Matthew Monagle
‘Michael Clayton’ Director Tony Gilroy Takes Over Biblical Epic ‘Methuselah’
Hey, remember that weekend last October when it was announced that Tom Cruise would be playing Methuselah, the biblical warrior who lived to be more than 900 years old? Yes, we all had ourselves a good chuckle at the implication of life imitating art imitating life again, but don’t pretend like you weren’t also a little excited to see what Cruise and company could bring to the film. Take one part Forrest Gump, one part Benjamin Button, and one part Highlander, and you had yourself the recipe for a pretty great action-adventure movie with Hollywood’s most bankable star. Admit it: you knew you were going to see it.
Warner Bros. Says ‘Gotham City Sirens’ Is ‘Super Important’ to the Studio
With a flurry of DCEU announcements this past week — we’re getting two more Joker movies with two separate Jokers! The Batman isn’t going to be one big crossover affair! — the writing seems to be increasingly on the wall for some of the second-tier Warner Bros. projects. Projects like Gotham City Sirens, the woman-driven comic book movie featuring popular characters Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Catwoman. Gotham City Sirens was noticeably absent from Comic-Con this year, and while alleged director David Ayer recently took to Twitter to reassure everyone of his involvement, things have been quiet. A little too quiet, maybe.
The Early Buzz for ‘It’ Promises a Scary and Heartfelt Horror Film
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of The Dark Tower isn’t that it failed to live up to expectations decades in the making, or even that it mangled Stephen King’s source material in a way that die-hard fans found unforgivable. No, the most frustrating aspect of The Dark Tower is that it’s just… fine. Despite the plethora of negative reviews, it isn’t some disastrous flop a movie, nor is it an ambitious mess that reached for the stars and came crashing back to earth. It’s just sorta there, a Young Adult action-fantasy film that limps through its paces before ending with a thud. Really, how do you even make a King adaptation that doesn’t have a little bit of ambition?
Weekend Box Office Report: Audiences Take a Shine to ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’
Welcome to Augusts, where overall weekend grosses can decline for three consecutive weekends — $122, $116, and $95 million, respectively — and a new action-comedy can be the surprise winner of the weekend. Audiences might still be interested in creepy dolls, but it was a hyper-violent buddy film about professional killers that took home the gold. Here’s the box office projections, as of Sunday afternoon:
Legendary Comedian Jerry Lewis Dies at 91
Today the world of comedy lost one of its brightest stars. Jerry Lewis was no stranger to controversy during his decades-long career, but his impact on both Hollywood and comedy in general cannot be denied. From his early days as Dean Martin’s partner-in-crime to his career-capping turn in Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy — and countless box office success in the interim — Lewis’s impact on Hollywood will be a source of much discussion for years to come.
The ‘Uncharted’ Director Explains the Decision to Make a Prequel
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Uncharted fans have been looking forward to a movie adaptation of the blockbuster video game franchise for years. Heck, the rumors surrounding an Uncharted adaptation even predate our own movie archives; if you scroll all the way back, our first mention of the movie is five years ago, when David O. Russell and Mark Wahlberg had already departed from the project. So when Sony finally decided to move forward with the project, fans were more than a little confused to hear that it was Tom Holland who would be playing Nathan Drake. Why go the prequel route when there’s so much established canon to explore?
Mankind Has Lost Its Home in the First Trailer for Netflix’s ‘Godzilla: Monster Planet’
Now that thermonuclear war is a thing again, there’s no better time for the King of the Monsters to reclaim his dominance in science fiction. This has been a pretty great couple of months for Godzilla; not only did the beloved monster recently receive a live-action reboot in Toho Studios’ Shin Godzilla, he will also be appearing in Adam Wingard’s Godzilla vs. Kong and in an upcoming animated Netflix movie titled Godzilla: Monster Planet. And now, a few months prior to the film’s release, we finally have our first full trailer for the film. Flying mech-warriors against super-sized kaiju? Plenty of people are going to be very happy this movie exists, that’s for sure.
Ron Howard Teases a Droid Barbecue in His Latest ‘Han Solo’ Set Videos
Ever since he took over as the director on the standalone Han Solo movie, Ron Howard has been endlessly toying with Star Wars fans on social media. From set photos suggesting new characters to behind-the-scene looks at hyperspace travel, Howard seems to be doing his best to pivot the narrative surrounding Disney‘s latest Star Wars prequel from, “Wow, I can’t believe they fired those directors!” to “Wow, I can’t believe Ron Howard is being such a jerk on Instagram!” Seriously, Ron, would it kill you to show something up close for once?
Here’s the Terrifying Winner of the ‘Annabelle: Creation’ Short Film Contest
Given that David F. Sandberg launched his career on the basis of a viral YouTube short film, it only makes sense that Warner Bros. would look to leverage that narrative for the release of Annabelle: Creation, the fourth film in The Conjuring cinematic universe. Back in July, Warner Bros. announced the contest on its site, encouraging fans to create their own new additions to The Conjuring universe. The contest would feature winners in multiple countries, meaning multiple chances to win.
Director Adam Wingard Opens Up About the ‘Death Note’ Whitewashing Controversy
For years now, Death Note has been one of the more popular franchises in Japanese popular culture. Originally a manga series, Death Note has since spun out into multiple television shows and four live-action feature films, making it all-but-inevitable that the franchise would eventually find its way into the hands of a Hollywood studio. Thus, when Netflix announced that it would be releasing a Death Note movie with Adam Wingard (You’re Next, The Guest) directing, people were curious to see what kind of cultural accommodations Netflix would make for its Japanese adaptation. The answer? Not many.