“Star Wars: The Bad Batch” Animated Series to Debut on Disney+
Breaking news about upcoming shows and first-look deals involving streaming services seems to be moving at a breakneck pace, doesn’t it? The latest comes courtesy of Disney+, which has ordered the Lucasfilm animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch. The series is slated to premiere in 2021 and expands the streaming service’s Star Wars-related projects.
One of the most prolific folks working in the Star Wars world,
Idris Elba Signs First-Look Deal With Apple
Apple has added one of Hollywood’s biggest stars to its growing roster of boldfaced names. Idris Elba and his Green Door Pictures have signed a first-look deal with Apple TV+ to develop and produce a variety of projects for the streaming service. Elba started Green Door Pictures back in 2013 in order to develop projects with a diverse cast of talent in front of and behind the camera. Elba has starred in Green Door Pictures projects,
“Star Trek: Lower Decks” Trailer Reveals Interstellar Animated Comedy
Well, this looks delightfully silly. CBS All Access revealed the first trailer for Star Trek: Lower Decks, a new animated series that tweaks the formula of the legendary franchise in more ways than one. Lower Decks is focused on the support crew of one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos. Your main characters are whatever the opposite of Vulcan would be (William Shatner?).
It’s the year 2038,
The Directors of “Mucho Mucho Amor” Give Latino Legend Walter Mercado his Due
Described as equal parts Liberace, Norma Desmond, and Oprah, the wildly popular, gender-bending Puerto Rican TV astrologer Walter Mercado was so larger than life that only a documentary could do him justice. The filmmakers behind Netflix’s Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado, like millions of Latinx viewers around the globe, grew up watching Mercado deliver daily horoscopes on TV. Wearing his trademark bejeweled capes, Mercado’s flamboyance coupled with upbeat astrological predictions helped make him a beloved cultural icon.
Cinematographer Armando Salas on the Seductive Aesthetics of “Ozark”
The third season of Netflix’s Ozark sees Marty and Wendy Byrde (Jason Bateman and Laura Linney) dig into their life in Mississippi, where they now own one casino, and a sticking point in their marriage is the risk associated with acquiring another. With the Byrdes still laundering money for Omar Navarro (Felix Solis), the head of a Mexican cartel, and working alongside bloodthirsty lawyer Helen Pierce (Janet McTeer), the series’ third season retains the cool blue and green tones of earlier episodes but adds new aesthetic dimensions via a deeper look at the Navarro compound and flashbacks to Marty’s youth.
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood on her Netflix Epic The Old Guard
The Old Guard, premiering today on Netflix, is a completely engrossing female-fronted action film that just might blow the doors off your summer. Helmed by director Gina Prince-Bythewood, it also marks the milestone of the first major superhero film directed by a Black woman. Prince-Bythewood, who first made her name as writer/director of the classic Love & Basketball, has become one of the most thoroughly interesting directors working in Hollywood.
The First “Halloween Kills” Teaser Reveals Laurie Strode’s Endless Nightmare
Well, the good news is we’ve got a brand new glimpse of the upcoming Halloween Kills, the next installment in the legendary franchise from co-writer/director David Gordon Green and writers Danny McBride and Scott Teems. The not so good news is we won’t be seeing Halloween Kills this Halloween. Universal has announced that the sequel to Green’s smashing 2018 hit Halloween will be delayed a full year,
Javicia Leslie Makes History as the New Batwoman
When we spoke to Batwoman composer Sherri Chung, she expressed excitement over where the CW show would head in the upcoming season. Despite losing the talented Ruby Rose as Kate Kane/Batwoman, Chung was confident in the show’s approach to finding a new lead. “What I think is great is that it sounds like they’re going to treat this as Kate Kane leaving Gotham, and a new character comes in to carry the torch as Batwoman,”
Filmmaker Courtney Jamison Tells a Winning Story During Quarantine
Filmmaker Courtney Jamison entered a contest set up by Women In Film LA, ReFrame and IMDbPro called CURBSIDE SHORTS Two-Minute Film Challenge. The challenge invited “female and non-binary filmmakers from North America to create and submit for free a short film inspired by life while sheltering in place.” Jamison, originally from Richmond, Virginia, had been sheltering in place in Los Angeles for months. She entered the contest with four friends.
“I saw the announcement on Deadline,
How “Insecure” Editor Nena Erb Finds the Perfect Moment
“I’m not ready to go to restaurants,” Insecure editor Nena Erb told me while we were on the phone discussing her career, and, of course, life in the midst of a global pandemic. Yet for Erb, whose career has conditioned her to solitude, she’s making the most of her forced isolation by helping bring up the next generation of young editors. “I was able to work at home for about the first month of the pandemic,
A Conversation With Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox serves as the guide of director Sam Feder’s crucial new documentary Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen. The film offers a vivid, frankly startling history of the portrayal of transgender lives on screen, and Cox (also an executive producer) captains a compelling cast of influential trans creators, cultural critics, and thinkers. They include The Matrix creator Lilly Wachowski, Pose star Mj Rodriguez,
Colin Kaepernick Signs First Look Deal With Disney
If you were to name the most influential athletes of the last decade, Colin Kaepernick must be on your list. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has become one of the most crucial voices in America demanding and working towards social justice. He started this journey in the public eye with a simple gesture and, perhaps more importantly, a sustained commitment thereafter in the face of injustice against himself personally. Colin Kaepernick became a known quantity to NFL fans in 2012,
Director/Producer Dawn Porter on Capturing a Legend in “John Lewis: Good Trouble”
Director/producer Dawn Porter’s documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble is an inspirational look at the life and career of the legendary Georgia Democratic representative and civil rights activist John Lewis. Congressman Lewis, now 80 years old, has been instrumental in creating foundational change in the United States, from voting rights to equal rights for all Americans. To this day, he continues to be a voice for positive change.
The Credits spoke to Porter about the film,
Legendary Italian Composer Ennio Morricone Dies at 91
There was and will only be but one Ennio Morricone, the man affectionately known as “The Maestro.” The legendary Italian composer, an Oscar-winner whose singular sound changed the way we listen to movies, passed away at 91. Morricone’s career spanned six decades and more than 500 films and generated some of the most beloved scores ever created. His work on Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns (Leone didn’t care for the term) alone would make a career,
Zack Snyder Reveals New Poster for Batman v Superman Ultimate Edition
The relationship between Zack Snyder and HBO Max keeps on getting more fruitful for both the man and the new streaming service. This past weekend, Snyder revealed this new poster for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition, which is now streaming exclusively on HBO Max. It was quite the July 4th treat for fans of Snyder’s robust vision for the DC Extended Universe (DCEU):
Excited that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition is now streaming exclusively on @HBOMax.
The Critics Agree: “Hamilton” the Movie is a Smash, Too
We’ve written about how director Thomas Kail and his team live-captured Hamilton for the screen. We’ve covered the glorious trailer and the fact that Disney moved the release of the film up a full year. Now, we can share how Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway juggernaut actually plays on screen. Folks, you’ll probably be unsurprised to find out that as a movie, Hamilton slaps.
“Welcome to Chechnya” Producer & Editor on Their Immersion in High-Stakes LGBTQ Reportage
Few westerners took notice in 2016 when the Russian republic of Chechnya began persecuting gay, lesbian, and transgender citizens. But after Oscar-nominated documentarian David France read a New Yorker article detailing how Ramzan Kadyrov’s regime has tortured, imprisoned, and executed LGBTQ residents, he traveled to Moscow. There, France and his crew documented the Russian LGBT Network and Moscow Community Center for LGBTI+ Initiatives as they provide temporary sanctuary for refugees eager to gain asylum in friendly countries.
How “Queer Eye” Casting Director Danielle Gervais Found the Perfect Team
Danielle Gervais had the daunting task of finding the new Fab Five when the iconic reality series Queer Eye was rebooted by Netflix for a new generation. The Emmy-winning casting director scoured America with her team to find Antoni Porowski (food and wine), Bobby Berk (interior design), Karamo Brown (culture), Jonathan Van Ness (grooming) and Tan France (fashion). Five seasons later, countless lives changed, and many tears shed in the process, Gervais reflects on how it all came together and why choosing a favorite ‘hero’ is like choosing a favorite child.
Dashaun Wesley Takes MC Duties to a New Level on HBO Max’s “Legendary”
It’s a party that’s been years in the making.
Legendary, the original HBO Max series that debuted on May 27, celebrates the “legendary” underground world of Voguing and Ball culture with a reality competition unlike any other on television. Eight houses (aka teams), mostly comprised of Black and Latino LGBTQ members, pour it all out and onto the stage in a series of challenges, showcasing everything from dancing and voguing to fashion and flair.
“Unsettled” Looks at LGBTQ Refugees Seeking a Home in America
June celebrations, even virtual ones in this pandemic year, commemorate the birth of the modern LGBTQ liberation movement and the progress made over five decades since Stonewall, from marriage equality to the recent Supreme Court ruling protecting LGBTQ rights in the workplace.
But in many countries outside the U.S., LGBTQ rights mean only the right to survive.
San Francisco-based filmmaker Tom Shepard, whose many credits include the award-winning Scout’s Honor (2001) about the struggle to overturn the anti-gay policies of the Boy Scouts of America,
