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Category: News

  • ‘Darby and the Dead’ Star Opens Up on the Challenge of Breaking the Fourth Wall

    ‘Darby and the Dead’ Star Opens Up on the Challenge of Breaking the Fourth Wall

    As revealed in the trailers, Darby and the Dead features a lot of inspirations, especially from the many high school films that released throughout the years. But, one can easily tell that Ferris Bueller’s Day Off plays a big inspiration in how Darby Harper breaks the fourth wall throughout her misadventure with the dead. Actress Riele Downs had the challenge of not only speaking to the deceased but also the audience and it seems it took some time getting used to.

    As revealed during the official press conference for the film, Downs shared what it was like trying to communicate with the camera and “needing to play all these different beats” with whoever she had to interact in a specific scene. She’s an introverted character that is quite outspoken and that took some time to adapt to for Downs.

    Honestly, it was maybe a little difficult to adapt to at first, just, like, how much dialogue there was and needing to play all these different beats, and to Auli’i’s characters who was not supposed to even be visible by other people. So, a lot of different dynamics happening, but it became natural pretty quickly, believe it or not. I guess maybe being more of an introverted slash introspective person that sort of, you kind of live that out in your life anyway I guess a little bit.

    Riele Downs

    Adding the fact that she can see the dead that aren’t visible to others lends the film a certain unique challenge. We’ve seen the fourth wall being broken by quite a few characters, as it became popular once again with the arrival of Deadpool but it does add a unique take with Darby’s ability. So, it’ll be interesting to see how she brings it to life when Darby and the Dead release son Hulu on December 2nd.

  • James Cameron Can’t Imagine an ‘Avatar’ Streaming Series for Another 10 Years

    James Cameron Can’t Imagine an ‘Avatar’ Streaming Series for Another 10 Years

    If you’ve ever wondered just how ambitious the plans are of James Cameron, he recently revealed that he could make up to six sequels of the 2009 box office breakout. Yet, that isn’t all as we’re also getting a graphic novel by Sherri L. Smith that’ll be published by Dark Horse Comics. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, they sat down with James Cameron to talk about his ambitious plans and the discussion of a potential streaming series. In it, he reveals that he’s open to the idea of exploring Pandora in a series, but it’ll take at least ten years to get to that point.

    The problem with these CG characters is that they’re so cost- and labor-intensive that it really doesn’t work for TV. Now, come back in 10 years, with a lot of machine deep learning. Insert it into our pipeline, which we hope to do, over time. We might be able to get to a TV schedule, but it doesn’t interest me right now

    James Cameron

    It makes sense that it’ll take quite a bit of time for these types of CG characters in a fully digital world to be able to work in a live-action series. Eeven as impressive as She-Hulk was with their work, the budget for a series of the scale of an entire species being digitally rendered would push any show beyond its budget. Even Avatar: The Way of Water reportedly has a budget upwards of $400M. So, it’ll already take quite a bit to make this film get its money back and that’s already a big undertaking for a more lucrative business model that isn’t dependent on subscriber growth.

    Of course, there’s always alternatives that could be taken. Avatar as an animated series would offer a way for him to tell more stories without the restraints of fully rendered CG in live-action. Though, it also depends on if James Cameron is a fan of his project being showcased in that format. No matter what direction an Avatar series might go, it’ll very likely make its home on Disney+ given these films are now under Disney’s watchful eye since the 20th Century Fox purchase. For now, we’ll have to wait another decade before we might truly find out.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • James Cameron Has Plans for 6 ‘Avatar’ Sequels

    James Cameron Has Plans for 6 ‘Avatar’ Sequels

    If you’ve ever wondered just ho wmany Avatar films might be in our future, director James Cameron might have just the answer for you. As he’s busy promoting th erleease of the first sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, he has talked about his plans and just how far he hopes to push this new project. The first sequel alone is a big gamble, as the production budget is so high that without breaking $2 billion, he’d likely not be able to make more than a trilogy. Yet, while he already openly laid out his plans for four sequels, it seems he can go further.

    In an interview wiht The Hollywood Reporter, he highlighted that he’d likely be working on Avatar films until he’s 89, as he has ideas for a sixth and seventh film, but only if therE’s interest. He also highlighted that he would have a succession plan on a director that could continue his work and the 800-page diary that is filled with the extensive world-buliding he mapped out for the first entry.

    Obviously, I’m not going to be able to make Avatar movies indefinitely, the amount of energy required. I would have to train somebody how to do this because, I don’t care how smart you are as a director, you don’t know how to do this.

    James Cameron

    Cameron is famous for having a very specific vision for his projects. So, it’s not too surprising that he’ll likely not pass on the work to anyone without truly keeping a close eye on them. Ironically, he’s simlar to how Tom Cruise closely vets the people they work with, almost like they function as their own little production studio trying to keep a certain amount of quality control and direction alive.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Ang Lee to Direct Brue Lee Biopic Starring Mason Lee

    Ang Lee to Direct Brue Lee Biopic Starring Mason Lee

    Director Ang Lee is set to direct his son, Mason Lee, in a Bruce Lee biopic. The news was announced by Deadline with the outline noting Lee will portray in Bruce Lee for Sony’s 3000 Pictures. The script is currently being written by Dan Futterman (Capote). Futterman takes over screenwriting duties from Jean Castelli, Alex Law and Mabel Cheung and Wells Tower who have all worked on previous iterations of the script.

    The movie is being produced by Lawrence Grey, Shannon Lee, Ang Lee, Ben Everard and Brian Bell. While Elizabeth Gabler and Marisa Paiva are set to oversee the project for Sony’s 3000 Pictures.

    “Accepted as neither fully American nor fully Chinese, Bruce Lee was a bridge between East and West who introduced Chinese Kung Fu to the world, a scientist of combat and an iconic performing artist who revolutionized both the martial arts and action cinema. I feel compelled to tell the story of this brilliant, unique human being who yearned for belonging, possessed tremendous power in a 135-pound frame, and who, through tireless hard work, made impossible dreams into reality.”

    Ang Lee in a statement to Deadline

    Lee is said to have been working towards directing Bruce Lee for quite some time, reportedly having worked with his son to prepare him for the role, too. Mason is said to have been training for the part for the past three years in Asia. The young actor has appeared in The Hangover Part II, his father’s film Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, and Who Killed Cock Robin?

    “Bruce Lee is a longtime passion project for Ang and a deeply emotional story depicting the triumphs and conflicts of one of the foremost real-life action heroes of our time. All of us at Sony and 3000 Pictures are proud to help Ang and his filmmaking team create what we believe will be an extraordinary theatrical event.”

    Elizabeth Gabler in a statement to Deadline

    As of now, Bruce Lee does not yet have a release date.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘The Acolyte’ Star Teases “Never Done Before” Sith-Focused Storyline

    ‘The Acolyte’ Star Teases “Never Done Before” Sith-Focused Storyline

    It wasn’t until earlier this month that rumors started to spread that Logan‘s Dafne Keen was going to have a role in the upcoming Star Wars series, The Acolyte. Now that her casting has been confirmed, the actress got a chance to sit down with TechRadar to talk about the upcoming series and has offered a glimpse of what we can expect.

    She promises that this story “has never been done before” as it’ll be focused on a Sith rather than the usual Jedi, or even a member of the Resistance/Rebels. As such, it’ll likely be one of the franchise’s darkest stories, as we get to explore a time 100 years before the prequel movies.

    I can tease that it’s a prequel! No, I mean, as you know, it’s set 100 years before the prequel movies, and it’s kind of an explanation of how the Sith infiltrated the Jedi. It’s a Sith-led story, which has never been done before. It’s been really fun to film – the cast is amazing, and the director and crew are just lovely. The whole experience is wonderful, and I’m already excited for people to see it.

    Dafne Keen

    There’s a lot of potential on taking a look at how the Sith got to where they were in the prequels, especially if this isn’t going to take the usual redemption route. Even in Obi-Wan Kenobi we saw how the Sith operate during the Empire’s reign but that was from the perspective of Reva, who’s not fully pictured as a villain. Of course, this story could still be about a Sith finding their way back to the light, but it doesn’t seem like that’s the direction they are going. Whatever it may be, it could become one of Disney+’s next highly anticipated series.

    Source: TechRadar

  • Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Finds its Lucky Roux

    Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Finds its Lucky Roux

    It’s been quite the dry period since Tudum gave us table scraps on what the future has in store with Netflix and Tomorrow Studios’ live-action adaptation of One Piece. We did get a tease of the impressive practical sets during Geeked Week, it has calmed down quite a bit. Luckily, there are still some castings that manage to find their way online, such as the first member of the Red-Haired Shanks’ crew being revealed, the iconic Lucky Roux.

    As first shared by @OP_Netflix_Fan on twitter, actor Ntlanhla Kutu has shared on his CV that he is set to play Lucky Roux in Project Panda, the name the production had for quite some time during its time filming in South Africa. He’s included as “Support” without any further details on how many episodes he’ll be a part of or even which director he worked with.

    Roux has a very small role in One Piece, as while he’s an important member of Shank’s crew, he doesn’t appear often throughout the story. To be fair, that is the case for everyone in Shanks’s crew and even their captain. So, we may only get a short appearance early on in the series’ flashback to Luffy’s youth. Maybe the series will give us a glimpse of his dynamic with Yellowjackets Peter Gadiot, who will play the man who will give Luffy his iconic Strawhat, and the rest of the crew. He also played an important part on showcasing just how dangerous pirates can be if they are underestimated, and hopefully Kutu gets his time to shine in the role.

    Source: Twitter via Authentik

  • ‘Sonic Frontiers’ Roadmap Reveals More Playable Characters in Future DLC

    ‘Sonic Frontiers’ Roadmap Reveals More Playable Characters in Future DLC

    Here’s something I don’t think anyone expected, but Sonic Frontiers is seemingly getting a roadmap for 2023. Not just that, but the game will receive three major updates throughout the year with the final one being the most surprising. While they are seemingly adding some small aspects like a new Koco, time trials and photo mode, Update 3 promises to be the biggest update for the game.

    While it’s unclear if this DLC will be for free, it does seem like they will add a new story alongside confirming playable characters. Yes, you read that correct: characters as in plural. so, it seems like we’ll be able to play as Knuckles, Amy and Sonic going by the new visual, but we can only speculate as of now. If this means they are only playable in specific missions or in the open world maps remains unknown.

    That’s quite the big update, especially if it ends up for free for those that own a copy. The game offers something a little different for fans of the franchise, as we finally venture out into an open world environment that is broken up in multiple hubs. You also have some more classic levels sprinkled throughout that pay homage to the many games that came before; Green Hill Zone naturally makes a return as well.

    Multiple playable characters as DLC adds the question if the “new story” teased in the official tweet also means that each character gets their own story like in Sonic Adventure DX, or rather just an overarching one as you switch from one to the next, something closer to Sonic Adventure 2. No matter what direction they decide to go, it definitely is exciting for those that were hoping to play more of Sonic Frontiers more in the future.

    Source: Twitter

  • WB/DC Eyeing Animation Deal With Amazon

    WB/DC Eyeing Animation Deal With Amazon

    Under the ruthless eye of David Zaslav, Warner Bros. recently went through a massive change internally. Projects were canceled without hesitation, departments were dismantled, and the future seemed bleak for the legacy company. One of the departments that got the shaft was animation. DC, in particular, saw the axing of the Bruce Timm-led animated series Batman: Caped Crusader in the HBO Max slate.

    Succeeding reports pointed to Warner Bros. being open to selling the animated series to other services but until now, there hasn’t been any clear plan as to what the show’s fate was. CEO of the TV division at Warner Bros., Channing Dungey, revealed that the company is close to striking a deal with Amazon for all future animated DC content.

    Unless this deal magically goes awry in the next few weeks, it seems evident that the home for all animated DC properties moving forward will be on Amazon Prime. Fans are intensely anticipating the new Batman show not only for Timm and Matt Reeves‘ vision but also for what might be the final performance of the legendary Kevin Conroy. Amazon Prime being the new home for DC cartoons is a hopeful sign of what’s to come.

    Source: Deadline

  • Marvel Studios Debuts New Trailers for ‘Quantumania’, ‘Guardians’ and ‘Loki’ at APAC Showcase 2022

    Marvel Studios Debuts New Trailers for ‘Quantumania’, ‘Guardians’ and ‘Loki’ at APAC Showcase 2022

    If fans were wondering what they might expect at CCXP in Brazil this weekend, Marvel Studios seems to have given them a pretty big hint. Disney had a major presentation at the APAC Showcase 2022 in Singapore and while it wasn’t solely focused on Marvel Studios, the presentation gave fans in attendance a first look at 2023’s Phase 5 projects.

    According to a report from Geek Culture, brand new trailers were shown for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Loki Season 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The Disney Plus streaming series Secret Invasion and the Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, were also part of the presentation, though the site reported that no new footage was shown though a release date “between June and August” is being reported elsewhere. Whether that’s just a guess because those are the Summer months or if that was stated at the presentation is still unclear.

    It’s been expected that a new trailer for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and the first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would be a part of Marvel Studios’ reported CCXP presentation in Brazil and the fact that they were rolled out in Singapore all but confirms it. A new look at Loki Season 2, which reportedly features Jonathan Majors‘ Kang the Conqueror, Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Ravonna and a plethora of Variant Lokis who find themselves fighting in what’s likely the multiversal war He Who Remains warned of in Season 1.

    Photo Credit: Twitter User MJ Felipe

    Majors‘ Kang was definitely a focus of the presentation as the new trailer for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania reportedly showed an extended scene of the character negotiating with Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang. A similar scene played exclusively at D23, painting a chilling portrait of the character. Like the rest of the footage from the APAC Showcase, the new footage has not yet been released to the public, but with Quantumania headed to theaters in February following Avatar: The Way of Water, it is incredibly likely the new trailer will be officially released sometime in early December.

    Photo Credit: Twitter User MJ Felipe

    Finally, footage from May’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 played for the audience and revealed serious tension between Star-Lord and the Variant Gamora who now finds herself part of The Ravagers but with no interest in Quill’s affection. Much like the footage shown at D23, the APAC Showcase footage gave a brief glimpse of Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock and teased a look at the origins of Rocket. Like Quantumania, it’s possible that Disney might like the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer to play in front of Avatar: The Way of Water, which is likely going to draw large audiences throughout early 2023.

    Photo Credit: Twitter User MJ Felipe
    Photo Credit: Twitter User MJ Felipe

    Though nothing new was revealed about Secret Invasion or The Marvels, it is interesting that the streaming series Echo was absent from the presentation. At last update, Echo was expected to stream on Disney Plus sometime after Secret Invasion and before Loki Season 2. Short of projects like Ironheart and Agatha: House of Harkness, which are expected to premiere in the fourth quarter of 2023, the APAC seemed to be a pretty comprehensive look at what 2023 has in store for Marvel Studios’ fans, making Echo’s exclusion a bit of an anomaly.

    Source: Geek Culture, MJ Felipe on Twitter

  • ‘Wednesday’ Lands Record Viewership Numbers for Netflix

    ‘Wednesday’ Lands Record Viewership Numbers for Netflix

    Based on a new announcement from Netflix, the new series Wednesday has quickly become another smash hit for the streaming service. It was revealed today via a tweet that the Jenna Ortega-led program has been viewed for 341.2 hours within one week. This is enough to give it the record for most hours viewed within a single week for an English-language series on the streaming platform. The series as well is rated #1 in 83 different countries, which ties the specific record with fellow 2022 release, Stranger Things 4.

    This is certainly a major win for Netflix, which has had a generally spastic year with successes and obstacles. While hitting its first decline in subscriber count and potentially facing what might be a wall in terms of subscribers, the platform has released some of its most successful programs in Stranger Things 4, Dahmer – Monster, and now Wednesday. This then is also followed by the seemingly successful one-week theatrical run of Glass Onion before it arrives on Netflix next month (though an argument could be made for it being even more of a successful financial venture if the company allowed it to remain in theaters for a longer period of time).

    Wednesday was created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar with acclaimed director Tim Burton also serving as an executive producer for the series. Serving as the most recent adaptation of The Addams Family, Jenna Ortega stars as the titular Wednesday and is surrounded by an all-star cast including the likes of Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman, Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, and Fred Armisen. The eight-episode series is currently streaming on Netflix.

    Source: Netflix.