Nobody knows a speedy franchise better than Keanu Reeves.
The superstar is slipping off his trademark black John Wick suit for the black fur of a speedy hedgehog in Paramount’s upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Reeves will be voicing the character of Shadow.
Shadow has a very big role to play in Sonic 3. As revealed during Paramount’s presentation at CinemaCon last week, footage from Sonic 3 found Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carey) getting his groove back after his disastrous turn in Sonic 2 by creating Shadow the Hedgehog, a character that hails from the video game Sonic Adventure 2 back in 2001. While Shadow is as speedy and powerful as Sonic, he’s his polar opposite in personality, preferring a dark vibe. If you’re going to cast Keanu Reeves to voice an animated character, Shadow the Hedgehog seems like a fit as snug as John Wick’s Brioni suits.
The Sonic franchise has raced off to success ever since it burst onto the scene in 2020. Director Jeff Fowler returns once again—he’s directed all the installments—with voice stars including Ben Schwartz as Sonic, James Marsden as Sonic’s human buddy Tom Wachowski, and Idris Elba as Knuckles.
Reeves has been a busy man. He’s helped make the John Wick franchise a global phenomenon, with John Wick: Chapter 4 breaking its own records last year. He rebooted his iconic role of Neo for 2021’s The Matrix: Resurrections and has parts in Aziz Ansari’s upcoming Good Fortune, as well as returning as Wick for a small part in the Ana De Armas-led John Wick Presents: Ballerina.
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Featured image: LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 06: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white) Keanu Reeves attending the “John Wick: Chapter 4” UK Gala Screening at Cineworld Leicester Square on March 06, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Universal already has a good idea of what Jonathan Bailey is capable of. Bailey plays Prince Fiyero alongside Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in their upcoming two-part adaptation Wicked, one of the biggest films on the 2024 release schedule. He was sensational in Showtime’s excellent limited series Fellow Travelers, which earned him a Critics Choice Award, and he made a splash in Netflix’s Bridgerton as Lord Anthony Bridgerton. Now, Bailey is in early talks to take on a leading role in another of the studio’s major projects, Universal’s new Jurassic World, a scoop courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.
If Baily punches his ticket to Isla Nublar to join the dinos, he’ll also be joining star Scarlett Johansson, the biggest name yet to join the project. The latest Jurassic World movie will be helmed by The Creator director Gareth Edwards, from a script by original Jurassic Park scribe David Koepp. Staying in the family, Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment is partnering with Universal on the film, which will be the seventh installment in the franchise.
In the run of the franchise, Spielberg kicked things off with his iconic 1993 Jurassic Park, followed by his 1997 film The Lost World. Joe Johnston took over for Jurassic Park III in 2001, then the dinos were dormant for more than a decade. Finally, in 2015, Colin Trevorrow directed Jurassic World, the first film in a new trilogy starring Chris Pratt as Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing. The final film in the new World trilogy, Dominion, saw the return of original Jurassic Park stars Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum.
The new film with Johansson and possibly Bailey will be centered on new characters. Johansson is no stranger to major franchises, having starred as Black Widow in multiple Marvel Studios films, including her own standalone film, while still finding time to work on smaller prestige projects, like her two Oscar-nominated turns in Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit. (She also starred, many years ago, in Jonathan Glazer’s nearly flawless sci-fi thriller Under the Skin, in case you want to put that on your watch list.)
Bailey and Johansson would be stepping into one of the most storied franchises in the movie business and one that might launch them into a brand new trilogy. They’d make a stellar pairing. Koepp’s script for the new Jurassic World will almost certainly not be a period piece, so we’re looking at sticking with the present day. We’ll share more details when we get them, as Universal is moving at a brisk pace to meet their current scheduled release date of July 2, 2205.
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Featured image: MILAN, ITALY – JUNE 20: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white.) Jonathan Bailey is seen ahead of the Giorgio Armani fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week S/S 2023 on June 20, 2022 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
If you’re going to make a movie about a music-obsessed pony who goes to extreme lengths to share her singing abilities with the world, it’s a great decision to have the multi-talented Brittany Howard in your title role. Howard’s voice is one of the most singular in the music business, and you can a sample of it in the first trailer for Thelma the Unicorn.
Thelma the Unicorn is based on Aaron Blabey’s beloved children’s books, with the adaptation scripted by director Jared Hess and his wife, Jerusha. Howard stars as the titular “unicorn,” who in actuality is a barn pony who dreams of one day headlining Sparklepalooza, the biggest musical event of the year. Thelma is told that nobody is eager to give a regular barn pony a stage and microphone, which makes her believe that to fulfil her dreams, she needs to be somebody different. After a mishap turns this dreamy pony a glittery pink, Thelma turns her accident to her advantage and takes on the persona of a unicorn, the type of true show pony people will put on a stage. When people want to know what kind of magical things this clearly magical unicorn can do, Thelma unleashes her stellar singing voice. Now that’s magic.
Thelma’s life changes really quickly after she takes on her new identity, drawing the kind of attention she wants (a music career!) and the kind she didn’t count on (jealousy and more). Does Thelma need to pretend to be someone else to be special, or was she special all along?
Hess is no stranger to turning a kind eye on unique characters and making movie magic (see Napoleon Dynamite). Hess has a bevy of talented folks on the roster to join Howard, including his old Napoleon Dynamite star Jon Heder, and a cast of comedy heavyweights like Will Forte, Zach Galifianakis, Jermaine Clement, Fred Armisen, and Edi Patterson. yet the star is Howard, the Alabama Shakes’ powerful frontwoman, who is making her acting debut.
Check out the trailer below. Thelma the Unicorn arrives on Netflix on May 17.
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Marvel Studios only has one movie coming out in 2024, but it’s a big one. The MCU will be unleashing its first official Deadpool movie (the franchise used to belong to Fox), Deadpool & Wolverine, which boasts the long-awaited team-up between Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with the Mouth and Hugh Jackman’s beloved, be-clawed mutant. (Yes, Jackman’s Wolverine died in James Mangold’s 2017 banger Logan, but this is the multiverse-happy MCU).
The title Deadpool & Wolverine has a lot of meaning, director Shawn Levy told Screen Rant, as it was a very conscious decision to give Wolverine title billing and not call the film Deadpool 3.
“As far as crafting the Deadpool and Wolverine story, I just felt privileged every day because you’re talking about two massive movie stars in their most iconic roles,” Levy told Screen Rant. “It also gave me an opportunity. It’s the third Deadpool movie, but it’s not Deadpool 3. It’s a different thing that’s very much Deadpool and Wolverine. And it’s not trying to copycat anything from the first two movies. They were awesome, but this is a two-hander character adventure.”
Levy promised Screen Rant, as he has promised previously, that Deadpool & Wolverine wasn’t going to be any less raunchy than its predecessors just because it’s now officially part of the MCU. “It’s going to be gnarly,” he told Screen Rant, and he also revealed that early screenings of the film have been “extremely, extremely promising.” The screenings helped Levy and his team “feel where the pace wants to tighten; you feel where you can afford to slow down and have a deeper, more durable character moment.”
Considering he got to work with two of the most beloved characters—and performers—it’s safe to say Deadpool & Wolverine will have plenty of durable character moments. And insanity.
Deadpool & Wolverine arrives in theaters on July 26, 2024.
L-r: Ryan Reynolds is Wade Wilson/Deadpool and Hugh Jackman is Logan/Wolverine in “Deadpool 3.” Courtesy Ryan Reynolds/Marvel Studios
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Ryan Gosling returned in triumphant fashion this past weekend to host Saturday Night Live, the first time he’s been back to Studio 8H since way back in 2017. Gosling was once again on point, delivering a pitch-perfect cold open that revisited a beloved alien abduction sketch he first did back in 2017, then using his opening monologue to do a big song and dance number devoted to his last role, Ken, of course, from Barbie. That bit was interrupted by Emily Blunt, his co-star in The Fall Guy, their upcoming action-comedy-romance that doubles as a love letter to the stunt professionals who make the movie industry go.
Gosling’s a busy man, and SNL was packed with good stuff (including a cameo by college basketball phenom Caitlin Clark, who visited the Weekend Update set to roast Michael Che), so much so that perhaps the one sketch SNL fans and Gosling stans were hoping for, a sequel to the iconic Papyrus digital short from 2017, wasn’t on the live broadcast. The good news for us is that SNL uploaded it to Twitter and YouTube for our viewing pleasure.
A quick recap of the original Papyrus sketch from 2017—dreamed up by former SNL writer and current feature film director and actor Julio Torres, Papyrus centered on Gosling as Steven, a man who is deeply, pathologically troubled by the fact that James Cameron’s original Avatar used the most basic font they could think of for their logo—yes, the absurd Papyrus. Torres first suggested the idea during an SNL Monday morning pitch meeting, which was based on one of his Tweets: “Every day I wake up and remember that Avatar, a huge international blockbuster, used the Papyrus font for their logo and no one stopped them.”
Torres and the SNL team worked his Tweet into a legendary sketch—which was the perfect vehicle for Gosling, who saw the cinematic potential in the idea of a man who can’t shake Cameron’s bizarre font choice. Payrus follows Steven as he tries to work out his anger over the font choice with his therapist (played by Kate McKinnon), to no avail. “He just highlighted Avatar. He clicked the drop-down menu, and then he just randomly selected Papyrus.” Steven’s friend (Chris Redd) tries to calm his growing monomania by pointing out that they made some slight modifications to the font in the Avatar logo, hoping this technicality will soothe Steven. Hard no. Steven begins to view the font choice as a crime and eventually tracks down the graphic designer responsible (Kyle Mooney), screaming, “I know what you did.”
Which brings us to Papyrus 2, in which Steven’s back and doing his best to “avoid triggers” and stay in control of his papyrus-based demons. Anytime Steven comes into contact with the font, whether it’s helping a man pick up flyers off the street written in papyrus or seeing it on a falafel truck, he’s plunged back into his own personal nightmare. As Steven works to make his steady, incremental improvement, he learns that Avatar: The Way of Water changed the font, which is huge news for the tormented man. Perhaps Steven and his years of dedication to bemoaning the papyrus font choice had an effect on James Cameron? Perhaps all is right in the world now that Avatar‘s design team saw the light? Or, is something seriously sinister going on, and did Cameron do the unthinkable and return to Papyrus in a new and even more hurtful way? Is Steven’s new girlfriend involved in this crime? This is the conceit of the sequel sketch, and it’s a perfect way to kickstart your week if you haven’t seen it:
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Get ready for a Transformers-sized, star-studded animated epic that will reveal the origin story behind the most bitter feud in Transformers history.
Paramount Pictures arrived at CinemaCon this year ready to deliver on the news they broke last year, revealing an extended trailer and a scene from Transformers One, their animated epic that boasts Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, and more voicing characters. Those three introduced the extended trailer and the 3D scene. Hemsworth and Henry were there in person, while Johansson delivered a recorded message via video from New York, where she’s working on her directorial debut, Eleanor the Great. Johansson plays Elita-1 in the film.
Hemsworth told the audience inside the Colosseum at Caesars Palace that he was playing Orion Pax, the young Optimus Prime, and that they could expect “something truly spectacular.” Hemsworth said that Orion Pax will reveal a side of the proud, noble Prime that audiences have never seen before. Hemsworth also gave a shout-out to longtime Prime voice actor Peter Cullen, who imbued Prime with “strength, gentleness, and compassion.”
Hemsworth then introduced Henry, who plays D-16, the young Megatron. “This origin story is how they transformed from brothers in arms to sworn enemies,” Henry said of the relationship between his D-16 and Hemsworth’s Orion Pax. That’s the crux of Transformers One, this bitter, brutal feud between these two immensely powerful alien robots.
The cast also includes Keegan-Michael Key as B-127, Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime, Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion, and Steve Buscemi.
Transformers One is directed by Josh Cooley, who won an Oscar for his work directing Toy Story 4. Cooley works from a script by Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari.
Transformers One hits theaters on September 13.
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Featured image: LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 11: (L-R) Brian Tyree Henry and Chris Hemsworth appear on stage during the Paramount Pictures 2024 CinemaCon Footage Presentation on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)
Anthony Mackie is finally stepping into the solo spotlight and nobody is more prepared. Mackie joined Kevin Feige in Las Vegas to reveal footage from Captain America: Brave New World, which finds Mackie’s Sam Wilson now fully invested as the new Cap.
Feige said that for Mackie and director Julius Onah’s upcoming film, the vibe is decidedly more of a grounded, gritty action flick, like the beloved Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Winter Soldier was Mackie’s first MCU film, where he became a crucial ally for Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers/Captain America going forward. Sam Wilson was, without a doubt, the man Cap could count on the most, which is why he was selected at the end of Avengers: Endgame by an aged, retired Steve Rogers to carry on the shield.
We saw Sam Wilson wrestle with this new responsibility in the Disney+ series Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which was released in 2021 and followed The Winter Soldier‘s vibe as a full-bodied action thriller. Becoming Captain America was an especially difficult experience for Sam as a Black man replacing a white icon and savior figure. By the end of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam has accepted the role and proven himself more than capable of carrying the shield.
Captain America: Brave New World finds Sam after he’s accepted and grown into the role. It also introduces Harrison Ford into the MCU as he takes over for the late William Hurt as Thunderbolt Ross. Danny Ramirez returns as Joaquin Torres, the young man who takes over from Sam as the Falcon. The cast also includes Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, Carl Lumbly (reprising his role of Isaiah Bradley from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), and Shira Haas.
The footage shown at CinemaCon revealed Sam arriving at the White House, where Thunderbolt Ross, now the president, wants Sam’s help rebuilding the Avengers. The footage then moves to a tense moment when Ross, thanking Sam and Torres for helping out, is interrupted by blaring music, which sets off Isaiah Bradley, a former Super Soldier, who tries to kill Ross.
Captain America: Brave New World will fly into theaters on February 14, 2025. It’s preceded by Deadpool & Wolverine, which arrives this July 26, and followed by The Fantastic Four, which will arrive in theaters on July 25, 2025.
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Disney’s presentation at this year’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas was a lot less PG than it usually is. That’s because this year, the studio had Deadpool & Wolverine to show off, the latest installment in the raunchiest, most ribald franchise in the superhero world.
The presentation began with a PSA reminding audience members to silence their phones. Then it cut to Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) discussing rumors for Avengers: Secret Wars, the first Avengers film since Endgame dominated box offices in 2019. Naturally, Deadpool is chatty and ready to explain his theories for what happens, but a cell phone blares from the audience, cutting him off. After several interruptions, the short-fused Wolverine finally loses his cool and unleashes a bevy of F-bombs. This is a nifty way for Marvel to let folks know that just because Deadpool is now officially a Marvel film (it used to belong to Fox) and Marvel’s a Disney-owned studio doesn’t mean the new movie will be any less potty-mouthed.
Kevin Feige added to the loose and limber vibe, summing up the Reynolds/Jackman team-up movie this way: “It’s f**king awesome.” The 9 minutes of footage included Deadpool and Wolverine dealing with the multiverse while slinging the barbed wit that fans of the franchise have come to love. That includes taking shots at the very movie they’re watching, Marvel, and even Disney.
Director Shawn Levy was on hand to reveal the footage, which were all spoiler-free selects. The new look at Deadpool & Wolverine included some funny details, including Reynolds’ Wade Wilson, now retired from the superhero business, selling cars, but doing so in his insanely unsuitable way. Eventually, as we learned in the gangbusters trailer, Wade will find himself at the Time Variance Authority HQ, where he’s deployed on a mission that eventually has him colliding with Wolverine.
There were plenty of laughs during the footage, which Feige said was specially picked out by Levy and Reynolds for the CinemaCon crowd. Deadpool & Wolverine is Marvel’s only 2024 release, coming on July 26, yet the studio must feel pretty good about it, considering it became the most-watched trailer in history.
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There couldn’t have been a more fitting location for the first look at Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 than The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Scott’s epic sequel came roaring into the Las Vegas venue for CinemaCon, where theater owners got the first peek at his hotly-anticipated swords-and-sandals blockbuster.
Scott introduced the footage via video from London, confident in the work he, his cast, and his crew had accomplished. “It is possibly even more extraordinary than the first,” he said in the video. Stars Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington both enthused about what’s in store for audiences.
The footage revealed Mescal’s gladiator in ferocious battle mode against some vicious monkeys and, later, a soldier utilizing a beast even more powerful than a horse—a rhino. The Colosseum itself is transformed for one massive battle, in which it’s—wait for it—filled with water to allow for a ship-vs-ship high seas clash.
Gladiator 2 is the long-awaited follow-up to Scott’s 2001 Best Picture Oscar winner, which followed the tortured journey of former general Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe), who went from valor to ruin after his might on the battlefield was viewed as a threat by the fragile, self-appointed emperor of Rome, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix.) Commodus goes to despicable lengths to neutralize Maximus, brutally killing his wife and children and selling him into slavery, where, eventually, Maximus ends up fighting as a gladiator. Gladiator tracked Maxmius’s bloody path of vengeance against Commodus, in which the former general turned beloved “Spainard” of the Colosseum gets ever closer to exacting his revenge against the petulant, sociopathic emperor.
“I remember that day. I never forgot it. That a slave could take revenge against an emperor. That a slave could get justice in the arena,” Mescal’s gladiator says in the footage shown.
Pedro Pascal plays a reluctant military leader who, after questioning the logic of sending so many young men off to die, is summarily sentenced to becoming a gladiator himself for his conscience. Washington plays a mentor to Mescal’s young gladiator, pushing him toward rebellion.
Connie Nielsen returns from the original film, reprising her role as Lucilla.
Gladiator 2 is set to storm into theaters on November 22.
Featured image: LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 16: (EDITORS NOTE: This image has been converted to black and white.) Ridley Scott attends the “Napoleon” UK Premiere at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on November 16, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Your return trip to the ‘Ton is duly booked, your carriage awaits, and a fresh season of intrigue will greet you in a month’s time.
The first trailer for season 3 of Bridgerton has arrived, revealing quite the unique arrangement between Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton), who have decided to band together to find Penelope the man of her dreams. Or, more accurately, a husband.
Julie Andrews again voices Lady Whistledown as she welcomes us back to the ‘Ton. “We have been apart for far too long,” Lady Whistledown says, “at last, London’s fashionable set has made its return, and it seems that our Bon Ton is moving with the changing tide. So, too, is this author.”
Penelope is not so sure she can find her man, even with Colin’s help, but the latter is determined and sure as ever there’s a match fit for her in the ‘Ton. The trailer unveils a new potential suitor for Penelope’s hand, Lord Debling (Sam Phillips), but all may not be as it seems.
“What is the primary force that guides us along our paths?” Lady Whistledown asks at the trailer’s end. “Is it our minds or our hearts?”
This is the question that Bridgerton has been asking, in one form or another, since its inception and part of the reason why it’s such a hit for Netflix.
Joining Coughlan and Newton in the cast are Jonathan Bailey, Simone Ashley, Claudia Jessie, Jessica Madsen, Golda Rosheuvel, Hugh Sachs, Adjoa Andoh, Daniel Francis, Hannah Dodd, Harriet Cains, Bessie Carter, Polly Walker, Martins Imhangbe and Emma Naomi.
Take a trip back to the ‘Ton with the new trailer below. Bridgerton season 3, part 1 arrives on May 16:
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This year’s CinemaCon has had its share of massive movies fronted by huge stars, including a full screening of the riotous, nonstop fun of the Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt-led The Fall Guy to the reveal of the first trailer for Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga’s Joker: Folie à Deux and the first film in the two-part Wicked, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Yet a film flying just a little bit under the radar created a reaction as big as any so far this week, with director Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu dropping a teaser that jolted audiences in Las Vegas.
The teaser for Eggers’ film, which is an appropriately gothic story of obsession between the titular vampire and the haunted young woman he’s fixated on, opens on Ellen Hunter (Lily-Rose Depp) praying for someone—or something—to visit her. A voiceover then finds Ellen asking Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz (Willem Dafoe) if evil is an entity that comes from within a person or if it finds its way inside. Then things get insane. Ghoulish images, including an army of rats and a man sinking his teeth into a pigeon’s neck, are followed by the revelation of Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) beholding the castle of Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) for the first time. Then Nosferatu makes his grand entrance (it’s Count Orlok), standing in the shadows with a dog at his side.
Eggers is perhaps the perfect person to do a deep gothic adaptation of the deathless story first created by Bram Stoker in “Dracula,” plunging audiences into the grim and gripping environs of 19th-century Germany. The film is focused on Count Orlok’s obsession with Ellen Hutter, and considering Eggers’ attention to detail in films as striking as The Northman, The Lighthouse, and The Witch, it’s a safe bet that Nosferatu will feel as if we are right there in that cold and shadowy world.
Nosferatu is set to rise on December 25.
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Director John M. Chu’s Wicked cast a spell at CinemaCon with a little help from his wonderful witches.
Universal unveiled a new look at Chu’s Wicked, with Chu on hand in Las Vegas, alongside Ariana Grande (a Grammy-winning, multiple-platinum superstar) and Cynthia Erivo (a two-time Oscar nominee and Emmy, Grammy, and Tony-winner), to reveal the footage. The Wicked presentation took place in a packed theater at the annual Con, where studios and theater owners get together to celebrate the theater experience and reveal the films that will be filling seats, and with Wicked, it was an especially emotional presentation. Chu teared up as he recalled what it was like to land on Grande and Erivo to play the witches Glinda and Elphaba, respectively. Magic indeed.
A poster for Universal Pictures’ “Wicked.”
Chu, Grande, and Erivo weren’t the only members of the Wicked realm on stage—Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh was there, as were Jeff Goldblum and Jonathan Bailey, along with veteran stage and film producer Marc Platt. The audience was handed lanyards and found tulips in their seat cupholders to help get everyone into the magical mood.
It was a sign of the excitement and belief in their film that Universal, led by chief Donna Langley, who introduced the Wicked team, showed 30 minutes of the musical. “You all got a taste of this stunning film at last year’s CinemaCon,” said Langley. “And the world has loved this musical and celebrated it for more than 20 years. It’s proof that our future is unlimited — if that will give you a little bit of a tease. Thank you all for being here today. The wizard will see you now.”
When the house lights went down, the audience’s lanyards lit up, as did the tulips, which glowed pink and green in honor of Glinda and Elphaba, the latter of whom is tormented as a child over her green skin.
The screen then revealed a giant Oz, who spoke directly to the theater audience. “Who are you, and why do you seek me? Behold CinemaConians! A spectacle awaits that will glorify your palaces of light and sound this holiday season. … Remember, there’s no place like Oz. There’s no place like Oz.”
Oz might be a tough act to follow, but not for Jeff Goldblum, who came up next to reflect on his “long-ish” career and marvel at the magic of making not one but two Wicked films back-to-back. When Chu took the stage, he reflected on first reading Gregory Maguire’s novel 25 years ago, which is set before Dorothy arrives in Oz in a story that helps restore the Wicked Witch of the West’s humanity in the incredible person of Elphaba.
“In a stroke of luck that now seems like destiny,” Chu recalled how he happened to be in San Francisco when the musical adaptation of Maguire’s book was workshopped. “It imprinted itself on me permanently,” he said, and he related to Elphaba, who was someone “who was judged for the way she looks. We dreamed very, very, very big for Wicked. A magical land of sights and sounds that will astonish and performances that will lift your spirits and occasionally break your heart.”
As for landing Grande and Erivo, producer Marc Platt had this to say: “These characters are so aspirational for young people and mean so much to so many people, and we knew we had to get it exactly right. We saw so many hopeful women from every corner of the world.” Then they met with Grande and Erivo, who “claimed each of their roles. When we finally saw them, we knew that we landed on the right pairing. Two strong young women who were destined to play these roles.”
Wicked enchants in theaters on November 27, with Wicked Part Two arriving on November 26, 2025.
Featured image: LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 10: (L-R) Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo speak onstage during the Universal Pictures and Focus Features Special Presentation, featuring footage from their upcoming slate, during CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, at Caesars Palace on April 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for CinemaCon)
We’re headed back into the freakiest forest of them all, courtesy of Blumhouse and Lionsgate, who are partnering for a new Blair Witch Project movie.
The two studios have struck a deal in which Blumhouse will be reimagining multiple horror films for Lionsgate after the success of their joint venture, director Jeff Wadlow’s horror film Imaginary, which has scared up $38.2 million since its March 8 release.
Writer/director duo Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez’s original The Blair Witch Project was a legitimate phenomenon. Released in 1999 and made for $35,000 (with an additional $200-500k in post-production), their fictional documentary about three film students investigating the local Blair Witch legend in the Maryland woods went on to gross an astonishing $249 million globally. The Blair Witch Project was a legitimately unsettling and ingeniously crafted film that benefited mightily from introducing audiences to the found footage concept and kickstarting the craze for that approach. It also led to two sequels, in 2001 and another in 2016. Producer Roy Lee, who worked on director Adam Wingard’s 2016 sequel Blair Witch, is back to produce the new film.
“I have been incredibly fortunate to work with Jason many times over the years,” said Lionsgate Film Chairman Adam Fogelson about Jason Blum. “We forged a strong relationship on The Purge when I was at Universal, and we launched STX with his film The Gift. There is no one better at this genre than the team at Blumhouse. We are thrilled to kick this partnership off with a new vision for Blair Witch that will reintroduce this horror classic for a new generation.”
Blum praised the original Blair Witch for lighting the way through the darkness for his own found footage juggernaut.
“I don’t think there would have been a Paranormal Activity had there not first been a Blair Witch, so this feels like a truly special opportunity, and I’m excited to see where it leads.”
Oscar-winner Bong Joon Ho made his first trip to CinemaCon in Las Vegas to present the official trailer for Mickey 17, his first movie since his masterful Parasite devoured all the Oscars.
Bong’s new film deploys Robert Pattinson—again and again and again—in an irreverent sci-fi story that deals with human cloning, space colonization, and the nature of identity.
“It’s a story of a simple man who ultimately ends up saving the world,” Bong said at CinemaCon, a succinct summation of his latest film.
The film is based on Edward Ashton’s 2022 novel “Mickey7,” centered on the titular protagonist who works as a “disposable employee” on a dangerous mission. In Ashton’s novel, Mickey7 works on a human expedition setting out to colonize the frozen planet of Niflheim, a very dangerous job in which a constant procession of Mickeys are printed and rolled out to do work after they die over and over again. The genius of the “disposable employee” design is that while they can regenerate an entirely new body, most of their memories will remain intact. That is, until after six deaths when a replacement clone takes over. The key inflection point in Ashton’s book is when Mickey7 refuses to let Mickey8 take over his job. In Bong’s movie, Pattinson plays both Mickey 17 and 18, and has given each of them their own characteristics.
“The number is the number of times he dies. I killed him ten times more,” Bong said to laughs from the crowd. “It’s a sci-fi movie, but it’s a human story.”
The trailer hasn’t been released to the public yet, but it’s said to be set to a Frank Sinatra song, which somewhat offsets the unpleasant doings happening on screen, including the various ways Mickey is maimed and killed.
Warner Bros will be releasing Mickey 17in South Korea on January 28, 2025, timed to the Lunar New Year Holiday. This is three days earlier than its global release on January 31. It’s a fitting choice for its world premiere location, considering Bong is one of South Korea’s most beloved filmmakers.
“Director Bong’s creativity, vision, and imagination always exceed expectations. Mickey 17 will surprise audiences with its original story and characters, unpredictable plot development and humor, as well as great production qualities,” Warners president of international distribution Andrew Cripps said in a statement.
Delayed due to the dual strikes, we’ve already gotten a brief, tantalizing sneak peek—way back in December of 2022. Mickey 17 returns Bong to the sci-fi genre in which he’s made some of his most ambitious films, from 2006’s The Host to 2013’s Snowpiercer and his 2017 Netflix film Okja.
Pattison is joined by Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo.
Featured image: Robert Pattinson stars in Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17.” Courtesy Warner Bros.
First, we got this brief but potent teaser that offered an unsettling glimpse at Joquin Phoenix’s sad sack comedian turned killer clown Arthur Fleck crying/laughing (or laughing/crying) in the rain—now Warner Bros. has unleashed the full trailer, which finally reveals Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn and the most demented romance in comics history, brought to the big screen in a jukebox musical from director Todd Phillips.
Joker: Folie à Deux unites Oscar winners Phoenix and Gaga in what has to be one of the year’s most must-see releases. The trailer, which Warner Bros. revealed at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, is set to a version of the classic song “What the World Needs Now is Love” by Hal David and Burt Bacharach, made famous by singer Jackie DeShannon. The use of the song suggests that Joker: Folie à Deux‘s musical mayhem might skew toward the 1960s—emphasizing the intriguing decision to make the sequel to the billion-dollar Joker a musical. What makes that decision seem a lot less surprising is Phillips deployed the musical dynamo Gaga to help lend whatever songs are chosen real chops and gravitas. The first trailer certainly delivers:
As you can see, the trailer gives us just a sketch of the connection between Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck and Gaga’s Harley Quinn as their romance flickers in what appears to be Arkham Asylum, one of Gotham’s most notorious institutions where many of the city’s most colorful criminals and villains have ended up through the years, in both the comics and the films. The pops of color in the otherwise dreary Gotham and the classic tune help emphasize the budding romance between Fleck and Quinn, the latter of whom seems most impressed and enamored with Fleck’s alter ego.
Phillips said that although music courses through his sequel, they never discussed Folie à Deux strictly in musical terms.
“We never talked about it like that. I like to say it’s a movie where music is an essential element. To me, that doesn’t veer too far from the first film. Arthur has music in him. He has a grace to him.”
Phillips also took time to give a shout-out to the theater owners at CinemaCon, which is, in large part, a celebration of the importance of the theater experience.
“I did want to say thank you to you guys … about a month before the first Joker came out, the narrative on the film really turned,” Phillips said, referencing the concerns that the first film might inspire violence. He thanked theater owners for helping the film have a smooth, wide release, which powered it to its historic run.
Phillips has kept curious fans connected to the production throughout, sharing a few new photos of the most twisted romantic partners in the game, including a shot of the two all dressed up and dancing on a rooftop, an homage to a famous image created by artist Alex Ross, “Tango With Evil.” Then, we got a glimpse of the poster, which features the Joker and Quinn mid-dance.
The last time we left Arthur Fleck at the end of Joker, his murder spree made him a folk hero to the people of Gotham. The city exploded in an orgy of violence after the Joker kills talk show host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) on live TV, including perhaps the most dramatized double murder in the history of cinema, the killing of Gotham’s most elite couple, Thomas and Martha Wayne (played by Brett Cullen and Carrie Louise Putrello). This horrific crime is, of course, the dark origin story for the one and only Batman, but the timeline of Joker and Folie à Deux has Bruce Wayne still just a kid.
Now it seems as if the Folie à Deux trailer has officially confirmed the sequel as a jukebox musical. You’ve also probably heard by now that Folie à Deux refers to a medical term for two or more people suffering from the same or similar mental disorder: your Joker and your Harley Quinn.
The sequel includes the return of Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond and the arrival of powerhouse performers like Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener.
Joker: Folie a Deux dances into theaters on October 4.
Featured image: Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in “JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX.” Courtesy Warner Bros.
Is he laughing or crying? And is there a difference for Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, the tormented stand-up comedian who became a tormentor in Todd Phillips’ original Joker? Warner Bros. has just released the first teaser for Phillips’ follow-up, Joker: Folie à Deux, with the full trailer coming tonight. The teaser is brief yet potent, an unsettling glimpse at Phoenix’s Fleck crying/laughing in the rain. Is Fleck at Arkham Asylum following the killing spree he went on in the first film? This sure looks like Gotham’s infamous institution:
Joker: Folie à Deux boasts a big-time addition to the cast, Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. Gaga is nowhere to be seen in the above teaser, but you can bet she’ll be a big part of the trailer. In the past, Phillips shared a few new photos of the most twisted romantic partners in the game, which included a shot from what appears to be Arkham Asylum and a third shot of the two all dressed up and dancing on a rooftop, an homage to a famous image created by artist Alex Ross, “Tango With Evil.” Then, we got a glimpse of the poster, which featured the demented duo mid-dance. The poster reinforced the fact that Joker: Folie à Deux will be, in many ways, a twisted romance.
The last time we left Phoenix’s sad sack Arthur Fleck at the end of Joker, his murder spree made him a folk hero to the downtrodden, poverty-stricken denizens of a Gotham that otherwise seemed to offer nothing but corruption, both from politicians and from cops. The orgy of violence that followed the Joker’s killing, on live TV, of talk show host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) included the murders of two of its most prominent citizens, Thomas (Brett Cullen) and Martha Wayne (Carrie Louise Putrello). The Waynes left behind a young son named Bruce; perhaps you’ve heard his name before? The film ends with Arthur locked up in a mental asylum, where, we presume, he’ll meet Gaga’s Harley Quinn.
When the trailer drops, we finally know at least a little bit about how Phillips and his co-writer Scott Silver advance the story from there. We do know that Folie à Deux will make the most of Gaga, with reports that the sequel is a jukebox musical. You’ve also probably heard by now that Folie à Deux refers to a medical term for two or more people suffering from the same or similar mental disorder: your Joker and your Harley Quinn.
The sequel includes the return of Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond and the arrival of powerhouse performers like Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener.
Joker: Folie à Deux hits theaters on October 4, 2024.
Featured image: Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in “JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX.” Courtesy Warner Bros.
Ryan Gosling is returning to host Saturday Night Live this weekend, the first time he’s been back to Studio 8H since way back in 2017, which is significant considering he delivered one of the all-time great SNL moments courtesy of a digital short. In fact, if we absolutely had to pick our favorite Saturday Night Live digital short of the last ten years, the choice would be the Gosling-led Papyrus. Dreamed up by former SNL writer and current feature film director and actor Julio Torres, Papyrus was a pitch-perfect absurdist masterpiece that would have worked with a lot of talented actors but was definitely pitch-perfect for Gosling. Torres and the SNL writers were keenly aware that, like Brad Pitt before him, Gosling has leading man looks and character actor vibes.
Long before he confirmed his comedic chops via Ken in Barbie, Gosling went full, hilarious ham as Steven, a man who is deeply, pathologically troubled by the fact that James Cameron’s original Avatar used the most basic font they could think of for their logo—yes, the dreaded Papyrus. Torres first suggested the idea during an SNL Monday morning pitch meeting, which was based on one of his Tweets: “Every day I wake up and remember that Avatar, a huge international blockbuster, used the Papyrus font for their logo and no one stopped them.”
It took some work to turn Torres’ Tweet into a proper short—and a big boost from Gosling, who saw the cinematic potential in the storyline and fully committed to the idea of a man who can’t shake Cameron’s bizarre font choice. Steven tries to work out his anger with his therapist (played by Kate McKinnon), to no avail. “He just highlighted Avatar. He clicked the drop-down menu, and then he just randomly selected Papyrus.” Steven’s friend (Chris Redd) tries to calm his growing monomania by pointing out that they made some slight modifications to the font in the Avatar logo, hoping this technicality will soothe Steven. Hard no. Steven begins to view the font choice as a crime and eventually tracks down the graphic designer responsible (Kyle Mooney), screaming, “I know what you did.”
Papyrus has had such an impact, James Cameron himself finally admitted to be “haunted” by it…
James Cameron addresses SNL’s Ryan Gosling Papyrus font sketch.
Kudos to Cameron for going along with the joke and for understanding that Papyrus is a cultural touchstone.
It’s been a long seven years since Papyrus proved Gosling will go there, wherever there needs to be to get a laugh, but his return to SNL is a great way to ease into spring. It also follows Kristen Wiig, who joined the 5 Timer club last Saturday night. Here’s hoping SNL has cooked up another absurdist sketch for Gosling to own.
Check out SNL‘s Gosling promo here:
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Featured image: (L-R) RYAN GOSLING as Ken and MARGOT ROBBIE as Barbie in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “BARBIE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
The reviews are pouring in for Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black, which tasked rising star Marisa Abela (Industry) with taking on the late, great, Grammy-winning British soul singer who was already an icon when she died, tragically, at 27. Winehouse was a force of nature, with a powerhouse voice and serious writing chops to match her undeniable charisma, so it would have been a tall order for any young actress to step into the role. According to critics, Abela more than rose to the challenge.
Back to Black is written by Nowhere Boy and Control screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh, and Taylor-Johnson’s film was given the crucial support of The Amy Winehouse Estate, Sony Music Publishing, and Universal Music Group. This means they were able to include many of Winehouse’s biggest hits, including, of course, the title track. Winehouse’s life was cut short–she died on July 23, 2001, at the age of 27 of an accidental alcohol overdose—yet she’d already become a worldwide phenomenon, selling more than 30 million records across the globe.
Joining Abela in the cast are Jack O’Connell as Amy’s ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, Eddie Marsan and Juliet Cowan as Amy’s parents, Mitch and Janis Winehouse, and Lesley Manville as Amy’s grandmother, Cynthia.
Back to Black hits theaters on May 17. Let’s take a quick peek at some of the critic reactions:
Marisa Abela nails Amy Winehouse in every look, mood, and musical expression in #BackToBlack, a biopic at once forthright and forbidding. My review. https://t.co/7mIVnb02nh
Featured image: Marisa Abela stars as Amy Winehouse in director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s BACK TO BLACK, a Focus Features release. Credit : Courtesy of Dean Rogers/Focus Features
The scope of 3 Body Problem is planetary. Adapted by Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, alongside Alexander Woo, Netflix’s ambitious sci-fi series presents a grand depiction of a war between humanity and aliens. Prior to the aliens’ arrival, a team of beleaguered scientists and a clandestine agency led by Thomas Wade (Liam Cunningham) engage in both intellectual and physical warfare as they try to find ways to cope with the mind-melting reality of their situation, including trying to ignore the problem considering the aliens won’t arrive on Earth for another 400 years. That’s when things start getting really scary.
Episode five, in particular, gets under your skin. Titled “Judgement Day,” it delivers a significant blow; a ship carrying the aliens’ human followers is destroyed in a spectacularly gruesome set piece. The morally conflicted Auggie Salaza (Eliza Gonzalez) is strongarmed into unleashing nanotech fibers that tear through everyone aboard the vessel. The resulting chaos is captured with horrifying clarity by the filmmakers, including director Minkie Spiro and cinematographer Martin Ahlgren.
Prior to joining the series, Ahlgren was already a fan of the original source material, novelist Liu Cixin’s acclaimed “Three-Body Problem” series. Ahlgren credits cinematographer Jonathan Freeman for developing “the cinematographic approach to it” in the earlier episodes. Collaborating as well with fellow DPs P.J. Dillon and Richard Donnelly, Ahlgren appreciated the “coherent overall approach to cinematography, but also with each episode, finding our own language.”
We spoke to Ahlgren about finding the language for an episode that needs very little of it to shock your system and what it was like working with this talented ensemble cast, including Jovan Adepo, Jess Hong, Alex Sharp, Benedict Wong, John Bradley, and more.
The attack on the ship Judgment Day is horrifying, especially because of how brightly lit the body horror looks. From the beginning, did you not want to hide the body count, as well as the visual effects, in darkness and shadows?
What’s funny with Dan [Weiss] and David [Benioff] is that they’re very averse to anything that kind of borders on camera trickery, and that was a good sounding board for me. Me and my episode director, Minkie Spiro, are both fans of composition and photography in general, and in finding interesting ways of telling the story. Working with Dan, David, and Alex [Woo], of course, it very much taught us quickly to film everything quite grounded. Although it’s obviously awful what’s happening, there is a fine line between showing the horror of what’s happening and veering into gore.
One of the things we set up fairly early in the sequence is what is actually happening, and then after that, you’re kind of left to your imagination to a large extent, as well. Initially, we were working with our long-term storyboard artist, Stefan,and the three of us were coming up with fairly intricate, elaborate ways of how the slicing happens on different levels of the ship and on different people. It ended up being too gruesome in a way that we ended up pairing it back a bit.
We had a sequence where someone comes out into the hallway, and Mike Evans (Jonathan Pryce) sees that person get stopped, fall to their knees, and the slicing happens. It becomes almost like a Damien Hirst art project or something like that, where you see the innards of someone as it’s slowly gliding apart. It was putting the emphasis in the wrong place in a way, so we scaled back from that because of it.
You said Dan and David are not fans of camera trickery. What’s an example of what you didn’t want to do with the camera?
There was a sequence during what we called the Sophon sequence – when Wade and Jin (Jess Hong) are in the virtual reality game and are being told about how two Sophons were sent to Earth. We wanted the camera to travel backward away from the window where Jack (John Bradley) has just been killed, and then suddenly have the camera flip over and continue forward—but now with the view upside down—into the car where an unsuspecting agent is keeping watch. As I was pitching this idea, I could see Dan and David starting to shift and go, “Well, yes, ok, but maybe not upside down!”
Going back to Judgement Day, what questions did you have for the VFX team and supervisor about what they needed?
We had a lot of discussions with visual effects, but we also had a physicist advisor on board as well, partly because of some of the space and quantum dimensions and more intricate elements. He became involved with the nanotech fibersand how they could potentially work as a real thing. A lot of what we were discussing was, like, should you see the lines as the fibers cut through the ship, or is it so fine that it cuts on a molecular level? Is it so fine that you don’t actually see the separation?
What about portraying the logistics of a ship hitting the bank of a canal?
When the ship hits the bank of the canal, it falls like a stack of plates, almost with the top plates going the furthest. So, there were a lot of the physical logistics that we were working out between me, Minkie, and the showrunners, but then also the visual effects team to figure out what parts we were doing practical.
There is a lot of blood in that sequence, to put it mildly. Cinematographers can have a love-hate relationship with shooting blood. What about yourself?
With blood, you can never go too dark, right? [laughs] It’s always the darker, the better. We did some camera tests to find what that should be in advance. To my memory, I can’t say exactly what we ended up with, but it was something that was discussed to some extent.
To contrast the chaos, there’s a lovely lit bar in Panama that Auggie visits before the attack. What mood did you want to strike there?
We wanted it to feel like Auggie in the jungle. It was shot on a soundstage in London, so we were building it all with palm trees and plants inside. We were looking for a way to convey the humidity and ominous feeling of night before this [attack] is about to go down. So, it was finding somewhat of a beauty in that, but then also some oppressive feeling as well.
What’s a challenge for you there as a cinematographer, just showing two people talking on the 3 Body Problem? Whether it’s the bar in Panama or two characters on a beach, what issues do you face?
Part of the challenge is to give the actors the space to find their moments and find the connection between each other. At the same time, it’s a visual medium and you still want to be telling the story with the camera. You’re always blocking scenes. Because we worked a lot together, it sort of becomes a bit of a dance that we do together with the actors, just figuring out how the camera language can help emphasize whatever is going on emotionally in a scene.
The best result is when you sort of echo or find some contrast or interplay between what’s going on in the scene and something that you’re doing visually. So, just because there are two people talking, I don’t think it needs to stop being cinematic. You still want to continue this visual trajectory of the whole film or show. Hopefully, it adds to the emotional quality of those scenes.
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Was NASA’s Apollo 11 moon landing in 1968 a fake? The short answer to that question, to the chagrin of conspiracy theorists the world over, is no, but an intriguing case is made for why there might have been an emergency fake version of the landing filmed on a set, just in case in the actual mission was a failure, in the first trailer for Fly Me to the Moon.
Director Greg Berlanti is launching a stellar cast, led by Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, in a period piece about selling the importance of NASA’s Apollo mission to the American public. In order to do that, NASA hires marketing genius Kelly Jones (Johansson) to help improve their public image ahead of the launch. This rankles launch director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum), who already has enough worries on his mind about beating Russia to the moon (and keeping his astronauts alive in the process) and finds Jones’ tactics, including hiring actors to play the astronauts and to stage a fake moon landing as backup in case the mission fails, absolutely outrageous. Yet he’s drawn to Jones, as she is to him, as the laws of attraction, like the laws of gravity, cannot be easily counteracted.
Johansson and Tatum are joined by a starry cast, including Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano, Jim Rash, and Peter Jacobson. Berlanti directs from a script by Rose Gilroy, with a story by Bill Kirstein and Kennan Flynn.
Check out the trailer below. Fly Me to the Moon launches in theaters this July:
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