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CinemaCon 2026: Paramount Presentation
‘Street Fighter’ opens in theaters on October 16th.

Preview
- Paramount Pictures made its presentation to the 2026 CinemaCon crowd.
- Among the movies promoted were ‘Street Fighter’ and ‘Scary Movie’.
- There was also a look at a new ‘Christmas Carol’ adaptation.
Given the tumultuous behind-the-scenes business activity of first the Skydance/Paramount acquisition and now the combined studios’ ongoing mission to buy Warner Bros., it’s fair to wonder how much of that will be referenced at the company’s 2026 CinemaCon presentation.

But as is more likely, we’re expecting a focus on movies including the new ‘Scary Movie’ entry and a fresh take on the ‘Street Fighter’ video game.
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Unlike some of its competition, Paramount doesn’t have many of its big hitter franchises with ready entries, though we’ll likely get something from the early 2027 arrival of the fourth ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ movie.

Related Article: Netflix Out of Bidding War for Warner Bros., Paramount Seemingly Wins

Following a looong sizzle reel (narrated by Tom Cruise and ending with him chilling out on the lot’s iconic water tower), freshly minted Paramount/Skydance boss David Ellison took the stage to enthuse about storytelling and –– cross it off your bingo card! –– further confirm that a merged Paramount and Warner Bros. would commit to 30 movies a year theatrically, with healthy 45-day release windows.

There was also a lot of chat about the IP-based movies they’re developing –– expect more ‘Star Trek’, ‘Transformers’, ‘World War Z’ and ‘Top Gun’, plus a ‘Call of Duty’ movie. Oh, and following the success of the first film via Neon, the studio is the new home of the ‘Longlegs’ franchise. And we also learned that classic antagonists Shredder and Kang will show up in the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ sequel, due in 2027.

‘Sonic the Hedgehog 4’

‘Sonic the Hedgehog 4’ opens in theaters on March 19, 2027.

There wasn’t much on the fourth ‘Sonic’ beyond a quick video from the set that confirms Jim Carrey will be back. There was also a mention of Kristen Bell, who voices Amy Rose.
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‘Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour’

Billie Eliish in ‘Billie Eliish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)’. Photo: Henry Hwu and Paramount Pictures.

Eilish and director James Cameron (yes, that James Cameron) took the stage to showcase the tour movie (Live in 3D in case you forgot), with Cameron talking up how they developed new 3D tech to make the film –– and make it look amazing. He calls it a “VIP experience”.

The audience were given 3D glasses to watch some new footage from the tour movie.
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‘Scary Movie’

Marlon Wayans plays Shorty in ‘Scary Movie’ from Paramount Pictures.

Next to take the stage was the ‘Scary Movie’ cast (well, Marlon and Shawn Wayans and Anna Faris) discuss the new reboot (or sixth film) in the horror spoof series. “Nobody is safe” seems to be the mantra here, and the Wayans introduced some fresh footage from the movie.

(L to R) Anna Faris plays Cindy and Regina Hall plays Brenda in ‘Scary Movie’ from Paramount Pictures.

That “nobody is safe” also applies to the genre titles this one takes pot shots at, including ‘Sinners’, ‘M3GAN’ and more.
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‘Jackass: Best and Last’

2002’s ‘Jackass: The Movie’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

The new –– and final? –– ‘Jackass’ saw main man Johnny Knoxville trying to convince us all that it really is the last one. Guessing they’re all getting a little too old for the crazy stunts.
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‘Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie’

Carter Young as “Marshall” in ‘Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie’ from Paramount PIctures and Spinmaster.

In what could be considered tonal whiplash, the next film to be name-checked was the latest ‘Paw Patrol’ movie, with a quick teaser.
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‘The Angry Birds Movie 3’

Logo for ‘The Angry Birds Movie 3’. Photo: Paramount.

The new ‘Angry Birds’ film was also given a very brief check-in, and we learned that this one is about fatherhood.
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‘Street Fighter’

Jason Momoa in ‘Street Fighter’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

The cast for the latest attempt to kick off a franchise based on the classic video game title arrived on stage to discuss it. Wrestler-turned-actor Cody Rhodes showed up dressed in costume as Guile.

They introduced the first trailer for the movie, which you can see above.
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Mr. Irrelevant: The John Tuggle Story

David Corenswet as “John Tuggle” in ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ from Paramount Pictures.

The new movie from Jonathan Levine stars ‘Superman’s David Corenswet and focuses on the enduring impact John Tuggle had on his team and teammates after being drafted by the New York Giants.

Corenswet appeared via video to introduce the film, talking about how he was inspired by Tuggle’s story but was also conflicted as an Eagles fan playing a Giants icon.

David Corenswet as “John Tuggle” in ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ from Paramount Pictures.
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‘Heart of the Beast’

Brad Pitt poses backstage with the Oscar® for Actor In A Supporting Role during the live ABC Telecast of The 92nd Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 9, 2020. Credit/Provider: Nick Agro / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

The new David Ayer movie features Brad Pitt as a former Navy SEAL and his retired combat dog who attempt to return to civilization after a catastrophic accident deep in the Alaskan wilderness.
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Following a quick look at K-Pop Superstar: The Movie, it was on to…

‘Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol’

The new movie from Ti West (who has been better known for more brutal horror in the past) features Johnny Depp as Scrooge. Some footage was screened. Unsurprisingly, it’s leaning into the scarier elements of the story. Happy Christmas?
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‘Children of Blood and Bone’

Oscar® nominee Viola Davis arrives on the red carpet of The 93rd Oscars® at Union Station in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, April 25, 2021. Credit/Provider: Matt Petit / A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Gina Prince-Bythewood‘s new film adaptsTomi Adeyemi‘s novel, featuring a woman blessed with magical powers by the gods and living in a place where you are forbidden to use them, teams up with a princess to summon the gods and bring down the oppressive regime.

A musical performance preceded the cast (including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Regina King, Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris, Thuso Mbedu) and Prince-Bythewood to the stage to talk up the film. We also got footage.

The footage shows Viola Davis‘ Mama Agba and her allies smacking around some tax collectors. The film is a story about the struggle to bring back magic in a kingdom where magic users are routinely executed. The magic users have Targaryen-like white hair. We see one magician summon a tree fighter to battle enemy warriors. The movie looks unique.
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Noticeably absent? ‘Avatar: Ang, The Last Airbender’, which Paramount originally planned for theaters and then decided to shove to its streaming service. But the biggest news? It recently leaked online….

And with that, Paramount is done!

‘Street Fighter’ opens in theaters on October 16th.
April 16, 2026
Laurence Fishburne Joins the Next ‘Exorcist’ Movie
(Left) Laurence Fishburne in ‘Cellar Door’. Photo: Lionsgate. (Right) Chiwetel Ejiofor as Roger in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

Preview:
- Laurence Fishburne and Chiwetel Ejiofor are part of the next ‘Exorcist’ movie.
- Mike Flanagan is writing and directing the film.
- Scarlett Johansson and Diane Lane are already in the cast.
As he prepares to make his take on a movie that exists within the world of ‘The Exorcist,’ writer/director Mike Flanagan is recruiting two additional cast members –– one new to him, and one he’s worked with before.

Variety reports that Laurence Fishburne (‘The Matrix’) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (who appeared in Flanagan’s most recent film, ‘The Life of Chuck’) are aboard the movie, joining Scarlett Johansson, Diane Lane and Jacobi Jupe.
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The new movie won’t be a continuation of David Gordon Green’s ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ as plans for a trilogy flamed out following the disappointing box office returns for that.

Instead, Flanagan has written his own script, and has the backing of Universal and Blumhouse.

Related Article: Diane Lane is the Latest Addition to Mike Flanagan’s ‘Exorcist’ Movie

What’s the story of the new ‘Exorcist’ movie?

Katherine (Olivia O’Neill) in ‘The Exorcist: Believer,’ directed by David Gordon Green.

Flanagan is keeping his plans quiet for now –– no details have emerged, beyond the basic idea of demonic possession –– and we don’t know how the actors will factor in. We do know, however, that cameras will be rolling in New York this year.

When will the new ‘Exorcist’ movie be on screens?

Universal has scheduled the new movie for release on Friday, March 12, 2027.

(L to R) Cody Flanagan and director Mike Flanagan on the set of ‘The Life of Chuck’. Photo: Neon.

List of Movies Similar to ‘The Exorcist’:
- ‘The Exorcist‘ (1973)
- ‘Exorcist II: The Heretic‘ (1977)
- ‘Possessed‘ (2000)
- ‘Exorcist: The Beginning‘ (2004)
- ‘Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist‘ (2005)
- ‘Paranormal Activity‘ (2009)
- ‘Halloween‘ (2018)
- ‘Halloween Kills‘ (2021)
- ‘Halloween Ends‘ (2022)
- ‘Prey for the Devil‘ (2022)
- ‘The Pope’s Exorcist‘ (2023)
- ‘The Exorcist: Believer‘ (2023)
Buy ‘The Exorcist’ On Amazon
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February 7, 2026
‘Eleanor the Great’ Interview: June Squibb and Erin Kellyman
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Opening in theaters on September 26th is the new film from first time director Scarlett Johansson (“Jurassic World Rebirth‘) entitled ‘Eleanor the Great’.
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The movie stars Oscar nominee June Squibb (‘Nebraska’), Erin Kellyman (‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’), Jessica Hecht (‘Sideways’), and Chiwetel Ejiofor (‘Doctor Strange’).

(L to R) June Squibb as Eleanor, Erin Kellyman as Nina in ‘Eleanor the Great’. Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with June Squibb and Erin Kellyman about their work on ‘Eleanor the Great’, Squibb’s first reaction to the screenplay, Eleanor and Nina’s friendship, the themes of loss, being directed by Scarlett Johansson, what Kellyman learned from working with Squibb, and what they’ll remember most about making the movie.

You can watch the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

Related Article: Movie Review: ‘Eleanor the Great’

June Squibb as Eleanor in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Jojo Whilden. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Moviefone: To begin with, June can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay, and did you recognize right away that this would be a fantastic role for you to play?

June Squibb: Yes. I did. I think I knew after the second page or so. It was just beautifully written, and I began to see Eleanor, and I felt I knew who she was, and I recognized her and how she felt about things. It was almost an immediate yes.

Erin Kellyman as Nina in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

MF: Erin, can you talk about the friendship that Nina forms with Eleanor and how she feels when she realizes that the relationship was based on a lie?

Erin Kellyman: Nina’s obviously just interested in Eleanor’s story. It’s obviously a real story, but it’s just not hers. I think she’s genuinely just interested in that and wants to write a piece on it. Then I think the more and more that these two characters hang out and spend time with each other, I think Nina realizes that Eleanor is a good friend and someone that she really needs in her life. She’s been isolating herself and not seeing her friends and then along comes this person who has a new set of eyes on the situation. I think in those circumstances, you can almost open-up more with people that are brand new in your life because they don’t have any preconceived ideas about anything. I think Nina finds Eleanor very wise, interesting, funny and fun to be around and to learn from. But also, that’s her rock, she’s not really speaking about her feelings with anybody else. It’s only Eleanor that she’s doing that with. So, she puts so much trust in this woman. I think obviously when Nina finds out that it wasn’t her story, I think it’s the most crushing thing. Because this is the first time that she’s opened-up to anybody and then to have the person that she’s opened-up to lie about something or not lie but tell somebody else’s story about something that’s so heavy. But all Nina is thinking is it’s a lie. When she first finds out, she’s just thinking, this is completely fabricated. So, it’s crushing. It’s difficult for her. But there’s forgiveness there once she understands. I think it almost is that she understands more because Nina is currently grieving. So, she can see her friend is also grieving and she just did this in a way to be close to her and to keep her story alive because Bessie had explained that before, she’s worried that no one’s going to know about her brother. So, there’s forgiveness and understanding there at the end.

(L to R) June Squibb as Eleanor, Rita Zohar as Bessie in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

MF: June, can you talk about Eleanor’s friendship with Bessie, how she is grieving that loss, and how telling Bessie’s story helps keep her memory alive?

JS: I think Bessie meant more to her at this point than anyone. I think even more than her husband did. I think that they had so completely just emerged their lives together. I think that that is the only thing she’s thinking about. I don’t think she even thinks in terms of, “Why am I doing this or what am I doing?” You know, I think it’s like, “Oh, I’ve got a chance to tell Bessie’s story. This is great. Everybody will know about her brother now.” I think that’s where it all comes from.

(L to R) Erin Kellyman as Nina and June Squibb as Eleanor in ‘Eleanor the Great’. Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

MF: Erin, Nina has also lost her mother, and her father and her are still grieving. This movie is about how we grieve and navigate loss, isn’t it? Can you talk about that?

EK: I think there’s three people at the center of this film that are grieving. They all handle it in such different ways. Roger (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is keeping everything in and can’t talk about it because it hurts too much. I think Nina is in the middle. I feel like, Eleanor wants to talk, and she realizes that you must, and I think she’s very wise for that. But I think Nina is stuck in the middle where she wants to but can’t because her dad doesn’t want to. She spent six months not talking about it and then struggles to open-up, but then Eleanor brings that out of her, and she realizes that that’s probably a better solution than keeping everything locked away.

(L to R) Scarlett Johansson and June Squibb on the set of ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

MF: June, what was it like working with Scarlett Johansson on set as a director?

JS: Well, it was wonderful. Everything was very relaxed. She was our leader, always. I loved it because she used her acting background to direct me, and she knew immediately what I was doing, what I needed, and how long I needed things. I loved that. It was like a shorthand; we didn’t have to talk that much about things. She just knew what I was doing.

Scarlett Johansson, June Squibb on the set of ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

MF: Can you give me one example of how Scarlett used her acting skills on set to give you direction?

JS: I think the scene with the rabbi, when we’re talking about the bat mitzvah. We did it a few times and she came in, and I forget what she said to me, but it all went, “Oh my God, yes”. She said exactly what I needed. I don’t even remember if it was technical or if it was emotional or what it was. But whatever it was, it opened me up completely.

Scarlett Johansson on the set of ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

MF: Erin, have you ever been directed by another actor before, and what was your experience like collaborating with Scarlett on set?

EK: No, I don’t think I have. It was interesting. I think, as an actor, you understand what it is like to be on set and be trying to bring a character to life. I think Scarlett obviously understands that so well because she’s been doing this for her whole life. So, the way that she would communicate what she needed from you was so clear. But she also had patience too. Like if something didn’t click for me straight away, she would understand why it wasn’t clicking and then tell me about the note in a different way and then it would click. Just her patience in figuring out what I needed and then how to communicate with me was brilliant. She did that for everybody, that wasn’t just for me. She was figuring out lots of different people’s communication styles and working with it.

(L to R) June Squibb as Eleanor, Erin Kellyman as Nina in ‘Eleanor the Great’. Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

MF: June, can you talk about working with Erin and creating Eleanor and Nina’s friendship on screen?

JS: It was great fun. We had a good time. I think we emotionally had a good time. You know, it worked. It really did. Like in that diner scene, we were enjoying ourselves immensely being in a diner. We really were. I think we just kept talking when the camera was off. It made no difference to us. We just kept talking to each other.

(L to R) June Squibb as Eleanor, Erin Kellyman as Nina in ‘Eleanor the Great’. Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

MF: Erin, what did you learn from working with June on this project?

EK: I think what I admired most about June was her ability to do 110% on every single take, whether it was on her, not on her, a wide shot, like every single take was 110% and every single take was so impressive. It’s honestly a shame that they can only use one take for every scene. You know what I mean? There are so many good ones, that we could have another film. We could make another film with all the different avenues that she went down. But just the stamina and the energy, like the emotional stamina that you need to be able to do that is taxing and she did it. She did it every single time.

June Squibb as Eleanor in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

MF: Finally, June, what will you remember most about this filmmaking experience?

JS: Well, having Erin with me for one, and being a part of Scarlett’s first film. I think that’s going to be important. I think she’s going to be a very important director. If she wants it, if that’s what she wants to do.

(L to R) June Squibb as Eleanor, Erin Kellyman as Nina in ‘Eleanor the Great’. Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

What is the plot of ‘Eleanor the Great’?

Witty and troublesome 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein (June Squibb) moves from Florida to New York City following a devastating loss. She soon tells a tale that takes on a dangerous life of its own, while befriending a 19-year-old journalism student (Erin Kellyman).

Who is in the cast of ‘Eleanor the Great’?
- June Squibb as Eleanor Morgenstein
- Erin Kellyman as Nina
- Jessica Hecht as Lisa
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Roger
- Rita Zohar as Bessie
- Will Price as Max
‘Eleanor the Great’ opens in theaters on September 26th. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

List of Scarlett Johansson Movies:
- ‘The Horse Whisperer‘ (1998)
- ‘The Man Who Wasn’t There‘ (2001)
- ‘Ghost World‘ (2001)
- ‘Lost in Translation‘ (2003)
- ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring‘ (2003)
- ‘In Good Company‘ (2004)
- ‘Match Point‘ (2005)
- ‘The Island‘ (2005)
- ‘Scoop‘ (2006)
- ‘The Black Dahlia‘ (2006)
- ‘The Prestige‘ (2006)
- ‘The Other Boleyn Girl‘ (2008)
- ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona‘ (2008)
- ‘The Spirit‘ (2008)
- ‘He’s Just Not That Into You‘ (2009)
- ‘Iron Man 2‘ (2010)
- ‘We Bought a Zoo‘ (2011)
- ‘The Avengers‘ (2012)
- ‘Hitchcock‘ (2012)
- ‘Don Jon‘ (2013)
- ‘Under the Skin’ (2013)
- ‘Her‘ (2013)
- ‘Chef‘ (2014)
- ‘Lucy‘ (2014)
- ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier‘ (2014)
- ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron‘ (2015)
- ‘Captain America: Civil War‘ (2016)
- ‘Hail, Caesar!‘ (2016)
- ‘The Jungle Book‘ (2016)
- ‘Sing‘ (2016)
- ‘Ghost in the Shell‘ (2017)
- ‘Rough Night‘ (2017)
- ‘Isle of Dogs‘ (2018)
- ‘Avengers: Infinity War‘ (2018)
- ‘Avengers: Endgame‘ (2019)
- ‘Marriage Story‘ (2019)
- ‘Jojo Rabbit‘ (2019)
- ‘Black Widow‘ (2021)
- ‘Sing 2‘ (2021)
- ‘Asteroid City‘ (2023)
- ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ (2024)
- ‘Transformers One’ (2024)
- ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ (2025)
- ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ (2025)
- ‘Eleanor the Great‘ (2025)
Buy Tickets: ‘Eleanor the Great’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Scarlett Johansson Movies on Amazon
September 26, 2025
Movie Review: ‘Eleanor the Great’
June Squibb as Eleanor in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

Opening in theaters September 26 is ‘Eleanor the Great,’ directed by Scarlett Johansson and starring June Squibb, Erin Kellyman, Jessica Hecht, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Will Price, and Rita Zohar.
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Related Article: 20 Best Movies of Scarlett Johansson’s Career Ranked from Worst to Best

Initial Thoughts

(L to R) June Squibb as Eleanor, Rita Zohar as Bessie in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

Like many actors before her, Scarlett Johansson moves from in front of the camera to behind it for her directorial debut, ‘Eleanor the Great.’ And there is talent there: Johansson’s direction is mostly unfussy and she largely stays out of her own way in laying out this intimate comedy-drama.

She’s also aided immensely by another tremendous performance from 95-year-old June Squibb, who’s as irascible and steadfast as she was in her knockout 2024 starring vehicle, ‘Thelma.’ But both the director and her leading lady are let down in part by a script that makes a fatal Hollywood mistake – and all in service about what is occasionally a profound story of loss and remembrance, told in the shadow of the Holocaust but dangerously coming close to undermining it.

Story and Direction

Scarlett Johansson, June Squibb on the set of ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

Eleanor Morgenstern (June Squibb), 94 years old, is widowed yet living contentedly in Florida with her best friend, Bessie (Rita Zohar). But an abrupt change in circumstances forces Eleanor to move to New York City, where she initially moves in with her daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) and her grandson (Will Price), a scenario with which no one is particularly comfortable.

Feeling adrift and distant from her family, Eleanor wanders into a support group for Holocaust survivors – and begins to tell the story of Bessie, herself a survivor who never shared her experience with anyone but Eleanor, as if it was her own. She attracts the attention of a young journalism student named Nina (Erin Kellyman), who is making a film about the survivors, and soon becomes a friend and mentor to Nina and even meets her father, a local New York news anchor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) – all while her ill-conceived lie takes on a life of its own.

Scarlett Johansson on the set of ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

And that is where Tory Kamen’s script goes wrong: in pretending to have lived Bessie’s life, Eleanor creates a terrible problem that didn’t need to happen. She could easily walk into that survivors’ group, apologize for being in the wrong room, but still offer to talk about her friend Bessie – and perhaps even be welcomed. There’s another version of this movie in which she does that. But her mistake – lying that she herself is the survivor — feels less organic than contrived for the purposes of making this movie, which gives the movie an air of being deliberately manipulative even as it struggles with its tone.

That’s not to say that Johansson and her actors don’t get a number of good moments out of this material. They do, particularly in Eleanor and Bessie’s early scenes together, and later when Eleanor is desperate to salvage the relationships she fosters in New York. The film does also have some poignant meditations on grief and the role of family, and it’s also a nicely realized New York City movie in a year that’s seen some good ones already. But the seriousness of Eleanor’s mistake, and the needlessness of it, clashes with both the darkness of Bessie’s story and the more lighthearted aspects of the film.

Cast and Performances

(L to R) June Squibb as Eleanor, Erin Kellyman as Nina, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Roger in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Jojo Whilden. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

The cast here is quite strong – and Johansson adds a note of real gravitas by casting real survivors as part of the support group – but this is June Squibb’s show all the way. Despite the script’s problems, which threaten our empathy with Eleanor, Squibb overcomes that with her wit, her candor, and her mix of compassion, heartbreak, and stubbornness, giving this actor another impressive notch in her incredible career renaissance.

Ejiofor and Hecht are good in somewhat underwritten roles, but the other standout is Erin Kellyman as Nina, who is dealing with her own sense of loss and trying to find her way in the world as a young woman. Her intelligence and charisma shine through.

Final Thoughts

(L to R) June Squibb as Eleanor, Erin Kellyman as Nina in ‘Eleanor the Great’. Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

We’ll certainly give Scarlett Johansson kudos for tackling difficult material as a first-time director, and for the inarguable decision to cast June Squibb. But the weight of the subject matter is at odds with the film’s overall tone and aesthetic, plus there are other aspects of the story – like whether Eleanor can rightly be left on her own – that are glossed over. ‘Eleanor the Great’ has its moments, and might even produce some laughs or a lump in the throat, but great it’s not.

‘Eleanor the Great’ receives a score of 65 out of 100.

June Squibb as Eleanor in ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

What is the plot of ‘Eleanor the Great’?

Witty and troublesome 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein moves from Florida to New York City following a devastating loss. She soon tells a tale that takes on a dangerous life of its own, while befriending a 19-year-old journalism student.

Who is in the cast of ‘Eleanor the Great’?
- June Squibb as Eleanor Morgenstein
- Erin Kellyman as Nina
- Jessica Hecht as Lisa
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Roger
- Rita Zohar as Bessie
- Will Price as Max
(L to R) Scarlett Johansson and June Squibb on the set of ‘Eleanor the Great’ Image: Anne Joyce. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

List of Scarlett Johansson Movies:
- ‘The Horse Whisperer‘ (1998)
- ‘The Man Who Wasn’t There‘ (2001)
- ‘Ghost World‘ (2001)
- ‘Lost in Translation‘ (2003)
- ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring‘ (2003)
- ‘In Good Company‘ (2004)
- ‘Match Point‘ (2005)
- ‘The Island‘ (2005)
- ‘Scoop‘ (2006)
- ‘The Black Dahlia‘ (2006)
- ‘The Prestige‘ (2006)
- ‘The Other Boleyn Girl‘ (2008)
- ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona‘ (2008)
- ‘The Spirit‘ (2008)
- ‘He’s Just Not That Into You‘ (2009)
- ‘Iron Man 2‘ (2010)
- ‘We Bought a Zoo‘ (2011)
- ‘The Avengers‘ (2012)
- ‘Hitchcock‘ (2012)
- ‘Don Jon‘ (2013)
- ‘Under the Skin’ (2013)
- ‘Her‘ (2013)
- ‘Chef‘ (2014)
- ‘Lucy‘ (2014)
- ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier‘ (2014)
- ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron‘ (2015)
- ‘Captain America: Civil War‘ (2016)
- ‘Hail, Caesar!‘ (2016)
- ‘The Jungle Book‘ (2016)
- ‘Sing‘ (2016)
- ‘Ghost in the Shell‘ (2017)
- ‘Rough Night‘ (2017)
- ‘Isle of Dogs‘ (2018)
- ‘Avengers: Infinity War‘ (2018)
- ‘Avengers: Endgame‘ (2019)
- ‘Marriage Story‘ (2019)
- ‘Jojo Rabbit‘ (2019)
- ‘Black Widow‘ (2021)
- ‘Sing 2‘ (2021)
- ‘Asteroid City‘ (2023)
- ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ (2024)
- ‘Transformers One’ (2024)
- ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ (2025)
- ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ (2025)
- ‘Eleanor the Great‘ (2025)
Buy Tickets: ‘Eleanor the Great’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Scarlett Johansson Movies on Amazon
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September 25, 2025
Movie Review: ‘The Old Guard 2’
Charlize Theron as Andy in ‘The Old Guard 2.’ Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2025.

‘The Old Guard 2’ receives 5 out of 10 stars.

On Netflix July 2nd is ‘The Old Guard 2’, a sequel to the 2020 movie derived from Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez’ graphic novel series about immortal warriors who learn that their existence has been discovered even as they find a new member of their kind.

The new movie sees Charlize Theron (‘Mad Max: Fury Road’) back as no longer so immortal warrior Andy, alongside the likes of KiKi Layne (‘If Beale Street Could Talk’), Marwan Kenzari (‘Aladdin’), Chiwetel Ejiofor (’12 Years a Slave’) and Matthias Schoenaerts (‘Rust and Bone’).

Related Article: Charlize Theron is Back in Action in the First Look at ‘The Old Guard 2’

Initial Thoughts

‘The Old Guard 2’. Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/Netflix © 2025.

When it arrived in the pandemic-darkened days of 2020, ‘The Old Guard,’ while not perhaps the most exemplary example of graphic novel adaptation to bother screens, at least had some spark and vitality to it, anchored by Charlize Theron strutting about as an immortal warrior who after walking the Earth for several thousand years was using her powers of near invulnerability as a badass who took down terrible people along with a group of similarly powerful colleagues.

It was certainly fun enough, but now here comes the inevitable sequel –– five years later, which is cause for red flags flying from the get-go –– but perhaps it earned the benefit of the doubt, since taking time to make sure a movie is right is always more preferable to rushing a quick cash-in into production.

Sadly, what has emerged is no worthy follow-up to that original release.

Script and Direction

Director Victoria Mahoney on the set of ‘The Old Guard 2.’ Photo: Eli Joshua Adé/Netflix © 2025.

Greg Rucka, from whose work (alongside illustrator Leandro Fernandez) the movies are inspired, returns to script the new entry, this time with Sarah L. Walker (‘The Twelve’).

But though you might think Rucka has the same handle on the characters he created as he did last time, this one is unfortunately burdened with even more exposition, as the movie awkwardly tries to expand the story’s universe, but comes up with an idea that only really serves to snip dangling plot threads from the first movie in ugly fashion while also creating some villain motivation.

The story pauses between honestly disappointing action scenes to have characters sit around and talk in boring fashion about what’s happening. And half the people in the movie seem designed to do little other than shoot or stab enemies and then push the plot forward in the laziest fashion.

Perhaps the most egregious fault here is how the film ends, the final scene a giant cliffhanger (with no third movie officially ordered, mind you) and the story left unsatisfying and largely pointless. The intention may have been to drive excitement for another outing, but you’re more likely to come away not bothered what happens next.

Victoria Mahoney, taking over the director’s chair from the original’s Gina Prince-Bythewood, doesn’t exactly cover herself in glory for her second feature directorial outing after 2011’s ‘Yelling to the Sky.’ It’s competent enough work, making use of a few picturesque shooting locations, but the set-pieces all feel similar apart from one or two entertaining stunt moments.

Cast and Performances

(L to R) Henry Golding as Tuah, Luca Marinelli as Nicky, Marwan Kenzari as Joe, Charlize Theron as Andy and KiKi Layne as Nile in ‘The Old Guard 2’. Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/Netflix © 2025.

Charlize Theron is seemingly strictly on autopilot this time around –– the odd quip here or there early on quickly jettisoned in favor of less-than-thrilling stone-cold solemnity. Sure, her character has lived for thousands of years and –– spoiler alert for the end of the previous movie –– learned that she’s no longer immortal, but it has also reduced Andy to a hollow version of her previous self. And it’s an issue even Theron’s considerable talents can’t overcome.

KiKi Layne as Nile, the immortal that Andy and her team discovered in the last movie and is now a member of their mercenary force taking down arms dealers and the like, gets in a few decent moments, but like everyone else, once the plot really kicks in, the energy drains out.

Chiwetel Ejiofor, the mortal operative who learned of the immortals’ existence, is largely hanging around providing clues and information via his contacts or trying not to die. He’s less a character, more a plot device.

(L to R) Chiwetel Ejiofor as Copley and Charlize Theron as Andy in ‘The Old Guard 2’. Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/Netflix © 2025.

The same could be said for poor Henry Golding (‘Crazy Rich Asians’), as Tuah, a new immortal we meet who has dedicated his incredibly long life to chronicling the ancient warriors like someone writing a fanzine. He’s saddled with even more exposition and even when he’s called upon to fight, his style is so similar to everyone else’s that it all blends into one.

Spare even more of a thought for Uma Thurman –– if you thought there was the tantalizing prospect of ‘Kill Bill’s Beatrix The Bride” Kiddo taking on Furiosa, then you have to wait until right at the end for a slapdash confrontation. Mostly, Thurman barks orders or delivers her own dollops of exposition with little conviction.

Final Thoughts

Uma Thurman as Discord in ‘The Old Guard 2.’ Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2025

Flavorless and indistinct, this sequel has all the driving passion of a cold lump of concrete. The humor that marked the original has seemingly been surgically extracted, replaced with rote exposition and a dull expansion of the mythology.

Possibly the most famous franchise focused on immortal warriors uses the catchy phrase, “there can only be one.” On the evidence of ‘The Old Guard 2’, perhaps there should only have been one.
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What’s the story of ‘The Old Guard 2’?

Andy (Charlize Theron) and her team of immortal warriors are back, with a renewed sense of purpose in their mission to protect the world.

With Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) still in exile after his betrayal, and Quynh (Veronica Ngô) out for revenge after escaping her underwater prison, Andy grapples with her newfound mortality as a mysterious threat emerges that could jeopardize everything she’s worked towards for thousands of years.

Andy, Nile (KiKi Layne), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), Nicky (Luca Marinelli) and James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) enlist the help of Tuah (Henry Golding), an old friend who may provide the key to unlocking the mystery behind immortal existence.

Who is in the cast of ‘The Old Guard 2’?
- Charlize Theron as Andy
- KiKi Layne as Nile
- Marwan Kenzari as Joe
- Luca Marinelli as Nicky
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as James Copley
- Henry Golding as Tuah
- Matthias Schoenaerts as Booker
- Veronica Ngô as Quynh
- Uma Thurman as Discord
Charlize Theron as Andy in ‘The Old Guard 2’. Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/Netflix © 2025.

List of Charlize Theron Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘2 Days in the Valley‘ (1996)
- ‘That Thing You Do!‘ (1996)
- ‘The Devil’s Advocate‘ (1997)
- ‘Mighty Joe Young‘ (1998)
- ‘The Astronaut’s Wife‘ (1999)
- ‘The Cider House Rules‘ (2000)
- ‘Reindeer Games‘ (2000)
- ‘The Yards‘ (2000)
- ‘Men of Honor‘ (2000)
- ‘The Legend of Bagger Vance‘ (2000)
- ‘Sweet November‘ (2001)
- ‘The Curse of the Jade Scorpion‘ (2001)
- ‘The Italian Job‘ (2003)
- ‘Arrested Development‘ (2003 – 2019)
- ‘Monster‘ (2004)
- ‘The Life and Death of Peter Sellers‘ (2004)
- ‘North Country‘ (2005)
- ‘Æon Flux‘ (2005)
- ‘In the Valley of Elah‘ (2007)
- ‘Hancock‘ (2008)
- ‘The Road‘ (2009)
- ‘Young Adult‘ (2011)
- ‘Snow White and the Huntsman‘ (2012)
- ‘Prometheus‘ (2012)
- ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West‘ (2014)
- ‘Dark Places‘ (2015)
- ‘Mad Max: Fury Road‘ (2015)
- ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War‘ (2016)
- ‘Kubo and the Two Strings‘ (2016)
- ‘Atomic Blonde‘ (2017)
- ‘The Fate of the Furious‘ (2017)
- ‘Long Shot‘ (2019)
- ‘The Addams Family‘ (2019)
- ‘Bombshell‘ (2019)
- ‘The Old Guard‘ (2020)
- ‘F9‘ (2021)
- ‘The Addams Family 2‘ (2021)
- ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ (2022)
- ‘The School for Good and Evil‘ (2022)
- ‘Fast X‘ (2023)
- ‘The Old Guard 2‘ (2025)
Buy Charlize Theron Movies on Amazon
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July 5, 2025
Movie Review: ‘The Life of Chuck’
(L to R) Annalise Basso and Tom Hiddleston in ‘The Life of Chuck’. Photo: Neon.

‘The Life of Chuck’ receives 8 out of 10 stars.

Opening in select theaters on June 6th before opening nationwide on June 13th is ‘The Life of Chuck’, written and directed by Mike Flanagan and starring Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Jacob Tremblay, Annalise Basso, Carl Lumbly, Mia Sara, and Mark Hamill.

Related Article: Tom Hiddleston Talks Stephen King Adaptation ‘The Life of Chuck’

Initial Thoughts

Tom Hiddleston stars in ‘The Life of Chuck’. Photo: Neon.

Mike Flanagan is not only one of the premier horror auteurs of the 21st Century, with films like ‘Oculus’ and limited series like ‘Midnight Mass’ under his belt, but he also has a flourishing sub-career as Director Of Difficult Stephen King Adaptations. From ‘Gerald’s Game’ (which was mostly about a lone woman chained to a bed) to ‘Doctor Sleep’ (a sequel to both one of the most iconic horror movies of all time and the very different book it was based on) to, now, ‘The Life of Chuck,’ Flanagan keeps excelling at bringing King stories to the screen that at first seem like insurmountable cinematic challenges.

‘The Life of Chuck’ (which first appeared in King’s 2020 collection ‘If It Bleeds’) reads on the page like one of the author’s strangest yet sweetest stories, with events taking place in three different timelines – and possibly more than one reality – of which the connections only become apparent as the story unfolds. Its centerpiece sequence involves two strangers doing an impromptu (and spectacular) dance in the middle of one of those outdoor shopping and entertainment destinations, and its three parts are told in reverse order.

It’s a strangely affecting story with a widescreen canvas and universal theme, and Flanagan effectively and faithfully translates it to the screen, helped by Eben Bolter’s gorgeous cinematography and moving performances from much of its cast. If some of its parts don’t work – such as an over-reliance on narration and a supernatural aspect that seems tacked on (as it did in the novella) – those are minor distractions from what is, for the most part, a compelling story that fits comfortably alongside other non-horror King adaptations like ‘Stand by Me’ and ‘The Shawshank Redemption.’

Story and Direction

(L to R) Director Mike Flanagan and Tom Hiddleston on the set of ‘The Life of Chuck’. Photo: Neon.

‘The Life of Chuck’ begins with ‘Act III – Thanks Chuck,’ the most overtly frightening section of the film. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Marty, a high school teacher who is trying to hold his class and life together as the world starts to literally crumble from some unexplained apocalypse. As California falls into the sea following a 9.1. earthquake, and other disasters wreak havoc worldwide (followed by the loss of the internet, which may not seem as such a bad thing), Marty and others start to see and hear strange billboards and commercials thanking someone named Charles ‘Chuck’ Krantz for a ‘wonderful 39 years’ – although who ‘Chuck’ is remains a complete mystery.

‘Act III’ ends with Marty and his ex-wife, an exhausted, despairing nurse named Felicia (Karen Gillan), reconnecting as events around the world grow even grimmer. It’s during the final moments of this segment that we also get our first, flickering images of Chuck (Tom Hiddleston) himself, in ways both inexplicable and melancholy. Both scenarios give way to ‘Act II – Buskers Forever,’ in which a middle-aged, suit-and-tie-wearing Chuck – an unassuming, mild-mannered accountant, as we find out from the narration provided by Nick Offerman – sits quietly on a bench at that downtown destination following a day at an out-of-town bookkeeping seminar.

It’s on his way back to his hotel that Chuck is drawn to a busker (Taylor Gordon) who is banging out a beat on her drum kit. Something stirs within Chuck and he begins to dance – and not just a little tapping of the feet and swaying of the shoulders but a full-fledged, spectacular routine like something Fred Astaire might take on. He’s joined by Janice (Annalise Basso), a complete stranger who’s just been dumped by her boyfriend, but who finds connection with Chuck and the busker through this one random moment together.

It’s in ‘Act I – I Contain Multitudes’ that we learn the origin of Chuck’s skills on the dance floor, as we meet a younger version of him (played primarily by Jacob Tremblay) as well as his grandfather (Mark Hamill) and grandmother (Mia Sara). The Krantz family goes through both remarkable tragedy and simple moments of happiness together – but we also learn why dancing was not in the cards for Chuck’s future and why his grandpa (or ‘zayde’) keeps the upstairs cupola in their house locked up tight.

It’s in this third segment that the pieces of the story fully fall into place, but it’s also where the movie’s heavy emphasis on narration (as good as the wry, always slightly sardonic Offerman is) and the secret of the cupola mix unevenly with the movie’s shifting tones and a late supernatural element that seems randomly dropped into the proceedings. No spoilers here, but Flanagan’s slightly off-balance juggling of these elements slightly dilutes the film’s drive to tie together its themes and narrative into a coherent whole, leading ‘The Life of Chuck’ to wind down into a moderately affecting conclusion instead of a poignant, universal crescendo of emotion.

Cast and Performances

Mark Hamill in ‘The Life of Chuck’. Photo: Neon.

Although the movie is called ‘The Life of Chuck’ and it’s that central image of the title character that represents the film, Charles ‘Chuck’ Krantz is very much part of an ensemble here. Tom Hiddleston makes the adult Chuck a bit of a cipher in some ways, a man who seems almost inconsequential – until he does his dazzling dance in the middle of the square. Hiddleston gives his all during this sequence (and is tremendous in it), while also showing how Chuck comes fully alive here for perhaps the one time in his adult life.

He’s very good, but the work from Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Jacob Tremblay as the teen Chuck (and the younger actors portraying him as a little boy) hits harder. Ejiofor and Gillan are believable and poignant as two people trying to find their way back to each other with barely any time to lose, while other minor characters are given brief but textured life by veteran actors like Matthew Lillard and Carl Lumbly.

And then there’s Mark Hamill and Mia Sara as Chuck’s zayde Albie and bubbe Sarah. The latter (of ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ fame) brings warmth and light to the role of Chuck’s grandma, while the former is equally warm but also a man living with the pain of knowledge he’s not supposed to have. Hamill – appearing in the first of two Stephen King adaptations this year (he has a quite different role in September’s ‘The Long Walk’) – is engaging and sensitive, especially in a scene where Albie, an accountant his whole life, expounds to Chuck on why math is the bedrock for everything in existence, guiding his grandson to a decision that will have repercussions for the rest of his life.

Final Thoughts

(L to R) Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan in ‘The Life of Chuck’. Photo: Neon.

Stephen King has always been a deeply humanist writer, and it’s his empathy and compassion that Mike Flanagan seems drawn to and able to capture. Like predecessors such as Rob Reiner and Frank Darabont, he gets King in a way that many other filmmakers don’t. That’s why he aims for the same profundity found in earlier King classics like ‘The Shawshank Redemption,’ even if ‘The Life of Chuck’ struggles to hit the exact same high mark.

But there’s no question that the message of this story, while in the end quite simple, is still a moving one: that every moment in a life is precious in some way, and that every life is made up of those moments, which we must recognize for what they are and hold onto. We do contain multitudes, King and Flanagan seem to say, and they’re all beautiful, rich, and worthy in some way, no matter how fleeting. In a world that seems to be coming unglued on a daily basis, that is a message worth repeating. Whether it’s Chuck’s life or yours, it’s important.
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What is the plot of ‘The Life of Chuck’?

Charles ‘Chuck’ Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.

Who is in the cast of ‘The Life of Chuck’?
- Tom Hiddleston as Charles “Chuck” Krantz
- Jacob Tremblay as teenage Chuck
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Marty Anderson
- Karen Gillan as Felicia Gordon
- Mark Hamill as Albie Krantz
- Annalise Basso as Janice Halliday
- Mia Sara as Sarah Krantz
- Matthew Lillard as Gus Wilfong
- Carl Lumbly as Sam Yarbrough
- Harvey Guillén as Uncle Doug
- Nick Offerman as the Narrator
- David Dastmalchian as a grieving father
- Heather Langenkamp as Vera
- Molly C. Quinn as Chuck’s mother
- Violet McGraw as Lily
- Hamish Linklater as US reporter
- Carla Gugino as television voiceover
(Left) Chiwetel Ejiofor in ‘The Life of Chuck’. Photo: Neon.

List of Mike Flanagan Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘Absentia‘ (2011)
- ‘Oculus‘ (2014)
- ‘Hush‘ (2016)
- ‘Before I Wake‘ (2018)
- ‘The Haunting of Hill House‘ (2018)
- ‘Ouija: Origin of Evil‘ (2016)
- ‘Gerald’s Game‘ (2017)
- ‘Doctor Sleep‘ (2019)
- ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor‘ (2020)
- ‘Midnight Mass‘ (2021)
- ‘The Midnight Club‘ (2022)
- ‘The Fall of the House of Usher‘ (2023)
- ‘The Life of Chuck‘ (2024)
Buy Tickets: ‘The Life of Chuck’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Mike Flanagan Movies on Amazon
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June 12, 2025
‘The Life of Chuck’ Interview: Tom Hiddleston
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Opening in select theaters on June 6th before opening nationwide on June 13th is ‘The Life of Chuck’, which was written and directed by Mike Flanagan (‘Doctor Sleep‘) and based on author Stephen King’s 2020 novella of the same name.

The film stars Tom Hiddleston (‘Loki’) in the title role, and features Chiwetel Ejiofor (‘Doctor Strange’), Karen Gillan (‘Guardians of the Galaxy’), Jacob Tremblay (‘Room’), Annalise Basso (‘Captain Fantastic’), Carl Lumbly (‘Captain America: Brave New World’), Mia Sara (‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’), and Mark Hamill (‘Star Wars’).

Related Article: 20 Best Stephen King Movie Adaptations in Honor of ‘The Life of Chuck’

Tom Hiddleston stars in ‘The Life of Chuck’.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Tom Hiddleston about his work on ‘The Life of Chuck’, his first reaction to the screenplay by Mike Flanagan and the way he adapted Stephen King’s source material, and the challenges of preparing for and shooting the massive dance sequence.

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan.

Tom Hiddleston stars in ‘The Life of Chuck’. Photo: Neon.

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and the way Mike Flanagan was able to adapt Stephen King’s source material?

Tom Hiddleston: I remember it so clearly. It was Easter of 2023 and I read it in a single sitting. In the UK, the Monday after Easter is a public holiday, so it’s a day off. Bank Holiday Monday, we call it. I was so moved and inspired by what I read because initially I felt like, I was so intrigued by the first act. It felt like a film about the end of the world, but with such tenderness and such truthfulness about the uncertainty of that experience through Marty and Felicia, the characters played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan. Also, because I had the letter from Mike, I knew he’d asked me to play Chuck and just like everybody else, I was like, well, who’s Chuck? Who is this guy? Then when it was revealed, what was happening, in terms of the narrative, and I don’t want to spoil too much. But when the stars started to be extinguished and I understood what that meant for Chuck’s life and how it turned into a meditation on joy and an exploration of the magic of the ordinary life of every human being, that none of us are one thing. We all contain multitudes, which is to say that inside the soul of every ordinary human being is an internal world of infinite possibility. That infinite possibility can create a universe in every life, a universe of connections, of people, of experiences, of memories. That when that life comes to an end, so does that universe. It sums up the way I think about life and that sometimes the small moments aren’t small at all, and they end up, in your mind becoming the big moments, in your memory. Really, in the last hours of our lives, all we will carry in our hearts and our minds are the people we loved, the memories we shared with them, the connections we made. That is all that matters. I was so struck by it and so moved by it and so inspired by how Mike had put the film together, and I just immediately wanted to get on the phone with him and say, please, can I do this with you? It was a very special experience and a film that’s very close to my heart.

(L to R) Annalise Basso and Tom Hiddleston in ‘The Life of Chuck’. Photo: Neon.

MF: Finally, can you talk about rehearsing for the dance sequence and how many times did you have to shoot it to get it right?

TH: Well, I had, in my own life, less formal dance training than Charles Krantz had. I’ve always loved dancing, but I’ve never danced like this. I had about five weeks and the brilliant, extraordinary Mandy Moore, our choreographer and her assistant, Stephanie Powell, who was working with me in London, we worked every day, and we did salsa, swing, Charleston, Bossa Nova, polka, samba, and jazz. I mean (we did) every dance under the sun, you name it. We put the thing together. It was so thrilling to do it, but by the time we got to set, I think the first four days of principal photography on the entire picture, we shot the sequence in the mall when Chuck starts dancing to the beat of those drums. It was me and Taylor Gordon on the drums and Annalise Basso. We shot it consistently across the same stretch of time so that the light matched, essentially. So, it was between about 11am and 3pm across four days. We just did it from every angle. Every camera was wide, it was high, it was dancing with us, it was Steadicam, and it was on a crane. But I will say, the very last take we did, because we’d do the whole sequence from start to finish every time, was on the fourth day, the Thursday. We went back to a setup we’d done before. It was almost an homage to the great musicals, which contained the entire thing. It wasn’t close-up; it wasn’t a mid-shot. It was both Annalise and me and the drum kit and Taylor and the crowd. We played it from start to finish. It was a moment I will never forget. It was a kind of magical take, and a lot of the sequence is from that take. Mike knew it. I knew it. Annalise knew it. The crowd knew it. Mandy knew it. It was like a perfect thing. That’s where we stopped.
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What is the plot of ‘The Life of Chuck’?

Charles ‘Chuck’ Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.

Who is in the cast of ‘The Life of Chuck’?
- Tom Hiddleston as Charles “Chuck” Krantz
- Jacob Tremblay as teenage Chuck
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Marty Anderson
- Karen Gillan as Felicia Gordon
- Mark Hamill as Albie Krantz
- Annalise Basso as Janice Halliday
- Mia Sara as Sarah Krantz
- Matthew Lillard as Gus Wilfong
- Carl Lumbly as Sam Yarbrough
- Harvey Guillén as Uncle Doug
- Nick Offerman as the Narrator
- David Dastmalchian as a grieving father
- Heather Langenkamp as Vera
- Molly C. Quinn as Chuck’s mother
- Violet McGraw as Lily
- Hamish Linklater as US reporter
- Carla Gugino as television voiceover
(L to R) Director Mike Flanagan and Tom Hiddleston on the set of ‘The Life of Chuck’. Photo: Neon.

List of Mike Flanagan Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘Absentia‘ (2011)
- ‘Oculus‘ (2014)
- ‘Hush‘ (2016)
- ‘Before I Wake‘ (2018)
- ‘The Haunting of Hill House‘ (2018)
- ‘Ouija: Origin of Evil‘ (2016)
- ‘Gerald’s Game‘ (2017)
- ‘Doctor Sleep‘ (2019)
- ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor‘ (2020)
- ‘Midnight Mass‘ (2021)
- ‘The Midnight Club‘ (2022)
- ‘The Fall of the House of Usher‘ (2023)
- ‘The Life of Chuck‘ (2024)
Buy Mike Flanagan Movies on Amazon
June 6, 2025
First Look at ‘The Old Guard 2’
(L to R) Henry Golding as Tuah, Luca Marinelli as Nicky, Marwan Kenzari as Joe, Charlize Theron as Andy and KiKi Layne as Nile in ‘The Old Guard 2’. Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/Netflix © 2025.

Preview:
- The first images from ‘The Old Guard 2’ are online.
- Charlize Theron and KiKi Layne return for the Netflix sequel.
- Victoria Mahoney is in the director’s chair this time.
If it feels like we’ve had to have the patience of an immortal as we await any real update on Netflix action sequel ‘The Old Guard 2’ –– the last main bit of news on the movie was back in 2022, when Uma Thurman and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Henry Golding joined the cast.
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But at long last, the streaming service has announced when it’ll be headed our way, and posted some pictures of the new movie.

And star Charlize Theron has also commented on the return of her character, the long-lived warrior who in the 2020 original, faced her existence coming to light and a threat to her team as a potential new immortal came on the scene.

Here’s what she had to say:

“There’s something for everyone in this movie: Fans who loved the first film, fans who love the original graphic novels — and brand-new fans who are looking for insane action, grounded and relatable characters, gorgeous locations, and a global cast of superstars.”

And this was her statement on the new developments this time around:

“We’re going to meet some brand-new characters,” she teased. “Quyhn is back and her story continues, and we’re all excited to have Uma Thurman and Henry Golding join us as two key new players in the ‘Old Guard’ universe. Andy and her warriors are back with a renewed sense of purpose. The stakes are even higher now that Andy is mortal and can die — but that certainly won’t keep her out of the action.”

Related Article: Uma Thurman and Henry Golding to Join Charlize Theron in ‘The Old Guard’ Sequel

What’s the story of ‘The Old Guard 2’?

Charlize Theron as Andy in ‘The Old Guard 2’. Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/Netflix © 2025.

Andy (Charlize Theron) and her team of immortal warriors are back, with a renewed sense of purpose in their mission to protect the world. With Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) still in exile after his betrayal, and Quynh (Veronica Ngô) out for revenge after escaping her underwater prison, Andy grapples with her newfound mortality as a mysterious threat emerges that could jeopardize everything she’s worked towards for thousands of years.

Andy, Nile (KiKi Layne), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), Nicky (Luca Marinelli) and James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) enlist the help of Tuah (Henry Golding), an old friend who may provide the key to unlocking the mystery behind immortal existence.

The movies adapt the work of comic book/graphic novel writer Greg Rucka and illustrator Leandro Fernandez, who created the world of Andy and the rest.

Back in 2020, the first movie became a pandemic-era hit, as audiences turned to streaming to increasingly meet their entertainment needs. That one was written by Rucka, with Gina Prince-Bythewood in the director’s chair.

For the new one, Victoria Mahoney, who directed 2011’s ‘Yelling to the Sky’ and was first assistant director on ‘Star Wars: Episode IX –– The Rise of Skywalker’, took over directing, with Rucka returning to write, this time alongside Sarah L. Walker.

Here’s what Rucka had to say about the sequel:

“We ended the first film with some radical changes to the status quo. Andy’s mortality has mysteriously left her, Nile has become immortal and joined the group, and Booker’s been punished for his sins by being sent into exile, which is pretty much the worst thing you can do to people who live for hundreds and hundreds of years.”

And this was Mahoney’s comment:

“My mandate every time we went out the door to scout was, ‘I do not want to visit any locations, routinely seen as an audience member in a number of my favorite films.’ I relentlessly pushed toward the unexpected.”

Who are the new characters in ‘The Old Guard 2’?

(L to R) Chiwetel Ejiofor as Copley and Charlize Theron as Andy in ‘The Old Guard 2’. Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/Netflix © 2025.

While Thurman’s character –– beyond the fact she’ll be a key component in the story –– is a mystery for now, we do know Golding is aboard to play Tuah, an enigmatic figure who has been researching the immortals. Golding brought his own personal background to the character, even going as far as helping to name him.

Golding said this of the role:

“When Victoria Mahoney and I had our first Zoom call, we went over the character, and originally we didn’t have a name for him. That came a little bit later because Vic really wanted to know who I was, and how this character could represent parts of my life. In the end, I suggested his character be called Tuah, which in Malaysian means ‘luck.’ ”

When will ‘The Old Guard 2’ arrive on screens?

‘The Old Guard 2’ will land on Netflix globally on July 2nd.

‘The Old Guard 2’. Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/Netflix © 2025.

List of Charlize Theron Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘2 Days in the Valley‘ (1996)
- ‘That Thing You Do!‘ (1996)
- ‘The Devil’s Advocate‘ (1997)
- ‘Mighty Joe Young‘ (1998)
- ‘The Astronaut’s Wife‘ (1999)
- ‘The Cider House Rules‘ (2000)
- ‘Reindeer Games‘ (2000)
- ‘The Yards‘ (2000)
- ‘Men of Honor‘ (2000)
- ‘The Legend of Bagger Vance‘ (2000)
- ‘Sweet November‘ (2001)
- ‘The Curse of the Jade Scorpion‘ (2001)
- ‘The Italian Job‘ (2003)
- ‘Arrested Development‘ (2003 – 2019)
- ‘Monster‘ (2004)
- ‘The Life and Death of Peter Sellers‘ (2004)
- ‘North Country‘ (2005)
- ‘Æon Flux‘ (2005)
- ‘In the Valley of Elah‘ (2007)
- ‘Hancock‘ (2008)
- ‘The Road‘ (2009)
- ‘Young Adult‘ (2011)
- ‘Snow White and the Huntsman‘ (2012)
- ‘Prometheus‘ (2012)
- ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West‘ (2014)
- ‘Dark Places‘ (2015)
- ‘Mad Max: Fury Road‘ (2015)
- ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War‘ (2016)
- ‘Kubo and the Two Strings‘ (2016)
- ‘Atomic Blonde‘ (2017)
- ‘The Fate of the Furious‘ (2017)
- ‘Long Shot‘ (2019)
- ‘The Addams Family‘ (2019)
- ‘Bombshell‘ (2019)
- ‘The Old Guard‘ (2020)
- ‘F9‘ (2021)
- ‘The Addams Family 2‘ (2021)
- ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ (2022)
- ‘The School for Good and Evil‘ (2022)
- ‘Fast X‘ (2023)
- ‘The Old Guard 2‘ (2025)
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April 23, 2025
Movie Review: ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’
Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’. Photo: Jay Maidment/Universal Pictures.

‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’ receives 8 out of 10 stars.

Premiering on Peacock on February 13th, ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’ marks the fourth outing for the ever-hopeful Bridget, brought to screens as always by Renée Zellweger.

And thankfully, despite the worrying sign of it being sent directly to a streaming service here (it’s in theaters internationally), this is a superior entry in the franchise spawned from Helen Fielding’s columns, eventual books and first on our screens way back in 2001.

Related Article: Renée Zellweger Returning as Bridget Jones for ‘Mad About the Boy’

Should you make a date with ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’?

(L to R) Mila Jankovic as Mabel Darcy, Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones, and Casper Knopf as Billy Darcy in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’. Photo: Alex Bailey/Universal Pictures.

In the years since that original movie, there has been a healthy evolution for Bridget, and even more hearteningly, some of the people around her. This new offering might not start out as suitable for those who love their happy endings, as the shadow of grief hangs over Bridget, still mourning the loss of her perfect man, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and dealing with life as a single mother.

Yet it’s all a spur for a new chapter in her life, as she decides to leave the mournful doldrums and get on with, well, living. Around her, plenty of other characters have similarly come to realizations about their lives, even the irrepressible cad Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) –– though he still has a twinkle in his eye.

Script and Direction

(L to R) Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones and Leo Woodall as Roxster in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’. Photo: Alex Bailey/Universal Pictures.

With a script from Bridget’s creator Fielding alongside British TV scriptwriting stalwarts Helen Dan Mazer and Abi Morgan, ‘Mad About the Boy’ manages to pull off the trick of both maintaining what we love about Bridget –– smart yet clumsy, hopeful yet soulful, silly and serious all at once –– while also growing the storyline around her.

As a widower dangerously careening towards her fifties and trying to be the best mother she can be, it’s a proper new gear for both the character and Zellweger, and the movie makes the most of that.

Yet the screenplay also doesn’t forget what makes these films so much fun, with moments for Bridget’s friends and colleagues that offering sterling support and plenty of laughs. Her main love interest is perhaps a little bland, but that’s no real issue as he’s mostly just a waypoint for the person you can tell she’s likely to end up with from the moment we meet them.

Director Michael Morris, whose resume includes movies such as ‘To Leslie,’ has really earned his stripes on the small screen, handling episodes of shows including ‘Better Call Saul’ and ‘For All Mankind.’ And that experience proves invaluable, as he’s able to juggle multiple characters and the film looks cinematic, if relatively simple.

It’s all in service of the story, though, and helped by some truly beautiful London locations.

Cast and Performances

(L to R) Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver and Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Since bursting onto our screens all those years ago Renée Zellweger and her near-flawless British accent (never generic, always specific) as Bridget has weathered the highs (the original) and lows (the second and to some degree, third movies).

Here, she’s given a take on the character she can really work with, and puts in a touching, charismatic performance, easily making Miss Jones –– or Mrs. Darcy as she is these days –– someone you both want to spend time with and root for.

(L to R) Colin Firth as Mark Darcy and Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’. Photo: Jay Maidment/Universal Pictures.

Around her, Bridget’s friends and family remain excellent, whether indulging her latest concerns or trying to offer advice. They might only pop up in support, but they all feel like rounded humans at this point.

And special mention must be made of Hugh Grant. Having famously skipped the third film because he didn’t like the script, he only agreed to return for this one if he got to change some of Daniel Cleaver’s scenes. Whatever he and the writing team worked out, it was all for the good, as the cheeky Daniel of old shines through while also coming across as being more self-aware of his own ridiculousness. His chemistry with Zellweger also remains on point.

Less natural is Leo Woodall, who is fine as “Roxter,” the new younger man who enters Bridget’s life when she’s stuck up a tree. Woodall does what he can with the role, and he has some charm, but he’s more plot point that character.

(L to R) Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mr. Walliker and Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’. Photo: Jay Maidment / Universal Pictures.

The same fate might have befallen Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Mr. Wallaker, a teacher at Bridget’s kids’ school. But in the experienced actor’s calm hands, he’s both funny and relatable, and when the inevitable arrives you can see why she might fall for him.

One person who comes off less well, if only by dint of her popping up in exactly one brief scene, Isla Fisher as a neighbor and stressed mother who we meet for seconds, threatening to dispatch her unruly kids off to “the squid games.” Was she in more of the movie, but saw her scenes sliced out in editing? We may never know for sure, but she still makes an impact in her one moment.

Final Thoughts

(L to R) Sally Phillips as Shazzer, James Callis as Tom, Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones, and Shirley Henderson as Jude in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’. Photo: Jay Maidment/Universal Pictures.

Like the character herself, the ‘Bridget Jones’ film series needed a bit of luck, and ‘Mad About the Boy’ brings it. It’s a deeper, richer, and more satisfying film than the other sequels and if this represents the last time we hang out with the character and her various associates, then it’s a fitting finale.

As Bridget might write in her diary: V Good.
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What’s the story of ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’?

In her latest film, Bridget (Renée Zellweger) is alone once again, widowed four years ago, when Mark (Colin Firth) was killed on a humanitarian mission in the Sudan. She’s now a single mother to their kids, and is stuck in a state of emotional limbo, raising her children with help from her loyal friends and even her former lover, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant).

Pressured by her Urban Family — Shazzer, Jude and Tom, her work colleague Miranda, her mother, and her gynecologist Dr. Rawlings (Emma Thompson) — to forge a new path toward life and love, Bridget goes back to work and even tries out the dating apps, where she’s soon pursued by a dreamy and enthusiastic younger man (Leo Woodall).

Now juggling work, home and romance, Bridget grapples with the judgment of the perfect mums at school, worries about son Billy as he struggles with the absence of his father, and engages in a series of awkward interactions with her son’s rational-to-a-fault science teacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

Who also stars in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’?
- Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones
- Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver
- Emma Thompson as Doctor Rawlings
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mr. Wallaker
- Leo Woodall as Roxster
- Colin Firth as Mark Darcy
- Jim Broadbent as Colin Jones
- Gemma Jones as Pamela Jones
- Isla Fisher as Rebecca
- Josette Simon as Talitha
- Nico Parker as Chloe
- Leila Farzad as Nicolette
- Sarah Solemani as Miranda
- Shirley Henderson as Jude
- James Callis as Tom
- Celia Imrie as Una Alconbury
- Ian Midlane as Paul
Emma Thompson as Dr. Rawlings in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’. Photo: Jay Maidment/Universal Pictures.

Movies in the ‘Bridget Jones’ Franchise:
- ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary‘ (2001)
- ‘Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason‘ (2004)
- ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby‘ (2016)
- ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy‘ (2025)
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February 15, 2025
Movie Review: ‘Venom: The Last Dance’
Venom in Columbia Pictures ‘Venom: The Last Dance’. Photo: Sony Pictures.

Opening in theaters October 25th is ‘Venom: The Last Dance,’ directed by Kelly Marcel and starring Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Clark Backo, and Stephen Graham.

Related Article: ‘Venom 3’ is ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ and Arrives Earlier Than Thought

Initial Thoughts

Tom Hardy stars as Eddie Brock/Venom in Columbia Pictures ‘Venom: The Last Dance’. Photo: Sony Pictures.

Let’s be clear about one thing: when we say that ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ is the best of the three movies starring Tom Hardy as both former reporter Eddie Brock and the voice of the alien symbiote that lives inside him, we’re talking about a very low bar. ‘Venom’ (2018) and ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ (2021) were genuinely painful to sit through, with the latter in particular being unwatchable gibberish. ‘The Last Dance,’ written and directed by Kelly Marcel (from a story by Marcel and Hardy), is nonsense too – but it leans all the way into its ridiculousness from the start, which gives it a big advantage.

Whereas it was never fully apparent in the previous two movies, this time it seems like everyone is in on the joke – not just Hardy. So thin on plot that it’s practically transparent, ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ wants you to laugh at it from the start – which makes for a better time and even allows room for a smidgen of heart here and there.

Story and Direction

(L to R) Director Kelly Marcel and Tom Hardy on the set of Columbia Pictures ‘Venom: The Last Dance’. Photo: Laura Radford.

“Story” is a decidedly loose term here. As explained to us at least twice during the course of the film, the symbiotes (the species to which Venom belongs) have imprisoned their creator, a superbeing named Knull, on the planet Klyntar because he aims to destroy them as well as the rest of the universe (we’re kind of hazy on why, what else is new). The only way for Knull to break free is if he can obtain a “codex” – which looks like just a glowing light – that appears on symbiotes when they’re fully activated within their hosts. Only Venom has the right codex, so Knull sends an army of grotesque aliens called xenophages to find and kill our favorite symbiote and get the thingamajig.

Eddie and Venom, on the lam from the law and the government, are hiding out in Mexico, where we left them at the end of ‘Let There Be Carnage.’ After that quick trip to the MCU universe we saw during the post-credits scene of that film (“I’m sick of this multiverse s**t!” exclaims Venom when they return, echoing numerous moviegoers), they’re back in the Sony Spider-verse when Knull’s first tracker arrives (why they only come one or two at a time is a mystery that’s never adequately explained). The xenophage sets off in pursuit of our pals, a task made difficult by Venom deliberately remaining mostly a voiceover for the first 30 minutes or so of the film.

Meanwhile, a secret government operation located in a facility deep below Area 51, headed by Dr. Payne (Juno Temple) and General Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor), is tasked with collecting as many symbiotes as possible. They’ve already got Detective Mulligan (Stephen Graham), who was infected in the previous film, but they want Venom as well. Between Strickland and his forces and Knull’s xenophages – who are all eventually going to clash — it’s no wonder that Eddie can barely keep a pair of shoes on his feet for more than five minutes.

(L to R) Director Kelly Marcel and Tom Hardy on the set of Columbia Pictures ‘Venom: The Last Dance’. Photo: Laura Radford.

That description gives the narrative more credit than it may deserve. For its first half, ‘The Last Dance’ is a loosely connected string of bits, jokes, and ideas, with Eddie and Venom bickering more like an old married couple than ever before (“I want to see a Broadway show!” rumbles the symbiote as they discuss their sketchy plans to hide out in New York City). Their back-and-forth – with Hardy once again literally talking to himself in an admittedly impressive comic performance – is as ludicrous as ever, but a little more endearing. Because the film starts from a place of absurdity and stays there, the half-formed collection of skits that passes for a plot goes down easier this time.

The rest of the film finds Eddie/Venom turning a horse into a symbiote, catching a ride with a hippie family led by one-time ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ super-villain Rhys Ifans in a psychedelic Volkswagen van, and taking a side trip to Vegas that serves no purpose except to allow Venom to participate in a dance sequence. All of it leads to an extended climax in which the plot strands, such as they are, unravel in an orgy of CG mayhem.

Marcel, making her directorial debut after toiling for years as a screenwriter, opens up the action more than the previous films, dumping Eddie in the Southwest and giving us the occasional nice vista to take in. But the entire third act takes place in one dark, bland military location, recalling the smallish feel of the first two films, and while she has a solid sense of place during the action scenes, the preponderance of CG-generated monsters in the third act turns much of the climax into sludge.

Yes, there is a bit of heart involved as well, with Eddie and Venom potentially facing the end of their marriage – sorry, we mean parasitic relationship – but none of it really matters. Whatever entertainment value ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ has all comes down to the fact that it revels this time out in its own dumbness, and is better off for it…as far as that goes.

The Cast

(L to R) Juno Temple and Chiwetel Ejiofor star in Columbia Pictures ‘Venom: The Last Dance’. Photo: Laura Radford.

This is the Tom Hardy show through and through. Juno Temple and Chiwetel Ejiofor are accomplished actors, but their characters are barely fleshed out beyond “stock scientist” and “stock soldier,” with Temple given some half-baked back story about she and her brother getting hit by lightning on a beach. Rhys Ifans’ Martin is the only other character who gets some significant runway, but even his character – along with his ever-patient wife and annoying kids – contributes pretty much nothing meaningful to the story.

Hardy, on the other hand, fills the screen, and even though Eddie isn’t the most articulate guy on the planet (although he’s a regular Chatty Kathy compared to Hardy’s grunting, mumbling motorcycle club leader in ‘The Bikeriders’), he’s clearly just letting rip here and having the time of his life without a thought about whether any of it makes a lick of sense. His throw-it-all-at-the-wall work across all three ‘Venom’ films may end up being the oddest sustained performance of any actor’s career.

Final Thoughts

Tom Hardy stars as Eddie Brock/Venom in Columbia Pictures ‘Venom: The Last Dance’. Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures.

As we stated at the beginning, ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ is not a good film – but it is a marginally more satisfying experience than its predecessors. Maybe it’s the crazy, old-school British comedy feel that Marcel and Hardy somehow filter their twisted superhero movie through, or perhaps it’s Eddie’s surprising admission that Venom is “his best friend,” but this one feels a little more bearable.

Having said that, three movies is enough. ‘The Last Dance’ does bring Eddie and Venom’s journey to a conclusion, although the post-credits scenes, of course, leave room for more. But Sony’s universe of Spider-Man villain movies without Spider-Man has been running on empty for a long time, and the ‘Venom’ franchise should go out now on what passes for probably the highest note it’ll ever hit. Let it be the last dance indeed.

‘Venom: The Last Dance’ receives 5.5 out of 10 stars.
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What is the plot of ‘Venom: The Last Dance’?

Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his alien symbiote Venom are on the run – not just from government authorities and law enforcement, but from Venom’s creator, the powerful entity known as Knull.

Who is in the cast of ‘Venom: The Last Dance’?
- Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as General Rex Strickland
- Juno Temple as Dr. Payne
- Rhys Ifans as Martin
- Peggy Lu as Mrs. Chen
- Stephen Graham as Patrick Mulligan/Toxin
Venom in Columbia Pictures ‘Venom: The Last Dance’. Photo: Sony Pictures.

List of Movies Featuring Venom:
- ‘Spider-Man 3‘ (2007)
- ‘Venom‘ (2018)
- ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage‘ (2021)
- ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home‘ (2021)
- ‘Venom: The Last Dance‘ (2024)
Buy ‘Venom’ Movies on Amazon
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October 23, 2024