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.
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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, 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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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 Reporterscoops. 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.
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)
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 TheGirl 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.
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/HBOJeremy 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/HBOSarah 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/HBOJeremy 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/HBOJustine 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/HBOMatthew 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
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.
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.
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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Your return trip to Panem has officially been booked.
Lionsgate has revealed the first official trailer for The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the newest installment in the franchise, this one based on Suzanne Collins’ prequel novel. Fans of The Hunger Games will now get a chance to see how the wicked world of Panem came to be.
Director Francis Lawrence returns to the franchise with a brand new cast, beginning with the film’s leads; Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird and Tom Blyth as the young Coriolanus Snow. The film captures these young would-be lovers long before Snow grew up to become the tyrannical president of Panem in the original films (played with such nimble menace by Donald Sutherland) when he was an orphan in the Capitol and enrolled at the Academy. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set some 64 years before the events in the first Hunger Games film, with the young Snow very much in love with Zegler’s Lucy Gray Baird. This is when tragedy strikes; Lucy becomes a tribute in the 10th Annual Hunger Games, and Snow wants to save her. They’ll both have their hands full, however, with Dr. Volumnia Gaul, played by Viola Davis, a woman so easily moved.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, director Francis Lawrence said, “This is very much a story about love. It’s this kind of love story set in a different kind of a world in a different time.”
Joining Zegler, Blyth, and Davis are Peter Dinklage, playing Casca Highbottom; Josh Andrés Rivera, playing Sejanus Plinth; Hunter Schafer, playing Tigris Snow; and Jason Schwartzman, playing Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman.
Here’s the official synopsis for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes:
“Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Blyth) is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Zegler), the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird and a snake.”
Check out the trailer below. The Hunger Games: The Ballads of Songbirds & Snakes slithers into theaters on November 17.
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Featured image: Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Photo Credit: Murray Close
We’re a week away from the premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, the third and final film in James Gunn’s trilogy. It’s a bittersweet ending for Gunn, who, as you know by now, is the new co-chief at Marvel’s rival, DC Studios. Yet his final film is a momentous one for the filmmaker and for the MCU, and now the first reactions from critics are finally here.
The film sees all the original Guardians returning for one final adventure—Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff). Although Peter Quill has been he the leader of the Guardians thus far, Vol. 3 is very much Rocket’s story, too, as the movie delves into his tragic backstory. The how and why of Rocket becoming Rocket involves the film’s new villain, the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), the man who led the experimentations that turned a raccoon into a walking, talking weapons expert. Another newcomer 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.
While the Guardians as a franchise will likely continue on within the MCU, it’s the end of the road for this particular group, which gives Vol. 3 a valedictory feel. Gunn and the cast have been together for more than a decade now, and their bonds are tight. “I’ve done jobs where I’ve been so close to people, then the job ends, and I just never see them again. And that happens,” Pratt said in a cover story in The Hollywood Reporter. “I don’t think that’ll happen with us.”
So, without further ado,let’s take a spoiler-free peek at what the critics are saying:
After so much superhero movie fatigue, #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 is a refreshing & unexpected joy to watch. It carries tons of emotional weight, laughs & action. There were a few moments that surprised me in mixed ways, but it’s a beautiful tribute to friends who are like family. pic.twitter.com/T76Z83uUZj
WE GOTTA TALK!!! #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 delivered in more ways than one! Emotional, action packed, comedic, and a tone that delivers.
GRAB THE TISSUES cause DAMN there are some MOMENTS man!! Rocket is the MAN!! Music choices Great per usual and VFX deliver! HAD A BLAST! pic.twitter.com/Z0Y5fQbPVu
Loved #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3. @JamesGunn is leaving Marvel with an exceptional last film and it’s loaded with so many great moments it’s hard to pick my favorite scene. Saw in @IMAX and it was a fantastic presentation. Will miss these misfits a lot. pic.twitter.com/NNIYP6aNT1
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 3, James Gunn bets the house on a, surprisingly, emotional story centered on Rocket and the love and friendship between these characters. Bets and wins. It’s pretty incredible (animal lovers, there are a couple tough scenes) #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 is full of stakes, emotion & feels like a solid ending (good thing!). The production design & set pieces are some of Marvel’s strongest. It’s long, but the theme of found family is & will always be it’s strength. I’ll miss these misfits 💙 #GotGVol3pic.twitter.com/inK2g6rfAi
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is full of heart and brought me to tears on multiple occasions. @JamesGunn making it Rocket’s story pays off big. It’s not what you’re necessarily expecting, but it really does land. A perfect ending, too. @Guardians#GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3pic.twitter.com/KdLhNUZdj6
I teared up multiple times during #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy3. It’s one of the most emotionally satisfying trilogy cappers ever made, and Rocket’s storyline is as affecting as anything the MCU has ever done. Bravo, @JamesGunn. pic.twitter.com/TYdgbkKXWe
Simply incredible. I can’t imagine #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 being a more perfect ending to James Gunn’s trilogy. Every payoff, every emotion, every character journey. It’s about as good as Marvel movies get. Funny, poignant, exciting, I want to watch it again right now. pic.twitter.com/1d1f6ksQaM
James Gunn really made one of the best CBM trilogies ever. #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 gives the franchise the perfect ending with an emotional story, good cgi and a TERRIFIC villain. It’s incredible how Gunn NEVER misses on humor, this movie is hilarious, good jokes at the right… pic.twitter.com/474wJlLB1C
— The Hollywood Handle (@hollywoodhandle) April 27, 2023
My reaction to #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 : thank God that James Gunn is back in the MCU. This is easily the best Marvel movie in years and had a real, heartfelt, and surprisingly wistful heart.
Just screened #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 and it is an emotional and action-packed rollercoaster ride. It’s easily the best MCU film since No Way Home. I highly recommend watching the movie on the most giant screen possible to be immersed in this intergalactic story.
So the best way to describe #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 is that it’s beautiful. I felt satisfied, which lately for the MCU has been a bit of a chore. This movie reminded me why I love this so much. The story is special. Salute to Rocket Raccoon. James Gunn did it again!
#GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 is a beautiful love letter to the universe’s best ragtag group of misfits. What I loved most about it is that it’s a story about the bonds of chosen family thru deep trauma… that just so happens to be a Marvel movie. Rocket and his arc are the MVP. pic.twitter.com/VqdKvyNqUg
#GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 is
not only the best of the trilogy, it’s also better than 90% of Phase 4 MCU content we’ve gotten across film and streaming
It stayed true to its emotional core with sincerity and did not use its levity to undercut it with poorly placed gags and quips pic.twitter.com/j9gHdkYTE6
The official trailer for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is here, revealing the franchise’s chest-thumping new direction as a whole new host of metallic alien colossi stomp into view. The new trailer offers a longer, more detailed look at the seventh installment of the Transformers franchise, which is set in 1994 and is inspired by the ’90s Beast Wars cartoon. As we learned when the previous trailer dropped, Rise of the Beasts will roam from the streets of Brooklyn to Machu Picchu, Peru. Starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, with new transformers voiced by none other than Michelle Yeoh (!!) and Pete Davidson, Rise of the Beasts introduces the Maximals and Predacons, the titular beasts. The film will explore not only these new factions in the larger war between the Autobots and Decepticons but also the origins of the Autobots’ connection to Earth. Rise of the Beasts also includes the introduction of the Terrorcons, a sub-group of the Decepticons that transform into metallic monsters.
Director Steven Caple Jr steers the new film, and for those of you who aren’t scholars of Michael Bay’s previous Transformers story, 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 Peter Cullen, returning as Optimus Prime, Tobe Nwigwe, Ron Perlman, Peter Dinklage, Liza Koshy, John DiMaggio, David Sobolov, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, and Cristo Fernández.
Check out the official trailer below. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts roars into theaters on June 9, 2023.
For more on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, check out these stories:
If there was one person above all that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold was hoping to impress, it was Steven Spielberg. Mangold took the Indiana Jones reigns from Spielberg, the first director ever to do so, to steer Harrison Ford on his last adventure as the swashbuckling archeology professor and adventurer. Mission accomplished, Mr. Mangold. Spielberg saw Dial of Destiny, and he loved it.
“I just had that experience two nights ago,” Spielberg said at the Time 100 Summit about what it felt like for him to watch an Indiana Jones by somebody other than him. “Bob Iger had a screening for a lot of the Disney executives, and I came to the screening along with the director James Mangold. Everybody loved the movie. It’s a really, really good Indiana Jones film. I’m really proud of what Jim has done with it. When the lights came up I just turned to the group and said, ‘Damn! I thought I was the only one who knew how to make one of these.”
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will offer viewers a final, thrilling adventure and a chance to glimpse a key moment from the past. Mangold utilized de-aging technology to film a portion of the action, revealing a previous Indy adventure that’s central to the present-day story. That set-piece involves Indy on a train where a certain Dial of Destiny was present. The action is then mostly set in the late 1960s, with Indy drawn back into action for one last time by his goddaughter (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), who aims to find that dial. It’s an object, Helena says, “that could change the course of history.” This being Indy, adventure awaits, even if he’s long past his prime.
The pursuit of the Dial of Destiny sets Mangold’s film into action. Ford and Waller-Bridge are joined by the great Mads Mikkelsen as the villain Jürgen Voller, Boyd Holbrook as his henchman Klaber, Antonio Banderas as Indy ally Renaldo, Thomas Kretschmann as Colonel Weber, Toby Jones as Basil (Helena’s father), and John Rhys-Davies as Sallah.
The Dial of Destiny is the fifth film in the franchise, following Spielberg’s four previous Indiana Jones films; Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989), and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008).
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits theaters on June 30.
For more on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, check out these stories:
Theater owners have good reason for loving Christopher Nolan. The filmmaker has been one of the most outspoken champions for the glories and importance of the movie theater experience, and he’s done his level best to provide both theater owners and moviegoers with the types of movies that are tailor-made for the biggest screen possible, from his Dark Knight trilogy to Inception to Dunkirk and Tene. A Nolan movie is as good a reason as there is to head to the multiplex.
So Nolan got the warmest greeting possible at this year’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas, and he returned that warmth with explosive footage of his upcoming historical epic Oppenheimer, which stars Cillian Murphy as the titular physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man who helped bring the atomic bomb into the world.
The footage Nolan previewed revealed one of the most distressing moments in Oppenheimer’s push to create the bomb; during the testing phase, Oppenheimer was not certain that the test run wouldn’t set the Earth’s atmosphere on fire, killing everyone and everything. 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. “I wanted to take the audience there. To do so, I’ve assembled the most incredible cast and the finest technicians.”
Nolan has made Oppenheimer’s work during the Manhattan Project into a proper thriller with that aforementioned incredible cast. The quest for America to get the bomb was fueled by reports that not only were the Russians close to their own, but far more ominously, the Nazis were in pursuit. The footage Nolan showed included a moment where Murphy’s Oppenheimer says: “I don’t know if we can be trusted with the weapon, but I know the Nazis can’t.”
“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.”
The cast Nolan assembled around Murphy includes Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Alden Ehrenreich, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Gary Oldman, Josh Hartnett, and David Dastmalchian. His crew includes his longtime cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, production designer Ruth De Jong, and composer Ludwig Göransson.
Oppenheimer hits theaters far and wide on July 21.
Check out images from Oppenheimer here.
OPPENHEIMER, written and directed by Christopher NolanOPPENHEIMER, written and directed by Christopher NolanOPPENHEIMER, written and directed by Christopher NolanOPPENHEIMER, written and directed by Christopher NolanOPPENHEIMER, written and directed by Christopher Nolan
During the Berlinale Film Festival earlier this year, the Motion Picture Association’s European team brought together a panel of industry veterans to discuss the state of diversity in filmmaking and how to ensure that efforts to foster it have real teeth. The lively, hopeful discussion was indicative of a bigger internal shift taking place across the MPA’s member studios, two of which have recently launched their own ambitious internal diversity initiatives, embarking on new approaches to find and foster talent in previously overlooked regions, inject meaningful representation into new content, and ensure supportive internal cultures.
At Paramount, the studio’s Content for Change program starts with research and data. A partnership with USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative is in the throes of examining representations of gender, race, ethnicity, LGBTQIA+, and disability across sixty-two Paramount shows, allowing the studio to take a close look at how to increase inclusive on-screen representation (even though Annenberg’s findings were already quite positive). A complementary academic partnership with Stanford University’s SPARQ is helping Paramount test new hypotheses to see how content can shift viewer perspectives. By asking questions like “How does viewing experience impact beliefs about society?” “How does viewing experience impact engagement with the character?” and “How does viewing experience impact future media consumption?,” the studio is working to get hard answers on how the state of television content, both past and present, has affected and continues to affect viewers’ social and racial attitudes.
For Disney, partnerships formed outside the industry are also a way to move the studio forward. Disney has long collaborated with the U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to support animators in Africa, with the partnership culminating last year in a year-long masterclass series for 40 participants nominated by the continents’ U.S. embassies. This year, Disney is working with the American Film Showcase, based at USC, to bring 20 of the masterclass’s alumni to Los Angeles for five days of networking and professional development, with the goal of helping these animators learn to build sustainable careers in the animation industry. “Whether it’s working for a global media company, owning and running their own local animation studio, or specializing in one aspect of the animation pipeline, these creators should come away with an understanding of what is possible in the globally interconnected animation industry,” a Disney spokesperson says.
Back over at Paramount, the studio is also on a quest to develop new talent. The Content for Change Academy aims to remove hiring barriers and invest in future film industry denizens who come from nontraditional paths. “This includes people from community colleges and certification programs, who’ve historically been left out or struggled to enter the entertainment industry,” a studio rep says. The 2021-2022 program brought on seven trainees; this year, it was eight. Part of a complementary initiative to their internal work, Paramount also awarded $1 million in 2022 to several community-focused creative endeavors, including organizations like Fresh Films, which both trains young filmmakers across the U.S. and offers insight into how the sausage gets made via a digital content series featuring conversations between Paramount employees and aspiring filmmakers.
Similar to Paramount, Disney is fostering talent in places the film industry hasn’t previously always thought to look. The studio launched its Stories X Women program last year, working with six delegations of animated filmmakers from the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America to get pitch-ready for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the world’s largest animation festival. The goal was to help women storytellers develop their content, offer them access to the festival’s networking opportunities, and ultimately, move the entire industry forward in terms of creating more equal opportunities to develop and produce animated work and reap the rewards of fulfilling careers in the field.
And, of course, change always begins at home. MTVE, a Paramount property, developed a so-called Culture Orientation workshop to help employees look at representation in pop culture, get insights from the creators of the industry’s more groundbreaking content, and offer access to guides from best-in-class experts and other useful resources. Beyond that, MTVE’s ongoing Culture Orientation emphasizes respect, mutual understanding, and a corporate culture that’s able and willing to evolve. Paramount now plans to expand the program across its brands beginning this year, the first but surely not the last of the MPA’s studios to foster such a change.
It’s now a tired joke that the world has become a Black Mirror episode, which made it almost redundant for series creator Charlie Brooker and his talented team to continue cranking out seasons laced with tech-dystopian vibes and gimlet-eyed critiques of the human animal. Well, thankfully, the sixth season is not only happening; we now have our first look, revealing a peek at how the Black Mirror team has absorbed our increasingly Black Mirror-like reality.
“You’ve been wondering” text during the new teaser accurately states. “You’ve been waiting.” Yes, and yes. We have been both of these things. We get glimpses of season six’s cast, including Aaron Paul, Zazie Beetz, and more. Then the trailer gets dark—this is Black Mirror, after all—and fresh text tells us, “You’ve been warned.” Violence ensues. Madness. Glimpses of the always insanely talented Black Mirror cast, which also includes Salma Hayek (!) and Kate Mara, play over appropriately gorgeous/creepy music.
There’s a good argument to be made that Black Mirror is one of, if not the best, anthology series ever made. That the seasons are often separated by so much time might frustrate some, but it irrefutably adds even more intrigue to a show that has consistently, creepily, seemed to presage what’s coming right around the bend of our berserk reality. At long last, Black Mirror is back, but one might suggest that in reality, Black Mirror has neve left.
Joining the aforementioned stars in the cast are Anjana Vasan, Annie Murphy, Auden Thornton, Ben Barnes, Clara Rugaard, Daniel Portman, Danny Ramirez, Himesh Patel, John Hannah, Josh Hartnett, Michael Cera, Monica Dolan, Myha’la Herrold, Paapa Essiedu, Rob Delaney, Rory Culkin, and Samuel Blenkin.
Check out the teaser below. Black Mirror returns in June:
For more on big titles on Netflix, check these out:
In 1940, the U.S. still maintained an official stance of neutrality in World War II. Across the Atlantic, however, relief organizations were already on the ground, working their influence at local embassies and trying to convince the American government to grant entry visas to refugees. Netflix’s new limited series, Transatlantic, is based on the efforts and exploits of two such Americans at the helm of the Emergency Rescue Committee, journalist Varian Fry (Cory Michael Smith) and socialite Mary Jayne Gold (Gillian Jacobs).
Fry was a well-connected intellectual. Gold was a wealthy ex-Chicago émigré whose considerable family funds made the organization’s work possible. Written by Anna Winger (Unorthodox, Deutschland 83/86/89), Transatlantic gathers Surrealist movement luminaries as well intellectuals like Hannah Arendt under the Marseille sun as Fry, Gold, and their colleagues hide a who’s-who refugee list (Max Ernst, Andre Breton) in a borrowed villa. Helming costume design for the series is Justine Seymour (Unorthodox, The Mosquito Coast), whose work spans decades, artistic movements, and multiple income brackets, as the ERC fields requests from non-famous refugees, gets involved in a British POW rescue mission, and is paid a visit by Peggy Guggenheim (Jodhi May).
Seymour hand-sewed certain looks, like an Elsa Schiaparelli-inspired brassiere worn by Mary Jayne Gold, and used weekend downtime to develop the series’ “money shot,” a party at the villa hideout in which the house’s illustrious denizens take a night to let off steam. Delving into Surrealist art and inspiration, the designer plotted looks for each character, ranging from buttoned-up Fry (refused to do more than remove his jacket) to Peggy Guggenheim (required a dress hand-made entirely out of gloves and a feather corset in order to match Max Ernst’s “desire to be a loplop bird, which was one of his things.”) For Peggy, Seymour even asked showrunner Winger to shoot a scene outside the script, of a cook plucking a chicken, in order to justify the socialite art collector’s feathery look.
L-r: Alexander Fehling is Max Ernst and Jodhi May is Peggy Guggenheim in “Transatlantic.” Courtesy Anika Molnar/Netflix.
But one night of Surrealist-inflected revelry aside, most of the ERC’s work was dead serious, and for Seymour, that meant outfitting revolutionaries and refugees alongside socialites and diplomats. We spoke with the costume designer about assigning looks from different decades to the show’s characters, finding inspiration in the golden age of Hollywood, and working Surrealist references into unexpected details.
Approaching a year like 1940, do you look to the early part of that decade, or more so earlier?
Definitely earlier. I always think that people have a wardrobe, they have a closet, and that’s what I try and bring to a television show. I think, what would someone realistically have in their closet? Luckily for me, Varian Fry had written quite a detailed account of his time in Marseille, which included the contents of his suitcase which he’d brought over from New York. He was a Brooks Brothers man, so I knew that slim cut, clean lines, and not too much fuss was going to be his look. And for all the refugees, I even looked at the late 20s. They were poorer. I didn’t go for those shapes for the dresses from the late 20s, but if there was a coat that had a collar that was relevant in 1928, I would have maybe used that on an older lady. All of the costumes for the extras were done top to toe, and every single one I checked and made sure I was happy with.
And among these characters, Mary Jayne Gold really stands out.
With Mary Jayne, of course, she had her finger on the pulse and had the money to go shop in Paris, so I made her much more contemporary. While I was doing my research, I was looking for fashion designers of the time, but really where people were getting their inspiration was from the golden age of cinema in Hollywood. You know that old saying that Oscar Wilde has, which was that life reflects art much more often than art reflects life? I think at that time, that was 100% true. People were watching films and then going home and making the dresses. That led me to watch quite a few films and think about what Mary Jayne might have had at the time. Also, Gillian Jacobs had really enjoyed the work of an actress called Irene Dunn, so she was one of my inspirational people to watch and just see how she wore her clothes, then try to emulate it for Mary Jayne.
We even learn who Mary Jayne Gold is through a fashion moment when she trades dresses with Ursula, who’s desperate and mid-flight. How did you plan the design for that scene?
That’s her opening dress. I knew she was going to be walking across the piazza to get to the restaurant, and then she has quite an important conversation with Patterson. I wanted the color palette to really stick out and really bounce. And I wanted to introduce her personality as not only cheeky but happy to go to any means to get what she felt was right. She was a moral woman for the greater good, and I really wanted her to shine. And what better to shine than yellow or gold? I also played a lot with gold to have that link between her name and the palette. And then once Ursula [is in the dress], it goes on a huge journey, so we had to have five repeats for her. Of course, all of that had to be orchestrated. That was the very first dress I started creating with my tailor, and I found the fabric in Marseille, actually. On the way down from Paris, I got off the train and found this fantastic fabric shop and just bought a huge piece of lace I really liked, and I actually ended up cutting it up and creating all the detail on the dress.
From there, Mary Jayne remains the show’s fashion linchpin. Did you start with her and work outward?
I always treat creating a palette like a jigsaw. The number one actor is who I build the jigsaw around. I did a lot of research into her actual wardrobe and any pictures I could find of her. She’d come across as a very free spirit, but of course, she had loads of money, and her favorite designer was Schiaparelli. So I used Maison Schiaparelli as a base for her wardrobe, and I put lots of little clues in there that lead into the Surrealist world. Schiaparelli was collaborating with Dali at the time, and they were friends. I went to all the amazing costume houses in France, and we were pulling anything I really liked that I thought might work for the character. Then I went to all the beautiful antique markets in freezing cold December and dragged up through all those beautiful pieces some amazing treasures that were as cheap as ten euros and then became quite ridiculously expensive, which of course I didn’t buy. My favorite thing is to go to the flea markets and antique markets. They’re all quite curated. They know what the value of the piece is, but there were still some treasures I found that were cheap and cheerful.
Did any of those pieces make it into the final cut?
What happened in the 30s and as the war took over was that rather than people going and buying new clothes, they accessorized a lot more. They would use lots of brooches and just add to whatever they had. So [the finds] are littered throughout. I put them on hats. There’s a scene where Mary Jayne first meets Margaux, and she’s got this insane hat I’d made, and it’s got a beautiful yellow thing on the side — it’s actually half a belt buckle.
That scene is emblematic — these two strong women meet to discuss something of dire importance while wearing these fabulous outfits.
That was the whole idea, actually. The Margaux character was based on Josephine Baker. She was the spy in plain sight. A famous, beautiful Black lady waltzing around Europe, collecting information — who would ever have thought? I went all out to make her look like this sort of powerhouse of not only beauty and elegance but intelligence and determination. And she’s a little cut-throat, to be honest. It was all for the cause, not for the individual.
Courtesy Justine Seymour/Netflix.
For more on big titles on Netflix, check these out:
Warner Bros. has had a very eventful time in Las Vegas at CinemaCon, the annual gathering of theater owners. Their presentation included screening The Flash in its entirety (to delighted, stunned reactions), a glimpse of their upcoming film Wonka, and, the focus of this piece, the first look at Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming Dune: Part Two.
The new trailer revealed Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides has matured into the Muad’Dib, prophet of the Fremen, the desert-dwelling people he turned to at the end of Dune after his father had been assassinated, and nearly all of House Atreides had been destroyed. Chalamet was on hand at CinemaCon to reveal the trailer, telling the audience that in the first film, “Paul Atreides is a student,” whereas, in Part Two, we see Paul become a leader.
Becoming a leader to the Fremen includes an incredible feat of courage and confidence; the trailer reveals Paul riding one of the colossal sandworms that dominate life on the planet Arrakis. When we last left Paul, he and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), had barely survived the surprise attack issued by the Emperor and carried out by House Harkonnen. Villeneuve and his writing partner,Jon Spaihts, made the masterful decision to break Frank Herbert’s iconic 1965 tome into two parts, with part one ending just after Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård)’s attack on House Atreides, which sent Paul and Lady Jessica into Arrakis’s vast desert, where, thanks to help of the Fremen Chani (Zendaya), and Paul’s ability to prove his worth in hand-to-hand combat, the Fremen took them in.
The new trailer revealed changes, both emotional and physical, to Paul, whose eyes have gone icy blue, the same as the rest of the Fremen due to constant exposure to Spice, the psychoactive substance that has made Arrakis the most valuable and fought over planet in the universe. Zendaya’s Chani will have a much bigger role to play in Part Two, and she was also on hand in Las Vegas, where she said that the relationship between Chani and Paul, despite the galactic context, was still about something very fundamental: “These are still just two young people who are trying to grow up and fall in love and live.”
Returning players from the first Dune include Josh Brolin’s Gurney Halleck (an ally to Paul and Lady Jessica), Dave Bautista’s Glossu Rabban Harkonnen and Stellan Skarsgård’s Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (major villains), and Javier Bardem’s Stilgar, a leader of the Fremen.
Part Two also boasts new faces, as Villeneuve will introduce all those crucial characters that he left out of Part One, including Léa Seydoux’s Lady Margot, Florence Pugh’s Princess Irulan Corrino, Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, and Christopher Walken’s Emperor Shaddam IV.
Villeneuve shot all of Part Two using IMAX cameras, and he even said 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.
For more on Dune: Part Two, check out these stories:
Featured image: Caption: TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET as Paul Atreides in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “DUNE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures
Yesterday at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Warner Bros. screened director Andy Muschietti’s The Flash for theater owners and assorted media, and the first reactions are overwhelmingly positive. In an echo of Paramount’s screening of Top Gun: Maverick last year, which blew the audiences away, The Flash is now speeding towards one of the best critical receptions in the history of DC Studios.
As the new trailer revealed, The Flash makes the most of Michael Keaton’s return as Batman, the first time he’s slipped on the Batsuit since 1992’s Batman Returns. The reason for Keaton’s return as Batman has to do with Barry Allen (Ezra Miller)’s desperate attempt to solve a problem Bruce Wayne never could—he wants to bring back the parents that he lost. Barry actually has a way he can make this a reality; by speeding back through time to change past events.
The Flash then explores one of the most fundamental maxims in all time-travel stories, from Back to the Future to Avengers: Endgame; you can’t change the past without altering the future. The alternate reality that Barry ends up in after meddling with time includes none other than General Zod (Michael Shannon), who is not only still alive (in this reality, Superman apparently didn’t kill him in Zack Snyder’s 2013 film Man of Steel), but he’s going plans to destroy the entire world. And unlike in other timelines in other universes where Zod would have to face the likes of a Superman or Wonder Woman, on this timeline, there are no metahumans, and this is what forces Barry to recruit Keaton’s older, very retired Batman to help him save the world. Luckily they’ll get major help from a very special someone—Sasah Calle’s Supergirl.
Joining Miller, Keaton, Shannon, and Calle are Ben Affleck (as the Batman of his universe), Ron Livingston as Barry’s father, Henry Allen, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, and Antje Traue as Faora-Ui.
Let’s take a quick peek at those early reactions from CinemaCon. The Flash speeds into theaters on June 16:
Just out of #TheFlash at CinemaCon. Believe the hype folks – truly one of the great superhero movies. Ezra Miller (x2), Sasha Calle and MICHAEL KEATON. It’s pretty perfect and one of the best films of this type you could ever hope to see.
THE FLASH is awesome! One of the very best DC movies, a perfect blend of action, heart & humor! So many WOW & chill-inducing moments that longtime DC fans will love! EZRA MILLER is superb (twice, actually!) & MICHAEL KEATON’s still got it! #TheFLASH#BATMAN#CinemaConpic.twitter.com/mYJrz7YUZG
The Flash is hands down one of the best superhero films of all time. No joke, The Flash is the ultimate movie going experience as it has a little bit of everything! Action, emotion, heart, humor and plenty of nostalgia. Ezra Miller is phenomenal as dual Barry Allens. Michael… pic.twitter.com/F7SHA30vZM
Yup. #TheFlash is as good as rumored. It’s Back to the Future meets Spider-Man: No Way Home with all the humor & heart of the former and action and surprises of the latter. If anything, it might be a tad too ambitious but it’s also just incredibly satisfying, heartwarming & fun. pic.twitter.com/Yysb9mjiAm
Damn, #TheFlash is good! It’s super inventive both visually and in concept. The dynamic of two Barry Allen’s is crazy well done.
Emotions hit me intensely hard, solid surprises, and it got me wanting to watch again and really eager to see how they follow it. Well done. pic.twitter.com/7QqiHVNAJy
I don’t know what to say other than #TheFlash delivered more than I could have hoped. The acting is beyond great. Keaton delivers everything you want. Supergirl is my new favorite superhero? I’m genuinely shocked this movie meets and surpasses the hype. I never expected that. pic.twitter.com/PcmpJ2juZ6
Just watched #TheFlash at CinemaCon. It has some stuff in it you will not believe and it showcases much more of Barry Allen’s powers. It is indeed one of DC’s best and fits nicely as a bridge story between the old and new DCEU franchises. It’s also the funniest DC movie. pic.twitter.com/uDepMKVVG1
DC’s #TheFlash is TREMENDOUS! Forget DC, it is without a doubt among the best superhero films ever made. An all-timer. Inventive storytelling, FANTASTIC action sequences, great cast. SO MANY nerdy details. I’m in tears at the end. Everything you want from a superhero film & more pic.twitter.com/xYSn0zuXMm
THE FLASH: far more madcap than I expected. Really nailed what reading a 5-issue crossover comic book is like. Tons of Ezra Miller being zany and time paradox stuff. Nerds will lose their minds at the ending. And beginning and middle. Comics!
#TheFlash is fantastic. I know Ezra Miller has made a lot of mistakes but they are soooooo good in this movie. Loved Keaton, the action, humor and emotion. Andy Muschietti has crafted something special. Thumbs way up.
Nostalgic. HILARIOUS. With tons of heart and two outstanding performances by Ezra Miller. I honestly can’t believe #TheFlash actually exists. It’s magical. It presses every button. I’ll see it 1,000 times. pic.twitter.com/hhT6dXz6PO
Warner Bros. is set to screen director Andy Muschietti’s The Flash for theater owners at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, and now we’ve got a brand new trailer to feast on. How excited are the folks at Warner Bros. and DC Studios about this film? Put it this way—the last film to screen in its entirety at CinemaCon was Top Gun: Maverick because Paramount Pictures knew they had the goods. These are the same vibes we’re getting from The Flash, which not only Maverick star Tom Cruise loved but so, too, does DC Studios’ new co-chief, James Gunn, who called it one of the best superhero movies he’s ever seen.
The new trailer really fronts Michael Keaton’s Batman, the first time Keaton has slipped on the Batsuit since 1992’s Batman Returns. The how and why of Keaton’s return as Batman has to do with Barry Allen (Ezra Miller)’s desperate attempt to solve a problem Bruce Wayne never could—bring back his parents. Like Bruce, Barry lost his parents, but unlike Bruce, he can actually resurrect them by speeding back through time to change past events.
But as we’ve learned in every time travel film, from Back to the Future to Avengers: Endgame, you can’t change the past without altering the future. Thus, Barry gets trapped in an alternate reality where General Zod (Michael Shannon) is not only still alive (Superman killed him in Zack Snyder’s 2013 film Man of Steel—but that was in a different universe), but he’s prepared to annihilate the world. And Zod’s got a real good shot at making this happen because, in this universe, there are no metahumans (no Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, etcetera), which is what forces Barry to recruit Keaton’s older, very retired Batman to help him save the world. Batman is, of course, not a metahuman but rather a very rich, very committed, all-too-human vigilante. Luckily they’ll get major help from a very special someone—Sasah Calle’s Supergirl.
The new trailer boasts a ton of brand-new footage, and it’s very, very easy to see why everyone involved with this film, and those who are just super famous fans and were able to screen the film early, are so excited.
Joining Miller, Keaton, Shannon, and Calle are Ben Affleck (as the Batman of his universe), Ron Livingston as Barry’s father, Henry Allen, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, and Antje Traue as Faora-Ui.
Check out the trailer below. The Flash speeds into theaters on June 16:
Harry Belafonte, an EGOT winner and civil rights trailblazer, has died at 96 at his home in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, his spokesman Ken Sunshine revealed to multiple outlets. His wife Pamela was by his side.
Belafonte, the Caribbean-American superstar whose “Day-O” gave Calypso music its first national smash hit, was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in November 2014 for his momentous impact. His music was a brilliant blend of traditional West Indian rhythms, jazz, and pop, which he explored over 30 albums, ultimately receiving a Lifetime Achievement Grammy from the Recording Academy in 2000. “Day-O” came from his 1956 album Calypso, which sat atop the Billboard pop list for 31 weeks. Calypso was the first LP to sell 1 million copies.
The legend’s skills were hardly limited to music; on the big screen, he was the rare Black matinee idol in the 1950s. He starred in 1957’s Island in the Sun, playing a politician named David Boyeur who was being pursued by a rich white woman, Mavis Norman, played by Joan Fontaine, something that had never happened in film before. Island in the Sun was controversial at the time—and it was also a big box-office success. Belafonte became the first Black actor to become a leading man and achieve major success in Hollywood. In 1959 alone, he financed and starred in two movies, Robert Wise’s Odds Against Tomorrow and director Ranald MacDougall’s The World, the Flesh, and the Devil. Eventually, his rival (and friend) Sidney Poitier would become an even bigger star.
As Belafonte’s historic success across the music and film industries grew, it was his work as an activist that drove him. He was a major force during the 1950s Civil Rights movement, becoming a lifelong friend and supporter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., providing seed money for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, becoming a major fundraiser not only for the SNCC but also Dr. King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Belafonte paid Dr. King’s bail bill, along with other Civil Rights activists, and joined Dr. King and millions of others in the March on Washington in 1963.
Belafonte was a major force for the nonprofit organization USA for Africa, which led to the mega-hit single “We Are the World,” sung by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, and more. Belafonte was the brains behind the 1986 human-chain campaign Hands Across America, which raised money for the poor in the United States. He was active in fighting to end apartheid in South Africa and helping to get Nelson Mandela released from prison. His passions and achievements go on. And on.
Needless to say, Harry Belafonte lived a singular, monumentally impactful life. During his acceptance speech for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, Belafonte summed up his efforts in his typical elegant, brilliant fashion:
“Tonight is no casual encounter for me. Along with the trophy of honor, there is another layer that gives this journey this kind of wonderful Hollywood ending. To be rewarded by my peers for my work for human rights and civil rights and for peace — well, let me put this way: It powerfully mutes the enemy’s thunder.”
Featured image: Harry Belafonte onstage during the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences’ 2014 Governors Awards at The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center on November 8, 2014 in Hollywood, California.
That’s to be expected considering the type of life McCall (Denzel Washington) led before he retired—the man was a government assassin, after all—which is why he devoted himself to meting out justice for those who would otherwise never get it. In the first trailer for The Equalizer 3, we find McCall’s new life in Southern Italy upended by a pesky little problem—the mafia. Yet knowing McCall, the problem will likely be theirs.
Washington and director Antoine Fuqua re-team for the third time on this franchise, building upon their long, fruitful collaboration. The two have made a terrific pair since 2001’s Training Day (Denzel won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance), and with The Equalizer 3, they’ll be closing this particular chapter of their work together. The first Equalizer arrived in 2014 and has since seen both Fuqua’s 2018 sequel and a television series starring Queen Latifah, in which she plays Robin McCall.
The Equalizer 3 trailer—red band, so it’s raunchy—finds McCall believing he’s finally found a home, and some peace, in Southern Italy. But trouble has a way of finding McCall, and the man cannot but help meet it head-on. When the mafia starts messing with McCall’s new friends, he makes the fateful decision to take them on himself.
Joining Washington in the cast are Dakota Fanning, David Denman, Sonia Ammar, Eugenio Mastrandrea, Gaia Scodellaro, and Remo Girone.
Check out the trailer below. The Equalizer 3 hits theaters this fall:
For more upcoming films from Sony Pictures, check out these stories:
Featured image: Amalfi Coast, Italy – OCTOBER 19, 2022: Columbia Pictures and Escape Artists commence filming on THE EQUALIZER 3 – the third Robert McCall action thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by Richard Wenk, based on the television series created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim. PICTURED: (L to R) Director Antoine Fuqua, Denzel Washington. Photo by: Stefano Cristiiano Montesi
Things are heating up in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. At CinemaCon in Las Vegas, the annual gathering of theater owners, the studio unveiled the first look at their bloody, R-rated feature Kraven the Hunter, a new film starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the iconic Spider-Man villain. Then, they gave theater owners an even meatier look at another of their Spidey properties, the hotly anticipated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the sequel to their Oscar-winning 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
The footage totaled 14 minutes of the upcoming film (which is not yet done), revealing the ongoing adventures of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), Brooklyn’s one and only Spider-Man, as he learns about an elite crew of the best Spider-People, led by founder Miguel O’Hara (voiced by Oscar Isaac), also known as Spider-Man 2099. The problems multiply along with the Spider-People that Miles encounters, and although he’s got allies like Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) and Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), not everyone in Across the Spider-Verse will be rooting for him. Fresh faces include Issa Rae as Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman, Daniel Kaluuya as Hobart ‘Hobie’ Brown/Spider-Punk, Jason Schwartzman as Spot, Jorma Taccone as Adrian Toomes/The Vulture, and Karan Soni as Spider-Man India.
Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Issa Rae, and Kemp Powers, one of the film’s three directors, were on hand in Vegas to introduce the film. The footage included a look at the visit Miles gets in his bedroom by Gwen, who lures him out for a web-swinging jaunt above Brooklyn. They’re eventually stopped by Miles’ parents, and Miles has a touching heart-to-heart with his mom, Rio (voiced by Luna Lauren Velez).
Powers, who wrote Regina King’s excellent 2020 film One Night In Miami and co-directed Pixar’s Soul, said the sequel will continue Miles’ emotional journey as he matures, both as a young man and as Spider-Man. Powers directs alongside Joachim Dos Santos and Justin K. Thompson. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller return as producers and as writers, co-writing alongside David Callaham.
“It’s been over a year since the events of the first movie, and he’s still trying to learn to be a superhero,” Moore said of Miles Morales. He also offered a line that sounds ready for prime time (perhaps it’s straight from the movie); “How you wear the mask is what makes you a hero.”
Across the Spider-Verse is the second film in the planned trilogy, with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse set for a March 29, 2024 release.
For more upcoming films from Sony Pictures, check out these stories:
Sony Pictures revealed the first peek at Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Kraven the Hunter at their CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas for theater owners. Taylor-Johnson introduced the first look himself via video, including the fact that Kraven will be the first R-rated feature that Sony has produced for their Marvel properties.
The film comes from director J.C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year, Triple Frontier), based on a script by Matt Holloway, Art Marcum, and Richard Wenk.
The footage revealed Kraven releasing his inner beast on a caravan of poachers, even biting off a chunk of one of them. The sneak peek also unveiled another classic Spidey villain, the Rhino, to be played here by Alessandro Nivola (Paul Giamatti played the Rhino in 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2). Nivola spoke about the mystery role (until now) to The Hollywood Reporterlast year:
“I only transform, physically, in the final moments of the movie, so it’s just a classic villain role,” Nivola said. “It had a really interesting, complex psychology and personal history to draw on, and the movie has a time jump in it, so the character changes a lot from the way he is in the beginning of the film. It was as much of an acting opportunity as any other film I’ve done.”
Kraven the Hunter was created by Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko back in 1964, first appearing that year in “The Amazing Spider-Man No. 15.” Kraven is a big game hunter who famously, in an iconic storyline in 1980’s “Kraven’s Last Hunt,” buried Spider-Man alive and assumed his identity. When Sony announced that Taylor-Johnson would be playing the Spider-Man villain, they made it a point to reveal the deal was for multiple films. It won’t be the first time Taylor-Johnson has had a role in a Marvel movie—he played Quicksilver in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron—but this will be his first starring role in a Sony/Marvel film. He was dynamite acting across Brian Tyree Henry and Brad Pitt in David Leitch’s 2022 action thriller Bullet Train.
Kraven the Hunter will join Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Morbius as the fourth film featuring a Spider-Man villain in Sony’s growing Spider-Man Universe. The third Venom film and a new feature, Madame Web, are on the way as well.
Taylor-Johnson and Nivola are joined by Ariana DeBose, Russell Crowe, Christopher Abbott, and Fred Hechinger. Kraven the Hunter is set to hit theaters on October 6.
For more upcoming films from Sony Pictures, check out these stories:
Featured image: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 01: Aaron Taylor-Johnson attends the Los Angeles premiere of Columbia Pictures’ “Bullet Train” at Regency Village Theatre on August 01, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
