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Tag: harrison-ford

Steven Yeun Joins Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts’
Steven Yeun in ‘Nope,’ written and directed by Jordan Peele. © 2022 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Steven Yeun’s career has been on a roll lately, and ever since leaving ‘The Walking Dead’, he’s been enjoying plenty of success on screens big and small. He was Oscar nominated for 2020 family drama ‘Minari’ and last summer appeared in Jordan Peele’s hit horror/sci-fi thriller ‘Nope’.

It was, perhaps, only a matter of time until he caught Marvel’s attention, and he’s now been cast in ‘Thunderbolts’. The movie has Jake Schreier directing and ‘Black Widow’s Eric Pearson writing the script.
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Just who are the ‘Thunderbolts?’

It isn’t an exact match, but the simple way of explaining the Thunderbolts is that they’re Marvel’s version of The Suicide Squad: a group of villains –– or at least anti-heroes –– brought together by third-party schemers in a possibly ill-advised attempt to turn them into a force for good.

In Marvel’s case, they were originally assembled by Baron Zemo and the Masters Of Evil and have sometimes been linked to Hulk regular General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross (hence the name). They made their debut in the pages of ‘The Incredible Hulk’ in 1996, introduced by writer and artist team Peter David and Mike Deodato. They continued to their own series the same year, created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, and have been brought back with a bunch of alternative line-ups in comics ever since.

David Harbour from ‘Thunderbolts’ at D23 Expo 2022.

Related Article: Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts’ Recruits ‘The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri

Who is in the ‘Thunderbolts’ movie so far?

We know (most of) the characters who will be showing up, since they were announced last year at Disney’s D23 event: Bucky Barnes (formerly The Winter Soldier), played by Sebastian Stan, is a key figure alongside Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster and David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, those three having been introduced in ‘Black Widow’.

Then there’s John Walker, AKA US Agent, played by Wyatt Russell and first seen in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ and Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava Starr, the phasing character known as Ghost, who debuted in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’.

As for those overseeing the team, we have Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, AKA Val, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who was also introduced in the ‘Falcon’ series and has since cropped up in the likes of ‘Black Widow’ and ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’. We also have Thaddeus Ross––last seen in ‘Black Widow’ and played since ‘The Incredible Hulk’ by William Hurt. But because of the actor’s death last year, Marvel has had to recast the role, tapping genre icon Harrison Ford to take over. Ross is reportedly the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s current President of the US (at least in ‘Captain America: New World Order’) so that’ll likely factor in.

And more recently, we learned that ‘The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri is also aboard in a mystery role.

As for Yeun, Marvel has yet to say –– and Deadline couldn’t dig up –– what part he’s playing, but he’s apparently a key figure in this movie, one who could well end up recurring in the MCU.

‘Thunderbolts’ is scheduled to land in theaters on July 26th next year.

Marvel Studios’ ‘Thunderbolts.’

Other Movies Similar to ‘Thunderbolts:’
- ‘The Avengers‘ (2012)
- ‘Guardians of the Galaxy‘ (2014)
- ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron‘ (2015)
- ‘Suicide Squad‘ (2016)
- ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘ (2017)
- ‘Avengers: Infinity War‘ (2018)
- ‘Avengers: Endgame‘ (2019)
- ‘The Suicide Squad‘ (2021)
- ‘The Bad Guys‘ (2022)
Buy Marvel Movies On Amazon
February 23, 2023
Kevin Feige Talks Marvel’s Future Projects
Tom Holland as Spider-Man in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’

Though we’re sure he’d prefer to keep everything under wraps until he’s fully ready to reveal them, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is sometimes called upon to sit down and discuss future plans for movies (and, increasingly, TV series) adapted from Marvel Comics into the sprawling, endlessly evolving chain of entertainment known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The release of a new movie, in this case ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’, is one of the occasions where Feige meets the press. And he was typically enthusiastic about this latest outing and his team’s future ideas.

Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.’ Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2022 Marvel.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Big Bad: Why Jonathan Majors?

Asked about the reasons for casting Jonathan Majors in the latest ‘Ant-Man‘ adventure (which led to multiple roles across different projects, including last year’s ‘Loki’ Season 1), Feige was clear on the choice of the actor for the new main villain.

Feige says, “For years, we’ve always had the inkling that Kang would be an amazing follow-up to Thanos. He’s got that equal stature in the comics, but he’s a completely different villain. Mainly, that’s because he’s multiple villains. He/s so unique from Thanos, which we really liked. And in the early days of ‘Quantumania’ [test audiences], Jonathan started to pop in a big way. He’s the highest-testing villain we’ve ever had in any of our friends and families [screenings]. That’s really saying something with a movie like this. Even early on without the effects, Jonathan is his own effect. He was working from the start. It’s always one of the fun rolls of the dice that we do at Marvel, which is to say: ‘Hey, we’re going to make multiple movies around this character, and we’re going to start before the audience has even had a chance to meet him.’ We really go all in on these ideas and this casting. It was a big relief when the season ender of ‘Loki’ season 1 happened.”
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What is Spider-Man’s future?

While ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ seemed to wrap up the Tom Holland story, Feige also confirmed that there are more Spider-plans bubbling away at Marvel HQ. It’s early days, but here’s what he admitted,

“All I will say is that we have the story. We have big ideas for that, and our writers are just putting pen to paper now.”

(L to R) Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman discuss Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool 3.’ Photo courtesy of Ryan Reynolds YouTube channel.

Related Article: Kevin Feige Teases When We’ll See More of Marvel’s Phase 5

Deadpool and Wolverine

Feige also talked up Hugh Jackman’s surprising return to the role of Wolverine for ‘Deadpool 3’, announced last year by the movie’s star, Ryan Reynolds.

The executive is clear on his joy at having Jackman back, especially given their connected history, since Feige worked on the ‘X-Men’ movies when 20th Century Fox had the rights.

Comments Feige, “It’s amazing. And we’ve got Hugh Jackman coming back for our first ‘Deadpool’ film within the MCU. That’s our first R-rated film. To have Hugh come back is incredible. For me, personally, that is where I started. I remember sitting behind the camera—well behind the camera—at his audition for the [first ‘X-Men’] film. It was his first on-set audition, and he flew up to Toronto to do a read with Anna Paquin. For him, and for me, and I think for all of the fans of Marvel, it’s unbelievable what has happened in those 23 years. It’s very full circle having him come back in this new ‘Deadpool’ film.”
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Marvel Studios’ ‘The Marvels’ opens in theaters on July 28, 2023.

What makes ‘The Marvels’ work?

One of Marvel’s exciting titles this year is ‘The Marvels’, the sequel to 2019’s ‘Captain Marvel’, which introduced Brie Larson’s powerful character Carol Danvers.

Directed by Nia DaCosta, the new film finds Carol interacting with Kamala Khan (AKA Ms. Marvel, introduced in her own eponymous Disney+ series last year) and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, the adult version of the character introduced as a child in ‘Captain Marvel’, but seen as an adult in ‘WandaVision’ when she also gained super powers.

Feige can’t wait for audiences to see the interactions between the three women.

He comments, “That’s what the entire movie is about. There are fun cosmic elements to it. Marvel comic fans will recognize elements of the Kree-Skrull war. And it’s picking up directly after the end of ‘Captain Marvel’, not in timeline but in story. We also do that in our upcoming Disney+ series ‘Secret Invasion’, and those are two very different follow-ups to that movie. Tonally, they couldn’t be more different. But there’s something immensely powerful about seeing Monica and Kamala and Carol together in a frame. To me, it’s only akin to the first ‘Avengers’ movie and seeing the six of them together in a frame. It’s chill-inducing. They’re so great together, and they all have different histories with one another.”
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Marvel Studios’ ‘Captain America: New World Order.’
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Where does Harrison Ford fit in to Captain America’s future?

Further down the production line is ‘Captain America: New World Order’, which will bring the new Captain America––AKA Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson––to theaters following his assuming the mantle properly in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’. Mackie’s character will be interacting with a new President of the United States, embodied by an established character with a different face. That would be Thaddeus Ross, formerly played by the late William Hurt and now to be brought to screens by Harrison Ford.

Feige was effusive about the new casting choice…

“We start filming relatively soon. I’m sure anyone you’ve ever talked with about Harrison Ford says this, but it’s unbelievable that we get to meet and talk with him and that he’s embracing this role. He’s tireless with the amount of work that he does. This is certainly a big part for Thaddeus Ross. He’s the president of the United States in the film. And with Harrison, you think about ‘Air Force One’ and you think about some of his confrontations with the president in ‘Clear and Present Danger’, There’s a dynamic between President Ross and Sam Wilson. They have a history together, but in this film, we’ll be seeing the dynamic between Captain America and the president of the United States in a way that is just incredible.”

Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade.’
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What has become of Blade?

There was also good news for fans of Daywalking half-vampire/half-human her ‘Blade’, whose own movie hit some creative road bumps last year when original director Bassam Tariq walked away due to creative differences and script issues.

From the sounds of it, ‘Blade’, starring Mahershala Ali as the main character, is back on track, with Feige offering that it’ll start shooting within the next 10 weeks.

And finally, Feige dropped a hint that we might finally learn more about his company’s plans for ‘Fantastic Four’, with the famous characters finally aiming to enter the MCU in 2025 via a movie directed by ‘WandaVision’s Matt Shakman.

According to Feige, “’Fantastic Four’ is the foundation for everything that came after in the comics. There’s certainly been versions of it [on screen], but never inhabiting the storytelling of the MCU. And that’s something that is really exciting for us. People will start to hear more about that soon. We plan on that being a big pillar of the MCU going forward, just the way they’ve been in the comics for 50 or 60 years.”

For more from Feige, visit Entertainment Weekly’s interview.

Marvel Studio’s ‘Fantastic Four.’
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Other Movies Similar to Marvel’s MCU:
- ‘Fantastic Four‘ (2005)
- ‘X-Men: First Class‘ (2011)
- ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past‘ (2014)
- ‘The New Mutants‘ (2020)
Buy Tickets: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Marvel MCU Movies On Amazon
February 16, 2023
‘The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri Joins ‘Thunderbolts’

Marvel Studios’ ‘Thunderbolts.’

Ayo Edebiri has gained a lot of attention lately for her role as driven chef Sydney Adamu in FX’s ‘The Bear’, for which she has been nominated for several awards and won some trophies.

Which has led to her getting a call from the Marvel team, and now Deadline reports that Edebiri has been recruited for the ‘Thunderbolts’ cast.

Ayo Edebiri from ‘The Bear.’ Photo courtesy of FX.

Originally confirmed as in development by Marvel boss Kevin Feige at the company’s 2022 San Diego Comic-Con panel, the main casting line-up was later announced at Disney’s D23 event last September.

It isn’t an exact match, but the simple way of explaining the Thunderbolts is that they’re Marvel’s version of The Suicide Squad: a group of villains––or at least anti-heroes––brought together by third-party schemers in a possibly ill-advised attempt to turn them into a force for good.

In Marvel’s case, they were originally assembled by Baron Zemo and the Masters Of Evil and have sometimes been linked to Hulk regular General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross (hence the name). They made their debut in the pages of ‘The Incredible Hulk’ in 1996, introduced by writer and artist team Peter David and Mike Deodato. They continued to their own series the same year, created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, and have been brought back with a bunch of alternative line-ups in comics ever since.

Sebastian Stan from ‘Thunderbolts’ at D23 Expo 2022.

For the movie we know (most of) the characters who will be showing up: Bucky Barnes (formerly The Winter Soldier), played by Sebastian Stan, is a key figure alongside Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster and David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, those three having been introduced in ‘Black Widow’.

Then there’s John Walker, AKA US Agent, played by Wyatt Russell and first seen in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ and Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava Starr, the phasing character known as Ghost, who debuted in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’.

Wyatt Russell from ‘Thunderbolts’ at D23 Expo 2022.

As for those overseeing the team, we have Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, AKA Val, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who was also introduced in the ‘Falcon’ series and has since cropped up in the likes of ‘Black Widow’ and ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’. We also have Thaddeus Ross––last seen in ‘Black Widow’ and played since ‘The Incredible Hulk’ by William Hurt. But because of the actor’s death last year, Marvel has had to recast the role, tapping genre icon Harrison Ford to take over. It’s unknown what position Ross will have in the new movie––the former General was Secretary of State in ‘Captain America: Civil War’.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus from ‘Thunderbolts’ at D23 Expo 2022.

Given Marvel’s typical shroud of secrecy, nothing is yet known about how Edebiri will fit into the story or what character she’s playing. She could be a character drawn from the comics, but even if that’s the case, her backstory could be changed for the film’s story.

So far, all that is really confirmed about the film beyond the main cast is the presence of ‘Paper Towns’ and ‘Robot and Frank’ director Jake Schreier and ‘Black Widow’ writer Eric Pearson providing the script.

‘Thunderbolts’ will be in theaters on July 26th next year.

David Harbour from ‘Thunderbolts’ at D23 Expo 2022.
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January 27, 2023
Apple TV+’s ‘Shrinking’ Interview: Jason Segel

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Premiering on Apple TV+ on January 27th is the new comedy series ‘Shrinking’ from creators Brett Goldstein (‘Ted Lasso’), Bill Lawrence (‘Scrubs’) and Jason Segel (‘The Muppets’).

The series stars Segel as Jimmy Laird, a therapist who is dealing with severe grief from the recent death of his wife. While raising his teenage daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell),

Jimmy begins to breach ethical barriers at work by telling his patients exactly what he thinks, resulting in massive changes to his and their lives, as well as the lives of his co-workers Gaby (Jessica Williams) and Dr. Paul Rhodes (Harrison Ford).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jason Segel about his work on ‘Shrinking,’ creating the series with Brett Goldstein and Bill Lawrence, Jimmy’s new found therapy style, how it affects his colleagues, his relationship with his daughter, and working with Harrison Ford.

Jason Segel stars in Apple TV+’s ‘Shrinking.’

You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Segel, Brett Goldstein and Neil Goldman, Bill Lawrence, Jessica Williams, Christa Miller, and Lukita Maxwell about ‘Shrinking.’

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk creating the series with Brett Goldstein and Bill Lawrence, and having the idea to set it in the world of therapy?

Jason Segel: Well, I must admit, I got very lucky. I had Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein come pitch me a pretty fully formed idea, and it was this show. I thought it sounded brilliant, and so I signed on very early and then brought whatever my secret sauce is to the table. But these guys had a really brilliant idea, which is somebody going through a nervous breakdown continuing to practice therapy.

MF: Jimmy’s personal life is falling apart and that begins to affect his work until he discovers a new way of doing therapy, can you talk about that?

JS: I think that there is a really magical element to rock bottom, which is that you’ve got nothing left to lose. The only place to go is up, and so it seems like a really pitiful position, but in a lot of ways it’s enviable. It’s only going up from here. So, you are watching a guy scramble his way out of rock bottom and trying to bring his patients with him because he recognizes that, it seems like we’re all stuck, and let’s get out of this mess.

(L to R) Jason Segel and Jessica Williams in ‘Shrinking,’ premiering January 27, 2023 on Apple TV+.

MF: Jimmy and his colleagues are all therapists with their own patients, but they act as therapists for each other as well. Can you talk about the relationships between Jimmy, Gaby, and Dr. Rhodes?

JS: Isn’t that the truth of life though? As you get older and learn to communicate better, we’re all each other’s kind of defacto therapists, right? But yes, me, Jessica Williams and Harrison Ford all work in a therapy office together. How crazy is that? And we have a lot of scenes of us therapizing each other, which are really fun.

MF: Harrison Ford is very funny in this series, and he hasn’t done a lot of comedy in the past. What was it like for you working with him and did you have any idea that he would be that funny?

JS: We underestimated how funny Harrison Ford was. We thought that the way that we would write Harrison Ford is kind of what you’d expect, that he would be the gruff straight man while we did comedy around him. But Harrison Ford is funny! He’s like a comedy savant. Wait until you see as these episodes go on. It just goes to show you how we all are limited by our own imaginations, but this guy knew what he was capable of doing and wanted to show it off.

(L to R) Harrison Ford and Lukita Maxwell in ‘Shrinking,’ premiering January 27, 2023 on Apple TV+.

MF: Finally, can you talk about Jimmy’s relationship with his daughter Alice, and how he’s trying to put the pieces of that relationship back together?

JS: It’s one of the primary storylines of this series. Jimmy, my character, has lost his wife in an accident, and in his spiral downward, this parental daughter relationship has flipped to where she is taking care of me now, and it is this slow road back. That to me is one of the main elements of the show, my character becoming an adequate father again.

Jason Segel in “‘Shrinking,’ premiering January 27, 2023 on Apple TV+.

January 25, 2023
Casting Roundup: Rami Malek to Play Buster Keaton

Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’

Ready for some casting news? You know you are. First up, we have word that Rami Malek––who, let’s not forget, won an Oscar for playing a real-life star (Freddie Mercury) in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’––is looking to repeat that trick by embodying none other than cinematic legend and comic genius Buster Keaton in a new limited series.

It all springs from ‘The Batman’ director Matt Reeves who, when he’s not busy writing the sequel to the 2022 superhero success, is also figuring out the spin-off Penguin TV series starring Colin Farrell as the character, which is headed to HBO Max.

According to Deadline, Warner Bros. TV is working with Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions company to develop the new series, which will focus on the vaudeville-turned-silent comedy movie star. Ted Cohen, a veteran of ‘Succession’ and ‘Friends’ (there are two very different credits, if ever we saw them) is on board to adapt James Curtis’ biography ‘Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker’s Life’.

That’s assuming Warners can lock down the rights to the book, but with Reeves and Malek both planning to produce and Reeves (despite his busy schedule) aiming to direct the limited series, we’d imagine they sound like a safe pair of hands to most book rights agents.

Keaton, who became famous for movies such as ‘The General’, ‘Sherlock Jr.’ and more was born into a vaudeville family but saw his career wane after striking a deal with MGM and yielding his artistic independence. His wife divorced him, and he became an alcoholic. His career rebounded in the 1940s, he remarried and earned an Honorary Academy Award in 1959.

Reeves and co. are taking the potential series out to streaming services and networks, though you’ve got to think that, given the Warner Bros. TV connection and Reeves overall deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO Max is in with a shot.

Marvel Studios’ ‘Captain America: New World Order.’

One the other side of the Big Two Superhero coin, there is news via Deadline that ‘Atlanta’ and ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ actor Xosha Roquemore is joining the cast of ‘Captain America: New World Order’.

Disney/Marvel’s latest Cap-focused story will continue the story of Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson as he grapples with inheriting the mantle (and shield) of Captain America from old pal Steve Rogers (Chris Evans, who likely won’t be in this one).

As seen in Disney+ series ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’, Sam initially rejected the idea of following in Steve’s footsteps, leading to the creation of US Agent (Wyatt Russell). But our hero eventually embraced his destiny and will face his biggest challenge yet in the new movie.

Written by ‘Falcon’ showrunner Malcolm Spellman along with Dalan Musson, ‘New World Order’ has Julius Onah directing and Tim Blake Nelson, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly and Shira Haas featured alongside Mackie. We don’t, of course, yet know who Roquemore will be playing.

As for the others, Nelson is returning as his ‘The Incredible Hulk’ character Samuel Sterns (AKA villain The Leader), Ford is taking over the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross from the late William Hurt, Lumbly reprises the role of Isaiah Bradley, a previous super soldier experiment who was imprisoned by his own government and Ramirez is once again playing ‘Falcon’ series character Joaquin Torres, who inherited the Falcon suit from Sam.

Haas, meanwhile, will be Sabra, an Israeli character from the comics whose Mossad connections could prove controversial for the story––assuming they’re not changed for the movie, which is often the case with Marvel comics characters arriving in the MCU.

The movie will be in theaters on May 3rd, 2024.
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Finally, Above The Line reports that Alex Wolff is reuniting with his ‘Pig’ director Michael Sarnoski for Paramount’s first spin-off from John Krasinski’s successful ‘A Quiet Place’ movies.

Working from a concept originally created by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and developed by Krasinski, the 2018 originally saw Krasinski directing and starring as part of a family (also including Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmons and Noah Jupe) who are dealing with a post-apocalyptic world brought about by dangerous, mysterious alien creatures who hunt by sound.

The 2020 sequel, ‘A Quiet Place Part II’, also directed by Krasinski, saw the family still trying to survive in the wake of terrible tragedy.

Paramount is naturally looking to launch a cinematic universe, and ‘Day One’ is the first flag stuck in the ground for that. Originally to be directed by Jeff Nichols (who left to pursue another film project he’d set up), the established script has passed to Sarnoski, who won acclaim for 2021’s ‘Pig’, starring Nicolas Cage and Wolff.

Nicolas Cage and Alex Wolff in ‘Pig’

He’s since worked on the screenplay and is now gearing up to direct, having cast Lupita Nyong’o and ‘Stranger Things’ Joseph Quinn in the movie.

‘Day One’s plot remains a mystery for now, though the title points to it being set on the first day that the aliens arrived and began causing chaos (which is glimpsed briefly at the start of ‘Part II’). The characters appear unlikely to interact with Blunt and co., this story heading off in a different direction.

And Wolff is far from a stranger to scary stuff: he’s appeared in movies such as Ari Aster’s ‘Hereditary’ and M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Old’.

‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ will be out on March 8th next year. And if you were wondering what Blunt and the kids have been up to, Krasinski is still looking to make ‘Part III’ of the main film series ready for 2025.

Emily Blunt as Evelyn Abbott in 2018’s ‘A Quiet Place.’
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January 23, 2023
First Teaser for Apple TV+ Comedy Series ‘Shrinking’

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Though you might think that team ‘Ted Lasso’ would be busy wrapping up the beloved soccer comedy (it recently finished shooting the third––and likely final (sob!)–– season in England), some of those involved in that Apple TV+ favorite have also been spending their time working on something else.

That something is ‘Shrinking’, a new comedy drama series co-created by and starring Jason Segel and some newcomer called (checks notes)… Harrison Ford?

Yes, the cinematic icon is indeed making a rare foray into TV for the show, which continues Apple’s apparent obsession with having as many shows as possible start with the letter “s” (‘Severance’, ‘Servant’, ‘Slow Horses’ and ‘Shantaram’ to name but four).

Bill Lawrence, the TV supremo who backed ‘Lasso’ (and helped develop it with stars Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt) here worked in a similar capacity alongside Segel and ‘Lasso’ writing/performing stalwart Brett Goldstein.

(L to R) Jason Segel as Jimmy Johns, and Harrison Ford as Dr. Phil Rhodes in Apple TV+’s series ‘Shrinking.’

Unlike with ‘Ted Lasso’s gruff Roy Kent, Goldstein doesn’t appear to be in front of the camera this time too, but the cast is full of talent including Jessica Williams, Michael Urie, Luke Tennie, Christa Miller, Tilky Jones, Lukita Maxwell, Rosslyn Luke and Matt Knudsen.

Directors for this one have included James Ponsoldt and Lawrence’s old ‘Scrubs’ star Zach Braff, who has overseen several episodes of the producer’s shows in the past.

The teaser tells us almost nothing about the show, since it doesn’t feature actual footage, just shots of Segel, Williams and some of the other cast jumping on a mini trampoline while captions let us know that sometimes you need to have a breakdown to have a breakthrough.

And no, the team behind the series sensibly does not have the 80-year-old star of ‘Star Wars’ and the ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise leaping into the air, both for safety and dignity’s sake. (Though we suppose they could have employed one of his stunt/photo doubles used in the latest Indy outing).

Harrison Ford as Dr. Phil Rhodes in Apple TV+’s series ‘Shrinking.’

Here’s what we know story-wise so far, via the official synopsis: ‘Shrinking’ follows a grieving therapist (Segel) who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives… including his own. So, there you have it.

We do at least know who Ford is playing, as character details were released when his casting was announced: He’s Dr. Phil Rhodes, a down-to earth, sharp as a tack “blue collar shrink,” blunt but with an ever present twinkle.

Phil is a pioneer in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy who has built a successful practice over the years that he shares with his two young proteges, Jimmy and Gaby. Fiercely independent, Phil has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, which forces him out of his comfort zone as he grapples with intrusive friends, his estranged family and his legacy.

The first two episodes of ‘Shrinking’ will premiere on Apple TV+ on Friday, January 27th, followed by one of the remaining eight episodes weekly.

(L to R) Christa Miller as Liz, and Jessica Williams as Gaby in Apple TV+’s series ‘Shrinking.’

November 30, 2022
Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones Will Be De-Aged For New Movie’s Opening

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’

Though the next Indiana Jones movie will find the adventurous archaeologist back in action while pondering his own mortality in the late 1960s, director James Mangold is also promising a thrilling throwback to the days of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and Indy in his prime.

Talking to Empire for the magazine’s latest issue, Mangold revealed that the new movie (whose title has yet to be revealed) will open with a set piece that dials the clock back to 1944, set in a castle swarming with Nazis. And, as we all know, Indy hates those guys.

“I wanted the chance to dive into this kind of full-on George-and-Steven old picture and give the audience an adrenaline blast,” Mangold says. “And then we fall out, and you find yourself in 1969. So that the audience doesn’t experience the change between the ‘40s and ‘60s as an intellectual conceit, but literally experiences the buccaneering spirit of those early days… and then the beginning of now.”

Using a combination of techniques, including some fancy new ILM software that pulls imagery from archived material of star Harrison Ford, the effects team took years off of the actor, while stunt and photo doubles were also utilized. For the man himself, the results were impressive.

“This is the first time I’ve seen it where I believe it,” Ford says. “It’s a little spooky. I don’t think I even want to know how it works, but it works. Doesn’t make me want to be young, though. I’m glad to have earned my age.”

But in case you were thinking the nefarious Nazis are confined to the 1940s… think again. Their threat has remained through the next couple of decades, and Indy encounters them once again in 1969. And the biggest menace comes from a man named Voller, played by Mads Mikkelsen. Loosely inspired by former Nazi rocket scientist-turned-NASA icon Wernher von Braun, he’ll be causing trouble particularly during the Apollo 11 ticker tape parade in New York.

Mads Mikkelsen as Voller in Lucsafilm’s ‘Untitled fifth Indiana Jones film.’ Photo courtesy of Empire Magazine.

“He’s a man who would like to correct some of the mistakes of the past,” Mikkelsen tells Empire of Voller. “There is something that could make the world a much better place to live in. He would love to get his hands on it. Indiana Jones wants to get his hands on it as well. And so, we have a story.”

Also on the side of the villains? Boyd Holbrook, who plays Klaber, Voller’s henchman. Because what is a James Mangold genre movie without Holbrook as a villain after ‘Logan’s Pierce?

Finally on the side of the goodies – or possibly her own side – we have Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Indy’s Goddaughter Helena. Helena Brody, in fact (as in Denholm Elliott’s Brody from the original movie). And she’s described as a “grifter” by Mangold.

For Waller-Bridge, who had worked with Lucasfilm on ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’, she came on board after a request from producer Kathleen Kennedy. “Kathy was in London and asked to have dinner with me, and casually mentioned this,” recalls the actor. “I immediately ordered ten bottles of wine. Then it was the fastest I’ve ever read a script; I came out of a sort of haze afterwards. I just couldn’t believe how much fun I had and how moved I was by it. And then I had a Zoom and screamed, ‘YES!’ at them all.”

(L to R) Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena, and Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in Lucasfilm’s ‘Untitled fifth Indiana Jones film.’ Photo courtesy of Empire Magazine.

The next Indiana Jones movie will be in theaters from June 30th, 2023.
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November 21, 2022
First Image of New Indiana Jones Movie

Harrison Ford stars as Indiana Jones in the next ‘Indiana Jones’ movie, which will be in theaters on June 30th, 2023.

Though Disney and Lucasfilm offered the first poster-based look at Harrison Ford’s return to the hat and whip as Indiana Jones for the fifth – and still untitled to the general public – movie featuring the archeologist adventurer.

Today, though (at least outside of set pics), we have our first proper look at Dr. Jones in person, via an exclusive carried by Empire magazine.

It’s been a long journey for the latest Indy movie, which has been in the works for quite some time. Through different versions and script drafts, it has evolved into an adventure that is mostly a secret for now, but it does seem to feature Indy in the 1960s.

Most notably, it’ll be the first without Steven Spielberg as director, ‘Logan’s James Mangold instead filling the big chair, and working on a script that has also seen work from Jez and John-Henry Butterworth.

And Ford, who has said that this will represent his final time playing the character, seems to be happy with the result.

Harrison Ford stars as Indiana Jones in the next ‘Indiana Jones’ movie, which will be in theaters on June 30th, 2023. Photo courtesy of Disney and Empire Magazine.

“It’s full of adventure, full of laughs, full of real emotion. And it’s complex and it’s sneaky,” Ford tells Empire, even if he admits that it was a big challenge. “The shooting of it was tough and long and arduous,” he says. “But I’m very happy with the film that we have.”

And more importantly, since he was ready to step away, the 80-year-old actor knew he wanted a sense of finality to this new outing. “I just thought it would be nice to see one where Indiana Jones was at the end of his journey,” Ford explains. “If a script came along that I felt gave me a way to extend the character.”

For Mangold, that was also the aim, while still staying true to what audiences have loved about these movies for decades. “It became really important to me to figure out how to make this a movie about a hero at sunset,” he says. “The issues I brought up about Indy’s age were not things I thought were being addressed in the material being developed at the time. There were ‘old’ jokes, but the material itself wasn’t about it. To me, whatever you greatest liability, you should fly straight towards that. If you try to pretend it’s not there, you end up getting slings and arrows the whole way.”

The cast for the new movie also includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Boyd Holbrook, Thomas Kretschmann, Toby Jones and Antonio Banderas.

Whatever its final title, the next ‘Indiana Jones’ movies will be in theaters on June 30th, 2023.

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’
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November 18, 2022
Teaser for ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel Series ‘1923’

Taylor Sheridan has certainly found a rich vein of Western-flavored TV to tap for his ever-expanding ‘Yellowstone’ franchise.

With the well-established ‘Yellowstone’ bubbling along nicely (the fifth season just debuted), he’s also dug back into the history of the Dutton clan and their territory for this year’s ‘1883’.

And it continues to attract big names following the likes of Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly in ‘Yellowstone’ and Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in ‘1883’.

With all due respect to Costner and Elliott, the leads for ‘1923’ might be the most exciting yet, as the show will follow the hardships and triumphs (and if it keeps to established format, more of the former) of Jacob and Cara Dutton, played by Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. And the teaser for the new spin-off is now online.

Linked directly to ‘1883’ but set 40 years later, ‘1923’ has some of its connective tissue via Ford’s Jacob, who is the brother of McGraw’s James. And we’ll learn the ultimate fate of the ‘1883′ characters (again, we’re not hopeful of some big happy ending).

(L to R) Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton and Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton in ‘1923’ streaming on Paramount+ 2022. Photo Credit: James Minchin III/Paramount+.

This time around, Dutton Ranch faces challenges like drought, pandemics, Prohibition, and the beginning of the Great Depression.

Alongside Ford and Mirren are other new faces on the Dutton ranch that must rise to this era’s challenges. James Badge Dale plays John Dutton Sr, just a little boy in ‘1883’ who’s now a middle-aged manager at the ranch with Ford’s Uncle Jacob. Marley Shelton plays his wife Emma, while Darren Mann is Jack, their son, who’s the great-grandfather of Costner’s character on ‘Yellowstone.’ Others include Michelle Randolph’s Elizabeth Strafford, who wants to marry Jack, and Brian Geraghty’s Zane, a loyal foreman on the ranch. There are characters beyond the Dutton ranch, too. Aminah Nieves plays Teonna, a Native American woman forced to attend a government-run boarding school. Meanwhile, Jerome Flynn leads the “sheep men” as Banner Creighton, a Scottish shepherd who serves as this series’ big bad.

“You’re very close to the bone here,” Ford told Vanity Fair. “The story is told in a very honest and straightforward way. There’s no apology for what becomes necessary to do. There’s a very strong moral context that’s frangible. The Duttons live by a code of behavior that they set for themselves, and it requires complicated moral and ethical judgment. It’s not just the physical life that’s hard… the upcoming Depression and all of the pressures, economic and social, are leading up to this very volatile time in American history.”

And like its stablemates, this is no small show, with filming at the sprawling Yellowstone ranch in Montana, but also in South Africa, Tanzania, and Malta, to give a sense of the saga’s scope.

Just don’t get too attached to ‘1923’ though – while it is indeed a series, it’s currently only planned to run for two seasons.

The first will debut on Paramount+ on December 18th.

Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton in ‘1923’ streaming on Paramount+ 2022. Photo Credit: James Minchin III/Paramount+.

Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton in ‘1923’ streaming on Paramount+ 2022. Photo Credit: James Minchin III/Paramount+.

Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton in ‘1923,’ streaming on Paramount+ 2022. Photo Credit: James Minchin III/Paramount+.

Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton in ‘1923,’ streaming on Paramount+ 2022. Photo Credit: James Minchin III/Paramount+.

November 14, 2022
Indiana Jones TV Spin-Off in Early Development

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’

Disney+ has been a place for the company to extend the already wide-reaching tentacles of the various franchises under its umbrella.

We’ve had a bevy of ‘Star Wars’ shows (which continues with the likes of ‘The Acolyte’, now in production under the leadership of Leslye Headland), a raft of Marvel TV series introducing new characters to the MCU or continuing the adventures of some such as Hawkeye and all sorts of other offerings for family audiences from Pixar, Disney Animation and others.

One notable exception – at least so far – has been Lucasfilm’s ‘Indiana Jones’, which in recent years, been confined to the big screen.

That, it would appear, is set to change. According to Variety, Disney and Lucasfilm are in the very early stages of exploring a new series set in the world of Dr. Jones, though given that they are only now meeting with writers to explore concepts, nothing is known about what this could be.

Given how much use Disney tends to get out of its various titles, it’s not out of the question that other writers and directors could re-cast Indy, even though that would meet with plenty of online backlash – as with the rumors that Chris Pratt could be taking over the role. He’s since said he won’t do it.

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’

It would seem nigh-on impossible for any series to be built around Harrison Ford as Indy, since the actor has firmly stated that he’s done slapping on the famous fedora and handling the whip. So, we are once again facing the possibility that someone else will play Indiana Jones.

It has happened in the past on TV – ‘The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles’, which ran for two seasons between 1992 and 1993 saw Sean Patrick Flanery playing, as the title suggests, a young Indy. The shows were retooled into TV movies later.

But the history of the franchise stretches back to the late 1970s, when George Lucas and Steven Spielberg hatched an idea for a movie about an adventurer inspired by the radio and movie series they loved when younger.

The result was the second iconic movie character for Ford after ‘Star Wars’ Han Solo. ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, directed by Spielberg, debuted in 1981 and was a big success. Spielberg followed it with ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ in 1984, ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ in 1989 and ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ in 2008.

Incoming is a fourth entry, this time directed by James Mangold. It has yet to announce a title or plotline. But we do know it’ll feature Ford in what is likely to be his final appearance in the role (unless tempted back by a good offer to cameo in any possible series) and also stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, Toby Jones, Antonio Banderas and John Rhys-Davies, who returns to his role as Sallah from both ‘Raiders’ and ‘Last Crusade’.

The new movie will be in theaters on June 30th next year.

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November 9, 2022