The Fourth of July brings explosive Hollywood news, and it's time for a round-up!

Paramount has optioned the movie rights to Hunters Entertainment/Renegade Game Studios roleplaying game Alice Is Missing and is putting the project into development, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  Becca Gleason (The Summer I Turned Pretty) is attached to write with game designer Spenser Starke.  Gleason will produce with Temple Hill (Twilight, The Maze Runner).  Artwork for the game was by Julianne Griepp.

Amazon Studios has released a trailer (trailer below) for Paper Girls, the upcoming Prime Video series dropping July 29.  The eight-episode series is based on the graphic novel series by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang.  Ali Wong joined the cast (see "’Paper Girls’ Casting") as the grown-up version of Erin.

Crunchyroll will simulcast the anime series based on hit webtoon Solo Leveling worldwide outside of Asia, the company announced.  The series is produced by A-1 Pictures, directed by Shunsuke Nakashige, with character design by Tomoko Sudo, and music by Hiroyuki Sawano.  A teaser trailer was shown for the first time at Anime Expo (trailer below).  The series will debut in 2023.

Sony Pictures has cast Emma Roberts in Madame Web, according to Variety.  She joins Dakota Johnson in the title role, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, Isabela Merced, and Tahar Rahim.  Madame Web hits theaters on July 7, 2023 (see "Geek Movie Calendar – 2023").

OddBot Inc. (Muppet Babies) has acquired rights to produce animated content based on three kids graphic novels and is developing the properties, the company announced.  The three properties in development are: an 11-minute CG/2D series based on The Cardboard Kingdom, a Knopf Young Readers (PRH) graphic novel drawn and co-written by Chad Sell; a 60-minute CG special based on Séance Tea Party, a Random House Graphic (PRH) middle grade title by Reimena Yee; and a 22-minute CG series based on The Okay Witch, an Aladdin (S&S) middle grade graphic novel by Emma Steinkellner.

Amazon Studios has optioned the rights to Eight Billion Genies, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  Eight Billion Genies, by Charles Soule and Ryan Browne, was launched by Image Comics in May (see "Top 200 Comics -- May 2022").  The eight-issue miniseries revolves around a world where every person on the planet has a genie that grants them one wish, which ends up changing the world as human desires collide with one another.

Crunchyroll has inked a deal with Kodansha to distribute That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Scarlet Bond worldwide, the company announced.  The movie is based on the light novel by Fuze with illustrations by Mitz Vah as well as the anime series, which was based on the popular isekai manga (see "Isekai Manga").  This movie will hit Japan in November 2022 and major global territories in early 2023.