The Official Trailer for David Fincher’s “Mank” is Dazzling
The official trailer for David Fincher’s Mank is here, and it looks as sumptuous as the teaser, only now with way more meat on the bones. Mank is Fincher’s first feature film since 2014’s Gone Girl—and in Fincherian fashion, it looks as taut and tense as a violin string. Making matters even more intriguing, Fincher’s film is based on a script from his father, Jack Fincher, and is centered on the legendary screenwriter Herman J.
Justin Lin Will Direct Final Two Films in “Fast & Furious” Franchise
While director Justin Lin is currently hard at work in postproduction on F9, Deadline reports that Lin will also be directing the final two films in the epic saga. Universal Pictures will wrap up the franchise after Lin brings that final two films—10 and 11—to a close. The Fast & Furious franchise is the highest-grossing series in the studio’s history—beating out Jurassic Park, no less.
Screenwriter Madhuri Shekar on Adapting Her Own Audio Play for Blumhouse’s “Evil Eye”
This month, Blumhouse Productions has released a collection of unsettling thrillers in partnership with Amazon Prime, just in time for Halloween. One of these films is Evil Eye, in which a romance turns dark when a mother becomes convinced her daughter’s ‘perfect’ new boyfriend has supernatural connections to her own past. The story is centered in Indian and Indian-American culture, with a cast of actors that are of Indian descent,
“The Batman” is Using Technology From “The Mandalorian” For Select Scenes
The reason it took so long to get a proper live-action Star Wars series on TV was because the technology had to catch-up to the demands of television. That finally happened, of course, for series creator Jon Favreau and his team on The Mandalorian. Favreau, cinematographers like Emmy-winner Greig Fraser, and the wizards at Industrial Light & Magic helped create a virtual production unit that allowed The Mandalorian to film real-time visual effects using an LED wall and the Unreal real-time game engine (made by Epic Games).
“The Baby-Sitters Club” Star Xochitl Gomez Joins Benedict Cumberbatch in “Doctor Strange 2”
The doctor has a new ally (we think). Deadline reports that a new face is joining Benedict Cumberbatch in Doctor Strange 2—The Baby-Sitters Club star Xochitl Gomez. The news surrounding Doctor Strange has been swirling lately, with intriguing revelations worthy of the Sorcerer Supreme himself. In early October it was revealed that Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange would be showing up in Spider-Man 3,
Co-Director Lisa Cortés on Voting Rights Past & Present in “All In: The Fight for Democracy”
Amazon’s recent documentary about voting rights and voter suppression, All In: The Fight for Democracy, opens to newscast audio from November 6, 2018, covering the Georgia governor’s race between Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp. That election, which would have seen Abrams become the country’s first African-American woman governor had she been elected, became a flashpoint for a nationwide recognizance of contemporary issues surrounding the closure of polling stations, deliberate under-training of poll monitors,
Production Designer Talks Riots & Courtrooms in Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
The Trial of the Chicago 7 revisits the circus-like legal proceedings that pitted anti-war activists including Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen), Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Black Panther Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), and lawyer Bill Kunstler (Mark Ryland) against a hard-nosed judge (Frank Langella) over charges that they conspired to incite violent riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention.
Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, the movie (which came out on October 16 on Netflix) features the dramatist’s famously sharp dialogue along with shots of tear gas,
Pixar Releases Gorgeous New “Soul” Trailer
Pixar’s Soul is going to be a real Christmas treat. The studio’s latest wonder will be available for all Disney+ subscribers on Christmas Day, forgoing a theatrical release due to the pandemic. While it would be preferable to see the film on a giant screen with a state-of-the-art sound system, we’re happy that director Pete Docter (Up, Inside Out)’s latest will be available during the holiday season,
DP Phedon Papamichael on Designing for Dialogue in Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Aaron Sorkin is well-known for his densely-packed dialogue, and The Trial of the Chicago 7, his retelling of the 1969 trial that saw counter-culture luminaries like Abbie Hoffman and Bobby Seale tried for conspiracy and inciting a riot, the writer-director is true to form. The film, which debuts on Netflix on October 16th, swerves between the trial and the defendants’ memories, to revisit what each of the seven accused was doing the day the police went after previously peaceful protestors outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
Writer/Director Miranda July on Her Joyously Original Third Feature “Kajillionaire”
Miranda July wears many hats—writer, filmmaker, actress, performance artist, and more. Indeed, her name appears as bylines on magazine articles, as director, writer, and actor in feature-film credits, and as an author on book covers (she has penned an award-winning collection of short stories and published both fiction and nonfiction). Her artistic diversity is perhaps what makes her projects so unique and nuanced and wonderful to engage with.
July’s breakthrough on the big screen came with the 2005 release of Me and You and Everyone We Know,
It’s Milla Jovovich vs. Beasts in First “Monster Hunter” Trailer
If you were asked to place a bet on either Milla Jovovich or some seriously massive and angry monsters, where would you place your money? Yeah, us too. Jovovich is one of the great action stars of her generation, and she’s back to kick butt—in this case, monster butt—in the first official trailer for director Paul W.S. Anderson‘s Monster Hunter. Jovovich and Anderson go back a long way, having worked together on the Resident Evil franchise,
George Miller to Direct “Mad Max: Fury Road” Prequel Centered on Furiosa
Just absolutely phenomenal news. In case you missed this yesterday, the great George Miller is following up Mad Max: Fury Road—one of this century’s best action films—with a prequel centered on Furiosa, the indomitable character played by Charlize Theron. Miller is directing and producing from a script he co-wrote with Nick Lathouris, and his stars are Anya Taylor-Joy as the young Furiosa, Chris Hemsworth, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Aaron Sorkin on Writing & Directing his Timely “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
When writer/director Aaron Sorkin started writing The Trial of the Chicago 7 over 12 years ago, he had no way of knowing how his script based on a real-life conspiracy trial for men accused of inciting riots during the 1968 Democratic Convention would parallel current events in 2020. Now, his film is set to premiere on October 16th on Netflix, only weeks before the most important election of our time.
Why Radha Blank’s “The Forty-Year-Old Version” Resonates
For people in their 40s, life can often feel like it’s still waiting to start. Some are struggling to figure out what’s next for them professionally, others are contemplating starting a family — and for many (especially now), the uncertainty can feel overwhelming. For Radha Blank, her 40th year was supposed to mark her arrival as a successful playwright, but life has a way of not delivering the way we want it to.
Alan Baumgarten on Editing Aaron Sorkin’s Rapid-Fire Dialogue in “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
For his latest feature coming to Netflix on October 16th, writer and director Aaron Sorkin shifts his political eye from the West Wing to the US government’s judicial branch. In The Trial of the Chicago 7, Sorkin revisits the drawn-out trial of a group of Vietnam War protestors, including Abbie Hoffmann and Tom Hayden, accused of inciting violent riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The crux of the trial turns on whether the men conspired in their actions,
Patty Jenkins & Gal Gadot Re-Teaming For Paramount’s “Cleopatra” Biopic
Paramount now has the perfect pairing to tackle one of history’s most compelling characters. Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins and her star Gal Gadot are joining forces once again to tackle a biopic about the legendary Queen of Egypt for the studio, The Hollywood Reporter confirms.
Jenkins will direct off a script written by Laeta Kalogridis, with Gadot playing Cleopatra, of course,
Pixar’s “Soul” to Premiere Christmas Day on Disney+ for All Subscribers
Another big release will debut on Disney+. Pixar’s latest original animated film Soul will be premiering on the streaming service on Christmas Day, yet unlike their release of Niki Caro’s Mulan, subscribers won’t have to pay a penny more to see it.
For international viewers who don’t currently have access to Disney+, Soul will still be released theatrically, with those release dates to be announced soon.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange Joining “Spider-Man” 3
Well, this is intriguing. Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange will be joining Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3. Strange will ostensibly be filling the mentor role that Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark and Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury previously held for the young web-slinger. The Hollywood Reporter revealed the news yesterday, promising another tasty crossover between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures.
Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark was Peter Parker’s original mentor,
First Trailer for “Mank” Reveals David Fincher’s First Feature in 6 Years
The first trailer for David Fincher’s Mank—his first feature film since 2014’s Gone Girl—looks ravishing. Fincher’s film is based on a script from his father, Jack Fincher, about the screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), a talented but tortured soul battling alcoholism, a gambling addiction, and the pressure of trying to script what will become one of the most groundbreaking films ever made. That film is Orson Welles’
Natalie Portman Reveals Jane Foster “Thor: Love and Thunder” Storyline
One of the most intriguing bits of news to come out of San Diego Comic-Con way (way) back in July 2019, was that Natalie Portman would be playing Mighty Thor in Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok follow-up Thor: Love and Thunder. The specifics of Portman’s role have been—and will continue to be—closely guarded secrets, yet Portman did confirm one piece of her character’s storyline that is really intriguing.
