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Tag: Movie News

  • John Cena and Awkwafina Lead New Paul Feig Film at Amazon (Exclusive)

    John Cena and Awkwafina Lead New Paul Feig Film at Amazon (Exclusive)

    Director Paul Feig‘s next film is ramping up for a March production and has landed a pair of stars to take the lead. John Cena and Awkwafina have signed on for Feig’s new film, which will be produced by Amazon.

    The untitled production is set to follow the adventures of Awkwafina’s character who after winning the lottery becomes the target of the desperate population of a near future where her winnings could be claimed by anyone who kills her before the end of the day. As she seeks to survive until sundown, Katie finds herself under the protection of Cena’s character, who works for a professional protection agency.

    Awkwafina pictured with John Cena during the premiere of Crazy Rich Asians.
    Getty Images

    Feig, the director of Bridesmaids and 2016’s Ghostbusters, will also serve as an executive producer on the film along with Laura Fischer, Jeff Kirschenbaum and Zack Roth, all of whom worked with Feig on Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil. No release date or platform has been announced for the film.

  • Madonna Biopic Not Moving Forward at Universal

    Madonna Biopic Not Moving Forward at Universal

    In the age of biopics based on pop music icons of the 20th century, one potential project is officially not moving forward. It’s been announced that the Madonna-based film is no longer in development at Universal Pictures. The film was to be directed by the pop icon herself, but the recent announcement of Madonna’s new world tour officially axed the project from happening. However, some Hollywood sources noted that the decision to cancel the biopic was already made at the end of 2022. Madonna also co-wrote the script for the project alongside Erin Cressida Wilson with Amy Pascal set to produce.

    Much was made about the grueling audition process for playing Madonna in the now-canceled film. It’s been said that the months-long experience was akin to a boot camp, including 11-hour days consisting of dancing, acting, and singing with Madonna and her choreographers. Numerous young stars in Hollywood and the music industry such as Florence Pugh, Odessa Young, Emma Laird, Bebe Rexha, and Sky Ferreira were in contention for the role. Ultimately, Julia Garner (of Ozark fame) was the front-runner to take on the part of the iconic singer, but it seemingly will not come to be.

    The biopic was first announced in 2020 and was set to cover the decades-long career of Madonna in the worlds of music and fashion. However, new reports have come out about the tumultuous process to get the script together. All versions of the script were well over 180 pages, with issues to parse down Madonna’s career into an individual film. Some discussions were had about adapting her life story into a two-part saga or even a limited series. Though as it stands now, the project is not moving forward in any way at Universal Pictures.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • RUMOR: ‘You’ Star Joins ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ as Vanessa

    RUMOR: ‘You’ Star Joins ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ as Vanessa

    It feels like Five Nights at Freddy’s has been in development hell for quite some time. Now, they’re finally moving forward with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop working on the live-action adaptation. The biggest news came when the first casting announcement also finally dropped with Matthew Lillard and Josh Hutcherson taking on leading roles for the project.

    Emma Tammi is in the directing chair and it looks like one more star has been found in a rather curious role for fans of the gaming franchise. You‘s Elizabeth Lail has seemingly joined the cast according to Daniel Richtman. For those that recently played the game Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach, the character had a major role in the game and its lore.

    GeeksVibesNation also highlighted that the role of “Vanessa” is currently being cast with the description stating that she’s a “police officer who shows up during one of Mike’s work shifts.” What sticks out is that she has a “keen understanding of the dark history and inner workings of the restaurant.”

    She was a nightguard in the Security Brach game and it’s curious they changed her role, but there’s a chance the name is just a coincidence to get fans of the franchise theorizing. Still, there’s a good chance that creator Scott Cawthon is reusing elements from his various games to pick together a unique story that plays on similar themes. The only question we’re stuck with now: is Vanny also going to appear?

    Source: GeeksVibesNation, Patreon via Twitter

  • ‘Wakanda Forever’ Among 22 Disney Projects Nominated for the 95th Academy Awards

    ‘Wakanda Forever’ Among 22 Disney Projects Nominated for the 95th Academy Awards

    Nominees for the 95th Oscars have been announced at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater located in Beverly Hills, California. The nomination ceremony was hosted by Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams, and consisted of 23 different categories, including best picture, best actor and actress in lead and supporting roles, best original and adapted screenplay, and much more.

    The announcement was streamed live on the Academy’s official webpages (Oscars.com) and social media handles, as well as aired on ABC’s Good Morning America. You can take a look at every single nomination at the 2023 Oscars, in over 23 different categories below.

    Best Costume Design

    • “Babylon”  
    • “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
    • “Elvis”
    • “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
    • “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris”

    Best Actress in a Supporting Role

    • Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) 
    • Hong Chau (“The Whale”) 
    • Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
    • Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 
    • Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

    Best Actor in a Supporting Role

    • Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
    • Brian Tyree Henry (“Causeway”) 
    • Judd Hirsch (“The Fabelmans”)
    • Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
    • Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

    Best Animated Feature Film 

    • “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
    • “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” 
    • “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”
    • “The Sea Beast”
    • “Turning Red”

    Best Makeup and Hairstyling 

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front” 
    • “The Batman”
    • “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
    • “Elvis” 
    • “The Whale” 

    Best Original Score 

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front”  
    • “Babylon”  
    • “The Banshees of Inisherin”
    • “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
    • “The Fabelmans”  

    Best Live Action Short

    • “An Irish Goodbye”
    • “Ivalu”
    • “Le Pupille”
    • “Night Ride”
    • “The Red Suitcase”

    Best Animated Short Film

    • “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse”
    • “The Flying Sailor” 
    • “Ice Merchants” 
    • “My Year of Dicks” 
    • “An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It” 

    Best Sound

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front”
    • “Avatar: The Way of Water”
    • “The Batman”
    • “Elvis”
    • “Top Gun: Maverick”

    Best Adapted Screenplay

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front”
    • “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”
    • “Living”
    • “Top Gun: Maverick”
    • “Women Talking”

    Best Original Screenplay

    • “The Banshees of Inisherin”
    • “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
    • “The Fabelmans”
    • “Tár”
    • “Triangle of Sadness”
    • “An Irish Goodbye”

    Best Cinematography 

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front”
    • “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”
    • “Elvis”
    • “Empire of Light”
    • “Tár”

    Best Documentary Feature Film 

    • “All That Breathes”  
    • “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”
    • “Fire of Love”
    • “A House Made of Splinters”
    • “Navalny”

    Best Film Editing

    • “The Banshees of Inisherin”
    • “Elvis”
    • “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
    • “Tár”
    • “Top Gun: Maverick”

    Best Documentary Short Film 

    • “The Elephant Whisperers”
    • “Haulout”
    • “How Do You Measure a Year?”
    • “The Martha Mitchell Effect”
    • “Stranger at the Gate”

    Best International Feature Film 

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany) 
    • “Argentina, 1985” (Argentina) 
    • “Close” (Belgium)
    • “EO” (Poland) 
    • “The Quiet Girl” (Ireland) 

    Best Visual Effects

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front”
    • “Avatar: The Way of Water”
    • “The Batman”
    • “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”  
    • “Top Gun: Maverick”

    Best Original Song 

    • “Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman”
    • “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick”   
    • “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”   
    • “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR”   
    • “This Is a Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once” 

    Best Production Design 

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front”
    • “Avatar: The Way of Water”
    • “Babylon”
    • “Elvis”
    • “The Fabelmans”

    Best Lead Actor

    • Austin Butler (“Elvis”) 
    • Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
    • Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) 
    • Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”) 
    • Bill Nighy (“Living”) 

    Best Lead Actress

    • Cate Blanchett (“Tár”) 
    • Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) 
    • Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie”)
    • Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”) 
    • Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

    Best Director 

    • Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
    • Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 
    • Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) 
    • Todd Field (“Tár”) 
    • Ruben Östlund (“Triangle of Sadness”) 

    Best Picture

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix) 
    • “Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios) 
    • “The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures) 
    • “Elvis” (Warner Bros.) 
    • “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24) 
    • “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures) 
    • “Tár” (Focus Features) 
    • “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures) 
    • “Triangle of Sadness” (Neon) 
    • “Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) 

     Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once leads the awards with a total of 11 nominations. In second place, Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front and Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin are tied with 9 nominations each.
    Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis stands at a close third place, with 8 nominations.

    The final winners for the 2023 Oscars will be announced on Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. Television host/comedian Jimmy Kimmel is set to return as the host, after previously hosting the ceremony back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.

  • New Rumor Exposes the True Big Bad of Marvel Studios ‘Thunderbolts’

    New Rumor Exposes the True Big Bad of Marvel Studios ‘Thunderbolts’

    Since her first appearance in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has been recruiting some folks who are comfortable living in a moral grey area. Following a big reveal at D23 Expo 2022, audiences learned that Val’s full team will come together in the 2024 film Thunderbolts. Since the concept art of the team was unveiled, speculation about potential missing members of the squad began and recent rumors seemed to confirm that at least one member was withheld: Robert Reynolds, aka, Sentry. While the super-powered Sentry seems like he might be a bit too wack to fit into the MCU, there are some changes that could be made to make him fit the rumored “evil Superman” bill. However, despite having a plethora of problems, Sentry has never truly been a bad guy–at least not on his own merit–and a new rumor suggests that might not be the case in Thunderbolts either.

    According to Twitter user CanWeGetSomeToast, while it’ll be Sentry going into battle against the Thunderbolts, Val’s the one pulling his strings.

    https://twitter.com/CanWeGetToast/status/1617666429280751616?s=20&t=z6_4rmUxVwdstRv-YmCjwg

    The user suggests that Val will be behind whatever new Super Solider project is responsible for (presumably) turning Reynolds into Sentry and somehow making him her puppet. Additional rumors suggest that Sentry begins Thunderbolts as a member of the team before turning on his allies. From the sounds of it, whatever manner or method of control Val will have over Sentry won’t last and the Thunderbolts will have to come together to either take him down or get cooked.

    Sentry being under the thumb of a manipulative and duplicitous leader isn’t a new concept. During the Siege era from the pages of Marvel Comics, Sentry finds himself a member of Norman Osborn’s team of Avengers (Dark Avengers) and is used by Osborn as a one-man hit squad before being taken out by Thor. With Thor not currently expected to appear in Thunderbolts, one must wonder who will stop Sentry.

  • Jeff Lovesness Explains Why Kang Poses a Greater Threat than Thanos

    Jeff Lovesness Explains Why Kang Poses a Greater Threat than Thanos

    Following in the footsteps of the last Avengers film, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, can’t be an easy task; however, it’s one that Rick and Morty and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania scribe Jeff Loveness seems to have embraced. Loveness’ task on Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was simple: find a way to have Kang out-Thanos Thanos. Kang, who will be introduced in his full glory in Quantumania, poses a very different kind of threat than Thanos and one that Loveness believes audiences might find a bit more terrifying because as he explained in SFX Magazine, Kang is just one of us.

    To me, it’s all about the humanity. Obviously, Thanos is a great, iconic villain, but he’s also a big purple CGI guy. He’s an alien from outer space. The thing I really wanted to lean into is that Kang is a human being. Kang’s also a very lonely character. We’re going to be seeing a lot of him in a lot of different ways going forward, but I really wanted to introduce the humanity and even the vulnerability of this character before he gets to such apocalyptic, Avengers-scale heights.

    Jeff Lovenss

    If Quantumania is then about introducing the very human and vulnerable Kang, The Kang Dynasty would seem to be the place to unleash Kang. Loveness indicated that’s exactly what will happen and it might be more than Earth’s Mightiest Heroes can handle.

    Kang is a top-tier, A-list Avengers villain. What do you do when you feel you’re not enough against that? How do you step up to face the challenge of this generation, who is Thanos on an exponential level? He’s almost this infinite Thanos. I think we’re setting things up for a pretty dynamic story.

    Jeff Loveness

    Phase 4, which consisted of 14 live-action projects, recently concluded with the emotional Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Many of those projects introduced new heroes who are likely to be among those assembled to take on Kang. According to Loveness, when that tie comes, Marvel Studios will be ready to “put the pedal to the gas again.”

    As I’m building to Avengers I want it to feel like a generational struggle. Phase 4 felt like the birth of new characters. You’re giving everyone a little bit of a breath, you’re broadening out the universe, you have fun Disney Plus shows that are elevating characters. And now I think it’s time to put the pedal to the gas again, and really take all these new characters that we like and throw them into the fire.

    Jeff Loveness

    You had us at infinite Thanos. Fans will catch their first glimpse of just how dangerous Kang is when Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17th before watching him take over time in 2025’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

    Source: SFX Magazine via Games Radar

  • ‘Quantumania’ Writer Jeff Lovenes Shares Unusual Source of Inspiration for MODOK

    ‘Quantumania’ Writer Jeff Lovenes Shares Unusual Source of Inspiration for MODOK

    Having worked as a writer on Rick and Morty for two seasons, Jeff Loveness is no stranger to alien landscapes, strange creatures and pulling from off-the-wall references. In that regard, Loveness must have felt right at home while scribing Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, which takes the heroes to the Quantum Realm and introduces them to an array of peculiar creatures. Though the Ant-Family finds themselves in another dimension, it’s a creature with ties to their own that has caught the eye of audiences in the latest trailer and who will pose problems for the protagonists for MODOK’s time has come.

    As seen in the new trailer, MODOK is played by Corey Stoll, whose Darren Cross was gruesomely dispatched into the Quantum Realm in the final act of 2015’s Ant-Man. The character, who has a fairly comic-accurate design, plays a major role in Quantumania and according to Loveness, is also responsible for his “favorite moments” in the film.

    MODOK is maybe my single favorite thing that I got in the movie. Obviously, we are very faithful to the comics with the design and the look, but then there is a little bit of extra we put into him. Maybe I’ll get fired off The Kang Dynasty when people see it, but some of my favorite moments come from MODOK and the dynamics there.

    Jeff Loveness

    While MODOK’s look is comic-inspired, Loveness had to come up with a brand new take on the character given his new origins. In doing so, he took inspiration from a late 80s off-beat, cult classic comedy, A Fish Called Wanda.

    I’ll just say he was inspired by Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda and Frank Grimes in an old Simpsons episode – this really put-upon, selfish, entitled but then also deeply sad, insecure man who knows that he got a shit deal in life and is trying to make the best of it. His ego will crumble the second he’s challenged but then also like Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda, he’s pretty good at killing people.

    Jeff Loveness

    A Fish Called Wanda is a wacky heist film with a number of betrayals and double-crosses, many of which include Kline’s Otto, a role for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Like its successors, Quantumania appears to be a heist film, so should the script of Quantumania have taken a bit of inspiration from A Fish Called Wanda, fans will have their share of twists and turns to track, which is part of the fun of heist films.

    Loveness explains that MODOK is “a real loose cannon character and I had a great amount of fun with him,” while adding that he played a key role in finding the tone for the threequel. “We cracked MODOK as a character“, said Loveness, “and the movie just became so fun.” Fans don’t have long to find out just how much fun Quantumania is as it is set to hit theaters on February 17th.

    Source: SFX Magazine via Games Radar

  • RUMOR: ‘Captain America 4’ Adding Serpent Society Member Diamondback

    RUMOR: ‘Captain America 4’ Adding Serpent Society Member Diamondback

    The more rumors make the rounds, the wilder Captain America: New World Order is starting to sound. Anthony Mackie is set to reprise his role as Captain America from the Diseny+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to lead the new entry in the franchise. Now, a new rumor is making the rounds hinting at one new villainous addition to the film.

    According to insider Daniel Richtman, it seems that we’ll see a female villain join the cast. She’s rumored to be the character known as Diamondback, who is a prominent member of the Serpent Society; something @CanWeGetToast seems to also highlight. There is also a hint that the character may potentially be a love interest for Mackie‘s Sam Wilson.

    Serpent Society is a fitting addition to the film and would also make for a nice callback to the fact that Marvel Studios CEO once jokingly revealed the third entry of the franchise would include the villains before unveiling it was actually an adaptation of Civil War. The recent casting of Xosha Roquemore has also been highlighted as a potential casting for this very role.

    The addition of the Serpent Society could also fit nicely into the themes of a Sam Wilson-led project. Given their history, there’s a lot of potential in bringing them to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The inclusion of Diamondback may also hint at other members potentially appearing in the film, and perhaps they also have a connection to the returning Tim Blake Nelson, who is reprising his long-awaited role as the Leader.

    Source: Patreon via The Direct, Twitter

  • Marvel Comics Writer Confirms Monica Rambeau’s Superhero Name in the MCU

    Marvel Comics Writer Confirms Monica Rambeau’s Superhero Name in the MCU

    There’s been a lot of discussion on what exactly the name will be for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s take on Monica Rambeau. We were first introduced to her during WandaVision played by Teyonah Parris. Surprisingly, she even received her iconic powers during her mission to save the town of Westview from the hands of a grieving Wanda Maximoff. Yet, this only left us with questions on what it might mean for her future in the MCU, as she’ll have a major role in the upcoming The Marvels film.

    In the comics, Monica Rambeau has gone by many different names as a hero. For some time she was Captain Marvel, but she was also better known as Spectrum for quite a long time. That name stuck for many years, but comic writer Eve L. Ewing got the chance to revisit the character in the comics in the comic Monica Rambeau: Photon. It surprised many that she seemingly went with another name and it seems there’s more to this than we at first expected.

    As part of the Black Comic Lords Live!, Ewing revealed that she did not choose the name Photon. She reacted to a question in regards to her being called Spectrum in the MCU to which she highlighted that she “did not choose for her to be called Photon in this comic.” Indirectly, this confirms that the character will likely adopt that name in the film adaptation, which would also match their usual attempts to at least keep a synergy between the latest comics and cinematic releases.

    Ewing does highlight that these divisions don’t usually coordinate but highlighting that she had no choice in the name pretty much gives away that this was something that was decided, especially as the decision on naming her Photon was very likely due to her upcoming appearance in The Marvels. We’re still a couple of months away, but perhaps we’ll officially hear her name spoken in the eventual trailer release for this film.

    Source: Black Comic Lords Live via Twitter

  • Early ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Box Office Projections Eyeing Trilogy’s Best

    Early ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Box Office Projections Eyeing Trilogy’s Best

    It’s become more and more difficult to truly project just how much money a film will make at the box office. Most of the 2020 holdovers were the only ones to beat early projects going into last year with Top Gun: Maverick and Minions: Rise of Gru. Still, Marvel films remained reliable box office performers even as they hit a sophomore slump, not too surprising with a franchise event like Avengers: Endgame that would normally wrap up any other franchise.

    Still, there are some early projects coming in on how their first Phase 5 entry may perform at the box office. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is only a few more weeks away for hitting theaters and early projects seem to have the film potentially earning between $96M to $131M in its opening weekend. with their usual performance of a strong drop in its second weekend, there’s a chance the film could end between $249M to $347M in its domestic run.

    With good word-of-mouth, the film may become the first $100M+ opener for the year and that’s in a strong February market. The film has the advantage of no real competition until Shazam: Fury of the Gods in March though Creed 3 has the potential to take the top spot in the domestic market. There’s also the Dungeons & Dragons film hitting theaters in late March.

    It should be noted for those ready to call this a potential bust for Marvel Studios, the film would still have the biggest domestic gross for any part of the Ant-Man franchise if it hits the lower end of the projections. Ant-Man managed to pull in $180M while its sequel had a slight boost to $216M. Plus, the last entry was five years ago and the main antagonist of the current Multiverse Saga might make it a “don’t miss” for fans that will check out the film early on.

    Also, its opening may double the initial opening weekend at the domestic box office, which was around $57M. It’s sequel opened to $75M, which makes this the potential biggest opener for the franchise. It’ll also have the biggest budget for an Ant-Man entry, which means the expectations are higher. The February release also opens up some questions on how it’ll perform but Marvel could still prove to be a reliable performer at the box office going into its fifth phase.

    Source: Box Office Pro