The Last O.G.‘s Allen Maldonado on Riffing With Tracy Morgan, Writing Scripts & More
Allen Moldonado is a writer, performer, filmmaker, and entrepreneur, currently co-writing and co-starring in The Last OG, opposite Tracy Morgan. In an interview, he talked about his “Netflix for short films,” Everybody Digital, creating the character of Cousin Bobby as actor and writer, and surviving the “actor’s Olympics” of daily soap operas.
I love the idea of an app to watch short films. Tell me how it started.
First Look at the Fisherman King and Royal Family of Aquaman
The Atlantis of Aquaman is shaping up to be incredibly elegant. The underwater world is materializing and looks dreamy. Today, EW premiered the first look at the Fisherman King (Djimon Hounsou) in full glory. Most importantly this is our best glimpse yet at the film’s stunning effects. The way director James Wan handles the aquatic scenes will be key to Aquaman‘s action and this image looks very promising.
Black Widow Brings on Cate Shortland to Direct
The long awaited Black Widow film finally has a director. THR reported that Marvel has hired Cate Shortland to helm the Scarlett Johansson film. Shortland will become the first solo female director in the MCU, and only the second woman director overall. Anna Boden will co-direct Captain Marvel, also featuring a female protagonist, with Ryan Fleck.
Marvel has been making a conscious push to be more female focused,
Joaquin Phoenix on Taking on the Iconic Role of the Joker
Yesterday the news broke that Joaquin Phoenix was officially joining Todd Phillips’ standalone Joker film. It’s hard to think of another actor more suited to taking on arguably the most iconic villain in film than Phoenix. Obviously gifted, notoriously committed, and clearly fearless, Phoenix is not the type of performer who will shy away from taking the Joker into dark, twisted territory—precisely where you’d hope a standalone film about the psychotic clown prince of chaos would go.
A Downton Abbey Movie is Officially Happening
Lord and Lady Crawley are once again opening their deliciously scandalous Edwardian English country home to the public. At least for a few hours. The beloved Downton Abbey series is fulfilling the dream of every fan who has ever seen a series finale of a favorite show. Focus Features announced the Crawley family will return for a Downton Abbey movie.
The decadent series starred spectacular talent including Elizabeth McGovern,
Skyscraper‘s Production Designer Elevates the Mythic Subtext to Insane Heights
Production designer Jim Bissell faced a 226-story challenge when Skyscraper writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber enlisted him to create Hong Kong high rise “The Pearl.” Oscar-nominated for his work on Good Night, and Good Luck and experienced in the ways of architecture-driven action through his contributions to Tom Cruise’s dizzying skyscraper stunts in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Bissell needed to come up with a tower every bit as dramatic as the movie’s human star Dwayne Johnson.
Netflix Tops Most Nominated Network of the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards
It is official. Great TV isn’t just on television sets anymore. The nominations for the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards were announced today, and by the numbers, Netflix reigns supreme. Even with Game of Thrones back in the running, Netflix still edged out HBO for the most nods.
The streaming site only entered the Emmy playing field four years ago and has quickly risen to the top. Last year, even without a season of Game of Thrones eligible for voting,
Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie Struggle for the Crown in First Mary Queen of Scots Trailer
The first trailer for Mary Queen of Scots is a stirring struggle of passion and power. I admit that I’m a royal enthusiast, but Elizabeth I has been done and done well. I wasn’t convinced we needed another regaling of the rivalry. And yet, I have been made a true believer. Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan are stunning.
The actresses never rest on the beautiful costumes and production design – although there is plenty of that.
Zachary Levi’s Bold Shazam! Costume Is a Teenage Superhero Dream
Imagine being transformed into a superhero at only 14 and having the opportunity to create your own suit. It would probably include bright colors, a cape, and things that lights up. After catching glimpses of Zachary Levi’s costume on Instagram, EW released the first image of Shazam’s suit, and it is everything from a fourteen-year-old’s superhero fantasy.
Here, Billy Batson is with his best friend from the orphanage, Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer),
First Reactions Hail Mission: Impossible – Fallout as an Adrenalin-Jacked Masterpiece
Well that didn’t take long. We’ve spent the past couple of days enjoying the fresh Mission: Impossible – Fallout photos and videos that Paramount has been releasing, and now, we can share the first reactions to the film. As we predicted, writer/director Christopher McQuarrie and star Tom Cruise have another smash on their hands. McQuarrie is the first director to return for a second mission in the franchise, and the continuity of the story and his familiarity with his stars and the material seem to have paid off.
See the World While Dangling off a Helicopter in new Mission: Impossible – Fallout Video
We’ve been talking about how Mission: Impossible – Fallout looks like it has the chance to be the most aggressively action-packed film in a franchise famous for it. We shared these new photos, which highlight Mission: Impossible‘s commitment to honoring that Impossible in the title with increasingly insane stunts. Today, we turn our attention to another cornerstone of the franchise—international locations. In a new video shared by Paramount,
Neill Blomkamp to Direct RoboCop Returns
Sci-fi is a genre that District 9 and Chappie director Neill Blomkamp genuinely loves and respects. This is why he’s such a good choice to reboot the RoboCop franchise with RoboCop Returns. Deadline reports that Blomkamp’s new film will have the writing team behind the 1987 original, Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner, on board to produce and executive-produce. Neumeier and Miner wrote a script for a RoboCop sequel years ago that never saw the light of day—until now.
Denzel Washington Makes His Surprising Return in New Clips for The Equalizer 2
There is nothing scarier for criminals than Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) showing up at your door. Especially for everyone who thought he was dead. Sony Pictures Entertainment recently released two new clips from the first sequel of Washington’s career, The Equalizer 2. The clips offer a snapshot of McCall’s signature combat style and reveal more about his cryptic past.
In the first clip, McCall walks into an apartment to get a young man,
These Mission: Impossible – Fallout Images Have the Action of Ten Movies
My aspirations to be an international spy are not going to work well with my grave fear of heights. At least, that’s what these new images from Mission Impossible: Fallout lead me to believe. There’s Tom Cruise jumping out of a plane, hanging off a helicopter, swinging from some helicopter cargo, and casually clinging to a death defying cliff. Are there any espionage jobs that stay on the ground? I think I’ll rule out that career aspiration and leave it to the professionals.
Indulge in These Decadent Posters of Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie in Mary Queen of Scots
The official posters for Focus Feature’s Mary Queen of Scots are out and we are pumped to see more of this medieval world. These queens really do it all, from Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan) confidently leading a pack of men on her horse, to Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie) standing tall as her servants pamper her hands.
The official character posters depict striking portraits of both the women- yet their differences are quite notable.
One Book is All it Takes to Release the Monsters of Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
What has happened here? When last we saw famed author R.L. Stine, all of his literary creations were safely back in their books. Well, almost. With the exclusion of Zach’s (Dylan Minnette) new lady love, Hannah (Odeya Rush), and the Invisible Boy. For the most part, Madison, Delaware had been saved from demolishment by monster and had a mostly happy ending. Now, Stine’s house is dilapidated and abandoned and the scribe himself is nowhere to be found.
New Fallout Clips Prove Mission: Impossible is the Best Action Franchise
Notoriously perfectionist stunt professional (oh, and actor) Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie have done it again. Two new clips from Mission: Impossible- Fallout boast the incredibly suspenseful halo jump and a bathroom brawl for the ages. In the series sixth installment, the iconic Ethan Hunt (Cruise) runs into troubles aplenty after an important mission goes wrong. Hunts problem include a babysitter from hell. In real life,
It’s Official—Joaquin Phoenix is Your new Joker
We’ve been writing about Joaquin Phoenix circling Todd Phillips Joker project for months. The talented actor doesn’t do many interviews, and when he has, he’s been careful with his words when talking about the potential film. He’s spoken about how for him, the interest is all about the character, not the superhero genre. We wrote way back in February about how the script was done and Phillips had already said Phoenix was his top choice.
This new Avengers: Infinity War Blu-Ray Trailer is Epic
Well now this is a super sized new trailer. Marvel has released an Avengers: Infinity War Blu-ray trailer, which includes gobs of never-before-seen footage any previous ad. It boasts the film’s best line (the exchange between Groot and Captain America), as well as a sly bit of title design work that hints at the film’s somber ending without actually giving it away.
The Actor Cast as Shazam!‘s Wizard is Revealed
DC’s Shazam! has cast its 3,000 year-old sorcerer. This Is Us star Ron Cephas Jones was widely rumored to be snagging the role, however, The Wizard will be portrayed by another familiar face. Entertainment Weekly reports that Guardians of the Galaxy’s Djimon Hounsou was chosen as the DC Comics character. The Wizard plays a vital role in Billy Baston’s transcendence into a superhero and will be pivotal to the plot.
