There have been rumours recently that the producers behind James Bond have been looking at the possibility of building a 007 interconnected universe, with spin-off film that don’t centre on the super-spy himself. That’s included suggestions they’d like to make a female-driven film as part of that expansion.

While not a Bond-related movie, the 007 makers Eon Productions are dipping their toes in the female-action waters with Blake Lively playing an assassing a spy thriller directed by Reed Morano (The Haindmaid’s Tale), with Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli production, according to Variety.

The movie will be called The Rhythm Section, ‘a contemporary adaptation of the first of Burnell’s “Stephanie Patrick” British series of four novels. Lively will play the titular heroine, who’s on a path to self-destruction after the death of her family in an airplane crash – a flight that she was meant to be on. After discovering that the crash wasn’t an accident, her anger awakens a new sense of purpose as she becomes an assassin to track down those responsible.’

Broccoli and Wilson comment, “We are thrilled to be bringing Mark Burnell’s ‘The Rhythm Section’ to the big screen with our partners at IM Global. It is exciting for us to be working with the immensely talented team of director Reed Morano and actress who have a strong vision for this very compelling story driven by a female protagonist.”

The current plan is to start shooting this autumn in the US, UK, Ireland, Spain, and Switzerland.

Poor old sharks – they’re just hungry or curious, and we make such a fuss when they try to eat us. The latest to start whining when a large fish wants to bite her is Blake Lively in The Shallows, which has just dropped its first trailer.

Here’s the brief synopsis: ‘A young Woman who is dealing with the recent death of her mother is surfing on an isolated beach and gets stranded 20 yards off shore on a buoy. What lies between her and the shore is a huge great white shark.’

I’m not entirely sure that when you’re a shark is trying to eat you it makes much different if your mother died recently or not, but I’m sure it’s very important in the world of metaphor. The movie will be in cinemas in July. [Read more…]