Movies
Warner Bros. Finds Their ‘Jonah Hex’ Replacement
After the previous chaos that nearly halted the progress of the film, Warner Bros. Pictures have officially found a replacement to get behind the camera for their adaptation of the comic book Jonah Hex. Replacing Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank) is Jimmy Hayward, who directed the animated HORTON HEARS A WHO!. You can read all about it inside.
Jimmy Hayward, who directed the animated “Horton Hears a Who!” will make his live-action debut with “Jonah Hex,” the Warner Bros. western based on the DC Comics character.
Josh Brolin is attached to star in the film, which previously had Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (“Crank”) on board as directors. The duo, who also wrote the script, bowed out over creative differences in November. The studio, which hopes to put the movie into production in March or April, went on a fast-track search, putting together a short list that included such names as Andy Fickman and McG before narrowing it down to Hayward.
The character of Hex, known for having the right side of his face disfigured and wearing a Confederate army uniform, was a rough-and-tumble gunslinger and part-time bounty hunter whose adventures always ended in blood. One incarnation of his comic book series saw the Western genre combined with supernatural elements, and it’s this aspect that was featured in Neveldine and Taylor’s script. The studio will likely keep the script, though it’s expected that Hayward will put his stamp on it.
Andrew Lazar’s Mad Chance and Akiva Goldsman’s Weed Road are producing.
Hayward, repped by UTA and manager Jason Grode, began his career as an animator on the Canadian TV series “ReBoot” before becoming a member of the Pixar family, where he worked on such films as “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Finding Nemo.” He also was involved in Fox and Blue Sky’s animated film “Robots.”
Hayward made his directorial debut with 2008’s “Horton,” which grossed $154.5 million at the domestic boxoffice.
Theo James Krekis‘ short film Jealous People are Ugly People premiered earlier this year at SXSW and has since inspired a massive bidding war for its feature film expansion.
New Line Cinema has emerged victorious in the latest feeding frenzy over next-generation digital horror IP and its creators, Deadline reports.
Krekis will adapt Jealous People are Ugly People, directing from his own script.
In the short film, “Vasilly has become painfully jealous of his best friend, Luke. But things aren’t going so well for Luke. Every time he shares some good news, he starts to suffer from strange and violent repercussions. Disturbed by the uncanny timing, Vasilly recalls his Yiayia’s warnings about the Greek superstition of the evil eye – and starts to believe his own envy might be to blame for Luke’s bad luck.”
SXSW described the short film as ” a darkly comic psychological thriller about male jealousy, inherited superstition, and the corrosive power of repressed ambition.”
Jennifer Monks and Michelle Stein will produce the feature take alongside Isaac Klausner, John Fischer, Ben Levine and Ethan Cappello. Josh Mack and Lauren Botchan are overseeing for New Line.
Jealous People are Ugly People joins New Line’s upcoming horror slate that also includes Santiago Menghini’s The Revenge of La Llorona on February 26, 2027, and The Conjuring: First Communion on September 10, 2027.