We round up the news on development on three geek films from the past few days.

Box Office Mojo and other movie tracking sites have confirmed that 20Th Century Fox has officially pulled the plug on a Fantastic Four sequel, following the disappointing box office posting (see “'FF' Movie on the Wrong End of 'Clobberin' Time'”). Fox had reserved July 14, 2017 as a date for the sequel back in March before the movie opened (see “Fox Claims Dates for 'FF' & 'Wolverine' Sequels”).

Marvel announced official production has begun on Doctor Strange, and released the official synopsis: “Doctor Strange” follows the story of neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a horrific car accident, discovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions.  It also released this graphic. Star Benedict Cumberbatch has already been spotted on set for pre-production shots in Nepal (see “Michael Stuhlbarg Joins 'Doctor Strange'”).

DreamWorks is courting Sam Riley to star opposite Scarlett Johansson in Ghost In The Shell, Deadline reported. Riley would star as The Laughing man, the corporate terrorist hacker leader of a criminal extremist group that Major Kusanagi (Johansson) and Public Security Section 9 are tasked with apprehending. Pilou Asbaek was recently cast as Section 9 member Batou (see “Geek Movie News Round-Up”).