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  • Six Cast Members Nearing Deals for ‘Criminal Minds’ Revival on Paramount+

    Six Cast Members Nearing Deals for ‘Criminal Minds’ Revival on Paramount+

    Wheels up, viewers. The Criminal Minds revival is breaking ground at Paramount+ as six cast members are nearing deals for their returns.

    Deadline announced on Friday that Paramount Plus’ forthcoming revival of Criminal Minds is slowly moving ahead. As it stands, a deal is still being made with executive producer/showrunner Erica Messer. However, cast members are nearing deals to return should the project officially move forward. Joe Mantegna, Kirsten Vangsness, Adam Rodriguez, A.J. Cook, Aisha Tyler and Paget Brewster will reprise their role in the revival, should deals finalize.

    It is of note, however, these new contracts, while multi-year, will not be exclusive contracts. This will allow the cast members to still take on other projects — including large recurring roles and series regular roles in a limited series. All of this, naturally, will hinge on their availability. Per Deadline, all six actors are merely waiting on Messer’s deal to finalize to sign on.

    As for fan-favorite Matthew Gray Gubler, it’s unlikely he’ll return as Spencer Reid. While Daniel Henney, who played Matt Simmons, is currently starring in Amazon’s Wheel of Time, making his return complicated.

    Source: Deadline.

  • REVIEW: Finding Charm in the Different Through ‘Safety Not Guaranteed’

    REVIEW: Finding Charm in the Different Through ‘Safety Not Guaranteed’

    The final screening of malta film Week was of Colin Trevorrow‘s premiere film, Safety Not Guaranteed. Its final scene, as mentioned in the live Q&A with the film’s director, would eventually be what convinced Steven Spielberg of handing him Jurassic World. Still, the film is more than just one scene, as he explored a simple idea. What happened if a group of journalists followed a strange ad hinting at time travel with the weary statement of “Safety Not Guaranteed” printed in the ad? Well, it introduces us to a story that is heartfelt and explores what it means to be different and to dream in an unrelenting world.

    The concept of the film is based on a joke classified ad that was posted in the Backwoods Home Magazine back in 1997. We follow Darius Britt (Aubrey Plaza) who graduated from university and is trying to find her place in the world, as she interns at Seattle Magazine. There, writer Jeff Schwensen (Jake Johnson) gets the idea to follow the classified ad that talks about time travel, as they head out alongside student and fellow intern Arnau (Karan Soni) to investigate.

    The concept and general demeanor early on from the storyline hint at a certain skepticism. It was my first time seeing the film that was originally released back in 2012. So, going in with the knowledge of Jake Johnson and Aubrey Plaza’s go-to characteristics in their projects, I had a certain expectation of this being a very cynical dark comedy. To my surprise, while there were still elements at play, it was a much more hopeful story than I would’ve thought going in.

    Mark Duplass plays Kenneth Calloway, the man who published the ad. The film doesn’t drag him down as a character. Rather, it uses the mystery surrounding his strong belief in time travel to make us sympathize and wonder what is going on. Trevorrow had a good handle on when to sprinkle in just enough mystery to keep your interest going throughout the rather subdued film. Yet, the mystery is pretty much just an addition rather than the main focus.

    Most of this film is more thematic rather than story-driven. Yes, there is a core narrative with Calloway’s end goal and his relationship with Darius, as they prepare for their travel into the past, but it’s not relevant. The film isn’t about time travel, but rather how dreams and beliefs can either bring us together or even push us apart. Jeff is perfectly summarized in this story when he revisits his teenage love, Liz. At first, she’s not what he expected but ends up falling head over heels for her. The film purposely makes her this perfect individual only for her to push him away once he gets serious about it.

    The past cannot be changed and we cannot pretend we can still live in the past. Yet, the ending embraces the fact that the only way to change the past, or at least how you handle it, lies in those you spend it with. That is why it’s not a film about time travel but purely about how we spend our time. Even the smallest side story in the film, such as Jeff being the one to push Arnau to finally “live a little” to hook up with a girl, is about that narrative theme. The people around us shape us to do the things we want to but are too scared to take that leap of faith on our own. His entire arc is about not running away from living in the present, as all he is focused on is finishing his studies to look to the future.

    In a way Darius represents a look into an unknown future, Arnau desperately tries to avoid the present, and Jeff clings to the past. Each one of them is forced to face a different fact. Darius confronts her past to learn about where she wants to go. While Arnau learns to embrace the difficulties of the present, Jeff is forced to confront his future. Of course, it could be a misreading on my part, but I quite enjoyed the way time played a role in each of the character’s arcs while exploring an ad about traveling through time.

    I expected the film to end on a cynical note and loved the direction that Trevorrow and writer Derek Connolly went with. There’s hope that no matter how bad the past, present, or future might be, maybe you can make a change. The big thing is, it’s for anyone. Duplass‘ Calloway is shown as a flawed man and “different” from the norm. We learn to love the character even as some dark revelations make you wonder if he’s telling the truth or if his plan worked.

    A time travel movie all about our life with time teaches you that there’s love to be found no matter how strange your beliefs might seem to be. Safety Not Guaranteed is a charming film about the different and coping with the difficulties with life. It’s not an action-driven piece that gets the heart pumping and sometimes not even really that focused on getting you to think about the complexity of time travel. It’s a personal story of individuals trying to cope with life and it finds a perfect balance, as you leave the theater realizing you do the same every day.

  • New Report Further Hints at ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Releasing in May on Disney+

    New Report Further Hints at ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Releasing in May on Disney+

    Earlier today, we discussed a rumor of a Disney+ exec’s deleted tweet that hinted at a May release of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Of course, the tweet was swiftly deleted and hinted that it was in reference to the comic series that was recently announced. Now, a new report by THR’s Heat Vision blog has added even more fire to the rumor as they stated their sources are corroborating that it’s eyeing a May release.

    Naturally, they state that this shouldn’t be taken as an official confirmation, as discussion on its eventual release can always change. We don’t know how far the project is along, and it’s likely that they are still trying to ensure the effects are ready for its release. Still, the fact May 4th, the official Star Wars Day, landing on a Wednesday seems like the perfect opportunity for a fitting release date.

    There’s a lot of excitement that the upcoming adaptation once again sees the return of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, who will once again clash as Kenobi and Darth Vader. It’ll be interesting to see how exactly the series might balance their connection and also hint at his eventual fate in A New Hope. I guess we’ll have to wait just a bit longer until we find out what exactly the future has in store for us once we get an actual first trailer.

    Source: THR

  • ‘The Batman’ Forecasted With a Potential $300M to $500M+ Worldwide Opening Weekend

    ‘The Batman’ Forecasted With a Potential $300M to $500M+ Worldwide Opening Weekend

    In just one more month, The Batman will finally release in theaters and might be the first true long-term threat that Spider-Man: No Way Home faces. Scream only temporarily kicked the box office king from his throne before he took it back the weekend directly after. Still, it looks like Matt Reeves‘ take on the popular DC character is currently eyeing a pre-pandemic like numbers with a potential opening between $135M to $185M.

    As pointed out by Box Office Pro, the developments are currently on par with 2019’s Captain Marvel, which opened with the third-highest opening in March at $153.4M. There are still quite a few concerns with Omicron, but it doesn’t seem like countries are willing to completely lockdown anymore, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

    Worldwide, the film is eyeing an impressive $340M to $540M opening. If it manages to pull in those numbers it might be heading to a $1 billion release and could compete with No Way Home‘s numbers, which opened at $587M worldwide. There’s a chance it might even beat those prediction numbers and we’ll see if The Batman might be the first post-pandemic film to pass the $2 billion mark.

    Source: Box Office Pro

  • Tom Holland Wants His ‘Spider-Man’ to Mentor Miles Morales or a Spider-Woman in the Future

    Tom Holland Wants His ‘Spider-Man’ to Mentor Miles Morales or a Spider-Woman in the Future

    Tom Holland has just started promoting his next film Uncharted, but that isn’t stopping people from asking him about what the future has in store for him with his time as Spider-Man after the massive success that is No Way Home. In an interview with Esquire Middle East, he was asked about his reference about not wanting to be Spider-Man when he is 30 years old, but revealed that it was more about not being the only one with that title. He goes on to say that:

    That quote has been slightly misconstrued. What I was basically trying to say is that if I am 30 still playing Spider-Man and haven’t passed on the baton to a Miles Morales, or a Spider-Woman, or something more diverse, then I would have done something wrong in the duties that I have to the character.

    Tom Holland

    He goes on to say it wasn’t about wanting to give up on the role, especially as he believes in the team that brings it to life. His sentiment sounds like something that Peter Parker would say, which highlights just how perfect he is for the role and it would be exciting to see him take on the mentor role in the near future after finding his bearings in a world that forgot who he is.

    Source: YouTube

  • Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Cast Slowly Start to Join Production

    Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Cast Slowly Start to Join Production

    At the beginning of the week, we finally got the confirmation that Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece is starting production. The team shared their excitement on Twitter and Instagram, but there was surprisingly nothing from the cast at the time. Luckily, throughout the week, the cast has been sharing their excitement with teases that they started work on the project.

    First off, Emily Rudd, who was cast as the cat burglar Nami, shared a photo of herself in a One Piece t-shirt seemingly on the way to the production alongside a first look at the seat that has her character’s name on it. The previous announcement that productions tarted from Matt Owens and Steve Maeda was in a similar style with their on-set seating.

    The future King of the Pirates, Iñaki Godoy, also followed the trend with him sharing a first look at his chair. So far, this is the only tease we got from the set, and it’s still uncertain if we might get an official look at their designs once production starts. I am a little sad that the seat doesn’t also include his signature straw hat that he’ll wear during filming.

    What about the rest? Well, it seems that these two were the only ones to share that they have joined the set which is a rather curious surprise. Mackenyu hasn’t shared much from his time in South Africa – which led to a hilarious “Finding Zoro” campaign of Godoy looking for the actor – but it seems likely he might join at a later time. Productions aren’t forced to follow the story exactly, and they may be focusing on the Orange Town storyline first which mostly featured Nami and Luffy on their own before Zoro joined later on.

    In regards to Jacob Romero Gibson and Taz Skylar, it seems they are still training and preparing for their time. Skylar recently shared an Instagram story of him getting ready to jump into an ice bath, which is commonly used to avoid muscle soreness. So, they might also follow suit with the chair image

    Source: Twitter, Instagram, Twitter

  • Skrulls Return in New ‘Secret Invasion’ Comic Sequel

    Skrulls Return in New ‘Secret Invasion’ Comic Sequel

    In 2008, Marvel Comics launched one of their biggest crossover series titled Secret Invasion. A world filled to the brim with superheroes ended up as a refuge for the shape-shifting aliens known as Skrulls. They replaced key figures across the globe before they would enact their plan to completely take over the planet. While our heroes did manage to save the day, it came at quite the cost. It looks like the ghosts of the past are here to haunt them once again, as Marvel Comics is reviving the event with a new sequel.

    The new storyline will appear as a limited series by The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl‘s Ryan North and Daredevil artist Francesco Mobili. The Skrulls will once again attempt a coup upon Earth, but this time it won’t go exactly as they believe it will. North teased the upcoming sequel with the following quote:

    It’s a sequel in that it takes place in the same Marvel Universe as the first one and everyone in the story remembers the first one happening, but it’s more of a standalone story because they’ve all learned from that adventure and aren’t interested in seeing it go the same way twice, where they almost lose the Earth to alien invaders. You don’t have to have any of the 2008 series to enjoy this, of course – the book tells you all you need to know – but if you have there’s a few little callbacks you’ll catch.

    Ryan North

    The Skrulls still believe that the Earth is rightfully theirs as they still search for a fitting new homeworld. Of course, the writer won’t give away any hints on who may have been replaced by a Skrull from our favorite heroes, but the discussions will most certainly be an exciting prospect as we face a similar challenge with Disney+’s live-action adaptation of the Secret Invasion storyline. Guess, 2022 will make us wonder: “Who do you trust?”

    Source: IGN

  • Live-Action ‘Goosebumps’ Series Heading to Disney+

    Live-Action ‘Goosebumps’ Series Heading to Disney+

    Disney is continuing to build up its intellectual properties, as Variety has now unveiled that the House of Mouse picked up a live-action Goosebumps TV series. R.L. Stine‘s iconic book franchise will be brought to the streaming service in the form of a ten-episode season. Nick Stoller and Rob Letterman are attached as executive producers and writers for the series.

    Letterman is also going to direct the first episode – fitting as he directed the 2015 film – but there is no word who will tackle the rest of the season. Original Film Neal H. Moritz is joining the production as an executive producer, which is noteworthy due to his involvement with the 2015 and 2018 live-action films based on the popular children franchise.

    With its, it’s the second live-action Goosebumps show to ever air, as the original ran for four seasons for two years starting in 1996. It went on to tell different stories based on the book series in 74 episodes. It’s also not the first Stine adaptation heading to the streaming service, as Just Beyond also premiered back in October based on his graphic novels.

    Source: Variety

  • HBO Max Not Moving Forward With ‘The Boondocks’ Reboot

    HBO Max Not Moving Forward With ‘The Boondocks’ Reboot

    Here’s some rather depressing news, as it looks like Huey and Riley Freeman sadly won’t be returning to reboot the iconic animated franchise, The Boondocks. Originally, HBO Max ordered two seasons of the classic series from the original creator Aaron McGruder in cooperation with Sony Pictures Animation. They were going to launch the 24-episodes in the fall of 2020 with a 50-minute special. We were going to revisit the “Civil Rights Legend” Robert Freeman and his grandsons Huey and Riley, as they moved to the community in suburban Maryland before it gets taken over by Uncle Ruckes and a strange neo-fascist regime.

    There is some good news here, as Sony Pictures is not ignoring the project and is looking for alternatives to release the reboot. The original series ran from 2005 until 2014 on Adult Swim and went on to win a Peabody Award. McGruder was going to return as showrunner alongside Mainstay Entertainment’s Norm Aladjem. Boondocks veteran Cedric Yarbrough recently hinted at the show potentially being passed on on the Geekset Podcast.

    I hate to say this…right now the show is not coming back. We’ve been wanting to do the show and Sony and its…they decided they’re going to pull the plug,” he told the podcast host Rudy Strong. “Hopefully one day we’ll be able to revisit it…I wish the show was coming back

    Cedric Yarbrough

    Sony still actively looking for a home is promising for the reboot’s future. It’s uncertain how far the project has gotten before HBO Max decided to pass on it. So, we’ll see what the future has in store for the series. It’s quite the cult favorite and it wouldn’t be surprising for someone interested in bringing the iconic franchise back.

    Source: Deadline

  • New Art Book May Hint at ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ Release Date

    New Art Book May Hint at ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ Release Date

    There’s been a lot of debate if Warner Bros.’s open-world game, Hogwarts Legacy, would even manage its 2022 release window as news died down quickly on the project. Then, industry insider Tom Henderson hinted that the State of Play may arrive to confirm a summer release date for the game. While we’re still waiting for that rumored event – especially with the recent State of Play only focused on the next Gran Turismo release – there’s a chance that a book release offered some more hints at the game’s release.

    As first noticed by The Rowling Library, Jody Revenson, who worked on other Wizarding World tie-in books, has tackled the art book for the upcoming Warner Bros. game titled The Art and Making of Hogwarts Legacy. What stands out is that the publication under the ISBN 9781647226190 was already given a release date. The book includes the release date of September 6th, which would potentially hint at the game also finding its way into stores around the same time. So, there’s a chance that it adds some validity to a potential summer release date.

    Of course, nothing is final until we get an official statement but it’s a positive sign that we’ll get to see the release this year. The idea of being able to explore Hogwarts at your own leisure as a student sounds like a great time. We still know very little about the project, but it makes you wonder if we might see something similar to Rockstar’s Bully game. You have to explore the campus in-between lessons as you develop your abilities as a wizard. The potential is exciting and hopefully, it can deliver.

    Source: Rowling Library