New “Mission: Impossible 7” Set Photo Reveals Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust
Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust might be switching sides—again. A new set photo from Mission: Impossible 7, courtesy writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, shows the former MI6 agent looking quite mysterious. Ferguson’s double agent has been one of the best additions to the last few films, giving Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) a colleague who’s on his level in a way he hasn’t really seen before. Faust is tough, fearless, brilliant, and just as clever at playing every side to get the job done.
Early “The Suicide Squad” Buzz Hails A Hilarious, Insane & Surprisingly Heartfelt Epic
James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad hits theaters and HBO Max on August 6, which means that critics have already gotten to screen the film and offer their initial reactions. We won’t get full reviews for a bit—those are usually embargoed until right before the premiere—but these spoiler-free first takes give us a good idea of how they view the film. Spoiler alert: it sounds like Gunn’s hit a homerun here.
Before we get to those initial reactions,
“WandaVision” Director Matt Shakman Will Helm Next “Star Trek” Film
When we spoke to WandaVision director Matt Shakman way back in late May, Shakman explained how the Disney+ show was essentially his dream job. Now, a mere day after his efforts earned him an Emmy for Best Directing for a Limited Series—with WandaVision itself nabbing 23—Deadline breaks the story that Shakman will be directing the next Star Trek film.
Deadpool Makes His Pitch to Enter the MCU in Hilarious “Free Guy” Reaction Video
Well, Deadpool’s back, and he’s brought a friend in a 4-minute plus reaction video to the Free Guy trailer. Watching Reynolds parody the trailer reaction videos in which someone watches a trailer or a music video and emotes, grandly, for the enjoyment of their viewers is funny enough. Only here, Reynolds is doing that for a movie he’s in, via his most famous character from another movie,
“The Suicide Squad” Gets an Epic RED Camera Video Boasting New Footage
“The way this movie is shot is the way I’ve wanted to shoot every movie in my brain.” This is how director James Gunn begins a new The Suicide Squad video, a featurette courtesy of the team at RED camera. Gunn, cinematographer Henry Braham, executive producer Nikolas Korda, and the crew discuss how RED’s latest camera innovations helped Gunn get those images to go from his brain to the big screen. While sure,
Watch The Trailer For Oscar-Winner Domee Shi’s Debut Pixar Feature “Turning Red”
Our first look at Bao director Domee Shi’s Pixar feature debut is here, and all the talent that Shi displayed in her 2018 Oscar-winning short is on display here. Charm, humor, heart, and an almost impossibly cute central character. The film is centered on Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), a regular 13-year-old…until the moment she gets excited, at which point she turns into a huge red panda in an explosion of pink smoke.
Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” Wows Cannes Crowd
The latest from the Cannes Film Festival feels like a dispatch from the pre-pandemic era. This dispatch comes courtesy of Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, his long-awaited, long-delayed new film that, as is always the case in an Anderson film, boasts an ensemble of top-notch performers. The number of stars on hand for the premiere of Anderson’s film harkened back to the Cannes Film Festival before the pandemic upended the world.
New “Free Guy” Teaser Sees Ryan Reynolds Ready to Take Control
Director Shawn Levy knows his way around comedy and action. On the action side of the equation, Levy’s helmed episodes of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers Spielbergian Netflix series about a group of kids discovering a parallel world and the monsters that live within it in their small Indiana town. For more broad, feel-good family films, Levy’s helmed Night at the Museum and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.
“Black Widow” Smashes Pandemic-Era Box Office Records
It turns out, people really are eager to get back into the theater. Director Cate Shortland’s Black Widow had a pandemic-era best $80 million opening weekend at the domestic box office, netting the biggest premiere since the pre-pandemic release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker way back in December of 2019. If there were any lingering questions about whether people yearned to see big movies on the big screen again,
“Black Widow” Stunt Coordinator Rob Inch on the Art of Adrenaline
In her swan song as Russian assassin-turned-Avenger Natasha Romanoff, Scarlett Johansson fights her way through Black Widow (opening Friday) on a mission to destroy evil mastermind Dreykov (Ray Winstone) and his network of brainwashed female killers. But first, Natasha has to confront her equally ferocious kid sister Yelena, portrayed by Florence Pugh. (Some light spoilers ahead). Abandoned as children by their spy parents (David Harbour and Rachel Weisz),
Early Highlights From Cannes 2021: Spike Lee, “Annette” & More
The 74th Annual Cannes Film Festival kicked off on July 6 after a two-year hiatus. Spike Lee became the first Black Cannes’ jury president, leading a nine-person jury that includes five women—French actress Melanie Laurent, American actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, film directors Jessica Hausner and Mati Diop, and singer Mylene Farmer.
The opening ceremony saw the return of the most recent Palme d’Or winner, Bong Joon Ho (for Parasite) and Cannes veteran Jodie Foster,
“Black Widow” Review Roundup: An Epic Spy Thriller That Was Worth The Wait
With Black Widow opening in theaters and on Disney+ Premiere Access on July 9, we’re reposting our review roundup of the film. The short and sweet take: director Cate Shortland’s film is not only a shot of adrenalin but an emotional final chapter for Scarlett Johansson’s titular Avenger. It also offers a fresh perspective on things that have happened, as well as a glimpse at the future of the MCU.
New “Black Widow” Video Explains Why It’s The Perfect Phase 4 Kickoff Film
We are a mere two days away from the premiere of director Cate Shortland’s Black Widow, the long-awaited standalone film for Scarlett Johansson’s titular Avenger. If you’re reading this, you likely know the basics about Black Widow—the film tracks Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) during events between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Natasha heads east to contend with the darker parts of her ledger, that is,
Zack Snyder’s “Star Wars” Inspired Sci-Fi Epic “Rebel Moon” Headed to Netflix
Zack Snyder will move from a zombie scourge in Las Vegas to a sci-fi epic in deep space. The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop that Snyder’s Rebel Moon, inspired by both the Star Wars franchise and the films of Japanese filmmaking legend Akira Kurosawa, is headed to Netflix.
Rebel Moon will center on a peaceful colony situated on the edge of the galaxy that finds itself threatened by the armies of a despot named Balisarius.
Meet Heidi Moneymaker, The Stunt Woman Behind “Black Widow”
When you think of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), one of the first things that come to mind is how gloriously grounded and beautifully performed her fight sequences are. Natasha/Black has mastered several martial arts (aikido, judo, karate, etc.), she’s a highly skilled gymnast, and she marries to her technical precision a level of confidence and fearlessness that make even the toughest bad guys flinch. In real life, one woman makes many of the moves we see Black Widow pull off on screen possible,
New “Black Widow” Clip Features an Attempt at a Great Escape
You can’t blame them for trying. Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) attempt to spring Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) from prison in a brand new Black Widow clip. This minute’s worth of an attempted prison break showcases director Cate Shortland’s more grounded approach to action, which feels like it owes at least a little more debt to actual physics than most Marvel movies pay. (There is a long-standing joke within the MCU that Captain America’s shield is offender number one when it comes to bending or flat out breaking the laws of motion).
“Summer of Soul” Editor on Piecing Together the Nearly Forgotten Black Woodstock
For nearly half a century, videotapes documenting the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival gathered dust in the basement of a Bronxville home. Filmed by Hal Tuchin and his four-person camera crew, the trove included goosebump-inducing performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, Mavis Staples, B.B. King, the 5th Dimension, jazz drummer Max Roach and other masters of American music. Tuchin tried to package his work as “The Black Woodstock”
“Werewolves Within” Director Josh Ruben on His Hilarious Creature Feature
Werewolves Within invites you to the cozy town of Beverfield, Vermont, where things that go bump in the night are manifold. They might be a creature out to get you, or, they might be your neighbor, out to bother the crap out of you. Director Josh Ruben has crafted a deliciously nimble murder mystery/monster story/comedy in the comfy (if cold and often creepy) confines of this wooded would-be paradise. Based on Mishna Wolff’s script,
Natasha Romanoff’s Journey From “Iron Man 2” to “Black Widow”
We are just a week and change away from seeing Scarlett Johansson’s (likely) final turn as Natasha Romanoff. Director Cate Shortland’s Black Widow is repelling into theaters and onto Disney+ Premiere Access on July 9, and to celebrate Johansson’s run as the incredibly capable former KGB assassin-turned-Avenger, Marvel Entertainment has released a brief video tracking Natasha’s journey in the MCU.
The first time we meet Natasha is in Iron Man 2 when she helps Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) take down Ivan Wanko (Mickey Rourke).
Charlize Theron Says “The Old Guard” Sequel Will Film Next Year
One of the best movies of 2020 is getting a sequel. Charlize Theron has told Variety that the script for The Old Guard 2 is finished, and she’ll be returning as Andy, one of the immortal covert operatives who have been running dangerous missions for centuries. The original film was a thrilling action-adventure epic, deftly directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and featuring a stellar cast. Joining Theron were rising star KiKi Layne,
