and Karen Allen.