(Left) Actor Walton Goggins attends with ‘Fallout’ Cast and Creators at The Game Awards at Peacock Theater on December 07, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for Prime Video. (Right) Chloë Grace Moretz attends ‘Nimona’ NY Special Screening at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on June 24, 2023 in New York City. Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Netflix.
Preview:
Walton Goggins and Chloë Grace Moretz are aboard to star in ‘Mister’.
It’ll mark the directorial debut of Second Unit specialist and stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood.
The producers of ‘John Wick’ are backing this one.
Wade Eastwood, an accomplished stuntman, stunt coordinator and second-unit director is now making the leap to the main chair –– and filming is scheduled to kick off in Madrid next month, with ‘John Wick’ production company Thunder Road involved.
Written by Nicki Cortese and Nick Inglis, ‘Mister’ follows a man (Goggins) who wakes up in a strange house covered in blood and comes to realize his true identity while fighting off contract killers from his past — including everyone from his exes to his best friend. To get out, he teams up with his estranged daughter (Moretz) who also has ended up in the family business, but they will need to repair their relationship in order to survive.
Wade Eastwood talks the new leads
(L to R) Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore in 2013’s ‘Carrie’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Eastwood said this about his new cast:
“From our first conversations, I knew Walton would bring an unpredictable spark you simply can’t manufacture — he’s electric. Chloë brings an incredible mix of strength, vulnerability and razor-sharp timing. Together, they make Mister exactly what we set out to create: bold, funny and completely full-throttle.”
Walton Goggins in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3. Photo: Fabio Lovino/HBO.
(L to R) Michelle Pfeiffer and Felicity Jones star in ‘Oh. What. Fun.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Michelle Pfeiffer and Felicity Jones about their work on ‘Oh. What. Fun.’, Pfeiffer’s first reaction to the screenplay, making a Christmas movie from the mother’s point of view, Jones’ approach to her character, and her relationship with her mother.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Pfeiffer, Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Dominic Sessa.
Michelle Pfeiffer in ‘Oh. What. Fun.’ Photo: Prime Video.
Moviefone: To begin with, Michelle, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and the idea of making a Christmas movie from the mother’s point of view?
Michelle Pfeiffer: First, I was so excited to work with Michael Showalter. I think I would’ve done anything that he asked me to do, honestly, because everything he does is so brilliant and it’s all different too. So, I feel like he can tackle any genre of movie making. It wasn’t really on my bucket list to do a Christmas movie and I haven’t seen a ton of them. But it’s one of those things where you don’t even know there’s a story that needs to be told until you read it and you go, “Oh, of course.” It’s like women have just assumed these roles and these responsibilities throughout the generations and done it joyously because they love their families, and they want to be with them. But then I thought, “Wow, that’s so true.” There aren’t any Christmas movies about mothers who are basically the glue to the whole thing. So, I got very excited to do it, and I loved the relationship, the mother-daughter relationship with Channing, and for Claire, the inability to let things evolve. I think that’s the stress and the pressure that Felicity’s character is feeling, the pressure to stay what she was. Anyway, I love the movie.
(L to R) Felicity Jones and Jason Schwartzman in ‘Oh. What. Fun.’ Photo: Prime Video.
MF: Finally, Felicity, can you talk about your character’s relationship with her mother, why she wants to be recognized by her, and creating that relationship on screen with Michelle?
Felicity Jones: Well, it’s just a relationship that’s so true to life, that there’s so much love and there’s so much admiration and affection. But it’s almost like the relationship got a little bit stuck. I think Channing is a bit stuck and she needs to go from being a child to being an adult, even though she’s in her late ’30s. Somehow through the course of the film, she becomes a grown up. When Claire is no longer there, then suddenly, she has all the responsibilities that Claire has, the weight that Claire must hold and suddenly it’s on her shoulders. So, in that happening, she discovers empathy and goes, “Actually, it’s not easy being my mom, and maybe I don’t need to be quite so hard on her.”
‘Oh. What. Fun.’ debuts on Prime Video December 3rd.
What is the plot of ‘Oh. What. Fun.’?
Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) makes the Christmas magic happen every year for her family, but her children and grandchildren don’t realize the effort it takes, until she goes missing.
(L to R) Aaron Johnson and Chloë Grace Moretz in ‘Kick-Ass.’ Photo: Lionsgate.
Preview:
Matthew Vaughn is talking about the next ‘Kick-Ass’ Movie.
He’s planning it as a reboot of the concept.
Two other movies will precede it.
With Matthew Vaughn out on the promotional trail for new spy caper ‘Argylle’, he’s naturally been fielding questions about some of his previous movies, including those requesting updates about a new entry in the ‘Kick-Ass’ franchise.
And from the sounds of it, he’s got some fascinating plans for the movie –– including the fact that it’ll reboot the concept and will work as the third part of a trilogy, just not the way we were all expecting.
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What was the story of ‘Kick-Ass’?
(L to R) Aaron Johnson and Chloë Grace Moretz in ‘Kick-Ass 2.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.
Based on Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s comic book series, the 2010 original ‘Kick-Ass’ and its 2013 sequel introduced us to Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a young man who is inspired by the comics he loves to become a vigilante and start fighting crime. It… does not always go well for him.
“We’re halfway through it. There’s a very, very dare I say it… and it’s gonna be a cliche coming out of this head of mine. It is a very, very meta universe. It is what, you know, ‘Kick-Ass’ was reinventing and creating an R-rated superhero, and no one was really doing it. This is taking that whole concept to a worthy… Not even a sequel, because I think it’s just a whole new way of doing ‘Kick-Ass,’ which couldn’t be more ‘Kick-Ass.’”
The plan, according to Vaughn, is more complicated than anyone imagined. Instead of simply making a third ‘Kick-Ass’ entry (which Vaughn has already said would reboot the story), it’ll actually be part of a new three-film series. But this ‘Kick-Ass’ won’t kick it off. Instead it’ll follow two new movies.
With Vaughn acting as producer, the two other films are already under way –– one, ‘School Fight’, directed by Damien Walters, is already in the can. The other, which Vaughn refers to as ‘Vram’ (though that may not be the final title) is shooting. And then Vaughn plans to make the new ‘Kick-Ass’. The three films are connected.
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When will ‘Kick-Ass 3’ be on screens?
2013’s ‘Kick-Ass 2.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.
There is no release date set for any of the three movies yet, though with ‘School Fight’ long finished it could arrive this year and ‘Vram’ may premiere at a festival in 2024 or 2025. Vaughn, of course, still has to finish writing ‘Kick-Ass 3’.
As for ‘Argylle’, the spy movie will be in theaters on February 2nd.
(L to R) Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa, and John Cena in ‘Argylle,’ directed by Matthew Vaughn.
Premiering on Netflix June 30th, ‘Nimona’ represents a film that almost never made it to screens, but one that you should be very glad did survive the machinations of studio takeovers.
Originally developed at 20th Century Fox’s Blue Sky arm, the movie was roughly 75% complete when Disney bought Fox and effectively consigned Blue Sky to cinematic history. ‘Nimona’ looked to be going along with it, before being rescued by Annapurna Animation and, following a deal, Netflix.
If there’s one regret from that decision, it’s that audiences really won’t have much chance to see it on the big screen, because ‘Nimona’ really deserves to be experienced in a huge theater with an appreciative crowd. Yet it’s good that the movie is coming out at all.
A thousand years ago, in a fantastical realm, a warrior named Gloreth defeated a monster. That has since passed into legend, upon which a new society of knights and warriors was built.
In the present day of this world –– imagine if Ridley Scott had made mashup of ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ and ‘Blade Runner’, where knights ride flying steeds and giant screens show news updates –– it’s one of the biggest days of the year, when new knights are knighted.
When Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), a knight who has risen from the streets and is still searching for acceptance is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, the only one who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz), a mischievous teen with a taste for mayhem — who also happens to be a shapeshifting creature Ballister has been trained to destroy.
But with the entire kingdom out to get him, Nimona’s the best (or technically the only) sidekick Ballister can hope for. And as the lines between heroes, villains, and monsters start to blur, the two of them set out to wreak serious havoc: for Ballister to clear his name once and for all, and for Nimona to… just wreak serious havoc.
The cast also includes Eugene Lee Yang as Ambrosius Goldenloin, Ballister’s fellow knight and true love, Lorraine Toussaint as Queen Valerin, Frances Conroy as The Director, who runs the knight training program, Beck Bennett as dumb, ambitious knight Sir Thoddeus Sureblade, RuPaul Charles as TV presenter Nate Knight and Julio Torres as Diego the Squire.
The performances
Chloë Grace Moretz attends ‘Nimona’ NY Special Screening at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on June 24, 2023 in New York City. Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Netflix.
One of the movie’s smartest moves – whether it was driven by budget concerns or not, was to largely skip the big-name actor voice cast in favor of people who just fit the roles. Beyond Ahmed, Moretz, Conroy and Bennett (who is a ‘Saturday Night Live’ veteran), most of the cast vanish into their characters, which helps you focus on the story.
Ahmed, of course, is excellent as Ballister, by turns driven and funny, nervous and assured. And he plays well against Moretz, who is a bundle of energy as the title character, who harbors a broken heart inside her ebullient personality. Lee, meanwhile, handles the role of Ambrosius with sensitivity, and Bennet brings big bro energy to Thoddeus.
Writing and directing
(L to R) Troy Quane, ND Stevenson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Eugene Lee Yang, and Nick Bruno attend ‘Nimona’ NY Special Screening at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on June 24, 2023 in New York City. Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Netflix.
Nick Bruno and Troy Quane are in the director’s chair for this one, and they bring the story to life with an assured touch. Working from a script by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor, it’s an adventure that also has enough good jokes that the movie feels like it had the hand of Phil Lord and Chris Miller involved (it didn’t, so kudos to the team working on the movie).
‘Nimona’s tale rattles along at a good clip, and even when it does pause for necessary exposition, it delivers it in such a way as it doesn’t feel like the momentum grinds to a halt for a lecture. Ballister’s background in particular is conveyed in a manner that is entertaining rather than a chore.
Yet where ‘Nimona’ really scores are in its themes and messages, which are beautifully supported by its narrative. Ideas such as Ballister’s search for acceptance in a world where a kid from the streets can aspire to be knighted, only for the city folk to instantly turn against him. Nimona’s own quest to find a place where she isn’t treated with suspicion, fear and anger just because she’s considered different, and an overall feeling of state-imposed paranoia about the potential for monster attacks, when the real threat is coming from within those who are supposed to protect the populace. And in a pleasingly progressive stance, Ballister and Ambrosius’ relationship is treated without comment. Unlike, say, the recent ‘Elemental’, which took a decent stab at tackling immigration and star-crossed lovers, ‘Nimona’ does more with its subtext than most.
While it may not push the envelope in quite the same way as ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’, ‘Nimona’ does have plenty to recommend it on the animation front. It’s a compelling blend of 2D and 3D, giving real life to the characters and, at times, a painterly feel.
The characters pop, and when the big action finale kicks in, it keeps it visually interesting while never detracting from the heart of the tale.
And again, And unlike ‘Elemental’, which had an interesting, stylized city but suffered from comparisons to, say, ‘Zootopia’, ‘Nimona’s medieval tech look is superbly thought out –– there is a meticulous detail to the world that Ballister and Nimona inhabit. From posters and announcements pushing the message “if you see something, slay something” in the subways to the blend of screens and turrets, it’s completely engrossing.
There are, of course, the expected beats, but ‘Nimona’s team puts such a good spin on them that they go past easily. This is one of the best movies of the year, no matter the medium.
In the animated movie ‘The Addams Family 2,’ Chloë Grace Moretz lends her voice to Wednesday Addams, the teen daughter of Morticia and Gomez Addams. Moretz recently spoke to Moviefone about revisiting the role again.
Moviefone: Chloe, how do you figure out who Wednesday is? What do you do as you are voicing the character?
Chloë Grace Moretz: I really try to get into the physicality of her. I think one thing that’s super important with animation is not holding back on your physicality and getting into the character, even on a character Wednesday, who’s fairly monotone most of the time. It’s really trying to get into the physicality and visualizing her as a person and not just a voice. And so we had a wonderful time trying to navigate that in this one, especially with the large range of emotion that she comes across in this story. And what does sentimentality seem like to Wednesday? How does she process butterflies in her stomach and nervousness?
Chloë Grace Moretz voices Wednesday Addams in ‘The Addams Family 2.’
MF: You’re voicing this character by yourself in a booth. You said, though, you do have a lot of physicality. Would you say it’s harder to voice the character than it is to actually physically perform a role?
Moretz: Yeah. I think when you have the ability to be on camera acting with your face and your voice and your body, you have so many more weapons in your arsenal to use. You can really find and by any means possible the ability to get the scene across or the character across, and you have a lot more ability to do things. So for sure. I think with voice-over, it is a little bit more constraining, and it’s a really fun mental puzzle to try and figure out how can I have this character come across with only my vocal cords? That’s all I have. So it’s a really fun, tricky circumstance to be in. I love it.
MF: Well, in this movie, Wednesday, I feel like she knows in herself who she is, but she feels like she doesn’t belong in her family, which is normal for a girl that age. But what does Gomez, her dad, decide he wants to do?
Moretz: Well, he sees his daughter growing up and becoming her own person. And the first thing that he wants to do is smother her with love. So he decides to throw them in a camper van and take him across the country for three weeks, sharing rooms, the same toilets, probably everything the same, which is probably the worst you can do to a young girl going through her angsty stage.
MF: And that camper. That camper is incredible.
Moretz: It’s hilarious. The stained-glass windows are so funny to me, and the chandeliers, and the lion, I think, that comes with them is my favorite. The fact that they had their pet lion come on board with them, where some people would usually bring a dog or something. It’s just so classic Addams family.
If you’re curious as to what new movie this week might be best for you, Moviefone is here to help you find it and watch it. This week’s selection of what to watch features not one, but two iconic Billies, familiar faces from animation history, and very realistic struggles with mortality. Here are the movies we’re suggesting this week:
Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry (Apple TV+)
It’s easy to forget that Grammy-winning pop culture sensation Billie Eilish can’t even legally purchase cigarettes yet. Like those who have come before her in the music world, this documentary gives fans and newbs alike the chance to learn about the genius behind the music. She has a lot to juggle, including finishing her album “When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”, maneuver life on the road, and also get her driver’s license.
Watch It If: You are intrigued by this super talented teen and her brother–but especially if you don’t know her yet and need to be a part of the larger cultural conversation around her music.
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The United States vs Billie Holiday (Hulu)
Grammy winner Andra Day stars as Billie Holiday, essentially resurrecting the famous singer’s spirit for this role in Lee Daniels’ latest film. Doing her own singing and assuring your jaw will be permanently living on the floor, the story focuses on the period of time where Ms. Holiday insisted on singing “Strange Fruit,” her song about lynchings in the South, and as a result, was mercilessly pursued by the FBI. They pulled out all the stops to ensure her silence, as they did to many other prominent Black voices at the time.
Watch It If: You don’t have any context around the song whose terrifying message and imagery still resonates today. If you’ve seen Judas and the Black Messiah and MLK/FBI, this film can be added to make an incredibly disturbing triple feature.
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Tom & Jerry (In Theaters and on HBO Max)
Just when you thought that crazy cat and mouse team had hung up their animosity for good…Jerry has moved into a swank New York hotel that is hosting an enormously important wedding. Chloe Grace Moretz, as an ambitious event planner, thinks that a solution is as simple as letting nature run its course when she enlists the help of Tom. Of course, little does she know, Tom is a total dum dum and pretty soon her event will become famous not for its majesty, but for releasing an animated elephant onto the streets of New York.
Watch It If: You’ve missed these lovable rogues, or if you have kids that need some zaniness in their life that isn’t quite satisfied by the old, very quiet TV show.
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The Father (Limited Theatrical Release)
Anthony Hopkins stars in this strikingly realistic portrayal of the challenges and heartaches of a loved one with dementia. Adapted from a play, director Florian Zeller drops the audience straight into the deep end of the struggle, not giving any easy answers for what is real and what isn’t. Real life seeps from every pore in this one, and Hopkins is joined by a great cast in Olivia Colman, Imogen Poots, and Olivia Williams.
Watch It If: You could use some empathy for those more vulnerable in our society.
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My Zoe (Limited Theatrical Release)
“When there’s no more hope, just keep going.” Julie Delpy’s character Isabelle is credited with saying this in times of trouble–but certainly no one would ever want it to apply to their child being on life support. Sadly, Zoe has had a brain hemorrhage, and as Isabelle worries alongside her ex, Zoe’s father (Richard Armitage), she concocts a plan to keep a version of Zoe alive that arouses the passionate opinions of everyone involved. Written and directed by Delpy.
Watch It If: You’ve missed the stars and rewatched both The Before Trilogy and The Hobbit movies too many times, or if you’re particularly interested in the ethical questions about how our scientific advances can seemingly cheat death.
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The Vigil (Limited Theatrical Release and on VOD)
In ancient Jewish tradition, the “shomer” is where, when a person dies, a person must sit with the body to protect it from evil spirits wanting to do harm. So if you’re familiar with IFC Midnights you might be able to guess that when Yakov (Dave Davis) accepts this request from his former rabbi, it’s anything but a quiet night at home. Set in Brooklyn’s Borough Park, you’re sure to learn a lot about Jewish lore and demonology, as well as why you should think twice before doing nice things for people.
Watch It If: You’re a big fan of thoughtful, eerie horror films such as The Babadook and Relic.
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Night of the Kings (Limited Theatrical Release)
Writer/Director Philip Lacôte’s fable about a young man (Bakary Koné) in an Ivory Coast prison reflects real-life West African traditions and political turmoil. Roman, the newcomer to the prison that is run by inmates, shows up uninitiated and unprepared for what lies before him. He is tasked with telling a story as the new moon sets, and if he stops before it is gone, he will be killed.
Watch It If: You’re new to West African films, love Shakespeare, and also the bold indie movie scene that Neon is fueling.
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The latest live-action reboot of a familiar animated property, classic cartoon “Tom and Jerry,” is shoring up its cast, with a TV star joining the ensemble.
Colin Jost — who’s known to “Saturday Night Live” fans as one of the show’s longtime co-head writers and the co-host of its Weekend Update segment (and known to “Avengers” fans as Scarlett Johansson’s finance) — has signed on for the big screen version of “Tom and Jerry.” Deadline first reported the news, though there are no details yet about what role the comedian will be playing, and whether it will be a live-action character, or animated like the titular cat and mouse.
Jost joins the previously-cast Chloe Grace Moretz and Michael Pena. The flick follows Kayla (Moretz), a new hire at a posh hotel, who enlists the help of Tom the cat to get rid of Jerry the mouse. She eventually ends up banding together with both critters, however, against her bully of a manager, Terrance (Pena).
Tim Story (“Ride Along,” “Fantastic Four,” “Think Like a Man,” “Shaft“) is directing and executive producing the feature. No word yet on a potential release date, but “Tom and Jerry” is expected to start shooting sometime later this year.
Classic cartoon “Tom and Jerry” is getting a modern update, with an upcoming CGI/live-action hybrid flick. Now, a familiar face to superhero fans has joined the cast.
Deadline reports that Pena will be playing Terrance, the hotel’s deputy general manager, described as “a bit of a bully.” Terrance initially hires Kayla as a temp, “only to end up pitted against her and Tom/ Jerry once she starts impressing upper management,” per Deadline.
Pena and Moretz will be doing most of the heavy lifting in the flick, since Tom and Jerry do not speak in the film, in keeping with how the characters are portrayed in the original series. That formula seems to have worked for the cat and mouse, with the Hanna-Barbera cartoon spanning more than 100 shorts, winning seven Oscars, and spawning multiple additional series, shorts, and a 1992 feature.
“Tom and Jerry” is expected to start shooting sometime this year.
The actress is in final talks to star in Warner Bros.’ live-action/CG hybrid movie “Tom and Jerry,” according to Collider.
The movie, which will be directed by Tim Story (“Shaft”), will feature animated versions of Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse, who will remain silent like in the original cartoons.
Moretz would play one of the few humans they interact with, Kayla, a new employee at a posh hotel where Jerry takes up residence, threatening to ruin a glamorous wedding. She hires a broke alley cat named Tom to come in and get rid of Jerry, which proves to be easier said than done.
That may be for the best, as the duo will likely need each other to defeat Kayla’s villainous boss, who isn’t a big fan of either cat nor mouse.
“Tom and Jerry” is one of several animated/live-action hybrids in development at Warner Bros. Another is the high-profile sequel/reboot “Space Jam 2,” which stars LeBron James alongside Looney Tunes characters like Bugs Bunny.
Moretz has mostly appeared in indie dramas in recent years, including “Greta” and “Suspiria.” She is also voicing Wednesday Addams in the upcoming animated “Addams Family” movie.
Chloe Grace Moretz is going back in time to play a World War II pilot in the action horror movie “Shadow in the Cloud.”
The film, directed by Roseanne Liang and written by Max Landis is penning the script, centers on a pilot named Captain Maude Gardner, who boards a B-17 Flying Fortress holding a black radio bag with top secret contents.
As she puts up with jeers from the all-male crew, strange happenings begin to occur. An oncoming Japanese ambush and an evil prowling within the plane force Maude to push her limits to save the hapless crew and to protect her mysterious cargo.
