“The Little Mermaid” First Reactions: Halle Bailey IS Ariel in Entirely Enchanting Performance

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The first reactions are in for director Rob Marshall’s live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, and everyone is more or less in agreement that star Halle Bailey is absolutely phenomenal as the young mermaid Ariel. While Bailey is, understandably, getting the ocean’s share of love, her supporting cast is also coming in for plaudits, including Javier Bardem as Ariel’s father, King Triton, Melissa McCarthy as the sea witch Ursula, and Daveed Diggs and Awkwafina as Ariel’s beloved friends Sebastian (a crab) and Scuttle (a seagull), respectively.

A quick refresher on the story of The Little Mermaid; Bailey’s Ariel is the youngest daughter of King Triton (Bardem) and she’s also the most defiant. She has long harbored a desire to learn more about the world beyond the sea, and her natural curiosity eventually leads her to the surface, where she falls in love with Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) after saving him from a shipwreck. While Ariel’s actions are obviously heroic, they’re also deeply problematic for her underwater kingdom, where mermaids are forbidden from interacting with humans, let alone falling in love with them. So, Ariel makes a choice that will change all their fates when she strikes a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula (McCarthy), allowing Ariel to experience life on land but plunging her father’s kingdom into jeopardy in the bargain. 

Marshall’s live-action take on this legendary short story by Hans Christian Andersen includes the most diverse cast to ever perform in an iteration of the story. The film was written by two-time Oscar nominee David Magee (Life of Pi, Finding Neverland) and boasts a sensational cast. Joining Bailey, McCarthy, Bardem, Diggs, Awkwafina, and Hauer-King are Jude Akuwudike as Grimsby, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Lorena Andrea as Perla, and Kasja Mohammar as Karina. These latter two characters are new additions created for this film.   

Check out the reactions below. The Little Mermaid swims into theaters on May 26:

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Featured image: (L-R): Scuttle (voiced by Awkwafina), Flounder (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), and Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s live-action THE LITTLE MERMAID. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

“Meg 2: The Trench” Trailer Reveals Jason Statham Taking on a Trio of Megalodons

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Jason Statham versus a prehistoric shark, round two. It’s a conceit that’s both simple and irresistible, and it’s all we really need to know about Meg 2: The Trench. However, the first official trailer, released into the wild by Warner Bros., gives us even more reason to head to theaters this August. This is the stuff of summer movie magic, when the absurdity of a given premise is only the beginning of the fun. Just as the original Meg did in 2018, Meg 2 not only nods lovingly at Jaws, it then offers a shark that would eat that original summer movie icon as a light appetizer.

The trailer opens with a snapshot of life during prehistoric times, where even a seeming apex predator like the T-Rex was no match for the undisputed alpha apex of them all, the megalodon, the largest shark to ever ply the waters. In director John Turteltaub’s 2018 original, Statham starred as Jonas Taylor, a rescue diver who saved the crew of a damaged nuclear submarine that was being attacked by an unidentified creature. You can guess what that creature was. Eventually, Jonas joined a research team exploring the deepest portions of the Marianas Trench where the Megalodon fully identified itself, and it was up to Jonas to save them (and a whole lot of other people) before the giant shark reasserted its dominance on the world.

Director Ben Wheatley helms the sequel to the 2018 surprise hit, with Statham reprising his role as the Meg-tested rescue diver. This time, Jonas won’t be facing just one Meg but a trio of them—and now they’re hunting in packs. The trailer also reveals while the Meg(s) will remain the main event, there will be a slew of other deep sea creatures getting their time in the spotlight, including a giant squid that makes short work of a helicopter. Yes, you read that right.

In sum, Meg 2: The Trench is precisely the kind of summer movie you’re looking for; big, bold, and fearlessly leaning into its own silliness.

Check out the trailer below. Meg 2: The Trench hits theaters on August 4.

Here’s the official synopsis for Meg 2: The Trench:

Get ready for the ultimate adrenaline rush this summer in Meg 2: The Trench, a literally larger-than-life thrill ride that supersizes the 2018 blockbuster and takes the action to higher heights and even greater depths with multiple massive Megs and so much more! Dive into uncharted waters with Jason Statham and global action icon Wu Jing as they lead a daring research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Pitted against colossal Megs and relentless environmental plunderers, our heroes must outrun, outsmart, and outswim their merciless predators in a pulse-pounding race against time. Immerse yourself in the most electrifying cinematic experience of the year with Meg 2: The Trench – where the depths of the ocean are matched only by the heights of sheer, unstoppable excitement!

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Featured image: A theatrical poster for “Meg 2: The Trench.” Courtesy Warner Bros.

“Queen Charlotte” Stars Golda Rosheuvel, Corey Mylchreest, & Arsema Thomas Spill the Tea

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Ever since creator Shonda Rhimes brought the Bridgerton saga, based on Julia Quinn’s novels, to the screen, it has developed a loyal following. The series has found success eschewing the homogeneous casting of most period dramas, reimagining 19th-century Britain with an aristocracy representative of all colors and sizes. 

The newest show in the Bridgerton Cinematic Universe is Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The 6-part series will not only offer the backstory for fan favorites Charlotte and Lady Agatha Danbury; it also takes a deeper look at the challenges, racism, and sexism these characters had to face. The story begins with a younger Charlotte (India Amarteifio) being brought from Germany to marry King George (Corey Mylchreest) sight unseen. The first episode also introduces a younger Agatha Danbury (Arsema Thomas), who suffers a loveless and sexually unfulfilling marriage to the untitled Mr. Danbury (Cyril Nri). 

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Corey Mylchreest as Young King George, India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte in episode 106 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Nick Wall/Netflix © 2023

The marriage is what King George’s mother, Princess Augusta (Michelle Fairley), is calling “The Great Experiment,” and the princess supports the new queen by titling wealthy Black citizens, including Lord and Lady Danbury, creating enormous pressure on Queen Charlotte and all Black members of the Ton. It also quickly becomes clear that King George, though charming, is keeping secrets from his new bride, and they are secrets that can bring down the entire royal family.

The series spans decades, from young Charlotte and young Agatha to the older Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) and Lady Agatha Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), revealing how these two women grow to become the formidable dames that fans know from the first two seasons of Bridgerton. 

The Credits sat down with the queen herself, Golda Rosheuvel, to discuss the history of her character and her complicated relationships revealed onscreen. Corey Mylchreest and Arsema Thomas also share the inspiration for their portrayals of young King George and Lady Agatha. 

 

Corey, in terms of selfhood and privilege, King George has a very different perspective from the women in the series, but nonetheless, his experience is very much a challenge. 

Corey: I don’t think George has, for various reasons, much power over his body sometimes. He’s very aware of the power and privilege, but it’s not something that he’s chosen or what he wants in any way. It’s something that he’s constantly trying to escape, and his already troubling childhood and present are made even worse by the continuing weight of the pressure and responsibility from the country, from himself, from the crown, from his parents, or lack of parents, and from his grandfather before he died. He also uses his power and privilege quite carefully later on in the series in a lovely way, despite the risk to his wellbeing. 

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Corey Mylchreest as Young King George in episode 104 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Nick Wall/Netflix © 2023

Arsema, you were reading “Ain’t I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism” by bell hooks around the time you were in production. How did that impact your perspective on the role? 

Arsema: Immensely. I think there’s something about the intersectionality of being Black and a woman that this show really highlights, and I wanted to understand what it meant to be essentially seen as Black first, and then woman second, especially in a space that was as segregated as London turns out to be in the first episode. It was imperative that I had an academic understanding so I could then inform the emotional place that Agatha was in. It just really made her motivations grounded in something other than herself. I was struggling with where her selflessness comes from because she’s essentially never been given anything. She’s only been forced into a lot of things, and so to see the fight she was fighting is for everybody else, not for herself, was the reason I needed to understand the book. You see her become friends with or start to work alongside people, and I personally wouldn’t make that decision. I needed to understand the stakes of what she was at risk of losing. 

Queen Charlotte. Arsema Thomas as Young Agatha Danbury in episode 106 of Queen Charlotte. Cr. Nick Wall/Netflix © 2022

The book talks a lot about the history, both in Europe and in the United States, around Black women and selfhood.  

Arsema: And the dynamic between Black women and white women, I think, tends to be overlooked because we assume that feminism is just done, but in reality, when you dissect that, you see there is racism in there. That was something that I needed to understand, especially because of her dynamic with Princess Augustine, and where all of her emotions come from in those situations.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Hugh Sachs as Brimsley, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in episode 102 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Hugh Sachs as Brimsley, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in episode 102 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023

Golda, Queen Charlotte really delves into the backstory of the character. What did that do to your perspective in terms of your performance? 

Golda: For Bridgerton, I’d done the backstory. You do that as an actor, you create the character, think about their families and their children and where they’ve come from, but to then come into something that is going to explain all of that for the viewers was really fascinating for me. I was filming Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte at the same time, so that journey was very much one of gorging on the scripts and what Shonda’s idea of my children would be and then actually having the children there. Now I have their faces when I then go and film Bridgerton. I now have reference for that. So it was one of just layers and layers of, “I’ll take that, and I’ll take that.” I describe it as being like when, in a sci-fi movie, a character dissipates, and then they come back together again. It felt like that. In a weird way, doing this series, it felt like all those parts were coming back to her.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Hugh Sachs as Brimsley, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in episode 103 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Hugh Sachs as Brimsley, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in episode 103 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023

Were there any added parts when she came back together? 

Golda: No, there weren’t, because it’s all been behind the scenes for me, even the relationship with Brimsley, played by Hugh Sachs. We’ve done all that work, but it’s silent work. You never hear it in Bridgerton, and in Queen Charlotte, you see that dynamic. We’re given that dynamic by Shonda, which I’m celebrating every single time I can. In these interviews, I want that to be something that I talk about, because we did a lot of work, Hugh and I, on that relationship, and now you get to see how dedicated these two are with each other. The first scene that we filmed was the one where he talks about me being frozen in time, and it was so emotional, not only to have that scene, and but to speak the words, to hear his voice for the first time. It was so emotional and so powerful for the two of us because our relationship is, on and off screen, that he’s my best friend. I see him at least three times a week outside of filming. To be able to celebrate that was amazing, but it’s always been there.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Hugh Sachs as Brimsley, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in episode 103 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023

There are many ways so many ways in which Charlotte breaks with what we see on screen in terms of older women, specifically older Black women. She talks about sexuality, mental health, appearances, acceptance, and motherhood—subjects we don’t hear enough about on screen. What were the discussions with Shonda about that? 

Golda; When we first got the call that Shonda wanted to speak to us about something, and we found out that it was a spin-off of this character, myself, Adjoa [Andoh], and Ruth [Gemmell] were on the call with Shonda, and we spoke in-depth about older women and older actresses, and what that meant for Bridgerton and could mean for a prequel for Charlotte. I’m really grateful that there is that essence in there, that these women were really shown and are prominent, not only with us as the characters that have already been there, but the younger characters, and seeing how their journey started, through Arsema and India. That journey of sisterhood and celebrating women of all shapes and sizes and color, it’s a sisterhood of really deep friendship, that’s formed right from the beginning. In terms of talking about these difficult subjects, I think we are in a really special position that we have this platform, as creatives, to be able to push the boundaries and have these topics front and center in something like a period drama. I feel very privileged to be in that position.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Ruth Gemmell as Violet Bridgerton, Adjoa Andoh as Lady Agatha Danbury in episode 106 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Nick Wall/Netflix © 2023

 

Queen Charlotte is now streaming on Netflix. 

 

 

For more on Queen Charlotte and Bridgerton, check out these stories: 

“Queen Charlotte” Hair and Makeup Head Nic Collins Styles Two Decadent Timelines

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“Bridgerton: Season 2” Trailer Teases the Steamy Conflict Coming to Court

The Limitless World of Fashion Created by the “Bridgerton” Costume Designers

Featured image: From L-R: Queen Charlotte. Arsema Thomas as Young Agatha Danbury in episode 106 of Queen Charlotte. Cr. Nick Wall/Netflix © 2022; Hugh Sachs as Brimsley, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in episode 102 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023; Corey Mylchreest as Young King George in episode 104 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Nick Wall/Netflix © 2023

 

New “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” Clip Finds Prime Meeting Primal

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Primal, meet Prime. You two will probably have a lot to talk about—that is, if you don’t kill each other first.

The two valorous Optimuses (or is it Optimi?), one Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) and the other Optimus Primal (voiced by Ron Perlman), meet in a brand new clip released by Paramount. But these two colossi aren’t the only ones who get to know each other in the forest; there’s a whole host of Autobots and Maximals, the beastly machines that will be introduced in Rise of the Beasts, and caught between them are a pair of humans, Noah (Anthony Ramos) and Elena (Dominique Fishback) who will do their level best to stay alive. On the Maximal side of the question joining Optimus Primal are Rhinox (voiced by David Sobolov), who transformers into a rhino, as you probably guessed, and Cheetor (voiced by Tongayi Chrisia), a Maximal that transformers into a cheetah. This meeting of the Autobots, Noah and Elena, and the Maximals gets at the heart of director Steven Caple Jr.’s upcoming film—there are more moving parts in Rise of the Beasts than ever before, and this time, they often turn into the great beasts of the forest and jungles of Earth.

Caple Jr. steers the franchise’s chest-thumping new direction, which is set in 1994 and is inspired by the ’90s Beast Wars cartoon. As we learned when the official trailer dropped, Rise of the Beasts will roam from the streets of Brooklyn to the stunning ancient city of Machu Picchu, Peru. Joining Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, and the aforementioned voice actors are a slew of talented performers voicing new machines, including Michelle Yeoh (!!), who voices the Maximal Airazor (she transforms into a peregrine falcon), and Pete Davidson, who voices the Autobot Mirage (he transforms into a Porsche 964 Carrera). Rise of the Beasts introduces not only the Maximals but also the Predacons, some very villainous beasts. The film will explore how these ancient yet secretive factions factor into the larger war between the Autobots and Decepticons while revealing new truths about the origins of the Autobots’ connection to Earth. There’s more; Rise of the Beasts also introduces the Terrorcons, a sub-group of the Decepticons that transform into metallic monsters.

For those of you who aren’t scholars of Michael Bay’s previous Transformers films, we’ve got good news; Rise of the Beasts is set before any of them, so you don’t need to know the history of these warring metal aliens to enjoy the spectacle.

The cast also includes Tobe Nwigwe, Peter Dinklage, Liza Koshy, John DiMaggio, David Sobolov, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, and Cristo Fernández.

Check out the clip below. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts stomps into theaters on June 9, 2023:

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Featured image: Primal in “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.” Courtesy Paramount Pictures.

New “Oppenheimer” Trailer Reveals Explosive Footage in Christopher Nolan’s Historical Thriller

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 Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has just unveiled a brand new trailer, revealing the longest, most detailed look yet at the auteur’s historical epic. The new footage is properly explosive footage and includes the moment that physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) tries to reassure military officer Leslie Groves Jr. (Matt Damon) that the testing the atomic bomb Oppenheimer has brought into existence will likely not result in the destruction of the Earth’s atmosphere. He cooly tells Groves Jr. the chances are “near zero.” Not zero, mind you, meaning there was a chance the test was going to end life on Earth as we knew it. Oppenheimer went through with the test anyway. The world survived but was changed forever.

“In learning about that story, I wanted to be there in that room with them and see what that must have been like,” Nolan said during Universal’s presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. “I wanted to take the audience there. To do so, I’ve assembled the most incredible cast and the finest technicians.”

Nolan has turned the United States’ efforts to create the atomic bomb, claiming they were racing against the Nazis who were already well ahead, into a proper thriller. Nolan has turned Oppenheimer’s work during the Manhattan Project into its own ticking bomb of a narrative, and he’s surrounded the excellent Murphy with an equally excellent cast and crew. Not for nothing, Nolan himself believes he’s made a movie about the most central figure in human history.

“Like it not, J. Robert Oppenheimer is the most important person who ever lived,” Nolan said in Las Vegas. “He made the world we live in — for better or for worse. And his story has to be seen to be believed, and I am certainly hopeful audiences will come to your theaters to see it on the biggest screens possible.”

Alongside Murphy and Damon are Florence Pugh, Alden Ehrenreich, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Gary Oldman, Josh Hartnett, and David Dastmalchian. Nolan’s crew includes his longtime cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, production designer Ruth De Jong, and composer Ludwig Göransson.

What’s been assembled here is an incredible team to take on one of the most meaningful periods of time in human history. We’re still living with the changes wrought by events that Nolan and his team depict. Needless to say, Oppenheimer will be one of the most intriguing films of the summer.

Check out the trailer below. Oppenheimer hits theaters on July 21.

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Featured image: Cillian Muprhy in “Oppenheimer.” © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

New Batch of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” Images & Videos Tease Rocket’s Heartbreaking Past

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 has arrived, and with it, the tragic backstory for the character that writer/director James Gunn first connected with when he was pitching Marvel his vision for the franchise.

As Gunn told The Hollywood Reporter in a big profile piece on him, it was Rocket who rescued him after a lackluster first meeting with Marvel. “As he was driving his Dodge Challenger back to his Studio City home, stuck in traffic on the 405, something clicked. He saw what the movie could be, with Rocket, a little-known talking raccoon from the comics that Marvel wanted to include, at its center,” Aaron Couch and Borys Kit write. “Where did that Raccoon come from? How did he come to be? Instead of it being something that made the movie ungrounded, it actually grounded it for me,” Gunn told them.

Now, Gunn is sharing the answers to those questions with the rest of the world, and it’s unsurprising given that initial Rocket-inspired lightbulb that the final film in the trilogy will be focused, at least in part, on Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), the gruff weapons expert who also happens to be a talking raccoon. Vol. 3 will finally explore exactly how Rocket came to be, with his story tied directly to the film’s big villain, the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). New videos released by Gunn himself and images released by Marvel tease that backstory, revealing the other animals that the High Evolutionary experimented on to create his demented vision of a “perfect society.”

The High Evolutionary’s sadistic torture of animals is the darkest theme ever explored in a Guardians movie and one of the darkest in the MCU, period. The new images introduce us to some of Rocket’s fellow victims, including the walrus Teefs and the otter Lylla.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Vol. 3 is focused on the lengths the Guardians will go for each other and the love they have for one another, love expressed, of course, mostly through jokes. And then there’s this test footage that Gunn shared of Rocket as a baby that’s sure to warm not only Guardian fans’ hearts but pretty much anybody with a pulse:

And here’s footage Gunn shared of the “space otter” Lylla:

Vol. 3 will explore more than just Rocket’s backstory and his connection to the High Evolutionary, of course, but it’s a major part of the film’s heart and soul. All of the original Guardians return for the final adventure—Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Rocket, Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff). Joining the High Evolutionary on the villainous side of the ledger is Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), created by the Queen of the Sovereign, Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, with the express purpose of hunting down the Guardians and finishing them off.

Now that Vol. 3 is finally here, the Guardians story, at least this version of the Guardians, draws to a close. And Rocket’s particular part in all of this will finally be made clear. It’s a sad story with, we hope, a happy ending.

Check out the new images below. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is in theaters now:

Teefs (voiced by Asim Chaudry) in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
Baby Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
(L-R): Teefs (voiced by Asim Chaudry), Lylla (voiced by Linda Cardellini), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and Fllor (voiced by Mikela Hoover) in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
Lylla (voiced by Linda Cardellini) in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
Floor (voiced by Mikela Hoover) in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
(L-R): Miriam Shor as Recorder Vim, Chukwudi Iwuji as The High Evolutionary, and Nico Santos as Recorder Theel in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2023 MARVEL.

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Featured image: Baby Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

“Queen Charlotte” Hair and Makeup Head Nic Collins Styles Two Decadent Timelines

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Everything is in bloom for spring, including the high society style on Netflix’s Queen Charlotte. The Bridgerton spinoff, with a sly eye on the groundbreaking, no-nonsense monarch, features towering wigs and a glance back at some of the series’ strongest characters in their younger years.  

Hair and makeup head Nic Collins spared no indulgence for Her Royal Highness and her court. “We had numerous wigs ongoing all at the same time,” Collins revealed. “It may take two weeks just to make the elements. For instance, you may be making rolls, and it would take at least 500 rolls. You would have like five members working on them all in different areas at the same time. It was such a collaboration.” 

Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) is renowned for her towering tresses. No one in the ‘ton’ can rival her grandeur, although many try. Each look is an elaborate creation carefully crafted for each actor. “It’s so creative so when you see all the different elements and then put them together separately. They just look like a box of rolls, but when you start applying them to the cage and the shape and the design starts coming together,” Collins noted. “I’m so proud of them.”

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte, James Fleet as King George in episode 104 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023

Those pieces piled high with curls required thoughtful engineering. They couldn’t be as heavy as they looked for the sake of the actors, so Collins and her team developed the lightest possible structures. “We created a new system for [the wigs] to hold from the front down to the back,” she explained. “So, the wig’s not pulling back because that’s the worst thing. The cage itself is really lightweight, and then we cover the cage in a mesh fabric so that we can then stitch into there. We know exactly where the boning is on the cage, so we don’t necessarily need to put loads of hair onto the cage because we’ve got the boning in there.”

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Hugh Sachs as Brimsley, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in episode 103 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023

Planning for hair and makeup began as early as the scripts were delivered. Collins’ team would begin to map out the needs of each character and playfully tie the plot into the designs. “You’re always collaborating,” Collins said. “Before we’re even on the drawing board, the scripts are coming in, and we’re reading the storylines and going, okay, we’ve got this and this, and we’ve got five wigs to make for one character for this episode, and the wigs in this really reflect the character’s journey. I really wanted to put what’s happening in the storylines in the scenes and incorporate those into the wigs.”

Every design the Queen wears is destined to make a statement, and the intent can be rather direct. After a lifetime dedicated to her husband’s legacy, she persistently urges her children to produce an heir to continue the bloodline. One of the most intricate wigs in the series strongly broadcasts a message of fertility.  

“Queen Charlotte is very much wanting her family, her sons, to provide an heir for her. We filled the wig, so you’ve got this beautiful braid work,” Collins described. “It’s almost like the fringe in the quilting of the fabrics in the day. It’s beautiful, and it represents so many styles of hair. And it’s all braided, and it’s a beautiful panel that comes back, and then at the back, it’s empty, it’s hollow. It’s filled with flowers and orchids.”

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in episode 102 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Nick Wall/Netflix © 2023

Queen Charlotte is a historical fantasy touching on notes of the time but is far enough removed to be free of constraints. True examples of natural hair in Regency-era Europe are rare but abundant in the series. Collins has extensive experience with period pieces from Brittania to Downton Abbey. Her designs creatively blend a more diverse range of styles within the period.

“You’ve got your period box; say it’s a box of chocolates. You take out the flavors that you want. That’s it,” she said. “We’re not a documentary. It’s not about that, and Bridgerton is not about that. You look at the shape. You’re creating shapes. It was really important to have a natural texture of all hair textures. We as a team already know how to create that texture.”

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte, Corey Mylchreest as Young King George in episode 106 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Nick Wall/Netflix © 2023

Crafting such a varied palette of styles and curls called for a wide range of techniques. Collins’ team used methods both traditional and modern, challenging themselves to always be creating a more exceptional product.

“We’re always thinking of new ways. We always want it to be better,” she revealed. “You use new technology to create what they would have created in the day. Or sometimes you don’t. Sometimes we use the same technology that you would have used in the day. It just depends on what we want to achieve.”

Producing a really tight coil requires setting hair pieces on tiny skewers – even cocktail sticks, Collins described. One of her favorite styles to create is a wave using a tried-and-true technique. “It’s an old method,” Collins explained. “They were doing this back in the day. You take a U pin, and you basically rick rack the hair across the pin. So, when the wig is on a block, it’s just got like 500 little pins all over it with the hair tightly rick racked. Then when it’s set and dried, you take out the U, and it just goes ‘Bing!’ You just ripple through your fingers and oil.”

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in episode 104 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023

The great delight of Queen Charlotte is taking a glimpse into her past that formed her approach to reigning and the people who guided her on that journey. The new actors portraying previous versions of characters we love are brilliantly cast. Arsema Thomas is vibrant as young Lady Danbury, and Sam Clemmett is a delight as young Brimsley. India Amarteifio as Young Charlotte is bursting with the makings of a monarch, but Collins made certain there was no mistaking her role.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Cyril Nri as Lord Danbury, Arsema Thomas as Young Agatha Danbury in episode 103 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023

“With India, we actually took a prosthetic cast of Golda’s molds and made them for real,” Collins revealed. “So, we had a little prosthetic that Golda had on both her moles, so they are identical. They’re actually little identical silicone moles to Golda. It was those little details that you delve into and go ok, the hair coloring, the style, the texture. You kind of look at everything and go, ok, let’s see this journey unfold. And then obviously the actors bring their acting. They’re amazing. They’re so good.”

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte in episode 105 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023

As the timelines alternate, there’s an opportunity to observe Young Charlotte’s evolution and how she is growing into the grandiose style she is destined to adopt. Both actresses can be spotted wearing the same hair jewelry at times, and the shapes of their wigs are often a reflection of one another. “The big important part was the journey of the 1760 Queen Charlotte with the Bridgerton Queen Charlotte and crossing those two and making sure there were enough areas that we covered to make you feel at times that the wig, although it was different coloring, was the same style and had the same elements to the wig,” Collins said.

In all, the team made over 1,000 wigs for the series. Beautiful, meaningful, and often unprecedented, the entire library of wigs is a triumph. “Everybody that was wearing the wigs, they just felt fabulous,” Collins gushed. “They’re wearing something that’s never been seen or created, and for us as a team, we were just in our element. We were celebrating.”

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Hugh Sachs as Brimsley, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in episode 103 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Hugh Sachs as Brimsley, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in episode 103 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023

 

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is now streaming on Netflix.

For more on Bridgerton, check out these stories:

“Bridgerton” Emmy-Nominated Costume & Hairstyling Team on Season Two’s Sumptuous Styles

“Bridgerton: Season 2” Trailer Teases the Steamy Conflict Coming to Court

The Limitless World of Fashion Created by the “Bridgerton” Costume Designers

Featured image: Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Hugh Sachs as Brimsley, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in episode 102 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2023

On This “Star Wars Day,” The Galaxy is Expanding

Posted on by babrams

May the 4th be with you.

It’s Star Wars Day, and this year, there’s more going on in the galaxy than at any previous moment in recent history. In fact, there’s more going on in the galaxy now than ever, considering the still recent inclusion of live-action Star Wars series on Disney+ and the news, at long last, shared by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy about upcoming feature films that will look forward into the Star Wars future as well as travel to the distant past at the very beginnings of the Force.

Let’s take a brief look at everything that’s currently happening in the Star Wars galaxy.

May 4, 2023: Two animated series come to Disney+, volume 2 of the animated anthology series Star Wars: Visions and the first season of Young Jedi Adventures.

August 4, 2023: The first season of the hotly-anticipated live-action series Ahsoka arrives on Disney+, starring Rosario Dawson as the titular Jedi rebel and created by Dave Filioni.

Sometime in 2023: The first season of the live-action series Skeleton Crew, created by Spider-Man helmer Jon Watts and starring Jude Law, Kerry Condon, and more.

August 2024: Andor season two arrives after a thrilling, nearly flawless first season. The series stars Diego Luna as the titular thief-turned-rebel spy and comes from creator Tony Gilroy.

Sometime in 2024: The Acolyte arrives with a ton of promise, coming from creator Leslye Headland and starring Amandla Stenberg in a story that’s intriguingly told from the vantage point of the Sith.

Sometime in 2024: Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3. Dave Filoni and Jennifer Corbett’s animated series about the special-op clones off another dangerous mission returns.

In the near future…

On Disney+, we’ve got season two of Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi and season four of The Mandalorian coming our way in 2024 or beyond. On the big screen, the bounty in the works is worthy of Boba Fett. A feature film based on The Mandalorian from Dave Filioni, a brand new feature from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy with Daisy Ridley returning as Rey, and a Biblical epic-like look at the very beginning of the Force from director James Mangold.

There’s still more. Projects from Thor: Love and Thunder writer/director Taika Waititi and a film from Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy are in various stages of development, and you can expect more definitive news on these projects, and likely more, in the not-too-distant future.

Check out Disney+’s Star Wars Day promo below:

Here’s a look at what’s coming up in the Star Wars galaxy:

For more on all things Star Wars, check out these stories:

“The Acolyte” Creator Leslye Headland on How Her New Series Will Approach the Jedi Order

James Mangold’s Upcoming “Star Wars” Film has a Thrilling Premise

New “Ahsoka” Images Reveal the First “Star Wars” Series to Leap From Animation Into Live-Action

Daisy Ridley Will Return as Rey in First “Star Wars” Film Since “The Rise of Skywalker”

Featured image: Rosario Dawson is Ahsoka Tano in Lucasfilm’s AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

“Big George Foreman” Cinematographer John Matysiak on Getting Into the Ring for a Legend’s Life

Posted on by babrams

Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World is an epic narrative—even the title spells that out. Filmmaker George Tillman Jr.’s biopic about the boxing champ, preacher, and grill king George Foreman captures the man in full.

The story begins with a young Foreman (Khris Davis) struggling with faith and a temper. Without many other opportunities, he turns to boxing. The young man has natural talent, and soon, he’s at the pinnacle of his profession, from an Olympic Gold medalist to World Heavyweight champion, yet Foreman’s journey is only just beginning. After a brush with death, Foreman rediscovers his faith, opens a church, and starts preaching. Eventually, he returns to the ring and claims the title of the oldest heavyweight champ in boxing history.

Helping tell the story of Foreman’s bountiful life was cinematographer John Matysiak, who previously shot Old Henry, a lovely music video for Leon Bridges, and two upcoming episodes of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. Matysiak worked with fellow cinematographer David Tattersall, and together they helped recreate some of the most iconic moments in Foreman’s life.

Despite the grandiosity of Foreman’s journey, Matysiak wanted to make Big George Foreman a more grounded sports drama. “We never wanted it to feel like a larger-than-life story,” the cinematographer said. “George [Tillman Jr.] and I, we’re just capturing emotion.”

Matysiak takes us in and out of the ring for the greatest fights of Foreman’s career and life.

 

How closely did you study George’s original fights?

I watched this three-hour doc on Foreman and Ali, as well as all the fights. To have access to all the documentary footage and found footage, that was my way into it, visually. Coming out of the ‘60s was this specific sports photography, like Neil Leifer capturing early American football. Neil Leifer’s work in football was amazing, but I feel like every iconic image we shave of Ali, Foreman, Joe Frazier, Jimmy Young, and all these greats—that’s Neil Leifer’s boxing photography.

Were there any shots in particular that caught you?

I was mesmerized and went on a big journey through Neil’s creativity. For example, the famous overhead shot he got of Muhammad Ali at the Astrodome in Houston? That was the first time they rigged an overhead camera and got that perspective of a boxing ring. They only did it because the actual venue allowed them to go in ahead of time and pre-rig it. If not for that, we wouldn’t have seen that perspective that hit all the sports magazines.

Khris Davis stars as George Foreman in BIG GEORGE FOREMAN: THE MIRACULOUS STORY OF THE ONCE AND FUTURE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.

How did you ultimately decide to capture George Foreman’s iconic fights? Were you going for a cinematic feel or more closely matched to how it looked and felt at the time?

From the beginning, George and I didn’t want it to look like a movie. We wanted you to feel like you were actually there. We wanted you to feel the sweat, the heat, and see the bugs in the air because a lot of these fights in Jamaica or Zaire, the massive arenas were outside. We needed four shadows, too, because there are lights coming from everywhere in these arenas. I wanted authenticity. I wanted the audience to feel what I felt going back and looking at the photography.

(L to r) Forest Whitaker and Khris Davis star in BIG GEORGE FOREMAN: THE MIRACULOUS STORY OF THE ONCE AND FUTURE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.

What choices did you want to avoid so you didn’t create a sense of artifice in the boxing sequences?

In any sports movie, we understand how it’s covered on television and which camera angles work to relay the information. Within that, you’re trying to find the emotion of the story. Even in a boxing match with two people fighting in a ring, how do you emotionally invest in it? Once the choreography was in place, which was punch-for-punch based on the actual fights, we searched for the emotional beats for George Foreman’s journey. We had so many different fights to cover, so we knew we wanted to cover them differently. Sometimes we’d focus on the pre-fight, the middle of the fight, or the aftermath.

For Foreman’s fights with Ali and Joe Frazier, how’d you want to land those emotional beats?

In the fight with Frazier, the biggest thing was about how formidable Foreman was, just his fighting style with his heavy punches. We tested a POV rig with the actor, Khris Davis, actually punching the camera. It sounded like a great idea, but to actually pull it off with the actor and camera operator, it was extremely visceral to see. Khris Davis almost literally knocked our camera operator back, but of course, it was all within the boundaries of safety.

What about the iconic Rumble in the Jungle with Foreman fighting Muhammad Ali?

The Rumble in the Jungle was more about the head game. It was less about Foreman’s ferociousness in the ring and more about the cat-and-mouse game in which Ali came out victorious. We focused on George’s internal defeat, as well as the controversy of his team telling him, “Keep punching, keep punching.” When you tackle a historical event like that, which we’ve seen all these versions of, especially in Michael Mann’s [Ali] movie, I mean, it kept us up late at night. We just kept asking, what’s the best way? We kept prepping and shot-listing. In our production schedule, that was the fight we had the longest time to pull off. By the time we finished that fight, it was surreal. We thought, maybe for a second, we captured what it was like. I’m really pleased with how that whole sequence came together.

Khris Davis (George Foreman) and Sullivan Jones (Muhammad Ali) in BIG GEORGE FOREMAN: THE MIRACULOUS STORY OF THE ONCE AND FUTURE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.

There’s a lot of pressure on an actor portraying Muhammad Ali, but how about a cinematographer shooting an actor as Ali? What qualities do you want to capture that are both familiar but maybe new for an audience?

With anything, it comes down to the question of why we’re doing it. How are we grounding it in our own voice? These are larger-than-life people with larger-than-life lives, so it becomes about everything around it. It’s not just the cameras and lenses; it’s the wardrobe, as well as how an actor comes into a room. As a cinematographer, I want to honor that and never want to get in the way. We’re all always searching for that extra 5% of how to improve or elevate the scene, just to make sure we’re not missing out on anything.

And then there are the minute details you’re paying attention to.

With all these details, I mean, we were meticulous even about the crowd at the boxing matches. We’d put photographers or audience members in the exact wardrobe from the events. All this meticulousness elevated everything, and I think the actors feel that. Once the camera is in place and you’ve blocked and rehearsed, then hopefully it’s all locked in and you feel it once the camera rolls.

Khris Davis stars as George Foreman in BIG GEORGE FOREMAN: THE MIRACULOUS STORY OF THE ONCE AND FUTURE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.

Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World is in theaters now.

For more upcoming films from Sony Pictures, check out these stories:

Denzel Washington Returns as Robert McCall in “The Equalizer 3” Trailer

Sony Unveils 14 Minutes of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” at CinemaCon

Sony Reveals Bloody, R-Rated “Kraven the Hunter” Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Spider-Man Villain

Featured image: Khris Davis stars as George Foreman in BIG GEORGE FOREMAN: THE MIRACULOUS STORY OF THE ONCE AND FUTURE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.

 

 

First “Dune: Part Two” Images Reveal First Look at Austin Butler’s Villain

Posted on by babrams

Yesterday, we got our first peek at the epic trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two—now, we’ve got our first look at still images from the film. The images highlight both returning characters, like Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, who we’ll find much changed by the time Part Two starts (his blue eyes are the first hint), and crucial newcomers, like Florence Pugh’s Princess Irulan Corrino, an important character in Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel.

Part Two promises to boast even more magisterial set pieces and epic action than Villeneuve’s first installment did, thanks to his wise choice, along with his writing partner Jon Spaihts, to break Herbert’s tome into two parts. This means Part Two will include some of the most dramatic moments from the book, including the pending showdown between Paul, now becoming the prophet of the desert-dwelling Fremen people, and Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, a member of that most vengeful and hateful family that laid siege to House Atreides back in Part One.

In fact, a hand-to-hand fight between Paul and Feyd-Rautha is widely considered one of the most thrilling parts of Herbert’s book, and it will no doubt feature as one of the key moments in Villeneuve’s film. Butler, fresh from his Oscar-nominated turn in Elvis, has shed his dark locks and sun-kissed skin to become a member of the pale, bald, dark-eyed Harkonnen clan.

Part Two will pick up with Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), now fully embedded with the Fremen, thanks in no small part to the help of Zenday’s Chani, who will have a much larger role to play here. We get fresh looks at both Zendaya and Ferguson below, as well as Javier Bardem as Fremen leader Stilgar.

Another House Atreides ally making his return is Josh Brolin’s Gurney Halleck, who we see with long hair after surviving House Harkonnen’s attack in Part One. Joining Butler’s Feyd-Rautha on the villain side of the ledger are Stellan Skarsgård’s Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and Dave Bautista’s Glossu Rabban Harkonnen.

The images also include newcomer Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot and pointedly do not include a look at Christopher Walken as the shadowy main mover of them all, Emperor Shaddam IV.

Dune: Part Two is one of the most eagerly-anticipated films of the year and is set for a November 3, 2023 release.

Check out the images below:

Caption: AUSTIN BUTLER as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE: PART TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise
Caption: LÉA SEYDOUX as Lady Margot Fenring in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE: PART TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise
aption: STELLAN SKARSGÅRD as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE: PART TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise
Caption: ZENDAYA as Chani in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE: PART TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise
Caption: DAVE BAUTISTA as “Beast” Rabban Harkonnen in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE: PART TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise
Caption: JOSH BROLIN as Gurney Halleck in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE: PART TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise
Caption: (L-r) TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET as Paul Atreides and ZENDAYA as Chani in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE: PART TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise
Caption: REBECCA FERGUSON as Lady Jessica in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE: PART TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise
Caption: JAVIER BARDEM as Stilgar in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE: PART TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise
Caption: TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET as Paul Atreides in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE: PART TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise
Caption: FLORENCE PUGH as Princess Irulan in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE: PART TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise
Caption: AUSTIN BUTLER as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE: PART TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
Caption: Director/Writer/Producer DENIS VILLENEUVE on the set of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE: PART TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Jack Davison

For more on Dune: Part Two, check out these stories:

First “Dune: Part Two” Teaser Reveals Paul Atreides Summoning a Sandworm

“Dune: Part II” Trailer Unveils Stunning Look at Conclusion of Denis Villeneuve’s Epic Adaptation

Dave Bautista Says “Dune: Part Two” is More Cutthroat & Amped Up

Denis Villeneuve Adds Tim Blake Nelson to “Dune: Part Two”

“Dune: Part Two” Wraps Filming

Featured image: Caption: AUSTIN BUTLER as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE: PART TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

“Dune: Part II” Trailer Unveils Stunning Look at Conclusion of Denis Villeneuve’s Epic Adaptation

Posted on by babrams

Earlier today, we got our first peek at the teaser for Dune: Part Two—now, we’ve got the full trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, and it’s a stunner. The official trailer for Villeneuve’s ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic 1965 sci-fi novel reveals the evolution of Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, who has matured into the Muad’Dib, prophet of the Fremen, the desert-dwelling people he turned to at the end of Part One after his father had been assassinated and nearly all of House Atreides had been destroyed. The trailer also hints at the expanded role for Zendaya’s Chani, a member of the Fremen who played an integral part in helping Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), escape.

One of the most stunning moments in the trailer reveals Paul riding one of the colossal sandworms that dominate life on the planet Arrakis. When we last left Paul, he and Lady Jessica had barely survived the surprise attack ordered by the Emperor and carried out by House Harkonnen. The Emperor was a shadowy presence in Part One, but he’ll have a larger role to play in the sequel (he’s played by Christopher Walken). 

The trailer hints at the “amped-up” tone of Part Two that Dave Bautista was enthusing about. Bautista plays House Harkonnen henchman Glossu Rabban Harkonnen, but he’ll have company in the villain department as the sequel includes a lot of the biggest action set pieces in Herbert’s original book. Villeneuve and his writing partner, Jon Spaihts, made the masterful decision to break Herbert’s tome into two parts, with part one ending just after Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård)’s attack on House Atreides, and Part Two including Paul’s maturation, Chani’s increased importance, and the inclusion of major characters and deadly drama. 

The new trailer revealed changes, both emotional and physical, to Paul, who now sports the icy blue eyes of the Fremen, the result of constant exposure to Spice, the psychoactive substance that has made Arrakis the most valuable and fought-over planet in the universe. Returning castmembers from Part One include Josh Brolin’s Gurney Halleck (an ally to Paul and Lady Jessica), Bautista’s aforementioned Glossu Rabban Harkonnen, Skarsgård’s aforementioned Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and Javier Bardem’s Stilgar, a leader of the Fremen.

Part Two also boasts new faces in major roles, including Léa Seydoux’s Lady Margot, Florence Pugh’s Princess Irulan Corrino, Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, and Walken’s aforementioned Emperor Shaddam IV. 

Villeneuve shot all of Part Two using IMAX cameras, and he said at the recent CinemaCon in Las Vegas that he built brand new sets to avoid any repetition from the original film. “We went to all new locations…everything in the film is new,” he added.

Dune: Part Two is set for a November 3, 2023 release.

Check out the trailer below.

For more on Dune: Part Two, check out these stories:

First “Dune: Part Two” Teaser Reveals Paul Atreides Summoning a Sandworm

Dave Bautista Says “Dune: Part Two” is More Cutthroat & Amped Up

Denis Villeneuve Adds Tim Blake Nelson to “Dune: Part Two”

“Dune: Part Two” Wraps Filming

Featured image: Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya in “Dune: Part Two.” Courtesy Warner Bros.

“Swarm” Production Designer Sara K White on Creating Fractured Spaces for the Celebrity-Obsessed

Posted on by babrams

Swarm has a way of hovering in your thoughts long after you’ve finished the latest episode. The new series from Janine Nabers and Donald Glover (available now on Prime Video) takes the conceit of toxic fandom and unleashes a psychological thriller with a nasty, lasting sting. Starring a phenomenal Dominique Fishback as Dre, a socially stunted retail worker who is deeply, even desperately committed to two and only two people in her life: Her beloved sister Marissa (Chloe Bailey), who aspires to be a makeup artist, and the mega-famous pop superstar Ni’Jah (Nirine S. Brown), a larger-than-life icon with a legion of fans and global fame.

Dre’s love for both of them is all mixed up—growing up, the sisters were equally demented over their obsession with Ni’Jah, but as a young adult, Marissa has become goals oriented as she adjusts to real life, which includes pesky things like bills. Dre has made no such journey, she remains as committed to Ni’Jah as ever, and this commitment fuels Swarm‘s propulsive narrative energy. When Dre surprises Marissa with tickets to a N’Jah concert for her birthday (she spends half of her rent money to purchase them), Swarm begins its flight pattern toward madness.

Helping Nabers, Glover, and the rest of the Swarm team achieve the varied looks the series explores, from Dre’s Ni’Jah-centered world to a wellness center that’s anything but, was production designer Sara K White. We chat with White about tackling one of TV’s spikiest, most satisfyingly off-kilter new series.

What were your initial thoughts when you dug into the pilot script?

I just thought that the characters were really unique and that the scenarios they exist in were places I don’t often get a chance to design. I really liked the idea of pushing the aesthetics with the idea of genre films in mind. This is my first foray into the horror/thriller world. I’ve always loved psychological thrillers and have always been intrigued by some of the opportunities for design in horror films. I was just super excited to get to play in this area, and knowing Donald [Glover]’s previous work, I knew the comedy was going to be really strong and layered, and there would be a wonderful irreverence. I was super psyched to come on and push the aesthetics as much as I could within the bounds of the reality we’re in.

Dominque Fishback is Dre in ‘Swarm.’ Photo courtesy Prime Video

Swarm really moves around into a lot of new, interesting, often weird spaces as we follow Dre. What was your priority in creating these spaces?

The priority is always to make sure the characters feel real. Each different episode is wildly divergent. We’re going into spaces that are really gorgeously designed, and we’re also going into spaces that are disgusting. The authenticity of the people who are in those spaces was a grounding element for me. I was able to really collaborate deeply with our cinematographer [Drew Daniels for 6 episodes, Gabriel Patty for 1], and costume designer [Dominque Dawson] to push ideas. It was about making sure that the lighting, costume design, and my own design were all balanced. That’s how we were able to hit that level of consistency, even though each episode was unique.

Dominque Fishback is Dre in ‘Swarm.’ Photo courtesy Quantrell D. Colbert/Prime Video

How much of Dre’s mental instability played into the way you approached your design?

I thought about Dre’s inability to connect with people on every set, so I played with symmetry and color to make it feel uncomfortable for the audience. Yes, the action and the character certainly do that, but every time we could make a space feel off-kilter, that was something I wanted to do.

Dominque Fishback is Dre in ‘Swarm.’ Photo courtesy Prime Video

And then there are spaces that just immediately feel off, like at the “wellness” center in episode 4.

We wanted to speak to the wellness industry and a variety of other cults that have been based on this idea of wellness that’s inauthentic but portrays itself as truly helping people. There was a need to convey that really clearly to the audience, and I think we found a location that was really aesthetically beautiful and obvious in a way. We also created the bedroom that Dre gets brought to, and the direct influence for the way those beds were laid out and styled was a 1940s mental health clinic. So it’s a balance of playing with wanting to show what’s driving her mental state and hinting at where she’s losing it. The sets help drive at what’s making her feel uncomfortable and attacked and imprisoned. In that environment, she very much felt like she was out of control at the end. So it was bringing all of those influences in and finding the right way to lay them into the set.

 

Billie Eilish in ‘Swarm.’ Photo courtesy Prime Video

Was episode four shot on location or on a set?

Swarm was mostly location-based. As far as the dressing of those locations, that was 70% that we brought in, and the rest we used elements that were already there. So with episode four, we used some of the larger furniture that was already there, but we brought in artwork that was going to push the cult aesthetic. For the bedroom, we decorated that from scratch. The yurt that we created, that sweat lodge, we created from scratch. We built that in situ, the same as the fire pit where she has that final breakdown scene. So it’s finding a good foundation with the location, but then we brought in a significant amount of dressing.

Dominque Fishback and Billie Eilish in ‘Swarm.’ Photo courtesy Prime Video
Dominque Fishback is Dre in ‘Swarm.’ Photo courtesy Quantrell D. Colbert/Prime Video

What other film or TV series references did you discuss with creators Donald Glover or Janine Nabers?

The one that Donald really wanted everyone to watch was The Piano Teacher. Watching a human break down and finding the moments where they’re really insecure, and pushing on those moments and creating a disturbance. The production design in that film is incredibly simple and honest and really falls into the background, while you still understand so much about the characters through it. The woman and her mother living in that apartment, it’s clear that this is a woman who doesn’t have her own space or her own life and doesn’t know when she’s ever going to get it. And she doesn’t have the strength to ask for it herself, and it creates an environment where she becomes incredibly unstable. It’s very subtle but also very communicative.

 

Any others?

We also talked about Madeline’s Madeline; we talked about Jeanne Dielman, and we also talked about Mandy. I just loved that movie and how powerful the aesthetics are. So finding places where we could push things was really exciting for me, so I talked to Donald about all that.

How much did the notion of toxic fandom itself inform your specific choices?

We were exploring the idea of parasocial relationships from the get-go. Especially in Dre’s room and the elements she brings with her, that’s where explored it the most. Her ability to understand the relationships she should have with others around her is super limited, so the interests she’s got represented in her bedroom are extremely limited to the one person she believes she’s communicating with, and that’s Ni’Jah. The elements she surrounds herself with really respond to the relationship she thinks she’s having with this person who doesn’t exist to her in a real way.

Dominque Fishback is Dre in ‘Swarm.’ Photo courtesy Warrick Page/Prime Video

Swarm is streaming on Prime Video.

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Featured image: Dominque Fishback is Dre in ‘Swarm.’ Photo courtesy Quantrell D. Colbert/Prime Video

First “Dune: Part Two” Teaser Reveals Paul Atreides Summoning a Sandworm

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How far has Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) come since the first Dune? Well, in our very first glimpse of Dune: Part Two, we find Paul out in the desert of Arrakis, deploying a thumper to lure a sandworm to the surface. The brief teaser—the full trailer arrives today—reveals Paul’s maturation amongst the Fremen, the native Arrakis who dwell in the Spice-rich deserts and have created a symbiotic relationship with the colossal, lethal sandworms that dominate the planet. Paul plunges the thumber, a short stake with a spring-loaded clapper on the end, into the sand, and it begins to do its work.  With each thump, Paul’s date with one of the most fearful beasts in the universe draws nigh.

Check out the teaser here:

The official trailer for Villeneuve’s ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic 1965 sci-fi novel arrives in a few hours. Part Two will focus on the matured Paul Atreides, who has now become the Muad’Dib, prophet of the Fremen. Paul’s undergone changes, both emotional and physical. As Part Two begins, he’ll sport the icy blue eyes of the Fremen, the result of constant exposure to Spice, the psychoactive substance that has made Arrakis the most valuable and fought-over planet in the universe. It was the Fremen, remember, who saved Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), at the end of Part One, after his father had been assassinated and nearly all of House Atreides had been destroyed. Part Two will also greatly expand Zendaya’s role as Chani, a member of the Fremen who played an integral part in helping Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica, escape.

The surprise attack on House Atreides in Part One was ordered by Emperor Shaddam IV and carried out by House Harkonnen. The Emperor was a shadowy presence in Part One, but he’ll have a larger role to play in the sequel, and he’s played by none other than Christopher Walken. 

Villeneuve and his writing partner, Jon Spaihts, made the masterful decision to break Herbert’s tome into two parts, with part one ending just after Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård)’s attack on House Atreides and Part Two focusing on all the intrigue and drama that happened after that event. This includes Paul’s maturation, Chani’s increased importance, and the inclusion of major characters as Paul plots his revenge on House Harkonnen.

Returning castmembers from Part One includes Josh Brolin’s Gurney Halleck (an ally to Paul and Lady Jessica), Bautista’s aforementioned Glossu Rabban Harkonnen, Skarsgård’s aforementioned Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and Javier Bardem’s Stilgar, a leader of the Fremen.

Part Two also boasts new faces in major roles, including Léa Seydoux’s Lady Margot, Florence Pugh’s Princess Irulan Corrino, Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, and Walken’s aforementioned Emperor Shaddam IV. 

Dune: Part Two is set for a November 3, 2023 release.

For more on Dune: Part Two, check out these stories:

Dave Bautista Says “Dune: Part Two” is More Cutthroat & Amped Up

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“Dune: Part Two” Wraps Filming

Featured image: Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya in “Dune: Part Two.” Courtesy Warner Bros.

“A Small Light” Executive Producer & Director Susanna Fogel on Disney+’s Illuminating New Miniseries

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With Holocaust Remembrance Day having just passed and with antisemitism on the rise around the world, the release of National Geographic’s new eight-part miniseries A Small Light couldn’t come at a more apt time. The series is based on the true story of Miep and Jan Gies, who risked everything to hide Otto Frank and his family from the Nazis during World War II. Miep Gies discovered and kept Anne Frank’s famous diary safe until after the war. 

A Small Light follows Miep (Bel Powley) from the time she worked for Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) through the two years she and her husband Jan (Joe Cole) took care of Frank and his family, working to keep them safe in the secret annex of Otto Frank’s company headquarters. 

Joining the project’s creators, husband and wife team Tony Phelan and Joan Rater, is co-executive producer and director Susanna Fogel (The Flight Attendant, Cat Person)., who helmed three episodes of the series. Speaking to The Credits, Fogel discusses her collaboration with the department heads in order to create a warm, cinematic aesthetic and the importance of giving the story a vibrancy and authenticity that does justice to the heroes and heroines represented. 

 

The visual aesthetic of A Small Light is very cinematic, with its golden brown tones, use of light, and shot composition. What was your collaboration like with production designer Marc Homes to bring everything together?

I had worked with Marc before, and he’s an incredibly meticulous person. He had been an art director for many years for Ridley Scott, and so he was used to working on these really large-scale productions and getting into the very fine details of what sets need to look like, right down to the building materials and the level of distress of a very specific type of wood. The idea for the show all around, in terms of the aesthetic, was to create a canvas that feels true to the period and then let the people live and breathe, like real people, within this world. It was basically setting the stage in a way that feels like its period appropriate, but then injecting it with as much life as we could.

How did you approach creating the annex?

Marc did an exhaustive study of what the annex really looked like and built an incredible replica of it. It was a little bit different because it had to be suitable for cameras to go to different places, but it was pretty much exactly like the actual annex. We had him start with that accuracy, and then from there, we tried to figure out how to add color, life, texture, softness, humanity, and warmth onto that base layer so the show has all of that. A vibrant blanket or pillow or sweater can just really be the small light in the shot, too, so we were just conscious of always trying to have that. 

Miep chats with the Frank and van Pels families in the secret annex, as seen in A SMALL LIGHT. (From left: Bel Powley as Miep Gies, Billie Boullet as Anne Frank, Amira Casar as Edith Frank, Andy Nyman as Mr. van Pels, Caroline Catz as Mrs. van Pels, Rudi Goodman as Peter van Pels, Liev Schreiber as Otto Frank). (Photo credit: National Geographic for Disney/Dusan Martincek)

And with your cinematographer Stuart Howell and costume designer Matthew Simonelli?

Stuart’s amazing. He had worked on The Crown, so he’d obviously shot these beautiful period pieces before. With him, again, we wanted this to feel as cinematic as possible and as epic as possible, to do justice to Miep’s story. At the same time, we were constantly working to add color and life to every aspect of the show. That was an aesthetic choice, too. With Matthew, it was the same thing. We talked about the characters having bright, colorful clothes because even though the world going on around them is falling apart, they’re not picking drab clothing; they’re picking the clothing they like to wear, so we wanted that to feel like it reflected their personalities too, and not just period.

 

Can you talk a bit about shooting the scene with Miep, Jan, and their friends jumping into the canal? Where was that shot? 

We shot that in a town called Haarlem, just outside of Amsterdam. Those are the kinds of shots that we knew we couldn’t really recreate anywhere but Amsterdam. 

That scene has a visual symmetry and a warmth of color that is representative of the show as a whole.   

It was about combining the personal, lived-in feeling of the show with a well-composed, well-designed show, wanting it to feel really intentional but also wanting like there was spontaneity within these intentional shots. That scene encapsulates a lot of what the show is; the streets are really dark at that point, the war is on, and the lamps are out, and there are all these austerity measures throughout the city, but then there are these friends who are young, and they’re jumping into a canal and laughing. It’s all of it. It’s the joy, and also these little signifiers, that there’s still a really bleak situation going on at the same time. Filming that was great. We only got one take of them actually jumping in the canal, so we were lucky that it worked out. 

Jan and Miep Gies (Joe Cole and Bel Powley) join the Franks and the van Pels (from left: Liev Schreiber as Otto Frank, Ashley Brooke as Margot Frank, Rudi Goodman as Peter van Pels, Amira Casar as Edith Frank, Billie Boullet as Anne Frank and Caroline Catz as Mrs. van Pels) and watch as Mr. van Pels (Andy Nyman) lights the menorah during Hanukkah, as seen the upcoming limited series A SMALL LIGHT, from National Geographic and ABC Signature in partnership with Keshet Studios. (Photo credit: National Geographic for Disney/Dusan Martincek)

The executive producers and co-showrunners are a married couple, with both Joan and Tony writing and Tony directing. It seems like their partnership must have been helpful in creating a believable and positive portrayal of Miep and Jan. What were your experiences around that? 

I think we all brought our relationships, our relationship histories, and our friendships to the project. We all talked about that stuff, so even though they’re characters and we’re trying to engineer something that feels realistic, we’re all drawing from our own experiences, like, for example, what it feels like to be in a fight. One of my favorite scenes in the show is the fight in the pilot that Miep and Jan have about whether or not she should have told him she made this decision. They go back and forth between being mad and trying to reconcile and then getting mad again, and it just felt so spiky and relatable. When Joan and Tony were writing that, we talked a lot about that scene and letting it just be kind of a mess and letting it be a bit shaggy and long. People make circular arguments sometimes. In the end, the scene plays in a pretty linear way, but the footage that went into making that scene was more all over the place by design because we just wanted to capture the spontaneity there. We all just felt that electricity when we were shooting it. Like any show, if the people making it are forthcoming with their own personal issues, demons, and flaws, then the characters take on some of those layers and feel like they really come to life.

Bel Powley as Miep Gies and Joe Cole as Jan Gies as seen in A SMALL LIGHT. (Credit: National Geographic for Disney/Dusan Martincek)

How did you, as director, bridge the gap of telling a story based on history while making it relevant and connected to what’s happening around us today?

I think the connections between what this show is about and what’s happening today are just baked into the fact that history tends to be cyclical, and we’re dealing with a lot of these issues of nationalism and invasions of countries and occupations. All of these things happen over and over around the world, and they’ve been escalating ever since we started working on this show. If it resonates and feels personal that there’s a global situation, and people are just trying to figure out how to deal with each other, deal with their relationships, and deal with growing up. There’s the world that’s getting increasingly scary, and that feels like a pretty timeless feeling. With antisemitism on the rise, it’s just become more and more timely in the process. We just had to make the show deliver and feel warm and relatable and human enough that people didn’t feel like it was a stodgy period piece, and they could watch it and connect to it and then hopefully extrapolate about their own lives now.

 

 

The eight-part series A Small Light is now streaming on Disney+.

 

 

Featured image: The Frank, van Pels, and Gies families celebrate Hanukkah in the upcoming limited series A SMALL LIGHT, from National Geographic and ABC Signature in partnership with Keshet Studios. From left: Liev Schreiber as Otto Frank, Ashley Brooke as Margot Frank, Rudi Goodman as Peter van Pels, Billie Boullet as Anne Frank, Amira Casar as Edith Frank, Caroline Catz as Mrs. van Pels, Noah Taylor as Dr. Pfeffer, Joe Cole as Jan Gies, Bel Powley as Miep Gies, and Andy Nyman as Mr. Van Pels. (Photo credit: National Geographic for Disney/Dusan Martincek)

“Evil Dead Rise” Production Designer Nick Bassett on Building the Apartment From Hell

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The Evil Dead franchise is all about cabin life. The franchise’s iconic location, however, is nowhere to be seen in Evil Dead Rise. The new installment gets a fresh look in director Lee Cronin’s sequel, thanks in part to production designer and art director Nick Bassett.

Evil Dead Rise is focused on two estranged sisters and the hell that’s unleashed once they’re reunited. Tattoo artist Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) lives in a dilapidated bank-turned-apartment complex with her three children, Danny (Morgan Davies), Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), and Kassie (Nell Fisher). The arrival of Ellie’s estranged sister, Beth (Lily Sullivan) sets Ellie on edge, and things only get edgier (and gorier) from there. An earthquake shakes loose a hidden vault that’s home to an ancient tome, and from there, the film lives up to its title and then some. The dead rise, and they are evil. The mayhem on display was, in part, breathed into bloody life by Bassett’s work.

Bassett is no stranger to the horror franchise — he previously worked on the Starz television show Ash vs. Evil Dead. With the fifth film in the series, though, Bassett worked with a completely different environment: an apartment in Los Angeles. His work helped realize a movie that offers enough chills to make you want to move to the Valley for good.

We spoke to Bassett about creating Ellie’s terrifying apartment from scratch, finding the right spaces in Auckland, New Zealand, and why green is a key color for emphasizing buckets of blood.

How did you make the film feel so contained and claustrophobic? 

We had this big old warehouse space rented for us. It was the worst film studio you could imagine, but it was big. When it would rain outside, it would rain inside the studio as well. So, we created that [parking lot] in the studio. We also created the vault set, and then we built the [interior] cabin. I think that’s why the movie feels so contained. We didn’t go to a location much at all. I think we were on location for four days in total; the rest was in the studio and this warehouse. We could give it a look that was consistent since it’s the same people building it, making it, and designing it.

And what about creating Ellie’s apartment?

When Lee and I first spoke, the apartment was potentially going to be a full highrise. But we felt that it didn’t feel quite right, so it came down to a smaller building. I started scouting around Auckland for places we could maybe use as the foundation of it. There’s one building I saw when I worked on a TV commercial for Taco Bell. We found this location, and to the left of the street we were using for a commercial, there was this brick building. I’d completely forgotten about it until Evil Dead Rise. It used to be an old college, but now it’s this empty building in town, four stories tall. It wasn’t tall enough, but the bottom of it felt quite good. When we started proper pre-production on Evil Dead Rise, that ended up being the building in the movie, which we added to since it’s only four levels. There’s nothing going for it apart from this interesting shape, which we had to then design the top for. So, that was the first challenge; what does the actual building look like? And then what does the interior look like to marry those two together?

Caption: (L to R) GABRIELLE ECHOLS as Bridget, NELL FISHER as Kassie, LILY SULLIVAN as Beth, MORGAN DAVIES as Danny and ALYSSA SUTHERLAND as Ellie in New Line Cinema’s horror film “EVIL DEAD RISE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

What did the hallway require in terms of color and texture? I ask because there’s a fantastic shot from the point-of-view of the keyhole, in which a lot of action unfolds.

Everyone was a bit like, “Is the whole thing gonna play out through that?” It worked really well. The cool thing about Lee is he stuck to his guns on that shot. I don’t believe they shot more coverage to use for that sequence, either. We tested a little for that sequence. I had a load of old camera lenses, just vintage ones I had lying around, and gave them to the director of photography, Dave Garbett. We were looking through them going, “How do we do this?” Obviously, there’s gonna be very specific shots and angles, so we needed depth since it helps shape everything. We were always conscious that we’re gonna really see that front door in a heap of detail, so let’s make that front door something interesting to look at. We’re going from this nice, warm-colored environment in the apartment as we look outside at something much colder, almost like an asylum. 

Caption: NELL FISHER as Kassie in New Line Cinema’s horror film “EVIL DEAD RISE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
Caption: ALYSSA SUTHERLAND as Ellie in New Line Cinema’s horror film “EVIL DEAD RISE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

What about the colors you wanted to emphasize with the sets? How’d the lighting affect your choices there, especially with all the blood splatter?

We wanted two looks. Inside the apartment is kind of candlelit and flashlights, and when you go out and beyond that, it’s this emergency lighting with this flickering, dark and menacing space. It was also a really obvious problem. There’s no light out there, right? What the hell are we gonna do? We couldn’t have windows everywhere because it would’ve looked too easy to escape. The set ended up how it was through this set of requirements. Lee was very thorough, but not in a way that he was like, “I want this specific wallpaper.” He was more like, “Tell me what you are thinking.” We would do sample panels and put together swatches. The fact is, the power goes out so early on in the film, so what would that really look like in candlelight and moonlight?

Caption: LILY SULLIVAN as Beth in New Line Cinema’s horror film “EVIL DEAD RISE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

And what colors did you choose to help accentuate the film’s buckets of blood?

Green was chosen purely for that. It looks good for the blood. Red and green are complementary colors. Basically, they’re completely opposite sides of the color spectrum, so they work.

Caption: GABRIELLE ECHOLS as Bridget in New Line Cinema’s horror film “EVIL DEAD RISE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

You built the cabin, as well, which is one of the few locations outside of the apartment. It’s classic Evil Dead, but at the same time, different. Was that a balance you wanted to strike?

For the opening sequence, I got my concept artist to draw the woman levitating over the lake. That whole lake sequence was originally gonna be shot in Dublin. Part of the co-production was they’re gonna shoot something there, and that was it. So we were like, “Let’s put it out of our heads. It’s so far away. We’ll just ignore it and concentrate on the apartment, parking lot, and all that.” I think with Covid and the way the budget was going, it was like, “The effects will be done in Ireland. Sound design will be done there. Now, this cabin sequence needs to be done in New Zealand, and it needs to be done before it’s winter, so we better get on with it.” I was like, sh*t.

Caption: A scene from New Line Cinema’s horror film “EVIL DEAD RISE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Were you worried you wouldn’t find an appropriate cabin?

I think the producers, in their optimism, thought we’d find a cabin. I thought, there’s no way we’ll find a cabin that will suit our needs that’s backlit and in this place. Luckily, the location guys scoured everywhere and found a little lake on someone’s private property outside of Auckland, which I didn’t expect to find. Then we built the cabin. We had to build the cabin interior on stage and the exterior on location in quite a hurry. We didn’t shoot the interior for a while, but we shot the exterior quickly.

And how did the Evil Dead Rise cabin differ from cabins in previous installments? 

There are a lot of similarities with the original cabin, but it’s a completely different design. We ended up building just the front of it. It’s literally the front wall of an A-frame cabin in a valley. There’s nothing more to it; it’s like a Buster Keaton set. It’s just a facade.

Evil Dead Rise is in theaters now.

For more on Warner Bros., HBO, and HBO Max, check out these stories:

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Warner Bros. Unveils Stunning “Dune: Part Two” Trailer at CinemaCon

Featured image: Caption: ALYSSA SUTHERLAND as Ellie in New Line Cinema’s horror film “EVIL DEAD RISE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

 

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

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Pedro Pascal is getting close to entering the Colosseum.

The star of The Last of Us and The Mandalorian is in talks to join Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel for Paramount. Scott is already hard at work on the sequel to his 2001 Best Picture Oscar winner, which will see Connie Nielsen reprising her role as Lucilla, the sister of Commodus (played in the original by Joaquin Phoenix). Also returning from the original is Djimon Hounsou as the gladiator Juba. Newcomers include rising star Paul Mescal in the lead role, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, and Barry Keoghan.

The original Gladiator was focused on the former general Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe), who was eventually sold into slavery and forced to fight as a gladiator for the amusement of the masses and the self-appointed emperor of Rome, the aforementioned Commodus. The emperor was a proper scoundrel, man-child, and sociopath, and Maximus plotted a brutal but unwavering course toward seeking his revenge against Commodus for having his wife and children slaughtered.

The sequel is reportedly centered on Paul Mescal’s Lucius, the son of Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla, based on a script by David Scarpa, who also wrote the script for Scott’s upcoming film Napoleon (which stars Joaquin Phoenix).

Pascal’s career has taken off after years of notable, scene-stealing performances in supporting roles, from playing Oberyn Martell in season 4 of Game of Thrones to his work as DEA agent Javier Peña in Narcos. With The Mandalorian and then The Last of Us, Pascal has taken center stage. He belongs in the Colosseum.

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

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Change Begins at Home — Diversity Initiatives Across MPA Member Studios

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Featured image: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 10: Pedro Pascal attends “The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent” New York Screening at Regal Essex Crossing on April 10, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

“Love & Death” Director Lesli Linka Glatter on HBO’s Deadly Sharp New Crime Drama

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Love & Death, which debuted on April 27 on HBO/Max, begins with faith, family, and infidelity. It concludes with a criminal investigation and a gripping courtroom trial. In the middle is a gruesome axe murder. And once Emmy-nominated producer/director Lesli Linka Glatter had read the script, she wanted in on it.

“I was totally swept up in the material,” says Glatter during a recent interview. “To me, this is the dark side of the American dream. I’m pulled to themes where things are not what they appear to be, and you have to dig deeper to see what’s really going on.”

Another selling point for Glatter, best known for her work on Homeland, The Morning Show, and Mad Men, was that it actually happened. “Oh my God, if this wasn’t true, you could not tell the story. It wouldn’t be believed,” exclaims Glatter, who directed five of the episodes.  

Lesli Linka Glatter, Elizabeth Olsen. Courtesy HBO Max.

Based on Love and Death in Silicon Prairie, a two-part Texas Monthly article written by John Bloom and Jim Atkinson, the story takes place in Wylie, Texas, circa 1978. Star of the church choir, a loving wife and mother, Candy Montgomery (Elizabeth Olsen) epitomizes this down-home community. But she feels something is missing. This longing leads her to have an affair with fellow parishioner Allan Gore (Jesse Plemons). The story takes a dark turn when Allan’s wife, Betty (Lily Rabe), learns of the indiscretion. Holding an axe in her hands, she confronts Candy. Only Candy survives. An ensuing investigation leads to a murder charge.

Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemmons. Photograph by Jake Giles Netter/HBO Max

Bloom and Atkinson’s magazine pieces were turned into their 1984 book Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs. David E. Kelley was sent a copy and was eager to write the script. Through Nicole Kidman and Per Saari’s Blossom Films, Kelley’s go-to producing partner, the rights were optioned. Glatter was approached. Having never worked with Kelley, she quickly signed on as an executive producer and director.

Grounding Love & Death in its late 1970s time period was a priority. Star Wars movie references abound. Johnny Carson fills the TV. When the phone rings, it’s the landline hanging on the kitchen wall. “I loved that this story is so particular to the time,” adds Glatter. “Women, in particular, were supposed to do everything right. You got married at 20. You had kids. You cook the meals. Your life is full, but why is there a hole in your heart that can’t be filled? Needless to say, Candy picks the wrong thing to fill that hole.”

 

But perhaps nothing better sets the tone than the soundtrack. Familiar pop tunes heighten the emotions.

“The music was important in establishing the world,” explains Glatter. “Many of the songs were in the script. We discovered in editing that Candy’s way of getting back in her body was singing along to the radio. After the murder, she tries to find that peace by doing the same thing. But it comes off completely different. It’s kind of terrifying.”

Elizabeth Olsen. Photo courtesy HBO Max.

Shot in Texas, production began in September 2021. Church service, family barbecues, volleyball games, and lawn mowing established a bucolic Texas town. “We only had a week of rehearsals, but it was enough time to get to know each other,” continues Glatter. “We started with the lighter sequences—singing in the choir, picnics on the front lawn. It beautifully establishes the community. It really helped the actors discover their characters and bond.”

Lesli Linka Glatter, Elizabeth Olsen, Jesse Plemons. Courtesy HBO Max.

Candy’s character particularly intrigued Glatter. As appalling as her actions were, Glatter knew Candy needed to be humanized. “I honestly feel she and Allan wanted a friend. Yes, they had sex. But they wanted to be seen and heard. They had lunch together. They sat on the bed and talked about their lives and their families. I think that was missing in both of their lives,” says Glatter. “It’s the human condition. That’s what fascinated me.”

They didn’t want to make fun of the characters, but Glatter acknowledges there were opportunities for humor. One was the way Candy and Allan negotiated the rules of their tryst. The two spent months mapping out the dos and don’ts before they actually did it. 

“It is the most unsexy beginning of any affair ever. You’re talking the thing to death,” says Glatter. “We copied the list they made. It was in the book.”

Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemmons. Photograph by Jake Giles Netter/HBO Max

Concerned about story flow, Glatter shifted her focus to the editing room after filming episode four. Clark Johnson, who Glatter knew from Homeland, directed episodes five and six. “We decided that it was important to make sure the tonal shift was working. If something needed to change, we would be able to do it before everyone went home. We ended up not reshooting anything,” says Glatter. “Clark is a dear friend and a wonderful director. The criminal investigation and going into the courtroom felt like a perfect block for him. It’s a great pivot in the story, and it worked well.”

Elizabeth Olsen. Photograph by Jake Giles Netter/HBO Max

Glatter was back behind the camera for the final episode that concludes the trial. It included one of Love & Death’s most challenging sequences. Though it happens earlier in the story, the murder isn’t actually depicted until Candy takes the stand in episode seven. The harrowing struggle is shown in chilling flashbacks.

“It was the worst scene I’ve ever shot in my career,” says Glatter. “Two women…two mothers…up close and personal. I’ve directed a lot of action, but nothing this disturbing.”

Drawing from Candy’s courtroom testimony, detailed in the book, Glatter storyboarded the shots and then rehearsed them with Olsen, Rabe, and their stunt doubles. “Lily and Lizzie are such beautifully involved actors. We talked about it a lot. We blocked it out very carefully,” says Glatter. They were clear on where things accelerated and why—the turning points. And then they went for it. There was no stopping either of them.”

Having started her career as a choreographer, Glatter is an expert in movement. But her prior experience didn’t prepare her for the emotional toll the filming would take.

“To even lift up an axe is hard. And it was 41 blows,” continues Glatter. “They had to go to such a scary deep place. At the end of those days, the three of us held each other and cried.”

Photograph by Jake Giles Netter/HBO Max

Love & Death was one of Glatter’s most challenging projects. But she wouldn’t have had it any other way. “Every time I start a new project, it is terrifying and exciting,” she says. “‘Oh my God, am I going to be up to the task?’ It keeps you on your toes. You never feel like you can sit back and go, ‘I’ve got this covered.’”

Glatter adds that having a great script, a talented crew, and a cast that exceeded her expectations didn’t hurt. “I fell in love with their characters, and the actors fell in love with them as well,” Glatter says. “Elizabeth Olsen… you can see the world in her eyes. She goes deep and lets you in emotionally. The whole cast is extraordinary. I’m so glad I got to do it with this particular group. Lizzy said a beautiful thing the day we wrapped. She said this was a production led with kindness. And I think that that’s true. It was one of those special ones.”

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Featured image: Elizabeth Olsen. Photograph by Jake Giles Netter/HBO Max

Marvel’s “Blade” Recruits “True Detective” Creator Nic Pizzolatto to Sharpen Story

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Marvel’s upcoming Blade is sharpening its knives as it nears a late May production start.

True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto is re-teaming with Mahershala Ali, who starred in season three of Pizzolatto acclaimed HBO crime noir series, to help get Blade into tip-top narrative shape.

The film is one of Marvel’s most marquee upcoming installments, bringing the Oscar-winner Ali into the fold in a reboot for a beloved character (the Wesley Snipes-led Blade trilogy was a New Line production and came out before the MCU) and Marvel’s first proper turn towards the horror genre. Lovecraft Country helmer Yann Demange is steering the ship with Ali playing the titular vampire hunter (and half-vampire himself) in a story that’s still being kept in Dracula’s coffin, so it’s unclear what kind of sharpening Pizzolatto will be doing. Ali is joined by Deloy Lindo, Aaron Pierce, and the newest addition, the current reigning queen of horror, Mia Goth.

The character of Blade was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan in 1973’s “The Tomb of Dracula No 10.” His mother was killed by a vampire as she gave birth to him, rendering Blade a half-mortal, half-immortal daywalker capable of operating during the day, unlike his vampire foes.

Pizzolatto will be working off a script by Michael Starrbury, an Emmy nominee for his work on Ava DuVernay’s Netflix drama When They See Us, The Hollywood Reporter scoops. Pizzolatto will bring his years’ worth of writing chops to bear on his first MCU story. True Detective is an intricately plotted, often deeply unsettling detective show that has long been as interested in character development as it was in the grisly central crime and nuances of the detective work. His involvement in Blade will only bolster the film’s commitment to telling a different, darker kind of Marvel story.

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Featured image: INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 25: Mahershala Ali attends WE Day California at The Forum on April 25, 2019 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for WE Day)

“Succession” Costume Designer Michelle Matland Breaks Down the Roy Family’s Signature Looks

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Early this season on Succession, Waystar Royco executive Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) mocks the $2900 Burberry handbag carried by cousin Greg’s (Nicholas Braun) date as being “Ludicrously capacious…You could slide it across the floor after a bank job.” And in the show’s first year, Kendall (Jeremy Strong) bought a pair of $500 Lanvin sneakers to ingratiate himself with potential Silicon Valley investors, telling them, “I got these sneakers on the way down here because I thought you’d all be dressed like f*****’ Björk, and I wanted to make an impression.” But most of the time, the privileged anti-heroes of Succession reserve their trash-talk for personality flaws rather than fashion critiques.

Nonetheless, fans pay close attention to the clothes worn by Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and his offspring, with Instagram accounts like Successionfashion tracking the characters’ tops, bottoms, shoes, and accessories in granular detail.

Credit for Succession‘s singular brand of corporate chic goes to costume designer Michelle Matland, whose credits include The Girl on the Train along with Emmy-nominated work on Mildred Pierce and Angels in America. She’s dressed all four seasons of the show, eschewing primary colors to curate nuanced variations in black, navy blue, and beige silhouettes tailored to reflect each character’s particular strain of inner turmoil.

Matland deconstructs the Roy family wardrobe, from the late Logan Roy to the youngest, Roman, revealing where she found Logan Roy’s signature cardigan sweater, explains why Kendall Roy likes baseball caps, and more.

Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin David M. Russell/HBO ©2022 HBO. All Rights Reserved.

Logan (played by Brian Cox): In the season opener, he’s wearing this amazing double-breasted sweater with brass buttons. Of course, it’s a cardigan sweater, which became Logan Roy’s signature look, as if he’s so powerful, he doesn’t have to bother with a suit and tie. Where do you source those sweaters, and what did you have in mind for giving him this casual look?

The whole point of Logan is he never has to be anything other than his comfort zone. One of his original sweaters came from a tiny shop in a little upstate town called Livingston Manor. One side of the store had gorgeous men’s clothing, and the other side had kitchenware. We knew right away this was for Logan. It fit [Brian Cox] perfectly, it was strong, and it was immediately right. Logan Roy doesn’t have to dress up for anyone because he’s the man. He is who he is, and he maintains that through the seasons. He’s King Lear, and he’s staying King Lear.

L-r: Brian Cox and Matthew Macfayden. Photograph by Macall B. Polay/HBO

Kendall (Jeremy Strong): He likes baseball caps! What does that say about his character? And what are some other elements you’ve outfitted Kendall with that speak to persona?

The baseball cap was not an unconscious choice. It developed as a shell of protection. It fits his comfort zone as a way to hide and also as a way to set himself apart from the more formal culture associated with his position, his family, and his company. Kendall is very specific about what he wants — standard, iconic looks — and he has stuck with that throughout the series. One thing from last season, there was a Rashid Johnson necklace from the series called “Anxious Man,” which really says a lot and speaks to his character. And Kendall loves logos, especially if it’s a subtle, beautiful, understated logo. But he’s also gentle about getting those things and wearing them multiple times. It’s not like he’s looking into a logo designer; he just wants something very specific and character-driven.

Jeremy Strong. Photograph by Claudette Barius/HBO
Jeremy Strong. Photograph by Macall B. Polay/HBO

Shiv (Sarah Snook): She’s got one toe in the world of politics but also sees herself as a shrewd businesswoman. Her pantsuits evidently resonate with viewers. Who in the real world, if anyone, did you take as a reference for Shiv’s sense of style, and what personal qualities did you want to express?

When we began Season 2, we thought Shiv was someone who is very much embodying Katharine Hepburn. We wanted to establish a look that was high-waisted trousers and very simple, elegant, and flattering. We created a timeline where she was very classy and clean looking. And this last season, she was very comfortable in her own life, finally much more available. At one point, she was trying to be in the board room, but now she is less board room.

Sarah Snook. Photograph by Claudette Barius/HBO
Sarah Snook. Photo: David M. Russell/HBO

Roman (Kieran Culkin): He shows up in this season’s first episode wearing a pastel shirt and pants. He’s in L.A. with Shiv and Kendall, and that southern California vibe really contrasts with the New York shots of businessmen in their dark suits attending Logan’s birthday party. By contrast, Roman rarely wears a tie. What are you going for with that open-neck look?

Roman is the most casual uniformed guy on the planet. He is just moving through the room. He has no agenda at all with anyone; he’s simply his own beast. We have a closet for Roman, and Kieran will rummage through it for hours. He’s very personal in selecting, and that takes a lot of time.

Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong. Photograph by Claudette Barius/HBO
Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, and Brian Cox. Photograph by Graeme Hunter/HBO
Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, and Brian Cox. Photograph by Graeme Hunter/HBO

Connor (Alan Ruck): He’s always been a bit of an outsider. Do you deliberately dress him differently from the other three siblings?

He’s a presidential candidate now and dresses like one. Connor is much more professional and political than when the show first started. Connor has become official. There’s no particular meaning behind the vest itself.

Alan Ruck. Photograph by Macall B. Polay/HBO
Justine Lupe and Alan Ruck. Photograph by Macall B. Polay/HBO

Tom & Greg (Matthew Macfadyen and Nicholas Braun), aka “The Disgusting Brothers”: They exist outside the immediate Logan family but still play important roles in the story. You dress both characters in beautiful suits, and at times they almost look like twins. Was that intentional?

Yes, it’s intentional that they look similar. Greg is always following Tom, and we had every intention of giving them uniformity and showing this consistently.

Matthew Macfadyen and Nicholas Braun. Photograph by Macall B. Polay/HBO
Matthew Macfadyen and Nicholas Braun. Photograph by Macall B. Polay/HBO

What’s it like designing for creator Jesse Armstrong?

He is the most fabulous, collaborative, and involved person I’ve ever worked with.

Anything secrets to your success on outfitting one of the most fashionable series on TV?

I’ve been known from time to time to walk up to someone in the street and literally purchase the shirt off their back. I tend to source costumes from anywhere at any time. You might say I’m a 24-hour designer. And also, an important point that gets underestimated: through all my experiences over the years, the jewelry and the accessories, the scarves, earrings and necklaces, the rings — all of that is a constant treasure hunt and always pays off. You will be hard-pressed to find a character that isn’t wearing a distinctive piece of jewelry. I have drawers and drawers of jewelry; both refined and costume or personal pieces, and I don’t like them to go to set without something.

J. Smith Cameron and Kieran Culkin. Photograph by Macall B. Polay/HBO
J. Smith Cameron and Kieran Culkin. Photograph by Macall B. Polay/HBO

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Featured image: Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin. Photograph by Claudette Barius/HBO

“Polite Society” Writer/Director Nida Manzoor on Her Genre-Melding Feature Debut

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Writer/director Nida Manzoor grew up on martial arts, action, and Bollywood, so it makes sense that her feature directorial debut Polite Society would be a genre mashup that includes all that and more. An idea she’s been kicking around since her teen years, the film is a celebration of sisterhood, inspired, in part, by her experiences as a kid learning karate with real-life sister Sanya. Though you might know Manzoor for her iconoclastic and very feminist series We Are Lady Parts, about an all-female Muslim punk band, Polite Society is raising her profile in the global film industry with her inclusive, empowering story featuring South Asian female leads. 

Polite Society follows teen Londoner and aspiring stuntwoman Ria (Priya Kansara), who balances attempts to fit in at school and her video stunt blog with trying to thwart a budding romance between her big sister Lena (Ritu Arya) and possibly-too-good-to-be-true suitor Salim (Akshay Khanna). Even as Lena and Salim’s courtship appears headed to the altar, Salim is still creepily tied to the apron strings of his mysterious mother, Raheela (Nimra Bucha). It’s a good thing Ria has the loyal, all-in support of her besties Alba (Ella Bruccoleri) and Clara (Seraphina Beh), who have her back no matter how crazy things get. 

Actors Ritu Arya and Priya Kansara on the set of director Nida Manzoor’s POLITE SOCIETY, a Focus Features release. Credit: Saima Khalid / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC.

As the story unfolds, audiences are treated to extravagant fight scenes, tight action sequences, and a showstopping Bollywood dance number, all filtered through the experience of one girl coming of age. As such, the script doesn’t shy away from female rage and issues around identity, making the film a unique delight for viewers who’ve rarely seen themselves reflected onscreen.

Manzoor discussed Polite Society with The Credits, pointing to her influences and revealing how her collaborations were integral to making this unusual genre-bending film successful on so many levels. 

 

Polite Society is a love note to your favorite genre movies growing up. Some films mentioned as inspiration are Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Matrix, and the Bollywood classic, Devdas. What specific moments might be a callback only fans of those films would recognize?

I think fans of the film Devdas, the Bollywood film you mentioned, will really see how much we’re homaging it in the dance moves, the action, and the color of the costuming. That film inspired me because I think it’s just a feat in filmmaking, the way the actors move with the camera. There’s this big background, it’s just a spectacle beyond all spectacles, and I think fans of that film will really see how deeply and truly we’re paying homage to it, but filtered through a teenage girl. That was joyful. I think fans of The Matrix and Woo Ping’s fight choreography, in general, will see my love of the Hong Kong kung fu style, especially in that Raheela fight. There are some moves that are iconic from Hong Kong kung fu that I wanted to shoot in the way I’d seen them, but, again, I wanted to bring South Asian costumes to it because, in my culture, the costumes are so beautiful. There are references all over the place, some that I don’t even realize. I’m coming to terms with the fact that there is definitely a Jane Austen sort of vibe. She’s not a filmmaker, but if she was, she would probably be a huge influence on me. I read so many Jane Austen novels growing up that there’s something of that high society “women behaving badly” thing that’s all over my film, too.

Director Nida Manzoor, cinematographer Ashley Connor, and actor Priya Kansara on the set of their film POLITE SOCIETY, a Focus Features release. Credit: Saima Khalid / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC.

What are some elements directly pulled from your memories growing up with your sister, Sanya? The whole “I love you. I hate you.” thing they’ve got going on is so spot-on.

It’s true, right? There’s something about your love for your sister. We are so fiercely protective and so loyal, but at the same time, we can be so cruel to them and know exactly the thing that will cut them down. That’s why I think there’s an intensity to sister relationships, which is very different from a romantic relationship. My own sister and I were extremely close. She’s my biggest supporter and fan, but also, when we were growing up, we hated each other. We were vile to each other, and there’s truth to that. So it was really exciting to get to bring that to the screen. We both studied martial arts and trained in karate together. There are some very vivid memories I have of fighting her physically and dealing with the humiliation of fighting her, as well as the kind of real physical pain of fighting her, and all these things mixing together at once. I think it’s where the germ of the film came from, was when I was a teenager and in these fight situations with my very own sister.

 

Your focus is on well-composed shots and bright colors as part of the aesthetic of the film. In terms of collaborators, it has to be very synergistic. You’ve worked with costume designer PC Williams, editor Robbie Morrison, and production designer Simon Walker before. 

I was incredibly lucky with Robbie, the editor, Simon, the production designer, and PC Williams, my costume designer. I have worked with them multiple times before. They are my team, and they’re my family. They also work very well together. Simon and PC, especially as production designer and costume designer, work so well together on my show, We Are Lady Parts. Their color palettes have incredible synergy. I trust them completely, and it’s always a joy to work with them. Robbie Morrison, my editor, has cut every comedy I’ve ever written or directed. He knows the tone I love to work in and brings his own incredible eye for comedy and for performance to it. We spent months together in the edit, refining it, finding the jokes, moving away from the jokes, finding them again. Robbie is such an important collaborator for me. 

 

How did you collaborate with DP Ashley Connor to bring the look together?

I’d never worked with her before, but I was just a huge fan of her work. She brought such thoughtfulness. She’s such a knowledgeable and intelligent DP, the kind of DP I haven’t worked with before who has such a deep and passionate understanding of the script and of the character. She brought such a cinematic elevation to the film, but also a kind of punk vibe. She’s from the indie cinema space, and we wanted that. I wanted her to stay true to herself as a DP. She loves to go handheld. She loves it to feel a little bit bursting at the seams. There’s a wildness and a freedom to the way she shoots. It was just a thrill to get to work with her. Prepping with Ashley is the most fun ever; we just swap film references, watch lots of films, and constantly remind each other of the films that are inspiring us as we shoot. We’re like, “70’s Scorsese! It can be a bit out of focus.” We were looking at Park Chan-wook’s movies, his Vengeance Trilogy being both stylized but also fizzing. It’s not overly stylized, there’s a vibrancy of movement within the frame, and we wanted to bring that to it. It was just constantly back and forth, sharing references, and having a really great time.

 

Polite Society is playing in theaters nationwide. 

 

 

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Featured image: Priya Kansara stars as Ria Khan in director Nida Manzoor’s POLITE SOCIETY, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC.