Stranger Things and Free Guy director Shawn Levy has given a promising update on his potential new Star Wars movie – despite the franchise’s recent cinematic uncertainty.

"I'm very aware of the ratio of filmmakers who get to the starting line," Levy told Collider, referring to those who have tried (and failed) to get a Star Wars movie off the ground. "But here's my attitude: I have this golden ticket into a galaxy far away, and I'm going to devote myself to developing a screenplay that gives me the privilege of making this movie."

Levy added, "I don't attach to things because it looks good in a trade announcement. I attach to things that I intend to make. And you better believe I'm not going to squander this juiciest of opportunities. I'm going to work my ass off. But first, I got to work my ass off on making Deadpool."

Star Wars has had a potted history of projects post-Skywalker Saga. A Rian Johnson trilogy has been mooted for some time, but showing no signs of progress; Patty Jenkins recently cleared up doubts over her Rogue Squadron movie, and Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie doesn’t yet have an official release date. On top of that, JD Dillard's Star Wars project was canceled in November.

As mentioned, Levy is pretty busy before he heads to a galaxy far, far away. He’s all set to helm Deadpool 3, with Ryan Reynolds making his MCU debut as the Merc with a Mouth. Reynolds will be joined by his long-time frenemy Hugh Jackman, reprising his role as Wolverine for the first time since Logan. 

Levy has also told Collider that the threequel won’t tiptoe around the violence, despite now falling under the Disney umbrella.

"It is so delicious to hear and write and come up with these scenes where people are just talking foul," Levy said. "And the violence is in your face and hardcore. It’s very much a Deadpool movie."

For more from the worlds of superheroes and Star Wars, check out our guides to new superhero movies and upcoming Star Wars movies.

Batgirl directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah revealed they no longer have access to the film following Warner Bros.'s decision to cancel its release. In an interview with French entertainment channel SKRIPT, the duo shared their outlook on the fate of the film despite the shock cancellation.

When asked if they still had footage of the movie, Fallah revealed that Warner Bros. had blocked their access to the servers. "No, we have nothing," he explained. "Adil called me and said, 'Go ahead shoot some things on your cellphone.' I went on the server and everything was blocked."

"We were like 'fucking shit!'," El Arbi added. “All the scenes with Batman in them! Shit!”

While it was initially reported that the film was scrapped after being completed, the duo says that Batgirl could not be released in its current state: "There’s no VFX, we still had to shoot some scenes. So if [Warner Bros.] wanted us to release [Batgirl] they would need to give us the means to do it. To finish it properly with our vision."

Though the movie is trapped in seemingly indefinite limbo, the filmmakers are still hopeful that Batgirl will one day be released. "The guys from Warners told us, 'It was not a talent problem from our part or the actress, or even the quality of the movie,'" El Arbi told SKRIPT. "After all we make movies for the audience, not for us. We just hope that one day the movie will be released, for the cast and crew. We are a small family."

Added Fallah: "We hope, Inshallah, it will happen.”

For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2022.

Oscar Isaac's dance card is looking pretty full. The actor is currently filming the Marvel series Moon Knight, will portray Francis Ford Coppola in an upcoming movie about the making of The Godfather, and has a role in Ad Astra director James Gray's next feature film, Armageddon Time, alongside Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, and Cate Blanchett. Somewhere, amid all that, Isaac will play Solid Snake in the new Metal Gear Solid movie from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts.

"I just loved the game," Isaac tells Total Film when asked about his history with the video game series and what attracted him to the new project. 

"I love the feeling that the game would give me every time I’d play. It’s just a strangely isolated, mournful, lonely game to play that has these incredible moments of violence and terror, with these weird, psychedelic concepts and villains. But, yes, it’s kind of like psychedelic military horror things that happen.

"And the truth is, underneath the whole thing, it’s an anti-war story. So I think those are the elements I really love. And, like I said, I love the feel of playing it, and the big question of: can something like that be transferred – or can you explore those themes in a really interesting way – on film?"

We, unfortunately, know very little else about the Metal Gear Solid movie, though director Vogt-Roberts has previously said the movie will "create a new type of action on screen that also is based in the quietness of the stealth."

Metal Gear Solid does not have a release date. Meanwhile, Dune – Isaac's next major sci-fi adventure – is scheduled to open in US cinemas and on HBO Max on October 22. It will open in UK cinemas on October 21. For much more on the film, including interviews with all of the starry cast, pick up a copy of the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves on now! Check out the new cover below, as well as the cover of the special supplement that comes with the issue. 

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