Golden Globes Highlights: From Angela Bassett to “The Fabelmans” to “The White Lotus”

Posted on by babrams

The 80th Golden Globes have come and gone, but we’re here to give you the highlights and the full list of winners.

Steven Spielberg came home with two major awards for his auto-biographical feature The Fabelmans—the globe for Best Picture, Drama, and Best Director. Spielberg’s win for Best Picture bested the likes of James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water and Todd Field’s Tár, while his globe for directing gave him the edge over Cameron, Everything Everywhere All At Once directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, and The Banshees of Inisherin director Martin McDonagh.

Don’t feel too bad for McDonagh—he still had a fantastic night. He also took home two awards, with his richly realized dark comedy The Banshees of Inisherin winning for Best Picture, Musical or Comedy, and McDonagh winning Best Screenplay.

Netflix scored big with Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio winning Best Motion Picture, Animated.

Austin Butler took home the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture for his soulful work in Elvis, while Michelle Yeoh gave a spirited acceptance speech for her win for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Everything Everywhere All At Once. 

Angela Bassett gave one of the most moving speeches for the night when she won Best Supporting Actress for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Speaking about losing Chadwick Boseman, the star of Black Panther, in August of 2020, Bassett said, “We mourned, we loved, we healed, and we were surrounded each and every day by the light and the spirit of Chadwick Boseman.”

Meanwhile, on the TV side of the ledger, Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson had a big night, winning both Best Television Series, Musical, or Comedy and Best Actress in a TV Musical or Comedy. Mike White, the creator of HBO’s The White Lotus, enjoyed a big win for Best Limited Series, while one of his stars, Jennifer Coolidge, took home the Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Limited Series.

HBO also scored big with House of the Dragon, which won Best Television Series, Drama, while Zendaya won Best Performance by An Actress in a Television Series, Drama, for HBO’s Euphoria. Kevin Costner won the Best Actor award for Paramount’s juggernaut western Yellowstone.

For the full list of winners, see below:

Best Picture, Drama

“Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios) 

“Elvis” (Warner Bros.) 

“The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures) (WINNER)

“Tár” (Focus Features) 

“Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures)

Best Picture, Musical or Comedy

“Babylon” (Paramount Pictures) 

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures) (WINNER)

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24) 

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix) 

“Triangle of Sadness” (Neon) 

Best Director, Motion Picture

James Cameron (“Avatar: The Way of Water”) 

Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

Baz Luhrmann (“Elvis”) 

Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) (WINNER)

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture

“Tár” (Focus Features) — Todd Field 

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24) — Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert 

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures) — Martin McDonagh (WINNER)

“Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) — Sarah Polley 

“The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures) — Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

Austin Butler (“Elvis”) (WINNER)

Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) 

Hugh Jackman (“The Son”)

Bill Nighy (“Living”) 

Jeremy Pope (“The Inspection”) 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

Cate Blanchett (“Tár”) (WINNER)

Olivia Colman (“Empire of Light”) 

Viola Davis (“The Woman King”) 

Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) 

Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”)  

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Lesley Manville (“Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris”) 

Margot Robbie (“Babylon”) 

Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Menu”) 

Emma Thompson (“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”) 

Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) (WINNER)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Diego Calva (“Babylon”) 

Daniel Craig (“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”)

Adam Driver (“White Noise”) 

Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) (WINNER)

Ralph Fiennes (“The Menu”) 

Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture

Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Brad Pitt (“Babylon”)

Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) WINNER

Eddie Redmayne (“The Good Nurse”)

Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture

Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) WINNER

Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

Dolly De Leon (“Triangle of Sadness”)

Carey Mulligan (“She Said”)

Best Television Series, Drama

“Better Call Saul” (AMC) 

“The Crown” (Netflix) 

“House of the Dragon” (HBO) (WINNER)

“Ozark” (Netflix) 

“Severance” (Apple TV+) 

Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy

“Abbott Elementary” (ABC) (WINNER)

“The Bear” (FX)

“Hacks” (HBO Max)

“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu) 

“Wednesday” (Netflix) 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama

Jeff Bridges (“The Old Man”) 

Kevin Costner (“Yellowstone”) (WINNER)

Diego Luna (“Andor”)

Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)

Adam Scott (“Severance”)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama

Emma D’Arcy (“House of the Dragon”) 

Laura Linney (“Ozark”) 

Imelda Staunton (“The Crown”)

Hilary Swank (“Alaska Daily”)

Zendaya (“Euphoria”) (WINNER)

Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy

Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”) (WINNER)

Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”) 

Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”) 

Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”) 

Jean Smart (“Hacks”) 

Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy

Donald Glover (“Atlanta”) 

Bill Hader (“Barry”) 

Steve Martin (“Only Murders in the Building”) 

Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”) 

Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”) (WINNER)

Best Supporting Actor, Television

John Lithgow (“The Old Man”) 

Jonathan Pryce (“The Crown”) 

John Turturro (“Severance”) 

Tyler James Williams (“Abbott Elementary”) WINNER

Henry Winkler (“Barry”)

Best Supporting Actress, Television

Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”) 

Hannah Einbinder (“Hacks”) 

Julia Garner (“Ozark”) (WINNER)

Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”) 

Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”) 

Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television

“Black Bird” (Apple TV+) 

“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (Netflix) 

“The Dropout” (Hulu) 

“Pam & Tommy” (Hulu) 

“The White Lotus” (HBO) (WINNER)

Best Performance by an Actor, Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture made for Television

Taron Egerton (“Black Bird”) 

Colin Firth (“The Staircase”) 

Andrew Garfield (“Under the Banner of Heaven”) 

Evan Peters (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) (WINNER)

Sebastian Stan (“Pam & Tommy”) 

Best Performance by an Actress, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television

Jessica Chastain (“George and Tammy”) 

Julia Garner (“Inventing Anna”) 

Lily James (“Pam & Tommy”) 

Julia Roberts (“Gaslit”) 

Amanda Seyfried (“The Dropout”) (WINNER)

Best Performance by an Actress in Supporting Role, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television

Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”) (WINNER)

Claire Danes (“Fleishman Is in Trouble”) 

Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Under the Banner of Heaven”) 

Niecy Nash-Betts (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) 

Aubrey Plaza (“The White Lotus”) 

Best Performance by an Actor in Supporting Role, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television

F. Murray Abraham (“The White Lotus”) 

Domhnall Gleeson (“The Patient”) 

Paul Walter Hauser (“Black Bird”) (WINNER)

Richard Jenkins (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) 

Seth Rogen (“Pam & Tommy”) 

Best Original Score, Motion Picture

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures) — Carter Burwell

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix) — Alexandre Desplat 

“Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) — Hildur Guðnadóttir 

“Babylon” (Paramount Pictures) — Justin Hurwitz (WINNER)

“The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures) — John Williams  

Best Picture, Non-English Language

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany) 

“Argentina, 1985” (Argentina) (WINNER)

“Close” (Belgium) 

“Decision to Leave” (South Korea) 

“RRR” (India) 

Best Original Song, Motion Picture

“Carolina” from “Where the Crawdads Sing” (Sony Pictures) — Taylor Swift 

“Ciao Papa” from “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix) — Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo del Toro 

“Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures) — Lady Gaga, BloodPop, Benjamin Rice

“Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Marvel Studios) — Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler 

“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” (Variance Films) — Kala Bhairava, M. M. Keeravani, Rahul Sipligunj (WINNER)

Best Motion Picture, Animated

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” (Netflix) (WINNER)

“Inu-Oh” (GKIDS) 

“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” (A24) 

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” (DreamWorks Animation) 

“Turning Red” (Pixar) 

Featured image: BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 10: Angela Bassett, winner of the Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture award for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” poses in the press room during the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 10, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

Reviews for HBO’s “The Last Of Us” Call it an Astonishing Adaptation on Every Level

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Last week, we wrote a bit about HBO’s upcoming The Last Of Us, their most ambitious new series of 2023. There has been a slow, steady drumbeat of excitement about the new show as we’ve neared its January 15 premiere date, and now, the reviews suggest the excitement was warranted. The folks who have now seen the show are calling it a phenomenal, gripping drama and possibly the best video game adaptation of all time. Not a bad way to start the year if you’re HBO.

The Last Of Us comes from Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the creator of the original game for video game company Naughty Dog. The series, which hews closely to the video game (but takes departures where necessary), is set 20 years after the fall of modern civilization, after a devastating parasitic fungal infection that essentially zombifies human beings. The series follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) after he’s tasked with moving some precious cargo out of the Quarantine Zone. That cargo goes by the name Ellie (Bella Ramsey), and their perilous journey makes up the thrust of the first season.

The game was beloved for being unlike any of its kind—a thoughtful, relationship-focused, human-level glimpse at two characters trying to survive an unthinkable nightmare. Instead of boss-level bad guys to fight, an endless stream of increasingly high-tech weapons, and a Resident Evil-like body count, the game is a slow-burn, an emotional, psychological epic as much as it is a zombie story. Mazin and Drukcmann’s adaptation sounds like an absolute dream for HBO, harnessing what makes the game so compelling yet also delivering a rich viewing experience for people who have never played the game, let alone heard of it. The Last Of us currently sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics marveling at the depth of the storytelling, the absorbing and terrifying postapocalyptic aesthetic, and the performances, led by Pascal and Rasmey

Check out what some of the critics are saying below. The Last Of Us arrives on HBO on January 15.

For more on The Last Of Us, check out these stories:

This “The Last of Us” Set Visit Reveals a Peek at HBO’s Biggest Swing in 2023

HBO’s “The Last Of Us” Looks to Become a Truly Great Video Game Adaptation

HBO Max Releases Long-Awaited & Decidedly Creepy Teaser Trailer for “The Last of Us”

HBO Reveals First Look at “The Last of Us”

Featured image: Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal in “The Last Of Us.” Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO

New “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” Photos Reveal the MCU’s New Boss Villain & More

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In the new trailer for director Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the stakes of the MCU’s first Phase 5 film are clear. On the hand, you’ve got the Lang/Van Dyne/Pym family, consisting of Scott (Paul Rudd) and Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). As the film opens, things for this super-family are going pretty well—Scott had a new book coming out, and their found-family unit is happy, healthy, and intact. That is until they’re beckoned to the Quantum Realm, where the MCU’s new Big Bad is waiting. That would be Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), who has an offer to make Scott—if Scott can help Kang, in return, Kang can give Scott back the years back that he lost with his daughter when he was stuck in the Quantum Realm, and she grew from a little girl to a young woman, assuming he was one of the people snapped out of existence by Thanos.

The trailer gave us a glimpse at just how bad things get when Kang doesn’t get what he wants. Quantumania will not only explore the strange creatures and people living down in the Quantum Realm, Kang’s domain, but also what happens when you pit an Avengers-level threat against a single family rather than the assembled Avengers. We know how important Jonathan Majors’ Kang will be going forward—the fourth Avengers movie is titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Now, having seen the new trailer and this cache of new images, we are getting the outlines of how Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will re-introduce Kang (he appeared at the of Loki on Disney+, albeit a different version of himself) and set up the stakes for Phase 5. Quantumania will stick close to the Lang/Van Dyne/Pym family, pit them against the most powerful villain since Thanos, and kickstart Phase 5 with a trippy, multidimensional sci-fi epic. We know Kang, or some version of him, must survive, so one of the burning questions going into Quantumania is how will the Lang/Van Dyne/Pym family survive, too?

Check out the new images below. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17:

(L-R): Kathryn Newton as Cassandra “Cassie” Lang and Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
(L-R): Kathryn Newton as Cassandra “Cassie” Lang, Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror, and Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
(L-R): Michelle Pfieffer as Janet van Dyne and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
(L-R): Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/Wasp and Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/Wasp in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
(L-R): Kathryn Newton as Cassandra “Cassie” Lang and Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2022 MARVEL.
(L-R): Kathryn Newton as Cassandra “Cassie” Lang and Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2022 MARVEL.
(L-R): Michael Douglas/Hank Pym, Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne, and Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne/Wasp in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2022 MARVEL.
Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
(L-R): Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Kathryn Newton as Cassandra “Cassie” Lang, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne/Wasp in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
(L-R): Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne/Wasp; Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne/Wasp in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne/Wasp in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
(L-R): Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Kathryn Newton as Cassandra “Cassie” Lang in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror in Marvel Studios' ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2022 MARVEL.
Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2022 MARVEL.
Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.

Featured image: Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” Trailer Unleashes Marvel’s New Big Bad

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The new trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania opens with one man reaching out across time and space (quantum space, in this case) to connect with another. “You’re an interesting man, Scott Lang,” a voice says at the trailer’s opening, listing some of the most salient facts of Scott Lang’s life; he’s an Avenger, he’s the father to a daughter, and, here’s the kicker, that Scott has lost a lot of time over the years (while half of the living universe was snapped out of existence by Thanos for five years, Scott Lang had been zipped up into the quantum realm). The unseen speaker then says that he, too, has lost a lot of time. “We could help each other with that,” the man says.

Scott finally meets this man face-to-face about 40 seconds into the new trailer, and we’re guessing you might have gleaned who he is. It’s Kang (Jonathan Majors), the MCU’s new big bad, but unlike the purple homicidal lunatic Thanos, Kang has more of a human touch. He offers Scott the thing he wants most in the world—time. The time he lost with his daughter when he left her as a little girl and came back to find a young woman. The problem, of course, is Kang isn’t going to just give Scott his time back for nothing, and considering we already know that an upcoming Avengers film is titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, we know he’s got big, bad plans for the universe at large.

“He can rewrite existence and shatter timelines,” Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) tells Scott.

“Let me make this easy for you,” Kang tells Scott, “you will bring me what I need, or everything you call life will end.”

By the trailer’s end, it becomes clear the understanding between Scott and Kang goes very, very wrong, and Scott may have to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep his daughter, and all their timelines, from being shattered.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be the more full-throated introduction of Kang as the dark, driving force in the MCU’s Phase 5. Quantumania will find Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton), Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Janet Van Dyne (Pfeiffer), and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) all heading into the Quantum Realm for an ultimate confrontation with Kang. We’ve already met a version of Kang towards the end of Marvel’s Disney+ series Loki when the Sacred Timeline was fractured into the multiverse of possibilities we’re now living in. In that Marvel series, Kang was playful but all-powerful. In Quantumania and Phase 5, he’ll be the gravest threat the varied superheroes have faced since Thanos.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also features Randall Park returning to the MCU as Jimmy Woo and newcomers to the universe William Jackson Harper and Bill Murray. Peyton Reed returns to direct.

Check out the new trailer below. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania arrives on February 17, 2023.

 

For more on all things Marvel Studios, check out these stories:

Hugh Jackman to Academy: Please Don’t Give Ryan Reynolds an Oscar Nom

Marvel’s Stan Lee Documentary Will Explore the Life & Legacy of a Legend

Hugh Jackman Dropped a Big Clue About How Wolverine Returns for “Deadpool 3”

Disney+ Trailer Teases Look at Marvel’s “Secret Invasion,” “Loki” Season 2 And More

Featured image: Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2022 MARVEL.

Hugh Jackman Will Train Hard For 6 Months To Return as Wolverine in “Deadpool 3”

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By now, you’ve heard that Hugh Jackman will be reprising his most iconic role as everybody’s favorite adamantium-clawed mutant Wolverine for Deadpool 3. After years of comical badgering from his former and future screen partner, Ryan Reynolds, Jackman finally found a way back to the character that he had said such a declarative goodbye to in James Mangold’s excellent 2017 film Logan, which found Jackman’s mutant laying down his life to save Laura (Dafne Keen), a young mutant made from Wolverine’s DNA.

Yet it takes more than some clever scripting to make it possible for Jackman’s Wolverine to appear in Deadpool 3—the actor needs to get into Wolverine-level shape. In an interview last week with CNN‘s Chris Wallace, Jackman discussed the physical requirements of returning to the role:

“I’ve learned you can’t rush it. I’ve learned that it takes time. So we have six months from when I finish to when I started filming. And I’m not doing any other work. I’m going to be with my family and train. That’s going to be my job for six months. And I’m really fit right now. There’s one thing that about eight shows a week being on Broadway singing and dancing is I’m fit. So I’m healthy. I have a good place to start. And apologies chickens. Run a mile. Start running now because I’m coming for you.”

As for what finally got Jackman to agree to return as Wolverine, it was the chance to see two classic comic book characters on screen together and explore a dynamic akin to one very classic movie of the 1980s:

“Because when I keep thinking of me and Ryan, of Deadpool and Wolverine, which are classic comic book rivals, there’s also a dynamic that I’ve never really got to do before as Wolverine. It keeps reminding me, do you remember that great Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy movie? ‘48 Hours. Remember that one? It reminds me of that, those two characters, you know, the fast mouse sort of wisecracking guy and the grizzled old sort of tough, you know, acerbic vinegary, you know, character me, and I just thought this is gonna be fun, something I’ve never done before. And I can’t wait.”

Neither can we. Deadpool 3 will be directed by Shawn Levy and is due to hit theaters on November 8, 2024.

For more on Jackman’s return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3, check out these stories:

Hugh Jackman to Academy: Please Don’t Give Ryan Reynolds an Oscar Nom

Hugh Jackman Dropped a Big Clue About How Wolverine Returns for “Deadpool 3”

How Ryan Reynolds Got Hugh Jackman to Return as Wolverine for “Deadpool 3”

Hugh Jackman Returning as Wolverine in “Deadpool 3”

Featured image: Featured image: Hugh Jackman in ‘Logan.’ Courtesy 20th Century Fox.

“Avatar: The Way of Water” Swims Past “Jurassic World” as Seventh-Highest Grossing Film Ever

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The alien wonders of Pandora have overtaken the Jurassic splendor (and dangers) of Isla Nublar. James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water has officially surpassed Jurassic World as the seventh-highest-grossing film in history. The Way of Water has now hauled in $1.708 billion globally, which moves it past Jurassic World‘s $1.67 billion.

Cameron’s epic—he’s got three more if he gets to tell the entire Pandora saga—has been in theaters for four weeks. It’s pulled in $517 million domestically and $1.19 billion overseas. Internationally, it stands as the fifth highest-grossing movie ever, behind Cameron’s own Avatar, Avengers: Endgame, Cameron’s own Titanic, and Avengers: Infinity War.

Avatar: The Way of Water also surpassed Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick to become the highest-grossing film of 2022 and is close to catching the highest-grossing film of the pandemic era, 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.91 billion). If The Way of Water continues apace, it seems likely it will pass the $2 billion mark, a massive achievement anytime, but especially in pandemic times. If it does so, it would be only the fifth movie to pass that mark, along with Cameron’s original Avatar ($2.9 billion), Avengers: Endgame ($2.79 billion), Titanic ($2.2 billion), Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2.069 billion), and Avengers: Infinity War ($2.04 billion).

With The Way of Water doing so well, it seems all but certain that Avatar 3, which Cameron has already shot, will be in theaters come Christmastime, 2024.

For more on Avatar: The Way of Water, check out these stories:

Why Every Digital Costume in “Avatar: The Way of Water” Really Exists

How “Avatar: The Way of Water” Visual Effects Wizards Conjured Underwater Magic

“Avatar: The Way of Water” Poised to Make Huge Splash This Weekend

James Cameron Says “Avatar 4” Script “Goes Nuts”

“Avatar: The Way of Water” First Reactions: A Stunning Visual Masterpiece

Featured image: (L-R): Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and a Tulkun in 20th Century Studios’ AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

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

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Despite the fact that Dune: Part Two wrapped filming in mid-December, co-writer/director Denis Villeneuve is still adding key people to the film. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that ace character actor Tim Blake Nelson has joined the cast for Villeneuve’s ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert’s legendary sci-fi saga.

Butler joins newcomers Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan Corrino, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, and Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV. The sequel will pick up where Dune left off, with Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) moving deeper into the Arrakis desert with the Fremen, led by Stilgar (Javier Bardem), and with Chani (Zendaya) taking on a much larger role, as they plot to strike back at House Harkonnen. 

Chalamet, Ferguson, Bardem, and Zendaya are joined by returning cast members Josh Brolin as Atreides ally Gurney Halleck, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban Harkonnen. 

It’s unclear who Nelson will be playing in the second film in Villeneuve’s two-part saga, but someone with the actor’s skill will certainly be put to use by Villeneuve in a meaningful capacity. Nelson most recently appeared in two Guillermo del Toro projects, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities as Nick Appleton, and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, where he voiced the Blacked Rabbit.

Dune: Part Two will hit theaters on November 3, 2023.

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

“Dune: Part Two” Wraps Filming

“Dune: Part Two” Will Arrive Two Weeks Early in April 2023

Léa Seydoux Will Play Lady Margot in “Dune: Part Two”

Florence Pugh Close to Joining “Dune: Part 2”

Featured image: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 01: Tim Blake Nelson attends “Nightmare Alley” World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on December 01, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Aubrey Plaza & Michael B. Jordan to Host “SNL” in January

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The holidays might be over, folks, but it’s still apparently a time of gifts.

Saturday Night Live has revealed that Aubrey Plaza and Michael B. Jordan will be hosting episodes this January. Plaza, fresh off starring in season 2 of HBO’s white-hot The White Lotus, will appear first on SNL‘s return on January 21, making her hosting debut. (Perhaps Chloe Fineman will revisit her portrayal of Plaza’s The White Lotus co-star, Jennifer Coolidge?) She’ll be joined by musical guest Sam Smith. This will be Smith’s third time performing on SNL.

Jordan will follow her on January 28, also making his SNL hosting debut, and right in time to promote Creed III, his directorial debut, which premieres on March 3. He’ll be joined by Lil Baby, making his first SNL appearance as well, and coming off a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 chart for his latest album, “It’s Only Me.”

Saturday Night LIve is now also available for streaming on NBC’s Peacock, giving all of us SNL-heads another way to watch.

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Featured image: L-r: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 28: Aubrey Plaza attends the 2022 Gotham Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on November 28, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images). LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 06:Michael B. Jordan attends the LA Community Screening Of Warner Bros Pictures’ “Just Mercy” at Cinemark Baldwin Hills on January 06, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

This “The Last of Us” Set Visit Reveals a Peek at HBO’s Biggest Swing in 2023

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As we wrote yesterday, HBO’s The Last of Us is one of the biggest series coming out in 2023 and probably the most ambitious new show from the network since House of the Dragon. And while it would be unfair to set the expectations for The Last of Us at Game of Thrones levels, the hopes for the new series aren’t that far off from that. A new behind-the-scenes look released by HBO lets you visit The Last of Us set, which was adapted by Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the man behind the original video game (a commercial and critical smash hit) for Naughty Dog.

The Last of Us is set in post-apocalyptic America and centered on a tough-as-nails survivor named Joel (Pedro Pascal) who is tasked with moving some “cargo” out of the Quarantine Zone. That cargo happens to have a name, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), and the journey that Joel and Bella embark on across a mutilated, murderous landscape is the thrust of season one. In the new video, you get to hear from Pascal, Ramsey, Druckmann, and Mazin about what it took to bring Druckmann’s beloved, brooding video game to life.

The set visit includes a look at what happens to human beings after they’re infected with the fungus that has turned the world into a hellscape. “Viruses can make us ill,” one talking head says in the series, “but fungi can alter our very minds.” This leads to the money shot at the 0:34 second mark, where we see what Joel and Bella are up against; what was once a human being, captured by the marauding fungi, who is now, simply put, a monster.

The set visit gives us some insight into who Joel is. “Joel is a broken man,” Mazin says, “he’s a father who has experienced loss.” That loss was Joel’s inability to save his own daughter, Sarah (Nico Parker), which is the event that shapes the rest of his life. So, when Joel, a black-market smuggler, is given the job of transporting Ellie to a group that is hoping to develop a vaccine for mankind, he’s so broken that he looks at it as just another job. Chances are, however, that will change as he and Ellie have to stick together to stay alive.

Take your set visit below to find out more about what might be the next big hit for HBO. The Last of Us premieres on HBO on January 15.

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Featured image: Anna Torv and Pedro Pascal in “The Last of Us.” Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO

HBO’s “The Last Of Us” Looks to Become a Truly Great Video Game Adaptation

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There’s a solid argument to be made that one of the most intriguing new series coming out in 2023 is based on a video game. Putting aside the wobbly track record that video game adaptations have had across film and television, in this instance, there’s a very good reason for hope. The creators behind HBO’s The Last Of Us have gone to great lengths to break the curse of video game adaptations by both leaning into the source material and drowning out the noise about how these adaptations have proven so difficult in the past. It helps that the series was co-created by Chernobyl‘s Craig Mazin, one of the most gripping limited series of the past few years. It’s equally important than his co-creator is Neil Druckmann, the co-president of video game developer Naughty Dog and the creator of the original game, a critical and commercial smash hit.

A big, must-read profile in The Hollywood Reporter about the series opens with Mazin recounting how, during a The Last Of Us press junket, every single reporter asked him the same question—”what are the challenges of adapting a video game?”

Knowing he was going to get the question and having considered it himself a million times before he set off to adapt Druckmann’s video game, Mazin had an answer ready; “The way to break the video game curse is to adapt the best video game story ever — not by a little, but by a lot,” Mazin told THR. “So I flat-out cheated.”

As in the video game, HBO’s The Last Of Us is set 20 years after the fall of modern civilization and tracks the journey of Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardscrabble survivor whose job is to smuggle cargo across a nightmarish post-fall United States filled with zombies. The cargo has a name—Bella (Bella Ramsey)—and their journey will serve as the thrust of season one.

Druckmann had his initial idea for The Last Of Us way back in 2004, when he was a student at Carnegie Mellon and was assigned the task of pitching a zombie story for a computer class that was going to be judged by none other than George Romero, the man behind the legendary Night of the Living Dead. Druckmann’s idea, inspired by the PlayStation game “Ico” and the tough-as-nails character John Hartigan from Frank Miller’s iconic “Sin City,” was the story of a father who lost his daughter and a daughter who lost her father teaming up in a postapocalyptic America. Romero didn’t like it.

Yet eventually, after rising in the ranks at Naughty Dog, Druckmann got to re-create his vision in the video game, which was inspired not just by zombie horror classics but also films like Alfonso Cuarón’s nearly flawless Children of Men.

“We wanted to do the opposite of Resident Evil — which I love, but it’s so over-the-top, and you’re fighting giant spiders, and it’s all about enemy variety,” Druckmann told THR. “What if it’s about intimate relationships — an exploration of the unconditional love a parent feels for their child and the beautiful things that could come out of that and the really horrible things that could come out of that?”

Although many video game experts said the game would never sell (the lead female character wasn’t “sexy,” there weren’t enough boss-level fights, and there weren’t enough weapons), it became an instant best-seller and one of the best-reviewed games in years. Druckmann began developing a feature film with director Sam Raimi, but he struggled to find a way to turn 15 hours’ worth of game narrative into a movie.

When the film never came to fruition, the rights returned to Naughty Dog, which Druckmann was co-president of at the time. Then he saw Mazin’s Chernobyl on HBO.

Chernobyl and The Last of Us have one key similarity; they passionately evoke a world buckling after a disaster, and they deal with the nightmare at the level of human relationships. Once Mazin and Druckmann got HBO’s buy-in, they began the tough process of casting a series from a game with rabid fans. There were quibbles online (when are there not quibbles online?) about the casting of Pascal and Ramsey, but nothing surprising, and by the time filming got underway (they shot in Canada, at one point, it was minus 20 degrees on the set in Calgary), the only concern was delivering on the ambitions Mazin and Druckmann had for their adaptation.

The series will hew closely to the game’s source material until it doesn’t, but will ultimately remain faithful to the game. In fact, much of the game’s dialogue remains intact in the series, and many of the settings were recreated with a precision that should delight hardcore fans of the game.

“People see bad adaptations, and it adds credence to the idea that games are childish,” Druckmann told THR about video game adaptations. “I love the idea that someone could watch this and be moved by it and then be like, ‘Wait, that’s based on the video game?’”

“I don’t want to see the story done poorly any more than [the game’s fans] do,” Mazin said. “Give us the chance, I think they will be just as rewarded — in a different way, but just as rewarded.”

For more on The Last Of Us, check out these stories:

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HBO Reveals First Look at “The Last of Us”

Featured image: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey. Photo courtesy HBO.

“Renfield” Trailer Finds Nic Cage’s Dracula Tormenting Nicholas Hoult’s Servant

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Imagine the most toxic relationship you’ve ever been in. Now imagine that you’re finally ready to take the steps necessary to distance yourself from this person after years and years of abuse. Now, imagine if the person you’re trying to rid yourself of is freakin’ Dracula.

This is the conceit of Renfield, director Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War)’s film about Dracula’s long-serving henchmen finally trying to break away from his master after centuries of brutal servitude. Renfield is played by the always excellent Nicholas Hoult, while Dracula, deliciously, is played by Nicolas Cage. In the official trailer for Renfield, we get to see just how bad a gig Renfield has had over the years, and the film will track what happens when he dares to quit his master.

“My boss is…different,” Renfield explains during some much-needed group therapy. “You can’t get him out of your head?” one of the other folks in his therapy session asks. No, Renfield says, but in his case, he means it literally—Dracula can summon Renfield telepathically. And the things Dracula summons him for! A handful of nuns! A busload of cheerleaders! Renfield is constantly being pestered by the Prince of Darkness to bring him innocent people to feast on.

So why does Renfield do it? The deal he made with Dracula long ago was that his undead boss bestowed some very potent powers on his servant, and, in exchange, Renfield brings him dinner. It’s a deal he describes to a new friend, Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina), which she, in turn, describes thusly; “You’re like the guy that gets the villain’s postmates!”

Renfield‘s conceit is a good one, and you can’t argue with a cast that includes Hoult, Cage, and Awkwafina. And the script comes from The Walking Dead‘s Robert Kirkman and Rick and Morty scribe Ryan Ridley, so the scares and the laughs should be aplenty.

Check out the trailer below. Renfield sinks its teeth into theaters on April 14.

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Featured image: (from left) Dracula (Nicolas Cage) and Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) in Renfield, directed by Chris McKay. Courtesy Universal Pictures.

“M3GAN” Review Round-Up: A Murderous Toy Robot Delivers a Campy Creepy, January Jolt

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There’s a new murder-doll on the scene, friends, and she’s fabulous.

The reviews are in for the toy robot run-amok horror film M3GAN, and for those looking for a campy, creepy jolt to start your year, you’re in luck—the film is getting some stellar notices.

Director Gerard Johnstone’s film (from a story by horror master James Wan and a script from Akela Cooper) centers on a brilliant robotics engineer named Gemma (Alison Williams) who creates an A.I.-backed toy robot for her recently orphaned niece, Cady (Violet McGraw). Gemma hopes that the robot will be a comfort to the grieving Cady. You can imagine how well this works out.

“It’s only the first week of January, but we already have one of the best villains of 2023,” says critic Perri Nemiroff about M3gan, the robot that Gemma has tasked with the job of protecting Cady “from harm, both physical and emotional.” The problem is that M3gan will start to see threats to Cady’s physical and emotional health everywhere, and that’s when the murdering starts.

M3GAN doesn’t shy away from the absurdity of its premise—and why should it? We’ve had killer dolls aplenty in horror classics of the past, from Chucky to Annabelle to the doll in Poltergeist that first ignited James Wan’s fascination with the life-like killer toys, smiling as they slaughter. But for M3GAN to work, well, the toy robot M3gan has to work, and it appears that Johnstone and his creative team have nailed that assignment. The doll delivers the creeps and the laughs.

“This is an excellent character, unhinged in the best sense of the word and flamboyant about it, too,” writes Newsday‘s Robert Levin.

“Hold onto your wigs, because the next queer monster has arrived, and she’s got better rhythm than the Babadook,” says Mashable‘s Kristy Puchko. 

“Johnstone’s film captures the same alchemical blend of heart, humor, and havoc you find only rarely, in crossover classics like Gremlins, and it yields more entertainment than most would-be blockbusters,” writes The Wrap‘s William Bibbiani. 

“M3GAN — thank god — delivers the goods. Under the canny, high-spirited direction of Gerard Johnstone, whose past work includes the New Zealand horror-comedy gem Housebound, it’s incisive, sardonic, and totally mean-spirited. A perfect mix,” writes the Independent‘s Clarisse Loughrey.

“Its creators are so clearly on the same insane wavelength, nimbly blending camp and social satire and actual terror, that M3GAN is poised to crack the murder-doll pantheon and stay there forever,” writes indieWire‘s Kate Erbland.

It’s not easy blending camp, genuine creepiness, and actual thoughts on grief and trauma. But it sounds like M3GAN has pulled it off.

M3GAN hits theaters on January 6.

For more on M3GAN, check out these stories:

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Featured image: (from left) Cady (Violet McGraw), M3GAN and Gemma (Allison Williams) in M3GAN, directed by Gerard Johnstone. Courtesy Universal Pictures.

Hugh Jackman to Academy: Please Don’t Give Ryan Reynolds an Oscar Nom

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Oh, Hugh.

The feud between Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds continues, and while we all know it’s not real, it’s still, even after all these years, a consistent source of joy. The first volley of the new year in their ongoing game of comically feigned spite comes from Jackman, who took to Twitter to post a video imploring the Academy to please, please not give Reynolds an Oscar nomination.

The reason Jackson is concerned, he tells us, is he’s about to spend a year with his nemesis filming Deadpool 3. Jackman is returning as Wolverine (yes, after saying goodbye to the character in epic fashion with a heroic death in James Mangold’s Logan), and the last thing he wants to have to hear throughout filming is Reynolds crowing about being nominated. And what makes matters worse for Jackman is that Reynolds would be nominated in the song category. Song! Singing is one of Jackman‘s many strengths, not Reynolds! And yet, Reynolds is now on the Oscar shortlist for Best Song, alongside his co-star Will Ferrell, for “Good Afternoon,” a tune in their Christmas film Spirited.

“Ryan Reynolds getting a nomination in the best song category would make the next year of my life insufferable,” Jackman says in the video. “I have to spend a year with him shooting Wolverine and Deadpool. Trust me, it would be impossible. It would be a problem.”

Jackman says he loves the movie itself and all the talented people involved, just not Reynolds.

“I loved Spirited. It’s a great movie; the entire family watched it and had a blast,” he says. “I love Will [Ferrell], I love Octavia [Spencer]…and ‘Good Afternoon,’ I laughed the entire way through. It is absolutely brilliant.”

“But please, from the bottom of my heart,” Jackman continues, “do not validate Ryan Reynolds in this way. Please.”

You can watch Jackman’s heartfelt plea here:

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Featured image: NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 28: Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds attends “The Adam Project” New York Premiere on February 28, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

“Avatar 3” Will Introduce Evil Fire Na’vi

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Avatar: The Way of Water greatly expanded the world of the alien planet of Pandora (technically, it’s an extrasolar moon) and its native inhabitants, the Na’vi. In the first film, James Cameron introduced us to the Omaticaya, the Na’vi forest tribe. In The Way of Water, with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), and their family having to flee the forest for the coast, we met the ocean-based Metkayina tribe. Both the Omaticaya and Metkayina tribes are peace-loving and noble, only resorting to warfare when attacked. Now, via an interview with France’s 20 Minutes, Cameron has revealed that Avatar 3 will expand the world of the Na’vi to reveal a tribe that’s far less noble and far more hostile.

Cameron said that Avatar 3 will reveal “different cultures from those I have already shown. The fire will be represented by the ‘Ash People.’ I want to show the Na’vi from another angle because, so far, I have only shown their good sides.”

The first two films made clear who the villains were—human beings, or “sky people” as the Na’vi referred to them—and it was up to the virtuous Omaticaya and the Metkayina tribes to repel them at all costs. In Avatar 3, the ‘Ash People’ will not only give us a darker side to the Na’vi people, but they’ll also provide viewers a glimpse into new worlds and, according to Cameron, the best parts of the entire story arc.

“In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na’vi examples,” Cameron told 20 Minutes. “In Avatar 3, we will do the opposite. We will also explore new worlds while continuing the story of the main characters. I can say that the last parts will be the best. The others were an introduction, a way to set the table before serving the meal.”

Avatar 3 has already finished filming, as it was shot concurrently with The Way of Water and is due in theaters on December 20, 2024. If all goes according to Cameron’s grand plan and we make it to Avatar 5, the action will, at least partially, come to Earth. Yet before that happens (and one can only imagine what the Na’vi might think of, say, Times Square or the Taj Mahal), we’ll get a chance to see what an evil Na’vi tribe is like.

Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters now.

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Featured image: A scene from “Avatar: The Way of Water.” Courtesy 20th Century Studios.

“M3GAN” Featurette Introduces You to The Scariest Toy Since Chucky

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Let’s take a moment to listen to the way the cast and director Gerard Johnstone describe the titular robot toy in M3GAN. “Best friend,” says star Violet McGraw. “Homeschool teacher,” describes Johnstone. “The ideal companion,” says star Allison Williams. Producer James Wan says, “she has so much personality.” Co-star Jen Van Epps enthuses, “She’s just this effervescent beaming ray of light.” And then, after a beat, Epps adds, “until she goes batsh*t crazy.”

M3GAN is a robot built by Gemma (Williams), a brilliant robotics engineer working at a toy company. Gemma designed the toy robot specifically to help her recently orphaned niece, Cady (McGraw), from feeling lonely. In a previous trailer, Gemma showed Cady how to press on the robot’s palm to “pair with her,” then instructed the state-of-the-art robot companion to “protect Cady from harm, both physical and emotional.” Needless to say, the robot takes this command seriously, to the horror of all those who she feels are a threat to Cady. Whether it’s with a nail gun, a hammer, or her own freakish strength, MEGAN starts “protecting” Cady with gruesome gusto.

The script comes from Akela Cooper, with a story from horror maestro James Wan, who produces alongside his fellow horror maestros Jason Blum, Michael Clear, and Couper Samuelson. M3GAN can’t help but evoke that other homicidal toy, Chucky, yet where that creepy little murderer was the result of a human being transferring his soul into a doll, M3GAN is essentially a tale of artificial intelligence gone berserk. 

M3GAN also stars Ronny Chieng (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Brian Jordan Alvarez (Will & Grace), Lori Dungey (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, extended edition) and Stephane Garneau-Monten (Straight Forward).

Check out the new featurette below. M3GAN hits theaters on January 6:

 

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Featured image: M3GAN in M3GAN directed by Gerard Johnstone. Photo courtesy Universal Pictures.

“Evil Dead Rise” Teaser Reveals Return to Iconic Horror Franchise

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“Mommy loves you to death.” This is the hard-to-beat tagline for writer/director Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise, a return to the horror franchise started by Sam Raimi. A new teaser for Cronin’s film reveals a little girl named Kassie (Nell Fisher) tip-toeing to the front door in the middle of the night. Who does she spy on the other side through the peephole? Her own mother, splattered in blood, looking quite unwell. “You don’t look so good, mom,” Kassie says. Yeah, kiddo, it might be time to consider running away.

Evil Dead Rise stars Lilly Sullivan (Barksins, I Met A Girl) as Beth and Alyssa Sutherland (The Mist, Vikings) as Ellie, two estranged sisters who reunite, along with Ellie’s three children, in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for them, when they find a sinister book in the basement, all hell breaks loose. The sisters and the kids find themselves thrust into the middle of a living nightmare—demons have risen and are on the loose, and the horror (and the comedy) that made the original Evil Dead, and Raimi’s follow-up, Evil Dead 2, so beloved will be unleashed.

Sam Raimi returns as executive producer, along with original Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell.

Check out the teaser below. Evil Dead Rise hits theaters on April 21:

Here’s the synopsis for Evil Dead Rise:

New Line Cinema and Renaissance Pictures present a return to the iconic horror franchise, Evil Dead Rise, from writer/director Lee Cronin (The Hole in the Ground). The movie stars Lily Sullivan (I Met a Girl, Barkskins), Alyssa Sutherland (The Mist, Vikings), Morgan Davies (Storm Boy, The End), Gabrielle Echols (Reminiscence) and introducing Nell Fisher (Northspur).

Moving the action out of the woods and into the city, “Evil Dead Rise” tells a twisted tale of two estranged sisters, played by Sutherland and Sullivan, whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.

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

Marvel’s Stan Lee Documentary Will Explore the Life & Legacy of a Legend

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For all you Marvel fans, you might have missed this announcement over the holidays, and it’s a big one—there’s a Stan Lee documentary coming to Disney+ in 2023. Marvel revealed the news on what would have been Lee’s 100th birthday on December 28. Stan Lee will explore the legendary comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer’s life and legacy, which includes some of the most iconic characters of all time. Just think about the superheroes Lee co-created; Spider-Man, Black Panther, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Thor, Wanda Maximoff, Black Widow, and more.

Lee’s work for Marvel began before Marvel was even its name—he began at Timely Comics, Marvel’s predecessor, in 1939, and eventually was the editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics in the 1960s and the publisher in 1972. By the time the Marvel Cinematic Universe became a box office juggernaut, Stan Lee was the face, and the heart, of Marvel. His cameos in a slew of MCU films helped introduce him to a legion of younger fans who were meeting Iron Man, Thor, and the rest for the first time on the big screen rather than in the pages of a comic book.

Stan Lee is slated to stream on Disney+ in 2023. Check out the teaser below:

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Featured image: UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – AUGUST 13: Creator Stan Lee (L) poses with Spider-Man during the Spider-Man 40th Birthday celebration at Universal Studios on August 13, 2002 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Michel Boutefeu/Getty Images)

“The Consultant” Teaser Introduces Christoph Waltz’s as a Corporate Hatchet Man

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If you’ve ever worked in corporate America, then perhaps you’ve been subject to one of the more unpleasant aspects of corporate governance; when a consultant is hired to “improve the business.” What “improve the business” often means is firing people after putting them through a review process, a dynamic that was explored, to hilarious effect, in Mike Judge’s 1999 comedy Office Space. (A cheerful colleague mock-frowning at another and saying, “Looks like somebody’s got a case of the Mondays” was one of Office Space‘s more depressingly accurate depictions of cubicle life.) In the new Amazon Prime series The Consultant, however, the lopsided power dynamic between hired corporate consultant and employee will be explored through a much darker lens, and who better to play the hired hatchet man than Christoph Waltz, one of the best in the business at depicting a wicked man with an equally wicked wit.

The first teaser for The Consultant reveals a bite-sized glimpse at Waltz as Regus Patoff, the man tasked with turning around the App-based gaming company CompWare. Patoff will put the CompWare employees through the wringer, and, as the series’ synopsis reveals and the teaser hints at, some of them might not make it through their evaluations alive.

The Consultant comes from creator/showrunner/executive producer Tony Basgallop, with a slew of excellent directors helming the series 8 episodes, including the horror maestro Karyn Kusama and WandaVision director Matt Shakman. Joining Waltz in the cast are Brittany O’Grady, Aimee Carrero, and Nat Wolff.

Check out the teaser below. The Consultant arrives on Prime Video on February 24.

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Featured image: Christoph Waltz in “The Consultant.” Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video

“Babylon” Production Designer Florencia Martin Conjures Hollywood’s Decadent Early Days

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She designed Paul Thomas Anderson’s flashback to 1970s-era L.A. in Licorice Pizza and shaped the fifties look inhabited by Marilyn Monroe in Blonde. Now, production designer Florencia Martin takes viewers back to 1920s Hollywood in Oscar-winning writer/director Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, which immerses Margot Robbie’s Nellie LaRoy and Brad Pitt’s Jack Conrad in the gloriously decadent early days of silent film. Chazelle, a stickler for authenticity, shot at Old Hollywood locations, including Busby Berkeley’s former home, and worked with Martin and her team to construct an old-time “Poverty Row” movie studio in the middle of the desert using lumber hammered together with nails because the Phillips screw had not yet been invented.

“Babylon‘s a love letter to filmmakers,” says Martin. “You see the craft and feel the spirit of people who just wanted to create something.” Speaking from her Los Angeles home alongside a vintage 1949 movie poster advertising James Cagney in White Heat, Martin talks to The Credits about the art of the “jewel box” movie backdrop, vintage cameras, and the “castle in the sky” featured in Babylon‘s outrageous party sequence.

 

Judging from your White Heat poster, you’re into Hollywood history. Did Damien have you study old movies so you could wrap your head around the vibe from that era?

We looked at a lot of silent-era movies and also relied on the archives at Paramount Studios to see how old movie sets operated. The early Poverty Row studios were built right on the dirt. There’s this beautiful photo of Charlie Chaplin sitting in a chair with an umbrella surrounded by dusty film equipment, and all you see is dirt and orange groves behind him. Damien wanted audiences to feel immersed in what early Hollywood productions really looked like.

Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in Babylon from Paramount Pictures. Photo credit: Scott Garfield
Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in Babylon from Paramount Pictures. Photo credit: Scott Garfield

Margot Robbie’s character Nellie shows up for her first day of shooting at the fictional Kinoscope Studios, a noisy, chaotic environment where several movies are being shot simultaneously. What were you aiming to convey there?

We wanted to capture this ragtag kaleidoscope of sets and the kinetic cacophony that was happening. Because they weren’t recording sounds, silent filmmakers used live music to set the tempo for the camera moves and the actors. At the same time, we look over the hills at a Hollywood movie ranch where they’re staging this huge MGM battlefield epic starring Brad Pitt’s character Jack. You see cameras getting trampled on by horses and the mayhem of picture cars crashing into the towers. I remember standing at the top of a hill with our DP Linus Sandgren months before production started, looking out at this amazing ranch, seeing where the sun was going to land, and saying, “This is the spot.”

Director of Photography Linus Sandgren and Olivia Hamilton as Ruth Adler on the set of Babylon from Paramount Pictures.
Director of Photography Linus Sandgren and Olivia Hamilton as Ruth Adler on the set of Babylon from Paramount Pictures.

Not unlike filmmakers from the twenties, you constructed your own “Poverty Row” studio in the desert outside of L.A.?

Yes. We were driving around looking for a location for the battlefield when we saw some old barns on the side of the road. “Pull over; let’s go.” We went up and over a hill and saw this amazing stretch of land on a ranch surrounded by mountains and orange groves reminiscent of what we’d seen in those early Hollywood photographs. As a team, we decided this is where we’re going to build Kinoscope from the ground up.

The construction of this Poverty Row studio took about six weeks. How did you pull it off?

I had an amazing construction coordinator, Mike Diersing, and more than 160 craftsmen, art directors, set designers, illustrators, and graphic designers — everyone came together. We used digital models and constructed our road coming in, we put in light poles and our main front gate, which was inspired by Dorothea Lange’s [Depression-era] photos. We wanted people to build dreams in the most inhospitable, barren locations. You don’t think of that [environment] going hand in hand with what Damien called our little jewel boxes.

These “jewel boxes” being the movie set backdrops lined up in a row, one after another?

That’s right. We painted backdrops for a jungle warrior scene, a kitchen on fire scene inspired by Fatty Arbuckle’s film The Cook, and an “oriental” backdrop shot against a pink backdrop. Then we go into the Gold Rush western bar for Nellie’s scene, with snow made from asbestos, which was true to the times. It was funny to show these big bags of asbestos being lugged over the shoulders of these crew members and then used to put out the fire for the kitchen scene.

Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy and Li Jun Li plays Lady Fay Zhu in Babylon from Paramount Pictures.

Babylon later transitions to the early days of talkies. It’s fascinating to see this clunky first-generation technology being used in situations where everybody seems to be making it up as they go. What was involved in replicating the process for making old-time talkies?

We did a lot of research to depict that early technology, which included this very rag-tag camera box. When talkies came along, cameras had gone from being hand-cranked to being motorized.

And these motorized cameras made noise that could be picked up by the microphones, right?

Yeah, they hadn’t yet gotten to the idea of covering the camera, so instead, they covered the operator and the entire camera in a box.

Were you able to secure vintage equipment from the period?

Oh my gosh, yes. Our set decorator Anthony Carlino and our prop master Gay Perello worked very closely with this local prop shop called History For Hire. They have a collection of old cameras that were re-furbished, so in the film, when you see close-ups of the 2709 camera, that’s from the Prop Shop. It felt great to get that layer of authenticity happening in real-time with cameras and microphones that were actually used in the twenties.

P.J. Byrne plays Max (Ruth's AD) and Olivia Hamilton plays Ruth Adler in Babylon from Paramount Pictures.
P.J. Byrne plays Max (Ruth’s AD) and Olivia Hamilton plays Ruth Adler in Babylon from Paramount Pictures.

Where did you shoot those early talkies?

They were all shot at Paramount [Pictures] Studios. We prepped out of the Clara Bow building [named after the silent film star]. Our wonderful costume designer Mary Zophers prepped out of the Edith Head building [named after the eight-time Oscar-winning costume designer]. So much history there! We transformed three soundstages into the twenties, which meant quilting over the modern signage and the bright yellow safety equipment.

Babylon opens with a bang, taking the audience inside the mansion of movie mogul Don Wallach, who’s hosting a huge, raucous party. How did you put together that space?

That opening sequence is stitched together from eight different locations and built settings. We’d found an image of Beverly Hills in 1926, which shows this barren road with one palm tree and a little Ford Model T. We go through three roads taking you to Don Wallach’s castle in the sky because we wanted to show the audience what it looked like to be driving through Bel Air and the Hollywood Hills toward these mansions. Wallach decided to build a Gothic castle reminiscent of the mansions built by power players like Hearst and [oil tycoon Edward L.] Doheny. His mansion was shot at a castle built in 1926 by the real estate developer of Hancock Park, an hour away from Los Angeles. We built an extension in front of the garage to serve as the entrance to the ballroom.

Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in Babylon from Paramount Pictures.
Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in Babylon from Paramount Pictures.

And that ballroom itself, where the crowd of coked-up revelers watches Margot Robbie do her crazy dance?

We found that at the Ace Theatre in downtown L.A. built in the 1920s by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks to showcase their films. It’s just dripping with Hollywood history and detail. The theater offered us the [sense of] compression that Damien wanted, to make the crowd feel shoulder to shoulder and wild. We had to transform this theater space into a ballroom, so my team built custom gothic doors to plug the entrances, we put in parquet flooring, and we built the bandstand. A lot of work went into restructuring this location to make it feel like an interior home.

Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in Babylon from Paramount Pictures.
Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in Babylon from Paramount Pictures.

Before working on Babylon, you re-created various chapters of Southern California history for Blonde and Licorice Pizza. As somebody who grew up in Los Angeles, how have these film projects impacted the way you see this city?

The city’s always changing and transforming. In Babylon, we depicted Chinatown, which was replaced four years later by Union Station, and then you have the formation of the studio system that allowed for the development of all these apartments in Blonde that you see Marilyn Monroe living in as she moved around the city. With Licorice Pizza, it’s about the development of the suburbs in the San Fernando Valley. In L.A., you have old movie palaces and amazing Googie-style diners being torn down for something new, but we don’t really know our own history that well. With Babylon, it was an honor to get to preserve some of that history on film.  

Babylon is playing in theaters now.

For more on Babylon, check out these stories:

How The “Babylon” Sound Team Built a Sonic Bacchanal

“Babylon” Official Trailer Finds Brad Pitt & Margot Robbie Living the High Life

New “Babylon” Featurette Reveals Margot Robbie & Brad Pitt in Damien Chazelle’s Madcap Hollywood Drama

Featured image: Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy and Diego Calva plays Manny Torres in Babylon from Paramount Pictures.

“I Wanna Dance with Somebody” Composer Chanda Dancy on Scoring Whitney Houston’s Complex Life

Posted on by babrams

When the shortlist for the 2023 Oscars was announced, composer Chanda Dancy was included for her work on the film Devotion. If she is nominated, she’ll make history as the first Black female composer to be nominated for an Academy Award. Dancy brings that winning streak into 2023 with her score for the new film Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, directed by Kasi Lemmons and starring Naomi Ackie as Houston.

The film celebrates the rise of one of the greatest female pop vocalists of all time, showing both Houston’s public persona as the performer fans around the world fell in love with and the private woman who struggled with her identity, substance abuse, and her place in the world. The composer’s lush orchestral score is based on two distinct themes that represent the public and private Whitney.

In a chat with The Credits, Dancy talks about those themes, as well as her experience working with Kasi Lemmons. She also shares her own memories of hearing Whitney Houston for the first time. 

Chanda Dancy. Photo by Sven Doornkaat.
Chanda Dancy. Photo by Sven Doornkaat.

What was your starting point when you began work on a film about one of the most iconic, talented stars of all time?

My view of Whitney has always been just the epitome of glamour. In my head, I imagined her cascading down staircases dripping in diamonds and with the voice of an angel. So when approaching the score, I really had a lot of that in mind, how glamorous and amazing she was. Kasi and I talked a lot about that. Whitney went through so much during her time on Earth. Fame wasn’t always kind to her, but that’s not why we fell in love with her. We didn’t fall in love with her because of the gossip, it was the spark, the voice, the glamour, that vision of the singing princess. With the score, there were two main things that we wanted to do. We wanted to rekindle for the film’s audience that glamour and the love her fans had for her, as well as respectfully address some of her darker moments. 

Naomi Ackie in TRISTAR pictures I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY. Photo Credit: Emily Aragones. © 2021 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Naomi Ackie in TRISTAR pictures I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY. Photo Credit: Emily Aragones. © 2021 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Do you have specific memories from your own upbringing that you could call upon? Do you remember the first time you ever heard her?

Definitely. It was one of those moments you never forget. It was actually the very first time I heard her version of “I Will Always Love You”. I vividly remember I was in middle school, and we were having a field day, the kind of thing where we weren’t in class but outside doing athletics. Then we had a little party, and that was the first time we were allowed to listen to the radio on the school campus. It was sanctioned by the teachers. We were listening to our favorite radio station, and “I Will Always Love You” came on. That was the very first time I heard it. I remember in the very beginning being perplexed because it started a capella. This is my first time just really experiencing that feeling like, “Oh, she’s just singing by herself.” And then it just swells. And I’m like, “Oh, my God, this is the best song ever.” 

 

Can you talk a little bit more about Kasi Lemmons bringing you into the project?

Kasi and I met through Zoom, where I remember we giggled and walked down nostalgia lane. I was already a huge fan of hers ever since Eve’s Bayou, so this was another “Oh, my gosh!” moment. I was hired on the spot. Essentially, Kasi said, “I’m not gonna listen to any other composers.” Our collaboration was perfect from the very beginning. The three of us sat down via Zoom; me, Kasi, and Daysha Broadway, the editor. We talked about how much Whitney meant to us and how important our roles are on this project in paying respect to not only her but also her family and the people who are still around. It’s so easy to lose sight of that, as if she was just a Greek goddess on Mount Olympus, and this was all a long time ago and nobody’s affected, but there are very real people who will be affected by what we do in this film, so it was important to us to rekindle the love people had for Whitney and tell her story without going into TMZ territory. 

(L to R) Nafessa Williams and Naomi Ackie in TRISTAR pictures I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY. Photo Credit: Emily Aragones. © 2021 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The score is anchored by two main themes, the genius theme and the waltz theme. How did they take shape?

The genius theme actually came out very quickly. What you hear in theaters is the first version. It didn’t take as much effort, relatively speaking. That’s obviously because I’ve always been such a fan. Coming from that standpoint, the genius theme, which represents Whitney’s onstage life, her glamour, and how we felt as fans towards her, came about very quickly. With the waltz theme, Kasi actually knew Whitney and knows her family members, so she had much better insight into how it should be. The waltz theme represents Whitney’s private life and all of its twists and turns. so had to be a bit more nuanced. It was a complicated waltz melody, and it was important that it not be too dark. It’s okay to have a little touch of maybe the angst that Whitney went through but not beat us over the head with it. It definitely did evolve to the version you hear now. 

The score, on the whole, is very emotional. How did you temper the various elements not to become overly sentimental? 

I have a really great example of that. This whole score is an orchestral score, and how you have the actual musicians perform on their instruments will completely change the intensity. They could play the exact notes written on the page but slightly softer, and suddenly the cue becomes not as overwhelming as if they just played the same notes a little louder. In one scene in particular, Whitney is talking with the bartender, and he’s saying, “You’re the greatest.” She has this memory of being on stage, and then you hear the genius theme on a solo piano first, in this memory flashback of her onstage, and then it turns because Whitney is nervous about actually being able to pull off performing for Clive and all these people again at Clive’s party. She hears the photographers and sees the flashes and all these celebs, and everyone has all these expectations, and she’s not sure she can do it. At that point in the cue, the orchestra comes in, and it was the exact same notes that the cue was written in, but I told the orchestra to play with their mutes on. There’s a mute that you can put on stringed instruments that make their sound softer, so it’s not overwhelming.  It’s more subdued. The difference between having the orchestra playing normally and playing with those mutes was stunning. I remember Kasi was very cognizant of this cue in particular, saying, “It can’t be too much, or it’ll go into schmaltzy territory. We really don’t want that.” The first take of the cue was probably on the edge of a little too much, and then I told the orchestra to put on their mutes, and Kasi’s face, when we recorded with the mutes, said it all. It was like, “Yes. That’s it!” So those are the types of things that we, as orchestral composers, have to constantly consider. 

Is there a way this film has had a lasting effect on you?

I wouldn’t say it has changed me as a composer, but it has helped me as a human by making me even more sensitive to what we do to affect one another. As I said, there’s a difference when you’re writing music for an icon whose family and everyone is still around, and still very much invested in her image, and still very much grieving. Grief is complicated, and you must be respectful. Yes, I honor Whitney, and I hope she’s smiling down from heaven, but also, there are people who are here and miss her and love her so much. They must feel loved and respected as well. That is the big thing that I can take away from this project.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is playing now in theaters nationwide. 

Featured image: Naomi Ackie in TRISTAR pictures I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY. Photo Credit: Emily Aragones. © 2021 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.