“The Woman King” Costume Designer Gersha Phillips on Outfitting History’s Fiercest Female Army
Intensity and discipline were trademarks of the Agojie warriors who defended the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century. Their caliber of combat was so unmatched that one of their most unexpected traits often went undetected by their enemies.
“They fought with male warriors, so they would disguise themselves and look like men,” costume designer Gersha Phillips shared from her research. “There are several accounts of people who said when they came through their camp,...
“The Woman King” Director Gina Prince-Bythewood on Her Singular, Sweeping Historical Epic
When director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s most recent film, The Old Guard, premiered on Netflix in July of 2020, the critically acclaimed action drama became one of the top 10 original launches in the platform’s history. Prince-Bythewood is following that with one of the most anticipated films of 2022, the historical epic The Woman King, the story of the Agojie, an elite all-female warrior unit charged with protecting the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s...
Watch Naomie Ackie Channel Whitney Houston in First “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” Trailer
Talk about big shoes to fill and an unmatchable voice to attempt. In fact, Whitney Houston’s singing chops were so out-of-this-world that she was also known as The Voice. Rising star Naomie Ackie accepted the colossal challenge of playing Houston in director Kasi Lemmons’ I Wanna Dance With Somebody, and Sony Pictures has just released the first trailer. Folks? It passes the “induces chills test” the second we get to the first tune.
That first tune,...
“The Woman King” DP Polly Morgan on Lensing Viola Davis in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Thrilling Epic
A sweeping historical epic that blends intimacy and adventure is the kind of movie that The Woman King cinematographer Polly Morgan dreamed about making while growing up in West Sussex, England.
“My earliest memories were Close Encounters and Empire of the Sun. Spielberg captured my imagination like many of my generation,” said Morgan over the phone from the Toronto International Film Festival, where The Woman King had its world premiere...
“Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” Taps Writer Jeff Loveness
The first new Avengers film since Endgame has its writer.
The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Marvel Studios has named Jeff Loveness its writer for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. We only just learned the title and the director of the fifth Avengers film back in July, when Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told the crowd at San Diego Comic-Con that Kang the Conquerer (Jonathan Majors) would be the centerpiece of the film and that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton would be helming the epic...
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” Reactions: Rian Johnson Delivers Another Delicious Whodunnit to Unpeel
Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this past weekend, which means that reactions and reviews have already flooded online. Johnson has asked that those who saw the film (and those who reviewed it) to please, please, please keep its many secrets hidden until audiences far and wide get a chance to see it on December 23 on Netflix (it’s getting a theatrical release in select theaters,...
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Stars Winston Duke & Tenoch Huerta on the Emotional Sequel
It goes without saying that when Ryan Coogler assembled the squad to start filming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it was going to be an emotional shoot. The sequel to Coogler’s cultural and commercial juggernaut, 2018’s Black Panther, was forging ahead without its lead, Chadwick Boseman, who tragically passed away at 43 on August 28, 2020. The script had to be rewritten, and although the process has been kept largely under wraps, the entire spirit of the film had to be changed...
“Babylon” Trailer Reveals Brad Pitt & Margot Robbie Getting Wild in 1920s Los Angeles
Writer/director Damien Chazelle is one of the best in the business at threading music through his films, whether in brutal (but astonishing) fashion as he did in Whiplash or of the more elegiac, bittersweet variety as he did in La La Land. In his new, star-studded feature Babylon, Chazelle seems to have found a middle ground between the two, focusing on the depraved, debauched, and delirious times, good and bad, being had in 1920s Los Angeles...
“Avatar 4” Has Begun Filming
James Cameron is already in production on Avatar 4 (and Avatar 3, mind you), while the world awaits Avatar: The Way of Water, the second film in his epic, decades-in-the-making franchise. The planning alone for Cameron’s three-film follow-up to his 2009 smash hit is astonishing.
Cameron made the announcement at Disney’s D23 Expo, beaming in from New Zealand to give an update on the sweeping production of his Avatar films. ...
Eric K. Thomas of “The Quintessential Gentleman” on Creating a New Kind of Space for Black Men
Eric K. Thomas was about to go to law school when an internship at a radio station gave him his first taste of the entertainment industry.
“I was like, before I cut this check [for law school] in terms of student loans, let me see if this is something that I actually wanted to do.”
What Thomas actually wanted to do, he found out, was create a space for Black men he didn’t see anywhere else online or on the magazine racks...
“Captain America: New World Order” Reveals Cast at Disney’s D23
There were Marvel Cinematic Universe announcements aplenty at Disney’s D23 this past weekend, and one of the most significant was the reveal of some of the headliners in Captain America: New World Order, the first feature film to star Anthony Mackie as the new Cap.
Joining Mackie is Tim Blake Nelson, returning to the MCU after he appeared in 2008’s Incredible Hulk, now playing The Leader. Carl Lumbly returns as the original super soldier Isaiah Bradley after his emotional,...
Second “Black Adam” Trailer Reveals Dwayne Johnson’s Cursed Superhero
“These powers are not a gift but a curse.”
These are the sentiments of Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) as the second Black Adam trailer begins, the most potent new superhero to enter the DC Extended Universe in a long time and possibly the most powerful of them all. Yet, unlike the super abilities of Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Superman, Black Adam’s powers were gained from a horrific sacrifice. Born a slave, he was eventually executed. His powers came when his son sacrificed himself to resurrect his father...
Benoit Blanc is Back in First “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story” Trailer
We open on a massive yacht cruising through the beautiful blue waters of Greece. Inside, there’s a table full of suspects, all nattily attired and eagerly awaiting the arrival of one very particular man. “Ladies and gentlemen,” a voice offscreen says with a familiar twang, announcing his arrival. We know who this is; it’s Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), the gentleman detective who has arrived onboard to solve a mystery. Chaos, intrigue, and the exacting work of one very brilliant man are sure to ensue...
Disney+ Releases Sneak Peek of “BTS: PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE – LA” & “Andor”
Who better to help celebrate the international scope of Disney+ Day than releasing a concert film with arguably the biggest band in the world and a sneak peek at their next live-action Star Wars series, arguably the most globally popular franchise ever?
The streamer has revealed viewers can now stream their first collaboration with the K-Pop supergroup BTS, the concert film BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE – LA—huge news for their legion of fans...
How the Ebo Sisters Find Comedy in Megachurch Scandal Feature “Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul.”
Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul. came seemingly out of nowhere in January to become a breakout hit at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, where Jordan Peele‘s Monkeypaw production company, Focus Features, and Peacock picked up the dark comedy. But in fact, the movie was a long time coming. Writer/director Adamma Ebo and her twin sister, producer Adanne, spent six years developing their 2015 short film of the same name. Exposure to Issa Rae’s “Short Film Sundays”...
“Armageddon Time” Trailer Reveals James Gray’s Star-Studded, Critically Acclaimed New Feature
Writer/director James Gray has returned from deep space, where his last, excellent feature Ad Astra was mostly set, to a very specific place on Earth. Gray’s latest feature, Armageddon Time, is a deeply personal coming-of-age drama set at the cusp of Ronald Reagan’s America, a place of panting optimism and deep-seated, still largely unexplored racism. The cast, led by Anne Hathaway, Anthony Hopkins, Jeremy Strong, and Jessica Chastain, offers the big names in Gray’s ensemble, but this story revolves around two young boys,...
“All Quiet on the Western Front” Trailer Reveals Netflix’s Ambitious WWI Feature
The first trailer for Netflix’s All Quiet on the Western Front has arrived, revealing the streamer’s ambitious WWI epic. This is the first-ever German-language adaptation of novelist Erich Maria Remarque’s iconic WWI novel and, fittingly, the trailer opens with Remarque’s own words: “This is neither an accusation nor a confession…and least of all an adventure.”
All Quiet on the Western Front aims to show the horror of the war without zeroing in on the figures usually prominent in such a tale—namely heroes and villains...
“Joker 2” Adds Brendan Gleeson
Joker: Folie á Deux just landed an ace performer.
The Irish actor Brendan Gleeson, one of the most reliably intriguing performers around, will join Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in the sequel, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Gleeson is currently busy taking a victory lap after his latest film, director Martin McDonagh’s Banshees of Inisherin, got a rave reception at the Venice Film Festival. That film stars Gleeson and Colin Farrell,...
Best of Summer: “Elvis” Composer Elliott Wheeler on The King’s Music & That Doja Cat Collab
As we’ve done for the past few summers, we’ve compiled a few of our favorite interviews to highlight in this last week of August. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but a little taste of some of the great conversations we’ve had during these hot summer months. Bring on sweater season.
The dazzling visuals of director Baz Luhrmann’s spine-tingling biopic of Elvis, which were beautifully shot by cinematographer Mandy Walker, undoubtedly hold your attention...
Marvel Studios Casting Director Sarah Finn on Finding the Heroes & Villains of the MCU
As we’ve done for the past few summers, we’ve compiled a few of our favorite interviews to highlight in this last week of August. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but a little taste of some of the great conversations we’ve had during these hot summer months. Bring on sweater season.
She’s arguably the most powerful casting director in Hollywood, working alongside Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and his team along with numerous directors to populate 28 superhero movies that have so far earned more than $25 billion at the box office...
