Sony Announces “Venom 3,” a new “Ghostbusters” & More at CinemaCon
Sony put on quite the show during the opening night of CinemaCon in Las Vegas. They were able to, at least for a little while before moving onto their slate of future films, bask in the staggering success of Spider-Man: No Way Home. But they didn’t bask for too long—there was plenty to look forward to.
One major announcement was that chart-topping rapper Bad Bunny will be their newest Marvel superhero,
Bad Bunny Will Star as Marvel Character El Muerto in Upcoming Sony Film
The powerhouse musician Bad Bunny—born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio—is your newest Marvel superhero. In Sony Pictures’ CinemaCon spotlight, the studio revealed that Bad Bunny will star in El Muerto as the titular Marvel superhero, joining Sony’s expanding roster of Marvel superheroes which now includes Jared Leto’s Morbius, Tom Hardy’s Venom, and, of course, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. El Muerto is due in theaters on Jan 12, 2024.
Bad Bunny was introduced by Sony Motion Pictures Group president Sanford Panitch at the annual gathering of movie theater owners in Las Vegas,
New “Obi-Wan Kenobi” Images Reveal Darth Vader & More
Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) is back. After being only hinted at in the Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer, we have our first official look at the Sith Lord’s return, with Christensen reprising the role for the first time in 17-years, since George Lucas’s final film in his prequel trilogy, 2005’s Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith. In that film, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) might have beaten Annakin Skywalker (Christensen) in a lightsaber duel in the film’s climactic final battle,
Expect CinemaCon to Bring New Looks at “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Avatar 2,” “Black Adam” & More
This year’s CinemaCon begins today in Las Vegas, and it offers a much brighter picture than the more modest Con that was held in August of 2021. The box office has roared back to life since then, with critical and commercial smashes like Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, Warner Bros. The Batman, and, more recently, the success of family-oriented fare like Paramount’s Sonic: The Hedgehog 2 and Universal’s The Bad Guys.
Watch “The Batman” Chase Scene – The Greatest Batmobile Chase of All Time
There will no doubt be quibbles, but we’re putting our stake in the ground and calling this chase sequence in Matt Reeves’s The Batman the greatest single Batmobile scene of all time. There have been other, great scenes involving the Batmobile—Christopher Nolan notched a few in The Dark Knight alone—but pound for pound, we’re calling The Batman‘s epic second act sequence where Batman (Robert Pattinson) gets into his souped-up muscle car (a modified 1968-70 Dodge Charger,
“They Call Me Magic” Trailer Reveals the Rise of Earvin “Magic” Johnson
There are currently two Magic Johnsons streaming right now. There is the fictionalized Magic, played by Quincy Isaiah, on HBO’s dazzling, gleefully dramatic Winning Time, based on Jeff Pearlman’s book “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s.” And now, there is the actual Magic in Apple TV’s They Call Me Magic, a four-part documentary series that hopes to do for the Lakers legend and business titan what The Last Dance did for Michael Jordan—give Magic the kind of in-depth,
“The Man Who Fell to Earth” Creator Jenny Lumet Turns an Iconic Alien Tale Into a Modern Epic
The new Showtime limited series The Man Who Fell to Earth is inspired by the 1963 novel and subsequent 1976 cult classic of the same name. Highly anticipated, it is created by award-winners Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman, of Star Trek Discovery and Strange New Worlds. In this story, Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as an alien called Faraday on an urgent mission to save his homeworld. He tracks down genius scientist Justin Falls (Naomie Harris) who somehow holds part of the secret to saving both his world and ours.
Nicole Kassell on Producing & Directing HBO’s Devilish New Comedy/Horror “The Baby”
Shooting a television series under any circumstance is arduous at best. But when your title character is too young to even walk, it certainly increases the degree of difficulty. Producer/director Nicole Kassell discovered this fact quickly on her latest project, The Baby, a sly horror/comedy created by Siân Robins-Grace and Lucy Gaymer.
“Even with everything I’ve already done before, I think this might have been the hardest shoot I’ve ever done,” says Kassell during a recent Zoom interview.
Natalie Portman’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” Poster Hails Marvel’s New Goddess
“The one is not the only.” This is the description on the new Thor: Love and Thunder poster that features Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, now transformed into Mighty Thor, weilding the magical hammer Mjolnir. Consider it the counter point to that other poster, featuring an unknown noob named Chris Hemsworth playing regular old Thor. That poster reads “The one and only.” Sorry, pal, but there’s a new Thor in town.
The posters are cheeky,
Chris Evans Heads to Space in 2nd Trailer for Pixar’s “Lightyear”
The second trailer for Pixar’s Lightyear is here (not to be confused with David Lynch’s mysterious project with the same title). Lightyear stars Chris Evans as none other than Buzz Lightyear, one of the original superstars of the Pixar canon that helped launched the animation studio in 1995’s seminal Toy Story. That original Buzz, voiced by Tim Allen, starred alongside Tom Hanks’ cowboy Woody and a whole room full of talking toys that changed animated films forever.
Zack Snyder Reveals Filming has Begun on His Sci-Fi Epic “Rebel Moon”
Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon has officially begun production. Snyder revealed on Twitter that his sci-fi epic for Netflix is now underway, and shared more than just the news—he provided a great image of Djimon Hounsou in character as General Titus. Rebel Moon is an entirely new sci-fi saga based on a script by Snyder, his Army of the Dead co-writer Shay Hatten, and his 300 co-writer Kurt Johnstad.
Vin Diesel Reveals Title of “Fast & Furious 10”
Vin Diesel has made it official. Not only did the star of the Fast & Furious franchise reveal the title of the 10th film in the franchise, but he also shared that the first half of the final two-part installment has begun production.
Diesel took to Instagram to reveal that the tenth film in the franchise will be called, appropriately enough, Fast X. The post also revealed that Diesel was sharing the news on “Day one…”
Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Teaming for Film About Nike Landing Michael Jordan
One of the greatest stories in sports business history will be told by an A-list cast and crew. The Hollywood Reporter scoops that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are reuniting (they just re-teamed on the script for Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel with co-writer Nicole Holofcener, in which they also starred in), this time to tackle one of the greatest sports marketing and business stories of all time. Affleck and Damon are teaming up to tell the true-life story of former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro for Amazon Studios and Skydance Sports,
Amazon in Talks to Assemble “Voltron” Movie With “Red Notice” Director Rawson Marshall Thurber
Looks like Amazon is about to assemble Voltron. If you were a child in the 1980s and loved your cartoons, then you likely remember the beloved anime series Voltron: Defender of the Universe, which featured the five young pilots of the Robot Lion battalion whose vehicles were capable of assembling into a massive robot called Voltron. Now, a live-action adaptation of the series is in the works.
Variety reports that Red Notice director Rawson Marshall Thurber is attached to direct a live-action feature adaptation of the classic 1980s anime for Amazon after the package generated plenty of interest from streamers and studios.
Watch “The Batman” Gotham Subway Fight
Now that Matt Reeves’ The Batman is streaming on HBO Max, we’re getting some very juicy clips—and the entire opening scene—to show those who may have missed out on the epic reboot in the theater what’s available to them in their home. That opening sequence is a doozy, plunging us into Reeves’ twisted noir vision of Gotham, and presenting the Riddler (Paul Dano) in all his psychopathic intensity. It’s a bravura 10-minute long masterclass in tension and world-building and sets the rest of The Batman up as a street-level detective story unlike any previous film in the franchise.
Jason Momoa Will Star in “Minecraft” Movie for Warner Bros.
Jason Momoa’s world-building exploits continue for Warner Bros. The Aquaman star, fresh off a crucial role in Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-winning Dune (another Warner Bros. pic) is set to star in an adaptation of the massively successful video game Minecraft. The Hollywood Reporter has the details, revealing that Momoa is now in final negotiations to lead the live-action adaptation of Minecraft with Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess helming.
“Thor: Love and Thunder” Synopsis Reveals Natalie Portman’s Mighty Thor & Christian Bale’s Brutal Villain Gorr
We have, at long last, seen the first teaser for Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder and now have the official synopsis, revealing the insanity that Waititi has been promising since he first finished the script he co-wrote with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The teaser had some of the greatest goofball energy we’ve felt since Thor (Chris Hemsworth) showed up in Avengers: Endgame looking like Jeff Lebowski.
Incredibly,
Paramount Makes Nickelodeon Content Free For Ukrainian Refugees in Europe
There are many ways to help Ukrainians in their ongoing time of need, from donating to charities like the World Food Programme, Share The Meal and many, many more (for a list of charitable organizations, this is a good place to start). For Paramount Global, their contributions began with a $1 million donation to support humanitarian relief organizations and, now, to make their Nickelodeon kids content free on various platforms in Europe and beyond for Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s onslaught.
Watch The Epic Opening Scene From “The Batman”
The Batman has arrived on HBO Max, and to celebrate the event, the streamer has just made the riveting, 10-minute long opening scene available for your viewing pleasure. The Batman begins with a horrific crime, immediately plunging us into the grimy, brutal world of Gotham and establishing the street-level detective story that co-writer/director Matt Reeves promised.
We open on the home of Gotham’s Mayor Don Mitchell,
First “Thor: Love and Thunder” Teaser Reveals the God of Thunder’s Groovy New Path
“These hands were once used for battle,” Thor (Chris Hemsworth, of course) says at the top of the first Thor: Love and Thunder teaser, the long-awaited peek at writer/director Taika Waititi’s sequel to his smashing 2018 Thor: Ragnarok. “Now, they’re but humble tools for peace.”
This absurd opening verbal riff, in keeping with Waititi’s brilliant transformation of the Thor franchise from a dark sci-fi saga into a candy-colored,
