The beginning of the month has brought a hoard of geek movie news.

Paramount’s Transformers spinoff Bumblebee may soon have a lead: The Hollywood Reporter revealed that actress Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit, Pitch Perfect 2) is in negotiations for the role. Steinfeld will play a tomboy who works as a mechanic after school. Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings) is helming the project, which is scheduled to release on June 8, 2018 (see “'Bumblebee' Gets Director”). The latest entry in the franchise, Transformers: The Last Knight, is in theaters June 23 (see “'Transformers: The Last Knight”).


Silicon Valley star Thomas Middleditch is joining the cast of Godzilla: King of Monsters, reports Variety. Details on his role were not revealed. Middleditch joins Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, Ken Watanabe, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Aisha Hinds on the film, which will be out March 22, 2019 (see “'Masters of the Universe,' 'Revival,' 'Jurassic World 2,' 'Glass,' More”).

While we’re on Godzilla: the Godzilla Vs. King Kong crossover (spoiler alert) teased after the credits of Kong: Skull Island will be directed by budget horror helmer Adam Wingard (You’re Next, The Guest) reveals THR. The writing team includes Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean), J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5), Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne (Star Trek Beyond), Lindsey Beer, Cat Vasko, T.S. Nowlin (Maze Runner), and Jack Paglen (Transcendence). The Legendary / Warner Bros. teamup is scheduled for May 22, 2020.

Molly Ostertag’s hotly anticipated Witch Boy graphic novel (Scholastic) won’t be out until October, but the feature film rights have already been picked up by Fox Animation reports THR. Fox’s Darleen Caamano is overseeing the project about a boy who doesn’t want to conform in a family that raises girls to be witches and boys to be shapeshifters. Ostertag is the artist behind Strong Female Protagonist (see “'Strong Female Protagonist'”), and she recently collaborated with Sharon Shinn on First Second’s Shattered Warrior (see “First Second's Spring 2017 Titles”).

Aquaman has cast its Murk, Ludi Lin, who recently starred as the Black Ranger in the Power Rangers (see “'Power Rangers' Report for Duty”), reveals THR. In the comics, Murk is a trusted ally of Arthur Curry. Lin joins star Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen, and Temuera Morrison. The movie is scheduled for December 21, 2018 (see “Best in Shows--Q4 2018”).

The Resident Evil film franchise just wrapped with Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (see “DVD Round-Up: 'XXX: The Return of Xander Cage,' 'Resident Evil,' 'The Space Between Us,' & 'Gangsta' Anime”), and German production company Constantin Film is already developing a reboot, reports Variety. The reboot was confirmed during Cannes, but no other details were offered. Constantin produced the original six films, which brought in a combined $1.2 billion worldwide.