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New Trailer for ‘Andor’

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Does knowing the fate of a character diminish our enjoyment of learning about their earlier days?

It’s the challenge that many prequels face, but the team behind new ‘Star Wars’ Disney+ series ‘Andor’ will be hoping that filling in the details of Diego Luna’s rebel spy and fighter Cassian Andor’s life before ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ adds layers to his character.

Even if we do know that – spoiler alert for anyone who might not have seen ‘Rogue One’ – he’s fated to die in the mission to steal the Death Star plans.

‘Andor’ will premiere on Disney+ September 21st.

‘Andor’ turns back the clock to his younger days, living on a planet where the bite of the Empire is really being felt. It’ll show how he is recruited to fight alongside the growing rebellion.

Created by Tony Gilroy (who was brought in to oversee re-writes and re-shoots on ‘Rogue One’), the show also stars returning ‘Rogue’ cast members Genevieve O’Reilly (as Mon Mothma) and Forest Whitaker (as Saw Gerrera) plus Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller and Fiona Shaw.

‘Succession’ composer Nicholas Britell provides the music, while Gilroy directs several episodes alongside Ben Caron, Toby Haynes and Susanna White.

Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) in Lucasfilm’s ‘Andor,’ exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

“It’s quite unique, because we know what Cassian is capable of, but we’re going to meet him when he doesn’t know he’s capable of that,” Luna said during a ‘Good Morning America’ appearance to present the new promo. “We’re going to meet him when life is tough, it’s a very dark and interesting life because it’s just a regular guy that suddenly has to become part of something bigger, has to become part of a community that rises. It’s the beginning of the origins of a revolution, and it’s a beautiful story because it reminds us what we are capable of, what we are all capable of. There’s no Jedis around — it’s people having to take control.”

And, somewhat remarkably for the current run of ‘Star Wars’ shows, the series eschewed use of the Stagecraft volume (a huge bank of LED screens on which backgrounds and sets can be projected) for locations and more traditional effects techniques. “I love the whole world,” Luna admitted. “Suddenly I’m a kid on the set, because everything’s real, everything’s there. We don’t work with green screens — the stuff is built. The props work. They make noises.”

Cassian Andor’s fate might be decided, but ‘Andor’ will face its biggest challenge when it arrives on Disney+. In slightly disappointing news, the show has been delayed slightly from its original late August launch to September 21st. But it will launch with the first three episodes on that day, and unlike other recent shows, it will have 12 episodes in its first season.

Maarva (Fiona Shaw) in Lucasfilm’s ‘Andor,’ exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

August 1, 2022
Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel and Forest Whittaker Head for ‘Megalopolis’

Adam Driver in ‘The Report’ by Scott Z. Burns. Photo by Atsushi Nishijima.

Francis Ford Coppola is a filmmaker whose career includes such stone-cold classics as the first two ‘Godfather’ movies, ‘Apocalypse Now’ and ‘The Conversation’.

He’s evolved from young and hungry guerilla director to one of the grand elders of cinema, helping others get their work made and investing what he’s earned in other business, including his famous winery. So, you might think his legacy would be secure.

Yet for Coppola, he’s not yet satisfied, his creative drive powering him to work on one more, giant – and incredibly risky – passion project, a movie he’s been trying to bring to life for 20 years: ‘Megalopolis’. And now he might, finally, be doing it, as Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Forest Whittaker, Jon Voight, and Laurence Fishburne are all in the cast for the movie.

Strict story details are sketchy, but the rough logline runs thus: The fate of Rome haunts a modern world unable to solve its own social problems in this epic story of political ambition, genius, and conflicting interests. To be a little clearer on that, it’ll focus on political and social wrangling in a giant city (modeled on, or even actually, New York) looking to rebuild after a disaster.

The quest to make this one has consumed Coppola in recent years, and he’s pouring a lot of his own money into making the movie (while deals are being hatched to boost its financing). With a budget in the region of $100 million. It’s a project that has seen cast and backers come and go – most recently, he had it set up with the likes of Oscar Isaac and Zendaya in the lead roles, but that version didn’t quite come together (though Voight and Whittaker were attached then, too).

Director Frances Ford Coppola at the 50th Anniversary of ‘The Godfather’ event and historic street naming ceremony the Paramount Theater in Hollywood, CA on February 22nd, 2022. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures.

Speaking to Deadline recently, Coppola outlined why he’s really making this movie. What would make me really happy? It’s not winning a lot of Oscars because I already have a lot and maybe more than I deserve. And it’s not that I make a lot of money, although I think over time it will make a lot of money because anything that the people keep looking at and finding new things, that makes money,” he says.

Coppola adds: “So somewhere down the line, way after I’m gone, all I want is for them to discuss ‘Megalopolis’ and, is the society we’re living in the only one available to us? How can we make it better? Education, mental health? What the movie really is proposing is that utopia is not a place. It’s how can we make everything better? Every year, come up with two, three or four ideas that make it better. I would be smiling in my grave if I thought something like that happened, because people talk about what movies really mean if you give them something.”

The cameras should be rolling this fall. But is Coppola not concerned that it could still be a tough sell, even when it’s been made? “My films, the more weird they are, the longer they seem to last,” he says. “I don’t even know why.”
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May 13, 2022
Forest Whitaker & Usher discuss the important messages in ‘Burden’

This past February, ‘Burden’ opened in theaters in a fairly limited release, right before most theaters across the country stopped showing movies. The movie is now available for streaming, and that’s important, because the movie has some messages that are particularly relevant right now.

‘Burden’ is based on the true story of Reverend David Kennedy and KKK Grand Wizard Mike Burden, how Reverend Kennedy helped Burden leave the KKK behind. The film was written and directed by Andrew Hecklers, stars include Forest Whitaker as Reverend Kennedy and Garrett Hedlund as Mike Burden. The co-stars include Andrea Riseborough, Tom Wilkinson, Tess Harper, Usher, and Crystal R. Fox.

In this exclusive interview with Made in Hollywood, ‘Burden’ stars Forest Whitaker and Usher talk about how the film puts forth a message of forgiveness. And the Reverend Kennedy talks about his belief in using love to respond to hate.

‘Burden’ won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, and is now available on demand and streaming on most platforms.

July 4, 2020
Jennifer Hudson will blow you away as Aretha Franklin in this teaser trailer for ‘Respect’

In six months, movie audiences are going a terrific Christmas present, because December 25 is the date that ‘Respect’ opens, featuring Academy Award-winner Jennifer Hudson playing the legendary Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.

MGM released this first teaser trailer during this year’s BET Awards, and from what we can see and (more importantly) hear, Hudson really delivers.

‘Respect’ also boasts a fairly stunning supporting cast, including Mary J. Blige (as Dinah Washington), Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Marc Maron, Tate Donovan, and Tituss Burgess.

This is the feature film debut for Liesl Tommy, who, in 2016, became the first black woman nominated for a Tony award for Best Direction for Eclipsed.

‘Respect’ is scheduled to open January 15, 2021.

June 28, 2020
‘How It Ends’ Trailer & Poster Send Theo James & Forest Whitaker Into the Apocalypse

Yes, the end of the world is always in fashion!

Netflix just posted the official trailer and poster for “How It Ends,” once more portraying an apocalyptic nightmare.

No power. No rules. No choice … but to fight.

The action thriller was written by Brooks McLaren and directed by David M. Rosenthal. “Divergent” star Theo James and “The Vampire Diaries” alum Kat Graham play a couple expecting a baby, with Forest Whitaker as her father. Then a lot of bad stuff starts happening, and the guys travel 2,000 miles to try and save her:

“As a mysterious apocalypse causes the spread of misinformation and violence, a man and his estranged father-in-law race across a chaotic and fractured country to save his pregnant wife.”

Here’s the trailer:Here’s the poster:

The visuals are pretty strong. Let’s hope the film itself holds up.

“How It Ends” will be available for streaming July 13 on Netflix.

[Via: Collider]

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June 22, 2018
Johnny Depp Tries to Solve The Notorious B.I.G. Murder in ‘City of Lies’ Trailer

Johnny Depp plays real-life L.A.P.D. detective Russell Poole in “City of Lies,” following the murder investigations of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur.

Forest Whitaker costars in the film, which just released its first trailer — in addition to the official photo above.

The movie was previously called “LAbyrinth,” in reference to the book by Randall Sullivan. That book’s lengthy full title is “LAbyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G, the Implication of Death Row Records’ Suge Knight, and the Origins of the Los Angeles Police Scandal.” Phew!

Here’s the trailer:And here’s the official movie synopsis:

“Based on the true story of one of the most notorious and unsolved cases in recent time, CITY OF LIES is a provocative thriller revealing a never-before-seen look at the infamous murder of The Notorious B.I.G. shortly following the death of Tupac. L.A.P.D. detective Russell Poole (Johnny Depp) has spent years trying to solve his biggest case, but after two decades, the investigation remains open. “Jack” Jackson (Forest Whitaker), a reporter desperate to save his reputation and career, is determined to find out why. In search of the truth, the two team up and unravel a growing web of institutional corruption and lies. Relentless in their hunt, these two determined men threaten to uncover the conspiracy and crack the foundation of the L.A.P.D. and an entire city.”

For what it’s worth, which may be nothing, this is the same film set where Johnny Depp was accused of trying to attack a crew member.

“City of Lies” opens in theaters on September 7th.

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May 21, 2018
Johnny Depp Accused of Trying to Attack Crew Member on ‘Toxic’ Film Set

Because Johnny Depp needed another problem.

Page Six has a story out claiming “multiple sources” told them Johnny Depp attacked a location manager on the set of his movie “LAbyrinth.” The only person to go on-the-record for the story was the film’s director Brad Furman, who defended Depp (and his own film) and called what happened a nonevent being exaggerated.

“LAbyrinth” stars Johnny Depp in the role of real LAPD detective Russell Poole, who failed to solve the murders of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. A reporter (played by Forest Whitaker) later teams up with Poole to find out the truth.

An unnamed insider told Page Six it was a “toxic” set, and the spat in question started when Depp took over directing scene where he cast two of his friends as a cop and a homeless man. A source said the scene turned into “way more than it should have been” and also seemed to go longer than planned. A street in downtown L.A. was closed off for filming, and when the permit ran out, Depp still wanted to keep filming. That’s when the location manager became the proverbial messenger who gets shot.

The producers reportedly kept asking for time to be extended on the closed street, but the location manager ultimately told director Brad Furman the scene had to wrap. “Brad interjected, ‘Tell that to Johnny Depp!’” So the location manager was reportedly left to tell Depp.

Here’s what happened next, via Page Six:

“This is the last shot,” a source said, when an irate Depp — who’d been “smoking and drinking all day on set” — got in the staffer’s face. “He was 6 inches away, yelling, ‘Who are you? You have no right!’ ” sources said.

When the well-liked worker told Depp, “I’m just doing my job,” a source said Depp tried to punch him in the ribs. But the weak blow didn’t make an impact, and Depp yelled, “I’ll give you $100,000 to punch me right now!” The stunned staffer stood still, and Depp was finally pulled away.

Page Six reached out to Depp but his rep had no comment. Here’s director Brad Furman trying to shut it down as a nothingburger:

“Johnny Depp is a consummate professional, great collaborator and a supporter of other artists. He always treats the crew and people around him with the utmost respect. Movies can be stressful, and nonevents often become exaggerated. We all love stories — there isn’t one here.”

Well, maybe not to him, but someone — “multiple” someones, according to Page Six — spoke out about what happened. It’s not like they give live reports from every film set every day, and L.A. is brimming with film sets filled with big stars like Johnny Depp.

Depp is already embroiled in drama with money battles with his managers, and he’s being sued by former bodyguards. And some fans still wish he had not been cast as Gellert Grindelwald in the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise.

But he’s also Johnny Depp, hugely popular movie star with very loyal fans. Maybe whatever happened wasn’t a big deal, but on-set antics are tolerated less and less these days, even from megastars (remember Christian Bale’s taped rant?), so maybe it’ll serve as another wake-up call for everyone in the public eye to just behave.

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May 8, 2018
Six Things You Need to Know Before You See Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’

Marvel Studios kicks off the new year in a big way with the release of “Black Panther.”

Directed by Ryan Coogler and featuring Chadwick Boseman as the titular superhero king, “Black Panther” is easily one of the most anticipated superhero movies yet. But before you order your tickets, here are six things you need to know about the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

1. It Picks Up Where ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Left Off
We highly recommend that you watch the most recent “Captain America” movie before sitting down to screen “Black Panther.” This new film is a direct offshoot of that one in many ways. “Civil War” introduced viewers to Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa and established his struggle as a man suddenly thrust into monarchy while seeking revenge for the murder of his father.

“Civil War” also introduced moviegoers to Martin Freeman‘s Everett K. Ross, a character who will play a crucial role in “Black Panther.” Where before Ross was a CIA agent helping to enforce the fledgling Superhuman Registration Act, now he’s acting as a liaison of sorts between the US and the secretive nation of Wakanda.

2. Wakanda Is Kind of a Big DealMCU fans first heard mention of Wakanda in 2015’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” as plunderer extraordinaire Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) recounted the story of how he lost an arm there after being caught smuggling vibranium out of the country (naturally).

“Black Panther” is the first time in the MCU where we’ll actually spend some legit time there (more than the few seconds in the “Civil War” end credits sting.) Wakanda’s emergence is going to be a very big deal in the MCU, as the outside world comes to grips with the fact that a highly advanced society has been hiding in plain sight — in the heart of Africa — for centuries. T’Challa’s greatest challenge as king will be in deciding how to guide his homeland into an uncertain future where isolationism is no longer an option.

3. T’Challa’s Fighting on More Than One Front
Don’t expect “Black Panther” to completely follow the traditional superhero movie formula. Panther is a king first and a superhero second, and his struggles tend to reflect that fact.

As our hero deals with bringing his country to the world stage, he’ll face a great deal of political unrest within his homeland. Not everyone is happy about the prospect of being led by this young, unproven monarch. But any good king has friends and advisors to rely upon, and T’Challa is no exception. The film will introduce several new allies for Black Panther, including his sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), his stepmother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett), close friend W’Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya), and advisor Zuri (Forest Whitaker).

T’Challa will also call upon the skills of his elite bodyguards, the Dora Milaje (think Wakanda’s version of an all-female Seal Team Six), a group that includes Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Okoye (Danai Gurira).

4. Get Ready for Lots of Punching
It’s just as well T’Challa has so many allies in this film, because he’s got a list of enemies long enough to fill out an entire Avengers movie.

His chief nemesis is Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), a Wakandan exile and mercenary with designs on the throne. The trailers make it clear that Killmonger will eventually gain possession of his own Black Panther suit and test his might against T’Challa.

Killmonger will be aided by Klaue, who hasn’t lost his thirst for Wakanda’s valuable vibranium stockpile. The trailers also make it clear that Klaue has received a few upgrades of his own, replacing his severed hand with a sonic weapon that will make fans of the character in the comics giddy.Finally, T’Challa will face a another challenger to the throne in the form of M’Baku (Winston Duke), the leader of a rival mountain tribe called the Jabari.

5. There’s Some Mysticism Going on Here, Too
Not only is Black Panther a more politically-driven character than most of Marvel’s heroes, he also has a strong spiritual side.

Wakandan culture worships the panther god Bast, and one of the gifts of the Black Panther is their ability to enter the spiritual realm and directly commune with both their ancestors and Bast herself. Expect that side of the character to be explored in the new movie, as we learn that Black Panther’s power — as well as Wakanda itself — is as much spiritual as it is technological. (While visiting the film’s set, we saw some interesting concept art depicting the above plain — or rather, a more astrological version of it — with the land replaced by what looked like an eye’s iris and pupil, one laid out flat and stretching across the horizon line. Take that, “Doctor Strange.”)

6. Black Panther Will Return
Which is a good thing, and a no-brainer, considering that the film has sold more advanced tickets than any other Marvel movie.

Boseman has signed a five-picture contract with Marvel Studios, and you’d better believe they’re going to make the most of it. Boseman will reprise his role three months later in “Avengers: Infinity War,” as Wakanda becomes a ground zero of sorts for Thanos’ invasion of Earth. Fans have speculated that Wakanda may be home to the Soul Stone, the sixth and final Infinity Stone (and the only one that has yet to be featured in the MCU).

So don’t be surprised to see at least one post-credits sequence setting the stage for “Infinity War.”We also expect Marvel to leave the door wide open for more “Black Panther” sequels. Based on ticket pre-sales, the film is expected to become one of the highest-grossing Marvel movies yet.

February 9, 2018
16 Things You Never Knew About David Fincher’s ‘Panic Room’

While promoting “Panic Room” before its release 15 years ago this week (on March 29, 2002), director David Fincher made a distinction between his “films” (arty works like “Fight Club“) and his “movies” — popcorn crowd-pleasers, which is what he considered “Panic Room.”

Nonetheless, “Panic Room” feels like more than just a brutally efficient thrill machine. It’s an intricate puzzle box and a psychological probe of our darkest impulses and fears, one that gave Jodie Foster one of her biggest hits and Kristen Stewart her first big break. It’s all the more amazing in that, given its troubled production history, the movie even got made.

Let’s celebrate it’s decade-and-a-half anniversary with some trivia movie fans should know.
1. After the mind-bending complexity of “Fight Club,” Fincher (above, right) wanted an easier project, and he thought he’d found one with David Koepp‘s “Panic Room” script, since almost all of the movie is set inside a single townhouse. But the shoot turned out to be anything but easy.

2. Fincher wasn’t the first choice to direct. Initially, the producers had offered the gig to Ridley Scott, then to Forest Whitaker, who chose instead to take on the role of ambivalent burglar Burnham.
3. The first and biggest roadblock was the casting of the leading lady. Nicole Kidman was originally set to play Meg, the role Jodie Foster would take over. But Kidman had to bow out after two weeks when she aggravated a knee injury she’d suffered while making “Moulin Rouge.”

4. Reportedly up for consideration to replace her were Sandra Bullock, Angelina Jolie, and Robin Wright. Ultimately, the filmmakers hired Foster, giving her only a week to prepare for the shoot.
5. Swapping Foster for Kidman changed the nature of the character. “It’s like Hitchcock casting Grace Kelly,” Fincher said of Kidman. “It’s about glamour and physicality. With Jodie Foster, it’s more about what happens in her eyes. It’s more political. Jodie is someone who has spent 35 years making choices that define her as a woman and define women in film. Jodie Foster is nobody’s f—ing pet, nobody’s trophy wife.”

6. Kidman can still be heard in the final film, however. When Foster’s Meg calls her ex-husband (Patrick Bauchau), his new lady — voiced by Kidman — answers the phone. And you’re welcome for that little Easter egg.
7. Similarly, daughter Sarah underwent major changes. Initially cast was Hayden Panettiere, but when she dropped out, the filmmakers replaced her with Stewart and made the character more tomboyish, to play up the contrast with Kidman’s Meg. After Foster replaced Kidman, however, Sarah was rewritten to become more frail and vulnerable.

8. There were some changes behind-the-camera, as well. Fincher had hoped to use Darius Khondji, the cinematographer behind Fincher’s “Seven,” but the director and the lensman clashed over creative decisions. Fincher asserted control, Khondji left, and the less experienced Conrad W. Hall, son of famous DP Conrad Hall (“American Beauty”), replaced him.

9. Foster added one more speed bump to the production. Or should we say baby bump? Well into the shoot, she was visibly pregnant, which is why there are a number of shots of the actress wearing a sweater. Even so, part of the shoot had to be postponed until after Foster gave birth.
10. As Raoul, the frightening leader of the burglars, Fincher initially wanted to cast Maynard James Keenan, lead singer of Tool, with whom the director had worked on a music video. Eventually, he selected another musician, Dwight Yoakam (above, right), inspired by the country singer’s villainous performance in “Sling Blade.”

11. “Seven” screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker has a cameo as a drowsy neighbor.
12. Most of the filming took place on a set built inside a soundstage near Manhattan Beach in California. Designed for maximum freedom of camera movement, the set cost $6 million to construct. But Fincher’s fluid use of the camera, combined with the necessity of shooting many scenes twice (the second time for their appearance on the panic room’s security monitors), ended up requiring nearly 2,100 camera shot setups, resulting in one of the lengthiest shoots of Fincher’s career.

13. Of course, Fincher’s own notorious perfectionism also lengthened the shoot. For one five-second scene, when Raoul attacks Meg and forces her to drop Sarah’s medical kit, Fincher ordered more than 100 takes, so that the kit would land in frame and in focus, and so that it would be clear that she loses it and doesn’t merely toss it away.
14. “Panic Room” cost a reported $48 million to make. It earned back $96 million in North America and another $100 million throughout the rest of the world.

15. Some critics saw a 9/11 metaphor in “Panic Room,” with its plot about thugs invading and wreaking havoc on a supposedly secure Manhattan home. But that was just an accident of timing, since principal photography was finished before the Sept. 2001 attacks.
16. In the end, working in a confined space drove the filmmakers as crazy as it did the characters. When Entertainment Weekly asked him in 2004 what lessons he learned from making “Panic Room,” Fincher said, “Don’t shoot for 100 days in one place, that’s what’s to be learned from that. Figure out ways not to.” He added, “They probably had that same kind of problem on ‘The Shining‘ — that’s all in one house. [But] at least they get out, they get to run through a maze.”

March 28, 2017
Forest Whitaker Taking His ‘Rogue One’ Character to ‘Star Wars Rebels’

“Rogue One” rebel Saw Gererra is taking his fight to animation.

“Star Wars Rebels,” which is set prior to the events of “Rogue One.” Whitaker makes his debut in the Jan. 7 episode “Ghosts of Geonosis, Parts One and Two.”

Saw has appeared in animated form before, in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” where the brash, no-holds-barred guerrilla fighter trained with Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

“It’s an incredible honor to have Forest Whitaker play Saw in Rebels,” said executive producer Dave Filoni in a statement. “Forest did a great job at capturing Saw in a way that is a bit mad, a bit crazed, a bit afraid, but also a bit sympathetic. He sees something coming, but no one will take action before it’s too late.”

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December 21, 2016