Martin Scorsese Circling a Frank Sinatra Biopic With Leondaro DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence

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Age is (mostly) a state of mind, as is being proven by a slew of older directors still putting out great work. They include Ridley Scott (86 and currently in post-production on Gladiator 2), Francis Ford Coppola (85 and set to screen his long-gestating passion project, Megalopolis, at Cannes), David Cronenberg (81 and set to screen his latest, The Shrouds at Cannes) and the ever-busy Steven Spielberg (77, working on a new sci-fi film with a script from his Jurassic Park scribe David Koepp.)

And that concept of age as merely a mentality is certainly true for Martin Scorsese, the 81-year-old legend who is coming off his epic Killers of the Flower Moon, which was nominated for 10 Oscars last year and is hardly going to be a coda on his remarkable career. Scorsese has a slew of projects he’s eyeing, including shooting two films back-to-back: one about Jesus and the other a Frank Sinatra biopic.

Scorsese isn’t waiting for a studio to sign onto his Life of Jesus film, which is based on Shūsaku Endō’s 1973 book—instead, he’s going to independently finance the film much like he did with his last Endō adaptation, his 2016 film Silence, about Jesuit priests in the 17th century traveling to Japan to search for their mentor. Scorsese is reportedly eyeing one of the stars of Silence, Andrew Garfield, for his Life of Jesus project (it’s unclear if Garfield would play Jesus or one of his disciples). Variety provides details that Life of Jesus is slated to shoot later this in Israel, Egypt, and Italy, but this could change given the fact that Israel is at war with Hamas in Gaza.

As for the Sinatra film, that hinges on whether Sinatra’s daughter, Tina, gives her blessing. Tina Sinatra controls her father’s estate, yet Scorsese is putting together the type of cast that would be hard for nearly anyone to resist—led by his longtime collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio playing Sinatra, and Jennifer Lawrence co-starring as old Blue Eyes’ second wife, the legendary actress Ava Gardner. What’s interesting is that Garnder is the woman whom Sinatra left his first wife for—Nancy Barbato, Tina Sinatra’s mother. Unlike The Life of Jesus, Scorsese’s Sinatra biopic would almost certainly be a huge draw for studios, with Apple, his Killers of the Flower Moon backers, as well as Sony, both in the mix.

And then there’s the collaboration in the offing between Scorsese and Steven Spielberg on a Cape Fear TV series for Apple TV+, with Scorsese and Spielberg producing the series, which is based on both Scorsese’s 1991 film (which Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment produced) and Universal’s 1962 version.

Another common sentiment is that when you love what you do, it’s not work—perhaps that’s what keeps these filmmakers eternally young.

Featured image: NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 19: Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio attend The Museum Of Modern Art Film Benefit Presented By CHANEL: A Tribute To Martin Scorsese on November 19, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Museum of Modern Art)

Who is The Ghoul? Watch Walton Goggins Become the Gritty Gunslinger in Prime Video’s “Fallout”

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If you haven’t heard yet, Prime Video’s new series Fallout, an adaptation of the super-popular video game from showrunners Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner, is a critical smash. It’s currently sitting at 94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics hailing its vivid and captivating universe, its fearless weirdness, and its singular approach to transforming a world well-known to millions of gamers into a universe accessible to newcomers. In short, Fallout is a blast.

In a new video, Walter Goggins takes us behind the scenes of the creation of one of the two characters he plays, the radiated, post-apocalyptic gunslinger called The Ghoul. Fallout is set 200 years into the future after a nuclear war. “The Ghoul is a bridge between the world before the nuclear fallout and this world that we find ourselves in,” Goggins says.

The post-nuke world The Ghoul lives in is not pretty. In fact, it’s “kill or be killed,” as Goggins explains, a vast, dangerous radioactive wasteland where the insects and animals have been transformed into monstrous versions of themselves and the humans, well, they’re even crazier. Goggins also plays Cooper Howard, a gentle husband, father, and actor in 1955 who starts the series entertaining at a children’s birthday party, one that ends on a sour note—a nuclear bomb explodes in Los Angeles. There goes the end of the world, the end of Cooper Howard, and the start of Fallout. Yet Cooper doesn’t die, however—he transforms—and 200 years later, he’s still lurking about, a changed man, noseless, his skin a livid red, and his gentleness exchanged for a ruthlessness and a will to survive as The Ghoul.

To turn Goggins into The Ghoul required the mastery of special effects makeup artist Jake Garber, who Goggins calls “one of the best special effects makeup artists in the world.” The incredible artistry on display here allows Goggins’ Ghoul to really look like a man who was transformed by radiation into a nearly timeless, monstrous version of his former self, yet the true genius of Garber’s work is that it doesn’t obscure the Ghoul’s humanity or pile so much makeup onto Goggins that we can’t see the nuances of his performance.

“Walton completely embodies the character, and it can be pretty terrifying working opposite him,” says Fallout star Ella Purnell.

Check out Goggin’s transformation into The Ghoul below. Fallout is streaming on Prime Video now:

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Featured image: Walter Goggins is The Ghoul in Fallout. Courtesy Prime Video.

James Gunn’s “Superman” Casts Crucial Role of Jonathan Kent

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Veteran character actor Pruitt Taylor Vince will be taking on the role of Clark Kent’s adoptive dad, Jonathan Kent, in James Gunn’s Superman.

Jonathan Kent, aka Pa Kent, adopts Clark alongside his wife, Martha, when the infant arrives on Earth in a Kryptonian spaceship in the fields behind the Kent’s house. The last time someone took on the role was none other than Kevin Costner in Zack Snyder’s 2013 film Man of Steel. Before that, it was Glenn Flord playing Pa Kent in Richard Donner’s seminal 1978 film Superman. The Wrap scooped the Taylor Vince casting, yet another big addition to Gunn’s film.

Gunn’s upcoming Superman is the first feature to come out of the revamped DC Studios under his and Peter Safran’s leadership. It will kick off the first phase of their slate, “Chapter One: Gods and Monsters,” which will unify the DC Universe across feature films, TV, and games.

Taylor Vince joins a growing ensemble that includes David Corenswet as Clarke Kent/Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer, and Gunn’s longtime collaborator Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner.

Taylor Vince has a big TV project in the works at the moment—he’s starring in Apple TV+’s starry adaptation of Laura Lippman’s novel Lady in the Lake, which features Natalie Portman and, wait for it, David Corenswet. Taylor Vince has also appeared in Netflix’s Stranger Things, AMC’s The Walking Dead, HBO’s True Blood, and ABC’s Murder One, which netted him an Emmy.

There’s a lot going on at DC, with Superman as the most marquee title but hardly the only huge swing that Gunn and Safran are taking. “Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters” will include a TV series set on Wonder Woman’s home island of Themyscira called Paradise Lost, the introduction of a new Batman in The Brave and the Bold, the film Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow starring Milly Alcock, and Swamp Thing, in development with director James Mangold, which will return the infamous monster to the big screen.

Superman will fly into theaters, including IMAX, on July 11, 2025.

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Featured image: L-r: Featured image: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – APRIL 18: Director James Gunn attends the press conference for “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3” at the Conrad Hotel on April 18, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images). A Superman costume from the 2013 Man of Steel film worn by Henry Cavill and designed by Michael Wilkinson and James Acheson is on display at the DC Comics Exhibition: Dawn Of Super Heroes at the O2 Arena on February 22, 2018 in London, England. The exhibition, which opens on February 23rd, features 45 original costumes, models and props used in DC Comics productions including the Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman films. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

Pamela Anderson Set to Star in “Naked Gun” Remake Opposite Liam Neeson

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Pamela Anderson is ready to join another iconic franchise.

Anderson is set to star opposite Liam Neeson in Paramount’s upcoming Naked Gun remake, which will revise the crime caper comedies from the late 1980s and early 90s. Anderson adds immediate star power to the revival, which made headlines back in February when Neeson was announced as the lead. It was an especially interesting bit of casting considering Neeson’s made a late-ish turn in his career to playing ruthlessly efficient types with very particular sets of skills—it’ll be interesting to see him playing a bumbling detective prone to hilarious catastrophes, especially now that Anderson will be one of his main screen partners.

The reboot comes from director Akiva Schaffer, a longtime Saturday Night Live writer and director of the deliriously funny Andy Samberg-led Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping. Schaffer directs from a script he co-wrote with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, the trio behind Disney+’s Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. Seth McFarlane is on board as a producer. 

The original Naked Gun franchise, written by Jerry Zucker, David Zucker, and Jim Abrahams, was based on their television series Police Squad! Although the series was short-lived (6 episodes), Leslie Nielsen was pitch-perfect as the hapless yet oddly effective detective Frank Drebin. 

While the story is being kept in the evidence room, it’s been reported that Neeson will play Drebin, and Anderson will play a role similar to the one played by Priscilla Presley in the original film, Drebin’s love interest.

Leslie Nielsen is seduced by Anna Nicole Smith in a scene from the film ‘Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult’, 1994. (Photo by Paramount/Getty Images)

Anderson’s career has gone from the pages of Playboy to the beaches of Baywatch to her big-screen debut in Barb Wire, an adaptation of a comic book. She went on to star in the Sony TV series V.I.P. as a hot dog stand employee turned bodyguard (what a premise!), the horror satire Scary Movie 3, and more. She was also the focus of a recent Netflix documentary, Pamela, A Love Story, which aired after Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, which featured Lily James as Anderson. With Naked Gun, Anderson takes yet another interesting turn in her long and fruitful career.

Paramount has their new Naked Gun set to premiere on July 18, 2025.

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Featured image: HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 30: Pamela Anderson attends the premiere of Netflix’s “Pamela, a love story” at TUDUM Theater on January 30, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

“Sonic 3” Gets a Major Boost With Keanu Reeves Signing on to Voice Shadow

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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.

For more films and series from Paramount and Paramount+, check out these stories:

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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)

“Wicked” Star Jonathan Bailey Circling New “Jurassic World” Movie Starring Scarlett Johansson

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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)

First Trailer for Netflix’s Animated “Thelma the Unicorn” Boasts Singing Phenom Brittany Howard in First Acting Role

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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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Featured image: An image from Thelma. Courtesy of Netflix.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” Director Shawn Levy Teases Raunchy, Riotous Super Team-Up

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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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Featured image: Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson in Marvel Studios’ DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2024 MARVEL.

Dreams Come True: Ryan Gosling Delivers “Papyrus 2” Sequel Sketch on “Saturday Night Live”

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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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Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, and Brian Tyree Henry Reveal “Transformers One” at CinemaCon

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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)

Marvel Lets “Captain America 4” Footage Fly at CinemaCon

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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.

For more on Captain America: Brave New World, check out these stories:

Mark Ruffalo Not Returning as Hulk in “Captain America: Brave New World”

Harrison Ford Joins the MCU With Role in “Captain America: New World Order”

“Captain America 4” Has Its Director in Julius Onah

Featured image: (L-R): Harrison Ford as President Thaddeus Ross and Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America in Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. Photo by Eli Adé. © 2024 MARVEL.

Kevin Feige Unleashes 9 Minutes of “Deadpool & Wolverine” at CinemaCon

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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.

For more on Deadpool & Wolverine, check out these stories:

First “Deadpool & Wolverine” Images Tease the Start of a Beautiful Relationship

“Deadpool & Wolverine” Makes History as Most Watched Trailer Ever

Mark Ruffalo Not Returning as Hulk in “Captain America: Brave New World”

First “Deadpool & Wolverine” Trailer Reveals the MCU’s Version of a Super Bowl Showdown, Complete With Claws

Featured image: L-r: Ryan Reynolds is Wade Wilson/Deadpool and Hugh Jackman is Logan/Wolverine in “Deadpool 3.” Courtesy Ryan Reynolds/Marvel Studios

First Footage of Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator 2” Conquers CinemaCon

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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. 

For more on Gladiator 2, check out these stories:

Ridley Scott Reveals Creation of Massive “Gladiator 2” Battle Scene in Behind-the-Scenes Video

Pedro Pascal Nearing Role in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” Sequel

Barry Keoghan is Circling Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” Sequel With Paul Mescal

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)

Penelope and Colin Conspire in First “Bridgerton” Season 3 Trailer

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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:

For more on big titles on Netflix, check these out:

“3 Body Problem” Cinematographer Martin Ahlgren on Creating the Series’ Most Shocking Set Piece

“Stranger Things” Star Maya Hawke Teases Mind-Boggling Final Season

“Dead Boy Detectives” Trailer Unveils Netflix’s Supernatural Sleuthing Series

“Irish Wish” Director Janeen Damian Makes a Rom-Com Dream Come True with Lindsay Lohan

Featured image: Bridgerton. (L to R) Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington, Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton in episode 302 of Bridgerton. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023

Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” Sinks Its Teeth Into CinemaCon

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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.

For more on Universal Pictures, Peacock, and Focus Features projects, check out these stories:

Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo’s “Wicked” Wows at CinemaCon

“Back to Black” Review Round-Up: Marisa Abela Delivers Powerful Performance in Amy Winehouse Biopic

Critics Go Bananas for Dev Patel’s Revenge Epic “Monkey Man”

Scarlett Johansson May Be Headlining New “Jurassic World” Movie

Featured image: Lily-Rose Depp stars as Ellen Hutter in director Robert Eggers’ NOSFERATU, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo’s “Wicked” Wows at CinemaCon

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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)

Blumhouse & Lionsgate Working on a New “Blair Witch” Movie

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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.”

For more big film news, check out these stories:

First “Joker: Folie à Deux” Trailer Unleashes a Twisted Duet

Bong Joon Ho Reveals a Multiplicity of Robert Pattinsons in First “Mickey 17” Trailer

James Mangold’s “Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi” Film Taps “House of Cards” Creator Beau Willimon as Co-Writer

Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum Orbit Each Other in “Fly Me to the Moon” Trailer

Featured image: Heather Donahue in a scene from the film ‘The Blair Witch Project’, 1999. (Photo by Lauren Film/Getty Images)

Bong Joon Ho Reveals a Multiplicity of Robert Pattinsons in First “Mickey 17” Trailer

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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 17 in 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 “Joker: Folie à Deux” Trailer Unleashes a Twisted Duet

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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.

First “Joker: Folie à Deux” Teaser Unleashes Joaquin Phoenix’s Clown Prince of Chaos

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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.