Film News Wrap Up April 28: Will Ferrell as Ronald Reagan and Mads Mikkelsen in 'Star Wars: Rogue One'

Today in film news, Will Ferrell has been tapped to play Ronald Reagan in a new film, according to Variety. Reagan will take place in the president’s second term and as he begins to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, an intern is tasked with convincing Reagan he is simply playing the president in a movie. That might sound insensitive and the Reagan family is already speaking out against the project. The president’s son, Michael Reagan, took to Twitter to write, “Alzheimers is not a comedy!”

Alzheimers is not a comedy!Will Ferrell to play dementia-stricken Ronald Reagan https://t.co/5wdo2PVvHt via the @FoxNews Android app

— Michael Reagan (@ReaganWorld) April 27, 2016

We finally know who Mads Mikkelsen is playing in Star Wars: Rogue One. In an interview with Sky News, Mikkelsen revealed that he’s playing the father of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). He describes Erso as “this lovely, strong woman,” and after revealing his relationship with her, he immediately realized he gave away too much and stopped talking.

Martin Scorsese is in talks to direct The General, a new biopic about George Washington, according to The Tracking Board. Not taking place during the man’s presidency, though, the film will instead follow Washington’s time as a general during the Revolutionary War. The screenplay for The General is written by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage (Allegiant). This is yet another project Scorsese has in development; his upcoming movie is Silence, a historical drama about two Catholic priests who are persecuted when they travel to Japan. That film will be released in November.

The Wolverine 3 has just cast the co-creator of The Office. According to Deadline, Stephen Merchant has joined the cast of 20th Century Fox’s upcoming superhero film starring Hugh Jackman. In addition to creating several comedy shows with Ricky Gervais, Merchant has starred in HBO’s Hello Ladies. The Wolverine 3 also recently added Richard E Grant as a mad scientist character and Wolverine’s nemesis. The film is expected to begin shooting next month.

Fox is working on a prequel to The Omen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, indie director Antonio Campos (Christine) is in talks to direct The First Omen, which will be produced by David Goyer and Kevin Turen. This is on top of Damien, the Omen TV series 20th Century Fox is currently airing on A&E, so they apparently just can’t get enough of this franchise.

Marvel has issued a statement defending their decision to cast Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One in Doctor Strange, according to People. Many have accused the studio of whitewashing, as the character is Asian in the comic series. Their statement read, “Marvel has a very strong record of diversity in its casting of films, and regularly departs from stereotypes and source material to bring its MCU to life. The Ancient One is a title that is not exclusively held by any one character, but rather a moniker passed down through time, and in this particular film the embodiment is Celtic.”

Michael Pena (Ant-Man) and Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black) are in talks to join the upcoming My Little Pony movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. They’ll be joining Emily Blunt and Kristin Chenoweth in the film, which is being produced by Lionsgate and Hasbro. Much of the talent behind the Friendship is Magic TV show are involved in the movie; supervising director Jayson Thiessen will direct the film, and Friendship is Magic writer Meghan McCarthy will compose the screenplay. Voice actors Tara Strong, Ashleigh Ball, Andrea Libman, Shannon Chan-Kent and Tabitha St. Germain are all signed on to the project, as well.

Brian Henson, son of legendary Muppets creator Jim Henson, is directing an R-rated puppet movie and the film may have just found its star. According to Deadline, Jamie Foxx is in talks for The Happytime Murders, which will follow the stars of a puppet TV show who begin to be mysteriously murdered. Todd Berger (It’s a Disaster) will write the screenplay.