(L to R) Luigi (Charlie Day) and Mario (Chris Pratt) in Nintendo and Illumination’s ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.
Preview:
‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ has secured the biggest box office launch for the year to date.
It’s a sequel to 2023’s ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’.
‘Project Hail Mary’ was pushed to second, but is still performing well.
Easter Weekend feels like the appropriate date for the return of a character. In this case, it’s Mario (voiced in animated form by Chris Pratt), back in ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.’
The sequel to 2023 hit ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ has been scoring plenty of points at the box office –– as it was predicted to –– earning $130 million domestically and $182.4 million internationally across its five-day extended release period for a global total of $372.5 million so far.
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While the new movie didn’t quite hit the highs of the original, it certainly came close, and Universal will certainly be happy with its performance, which once again happened despite some caustic reviews.
Amazon MGM’s sci-fi outing ‘Project Hail Mary’, which enjoyed a brief run as the biggest 2026 box office launch to date, continues to do well, dropping just 43% in its third weekend. It has now earned $217 million domestically and more than $400 million internationally, and despite losing some premium format screens to ‘Mario’, is still drawing crowds.
Third place was the week’s other main new entry, A24 drama ‘The Drama’. Starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, the controversial movie took in $13.6 million domestically.
In fourth place, Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ earned $5.8 million, pushing its own total to more than $332 million worldwide.
‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ looks to have little major competition coming up in the family field, and next week brings rom-com ‘You, Me & Tuscany’ and thriller remake ‘Faces of Death’.
(L to R) Anna (Halle Bailey) and Michael (Regé-Jean Page) in ‘You, Me & Tuscany’, directed by Kat Coiro. Photo: Giulia Parmigiani/Universal Pictures.
List of Movies Similar to ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie:’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of traveling to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena California to sit down in-person with Ryan Gosling to talk about his work on ‘Project Hail Mary’, the film’s humor, working with a puppeteer, improvising on set, why he liked acting alone, collaborating with directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and playing a nontraditional hero.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Gosling, Sandra Hüller, author Andy Weir, screenwriter Drew Goddard, and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
Moviefone: To begin with, the film has a lot of humor in it. What was your first reaction to the screenplay and did the funny read on the page?
Ryan Gosling: I think it was a combination of all those things. I mean, Andy is funny, Andy Weir, the writer of the book. It’s such a part of his voice, is to acknowledge that things are funny and not just make them intentionally serious. Also, I think what’s special about him is not to make things intentionally bleak. There’s an optimism about his work. There’s this sense of don’t fear the future, just figure it out. With that, and with that approach and letting curiosity take over for anxiety, there’s sort of an opportunity for humor in that.
MF: Can you talk about the friendship Grace forms with Rocky, and what was it like for you working with the puppeteers on set to create that relationship?
RG: I think it was an experience I’ll never get to have again. It just was a once in a lifetime experience to work in this way with Rocky and the Rocketeers, which is what we called them. That was his glam squad. He’s high maintenance. He’s a bit of a diva, but he’s worth it. He’s the best costar you could have.
MF: Were you surprised by the way Rocky looked and were you able to improvise with the puppeteers on set?
RG: I was involved in all of that, so I wasn’t surprised. There wasn’t a reveal moment, but I was surprised really by James Ortiz who came in and became that lead puppeteer for Rocky. Because he was just supposed to be the physical puppeteer, but he started reading the lines with me to just have someone to say the lines with. But then he had such a deep connection to Rocky, and he understood him so deeply that we got to the point where we could improvise for hours sometimes off script as the characters on camera. That’s where this starts to become something else where it feels like a real relationship, and it feels like it’s happening in real time because it is. That’s something I don’t think you could get any other way but shooting it practically.
MF: You spend a lot of the movie acting alone. What was that like for you to do those scenes by yourself and not have another actor to react to?
RG: I liked it. I did. It was fun because you get to explore any idea you have. It was an opportunity to just take every scene in any direction I could think of and experiment. So, I liked it.
MF: Can you talk about collaborating with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller on set? Were they open to trying different things and seeing what works?
RG: Yes. I remember there’s a scene where I had been working alone for a long time and I was missing a partner and I said, “I need to make a friend out of a mop, so I have someone to talk to and I’m going to do that.” They were like, “Hold everything.” They both started scouring the set to find stuff we could do. We made this character we called “Moppy Ringwald”, and she became my dance partner and my friend for the day. That’s just what it was like working with them, that I could come to them with this need, and they were just on it and ready to shoot it. It ended up becoming a fun part of the film.
MF: Finally, your character is not the traditional movie hero and is even reluctant to go on this mission. What was it like for you to play a vulnerable character like that?
RG: I mean, I related to that. It was very relatable. I think that’s what’s so strong about this story is that you have a guy that’s not a natural hero that doesn’t see himself that way at all. He just wakes up and finds out that the fate of humanity is in his hands and his instinct is to run away, but he can’t. So, he must find some way to face it and deal with his fear and suddenly let curiosity take over from the anxiety he’s feeling in the panic. I think it was great for me and I think for an audience too to go through that experience of, “Okay, what happens after the panic? What happens when we say, we’re afraid, but now we must fix this?”
‘Project Hail Mary’ opens in theaters on March 20th.
What is the plot of ‘Project Hail Mary’?
Astronaut Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) awakens on a spacecraft with no memory of himself or his mission. He deduces he is the sole survivor of a crew sent to the Tau Ceti system to save Earth from disaster. To do so, Grace must rely on his vast array of scientific knowledge, sheer ingenuity, and human will, but he learns he is not alone: he is aided by an alien he dubs Rocky (voice of James Ortiz), who has come to save his world from the same fate.
Who is in the cast of ‘Project Hail Mary’?
Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace
Sandra Hüller as Eva Stratt
Lionel Boyce as Officer Steve Hatch
Ken Leung as Yáo Li-Jie
Milana Vayntrub as Olesya Ilyukhina
James Ortiz as the voice and lead puppeteer of Rocky
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in person with Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry to talk about their work on ‘Crime 101’, what fans can expect from the new movie, their complex characters, how Hemsworth connected to his role, and why Berry thinks the film is a “love letter to LA.”
(L to R) Halle Berry and Chris Hemsworth star in ‘Crime 101’.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Hemsworth, Berry, and director Bart Layton.
Chris Hemsworth stars in ‘Crime 101’. Photo Credit: Merrick Morton.
Moviefone: To begin with, Chris, what would you say to audiences sitting down right now in a theater to watch this movie to prepare them for the theatrical experiences they are about to have?
Chris Hemsworth: Propulsive. Sophisticated. Relevant. Thought provoking. There’s a beautiful momentum in the film, and continuity from the action and the intensity there through the dramatic scenes. I think we’ve, and (director) Bart Layton speaks of this a lot, prioritized the action as the most important, impressive part. But the action means nothing if you’re not invested in those characters. Every time we cut to an action scene, right before that, you’re invested in the emotional content and then the interplay between the people that are about to collide. So, it’s fun.
MF: Halle, what would you say to moviegoers to get them excited for this film?
Halle Berry: Gritty. Sexy. Character driven. Action. We’ve got some chases you haven’t seen before. It’s a love letter to LA. You see it in a brand-new way. We haven’t seen the city like that in a very long time.
Halle Berry stars in ‘Crime 101’. Photo Credit: Merrick Morton.
MF: Halle, can you expand on that? What do you mean by a “love letter to LA”?
HB: Well, because you see all of what the city encompasses. You see the glamour and the glitz, but you see the underbelly, you see the real. I think there is beauty in the real. Anything that’s real and true, I think people see beauty and truth in. He captured it in a beautiful way and the cinematography highlights it in the best way.
MF: Chris, you just used the word “Relevant” to describe the film. What did you mean by that?
CH: Well, we didn’t write the script, Bart Layton wrote the script. It’s based on a short story. He talks about wanting to have it entertaining, but if you could smuggle in questions that we’re asking ourselves about, I suppose “relevant” now being the system being unfair and people breaking out of the social expectations or what we’re being told is the good and what we’re being told is evil and provoking more of the conversation around the ambiguity of things, the humanity in all of us, and how whatever side of the fence you may sit on, you’re going to find good and bad people. It’s not as clean cut as like, “Well, you’re from there. That means I can put you in that box.” It’s a lot more, open for discussion. The tropes that maybe you walk into a film and expect within these characters, I do feel we break out of those and there’s some unexpected turns. I think when I watch those movies, it certainly provokes a second discussion with yourself around, “Oh, I’ve met people like that and I assumed that in a second, and how wrong I was.” They’re going through something; they’re doing their best. Nothing’s as simple as we’d like to think.
(L to R) Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry star in ‘Crime 101’. Photo Credit: Merrick Morton.
MF: Halle, how would you describe your character in your own words and how she connects to Chris’ character?
HB: Well, I think what we discovered about our characters, they both come from meager beginnings, right? That connected us as characters in the movie. But my character has worked hard as a woman of color to get where she got to in her insurance company. Rightfully so, she’s expecting the rightful promotion and the rightful place within that system. She gets painfully made aware that she has aged out and that and she’s no longer useful. That is the moment that I think she feared, always knew could come, but somehow thought she was different and realized she’s not. So, she got presented with a moral question about what will you do when you realize the system is unfair? How will you mitigate that? And she makes a choice.
MF: Chris, how would you describe your character and why he teams up with Halle’s character?
CH: There’s this crisis of identity, I think. I’m not going to speak for her, but with my character, what he thought was going to bring fulfillment and happiness, it was material wealth. He literally has a number of which if he gets to that number, it’ll solve all his problems. There’s this beautiful line that her character says, “Those who come from chaos, crave order.” I think that speaks volumes with many people’s experiences, especially if you’re in your formative years and there’s abuse and neglect and you don’t have that foundation to fall back upon. You seek it in all the wrong places, or you attempt to build structure and safety through outside acknowledgement or status or material wealth. We all know that that doesn’t hold true. What is important and what they need is love, connection, support, and to be seen by people who also have had similar experiences. That’s a true connection that they are both seeking.
Chris Hemsworth stars in ‘Crime 101’. Photo Credit: Dean Rogers.
MF: Finally, Chris, obviously you grew up differently than your character but how did you tap into his intensity for this film?
CH: I mean, I grew up in a beautiful household, but we had very little money and were certainly aware of the financial burden my parents were under. It was week to week paychecks to pay for food and bills. I’d see and feel the stress that was on them. I literally was like, “Oh, I could become an actor and I could pay the house off finally.” I remember asking my dad, “When will you pay it off?” He was like, “Oh, never mate.” My dad worked as a social worker in child protection and was doing one of the most important jobs, protecting those who were the most vulnerable of us, that being children. Yet, he was tied to the bank in that way and was never going to escape it. So, I empathized or connected with the idea of that financial burden, if I could solve that thing, that will fix it. Then I did that, and then you arrive at an existential crisis of, “Well, now what?” It brings you happiness for a period, but then it’s about something else. Then you go into your second mountain of life. It’s like there’s something deeper, there’s some other burning inner desire. Your psyche stops speaking up, and your soul wants something else. None of that I have answered yet, but it’s been around my brain a lot in the recent times.
Editorial Note: President & COO of Moviefone, Rahsan-Rahsan Lindsay, conducted this interview and contributed to this article.
(L to R) Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth star in ‘Crime 101’. Photo Credit: Merrick Morton.
What is the plot of ‘Crime 101’?
A jewel thief named Mike Davis’ (Chris Hemsworth) heists along the 101 freeway have left police baffled. When he sets his sights on the ultimate score, his plans intersect with those of insurance broker Sharon Colvin (Halle Berry). A detective named Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) believes he has cracked Mike’s pattern and is determined to bring him down before the next job.
Halle Berry attends the European Gala Screening for Amazons: ‘Crime 101’ at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on January 28, 2026 in London, England. Photo: Kate Green/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Chris Pratt and Kali Reis about their work on ‘Mercy’, what fans can expect from the new movie, how Pratt shot his scenes with Ferguson, and Reis’ experience being directed by Timur Bekmambetov.
Moviefone: To begin with, Chris, what would you say to moviegoers sitting down right now to prepare them for the theatrical experience they are about to have?
Chris Pratt: Listen, I would say go pee before you see you sit down. There’s no moment in this movie that you’re going to be able to get up and leave. The minute it grabs you, it does not let go for the full 90 minutes. So, get your concessions, get your soda, get your popcorn, and get your 3D glasses ready. Turn your phone off and get ready for 90 straight minutes of sheer entertainment.
MF: Kali, is there anything you would like to add to that?
Kali Reis: That was the promo right there. The bathroom break is essential because if you must, there’s not one second because literally you will experience it in real time in those 90 minutes. There are no time jumps, time cuts or anything. So, you don’t want to miss a thing because there’s some key evidence in there. You want to be solving the crime with them, I would say.
MF: Chris, I understand that you and Rebecca Ferguson filmed your scenes separately on different soundstages and would often do 40 minute long takes. Can you talk about that and what it was like for you to work in that specific way?
CP: Well, yeah, that was some of the technical limitations of creating this Mercy chamber inside of what we call the volume, which in the filmmaking world is essentially a sound stage with LED walls and ceiling that are going to project the final image all around you of the set that you’re on. So, when we were shooting and moving the cameras around, there was no place for her to hide to have these conversations with me. So, she had to be on a different sound stage and far away that I couldn’t hear her other than through a microphone. Because I’m supposed to be looking up at this projected image of her, like an Orwellian face from ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ sitting in front of me. I’m having a conversation and defending my life with this entity. But we hadn’t shot that stuff yet, so I’m just looking at an eyeline up above me, and I’m hearing her voice in my ears. So that’s why we had to have that separation. Because of the limitations of my being confined, it also opened us up to be able to shoot long takes, because I wasn’t moving, and I wasn’t going from one set to the next. It was like a stage place, so we did incredibly long takes, and that was a new and exciting challenge.
MF: Finally, Kali, what was it like for you to work with director Timur Bekmambetov and watch the specific way that he executed his vision for this project?
KR: He had a very specific vision, and he’s so cool, and just nonchalant about this, but he’s very exact at what he wants. But he’s also very flexible. At one point, I think he had me hold the camera. He’s just so unique about the perspectives that he wants, but he’s the master at having the audience immersed in the actual experience, on top of having this 90-minute movie you experience. It was amazing to see how his mind works and what he was envisioning, and to see it come to life because there were so many different moving parts. There were drones with cameras in a volume stage. I’m on the squad copter but seeing where he wanted to go and how he had the editing process going while he was shooting was amazing to see because you don’t really know. I have a body camera on I’m holding an iPhone. I didn’t know what this is going to look like, but he knew, and I knew he knew because he was chilling. He always had this chill calm demeanor, and it was cool to work with him.
‘Mercy’ opens in theaters on January 23rd.
What is the plot of ‘Mercy’?
In 2029 Los Angeles, a detective (Chris Pratt) stands on trial accused of murdering his wife (Annabelle Wallis). He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the advanced AI judge (Rebecca Ferguson) he once championed, before it determines his fate.
The movie has so far spawned three main ‘Stargate’ series, plus various others online or in animated form.
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Yet Amazon MGM, which has the rights to the movie, thinks more could be done with it, and have tasked ‘Blindspot’ creator Martin Gero with developing a brand new show.
(L to R): James Spader and Kurt Russell in 1994’s ‘Stargate’. Photo: MGM.
The original movie and much of the shows focused on the titular powerful artifact, an ancient ring-shaped device that creates a stable wormhole, enabling near-instantaneous travel across the cosmos.
Gero has form with the franchise, having worked on several iterations. Here’s what he said about his past involvement and new development:
“Twenty years ago, my first real job in television was as a Story Editor on ‘Stargate: Atlantis.’ I spent five years at the franchise working across all three series, ‘Stargate’ taught me everything about making television — it’s written into my DNA. I’m beyond thrilled that Amazon MGM Studios has entrusted me with guiding this incredible franchise into its next phase. For those who’ve kept the gate active through conventions, rewatches, and unwavering faith — this one’s for you. And for those that are new to our world — I promise you’re in for something extraordinary.”
Executive producers for the show also include Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell, as well as Devlin and Emmerich. Brad Wright and Joe Mallozzi, longtime creative leaders within the ‘Stargate’ TV universe, will serve as consulting producers.
New Stargate series: the studio talks
Main cast of ‘Stargate SG-1’. Photo: MGM.
Amazon MGM Studios head of TV development Nick Pepper also seems enthused by the new show:
“’Stargate’ is an enduring, iconic franchise that has captivated audiences for decades with its bold exploration of humanity’s place in the cosmos. In partnership with our extraordinary creative team of Martin, Tory, and Joby, we’re honored to open this next gate to bring a visionary new chapter of this beloved franchise to our global Prime Video audience, one that honors the series’ rich legacy while propelling it into an ambitious and emotionally resonant future.”
When will the new ‘Stargate’ TV series be on screens?
It’s too early to even speculate when this one might arrive. But ‘Stargate’ has a loyal fanbase and this will likely generate plenty of excitement/nervous anticipation.
Assuming he does end up signing on –– and a reunion with Mann is certainly an intriguing concept –– Bale would likely end up co-starring with Leonardo DiCaprio, though no deals are complete yet.
Still, it certainly appears Mann is aiming to build a leading ensemble to match the star power and awards haul of the original, famously led by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.
Robert De Niro on the set of ‘Heat’. Photo: Warner Bros.
Mann’s original film follows Neil McCauley (De Niro), who leads a group of professional bank robbers, taking down major scores around Los Angeles. But after their latest heist goes terribly wrong and ends up in homicide, detective Vincent Hanna (Pacino) finds a clue and becomes obsessed with the case, determined to stop McCauley’s crew.
Hanna and McCauley are competing against each other in a deadly cat-and-mouse game. Although they are on different sides of the law, they still find huge respect, recognition in each other’s troubled personal lives and they understand their competing motivations –– yet they won’t hesitate to do whatever they can to win the battle.
How does ‘Heat 2’ tie in?
(L to R) Director Michael Mann, Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro on the set of ‘Heat’. Photo: Warner Bros.
‘Heat 2’ (written by Mann alongside Meg Gardiner) in book form tells the story of everything that happens before and after to the principal characters. The book jumps between two time periods, the first following Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer in the original film) as he tries to evade the LAPD and Hanna following the bank robbery gone bad and moves forward into new territory in the tri-border zone and Southeast Asia.
The second storyline takes readers back to Chicago in 1988 when McCauley, Shiherlis and their crew are taking scores on the West Coast, the U.S.–Mexico border, and in Chicago. At the same time, Hanna is cutting his teeth as a rising star in the Chicago police department chasing an ultraviolent gang of home invaders.
The fallout from McCauley’s scores and Hanna’s pursuit cause unexpected repercussions in a parallel narrative.
DiCaprio is reportedly interested in the role of Shiherlis, and the likes of Austin Butler and Bradley Cooper have also had meetings about potential parts. Driver is still apparently part of the mix too –– essentially anyone with a profile is circling this one. We don’t yet know who Bale might play.
When will ‘Heat 2’ be on screens?
Amazon MGM has yet to confirm a release date for the movie, but Mann is aiming to have cameras rolling next year.
Director Michael Mann at the premiere of ‘Ferrari.’ Photo: Neon.
Doug Liman is developing his own ‘Road House’ sequel.
It would be based on a script by the 1989 movie’s writer R. Lance Hill.
This would be a rival for Amazon MGM’s sequel to the 2024 remake.
Here’s an intriguing twist on the ‘Road House’ saga.
Doug Liman, who directed the 2024 remake but ended up disagreeing with studio Amazon MGM over its release on Prime Video instead of theaters (more on that below), is developing his own new ‘Road House’ movie.
That would be a completely different project from the sequel to the remake that Amazon MGM has in the works even now.
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According to Deadline, Liman has acquired the rights to R. Lance Hill’s sequel script ‘Road House: Dylan,’ which follows up the events of the 1989 original, starring Patrick Swayze as bouncer Dalton (Hill wrote that movie too).
(L to R) Casey Affleck, director Doug Liman and Matt Damon on the set of ‘The Instigators’. Photo: Apple TV+.
Liman made a deal to direct what became the 2024 ‘Road House’ which starred Jake Gyllenhaal as a new version of Dylan, this one a UFC fighter who starts working at a roadside bar as a bouncer to stop the local thugs and corrupt businessman trashing the place.
The original plan –– and Liman’s agreement –– was for the movie to hit theaters. It tested well enough to be a sleeper theatrical hit, but Amazon decided it would be released directly to Prime Video.
While Liman and producer Joel Silver even screened the picture for Amazon chief Jeff Bezos and his now-wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos, Amazon creative execs would not yield.
There was even a PR conflict, as Liman placed a Deadline article complaining about the move, but did attend the premiere. And the movie became a streaming hit, the biggest film debut ever with a record-breaking 50 million worldwide viewers in its first two weekends on Prime Video.
This new potential sequel is fraught with its own issues, as there is disagreement over who owns the rights to Hill’s original ‘Road House’ script and anything spawned from it.
What’s the latest with Amazon’s ‘Road House’ sequel?
And there is another new recruit for the follow-up to the 2024 Prime Video release, as Deadline brings word that Aldis Hodge, recently seen as the star of the company’s ‘Cross’, is now also aboard.
The 1989 original, directed by Rowdy Herrington, starred Patrick Swayze in the story of a roadside dive called The Double Deuce, a sleazy music joint in the small town of Jasper, Missouri, “the kind of place where they sweep up the eyeballs after closing”.
The owner, tired of his place being wrecked by muscle-bound “power drinkers” and provocative bimbos, hires the best bouncer in the business (Swayze’s Dalton) to cool things down. Famously, he starts off charming but doesn’t hesitate to take extreme throat-ripping measures when pushed to his limit.
For the 2024 re-invention, with Doug Liman this time in the director’s chair, Gyllenhaal took on the slightly adjusted role of Dalton, this time a former UFC fighter looking to find new meaning in his life who finds work as a bouncer at a property owned by Frankie (Jessica Williams).
The movie became a big hit for Amazon, drawing 2.3 million households between March 21st, which is when it was added to the Prime Video library, and March 24th.
At Amazon’s Upfront presentation last May –– where it promotes its upcoming movies and shows to advertisers to encourage them to purchase pricey spots on its service –– the company announced that a ‘Road House’ sequel was in the early stages of development.
Will Beall is at work on the script for the sequel, which is a mystery for now –– though a mid-credits scene in the 2024 movie showed Conor McGregor’s villain Knox wreaking havoc at a hospital and escaping unscathed, so presumably that rematch is something that could well be picked up for the new movie, though that plan might be scuppered given that McGregor has recently been embroiled in some legal scandals.
When will the ‘Road House’ sequel be on screens?
Prime Video has yet to confirm when the new movie might arrive, but given the initial reboot’s success, we suspect this new one might also skip theaters and head instead straight to streaming.
Anthony Carrigan on HBO’s ‘Barry.’ Photograph by Courtesy of HBO.
Preview:
Anthony Carrigan is the latest recruit for the ‘Spaceballs’ sequel.
Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman and Daphne Zuniga are aboard to reprise their roles.
Josh Greenbaum is directing for Amazon/MGM.
After years as a rumor and in development, the ‘Spaceballs’ sequel just hit Ridiculous Speed. Or at least, production speed, as shooting is now kicking off on the continuation of the space satire/farce co-created by Mel Brooks in 1987.
Brooks is back in the dual role of the nefarious President Skroob and wise sage Yogurt, while the likes of Bill Pullman and Daphne Zuniga are returning to their parts. Most surprisingly Rick Moranis –– who has been retired from on-screen work for years –– has been tempted back to play Vader-spoofing villain Dark Helmet.
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And via an announcement from Amazon MGM Studios, which is backing the new movie, we know that Anthony Carrigan (‘Barry’) is among the newer faces joining for this go-around (more on the others below).
(L to R) Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet and George Wyner as Colonel Sandurz in ‘Spaceballs’. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The original ‘Spaceballs’, directed by Brooks from a script he wrote with Thomas Meehan and Ronny Graham, starred Pullman as Lone Starr, a scruffy hero in the Han Solo mold who has to stop the nefarious President Skroob from stealing the atmosphere of the peaceful planet Druidia.
Along the way, he comes to the aid of Vespa (Zuniga) and her sarcastic robot maid Dot Matrix (voiced by Joan Rivers). John Candy played Starr’s faithful half-man/half-dog sidekick Barf.
As for the new movie, it’s predictably wrapped in mystery, with the official logline going for a joke: “the title is rumored to be the name of the movie, and plot details are being described as information about what happens in the story.”
And Brooks has previously described it thusly:
“A Non-Prequel Non-Reboot Sequel Part Two but with Reboot Elements Franchise Expansion Film.”
Alongside the veteran cast (and now Carrigan), we can also expect to see Josh Gad, Keke Palmer and, keeping it in the family, ‘Thunderbolts*’Lewis Pullman, son of Bill, playing Starburst, his on-screen spawn.
Who is making the new ‘Spaceballs’?
(L to R) Joan Rivers as the voice of Dot Matrix and Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vespa in ‘Spaceballs’. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Josh Greenbaum, who made ‘Strays’ (for which Gad provided a voice) and ‘Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar’, is in the director’s chair. He feels like a good fit for a new ‘Spaceballs’, since he’s proved he can handle wacky comedy with some emotional undertones.
When will the ‘Spaceballs’ sequel be on screens?
While Amazon MGM Studios has yet to confirm an exact date, but it is aiming for a 2027 theatrical launch.
Image from the ‘Spaceballs 2’ table read. Photo: Brook Rushton/Amazon MGM.
With Daniel Craig stepping away and Amazon MGM Studios taking over the franchise, finding a new James Bond is crucial to the series’ success.
Amazon supposedly has a wish list of actors, while other names have also been cropping up – sometimes for years.
Only six actors have officially played Bond in more than 60 years.
Who should be the next actor to don the mantle of James Bond, agent 007 of the British Secret Service? That question has vexed filmmakers since the franchise first launched in 1962, when then-superstars like Cary Grant and Richard Burton were bypassed in favor of a little-known Scottish actor named Sean Connery. In the 60-plus years since ‘Dr. No’ introduced Bond to audiences, six actors (seven, if you include David Niven in the non-canonical 1967 Bond spoof, ‘Casino Royale’) have worn the tuxedo, with a mix of established stars and relative unknowns taking on the role for stints varying from one film (George Lazenby) to seven (Roger Moore).
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Some Bonds, of course, have been more successful than others, but the venerable franchise faces a challenge on two fronts now: first, the property has changed hands for the first time in decades, with the Broccoli family’s Eon Productions – which has been behind every Bond film to date – ceding control to Amazon MGM Studios. Second, the next Bond actor will follow the five-film run of Daniel Craig, which yielded one of the franchise’s all-time best films (2006’s ‘Casino Royale’) as well as its highest-grossing (2012’s billion-earning ‘Skyfall’).
But there’s more to it than that. The next Bond, whoever he is – and all kinds of potential names have been circulating for years – has to find just the right balance of qualities. He should be young enough (early 30s) to have cross-generational appeal, but not too young that he seems to lack experience; he should be as quick with his gun as he is with a quip or double-entendre; he needs to portray both the ruthless brutality of a top-notch assassin and the vulnerability of a lonely, haunted man; and he must be both physically imposing and sexually alluring.
Not such a tall order, right? There’s no question that director Denis Villeneuve and producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman have their work cut out for them. So let’s take a quick scan of the names that are out there now – and analyze whether any of them are destined to become the next James Bond.
Let’s start with the actors who won’t be Bond. The irony is that all of them were mooted for the role at one point or another, but time has frankly passed them by. That short list includes Henry Cavill, a fan favorite who auditioned for the role at age 22 but lost to Daniel Craig. At 42, he’s the same age as Pierce Brosnan when the latter got the part, and three years younger than Roger Moore. But Cavill is also far too recognizable from playing Superman in the DC Extended Universe and the title role in ‘The Witcher’ TV series.
Also, outside of his stints as Kal-El, Cavill is not a box office draw. That in itself means nothing, especially if the producers go with a smaller name – but Cavill has been on screens long enough to prove that he lacks a certain quality that audiences flock to see.
Tom Hardy, likewise, has been in hits such as ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and the ‘Venom’ trilogy, but has had an erratic box office run outside of those. At age 47, he’s also pretty much aged out of the role already. The same goes for 52-year-old Idris Elba, a popular choice for a long time who was reportedly reluctant to consider the role because he worried whether audiences would accept a Bond of color. Of the three, he probably would have been the most formidable choice.
The Amazon MGM List
Tom Holland arrives on the red carpet of The 90th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, March 4, 2018. Credit/Provider: Paul Hebert / A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: A.M.P.A.S.
Variety reported in June 2025 than Amazon MGM was interested in casting an actor under 30 as Bond. The studio’s wish list featured three actors: Tom Holland, Harris Dickinson, and Jacob Elordi — all decent-to-good actors still exploring their potential, but not necessarily able to nail the role of Bond.
Let’s dismiss Holland right off the bat. Fair or not, he’s a relatively small fellow with a baby face that will simply not suit Bond. Not only that, his global fame all stems from his portrayal of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in six Marvel films, with at least two more to go. Holland is simply too youthful and too associated with the web-slinger to step into 007’s shoes.
At 28, the Australian Elordi (the person playing Bond, by the way, can be British, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, or Australian – but not American) is probably the best all-around actor and may have just enough gravitas (and height) to evolve with the role. Dickinson, meanwhile, showed psychological and sexual intensity in ‘Babygirl’ and a rough physicality in ‘The Iron Claw,’ but like most of the actors attached to the role, would still have to bulk his slender frame up a bit.
When you get past names like Holland, Cavill, and Elordi, there is a whole crop of relatively young U.K. actors who, for the most part, are relatively obscure outside their home turf even if they’ve done some movie and TV work in Hollywood. Leading that pack is Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who’s been bandied about as a frontrunner for 007 for the past couple of years but remains fairly low-key with the public despite roles in high-profile films like ‘Nosferatu’ and ‘28 Years Later.’ Taylor-Johnson is a good actor, but he’s missing something – a certain magnetism – that makes us reluctant to consider him for Bond.
Theo James is another British actor who has scored some impressive credentials – most recently, he starred in the TV version of ‘The Gentlemen,’ Season 2 of ‘The White Lotus’ and the Stephen King film ‘The Monkey’ – but at 40 may be at the tipping point to play 007. Will Poulter, meanwhile, has shown physical prowess in the recent ‘Warfare’ and as Adam Warlock in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,’ and can be quite menacing (he’s frightening as a sadistic cop in ‘Detroit’), but may lack the sexual spark necessary to attract female audiences.
Jack Lowden in ‘Slow Horses’ season 3 premiering November 29, 2023 on Apple TV+.
One interesting candidate whose name has surfaced again and again is Scottish thespian Jack Lowden – at 35, he’s the right age, he has rugged good looks along with experience in physical action roles, and his resume (which also includes extensive stage work) ranges from high-level productions like the BBC’s 2016 version of ‘War and Peace’ to the acclaimed Apple TV+ series ‘Slow Horses,’ in which he plays – in an eerie coincidence – an MI5 agent.
Do any of these – or even the other candidates above – scream ‘James Bond’ at us? Not necessarily. But actors are capable of transforming themselves in ways that we ordinary folks can’t often imagine, and one of the above – if not someone yet unrevealed to us – will certainly emerge from that process as the next Bond…James Bond.
Sean Connery as James Bond in 1964’s ‘Goldfinger’. Photo: United Artists.
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