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B O X O F F I C E who’s making the money | F I L M N E W S who’s making the headlines | |
I N T H E U K . . .
I N T H E U S . . .
T O P N E W S T R E A M E R S . . .
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Jamie Lee Curtis, Ayo Edibiri, Emma Mackey, Woody Harrelson, Kumail Nanjiani and Albert Brooks will star in ELLA MCKAY, which will mark James L Brooks' return to the director's chair after a 13 year break. It's about an idealistic young politician juggling work and family issues while preparing to follow her mentor as the state's governor. Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas, Sophie Wilde and Jean Reno will star in BABYGIRL, a thriller about a powerful female CEO who has an affair with an intern. Halina Reijn (Bodies Bodies Bodies) is writing and directing. Brendan Fraser will star in the comedy-drama RENTAL FAMILY, about a struggling American actor living in Tokyo who is hired to play roles in the lives of real people. Hikari (Beef) is directing and cowriting with Stephen Blahut. Idris Elba will star in ABOVE THE BELOW, a survival thriller about three astronauts who survive a chaotic re-entry to Earth but are lost at sea as their capsule begins to sink. Costars include Caitlin FitzGerald and Hero Fiennes Tiffin. Elba is also directing the film with Martin Owen. Chris Pine says he's hoping to reprise his role in a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS sequel, which is apparently in the works from filmmakers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. Based on the role-playing game, the adventure-comedy costarred Rege-Jean Page, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis and Hugh Grant. Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio will team up on-screen, reprising their KARATE KID roles for a sequel that will connect the 1984 original with its 2010 remake and the Cobra Kai series. A search is underway for a young actor to play the title role this time around. Jonathan Entwistle (I Am Not Okay With This) is directing from a script by Rob Lieber (Peter Rabbit). Pete Davidson, Ed Harris, Michael Covino and Lewis Pullman are joining Jennifer Coolidge, Dustin Hoffman and Gabrielle Union in RIFF RAFF, a crime comedy currently filming in New Jersey with director Dito Montiel. It's about a retired criminal whose quiet life is upended when his family turns up. Matthew Morrison and Kara Wang will star in FROM EMBERS, a thriller about a young widow and her 9-year-old autistic son who develop a relationship with their alcoholic single-dad neighbour. Costars include Kathryn Morris, Christopher Shyer, London Kim, Omi Vaidya and Kayla Bohan, who is also writing and directing the film. Giancarlo Esposito is joining the cast of PLEASE DON'T FEED THE CHILDREN, a thriller about a group of orphans seeking a new life after a virus decimates the adult population. Costars include Michelle Dockery, Vernon Davis, Emma Meisel, Dean Scott Vazquez and Zoe Colletti. Destry Allyn Spielberg is directing. And now that both Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega have dropped out of SCREAM VII, the producers say they will take this opportunity to refresh the franchise. This may involve bringing Neve Campbell back, after she skipped the sixth film. Christopher Landon is directing.
Michael B Jordan will be back as both director and star for CREED IV, the continuing Rocky spin-off. Producer Irwin Winkler is back as well, and he says that a script is in the works. But he isn't yet releasing details about the plot, or indeed who is writing said script. Kim Kardashian will star in and produce the comedy THE 5TH WHEEL. There's no word on the plot, but it's said to be a female-driven story with a script written by Paula Pell and Janine Brito. Kardashian has done limited work as an actress, but grabbed attention in a scene-stealing role in American Horror Story. Nicholas Hoult will play Lex Luthor in SUPERMAN: LEGACY, alongside David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as Clark Kent and Lois Lane. James Gunn is directing the reboot, which also stars Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan and Maria Gabriela de Faria. Meanwhile, Chris Messina is joining Hoult in Clint Eastwood's next film JUROR NO 2, which also stars Toni Collette, Kiefer Sutherland, Soey Deutch, Leslie Bibb and Gabriel Basso. It's about a guy on a murder trial jury who's struggling with a moral dilemma that could potentially push the verdict the wrong way. Mads Mikkelsen is apparently being lined up to play Doctor Doom in the latest FANTASTIC 4 reboot. No confirmed casting has been announced, but current rumours have the film starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Javier Bardem, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bacharach. Matt Shakman (WandaVision) is directing. Steven Yeun will play Sentry in THUNDERBOLTS, based on the Marvel comics about a team of supervillains and antiheroes. Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan and Julia Louis-Dreyfus will reprise their previous roles, with added cast members including Harrison Ford, David Harbour, Olga Kurylenko, Wyatt Russell and Hannah John-Kamen. Jake Schreier (Beef) is directing. Doug Liman will direct Rege-Jean Page in a reimagining of THE SAINT, about a criminal for hire who steals from the wealthy. This follows on from the 1960s TV series and 1997 movie remake, plus multiple other projects. The script is by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani. Banita Sandhu (October) will star opposite Adivi Sesh in the globe-hopping Telugu-language action thriller G2, a sequel to the 2018 hit Goodachari, about a spy who is trying to clear his name after being accused of killing two officials. Plot details for the sequel are under wraps. Vinay Kumar Sirigineedi is directing. Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) will direct a sixth film in the JASON BOURNE series. The project is in the early stages of development, so there's no script yet. Matt Damon has said he will be back in the lead role if the script is right. Following on from the success of their Sonic the Hedgehog movies, Sega is now planning to adapt its role-playing titles, including PERSONA, in which teens confront supernatural foes, and YAKUZA, a crime-drama franchise also known as Like a Dragon. There's also a third Sonic on its way.
In the latest around of rumours, Pedro Pascal is up for the role of Reed Richards in the new FANTASTIC 4 movie, while Vanessa Kirby may play Sue Storm, with Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) as Johnny Storm and Ebon Moss-Bacharach (Beef) as Ben Grimm. And Javier Bardem is apparently playing the villain. Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys will star in HALLOW ROAD, a psychological thriller about two parents trying to help their daughter after she causes a fatal car accident. Babak Anvari is directing from a script by William Gillies. Jack Kilmer, Paris Jackson and Eric Roberts are starring in the horror thriller OPEN WOUNDS, which is set in an indie movie studio during the making of a B-list vampire movie. It's about a makeup artist who begins committing murder to make the film's gore more realistic. Ronald Krauss is directing. Judy Greer, Rich Sommer, Abigail Donaghy, Victoria Pedretti and Lola Flannery will join Utkarsh Ambudkar in THE BOOK OF JOBS, a coming-of-age story about a teen girl growing up in Silicon Valley, where Steve Jobs inspires her imagination and ambition. Kayci Lacob is writing and directing. Jacki Weaver and Tony Shalhoub will star in THE WONDER YARD, about a woman who begins building a theme park in her garden after the death of her husband of 50 years. Lauren Miller Rogen is directing from a script by Beth Curry. William Moseley, Michele Morrone (365 Days), Urassaya Sperbund (Brother of the Year) and K-Pop star Alexander Lee have joined the cast of HOME SWEET HOME REBIRTH, based on the survival videogame about a cop who finds himself in an alternate realm after a mall shooting. Alexander Kiesl and Steffen Hacker are directing. Cathy Shim is joining the cast of K-POPS, about a washed-up musician who moves from Los Angeles to Seoul and tries to relaunch his career on a music competition show. Grammy-winner Anderson .Paak is directing, cowriting and costarring in the film. Maria Gabriela de Faria (Deadly Class) will play the villainous nanotech-powered Engineer in SUPERMAN: LEGACY, James Gunn's reboot, which stars David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, plus Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi and Anthony Carrigan. Ezra Claytan Daniels (Dooom Patrol) will write a remake of Wes Craven's 1991 horror classic THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS, about a guy who breaks into the home of his greedy landlords and discovers a sinister dungeon in the basement. It was loosely based on a true story. Jordan Peele is producing the remake. And even while FROZEN 3 is in the works, Disney boss Bob Iger says there are also plans to make a fourth film in the series. Writer-director Jennifer Lee is once again working on these new projects, which follow on from the 2013 and 2019 animated blockbusters.
Denzel Washington will play ancient military leader Hannibal the Conqueror in a new movie, reteaming once again with director Antoine Fuqua. From Carthage, Hannibal invaded Spain and Italy in the 3rd century BC, crossing the Alps on North African elephants. John Logan is writing the script. Lena Headey, Marc Menchaca, Catherine Curtin and Zoe Cipres will star in LONG PORK, a revenge thriller about a chef whose daughter dies in childbirth because she was forced to give birth in a post-abortion America. Iris Dukatt is making her directing debut. Joanna Kulig and Fanny Ardant will star in the psychological thriller ISLAND, about a woman who finds freedom from her wealthy, bedridden husband in a friendship with a provocative stranger. Writer-director Nora Jaenike is filming on the Italian island of Elba. Betty Buckley, Tom Payne, Matthew Sato, Taegen Burns and Pyper Braun are joining DeWanda Wise in IMAGINARY, a horror thriller about a woman who moves back into her childhood home, where her daughter becomes attached to a creepy stuffed bear in the basement. Jeff Wadlow is directing. Argentine star Luisana Lopilato (Perdida) will star in THE GUNWOMAN: PEPITA'S LEGEND, a gangster epic based on the true story of infamous mob boss Margarita Di Tullio. Lucia Puenzo is directing and cowriting with Andres Gelos and Tatiana Merenuk. Tim Miller (Deadpool) will direct an adaptation of the comic ALIEN LEGION, which has been described as the French Legion in space. The story follows a multi-species intergalactic peace-keeping force that takes on prejudice and villainy in a sprawling union of planets. Ana Nogueira (The Vampire Diaries) will write SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW, which is being originally set up as a spinoff from The Flash starring Sasha Calle. But apparently, the film is now a completely separate stand-alone movie based on the 2021 comic book series. Julie Veille and Gilles Marliac are writing EDITH, a new biopic about Edith Piaf that will use animation, archival footage and interview clips to explore previously unknown aspects of the iconic singer's life in Paris and New York. And AI technology will allow Piaf herself to narrate the film. And British singer HRVY will make his feature acting debut in FRUIT OF THE POISONOUS TREE, alongside Scott Haze, Willa Fitzgerald, Joel Courtney and Tait Fletcher. The story centres around a long investigation into a police-protected crime ring in New Mexico. Fritz Kiersch is directing. OLDER NEWS >> | |
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S T A G E & M O R E beyond the big screen... | ||
 Charmingly transgressive STAGE: Connor Burns brings his acclaimed stand-up Vertigo to Soho Theatre, on tour until March '24...  Duets in the dark DANCE: This year's Young Associates mixed bill of four new works at Sadler's Wells...  Sowing the seeds of love DANCE: Emanuel Gat Dance's Lovetrain2020 brings Tears For Fears to Sadler's Wells...  Shadows @ AFI Fest FESTIVAL: Visiting friends and family in L.A., so might as well see some movies. Reviews/pics on the blog...
STAGE: Tommy Murphy's Strangers in Between is revived at Golden Goose Theatre...
STAGE: Deeper and Deeper explores gay life over two decades, at Union Theatre
DANCE: Kyiv City Ballet's Tribute to Peace at the Peacock...
STAGE: La Cage aux Folles shimmers in the open are at Regent's Park...
STAGE: Myra DuBois makes a healing return to the West End with Be Well at the Peacock Theatre...
DANCE: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater celebrates 65 years, at Sadler's Wells...
FESTIVAL: Shadows @ FrightFest - Thrills and horror descendson London over the August long weekend...
AUGUST TV ROUNDUP: More of The Bear, Heartstopper, The Witcher, The Other Two, plus The Crowded Room, Glamorous, more...
FESTIVAL: Shadows @ Edinburgh Fringe - Comedy, drama, music and circus! Reviews of 17 shows in 6 blog posts...
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NEWS SOURCES:
Dark Horizons.
The Hollywood Reporter.
Variety.
Deadline.
Empire.
IMDb.
Rotten Tomatoes.
ALSO: Ain't It Cool News. Digital Spy. The Wrap. Sight and Sound. Entertainment Weekly. BBC. CNN. Evening Standard. The Guardian. Film Threat. indieWire. Screen International. © 2023 by Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall HOME | REVIEWS | NEWS | FESTIVAL | AWARDS | Q&A | ABOUT | TALKBACK | ||
THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES
THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE
