How Mammal Studios Builds Magical Landscapes & Trains Technical Wizards
Creating spectacular superhero action scenes, constructing fantastical locations, visually evoking an era, or creating trippy illustrations are forms of visual effects. And they are all a key part of visual storytelling. Many viewers don’t know how these elements are created or who produces them.
The artists at Mammal Studios are a fantastic example, having woven their visual effects magic on many of the biggest blockbusters from the last decade—Black Panther,
Ben Affleck Returning as Batman for “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”
My man! You can almost hear Jason Momoa, as Arthur Curry, say these words as Bruce Wayne pulls up in one of his outrageously expensive cars to help his buddy Aquaman with a new problem.
That’s right, Bruce Wayne is re-teaming with Arthur Curry in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Momoa has revealed that Ben Affleck is returning as Bruce Wayne/Batman for the Aquaman sequel, revealing the big news after some fans on a Warner Bros.
Juliette Binoche on Driving a Tough Road in “Paradise Highway”
For writer/director Anna Gutto’s feature debut Paradise Highway, a trucker named Sally will do whatever it takes to keep her brother Dennis (played by Frank Grillo) alive long enough so that he can get out of prison and restart his life. This means she’ll take on jobs that are hardly legal, but she believes victimless, in order to make a little extra money and placate the powers that be that hold his life,
How “Nope” Production Designer Ruth De Jong Built & Bloodied the Haywood Ranch
There was a moment when writer/director Jordan Peele and production designer Ruth De Jong realized they were going to shoot Nope practically. Tucked in the Agua Dulce area of California’s Santa Clarita Valley is the Firestone Ranch, which would become the setting for the Haywood home where OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer) discover an unexpected visitor living in the sky above them.
“The property is this huge basin surrounded by these hills,
“Nope” Editor Nicholas Monsour Dives Into the Macabre of Jordan Peele’s Sci-Fi epic
Putting together the irresistibly gripping story of writer-director Jordan Peele’s third film Nope was picture editor Nicholas Monsour, who has a shorthand with the auteur, having collaborated on Us (2019) and a number of episodes of Key and Peele.
Set in the outskirts of Hollywood, OJ Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer) find themselves up against a mysterious entity living in the sky above their home.
Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio” Reveals Official Trailer
We can think of no filmmaker better suited to adapt Carlo Collodi’s iconic story about a wooden marionette who’s magically brought to life to help heal the soul of a grieving woodcarver than Guillermo del Toro. And now, at long last, we have our first really good look at what the visionary behind Nightmare Alley, The Shape of Water, and Pan’s Labyrinth has done with the material.
The trailer introduces us to Sebastian J.
Netflix to Expand “The Gray Man” With a Sequel & Spinoff
Netflix’s spy thriller The Gray Man was only the beginning.
The streaming giant has big plans to turn the Russo Brothers’ breathless caper, starring Ryan Gosling as a prodigiously talented assassin for the CIA, into a franchise. With the film bowing this past Friday night, Netflix has already revealed plans to add a sequel starring Gosling and a spinoff, both of which are already in development.
For the sequel,
“Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” Director Will Be “Shang-Chi” Filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton
Avengers, assemble.
After Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige revealed the MCU’s big plans to bring back the Avengers in Phase 5 and 6, the question became who would direct these mammoth super-team epics. The Russo Brothers helmed both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the latter of which closed out what Marvel Studios called their Infinity Saga and ended a definitive chapter in the MCU’s expansionist history. Since Endgame,
“Westworld” Director Paul Cameron Breaks Down “Generation Loss” Episode
Cinematographer Paul Cameron had worked on big pictures like Michael Mann-directed Collateral and Denzel Washington thriller Déjà Vu, so he could afford to be skeptical six years ago when he first heard about a new TV series loosely based on an old Michael Crichton sci-fi novel. Cameron says, “I remember when my agent called and said Jonah Nolan wants to talk to you about Westworld, my first reaction was: ‘Might not be not my cup of tea.'”
Listen to “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Prologue Soundtrack With Tems’ “No Woman, No Cry”
With the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer exploding with 172 million views in 24 hours, a lot of people wanted to know, who’s cover of Bob Marley’s iconic “No Woman, No Cry” can be heard throughout it? The answer is the Nigerian artist Tems, and her cover is one of the three tunes that Hollywood Records and Marvel Music have released in a prologue soundtrack.
Tems’ version of “No Woman, No Cry”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Trailer Explodes With 172 Million Views in 24 Hours
The desire to see Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther follow-up Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is immense. In fact, the first trailer for Coogler’s sequel drew one of the biggest responses in Marvel history, nabbing an astonishing 172 million views in its first 24 hours, a source close to Marvel confirmed with Variety.
The trailer was revealed this past weekend as part of Marvel Studios’ massive presentation at Hall H,
New “Black Adam” Sneak Peak Brings Out the Beast in Dwayne Johnson
“My powers are not a gift, but a curse.”
This is how Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) describes his immense, DCEU-shaking abilities in the new sneak peek at Black Adam that was revealed this past weekend at San Diego’s Comic-Con. Johnson’s titular superhero, or perhaps more accurately, super anti-hero, was “born out of rage”—murdered thousands of years ago as a slave, he was resurrected through his son making the ultimate sacrifice. Reborn and next-level powerful,
“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” Trailer Reveals Two Hulks, One Abomination & One Frog-Man
What would be the most annoying way to be woken up? How about having an airhorn blasted in your ear? This is how Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) wakes up his cousin, Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) in the official trailer for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Bruce is testing Jennifer, seeing what kind of control, or lack thereof, she has over her giant green alter ego. But he’s also doing it because it’s funny. Such is the vibe of Marvel Studios’
Marvel Studios Reveals Two New “Avengers” Movies & More at Comic-Con
Still buzzing from that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer? Us, too. Yet Marvel had more to share during their time in Comic-Con’s Hall H. Three years after Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige unveiled the plans for Phase 4 there, he was back to discuss Phase 5 and even hint at what’s in store in Phase 6.
Before we can get to Phase 5 and 6, however, we need a glimpse of what’s left in Phase 4.
First “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Trailer Honors a Lost King & Introduces a New Threat
The very first look at co-writer/director Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever pulses with feeling. The teaser opens to Tems’ cover of Bob Marley’s deathless “No Woman, No Cry,” with Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) standing on a gorgeous coastline, silently taking in the beauty of her surroundings and, we imagine, the immensity of her loss. Wakanda Forever was supposed to see Chadwick Boseman reprise his role as T’Challa/Black Panther, of course, but Boseman tragically passed away in August 2020,
The First “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” Trailer is a Magical Romp
San Diego’s Comic-Con is officially underway, and the first major studio film to grace the vaunted Hall H was Paramount’s long-awaited Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. This is the first time in three years that Hall H has been populated, and the Dungeons & Dragons team didn’t disappoint. Nor does the first official trailer, which reveals the star-studded epic led by Chris Pine, Regé-Jean Page, and Michelle Rodriguez.
“Nope” Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema on Capturing the Epic Scope of Jordan Peele’s Latest
Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema failed to get into two Dutch film schools, so he worked in a soap factory, played in a band, and survived unemployment as a self-described “slacker” before finding his creative footing at a renowned cinema academy in Lodz, Poland. Since then, he’s made up for lost time through collaborations with A-list auteurs, including David O. Russell (The Fighter), Sam Mendes (Spectre), and Spike Jonez (Her).
“The Gray Man” Composer Henry Jackman Breaks Down His 17-Minute Suite
Classically trained at Oxford University, British-born musician Henry Jackman moved to Los Angeles in 2001. Within five years, he’d landed an apprenticeship gig at Hans Zimmer’s music company, and from there, Jackson quickly rose through the ranks to become one of Hollywood’s most versatile composers. Credits range from Kong: Skull Island and Tom Hanks’s tense, fact-based drama Captain Phillips to half a dozen zany animation features, including Wreck-It Ralph.
“Mortal Kombat” Sequel in the Works With Director Simon McQuoid Returning
The deadliest tournament on the planet is returning.
Deadline reports that a Mortal Kombat sequel is in the works with director Simon McQuoid returning. The original film did quite well at the box office when it was released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in April 2021. In fact, Mortal Kombat was one of the first films to lure folks back into theaters, and can credibly claim,
“House of the Dragon” Trailer Promises a GoT Prequel Worthy of Westeros
Ahead of House of the Dragon‘s appearance at Comic-Con, HBO released the series’ official trailer, and it doesn’t disappoint.
House of the Dragon, set 200 years before the events in Game of Thrones will focus on the volatile House Targaryen in the lead-up to the civil war that tore Westeros apart. House of the Dragon‘s Comic-Con appearance marks the first time the Game of Thrones franchise has graced San Diego’s marquee summer event since the series’
