Tag: Movies

‘WW84’s Patty Jenkins Speaks Out on HBO Max’s Digital Hybrid Release Model

If there’s one thing we’ll take away from 2021, it’s the constant war between distributors and their talent. Scarlett Johansson famously sued Disney for releasing Black Widow on Disney+ Premier Access and going against her contract. There have been many fears regarding what the digital release might do mean for the industry moving forward, as the pandemic still continues to rage on.

Of course, when exhibitors were holding this year’s CinemaCon event, there was going to be a lot of dismay on these recent strategies. Yet, it looks like one person joined in on the conversation, as Wonder Woman 1984’s director Patty Jenkins openly shared her thoughts on the digital day and date release strategy from HBO Max. She stated the following after the disheartening debut of her film back in December while many theaters were still just opening.

It was detrimental to the movie. I knew that could have happened I don’t think it plays the same on streaming, ever. I’m not a fan of day-and-date and I hope to avoid it forever. I make movies for the big screen experience
Patty Jenkins

She also openly stated she would not make a film for Netflix or any other streaming service, as she also points out the challenges of handling a limited run in theaters. While she also openly criticized exhibitions avoidance of change over the years, it’s still showing that Warner Bros’ decision to release all films simultaneously on HBO Max throughout the year left some scars. Yet, their strategy paid off as the pandemic continues to threaten theatrical experiences to this day, and it took quite some time before cinema was able to recover. Right now, it’s a hard decision to make for anyone in the industry and it’s uncertain how long it’ll drag out moving forward.

Source: Deadline

August 26, 2021
Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Aaron Pierre Cast in Leading Roles for ‘THE LION KING’ Prequel

It’s been some time since we heard about The Lion King prequel. Moonlight‘s Barry Jenkins took over directing duties from Jon Favreau, who kickstarted the live-action adaptation of the popular Disney animated film. Deadline has just unveiled that The Trial of The Chicago 7‘s Kelvin Harrison Jr. and The Underground Railroad‘s Aaron Pierre will lead the project. It’ll explore the story of Mufasa’s origin before he became the loving father we see in the original film. Harrison Jr. will tackle the role of Taka and Pierre playing Mufasa.

It’s still a curious decision to explore the origins of Mufasa. Disney did continue the story through various media with a direct-to-video sequel and The Lion Guard series on Disney Junior. Still, Simba’s father was rather straight-laced and the film might focus on his relationship with his brother, Scar. It doesn’t officially have a title, but there’s a good chance it might get a subtitle of some kind to not make people believe it’s an adaptation of the sequel.

It’ll continue the photorealistic animation technology introduced with the first film. Jeff Nathanson returns to script the film. Hans Zimmer will score the soundtrack alongside Pharrell, and Succession‘s Nicholas Britell. Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak will act as producers on the Disney film. Production is already underway and we might see more casting in the near future.

Source: Deadline

August 26, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Justin Timberlake Joins Benicio Del Toro’s Netflix Project ‘REPTILE’

In December of 2020, Variety announced that Benicio Del Toro will executive produce and star in Black Label Media’s film, Reptile. The film will be directed by music video director Grant Singer who has collaborated on various projects with The Weeknd and Taylor Swift, but is taking the step into the world of feature films. We can exlusively reveal that Del Toro won’t be alone, as the film has added Justin Timberlake in the role of Will in the Netflix original.

The film will follow Del Toro‘s Nichols, who is a detective in Atlanta trying to solve a case that starts to unravel as time goes on. It’ll force him to also take a closer look at the illusions of the life he believed he lived. Singer and Ben Brewer wrote the script with Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill and Thad Luckinbill from Black Label Media producing the film. The production is currently eyeing a production start from September to November.

Timberlake is no stranger to acting, as the singer famously starred in 2011’s In Time and Friends with Benefits. He recently headlined the Apple+ project Palmer and also lent his singing voice to the 2016 Trolls film. Still, one of his best roles might be the fact he somehow ended up voicing Boo Boo in the 2010 film adaptation of popular Hanna-Barbera cartoon, Yogi Bear. So, you could say he has experience in psychological thrillers and is the perfect choice to join Del Toro in the upcoming Netflix film.

Source: Variety

August 25, 2021
‘SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME’ 24-Hour View Count Swings to New Record All-Time High

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding the trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home. As rumors kept piling on teasing multiverse shenanigans, it was bound to garner a lot of attention after finally hitting the internet. Well, it looks like the film even beat Avengers: Endgame‘s all-time record as it stands at a staggering 355.5M global views within 24 hours. The last Avengers entry managed 289M, which is quite a staggering difference. It’s also an incredible jump from Spider-Man: Far From Home, as the film more than doubled it, as it garnered around 135M.

To up that into perspective what it means for its eventual Box Office release. Far From Home is Sony’s largest-grossing title with $1.131 billion. So, while Social Media buzz isn’t always a perfect indicator, the film has the potential to inch towards a potential $2B+ Box Office. Of course, the pandemic is still roaming and could certainly put a damper on that, as Sony still is uncertain to keep the upcoming Venom sequel in its current release window. It also garnered around 4.5M mentions within 24-hours which is the highest conversation volume of all time. Domestically, it also passed Endgame’s 1.94M with 2.91M mentions. It passed the previous record-holder within the first twelve hours.

There’s a lot of excitement with the grand return of Spider-Men from past Sony franchises, which has been a popular rumor going around. The trailer also ended on a high note with the return of Alfred Molina, who openly confirmed his return and even offered some insight into his character for the film. There’s also the tease of various other iconic villains joining the fray with the pumpkin bomb tease being a special highlight.

Source: Deadline

August 25, 2021
Set Photos Offer First Look at Danai Gurira and Letitia Wright in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

The highly anticipated sequel to Black Panther began production last month, following multiple delays due to the ongoing pandemic and the tragic loss of the star, Chadwick Boseman. As filming headed to Massachusetts recently, some new set photos have given us our very first look at returning fan favorites Danai Gurira and Letitia Wright sporting some very flashy new looks.

New photos from the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever have brand new looks at both Gurira and Wright as Okoye and Shuri. Okoye can be seen sporting a red bodysuit with a black blazer, and Shuri with a purple jumpsuit, with both wearing the Kimoyo beads introduced in the first film. Speculation about Wright departing the film swirled last month when Michaela Coel was cast. As you can see, that speculation was baseless.

Letitia Wright is filming for the upcoming "Black Panther" sequel despite speculation she was not in movie after anti-vax controversy. https://t.co/frTCQNlepS
— TMZ (@TMZ) August 24, 2021

Okoye and Shuri are certainly meeting with Riri Williams, previously confirmed to make her live-action debut in this film. Actress Dominique Thorne was recently spotted on set filming at MIT and it’s possible the duo could be recruiting or simply meeting with Williams as she has quite the bright mind.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to release in theaters on July 8th, 2022, and will be written and directed by Ryan Coogler, who’d previously worked on the first film. The film will see the return of Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Basset, and Lupita Nyong’o. The film will also feature newcomers such as Michaela Coel, Tenoch Huerta, and Mitzi Mabel Cadena, With Huerta and Cadena rumored to be playing Namor and Namora.

August 24, 2021
Sony May Delay ‘VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE’ Again to January 2022

Well, this is disheartening. It looks like Sony is worried about the upcoming release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. They just recently already pushed the film back into October, but Vulture has just shared that the latest Venom film was absent during the CinemaCon event even though they released a trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home. Its absence was quite noticeable and after some digging, Vulture learned from sources that they plan on delaying it until January 21st, 2022. As such, it would take Morbius‘ release slot that will also get delayed once again.

The move is quite a surprise as they seemed to feel safe with an October release instead of pushing back more of their projects. Of course, it also adds speculation if Spider-Man: No Way Home would potentially get pushed back as well. Yet, if they release the Venom sequel at the beginning of January, it might be a sign they believe things will calm down again by the end of the year. Box Office has been dropping for the past few months but the real test will be Marvel Studios’ upcoming release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Of course, the delay would also have strong implications for Morbius, which was initially going to release ahead of the Venom sequel. It was slated for July of this year, but it seems they have more hope that the proven franchise will draw in an audience. While not a sign of insecurity regarding Morbius, they simply already have a previous entry that showed them there’s a lot of Box Office potential. Sony does not have its own streaming service to rely on, which makes their decision to delay even harsher. We’ll see if the official confirmation will follow later this week.

Source: Vulture

August 24, 2021
Jake Gyllenhaal to Produce and Star in Film Adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s ‘OBLIVION SONG’

It looks as though Robert Kirkman is gearing up for another adaptation of his work. It was announced today that New Republic Pictures will be developing a film version of Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici’s science-fiction comic Oblivion Song, with star Jake Gyllenhaal attached to produce and play the leading role. The book’s story focuses on a world where 300,000 citizens of Philadelphia disappeared in a devastating disaster known only as “Oblivion”.

Ten years after the tragic event, the government and most of the world have given up hope of recovering those lost. Enter protagonist Nathan Cole, who continues to make daily trips attempting to bring back whoever he can. Gyllenhaal’s fellow producer Riva Marker had the following to say regarding the project:

When faced with a cataclysmic event that permanently alters our lives, what would we choose to save? Just as Kirkman did with The Walking Dead and Invincible, in Oblivion Song he’s created the potential for a franchise that is profoundly entertaining, and the perfect opportunity to explore big questions we’re reckoning with globally.

Oblivion Song was previously in development at Universal before moving to New Republic Pictures. The project will also be produced by Kirkman himself, under his now-famous Skybound Entertainment banner. The comic’s creator also chimed in on the announcement:

We couldn’t be more excited to find such great partners in New Republic and Nine Stories. Both companies have a tremendous reputation for premium storytelling at the highest level, and we can’t wait to see Jake bring this character to life on the big screen. We are so fortunate to have assembled a team that is as passionate about this comic as we are.

There is currently no release date for the movie.

Source: Deadline

August 24, 2021
Exploring Spider-Man’s Future Beyond ‘NO WAY HOME’

After a long wait, the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer has finally arrived. Not only that, but it also gave us our first look at the return of Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus and a tease of Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin. Of course, it continues to build the existence of other Spider-Man Variants making their appearance even if they got denied in the past. Sony even gave their new franchise a brand new name with Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. In a way, that new branding might offer a glimpse into where the franchise is heading and could hint at what the future holds for Spider-Man beyond his third entry in the latest franchise.

The first that seems curious about the naming is that they didn’t go with the Spiderverse moniker. It’s not only strongly connected to the character but also adds to the multiversal storyline introduced in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Yet, they went out of their way to make sure we know that this is Sony’s Spider-Man. They even left out any mention of Marvel, as the original name was Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters.

No Way Home introducing multiple versions of the same character could give both Marvel and Sony a way to create their franchises separately. Tom Holland‘s version of the character can continue his journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony, on the other hand, can take a different route by introducing a new version of the character that is unique to their universe or even bring back a legacy actor. The Spider-Verse animated film introduces multiple versions of Peter Parker and Sony isn’t dependent on a specific one. So, there are quite a few options on how they can tackle their new Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.

There have been no hints at Venom having connections to the current version of the character. In the film, we see the Daily Bugle as a newspaper while the MCU introduced it as an Info Wars parody. Plus, Morbius combined multiple elements adding a sense of confusion as to what exactly is in continuity or not. There’s always the chance they change these elements in the final film, as some effects work for trailers get rushed out, but it still opens up more questions about Sony’s plans. They don’t unveil their master plan as Marvel Studios does. So, we mostly can only guess based on what little information we are given.

The most present version of Spider-Man’s mythos in Sony’s extended franchises is the Sam Raimi version. It just seems unlikely Tobey Maguire would return to acting as a recurring character in Sony’s various films. Yet, if they introduce him as an older mentor figure, they could take the route of Miles Morales becoming that franchise’s version of the character. We might learn he was going to pass on the torch before the return of his old enemies draw him back into the spandex suit. Whatever direction they are taking, there’s a good chance the ending of No Way Home will finally confirm if we can expect more of Tom Holland in the MCU.

August 24, 2021
‘SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME’ Trailer Includes F.E.A.S.T. Easter Egg

Spider-Man: No Way Home finally got its first trailer and it hinted at quite a few curious things we can expect from the third entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Not only do we get the grand return of actors from past Spider-Man franchises, but what looks like a showdown with Doctor Strange. Now, there’s also one very brief sequence that includes an important comic and video game reference. We see Spidey running through what seems to be a mess hall with the leaked black-gold suit. If you take a closer look, it turns out he is running through a F.E.A.S.T. shelter.

It’s hidden quite well in the background, but you can make out the acronym if you look closely in an HD version of the trailer, which you can check out here:

The location has been a recurring place for Aunt May in the comics and even in Insomniac’s Spider-Man game from 2018. Its inclusion also is a hint that the location from Far From Home, where Aunt May held the benefit gala, could also be this same location, but there was no direct reference to it in the film. With this confirmation, it may also hint at the existence of Martin Li, who would end up becoming Mister Negative in the game and comics.

The sequence does hint that Peter Parker is running away from something. We did find out that the black-gold suit uses magic webbing from earlier toy leaks. So, he might be in the middle of a battle with one of the villains teased throughout the trailer. Perhaps he also got pushed through the multiverse and landed in an alternative world with its own Peter Parker. Some time ago, there were rumors that we could even see the actor who played the character in the Insomniac game make an appearance. The confirmed appearance of Molina just opens up so many avenues, which makes it exciting with every new Easter egg.

Source: YouTube

August 24, 2021
Sony Gives Their ‘SPIDER-MAN’ Cinematic Universe an Official Name

All eyes were on the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s trailer last night. Sony timed the release to perfectly coincide with their panel at Cinecom. The panel did include some other surprises, such as ScreenRant sharing that Sony finally gave its franchise a name. Up until now, it was known as Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, or SPUMC, for short but it seems they finally decided to rebrand it. They’re going with the rather simple title of “Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.”

What makes this naming interesting is that they’ll likely keep Spider-Man at the center of these projects. It also is a sign that they’ll continue building up their franchises, which will see the inclusion of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, and the recently confirmed Kraven the Hunter film. It’ll be interesting to see if they also release an official branding and some kind of timeline for these projects. As they continue to build upon these Marvel brands, Marvel Studio’s films stand out through their fanfare. So, it might not be a bad idea to help audiences distinguish it and highlighting it as a Sony-Marvel project through a unique opening. I may also just want to hear the iconic Spider-Man theme with every film.

This naming may also hint that Spider-Man: No Way Home will build towards this universe, as we got the hint of classic villains from the original Sam Raimi franchise making a return. So, if they are building upon the multiverse, we might either see Peter Parker crossover into Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, or another Spider-Man takes over that role. Morbius did include a cameo by Vulture but had Raimi‘s suit design in the background. The Daily Bugle in Venom is also the one we saw in the films from the early 2000s. Perhaps we get an alternative version of the character in this part of the multiverse while Marvel continues working on their own.

Source: ScreenRant

August 24, 2021