(Left) Nicolas Cage stars in ‘The Surfer’. Photo: Saturn Films. (Center) Alice Eve in ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’. Photo: Paramount Pictures. (Right) Sir Ben Kingsley in ‘The Thursday Murder Club’, which will launch on 28th August 2025 exclusively on Netflix. Photo: Netflix.
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Nicolas Cage, Ben Kingsley and Alice Eve are in the cast of ‘Fortitude’.
It’s an espionage action-adventure set during World War II.
Simon West is directing.
The cameras for the movie are already rolling, but World War II-set espionage action-adventure ‘Fortitude’ just announced, via Deadline, the sort of sprawling ensemble you’d have trouble listing in one breath.
Written by Simon Afram, the movie is based on the true story of British Intelligence operatives using unprecedented strategic operations to fool Nazi leadership and help change the course of World War II.
With historical consultation from Joshua Levine (‘Dunkirk’), the film follows the brilliance of British Army officers Dudley Clarke and Thomas Argyll “Tar” Robertson, who deployed an elaborate web of deception campaigns including fictitious armies, fake military equipment and a network of double agents to mislead Nazi Intelligence. Among them was Yugoslavian playboy Dusko Popov, a real-life double agent who is said to have inspired Ian Fleming’s James Bond character.
Who else is in ‘Fortitude’?
Sir Ben Kingsley in ‘The Killer’s Game’. Photo: Lionsgate.
“We are excited to bring together such a remarkable ensemble. Their chemistry and depth, paired with West’s direction, elevate this story into something truly gripping and unforgettable.”
The cameras started cranking earlier this month in London.
When will ‘Fortitude’ be in theaters?
Since this is more of an indie project, it’ll likely be putting its rights up for sale at film markets. And given that cast, we don’t imagine it’ll have too much trouble finding a home, but until then, a release date is lurking some way in the distance.
Scarlett Johansson as skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett in ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, directed by Gareth Edwards. Photo: Universal Pictures.
‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ receives 5.5 out of 10 stars.
Opening in theaters on July 2nd is ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, the latest in the long-running dinosaur franchise that originated with 1993 classic ‘Jurassic Park’.
(L to R) Luna Blaise and the T-Rex in ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, directed by Gareth Edwards. Photo: Universal Pictures.
The latest entry in the ‘Jurassic World’ franchise –– all birthed, of course, from the DNA of Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel ‘Jurassic Park’ and the all-time classic movie Steven Spielberg made from it –– arrives with plenty of promise.
You have director Gareth Edwards, who has shown an ability to bring humanity to big-scale movies (even if his box office results don’t always align), and original ‘Park’ screenwriter David Koepp back unleashing the dino chaos from the page.
Loaded with references to how the world at large is generally over reconstituted dinosaurs coexisting (and that the creatures themselves are dying in our modern climate), it’s a meta meditation on how the movie franchise itself has evolved (not to mention the various attempts to bring giant creatures to the screen in other monsterverses) and every new effort needs to up the wow factor.
Script and Direction
Director Gareth Edwards on the set of ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, directed by Gareth Edwards. Photo: Universal Pictures.
If you weren’t aware that David Koepp wrote the script for ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, the initial chunk of the screenplay might make you wonder whether it was someone else who had fed Koepp’s previous work into Chat GPT and asked it to replicate that, while throwing in some truly egregious movie cliches.
Following a relatively effective opening sequence which (briefly) introduces the new big bad dinosaur, we’re treated to expository title cards explaining how the public’s interest in the giant beasties has waned, and how they’re slowly dying out aside from in certain areas near the equator, which have become strict quarantine areas.
Then, the same information is repeated in a news broadcast, and at least one of the main characters says something similar. You’re beaten over the head with the details in such an inorganic fashion that you wonder if it was added in as studio executives panicked that we as an audience might not get it.
Director Gareth Edwards on the set of ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, directed by Gareth Edwards. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Likewise, the vast majority of the characters beyond a couple of leading figures are less one-note, more half-note, and at least two might as well have “dinosaur snack” written on their foreheads in place of personalities. Yes, that’s par for the course in a ‘Jurassic’ outing, but it’s all so poorly laid out here.
Gareth Edwards knows his way around an action sequence, and he’s certainly shot some lush locations here, bringing agreeably crunchy reality to moments. Some of the set pieces, such as an early Mosasaur encounter and one with giant flying Quetzalcoatlus creatures are well-realized, as is the amusing initial appearance of a toothy franchise stalwart.
But some moments are so clearly and painfully ripped off from the original ‘Jurassic Park’ you can almost hear that movie calling this one to demand its toys back. The initial glimpse of the Titanosaurus echoes the Brachiosaurus reveal from the first film, while the human characters trying to evade becoming dino food in a convenience store is essentially that movie’s raptor kitchen scene. In this case, Easter eggs feel like less like fan service and more a lack of original thinking.
Cast and Performances
Mahershala Ali is Duncan Kincaid in ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, directed by Gareth Edwards. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Scarlett Johansson’s “security and extraction expert” Zora Bennett is at least a more interesting character than some of the ‘World’ movies’ equivalents, and she certainly brings an entertainingly glib style to her initial scenes. But even Johansson can’t rescue a character burdened by first-draft personal pain, and she’s ultimately less successful than she might have been.
Rupert Friend is Martin Krebs, who represents the company looking to profit from the medical material that the team has been sent to retrieve. Friend does what he can with the role, but he’s mostly just a hissable antagonist from word one.
Jonathan Bailey plays paleontologist expert Dr. Henry Loomis, recruited to help on the mission, who blossoms into a more active character in the Jeff Goldblum mold. Still, as with everyone else, he’s limited by the script.
(L to R) Jonathan Bailey as paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis in ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, directed by Gareth Edwards. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Likewise Mahershala Ali, a man with two Oscars on his mantle at home, who puts all he can into ship captain and all-round fixer Duncan Kincaid. He has some good moments, but the character is lost among a wash of others.
Prime among them is ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’s Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, playing Reuben Delgado, a father to two daughters who is sailing with them near the dangerous waters, and whose boat is attacked by Mosasaurs. Garcia-Rulfo is typically good in the role, but even he’s saddled with cliché and convenience, such as one of his kids bringing an annoying, lazy boyfriend along on the trip and an injured leg from the early dino attack that mysteriously heals itself later in the movie.
Final Thoughts
Scarlett Johansson is Zora Bennett in ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, directed by Gareth Edwards. Photo: Universal Pictures.
While some sequences and Edwards’ commitment to tactile, real-world locations and some practical effects among the digital soup offer minor pleasures, the hulking weight of a cliché-ridden script and dino action that doesn’t so much as reference what’s gone before but rips it off wholesale, the new ‘Jurassic’ entry is miss.
This ‘Rebirth’ turns out to be largely a ‘saur disappointment.
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What’s the story of ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’?
Five years after the events of ‘Jurassic World Dominion’, the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures across land, sea and air within that tropical biosphere hold, in their DNA, the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind.
Scarlett Johansson plays skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett, contracted to lead a skilled team on a top-secret mission to secure the genetic material. When Zora’s operation intersects with a civilian family whose boating expedition was capsized by marauding aquatic dinos, they all find themselves stranded on a forbidden island that had once housed an undisclosed research facility for Jurassic Park. There, in a terrain populated by dinosaurs of vastly different species, they come face-to-face with a sinister, shocking discovery that has been hidden from the world for decades.
Who is in the cast of ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’?
Scarlett Johansson as Zora Bennett
Jonathan Bailey as Dr. Henry Loomis
Rupert Friend as Martin Krebs
Mahershala Ali as Duncan Kincaid
Ed Skrein as Atwater
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Reuben Delgado
Luna Blaise as Teresa Delgado
David Iacono as Xavier Dobbs
(L to R) Jonathan Bailey as paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis and Scarlett Johansson as skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett in ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, directed by Gareth Edwards. Photo: Universal Pictures.
The first images of ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ are online.
Scarlett Johansson, ‘Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali lead the cast.
Gareth Edwards is in the director’s chair.
While ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ in 2022 seemed to signal the end for the franchise that was spawned way back in 1993 with ‘Jurassic Park,’ turns out it was less of an extinction-level event and more of a brief pause between eras.
Because, far from letting a cash dinosaur just wither into nothingness, Universal began making plans for another movie featuring giant beasties and the humans who want to help, hunt or otherwise avoid being snack food last year.
(L to R) Jonathan Bailey as paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis and Scarlett Johansson as skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett in ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, directed by Gareth Edwards.
Here’s the official synopsis for the new movie:
“Five years after the events of ‘Jurassic World Dominion,’ the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures within that tropical biosphere hold the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind.”
Who is who in ‘Jurassic World Rebirth?
Mahershala Ali is Duncan Kincaid in ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, directed by Gareth Edwards.
Johansson is playing skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett, contracted to lead a skilled team on a top-secret mission to secure genetic material from the world’s three most massive dinosaurs.
When Zora’s operation intersects with a civilian family whose boating expedition was capsized by marauding aquatic dinos, they all find themselves stranded on an island where they come face-to-face with a sinister, shocking discovery that’s been hidden from the world for decades.
Ali is Duncan Kincaid, Zora’s most trusted team leader
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Bailey (who will also be seen in Universal’s ‘Wicked’ this Thanksgiving) plays paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis.
With longtime producers Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley returning to shepherd the new movie (and original ‘Park’ director Steven Spielberg as an executive producer as usual), the first other major player hired was scriptwriter David Koepp.
He, of course, wrote the first two ‘Jurassic’ movies, working from the concepts and characters originally created by novelist Michael Crichton.
On Netflix on Friday, April 19th, ‘Rebel Moon: Part Two –– The Scargiver’ sees director Zack Snyder offering up the second chapter of his expansive, war-happy space adventure, this time with a narrowed focus and slightly more coherent storyline.
Yet, like the first part, it doesn’t work, falling into the feeling of a lower-rent ‘Star Wars’ movie that disappoints on many levels.
If you watched the first part of ‘Rebel Moon’ and had your socks knocked off at its audacious, sweeping scale and intense science fiction action… Then good for you. But we wonder if we watched a different movie.
For those who found that outing an unoriginal slog filled with cliches and tropes and wondered if a follow-up could do the impossible and actually come off worse, then… Zack Snyder is here to unfortunately confirm that suspicion.
Because ‘The Scargiver’ somehow manages to be full of battles and stakes and yet completely devoid of authentic emotion or reaction. True, some of the heroes here don’t make it out alive, but you honestly will not care. And the rest? Pure noise and bolted-together nonsense.
The script for ‘The Scargiver’ simply and obviously continues what ‘A Child of Fire’ began –– Sofia Boutella’s Kora has returned to the pastoral moon of Veldt with the warriors she thinks could defend the place. But bafflingly (due to some poorly explained Motherworld policy), she seems to believe that all will be well since she managed to slay Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein). Alas! Not only is Noble not dead thanks to some slightly Darth Vader-like medical treatment, but he’s also boiling with vengeance towards Kora and is only too happy to take it out on Veldt.
Yet the new movie somehow manages to waste even the vaguest spark of an idea, any potential value buried in a mire of off-the-peg motivational speeches that would make someone giving out advice at a Holiday Inn conference room cringe. Even seasoned performers such as Anthony Hopkins cannot make this stuff work.
The pacing is also way off, the first third of the movie stilted and awkward, grinding to a halt as various characters fill the people of Veldt (and, by extension, whoever is watching and not already asleep by that point) in on their backstories. There are zero surprises to be found here, except perhaps from Staz Nair’s Tarak, who it turns out is these days often shirtless but used to be a buttoned-up prince whose people used giant warbirds in the hope that they can battle spaceships –– it did not go well for them! Yet even that seemingly impressive sequence feels like Snyder borrowing, in this case from himself, as it has echoes of the opening scenes of ‘Man of Steel’.
Snyder also still indulges himself on the visual front –– for every impressive location shot or beautiful looking sequence of a ship against a giant ringed moon, there are a hundred generic moments of laser blast fire and such an overload of slow-motion that you could watch the movie on fast forward and large chunks of it would appear to be playing at normal speed. A director having a stamped-on style is one thing. A filmmaker lazily going to the well so many times that it quickly runs dry is quite another.
‘Rebel Moon’s returning cast don’t manage to spin the material into gold any more than they did the original. In many ways, they’re even more stranded among their director’s indulgences.
As we mentioned above, the initial chunk of the film splits its time between Ed Skrein’s Darth V… Sorry, Admiral Noble being angry (Skrein still at least seems to be having fun swallowing scenery) and either the warrior characters spinning their wheels talking about their background, or long, dull sequences of farming that make it all look like a Budweiser commercial.
Sofia Boutella carries the lion’s share of the character work, her own backstory an entirely unsurprising tale of betrayal, but even she’s stranded in a character who appears to have two modes: violent fighter or mopey love interest.
The likes of Bae Doona, Djimon Hounsou and E. Duffy likewise remain entirely wasted in their supporting roles, whose character development is relegated to fighting or worrying.
Everyone else is an archetype in search of a character, less active participants than human props.
An utterly disappointing follow-up to the first ‘Rebel Moon’ that we didn’t think was possible, this easily limbos under the low bar set by that movie. A waste of time, money and actors, it is reduced to embarrassingly cringeworthy moments such as a quartet still playing dramatic music in the same room as a king is being portrayed or long, battering sequences of war machines shooting at people.
This so wants to aim for the quality and majesty of movies such as the recent ‘Dune: Part Two’ but ends up hitting ‘Dumb: Part Two’. Snyder has already talked about, and leaves us with, hints of further stories to come, but that’s not something to anticipate after this.
‘Rebel Moon: Part Two –– The Scargiver’ receives 5.5 out of 10 stars.
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What is the plot of ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’?
Kora (Sofia Boutella) and the surviving warriors prepare to fight and defend their new homeworld Veldt against the Motherworld.
Who is in the cast of ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’?
Director Zack Snyder Talks ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director and cinematographer Zack Snyder about his work on ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver,’ creating the overall story, knowing where to split ‘A Child of Fire’ and ‘Scargiver’ into two different films, Kora’s journey, working with Sofia Boutella, shooting the battle sequences, and the future of the franchise.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Snyder, Sofia Boutella, Michiel Huisman, Djimon Hounsou, Staz Nair, Elise Duffy, Ed Skrein and Fra Fee.
Zack Snyder attends the Netflix’s Tudum: A Global Fan Event 2023 at Fundação Bienal de São Paulo on June 17, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about developing the overall story for these two films, when you realized it was too much story for one movie, and how you decided where to split the two films?
Zack Snyder: When Kurt (Johnstad) and Shay (Hatten) and I were working on the script, even as I was pitching it with Netflix in our early days, we knew we were over 220 pages for the script. We cut it down to the version that you see, and it was still a good solid two hours and the director’s cuts are a solid three hours each, so it’s a lot of material, obviously. So, I knew early on that we were going to have to cut it and we knew we had Gondival in the middle of the movie and that run-in with Noble, and so that was where we kind of thought, “Okay, that’s a good spot.” Kora has a small victory, but it’s a false victory and we felt like that would be a good place to break it. The truth is that I think once you see ‘Part Two,’ you’ll really understand that it’s one story.
MF: Can you talk about how Kora has changed from the first film, the importance of seeing this story through her eyes, and what it’s been like for you working with Sofia Boutella on these two movies?
ZS: First, I’ll just say Sofia’s an incredible partner and an incredible actress, and I trust her incredibly with the work and really rely on her physicality and her emotional strength. She’s just amazing. Also, I really feel like her story is an incredible story of redemption. You’ll find out in ‘Part Two” why she’s on the run, what she’s done and the importance that this kind of sacrifice has for her. How far she would be willing to go to be redeemed, I think is really an incredible and fun thing that she really personifies incredibly well.
MF: In addition to directing, you are also the cinematographer on ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver.’ Can you talk about shooting the battle sequences and was it physically and emotionally challenging for you to do both?
ZS: Yeah, thankfully, I’m supported by this guy named John Clothier, who’s an incredible camera operator who I’ve been working with since ‘Watchmen,’ and he is an amazing resource. He’s the A camera operator, I’m the B camera operator, and so we work really in partnership. But during the battle sequences, all those explosions and stuff, we were just right in them, in the heart of them, getting plastered with dirt and debris every day. So yeah, it was really taxing and difficult for us to photograph, but super fun, rewarding and I wouldn’t do it any other way. It’s just like when you are in the trenches, literally with the guy’s filming, you really understand just what physically is happening and what emotionally needs to happen because you’re just right there and so it’s a kind of cool way to make a movie.
MF: Finally, are there more stories that you want to tell in the ‘Rebel Moon’ universe, and what is the future of the franchise?
ZS: Sure, absolutely. I would love to make some more ‘Rebel Moon’ movies. I mean, right now we’re trying to set up to make this little movie that I’ve been working on, so I might go do that, just as a palate cleanser. But in the end, I think the ‘Rebel Moon’ universe has some stories left in it, obviously based on the end of this movie.
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What is the plot of ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’?
Kora (Sofia Boutella) and the surviving warriors prepare to fight and defend their new homeworld Veldt against the Motherworld.
Who is in the cast of ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’?
It is in no way surprising that this began life as a pitch Snyder presented to Lucasfilm way back in the days before Disney snapped it up. That Kathleen Kennedy passed on his side story set in that galaxy far, far is both good and bad news, and particularly positive if you’re a fan of the director’s distinctive visuals and action sense, as it’s full of both.
How you react to the movie might depend on what you’re looking for going in –– if you’re after a sweeping sci-fi epic full of scrappy underdogs looking to battle a powerful empire that is cracking down on any hint of rebellion well… if you’ve also watched ‘Star Wars’ than this might be a solid second choice.
Perhaps the biggest issue with the movie might be that despite all the unfamiliar names for words and characters, it all feels very… done before. Opening on a giant, lurking space vessel and then panning down to a planet where someone is engaged in farm work feels less like crafting a homage to George Lucas (who, let’s not forget, borrowed liberally to create his own space opera) and more like cribbing from his homework. And not just Lucas –– there are elements that you’ll recognize from the likes of ‘Serenity’, ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Terminator’ and many, many more.
Yet with its own mythology to build and some compelling sequences, ‘Rebel Moon’ does find the confidence to stand on its own, even if what remains is not as memorable as some of the classics it is referencing.
Snyder, who has been letting this one cook in the back of his head for years, finally got cracking on it with regular collaborators Shay Hatten (‘Army of the Dead’, ‘Day Shift’, ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’) and Kurt Johnstad, and they’ve whipped up a mostly entertaining romp through the stars. Using the ‘Seven Samurai’ mold of oppressed people looking to secure the services of warriors who will fight an oncoming enemy for them, they’ve built out the story of Kora in such a way that it feels like they were all considering other spin-offs and stories ahead of actually making this one tick over.
Still, in its defense, ‘Part One’ does at least tell a complete story before the inevitable cliffhanger setting up the next movie and does so in a less outwardly annoying fashion than some recent Marvel and DC entries.
The characters are decently drawn, even if none of them feel truly original –– a fighter with a troubled past, a rogue with his own agenda, a disgraced royal with some serious animal wrangling skills… they’re all versions of something that has gone before. Ditto the overarching mythology, which tells the story of a kingdom which loses its monarch and sees the power vacuum filled by a grasping, cunning Regent (played, albeit briefly so far, by Fra Fee).
Snyder as director indulges in every stylised trick for which he’s become known –– if you enjoy his ramped-up, slow-motion, quick-cut action sequences, there is plenty of it on display here, all shot in the cloudy/chome-y sepia-toned way he favors.
The movie assembles a solid cast but doesn’t always quite give them enough to do beyond basic archetypes. Sofia Boutella’s Kora is the focus in the early going, and she’s more than up to the task of playing this recognizable central figure who has some dark notes in her past.
As for the rest, they’re a mixed bag: Charlie Hunnam sports a perhaps ill-judged Irish (space-Irish?) accent as the roguish Kai, who initially helps her look for the others who will help fight back when the forces of the Motherworld (read: Empire) threaten the peaceful community she’s trying to make a new start in. Michiel Huisman has some charm as the naïve farmer who is in over his head, while mostly everyone else gets their action-packed introduction or moment to shine later when the baddies led by Ed Skrein’s Admiral finally track them down.
For both good and ill, ‘Rebel Moon’ is Zack Snyder on full blast. If this one leaves you craving more, don’t forget that Part Two, subtitled ‘The Scargiver’, will be on Netflix on April 19th.
While the writer/director is in genre magpie mode, borrowing a little from other (often better) movies and stories, the whole doesn’t completely equal the sum of its parts. It’s at least a visually interesting, rousing sci-fi adventure.
‘Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘Rebel Moon?
After crash landing on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a stranger with a mysterious past, begins a new life among a peaceful settlement of farmers. But she soon becomes their only hope for survival when the tyrannical Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) and his cruel emissary, Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein), discover the farmers have unwittingly sold their crops to the Bloodaxes (Cleopatra Coleman and Ray Fisher) — leaders of a fierce group of insurgents hunted by the Motherworld.
Tasked with finding fighters who would risk their lives to defend the people of Veldt, Kora and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), a tenderhearted farmer naive in the realities of war, journey to different worlds in search of the Bloodaxes, and assemble a small band of warriors who share a common need for redemption along the way: Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a pilot and gun for hire; General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a legendary commander; Nemesis (Doona Bae), a master swordswoman; Tarak (Staz Nair), a captive with a regal past; and Milius (E. Duffy), a resistance fighter. Back on Veldt, Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins), an ancient, mechanized protector hiding in the wings, awakens with a new purpose.
But the newly formed revolutionaries must learn to trust each other and fight as one before the armies of the Motherworld come to destroy them all…
(L to R) Aria Mia Loberti and Louis Hofmann star in Netflix’s ‘All the Light We Cannot See.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with actors Aria Mia Loberti and Louis Hofmann about their work on ‘All the Light We Cannot See,’ how Loberti was cast and prepared for her role, the challenges of humanizing Hofmann’s character, and working with director Shawn Levy.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Loberti and Hofmann, and writer Steven Knight and director Shawn Levy.
Moviefone: To begin with, Aria, can you talk about how you were cast in this project and how you prepared to play this role?
Aria Mia Loberti: I don’t really know what happened, to be totally honest with you. I sent in an audition tape in my bedroom, because I was having a bad week, and my mental health was tanked. I had spent my whole life advocating for my right to an education. I finally got to this point where I was pursuing it and loving what I studied, but I wasn’t happy, and I didn’t know why. I didn’t want it to be my career. I was just like, “Okay, I guess I’ll send in this tape. I love the book, and this might be kind of a fun hour-long escape.” Then I got a call-back, and I got another call-back. Then I’m like, “Oh my, I should probably tell my mom.” So, I did. Then I was just like, “Okay, well, this is now two weeks, two and a half weeks, three weeks later. Huh, I don’t know what’s really going on.” But I didn’t think I was ever for a second going to get it, and so I prepped a little speech, thanking them and hoping that they would continue to look for an actress who was blind or low vision so that this role could get played authentically. I was going to ask if they could see someone like me being good enough to go to community theater and maybe audition there. I never got to give that speech because that was it. So, I don’t know what happened, frankly. I just cried a lot. Then the next thing I know, I was in Hungary and France filming. We did six days a week for almost six months, and it was just this exceptional experience. I had to learn everything for the first time from the ground up as I was doing it, so that was remarkably exciting and thrilling, but also a lot of pressure. Because it’s such a unique circumstance as a newcomer, as a first timer, after my first audition to be playing this leading character, surrounded by people who have been doing their jobs for years and who are at their top of their craft. So, I just put so much time into trying to learn my craft and create this character from the ground up, and thankfully we have beautiful source material to work from.
MF: Louis, can you also talk about preparing for this character and the challenges of humanizing him and making him a likable character even though he is a member of the Nazi Regime?
Louis Hofmann: I think the challenge was just take him seriously in terms of his feelings, his thoughts, his worries, and therefore humanize him. I think (author) Anthony Doerr has beautifully humanized him and has done a beautiful job, so I could go back to that source material and just collect whatever I could find about him, the smallest details whatsoever, to create a three-dimensional picture of him and not only portray the uniform that he was forced to put into, and that’s another thing. He was forced to put that uniform on. He was trying to be indoctrinated into evil, but he doesn’t really subscribe to it, and that is something that I found quite thrilling when I first got the part and preparing the part, was his never wanting to let go of his moral compass. That’s just a constant fight that I was eager to explore, I think.
MF: Finally, what was it like for both of you working with director Shawn Levy on set?
AML: He’s a hilarious person. He’s just so much fun and he’s full of so much light. He’s an easy person to be around in that sense. But I really appreciate and respect that he took the time with me, because I didn’t know what it meant or what I would have to do to be a professional in this field, because I’ve never done anything like it before. I didn’t know the right question to ask or when to ask them or what’s allowed and what isn’t. He had to teach me everything from the ground up, and I think that requires a genuine amount of compassion and care. I’m very grateful that he respected me, because I had so many questions. But I was also really dedicated to bringing this character to life, not only as she’s depicted on the page, but as the first time we’ve had this authentic representation in a film or a TV series of this caliber, and particularly in a leading role, we’ve never seen anything like this before. I think I said something to Shawn early on that was like, “I never had a role model in the media, whether it was a fictional character in a book, a movie or a TV show, or a real-life person to look up to that was like me.” Not once have I ever felt represented, and I am now that person for someone, and I must be that person for myself. Every day, that was something that we faced together. He is a special human being and because he’s a dad, I think his parental instincts shined through a lot, and he took me under his wing. I think sometimes he thinks that we’re his kids, which is perfect. But he said every day, “I don’t want to hurt your feelings.” I’m like, “Please help me be the best that I could be. I want to do this justice. I want to do well. I love doing this. It brings me so much joy and I want to be good. Can you help me? Please don’t worry if it’s going to insult me. I won’t be insulted.” He was so candid with me every day, and that takes time and care and patience. To say that you learned from someone like Shawn and then also I want to give credit to Louis. I also was able to shadow Shawn filming Louis’s scenes. So, Louis and Shawn were both there to be sounding boards, and it was great, and a big family.
LH: I think it was just beautiful to see how eager Aria was to learn. Just every day when she was there, I could just tell that you wanted to understand how it all works and you want to get better, and you want to improve and get the whole gist of it. It was just brilliant to see. It’s so cool.
What is the plot of ‘All the Light We Cannot See’?
‘All the Light We Cannot See follows’ the lives of two teenagers during the height of World War II: Marie-Laure (Aria Mia Loberti), a blind French girl and Werner Pfennig (Louis Hofmann), a German boy forced to join and fight for the Nazi Regime.
Who is in the cast of ‘All the Light We Cannot See’?
Premiering on Netflix November 2nd is the four-part series ‘’All the Light We Cannot See,’ which is based on author Anthony Doerr’s novel of the same name. The series was developed and written by Steven Knight (‘Spencer’) and directed by Shawn Levy (‘Free Guy,’ ‘Deadpool 3’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Shawn Levy and writer Steven Knight about their work on ‘’All the Light We Cannot See,’ visually adapting the source material, the themes they wanted to explore, the show’s unusual structure, and casting actress Aria Mia Loberti.
(L to R) Shawn Levy and Steven Knight for Netflix’s ‘All The Light We Cannot See.’
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, Shawn, can you talk about the challenges of adapting this source material visually to the screen, as well as the themes that you were excited to explore with the series?
Shawn Levy: Well, the good news is that the hardest part of the adaptation was Steven’s job, so I was spared that. I try to listen to what the script is telling me it wants to be, which is why ‘Free Guy’ looks different from ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘The Adam Project,’ and in this case, the source material, both the book and Steven’s adaptation, it was such a combination of historic, epic visuals, but with almost lyrical intimacy. I saw an opportunity to make something that doesn’t look like anything I’ve made before, but that also said something thematically that I believe in, which is, in spite of the many ways the world can break our heart, particularly in wartime, and the cruelty that people can do, that there is the critical importance of believing in the light we can’t see at a certain moment. History just recurrently teaches us this again and again, and times are dark once again, and it’s so hard, but also so important to hold on to your humanity, to your empathy, and to your ability to connect with someone else, regardless of the uniform they wear or the side of the world or conflict that they’re on.
MF: The series follows two different stories and features a lot of flashbacks. Steven, can you talk about the structure of the series and the challenges of adapting the source material?
Steven Knight: The biggest challenge of adapting the novel is the time shifts, because it’s sort of easier to do that on the page than it is on the screen. It took some sort of ingenuity to make sure that the audience don’t get lost in the time and fall between the cracks. I mean, that is a technical challenge, but I think that the real challenge of adapting something this good and this brilliant is to be able to confidently say that you know the characters well enough to have them do things they don’t do in the book. Setting the characters free can only happen if you are sure, you know who they are, and what they would do in those circumstances. For me, that was the biggest challenge, as well as daring to adapt something this well-loved and this well-celebrated. But I think in the end you have to do that; otherwise only mediocre novels would ever get adapted.
MF: Finally, Shawn, can you talk about discovering actress Aria Mia Loberti and why she was perfect to play the lead role of Marie-Laure LeBlanc?
SL: I felt going in that if I could find someone to play Marie who was herself low-vision or blind, that it wouldn’t just be the right way to approach it, it would be the better way to approach it, because it would be the authentic way to tell this story. So, we put out an open casting call and got well over a thousand auditions. One of them was from this graduate student, Fulbright scholar, young woman, who had never acted or even auditioned before, but she had such a presence on screen. She had an intelligence and a fire in her that felt like a hero and felt like it could bring this hero to life.
What is the plot of ‘All the Light We Cannot See’?
‘All the Light We Cannot See follows’ the lives of two teenagers during the height of World War II: Marie-Laure (Aria Mia Loberti), a blind French girl and Werner Pfennig (Louis Hofmann), a German boy forced to join and fight for the Nazi Regime.
Who is in the cast of ‘All the Light We Cannot See’?
A long time ago (well, probably around 2012) in a galaxy far, far away (actually more like Los Angeles), Zack Snyder heard that Disney was buying Lucasfilm and that new ‘Star Wars’ movies were likely. Yet while the director’s pitch for a standalone movie set in the universe of George Lucas’ creations didn’t ultimately click with Kathleen Kennedy and co., he’s now been able to retool the concept into his own sci-fi movie… Or movies, as he’ll explain below.
‘Rebel Moon’ is being produced under Snyder’s big deal with Netflix, set up around the time of zombie thriller ‘Army of the Dead’. It’s an ambitious, ‘Seven Samurai’-style tale of scrappy heroes fighting back against an imposing empire, with more than a few echoes of its original intended destination.
But unlike ‘Star Wars’ more normal family-friendly fare, ‘Rebel Moon’ will have a harder edge, with Snyder planning both an all-audience cut and something he describes as “for fans of mine and people who are ready to take a deeper, harder dive.”
‘Rebel Moon’ focuses on the agricultural moon of Veldt, part of a sprawling galaxy of planets overseen by the ferocious, all-powerful Imperium which oversees the other planets from its home base of Mother World.
When Imperium forces expand out to Veldt’s local area, they target the moon as a potentially rich source of food and new recruits. But the natives, none too happy that their already struggling existence is being threatened, turns to a newcomer, Kora (Sofia Boutella) for help.
The isolated woman, who has her own past with the Imperium, knows that it would be foolish to try and negotiate a better deal with the powerful government, so she rounds up some fighters who could be of use against the might of the enemy. But keeping alliances together won’t be quite so easy…
Though Snyder originally wrote one big script for the first movie, the powers that be at Netflix decided that it wouldn’t work as one giant film. So, a change was made…
Says Deborah Snyder, the director’s wife and regular producing partner:
“ Originally, the script was one movie, but it was in ‘Zack form; It was 172 pages. [Netflix film chairman Scott] Stuber was like, ‘On the service, under-two-hour movies really do better for some reason,’ even though you’ll binge-watch a series of eight episodes. Zack said, ‘If you ask me to make this less than two hours, I’m going to lose all the character. You won’t care about these people. It’s a character story about how people can change, and redemption, and what are you willing to fight for…’ So, he said, ‘What if I give you two movies?’”
The first installment of ‘Rebel Moon’ is due to land on Netflix on December 22nd.
The new movie stars Oscar-nominee Kate Hudson (‘Almost Famous’) as Bonnie Belle, a struggling single-mother who befriends a mysterious mental institute escapee with supernatural powers named Mona Lisa Lee (Jun Jong Seo).
Bonnie sees an opportunity to make some fast cash using Mona Lisa’s powers, but when they draw the attention of a police detective (Craig Robinson), their luck begins to run out as the cops close in on their crime-spree.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kate Hudson and director Ana Lily Amirpour about their work on ‘Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon,’ it’s themes, Hudson’s character, why she wanted to play the role, and what they would do if they had Mona Lisa’s powers.
Kate Hudson as Bonnie Belle in director Ana Lily Amirpour’s ‘Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon.’
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Kate Hudson and Ana Lily Amirpour about ‘Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon.’
Moviefone: To begin with, Ana Lily, the character of Mona Lisa seems like a metaphor for something else, is that correct? What does she really represent, and what were the themes you wanted to explore with this movie?
Ana Lily Amirpour: Honestly, it’s me. My films are really personal even if they are genre films and they’re fantastical. All the characters come from some personal things. With Mona Lisa, it’s like the feeling of being outcast and disconnected, but not in a sad way. You know what I mean?
She’s not like, play the violins for me. She’s just different. She’s from another place, speaks another language, is strange and powerful and so has been misunderstood. I definitely relate to that. But she’s just a little hungry monster that wants to go out and have some fun. I also relate to that.
MF: Kate, who is Bonnie? How would you describe her in your own words?
Kate Hudson: Bonnie Bell is a survivor. She really is quite comfortable in the life that she’s created for herself. She’s unapologetically who she is. She loves her kid, but doesn’t have much time to, as probably Bonnie would look at it, baby him or to comfort him when things are tough. Life is happening, and you got to survive.
She’s a tough mom. She probably doesn’t have a lot of the tools that some other parents would have. She wasn’t born with those tools. She’s out to make her money. She wants to make money. So, when she sees an opportunity, she’s going to take it. That’s who Bonnie is.
(L to R) Kate Hudson as Bonnie Belle, and Jun Jong-seo as Mona Lisa Lee in director Ana Lily Amirpour’s ‘Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon.’
MF: Finally, does she see anything else in Mona Lisa, or is she just a cash cow to Bonnie?
KH: Oh, that’s a good question. What do you think Ana Lily?
ALA: She’s in the grind. As Kate’s talking about her, I’m thinking about this type of woman, and she’s like a shark. Sharks don’t ever stop. They’re always moving. They’re hunters. She’s grinding. You know what I mean?
KH: Yeah, I think you’re absolutely right. It’s great to hear you, your instincts, because that is what intrigued me about Mona Lisa. I find her ability like magic. The idea that I think Bonnie just immediately thinks, “What you could do with this? Let’s go!” That’s just who Bonnie is. Then every step of the way, no one’s more present than Bonnie Bell.
ALA: What would you do if you met a girl like that? Wouldn’t you maybe be tempted to go to Neman Marcus and take a necklace? No, I’m just kidding. I’m not promoting a theft. But you know what I mean? It’s a pretty tasty power to have.
Kate Hudson stars in director Ana Lily Amirpour’s ‘Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon.’
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