(Left) Christopher McQuarrie, writer and director of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.’ (Right) Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘Conan the Barbarian’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Preview:
Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced Christopher McQuarrie for ‘King Conan’.
The ‘Mission Impossible’ writer/director is reportedly aboard the next stage of the character.
Schwarzenegger also hinted at a return to the ‘Predator’ universe.
When Arnold Schwarzenegger talks, people listen. And when he talks potential projects featuring iconic characters he’s played in the past, people listen even more intently.
While there was some skepticism given the long development and previously unsuccessful attempts at a Conan follow-up, The Hollywood Reporter brings word that McQuarrie is indeed on board.
What has Arnold Schwarzenegger said about ‘King Conan’?
Director Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Here’s Schwarzenegger’s latest statement on the project:
“They just hired a fantastic writer/director who did Tom Cruise’s last four movies. They just hired Christopher McQuarrie to write and direct ‘King Conan.’ Now, what they do is that they write the part. They don’t write them like I’m forty years old; you write it to be age-appropriate. I’ll still go in there and kick some ass, but it will be different…With ‘King Conan,’ it’s a great old story that Conan was forty years as King, and now he gets forced out of the kingdom, and there’s conflict, of course, but somehow he comes back, and there’s all kinds of madness, violence, magic, and creatures, and stuff like that. And now, of course, there’s all kinds of special effects.”
What else did Schwarzenegger hint at?
In good form, Schwarzenegger also let slip that he’s talked to ‘Predator: Badlands’ director Dan Trachtenberg about returning to one of his other big action franchises.
We’ll have to wait and see whether any of this comes to pass, but it’s certainly an exciting update!
Filmed in 2023 and collecting dust since then, ‘Psycho Killer’ boasts a rising star in Georgina Campbell, a script by ‘Seven’ scribe Andrew Kevin Walker, and the backing of producers behind films like ‘Barbarian’ and ‘Weapons.’
So how did this movie go so horribly off-course? Touted as a sort of serial killer epic, the film is as generic as its title and offers nothing in the way of suspense or genuine chills. Utilizing genre tropes that go back to the 1980s, ‘Psycho Killer’ fails to do anything new with them and even lacks anything in the way of truly shocking kills.
At first, ‘Psycho Killer’ seems like it might take an interesting tack: the nation itself is being terrorized by a murderer who has gruesomely and randomly dispatched more than 15 people across six states, with both local and federal authorities baffled. Much of the opening act is told from the point of view of the killer (James Preston Rogers), dubbed by the media as the Satanic Slasher due to the pentagrams and demonic writings the masked monster leaves at his crime scenes.
But nothing too remarkable is done with the idea of a sort of national hysteria brought on by a single killer, and the point of view begins to shift to that of Jane Archer (Georgina Campbell), a Kansas state trooper who lost her husband, also a trooper, to the Satanic Slasher in a cold-blooded daytime shooting that Jane herself witnessed.
Despite official attempts to wave Jane off the case, she doggedly pursues it on her own and chases the killer across the country, while he continues his murder spree and pursues his ultimate agenda. This is where the movie runs into serious problems on all fronts: there is no urgency to either the Slasher or Jane’s missions, and the film’s lackadaisical pacing only reinforces the turgid, repetitive nature of the narrative. One scene halfway through – in which Jane briefly confronts the Slasher – is simply ridiculous because he could slaughter her as easily as he kills everyone else, but allows her to escape only because the movie needs to fill another 45 minutes or so.
The same could be said for the Slasher’s stopover at the estate of a wealthy Satanist (Malcolm McDowell), which serves no real purpose except to show some cultists getting naked in a black mass. As for the killer’s ultimate plan, it’s as half-formed and ludicrous as anything else that happens in the movie.
‘Psycho Killer’ goes through such generic, stock tropes – the film even implies that heavy metal music may have influenced the Slasher (yes, that old chestnut) – that we found ourselves wondering if something was going to flip the whole thing on its head and make the movie into some sort of ‘meta’ comment on the genre itself. But no, ‘Psycho Killer’ offers up nothing of the sort, plodding to a weary finish that makes less and less sense as it gets there. Even the kills are dull, with the Slasher mainly swinging large objects into people’s torsos or heads as gouts of CG blood squirt into the air.
Georgina Campbell is something of an up-and-coming scream queen who has acquitted herself nicely in other genre films like ‘Barbarian’ and ‘Cold Storage.’ But while she tries valiantly here, the story lets her down and makes her into a one-note hero and vessel for exposition. The fact that almost none of the men in the film seem to take Jane seriously only adds to the insult.
James Preston Rogers certainly has an imposing physical presence and a voice as deep as the vaults of hell itself, but the Slasher in his long black coat and radiation mask lacks anything resembling a personality and has a muddled back story that may have at least been partially left on the cutting room floor. Malcolm McDowell is a legend, of course, but all he does here is chew the scenery for a few minutes before exiting abruptly.
‘Psycho Killer’ is directed by Gavin Polone, who has worked much more frequently as a producer and should perhaps keep that job: his direction doesn’t exhibit any feel for creating a truly terrifying atmosphere or sense of impending doom. As for Andrew Kevin Walker, we have to wonder what happened to the writer who gave us the brilliant ‘Seven’ all those years ago.
That was a movie that had something to say, along with three expertly conceived characters. But ‘Psycho Killer,’ which seems positioned as a throwback to the serial killer films of the 1980s, has nothing to say about that era of horror cinema and nothing new to offer about this longstanding archetype itself. As the song of the same name (which does not show up here) once said, ‘run, run, run away’ from this misfire.
‘Psycho Killer’ receives a score of 30 out of 100.
Following the brutal murder of her husband, a Kansas highway patrol officer (Georgina Campbell) sets out to track down the perpetrator. As the hunt progresses, she comes to realize the man responsible (James Preston Rogers) is a sadistic serial killer, and the depth of his mental depravity and his sinister agenda is more twisted than anyone could have imagined.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Dan Trachtenberg about his work on ‘Predator: Badlands’, coming up with the new story, connecting it to the larger ‘Alien vs. Predator’ series, making the Predator the protagonist, creating the Predator language, casting Elle Fanning in her dual roles, and what fans can expect from future installments of the franchise.
(L to R) Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, director Dan Trachtenberg, and Elle Fanning at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 Hall H panel for ‘Predator: Badlands’. Photo: Disney.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Director Dan Trachtenberg at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 Hall H panel for ‘Predator: Badlands’. Photo: Disney.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about breaking the story for this film, and was it something that you were thinking about while you were making ‘Prey’?
Dan Trachtenberg: It came at the tail end of ‘Prey’. I just started thinking about, what would we do next if we were to do another one? I really felt like, if the next thing is just part two of what we just did, then the movie doesn’t get to stand on its own merits. Sometimes, you make a special thing and then part two is just the sequel to the special thing, not a special thing in and of itself. So, it was like, what would be another idea if I was making a first Predator movie again? There was this fan sentiment about the Predator of like, “Why does he always lose?” So that sparked the idea of, “Okay, if the Predator wins, what would be a story in which I could be rooting for the Predator? That led to the Predator as the protagonist and being thrust into the gauntlet like Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Naru (Amber Midthunder), and Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover). You know, like all the protagonists go through. What if the Predator was going through that gauntlet? Then really wanting to find a story where you could emotionally connect with this monster and have a great time with. I did not want to put any humans in the movie because if we put in a human, then it would just become a two-hander again and the human would feel like a protagonist so that’s why it became a robot. The idea of a broken robot, like Chewbacca and C-3PO, and then Weyland-Yutani and Synths, so it all spiraled from thinking of “what hasn’t been done” in Predator movies and what hasn’t been done in sci-fi.
MF: The film has several references to other Predator movies but also contains Easter Eggs for the ‘Alien’ series and the larger ‘Alien vs. Predator’ franchise. Can you talk about the choice to include those references in this movie?
DT: With ‘Alien’ and ‘Predator’, it’s not taking the big action figures and throwing them together, but instead, taking a little portion from one franchise and have that interwoven into the other, to say that’s another way of universe unifying and building it. That felt exciting to me. Frankly, it was born out of what the story wanted anyway. If the ‘Alien’ franchise was at another studio, we still would have made this movie. It just wouldn’t have been Weyland-Yutani as the company, but because it could be Wayland, it meant that then we could include MU/TH/UR and have it reflected in the father dynamic that Dek has. So, all of that made the movie richer but it wasn’t like, “We need to do ‘Alien vs. Predator’ How are we going to do that?” It didn’t come from that; it came from the narrative needs.
MF: Can you also talk about the choice to make the Predator the protagonist of this movie and show his home planet for the first time?
DT: It was incredibly challenging. The language, obviously had to be developed whole cloth, both written and spoken. His face, which was deliciously designed by Stan Winston with James Cameron‘s input to include the mandibles back in the 80s, is so cool for being a frightening and intimidating creature. But not at all conducive to having a wide range of emotion like we needed in the film. So, it was a great challenge to have to translate what Demetrius was performing into a face that has no nose, no lips, and teeth that don’t even let the mouth close. There was a temptation to cover his face up more and have him wear the mask. But I really didn’t want to soften our attempt at saying, “It’s a monster and you’re going to care.” So, we faced the challenge head on.
MF: Can you also talk about the challenges of creating the Predator’s language for this movie?
DT: We worked with a language expert, Britton Watkins, who’s both a language expert and sci-fi fan and really developed an entire grammar structure and dictionary, all based off of the physiology of the Yautja from ‘Predator’. So, it all comes from the way that we assume the throat works and the mandibles and all of that. It was an entirely custom-made language for the movie that Demetrius and Elle had to learn. I had a script that I could look at, but I really paid more attention to rhythm and emotion, and that things felt authentic rather than needing to know the pronunciations.
MF: Can you talk about casting Elle Fanning as both Thia and Tessa, and her specific and separate performances?
DT: That was the exciting thing. We’ve seen a lot of twin portrayals in movies throughout the years and characters doing dual roles, but being the funny sidekick, as well as the villain, typically requires two different actors. What Elle did is tremendous, and I got a lot of inspiration in watching ‘The Great’, where she was funny and there was an innocence to her character when it starts, then she must get really intense and that’s what clicked a nerve for me in casting her.
MF: Finally, have you started thinking about ideas for another installment yet? If so, would it be another original story, or would it include returning characters from ‘Prey’ or ‘Badlands’?
DT: I’m really developing both. I’m in this moment now where I was after ‘Prey’, where I was just trying to get excited about a path to take. I came up with a bunch of different paths and in that case, making both at the same time with ‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ and ‘Badlands’. So, now we are figuring out what the next step of some of the characters are. We’re also figuring out and have been quite stoked about some other ways into the franchise that we haven’t seen before So, all things are being developed.
‘Predator: Badlands’ will be available February 12th on Hulu and on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD February 17th.
Cast out from his clan, a young Predator (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) finds an unlikely ally in a damaged android (Elle Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
Who is in the cast of ‘Predator: Badlands’?
Elle Fanning as Thia and Tessa
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek and as the voice of Njohrr
With David Frankel back as director and writer Aline Brosh McKenna once again working from Lauren Weisberger’s novel source, it’ll be interesting to see how the characters have moved forward in the (gulp) 20 years since the first film.
The first movie saw the ambitious yet occasionally overwhelmed Andy Sachs (Hathaway) taking on the role of junior assistant to the powerful Miranda Priestly (Streep), editor-in-chief of a high-profile fashion magazine.
The sequel follows Priestly as she navigates her career amid the decline of traditional magazine publishing and as she faces off against Blunt’s character, now a high-powered executive for a luxury group with advertising dollars that Priestly desperately needs.
From the looks of the trailer, Priestly is just as imperious as ever –– but is her attitude towards everyone just her usual shade or is she struggling with memory issues?
When will ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ be in cinemas?
Imagine ‘Cast Away,’ only with a more sympathetic Annie Wilkes from ‘Misery’ as the lead. Now mix that up with a whole lot of ‘Triangle of Sadness’ and, of course, the TV show ‘Survivor,’ and you might come up with Sam Raimi’s new thriller, ‘Send Help.’
Billed as Raimi’s first horror film since 2009’s ‘Drag Me to Hell,’ ‘Send Help’ is more a darkly comic survival thriller in which the two leads deal with their workplace issues while trying to withstand monsoons, wild boar, poison berries, and each other. Their antics are enormously entertaining, and Rachel McAdams in particular throws herself into her role with as much physical gusto and emotional complexity as possible. It might not be an all-out horror movie, but it might just be Raimi’s best all-around feature in a long while.
Linda Liddle works in the strategy and planning department of a consulting firm, where she’s a genius at crunching numbers yet awkward in all kinds of social interactions. Still, she’s due for a promotion – until the president of the company passes away and his arrogant, misogynist, nepo-baby son Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) takes over, giving the job to his frat brother instead.
Nevertheless, Linda, a ‘Survivor’ fan who lives in a small apartment with her pet parrot and a whole bunch of foreshadowing – sorry, we mean books on survival and nature – is invited by Bradley with the rest of the execs to a conference in Bangkok to help close a deal. But the private jet crashes in a vicious storm, leaving Linda and Bradley as the only survivors on an uninhabited island somewhere in the Gulf of Thailand.
With Bradley injured, Linda sets about making it possible for them to stay alive – which is where all her books and ‘Survivor’ knowledge comes into play. Although Bradley begins to recover and assert himself, it soon becomes clear that the tables have turned – Linda is the boss now, with Bradley reliant on her to keep them alive and a reborn Linda thriving in a situation that she’s suddenly not too eager to leave.
‘Send Help’ pulls liberally from the films mentioned above, with the reversal of fortune and power right out of ‘Triangle’ director Ruben Östlund’s playbook and the character dynamics coming from both that and ‘Misery.’ As opposed to that Stephen King–Rob Reiner thriller, however, this film keeps the viewer off-balance for most of the way about Linda’s true mental state even when it veers into darker territory. Speaking of which, the final third of the movie does labor a bit to stay on top of its narrative and character turns, also playing a couple of tricks one too many times, but comes back around with a thoroughly satisfying payoff (including a chilling last line).
As he’s done his whole career, Sam Raimi makes ‘Send Help’ a clever combo of morality play, black comedy, and cartoonish gorefest. The director doles out the blood and the wild camera moves with a lot more restraint than he used to (save for one battle with a wild boar), but they’re just as effective as always, and he even manages to squeeze in one outright ‘The Evil Dead’-type jump scare. This is the director at his most energetic and playful, aided enormously by his two leads.
Rachel McAdams seems like a perennially underrated actress, possibly because she doesn’t work as constantly as other stars, yet her talents are on full display here as Linda Liddle. McAdams positively owns the role, making Linda’s transformation from cast-off office worker to survivalist warrior believable and layered through both her physical commitment and psychological dexterity (even the ill-fitting clothing that she starts off wearing), with Linda remaining sympathetic throughout even as she takes a darker turn toward the end.
Dylan O’Brien may be equally underrated, and while Bradley is perhaps not as layered a character as Linda, he still manages to give this largely despicable and toxic male just enough shading to make him more than a one-dimensional villain (credit too to screenwriters Damian Shannon and Mark Swift for getting some more depth for both onto the page).
And yes, although we missed him ourselves, we’re reliably informed that Bruce Campbell does show up – but you might have to look a little harder to spot him.
For most of its length, Sam Raimi finds the right balance of thrills, humor, violence, and character development in ‘Send Help,’ and both McAdams and O’Brien are game for whatever he and the script hurls at them.
The movie wears its themes on its sleeve, but doesn’t come across as heavy-handed. While not the most original work in Sam Raimi’s filmography, this may be his best film since 2004’s ‘Spider-Man 2,’ and certainly his most rewarding. ‘Send Help’ doesn’t need any assistance whatsoever to be the kind of entertaining yet rich thrill ride that Sam Raimi can deliver.
The only survivors of a plane crash, two colleagues become stranded on a deserted island, where they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive. But it ultimately becomes a battle of wills and wits to see who makes it out alive.
I walked away from watching ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ having the same reaction I did to the last two ‘Avatar’ movies. I thought it was a completely entertaining and stunningly visual theatrical experience, and I will probably never watch it again. It’s a one-time theatrical experience, not unlike an amusement park ride or seeing a concert at The Sphere, it’s extremely satisfying, but only once.
The movie is meant to be seen in 3D on the biggest screen possible surrounded by an audience, and in that way, ‘Fire and Ash’ is a huge triumph, and another cinematic extravaganza from the “King of the World” James Cameron. But, with vague characters that never grow or change, a limited plot and almost no real story to tell, I fear the movie will not hold up in repeat viewings, especially on smaller home screens, with no real substance outside of the visual spectacle.
Following the events of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, ‘Fire and Ash’ finds Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri’s (Zoe Saldaña) family dealing with the aftermath or their son Neteyam’s (Jamie Flatters) death. With their adopted son Spider’s (Jack Champion) breathing mask running out of battery, they plan to travel back to Dr. Spellman’s (Joel David Moore) base to get a new mask but are attacked by a new, aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Mangkwan clan, also called the Ash People, led by the fiery tribe leader, Varang (Oona Chaplin).
Meanwhile, Spider’s birthfather and Jake’s sworn enemy Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) is still in hot pursuit of Jake and his family. Soon, Quaritch makes a deal with the Mangkwan clan and teams up with Varang to wipe out Jake and his clan. Now, Jake and his family must fight Quaritch and the Mangkwan clan to save Spider, their people, and the planet from destruction.
That’s the basic plot, and let’s be honest, it’s a little thin. The visual effects and the world building that Cameron has created masks it in the first viewing, but once you take this movie out of the incredible theatrical experience, I fear the film will have nothing valuable to offer.
But it’s not just the story that is thin, there is also no real character development, and the characters are more like archetypes than real people. There are also so many characters that it’s hard to get enough time to really care about any of them. Kate Winslet’s Ronal, who was a lead in the last film is barely in this one, and even Zoe Saldaña’s Neytiri, arguably the heart of the franchise, is regulated to the background. And the two main characters of the franchise, Jake and Quaritch, now seem like characterizations of the actual characters they once played.
But at the end of the day, I guess you’re not going to an ‘Avatar’ movie for a great story or in-depth character development, you are going for the visuals and the spectacle, and in that sense, Cameron delivers a home run crafting a must-see theatrical experience. It’s kind of like eating at McDonald’s, the foods not good for you, but it tastes great going down!
With a script, story, and characters as poorly crafted as this, it seems almost unfair to criticize the actors and their performances as I’m sure they did their best, but here we go.
After three films, and almost 20 years of playing the character, you would hope for more from Sam Worthington. His Jake Sully is still the heroic leader, but we really know very little about the character at this point other than he wants to protect his family and the actor’s performance is one-note at best.
As previously mentioned, it was shocking to see how limited screen time Zoe Saldaña and Kate Winslet’s characters had, especially considering Saldaña was really the lead of the first film, and Winslet the lead of the second. Neither actress has enough to do in this installment, which is disappointing and a waste of the two Oscar winning actress’ talents.
However, the one standout performance of the film is from new edition Oona Chaplin, who gives a fiery performance as Mangkwan clan leader Varang. Actor Jack Champion is also quite compelling as Spider this time around, growing into the part and surprisingly having a bigger role in the story in this new installment.
While somewhat limited, legendary actress Sigourney Weaver returns as both Dr. Grace Augustine and her Avatar’s daughter, Kiri, who was also adopted by Jake and his family. Augustine may not appear on screen for long, but Kiri is a major part of the story and Weaver is excellent playing the rebellious teenage Na’vi.
Giovanni Ribisi and Edie Falco also return as members of the evil RDA military and mining operations, but like many of the other excellent actors in this film, are given very little to do other than move the plot forward with exposition.
Finally, Stephen Lang still plays Colonel Miles Quaritch like a generic villain, and while he does have some great moments with both Chaplin and Champion, the character, who technically died in the first movie, hasn’t changed at all and is still playing the same note.
While the story and character development are almost nonexistent, and the dialogue at times is laughable, director James Cameron still delivers a visually stunning and completely satisfying and entertaining theatrical experience, even if it will only work in your first viewing. ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ is worth spending money to see it in a theater, but after that, you can forget about it and will probably never revisit the film again.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ receives a score of 79 out of 100.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ opens in theaters on December 19th.
What is the plot of ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’?
A year after settling in with the Metkayina clan, Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri’s (Zoe Saldaña) family grapples with grief after Neteyam’s death. They encounter a new, aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Mangkwan clan, also called the Ash People, led by the fiery tribe leader, Varang (Oona Chaplin), who has allied with Jake’s enemy, Quaritch (Stephen Lang), as the conflict on Pandora escalates to devastating consequences.
With the third ‘Avatar’ movie, ‘Fire and Ash,’ headed our way next month, the promotional efforts on behalf of the franchise as a whole are ramping up.
And chief among them is this new behind-the-scenes documentary, which, thanks to its being commissioned by James Cameron, has full access to the production and the many talented people involved in these giant undertakings.
The big issue, of course, is that it’s almost entirely laudatory, the various cast and crew enthusing about how much technology is used in service of performance, to the point where it can become grating.
Script and Direction
Director James Cameron at D23 2024 presenting ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’. Photo: Disney.
This is your basic Disney documentary format –– lots of footage of people working out the various of shooting performance capture in and under water, development trials, many, many shots of divers, all interspersed with talking heads about the process.
It doesn’t push boundaries the way Cameron tends to when he makes movies, but then, it doesn’t really need to.
As the documentary itself endlessly argues, it’s the people that make the film itself work –– the various experts in diving, stunts, cameras and more, plus the actors who were the benefit of their hard work and put their own graft in to imagining everything while acting against almost nothing.
The highlights include Kate Winslet discovering a heretofore unknown talent for holding her breath and Sigourney Weaver explaining her joy at performing certain scenes.
Perhaps the biggest issue here is that it’s all so basic; in stark contrast to the huge leaps in technology and the many inventions of Cameron especially. While a lot of the footage will be catnip (Na’vi-nip?) to those who love behind-the-scenes documentaries, it also gets awfully repetitive, battering home the message that the invention was in service of the actors’ work.
And given that it’s confusingly broken up into a 55-minute chunk and a roughly 30-minute one (plus a brief clip of ‘Fire and Ash’), some judicious editing could have squeezed this all down into little more than an hour. But since when does James Cameron do anything small scale?
‘Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films’ receives 68 out of 100.
What’s the story of ‘Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films’?
This new two-part documentary provides a fascinating glimpse into the making of the Oscar-winning box office phenomenon ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ and a first look at the upcoming ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash,’ and features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, concept art, and interviews with cast and filmmakers.
Who is in the cast of ‘Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films’?
Director Dan Trachtenberg, who began his journey with the ‘Predator’ franchise via period thriller ‘Prey,’ truly has evolved into the keeper of the flame for the Yautja (the alien race known for its desire to hunt).
With ‘Predator: Badlands,’ he offers yet another intriguing twist on the ‘Predator’ mythos, eschewing the usual human-vs-Yautja combat for a young Predator on his first hunt, seeking to prove himself on a lethally dangerous planet.
Patrick Aison, who also wrote ‘Prey,’ returns here for another fun script that this time is focused almost entirely on a double-act between the central Predator, known as Dek, and Elle Fanning’s Thia, a Weyland-Yutani synthetic (yes, this is Aison and Trachtenberg mixing in the ‘Alien’ mythology to far better effect than any of the ‘Alien vs. Predator’ movies.
The plot of the movie itself might not hold many surprises, but it’s inventive enough, and features a solid buddy comedy with Thia and Dek –– and yes, this is surprisingly more comedic than you might expect.
And Trachtenberg has once more delivered a visual feast, with smart use of locations mixed with soundstage work to bring the story to life.
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi has the heavier load to carry, emoting through layers of CG-assisted Predator prosthetics, but he manages the task, bringing Dek to life with spirit.
And Fanning is, if anything, even more entertaining, making Thia a sparky, clever character you enjoy spending time with.
‘Predator: Badlands’ doesn’t rise to the level of the original ‘Predator’ or even ‘Prey,’ but it’s a superbly entertaining throwback to movies of the 1980s and 1990s, driven by a propulsive plot and some fantastic effects.
It’s also great to see Trachtenberg’s ‘Predator’ skills unleashed on the big screen, unlike his previous two outings.
The newest entry in the ‘Predator’ franchise is set in the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Elle Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
Who is in the cast of ‘Predator: Badlands’?
Elle Fanning as Thia
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek and Njohur
Mike Homik as Kwei
‘Predator: Badlands’ opens in theaters on November 7th.
(L to R) Jeremy Strong, Jeremy Allen White, and Bruce Springsteen attend the UK Premiere of 20th Century Studios’ ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at Royal Festival Hall, London on October 15th, 2025. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere‘ tells the story of famous musician Bruce Springsteen during the time in his life when he was writing the album Nebraska, and struggling to deal with trauma from his past.
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Moviefone attended an in-person press conference in support of the film, which featured stars Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Odessa Young, musician Bruce Springsteen, and writer/director Scott Cooper. The group shared behind-the-scenes details about the filming of the movie and why now is the right time to tell this story.
1) Bruce Springsteen Reveals Why Now Is The Right Time For ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’
Bruce Springsteen attends the UK Premiere of 20th Century Studios’ ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at Royal Festival Hall, London on October 15th, 2025. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Bruce Springsteen is one of the most beloved and well known musicians in the entire world, so of course he has been approached many times by filmmakers who wish to create a biopic telling his life story. During the press conference, Bruce Spingsteen explains why now is the right time, and why this movie is the right one.
Bruce Springsteen: I like the idea that it really is not quite a music biopic. It’s actually a character-driven drama with some music. So that appealed to me. And also, it’s only a small slice of a period of time in my life when I was 31 and 32 and I was going through some first of some difficult times. And Scott [Cooper] came down and I met Scott along with Warren Zanes, who was the writer of the book, Deliver Me From Nowhere. And we just sat around and talked for an afternoon. I got a feeling from Scott that he knew exactly the kind of picture that he wanted to make. It was very in line with the type of record that Nebraska was. It was a picture that was going to feel, a studio picture that felt like an independent picture. I knew from Scott’s films, which I’d seen, that he had a real talent for capturing blue-collar life, which I was, despite some of the success I’d had, I was still really living in New Jersey and in my community that I grew up in.
2) Jeremy Allen White & Jeremy Strong Were Thrilled To Get To Work With One Another
Bruce Springsteen and Jon Landau have a very good friendship, and have for many years, that is built on trust and support. Jeremy Allen White, who plays Bruce Springsteen, and Jeremy Strong, who plays Jon Landau, were excited to get to work with one another in such close capacity for ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’.
Jeremy Allen White: I have been an admirer of Jeremy’s for a long time. I might have sent him a message through a mutual friend of ours at one point hoping we would do something together and then when I learned Jeremy was going to do this, I was very excited. But we hadn’t spent time together before we got together to shoot one of the scenes, which was at the diner. Everything fell into place. I trusted Jeremy. I trusted that he had and understanding of the relationship and I trusted that his understanding would be similar to my own because of Scott’s words and also because of the men we have been able to look to and because of the relationship that they have had for so long.
(L to R) Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong attend the UK Premiere of 20th Century Studios’ ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at Royal Festival Hall, London on October 15th, 2025. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Jeremy Strong: I agree. There as an ease to it. I’ve admired the hell out of Jeremy and I think he’s a fearless actor. A bone marrow honest actor. There is a natural affinity between us. I had a sense that he might work in a similar way, approach it in a similar way. I knew he would be committed.
3) Bruce Springsteen Explains Odessa Young’s Character & What She Means To Him
Odessa Young’s character in the film, Faye, is not an actual person from Bruce Springsteen’s life, but rather a combination of several people that impacted his life during this time.
Bruce Springsteen: I was a guy at the time who, I knew what I was doing for three hours every night. I didn’t have a clue as to what I was doing the other 21. Odessa’s Faye in the film, she symbolizes the potential and the possibilities of those other 21 hours that I was incapable of taking advantage of at the time. But she holds down a very, very important part of the film as she is the symbol of a real life and another life that was waiting for me out there that I wasn’t able to find until much later in my life. And she did such a wonderful job of it. So I thank you.
4) Jeremy Allen White Had Bruce Springsteen Record Himself Reading Scenes From The Script To Help Him Craft The Character
(L to R) Jeremy Allen White and Bruce Springsteen attend the UK Premiere of 20th Century Studios’ ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at Royal Festival Hall, London on October 15th, 2025. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
In order to help better understand Bruce Springsteen, and the mental state that he was in during this time in his life, Jeremy Allen White asked him to record himself reading a few different scenes from the script.
Jeremy Allen White: I’d been listening to his voice. There were a couple interviews from 1980 I had been listening to a lot and his voice is a little bit different. But I really wanted to hear his accent. So, Bruce recorded himself reading a couple of scenes from the movie. I would listen every morning to Bruce’s reading from a couple of these different scenes. Each of the different characters was one with Adele Springsteen, [played by] Gaby Hoffman, and there was one with Jon. I wanted to hear if there was any change in voice with each of the different characters. That was so nice.
5) Jeremy Allen White Was Thankful Bruce Springsteen Was So Generous With His Time
Jeremy Allen White wanted to be able to do this difficult time in Bruce Springsteen’s life justice, so he was thrilled to be able to work closely with him and have him available if he had questions.
Jeremy Allen White: We spent a little bit of time together prior to filming. But because we didn’t know how much Bruce and Jon were going to be around prior to filming, that was the time we had. And then in that first week, I was really excited to have Bruce around, but also, of course, a little bit intimidated. I think what came with it was, I was very head down and I think fragile, trying to just do justice to the story and to Bruce. Bruce being there, for me, there was a lot of permission there. It felt good that he was there as a guide. The whole time I was making this movie, I was really pushing and searching. And it was so wonderful to have Bruce’s support and voice behind me.
Bruce Springsteen attends the UK Premiere of 20th Century Studios’ ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at Royal Festival Hall, London on October 15th, 2025. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Bruce Springsteen: The truth is, Jeremy’s been very modest about his preparation because he came in fully prepared, maybe asked me one or two questions.I had no idea what his preparation had been. He just, day one came, he went on the set and started his performance. And I just watched in amazement.
What is the plot of ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’?
Bruce Springsteen, a young musician on the cusp of global superstardom, struggles to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past as he makes a raw, haunted acoustic album titled ‘Nebraska.’
Who is in the cast of ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’?
(L to R) Scott Stuber, Scott Cooper, Odessa Young, Jeremy Allen White, Bruce Springsteen, Jeremy Strong, Stephen Graham, Jon Landau, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Eric Robinson attend the UK Premiere of 20th Century Studios’ ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at Royal Festival Hall, London on October 15th, 2025. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Walton Goggins and Amber Midthunder will lead action thriller ‘Painter’.
‘John Wick’s Derek Kolstad wrote the script.
Stunt coordinator Garrett Warren is directing.
It appears 20th Century Studios is ready to get into the ass-kicking business.
The studio has picked up a script called ‘Painter’ from ‘John Wick’ writer Derek Kolstad that promises plenty of the action for which his work has become known.
Behind the camera, we’ll have Garrett Warren, a veteran stunt coordinator whose credits include last year’s ‘Road House’ and a couple of the ‘Avatar’ movies, making his feature directorial debut here.
Which might be why a certain Mr. James Cameron is aboard the new film as an executive producer.
‘Painter’ follows a young woman, trained from a young age, who must employ every skill in her arsenal to rescue her father after he is kidnapped. Midthunder is playing the young woman. Goggins will play the father.
It definitely would appear to fall into the basic action mold we’ve seen from a lot of films in the last decade since the likes of ‘John Wick’ and ‘Taken’ landed on screens. Hopefully, Cameron’s input –– at least, as much as he can offer given his busy ‘Avatar’ schedule –– will help to elevate it.
Where else can we see Walton Goggins and Amber Midthunder?
As for Goggins, he scored an Emmy nomination for his work on the third season of ‘The White Lotus,’ and one for playing the Ghoul in Prime Video’s game adaptation ‘Fallout.’
The actor will be back for the second season of ‘Fallout, which arrives on December 17.
