Colman Domingo in ‘Dead Man’s Wire.’ Photo: Row K Entertainment.
For his first feature in six years, director Gus Van Sant has picked a familiar pattern –– a true-life tale. And ‘Dead Man’s Wire’ certainly boasts a compelling hook. A kidnapping case that was locally infamous in Indiana that briefly attracted national attention in the late 1970s.
But with some odd tonal choices, the movie doesn’t always do justice to what is a fascinating tale of desperation and candor.
Script and Direction
(L to R) Al Pacino and director Gus Van Sant attend Row K’s ‘Dead Man’s Wire’ Los Angeles Premiere at The Grove AMC on January 7, 2026 in Los Angeles.
The script from Austin Kolodney (a filmmaker behind various shorts and who has worked in a number of roles on different movies) takes a mostly real-time approach to the story of Tony Kiritsis and his grudge against a local mortgage company.
It’s a solid foundation for an entertaining movie, and one that director Gus Van Sant knows how to make well. Yet the issue is with some of the stylistic tricks and the occasional shifts in tone that don’t always work with the plot itself and undercut the power.
Cast and Performances
Cary Elwes in ‘Dead Man’s Wire.’ Photo: Row K Entertainment.
The cast is the definite highlight of the movie, with Skarsgård, for once not buried beneath a mountain of prosthetics, giving a memorable, charismatic performance as the desperate, but perhaps misguided central figure.
Dacre Montgomery also has a chance to shine as the victim of the kidnapping, a man whose rich family is only to willing to throw him under the bus when it comes to negotiating with his captor.
Outside of the main pair, Cary Elwes is excellent as a detective, Al Pacino steals a couple of scenes as Montgomery’s character’s father, and Myha’la gets some good moments as a reporter who is first to report on the developing situation.
Final Thoughts
Bill Skarsgård as Tony Kiritsis in ‘Dead Man’s Wire’. Photo: Row K Entertainment.
Despite its occasional overreliance on stylistic tics, ‘Dead Man’s Wire’ is a compelling treatment of a real-life case, one that has resonances even today.
‘Dead Man’s Wire’ receives 70 out of 100.
(L to R): Dacre Montgomery and Bill Skarsgard in ‘Dead Man’s Wire.’ Photo: Row K Entertainment.
What is the plot of ‘Dead Man’s Wire’?
The film is inspired by the 1977 Indianapolis hostage standoff involving Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård) and centers on the escalation of a public confrontation shaped by negotiation, media attention, and law enforcement response.
(L to R) Kelly Lynch, director Gus Van Sant, Al Pacino and Colman Domingo attend Row K’s ‘Dead Man’s Wire’ Los Angeles Premiere at The Grove AMC on January 7, 2026 in Los Angeles.
Set in 1977 and based on a true story, ‘Dead Man’s Wire‘ follows Tony Kiritsis, a former real estate developer who puts a dead man’s switch on himself and the mortgage banker who did him wrong, while demanding $5 million and a personal apology.
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Moviefone was in attendance at a recent press conference, in which director Gus Van Sant and writer Austin Kolodney shared behind-the-scenes details and discuss adapting a true story for the screen.
1) Gus Van Sant Was Interested In ‘Dead Man’s Wire’ Because It Was Going To Be Filmed Almost Immediately
(L to R) Dacre Montgomery as Richard ‘Dick’ Hall and Bill Skarsgård as Tony Kiritsis in ‘Dead Man’s Wire’. Photo: Row K Entertainment
When asked about what drew him to the project, Gus Van Sant shockingly explains that it mostly had to do with the shooting timeline.
Gus Van Sant: I joined on with the knowledge that it was shooting in Louisville, Kentucky. And it was shooting very quickly. This was September of last year, and Cassian Elwes, the producer, was planning to shoot in November. I was intrigued by the whole situation of having to do something right away and not even knowing what it was about. Kind of… I didn’t really say yes. I did read the script before I said yes.
2) Austin Kolodney First Heard About Tony Karitsis On A Podcast
Bill Skarsgård as Tony Kiritsis in ‘Dead Man’s Wire’. Photo: Row K Entertainment.
Writer Austin Kolodney first heard about this true story on a podcast and wondered to himself why it wasn’t a movie. So he wrote a script.
Austin Kolodney: I first heard it mentioned on a podcast. A producer, Jamie Vernon, had mentioned the name and the crime, and I had my antenna up. This is the height of COVID in 2020, during that summer. And I was actively looking for something to write. I had written a couple other features, like smaller indie things that I would want to direct, but I was like, I need to try and get something made soon to pay off credit card debt, get the career started, I can’t just keep Lyft driving. So, I was actively looking for something that I think would be a movie, and when I heard about Tony, went down this rabbit hole, some podcasts, there’s a great dollop episode about him, and then there’s this one YouTube video that I used as a hyperlink, because it had this 5-minute summation of this really grainy texture, archival footage shot, highlight reel ofTony slipping on the ice, and cracking jokes at the cops, and laughing at them, and getting them to laugh with him, and then asking for water, and having to hold the gun and drink it like a baby bird, and for some reason that crystallized the movie for me. I’m like, how has this not been made into a movie? So I started developing it as a movie.
3) Austin Kolodney Included Hyperlinks To Videos In His Initial Script
(L to R) Dacre Montgomery as Richard ‘Dick’ Hall and Bill Skarsgård as Tony Kiritsis in ‘Dead Man’s Wire’. Photo: Row K Entertainment
Gus Van Sant says that Austin Kolodney’s inclusion of hyperlinks in the script helped him to understand who Tony Karitsis really was.
Gus Van Sant: You could see very clearly the guy, Tony Karitsis’ personality, partly due to the hyperlinks that were connected in the script to his actual voice. You could hear the real guy, who was very intriguing, and so within just a few moments, I don’t know that I wasn’t conscious of I guess it was obvious that he was a desperate underdog character that resembled other characters that I’d done before.
4) Austin Kolodney Is Drawn To True Crime, But He Doesn’t Want To Be Pigeonholed In That Genre
Cary Elwes as Michael Grable in ‘Dead Man’s Wire’. Photo: Row K Entertainment
When asked about what it was that truly interested him about this story, Austin Kolodney admits that he loves true crime, but that he also has the ability to write other genres.
Austin Kolodney: I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t like a good crime movie. A lot of great American films are crime movies, and I don’t know if true crime is necessarily how I want to corner myself as a storyteller. I’ve had a couple other scripts written prior to this one that aren’t at all in this realm. I continue to see, I guess, any article or book or footage of a true event that has a character that is very rich and very textured and feels like someone that I would want to see on the screen for an hour and a half, two hours. That’s what draws me to it. It’s more the person, the criminal, I guess, not necessarily the act of crime, it’s the personality and the three-dimensionality of the person that’s at the center of it, is what draws me to a story.
5) Bill Skarsgård Almost Wasn’t The Lead Of ‘Dead Man’s Wire’
(L to R) Dacre Montgomery and Bill Skarsgard in ‘Dead Man’s Wire.’ Photo: Row K Entertainment.
Director Gus Van Sant admits that he thought Bill Skarsgård was great for the lead role of ‘Dead Man’s Wire’, but details how he almost didn’t take the role.
Gus Van Sant: I had tried to get Bill in another film that was simultaneous. It was canceled right about the same time that I was joining onto ‘Dead Man’s Wire’, and I had asked him to play a smaller part, and he said it would be interesting if he wasn’t playing a lead somewhere else. So I was thinking of him for a while, just working with him, and putting him into things where he wasn’t even the lead character. I hadn’t worked with him. In this case, he seemed to work for the lead character. So I turned around and said, oh, there’s a lead character on this one. He was busy. So he was fitting it in between projects. But yeah, he seemed to be game. I mean, partly, maybe because I worked with his dad, Stellan (Skarsgård) in ‘Good Will Hunting‘. He had actually come to the set, but he was like 7 years old. There’s a picture I have of him and the big family that was visiting Stellan.
Al Pacino as M/L/ Hall in ‘Dead Man’s Wire’. Photo: Row K Entertainment
What is the plot of ‘Dead Man’s Wire’?
The film is inspired by the 1977 Indianapolis hostage standoff involving Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård) and centers on the escalation of a public confrontation shaped by negotiation, media attention, and law enforcement response.
(L to R) Al Pacino and director Gus Van Sant attend Row K’s ‘Dead Man’s Wire’ Los Angeles Premiere at The Grove AMC on January 7, 2026 in Los Angeles.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with iconic filmmaker Gus Van Sant about his work on ‘Dead Man’s Wire’, his first reaction to the unusual screenplay, creating the specific look of the film, casting Bill Skarsgård, directing the legendary Al Pacino, and the importance of the music in the movie.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Van Sant, Dacre Montgomery, Cary Elwes and Myha’la.
Moviefone: To begin with, I understand that the script came with links to actual news footage from the true story that the movie is based on. Can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and how the real footage helped you envision how you wanted to make this film?
Gus Van Sant: Yeah, there were actual links to footage, which had been posted to YouTube. You could hear the real Tony Kiritsis talking to the police for the first time when he was in the middle of kidnapping his mortgage broker in 1977. Then there was also the footage of them walking across town with the dead man’s wire rig attached to his captive and the police following them, and the drive to his house in the police car that he commandeers. All these things were peppered throughout the script so you could get a very strong sense of the event, the demands, and the final Press conference that they have was also in the hyperlinks. I mean, it helped just envision what you thought of the actual event. You know, it was complete, true footage of the actual event. So, from there, you had a lot of information. It helped me visually because it was set in the ‘70s and all the little parts of the visuals were in some of the footage that was part of the script. You could see the real people, the real police, the real Indianapolis locations, the real cars that they were driving and the real apartment exterior, not the interior of the apartment. But that was the atmosphere you could see. It just affected everything about bringing it to life for us in Louisville, Kentucky, which wasn’t Indianapolis (where the true story took place).
(L to R) Dacre Montgomery as Richard ‘Dick’ Hall and Bill Skarsgård as Tony Kiritsis in ‘Dead Man’s Wire’. Photo: Row K Entertainment.
MF: The film itself looks like a movie that would have been released in the 1970s, at the time that the story takes place. Can you talk about how you achieved that specific look?
GVS: It was all the different departments working together. Our production designer, our costumer and whoever else was involved in the look, the DP, his crew, the lighting personnel, they were all queuing off photographs of the period. In my case, I was I was glued to photography by William Eggleston, who shot photographs in Memphis, Tennessee, which is nearby. I mean, part of that Midwest feel and the colors within that, and our DP, was interested in the movie ‘Klute’. Visually, he thought it had a lot to do with what we wanted to be doing. The original photography that was in the documentaries had a greenish color to it, which was interesting, that we liked. We were trying to keep away from maybe things we’d seen that resemble the ‘70s, which are browns that I felt weren’t really representing the ‘70s well, because there was a lot of color back there. I mean, it just all came together, everyone together in unison, not really knowing, because you’re always striving to have this fantastic result and hopefully you get there, but we’re always working in the dark, sort of.
Bill Skarsgård as Tony Kiritsis in ‘Dead Man’s Wire’. Photo: Row K Entertainment.
MF: Can you talk about casting Bill Skarsgård and what he brought to the role of Tony Kiritsis?
GVS: Bill was, to me, sort of a man of a thousand faces. He had done roles that sometimes were very similar, like “The Crow’ or he was in ‘Boy Kills World’, which was possibly a similar character, yet quite different. He made them quite different. His performance in ‘It’ was a big one. He showed me some things that he had done in Europe that weren’t as extreme characters and more like him being almost himself, that I got to see, which I hadn’t seen. He seemed like the guy for a job like this. Like, almost in, I want to say, a Peter Sellers way. He could transform himself.
Al Pacino in ‘Dead Man’s Wire.’ Photo: Row K Entertainment.
MF: What was your experience like directing the legendary Al Pacino? Had you ever met him before working with him on this project?
GVS: I hadn’t met him. I had seen him at a party, but I hadn’t ever met him and spoke to him before. He had done a film with Harmony Korine, where Harmony was playing a character in a smaller project that Al was the lead in and he was working in a junk shop, I think. Our first meeting was really on the phone talking about the whole story and the part his character played in it, and he had a desire to make it a little bigger, which we attempted to do. Austin (Kolodney) wrote some extra stuff. We did do rehearsals with Al and Dacre and Bill together for the phone calls. It was all quite exciting because when Bill’s in character he’s quite crazy and wild. So, it affected Al. He realized, “Oh, we’re in the real thing now.” Which he’s of course used to, but these guys could deliver it. So, working with him was great. I mean, it was fast. We had one day to shoot all his scenes, but it was a lot of fun.
Colman Domingo in ‘Dead Man’s Wire.’ Photo: Row K Entertainment.
MF: Finally, music plays an important role in this movie, as it does in all your films. Can you talk about your musical choices, and mixing specific songs from the period with contemporary music?
GVS: The DJ concept was very interesting because I felt like I had listened to the radio in the ‘60s, not ‘70s, but it was a very important New York area experience, where the counterculture of the ‘60s was present in the DJs. So, they were on your side, and they were playing, now it’s classic rock, but at the time it was like extended rock and roll. So, you’d have songs that were like 10 minutes long with guitar solos and so forth. Because Colman Domingo was able to play the part, there was a DJ that I really liked on WNEW in New York named Rosko (William Roscoe Mercer). You can find his shows on YouTube today. So, I sent some of those shows to Colman and he was playing songs that were backgrounds to poetry that he would read over the songs. The poetry was mostly about the Vietnam War and about gladiators and the trials of that period. They were very emotional, very dramatic and very political. So, we used Colman’s character to have that vibe and have that idea, as opposed to the reality of the real DJ, who was more of a newscaster. So, we kind of took liberty with that character to give him color, and to give the DJ more of a voice in the whole thing, because he does end up brokering the whole story.
(L to R) Dacre Montgomery and Bill Skarsgard in ‘Dead Man’s Wire.’ Photo: Row K Entertainment.
What is the plot of ‘Dead Man’s Wire’?
The film is inspired by the 1977 Indianapolis hostage standoff involving Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård) and centers on the escalation of a public confrontation shaped by negotiation, media attention, and law enforcement response.
The ‘Very Young Frankenstein’ series is going to pilot.
Zach Galifianakis, Cary Elwes, Kumail Nanjiani and more are in the cast.
It’ll be a prequel to Mel Brooks’ ‘Young Frankenstein’.
We learned back in July that, following the ‘Spaceballs’ sequel movie news, another Mel Brooks movie was getting the follow-up treatment. Or in this case, a TV prequel. ‘Young Frankenstein’ is the Brooks project in question and the new show is ‘Very Young Frankenstein.’
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While we already knew that Taika Waititi is involved (to direct the pilot) alongside two writers from the ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ TV spin-off, Stefani Robinson and Garrett Basch, the cast has also been revealed.
(L to R) Teri Garr, Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, and Marty Feldman in ‘Young Frankenstein’. Photo: 20th Century-Fox.
Brooks’ 1974 horror-comedy starred Gene Wilder (who co-wrote the screenplay with the director) as Frederick Frankenstein, grandson of mad scientist Victor Frankenstein –– the younger Frankenstein pronounces the family name as “Fronkensteen,” to distinguish himself from his ancestor, whose unorthodox experiments have brought the American scientist shame.
When Frederick inherits his grandfather’s Transylvania castle, he wants to prove Victor was not insane. Alongside Igor (pronounced as “Eye-gore”), whose grandfather assisted Victor in the lab, the pair attempts to save the muddied Frankenstein name by creating their own monster. What could go wrong?
Gene Wilder in ‘Young Frankenstein’. Photo: 20th Century-Fox.
There are no details as to how the new show will spin off from the movie, but the title suggests turning the clock back to the earlier days of Frederick. Perhaps a college comedy?
None of the freshly–announced cast have character descriptions, so we’ll have to wait for further details –– but Elwes is listed as the star of this one.
When will ‘Very Young Frankenstein’ be on our screens?
The show right now is just a pilot for FX and Hulu, so it’ll need to score a pickup if it’s to go to series. Audiences (and Brooks’ accountant) are no doubt crossing their fingers.
(L to R) Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Gene Wilder, and Teri Garr in ‘Young Frankenstein’. Photo: 20th Century-Fox.
This new movie certainly sees him channeling the tone of those initial efforts, but while that provides plenty of thrills and chuckles to begin with, midway through it seems to decide that is not worth sticking with and becomes something more like ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ (though never reaching the quality levels of that).
Does ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ prove to be a fun mission?
Alan Ritchson in ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’. Photo: Daniel Smith.
It’s something of a mystery when you have a movie that offers Henry Cavill in particular with the most charismatically entertaining character he’s played in a while (with, unlike in ‘Argylle’, the screentime to fully embrace it) but somehow lose confidence in the jokey tone that is established early on.
True, the subject of war, especially in a real-life context, is one to be taken seriously, but that later gear switch grinds noisily midway through the running time. And yes, there are the real people to be considered (a closing credit sequence includes imagery and potted histories of the personalities after the time of the mission portrayed), but the two tones of the movie simply don’t mesh well enough to make the whole work.
‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’: Script and Direction
Eiza González in ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’. Photo: Daniel Smith.
Ritchie here adapts Damien Lewis (not the actor, different spelling)’s book with the help of Paul Tamasy and Arash Amel, adding his own particular flare to the story of a group of real-life, under-the-radar heroes helped turned the tide of World War II when things were looking their bleakest for the Allied forces.
But, as we’ve said before in this review, the script’s tone takes a dive somewhere around the point that the mission itself starts to go off the rails. It’s as if the characters shrug off their colorful personalities and adopt much blander, generic war movie archetypes instead. Moments of humor do poke through still, and there are obviously moments where the darker tone requires a more serious approach. The movie, though, doesn’t completely recover.
In the director’s chair, Ritchie certainly brings plenty of his usual style to the proceedings, and he frequently gets the best out of his cast in the early going. The movie also looks good, the budget clearly up on the screen in scenes where the team engages with battleships or enters the port that is their main objective.
Yet he still can’t stop his own movie from turning into something that is far less effective in its final third. As the action ramps up (which has its own ticking clock tension, to be sure), the compelling character work fades and some of the interest starts to wane.
‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’: Performances
Henry Cavill in ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’. Photo: Daniel Smith.
This is most certainly Henry Cavill’s film, and when he’s allowed, he jumps in with both feet. His Gus March-Phillips is a wily, snarky sort, well aware of his reputation even as he’s ready to give his life in service of his country. He’s not above stealing cigars from his superiors or mouthing off to Nazis who are pointing guns at him (and why not?) At full power, he’s the charismatic center of the movie.
But he’s ably supported by the ensemble, especially Alan Ritchson as the hulking Anders Lassen. Right there with Cavill’s character, he’s always ready to enjoy his missions, and dishes out violence like a funnier ‘Reacher‘.
Henry Golding has less to do as explosives expert Freddy Alvarez, but he’s handed some fun chunks of scenes, and Golding makes the most of them. Eiza González, meanwhile, has a better character in the early going, but is soon reduced to either being a femme fatale or a damsel in distress.
From the supporting cast, Babs Olusanmokun stands out as the college educated man of letters who has set himself up as king of the mercenaries in the port where the team has to take out U-boat supply chain. It’s a winning performance and Olusanmokun makes it look effortless.
Elsewhere, Til Schweiger is suitably menacing/ridiculous as BDSM-obsessed Nazi commander Heinrich Luhr (one of the characters who feels very Ritchie-fied with his verbal diarrhea) and Cary Elwes is a suitably eyebrow-raising “M”.
‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’: Final Thoughts
Cary Elwes in ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’. Photo: Daniel Smith.
Ritchie’s latest release shows signs of the director warring within himself more than the movie itself is about conflict. It’s as if he started out fully intended to make an engaging romp of an action comedy before a side of him worried about what people would think about the historical accuracy might think.
The result is a compromised effort that rather falls between two stools –– but has enough value to make it worth sticking out. Especially if you like Henry Cavill sticking his tongue out as a he shoots a machine gun.
‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’?
Based upon recently declassified files of the British War Department and inspired by true events, ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ is an action-comedy that tells the story of the first-ever special forces organization formed during WWII by U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a small group of military officials including author Ian Fleming.
The top-secret combat unit, composed of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, goes on a daring mission against the Nazis using entirely unconventional and utterly “ungentlemanly” fighting techniques. Ultimately their audacious approach changed the course of the war and laid the foundation for the British SAS and modern Black Ops warfare.
Who stars in ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’?
The Paramount+ ‘Knuckles’ series has a new trailer.
The ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ spin-off features Idris Elba as the voice of the title character.
‘Knuckles’ starts streaming on April 26th.
With the success of 2020’s ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ and 2022 sequel ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ (a combined box office haul of $725.2 million so far) Paramount is naturally looking to keep the speedy cash train running.
A third ‘Sonic’ movie outing is due in theaters on December 20th (and recently confirmed the return of Jim Carrey as the scheming Dr. Robotnik), but for young fans of the franchise who don’t want to wait that long, there is another ‘Sonic’-based story on its way.
‘Knuckles’, a series for Paramount+ that focuses on the warrior echidna voiced by Idris Elba, has been in the works for a while and has a new trailer online, with a Super Bowl spot to follow at the weekend.
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What’s the story of ‘Knuckles’?
Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) in ‘Knuckles,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.
The new live-action event series follows Knuckles (Elba) on a hilarious and action-packed journey of self-discovery as he agrees to train Wade (Adam Pally) as his protégé and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior.
We can also see that Knuckles will come under threat from a new set of baddies, who seem bent on stealing his powers.
‘Knuckles’ will take place between the events of the second and third ‘Sonic’ movies.
(L to R) Scott Mescudi as Agent Mason and Ellie Taylor as Agent Willoughby in ‘Knuckles,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.
And returning from the movie cast are Ben Schwartz, who reprises his role as Sonic, as well as special guest star Tika Sumpter, as Maddie. Colleen O’Shaughnessey will also return as a special guest star in her role as Tails.
Who is making ‘Knuckles’?
Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) in ‘Knuckles,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.
The series’ creative team includes the movies’ director Jeff Fowler, who handled the pilot episode and helped transition the film’s signature cinematic animation style to television. Additional directors for the series include Ged Wright, Brandon Trost, Jorma Taccone and Carol Banker.
The series was created for television by John Whittington and showrunner Toby Ascher. Whittington wrote the second movie, serves as head writer and wrote the pilot for the series. Additional writers include Brian Schacter and James Madejski.
When will ‘Knuckles’ be on screens?
All six episodes of ‘Knuckles’ will land on Paramount+ on April 26th.
A still from ‘Knuckles,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) in ‘Knuckles,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) in ‘Knuckles’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.Mac (voiced by Christopher Lloyd) in ‘Knuckles’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) in ‘Knuckles’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.(L to R) Adam Pally as Wade Whipple and Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) in ‘Knuckles’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.(L to R) Stockard Channing as Wendy Whipple, ‘Knuckles’ (voiced by Idris Elba) and Edi Patterson as Wanda Whipple in Knuckles streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.(L to R) Tika Sumpter as Maddie, Tails (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) in ‘Knuckles,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.(L to R) Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) and Daniel Singh as Cattleprod Bounty Hunter in ‘Knuckles,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.(L to R) Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) and Rory McCann as The Buyer in ‘Knuckles,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.(L to R) Scott Mescudi as Agent Mason and Ellie Taylor as Agent Willoughby in ‘Knuckles,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.Julian Barratt as Jack Sinclair in ‘Knuckles,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.Adam Pally as Wade Whipple in ‘Knuckles,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Luke Varley/Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.(L to R) Adam Pally as Wade Whipple, Alice Tregonning as Susie, Cary Elwes as Pistol Pete Whipple and Owen Warren as Pete’s Bowling Partner in ‘Knuckles’, streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Luke Varley/Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.Adam Pally as Wade Whipple in ‘Knuckles,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+.
Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Preview:
Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik is back for ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’.
Jeff Fowler is directing the new movie.
The film is due in December.
At the end of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ it –– spoiler alert for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie –– appeared that Jim Carrey’s cackling, scheming Dr. Robotnik had fallen to his death.
But as post-credit sting, however, it is revealed (again, spoiler alert) that Robotnik’s body is nowhere to be found and he’s actually potentially alive.
A new, tiny social media teaser for the third movie adapted from the video game franchise reveals that he is indeed back, as also reported by Variety.
You all thought I was gone, but I’ve just been underground. What you’ve seen from me is only a #shadow of things to come… pic.twitter.com/3W9Rh728Tt
Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Nothing has been officially released about the story for the new ‘Sonic’ movie, though we can predict more speedy behavior from the main character and a fresh devious scheme from Robotnik (also, mugging –– it is Jim Carrey, after all).
How James Marsden’s Tom Wachowski figures in this time remains to be seen, and we’ll also see the return of Sonic’s fellow CG creations Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey).
Rumors have suggested a potential trip through time and the film’s social media account kicked off the start of shoot with a teaser for Shadow the Hedgehog, who is a mysterious hedgehog associated with a secret government experiment called Project Shadow. He was obliquely referenced at the end of the second movie.
(L to R) Knuckles (Idris Elba) and Sonic (Ben Schwartz) in ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 2’ from Paramount Pictures and Sega.
Jeff Fowler is once again directing the third movie, having handled the first two, with the script from regular writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller.
Neal H. Moritz is producing this one, as he has the others.
Carrey’s presence is a little surprising, since he said around the time of the second movie that he was effectively retiring from acting. But we suppose the sheer joy (or possibly an RV filled with cash) tempted him back.
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What else is planned for the Sonic the Hedgehog universe?
Jim Carrey and Knuckles (Idris Elba) in ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 2’ from Paramount Pictures and Sega. Photo Credit: Courtesy Paramount Pictures and Sega of America.
With the success of the first two films, Paramount has naturally begun to try and build out a ‘Sonic’ universe, with a series based around the Knuckles character (with Elba back to voice him) already in the works.
In the show, Knuckles the Echidna teaches deputy Wade Whipple (Adam Pally) the techniques of the Echidna warrior. ‘Sonic’s fellow live-action actor Tika Sumpter is also aboard alongside the likes of Christopher Lloyd, Cary Elwes and Kid Cudi.
It is in no way surprising that this began life as a pitch Snyder presented to Lucasfilm way back in the days before Disney snapped it up. That Kathleen Kennedy passed on his side story set in that galaxy far, far is both good and bad news, and particularly positive if you’re a fan of the director’s distinctive visuals and action sense, as it’s full of both.
How you react to the movie might depend on what you’re looking for going in –– if you’re after a sweeping sci-fi epic full of scrappy underdogs looking to battle a powerful empire that is cracking down on any hint of rebellion well… if you’ve also watched ‘Star Wars’ than this might be a solid second choice.
Perhaps the biggest issue with the movie might be that despite all the unfamiliar names for words and characters, it all feels very… done before. Opening on a giant, lurking space vessel and then panning down to a planet where someone is engaged in farm work feels less like crafting a homage to George Lucas (who, let’s not forget, borrowed liberally to create his own space opera) and more like cribbing from his homework. And not just Lucas –– there are elements that you’ll recognize from the likes of ‘Serenity’, ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Terminator’ and many, many more.
Yet with its own mythology to build and some compelling sequences, ‘Rebel Moon’ does find the confidence to stand on its own, even if what remains is not as memorable as some of the classics it is referencing.
Snyder, who has been letting this one cook in the back of his head for years, finally got cracking on it with regular collaborators Shay Hatten (‘Army of the Dead’, ‘Day Shift’, ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’) and Kurt Johnstad, and they’ve whipped up a mostly entertaining romp through the stars. Using the ‘Seven Samurai’ mold of oppressed people looking to secure the services of warriors who will fight an oncoming enemy for them, they’ve built out the story of Kora in such a way that it feels like they were all considering other spin-offs and stories ahead of actually making this one tick over.
Still, in its defense, ‘Part One’ does at least tell a complete story before the inevitable cliffhanger setting up the next movie and does so in a less outwardly annoying fashion than some recent Marvel and DC entries.
The characters are decently drawn, even if none of them feel truly original –– a fighter with a troubled past, a rogue with his own agenda, a disgraced royal with some serious animal wrangling skills… they’re all versions of something that has gone before. Ditto the overarching mythology, which tells the story of a kingdom which loses its monarch and sees the power vacuum filled by a grasping, cunning Regent (played, albeit briefly so far, by Fra Fee).
Snyder as director indulges in every stylised trick for which he’s become known –– if you enjoy his ramped-up, slow-motion, quick-cut action sequences, there is plenty of it on display here, all shot in the cloudy/chome-y sepia-toned way he favors.
The movie assembles a solid cast but doesn’t always quite give them enough to do beyond basic archetypes. Sofia Boutella’s Kora is the focus in the early going, and she’s more than up to the task of playing this recognizable central figure who has some dark notes in her past.
As for the rest, they’re a mixed bag: Charlie Hunnam sports a perhaps ill-judged Irish (space-Irish?) accent as the roguish Kai, who initially helps her look for the others who will help fight back when the forces of the Motherworld (read: Empire) threaten the peaceful community she’s trying to make a new start in. Michiel Huisman has some charm as the naïve farmer who is in over his head, while mostly everyone else gets their action-packed introduction or moment to shine later when the baddies led by Ed Skrein’s Admiral finally track them down.
For both good and ill, ‘Rebel Moon’ is Zack Snyder on full blast. If this one leaves you craving more, don’t forget that Part Two, subtitled ‘The Scargiver’, will be on Netflix on April 19th.
While the writer/director is in genre magpie mode, borrowing a little from other (often better) movies and stories, the whole doesn’t completely equal the sum of its parts. It’s at least a visually interesting, rousing sci-fi adventure.
‘Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘Rebel Moon?
After crash landing on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a stranger with a mysterious past, begins a new life among a peaceful settlement of farmers. But she soon becomes their only hope for survival when the tyrannical Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) and his cruel emissary, Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein), discover the farmers have unwittingly sold their crops to the Bloodaxes (Cleopatra Coleman and Ray Fisher) — leaders of a fierce group of insurgents hunted by the Motherworld.
Tasked with finding fighters who would risk their lives to defend the people of Veldt, Kora and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), a tenderhearted farmer naive in the realities of war, journey to different worlds in search of the Bloodaxes, and assemble a small band of warriors who share a common need for redemption along the way: Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a pilot and gun for hire; General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a legendary commander; Nemesis (Doona Bae), a master swordswoman; Tarak (Staz Nair), a captive with a regal past; and Milius (E. Duffy), a resistance fighter. Back on Veldt, Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins), an ancient, mechanized protector hiding in the wings, awakens with a new purpose.
But the newly formed revolutionaries must learn to trust each other and fight as one before the armies of the Motherworld come to destroy them all…
Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Ethan Hunt and his IMF team are back for another dangerous mission – to track down and prevent a new weapon known as “The Entity” from destroying humanity if it were to fall into the wrong hands. While hunting down the new weapon, Ethan’s dark past catches up with him and threatens the lives of those close to him.
This is the seventh installment in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise, with the first film premiering in 1996. With each ‘Mission: Impossible’ film, stunts are wilder, and the missions more precarious. Tom Cruise continues to elevate each movie by performing the incredible stunts himself, from executing the Halo jump in ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ in 2018, to the deathy-defying motorcycle jump off the cliff in the latest film – a scene that render the audience speechless.
As a part of an extremely successful franchise, ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ was a highly anticipated film, garnering a 96% scores from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and 94% score from the audience.
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The official synopsis for ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ is below:
“In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan’s past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission — not even the lives of those he cares about most.”
Who Is In The Cast of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’?
(L to R) Hayley Atwell and Esai Morales in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
It’s clear that ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ was a must-watch for fans of the franchise. Having played Ethan Hunt for 25 years, audience can always expect Tom Cruise to deliver – from acting to action. The film has a production cost of $300 million, due to its large cast and extravagant stunt sequences. Despite the anticipation, the film opened to $54.6 million domestically, which falls short of its predecessors. 2018’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ opened to $61.2 million domistically and has grossed $220.1million, and 2015’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ opened to $55.5 million.
Box office powerhouse films ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ may have affected the box office earning for ‘Dead Reckoning Part One’ as both films were released on July 21, 2023, setting the “Barbieheimer” trend amongst moviegoers as they plan a double feature.
When Will ‘Mission – Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One’ Come To Streaming?
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
The spy thriller premiered in Rome on June 19, 2023, and was released in theaters domestically on July 12, 2023. It was released in formats such as Dolby Cinema, IMAX, ScreenX, and 4DX. The film is still playing in theaters, and due to its extraordinary stunt sequences, best experienced on the big screen.
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’ has a total runtime of 2 hour and 43 minutes.
Watch the official trailers for ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ below:
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The movie is released by Paramount Pictures, which means it’s likely to end up on its streaming service Paramount+ when it is ready to go to streaming. For VOD release, no date has confirmed though pre-order is available for platforms such as Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV, YouTube, and Vudu.
(L to R) Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames and Rebecca Ferguson in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One:’
To watch our exclusive interviews with director Christopher McQuarrie and the cast of ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One, please click on the video player below.
The new film doesn’t yet have an announced title, but Deadline has learned some information about it; written by the director, it’ll reportedly will revolve around two extraction specialists who must plan an escape path for a high-level female negotiator. And while the subject sounds serious, Ritchie has apparently laced the story with humor.
We also know the main cast: Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal and Eiza González are all on board to star in the movie, which is set to kick off shooting in Spain this summer.
Here’s what Ritchie had to say about his choices:
“There’s something special that happens when you collaborate with the same partners regularly: you build a shorthand and a trust that lets everybody do their best work. Jake, Henry and Eiza are all astonishingly talented, committed, and engaging actors. This is going to be an action-packed movie that is both intellectually stimulating and physically exhilarating.”
And this is just the latest project that represents Ritchie drawing from the pool of people he’s worked with before. Gyllenhaal, of course, was the lead in war drama ‘The Covenant’, which was in theaters just last month. Cavill and González, meanwhile, are part of the sprawling cast for ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’, which also features Alan Ritchson, Cary Elwes, Alex Pettyfer, Henry Golding, Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Freddie Fox.
That movie’s screenplay, by Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson (who wrote the original script and pitched it to producer Jerry Bruckheimer back in 2015), Ritchie and Arash Amel, is based on war correspondent and military historian Damien Lewis’ popular book of the same name.
(L to R) Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer in film ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,’ directed by Guy Ritchie.
The movie, inspired by real events, will chart British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s and James Bond creator Ian Fleming’s secret World War II combat organization. The clandestine squad’s unconventional and entirely ‘ungentlemanly’ fighting techniques against the Nazis helped change the course of the war and in part gave birth to the modern Black Ops unit.
Cavill, of course, has a connection with the director that goes even further, since he co-starred in 2015’s ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’.
Also on Ritchie’s schedule? Overseeing post-production on ‘The Gentlemen’ the spin-off TV series from his eponymous 2019 crime caper.
With the new movie at a very early stage, there’s no release date set yet, but the distribution rights are on sale now at the Cannes Film Market (should anyone have a spare few million dollars lying around). ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’, meanwhile, should be out next year.
