The Tracking Board’s Daily Debrief (03.03.17)

Marian, Queen Arthur, Thor, and the Continuing Rise of the Badass Female Hero

In recent years there have been an increasing number of women playing the leads in action roles. Neil Turitz examines this upswing and say why we should expect to see even more of this in the future.

The Wire Alum Michael K. Williams Circling Key Role in Han Solo Spinoff

The Millennium Falcon might have to make room for another passenger. The Wire grad Michel K. Williams is in talks to join Disney-Lucasfilm highly-anticipated Han Solo spinoff.

The Crown‘s Vanessa Kirby to Join Mission: Impossible 6 in Lead Role

The Impossible Missions Force (IMF) has found its new leading lady. Vanessa Kirby of Netflix’s The Crown is in final talks to join Mission: Impossible 6 as the female lead.

More News From Around The Web

• Liam Neeson is in talks to play Oscar winner Viola Davis‘ husband in Steve McQueen’s heist thriller Widows. Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Rodriguez, Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya, and Moonlight actor Andre Holland are also on board. (Variety)

• Ryan Gosling, Ken Kao, and Anonymous Content have come on board to produce a movie adaptation of Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel The Underwater Welder. The New York Times bestseller details a man in the dangerous profession of underwater welding, who has a supernatural encounter at the bottom of the sea. (Variety)

• The One Percent, MRC’s drama series from Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu, is on the move. The project, which originally was picked up by Starz, is now in turnaround after several production start delays led to the network to back out. The series is set to move forward with Hilary Swank and new male lead Greg Kinnear. (Deadline)

• Becca Thomas and Jessica Caldwell are adapting Cheryl Della Pietra’s book Gonzo Girl, inspired by the author’s crazy experiences while working with the late journalist and novelist Hunter S. Thompson. Thomas is set to direct and Oliva Cooke is attached to star. (Deadline)

• Mickey Rourke has been tapped as the lead of Unhinged, a supernatural horror movie to be directed by Mark Atkins. Ian Holt, who co-wrote Dracula: The Undead, the 2009 sequel to Bram Stroker’s Dracula, penned the screenplay. (Deadline)

• AMC has acquired TV rights to Karen Thompson Walker’s bestselling novel The Age Of Miracles, which will be developed as a series produced by Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps. (Deadline)

• Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk star Joe Alwyn will join newly minted Oscar winner Emma Stone in The Favourite. The period drama, directed by The Lobster helmer Yorgos Lanthimos, also will star Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult and Olivia Colman. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• Augusto Aguilera has landed the final main role in 20th Century Fox’s reboot The Predator, which Shane Black is directing from a script he co-wrote with Fred Dekker. Production began last month and Fox has already staked out a February 9, 2018 release date. (Deadline)

• Richie Merritt, a 15-year-old Baltimore kid with no previous acting experience, has landed the coveted role in the biopic White Boy Rick. He will play Richard “White Boy Rick” Wershe Jr., a 14-year-old in mid-1980s Detroit who became an undercover informant for law enforcement and established himself as a major drug dealer. (Deadline)

• Fox has pushed The Passage, its high-profile drama pilot from Liz Heldens, Matt Reeves, Scott Free and 20th Century Fox TV, until after pilot season. (Deadline)