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Tag: Movie News

  • Alessandro Nivola on Playing the Villain in Sony’s ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Film

    Alessandro Nivola on Playing the Villain in Sony’s ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Film

    As Sony looks to continue moving forward with their cinematic universe of characters within the lore of Spider-Man (without the titular character present), one film that has piqued the curiosity of some is 2023’s Kraven the Hunter. As the film approaches its January premiere, Alessandro Nivola sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss his involvement as the main antagonist. Nivola focused on his excitement about reuniting with director J.C. Chandor after having worked with him on A Most Violent Year. Alongside this, the actor described the more practical nature of this film as opposed to others in the superhero genre.

    These movies all have a certain formula to them, but J.C. said that he wanted to shoot all on location. The physical ability of the characters in the movie is also more grounded in reality. People aren’t flying around or anything. J.C. described it as the most incredible Olympic athlete you’ve ever seen. Moreover, the role, which I’m not yet allowed to disclose, was just a real acting opportunity for me.

    Alessandro Nivola

    Kraven the Hunter has been confirmed to have been shot on location in predominantly Iceland. That bit of news has the potential to draw in more interest as most superhero flicks are filmed with the help of greenscreens. Nivola also talked about the enjoyment he had in playing an antagonist with pathos and complexity while avoiding general stereotypes of actors working within the realm of superheroics. The actor also gave some teases towards specific facets of his character and the film at large.

    It’s just a great character part, and I didn’t have to do any CGI. I didn’t have to do any green screen. I only transform, physically, in the final moments of the movie, so it’s just a classic villain role. It had a really interesting, complex psychology and personal history to draw on, and the movie has a time jump in it, so the character changes a lot from the way he is in the beginning of the film. It was as much of an acting opportunity as any other film I’ve done, and I didn’t have to contend with wearing a spandex outfit or anything like that.

    Alessandro Nivola

    If what Alessandro Nivola talks about here is able to be translated onto the screen, then there is a chance that Kraven the Hunter can become a relative surprise hit within the genre. And Sony should certainly be hoping for that if they want to maintain success in this attempt at a cinematic universe following the unmitigated flop of Morbius earlier this year.

    Kraven the Hunter stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the titular role and is currently scheduled to open in theaters on January 13, 2023.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Ezra Miller Met With Warner Bros. Executives to Ensure ‘The Flash’ Isn’t Scrapped

    Ezra Miller Met With Warner Bros. Executives to Ensure ‘The Flash’ Isn’t Scrapped

    DC and Warner Bros. Discovery are in the headlines for many different reasons. While mostly the reception to whatever WB is currently up to has been quite negative, the drama surrounding Ezra Miller wasn’t helping. After scandals started piling on, many feared or wondered what exactly the future has in store for the long-in-development The Flash film. As it turns out, Miller has now had a sit-down with the studio executives to discuss everything that has been going on.

    There are no exact details on what was discussed in the meeting, but given the recent circumstances, it’s not hard to imagine. They sat down with executives Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca joined by their agent, who recently took over the motion picture division from Toby Emmerich. As many different issues are coming together and a project with a massive budget of $250M is on the line, there’s a lot to ensure.

    It seems that the potential scrapping of the project has also pushed Miller to seek help, which is a good sign and shows how committed they are to the character. It seems this was the first time they’ve talked since they took over the division especially as the film is still in its post-production stage. Warner Bros. Discovery believes in the project as it has tested as high as Christopher Nolan‘s Batman films, which is definitely something they are striving to ensure makes its way into theaters. So, here’s hoping everything works out moving forward.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • Danny Huston Joins ‘The Crow’ Reboot

    Danny Huston Joins ‘The Crow’ Reboot

    The long-in-the-works The Crow reboot is finally in production. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Danny Huston is the latest to join the cast of the reboot. He’ll join the previously announced Bill Skarsgard and FKA Twigs. The reboot is described as a modern reimagining of James O’Barr’s popular graphic novel, with Skarsgard playing the titular character. Details surrounding Huston’s role are currently unknown.

    Director Rupert Sanders is directing the film, which is reportedly weeks into production in the Czech Republic. This marks a return to blockbuster filmmaking for Sanders who found himself in the midst of controversy after Snow White and the Huntsman. He’s directing The Crow from a script by Zach Bayli.

    Huston has built up a rather impressive resume throughout his long-standing career. He’s appeared in films such as The Aviator, 30 Days of Night, and Marie Antoinette. On the small screen, he’s starred in shows like Magic City, American Horror Story, Yellowstone and Succession. Comic book fans, however, might know him best for his appearance as Stryker in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

    As of now, The Crow reboot does not have a release date.

    Source: THR.

  • ‘WandaVision’ Director Matt Shakman in Talks to Helm ‘Fantastic Four’

    ‘WandaVision’ Director Matt Shakman in Talks to Helm ‘Fantastic Four’

    After weeks of rumors, Deadline has confirmed that WandaVision director Matt Shakman is in talks to direct Fantastic Four for Marvel Studios. According to the outlet, talks are still early between the two, however, Shakman is the choice for the job following Jon Watts‘ exit back in April. A formal offer has not yet been made for the gig, however, Deadline believes talks are moving in that direction.

    Watts ended up exiting Fantastic Four in April due to simply needing a break. Watts, of course, was the man behind all three Spider-Man films set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the director expected to return for a fourth installment, it was thought he simply wanted a break from superheroes before Spider-Man 4. The director would later sign on to direct a Star Wars series for Lucasfilm starring Jude Law. Since his exit, the studio has been looking at potential hires, with Shakman reportedly having been the one to beat early on because of his work on WandaVision.

    While talks are still early, it’s possible we’ll have confirmation of his hiring relatively soon. After all, D23 is around the corner, and it’s entirely possible Marvel Studios will confirm Shakman has landed Fantastic Four during its presentation.

    Fantastic Four will hit theaters on Nov. 8th, 2024, kicking off Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Source: Deadline.

  • WB Targeting Dan Lin to Oversee DC Films and TV’s “10-Year Plan”

    WB Targeting Dan Lin to Oversee DC Films and TV’s “10-Year Plan”

    David Zaslav has been on the lookout for “DC’s Kevin Feige” and according to a trade report, he may have found his man. THR reports that producer Dan Lin, who backed hits such as The Lego Movie and the It films, is negotiating for the job.

    Zaslav’s tenure as Warner Bros. Discovery CEO has resulted in a veritable blood bath for DC’s film and TV projects. Several projects at varying places in production have been canceled as Zaslav looks to model the future of DC’s film and TV adaptations on the success Kevin Feige has had a Marvel Studios.

    According to the trade report, Lin’s success as a film executive and producer and on the TV side helped WB identify him as a prime candidate to lead the 10-year plan described by Zaslav. Lin would seemingly look to put forth a more unified slate of projects after putting the brakes on the previous leadership’s Crisis plans.

  • Neil Gaiman Purposefully Leaked ‘The Sandman’ Script to Ensure it Wouldn’t Be Filmed

    Neil Gaiman Purposefully Leaked ‘The Sandman’ Script to Ensure it Wouldn’t Be Filmed

    Neil Gaiman is living the life as he’s had one successful adaptation after the other. Netflix has just recently released the live-action adaptation of The Sandman, something many believed was unadaptable. It’s been quite a success for the streamer and Gaiman has been busy promoting the release. Yet, in a recent interview, the writer revealed that he purposefully leaked the script of an earlier Hollywood adaptation to ensure that it wouldn’t be adapted. According to Gaiman, he believed “it was the worst script” he’s ever read.

    It was the worst script that I’ve ever read by anybody. A guy in Jon Peters’ office phoned me up and he said, ‘So Neil, have you had a chance to read the script we sent you?’ And I said, ‘Well, yes. Yes, I did. I haven’t read all of it, but I’ve read enough.’ He says, ‘So, pretty good. Huh?’ And I said, ‘Well, no. It really isn’t.’ He said, ‘Oh, come on. There must have been stuff in there you loved.’ I said, ‘There was nothing in there I loved. There was nothing in there I liked. It was the worst script that I’ve ever read by anybody. It’s not just the worst Sandman script. That was the worst script I’ve ever been sent.

    Neil Gaiman

    There’s a hilarious trend in the one he mentions, as it was by infamous Wild Wild West producer Jon Peters, who almost tried to force a giant spider into an earlier draft of a Superman pitch by Kevin Smith before a mechanical spider made its debut in the Will Smith film. It seems that it had its origins in The Sandman adaptation that Gaiman sent to Ain’t It Cool New.

    It had giant mechanical spiders in it… Lucifer, Morpheus and the Corinthian were identical triplets. They were a family of identical brothers, and it was all a race to see who could get the ruby, the helm and the bag of sand before midnight on 1999, before the new millennium started, because whoever got it would be the winner. That was the plot.

    Neil Gaiman

    It’s not every day that you see someone takes matters into their own hands to avoid an obvious trainwreck but Gaiman wasn’t going to let his franchise be dismantled this way. There’s also something hilarious about Peters‘ obsession with a giant mechanized spider being in one of his films. Luckily, his action did end up avoiding it getting made.

    Source: Variety

  • First Look at ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Steelbook; Four Deleted Scenes Revealed

    First Look at ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Steelbook; Four Deleted Scenes Revealed

    Thor: Love and Thunder‘s Disney+ release has been recently confirmed for September to celebrate Disney+ Day. For those that like to collect these projects physically, the wait for that release is luckily not too long after. The digital release is set for September 9th with the physical one planned for September 27th. It’ll be made available with on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD.

    ScreenRant has also shared a first look at the movie’s cover art for the Steelbook available at Best Buy. It’ll feature the poster designs featuring Jane Foster and Thor in their iconic pose from the comics. The interior even includes the yelling goats pulling the chariot in a clever design replicating the boat we see in the Marvel Studios film.

    The Blu-ray will include a gag reel and audio commentary from Taika Waititi. There are also three featurettes included by the titles of Hammer-Worthy: Thor and The Mighty Thor, Shaping a Villain, and Another Classic Taika Adventure. There are also four deleted scenes included, such as the team looking for Zeus, two scenes spending more time with Star-Lord and Mantis, as well as a potential alternative sequence of Zeus passing on his weapon to Thor.

    It’ll be interesting to see if we get a different side of Zeus in these deleted scenes, but it’s curious they left out some of the confirmed scenes of Gorr’s bloody path of killing all gods. It seems like they aren’t including them so it’s not an option for people considering it as canon given the gruesome fate of some Thor veteran characters.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • ‘Hunger Games’ Director Francis Lawrence to Direct ‘BioShock’

    ‘Hunger Games’ Director Francis Lawrence to Direct ‘BioShock’

    The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence has lined up his next project. Lawrence is set to direct the adaptation of the renowned video game franchise, BioShock. The news comes courtesy of Deadline, with the outlet reporting that Netflix has been looking at A-list directors and writers for the job since it was announced earlier this year, recognizing the large scope of the property. Lawrence has been on their radar since Spring given what he has done with the Hunger Games franchise. The studio has also brought on Michael Green, who penned Logan, to write the script.

    With Lawrence in production on the Hunger Games prequel, Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the plan is to have Green write the script while Lawrence is hard at work on that project. This will make it so that Lawrence can easily move on to BioShock once The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is completed. Lawrence, of course, took over the Hunger Games franchise after Gary Ross left ahead of the sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. He went on to complete the franchise with the two-part Mockingjay before returning for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

    BioShock is set across multiple dystopian and visionary landscapes gone wrong with the games featuring a unique blend of horror and science-fiction. The first game was released in 2007 and has since sold more than 39 million copies worldwide. The franchise consists of BioShock, BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite.

    The movie will be produced by Roy Lee through his Vertigo Entertainment along with Lawrence for his about:blank banner. As of now, BioShock does not have a release date on Netflix.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Warner Bros. Discovery is Reportedly Low on Funds for the Year

    Warner Bros. Discovery is Reportedly Low on Funds for the Year

    With David Zaslav and his team overseeing the new Warner Bros. after the merger with Discovery, massive turnover and changes have been made for the film studio. In recent weeks, we’ve seen Batgirl get shelved, as well as the sequel to Scoob!, despite both of those films being well within the post-production process. Batgirl, Scoob!, and the countless content removed from HBO Max are the casualties of Warner Bros. Discovery trying to save money through tax write-offs. And now, following news that the studio was shuffling around more release dates, it appears Warner Bros. Discovery needs all the financial help it can get at the moment.

    The latest bit of news coming from Warner Bros are the delays of both Shazam: Fury of the Gods and Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom, with Fury of the Gods moving to March 2023 and Aquaman moving to December 2023 respectively. This has been in line with the consistent delays of DC superhero films that have plagued the studio since the beginning of the pandemic. However, these moves have further indicated a large amount of financial turmoil for the studio according to Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter.

    The revelation of Warner Bros. Discovery only having the financial capital to release two films for the remaining near-half year of 2022 is certainly damning. It indicates a massive rocky road that Zaslav will have to try and navigate without, in theory, “rocking the boat” too much more. If that isn’t possible, the company could be forced to face even more upheaval despite being within this dire state for a considerable time. The financial sacrifices they’ve made thus far have caused some level of alienation with the creative base of Hollywood, and Warner Bros Discovery will have to tread carefully to remain in the upper echelon of the American film hierarchy.

    If there is any solace, Don’t Worry Darling and Black Adam both hold the potential to be relatively successful breadwinners for Warner Bros. Discovery. After all, Don’t Worry Darling has held a decently strong marketing campaign highlighting the intrigue of Olivia Wilde’s sophomore directorial feature. In addition, the all-star cast led by the likes of Florence Pugh and Harry Styles could drive audiences to theaters. Meanwhile, Warner Bros is certainly hoping that Black Adam can serve as a much-needed kickstart for a direction that the studio can take with its DC Extended Universe. It remains to be seen if Dwyane Johnson’s portrayal of the titular character alongside the Justice Society of America can change the narrative of the struggling franchise.

    Source: Twitter.

  • Adam Wingard to Direct ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ Sequel, Production Underway

    Adam Wingard to Direct ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ Sequel, Production Underway

    We’ve long wondered what exactly the sequel for Godzilla vs. Kong would look like. Adam Wingard is back to direct and we finally have an update on what to expect from the latest entry in the Monsterverse. While it was rumored to be an adaptation of Son of Kong, it looks like it’ll reunite Godzilla and Kong to unite against a new foe.

    While there are many options to choose from the Monsterverse’s potential new threats, it only teases that it’ll challenge the two Titans in new ways while further exploring their history on Earth. So, it seems like we’ll once again expand the Monsterverse’s mythology.

    That is not all, as they’ve also confirmed that the sequel’s cast will consist of Rebecca Hall, Bryan Tyree Henry and Kylee Hottle, who will reprise their roles. They will be joined by Dan Stevens, Fala Chan, Alex Ferns and Rachel House. Unfortunately, it seems Millie Bobby Brown won’t reprise her role in the sequel.

    The sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong is slated to hit theaters on March 15th, 2024.