Jeff Bridges, Allison Janney and Jesse Eisenberg will voice characters in ‘Minions & Monsters’.
It’s the latest ‘Despicable Me’ spin-off featuring the chattering creatures.
The movie will arrive on July 1.
There’s no keeping those Minions down. The chattering characters from the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise who have had a few of their own spin-off movies are back later this year for another new entry, ‘Minions & Monsters’.
A prequel to 2010’s ‘Despicable Me’ and sequel to 2022’s ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru,’ the newest adventure is set in the world of 1920s Hollywood as the yellow underlings work to find the lead of their monster movie.
Described as “rambunctious, ridiculous and totally true,” the story follows how the Minions conquered the entertainment industry and became movie stars… only to lose everything and unleash monsters onto the world before they banded together to save the planet from their mayhem.
When will ‘Monsters & Minions’ be in theaters?
Universal has confirmed a July 1 release date for the new animated outing.
In addition to taking a lead role, Reynolds would produce and is at work on a new script, writing alongside Enzo Mileti and Scott Wilson, whose joint screenwriting resume includes season 4 of ‘Fargo.’
And on the directing front, editor Shane Reid (who was one of two editors on ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’) is stepping up to make his shot-calling debut.
(L to R): Jeff Bridges and Clint Eastwood in 1974’s ‘Thunderbolt & Lightfoot’.
The original 1974 ‘Thunderbolt & Lightfoot’ starred Clint Eastwood as a bank robber disguised as a preacher and on the run from his old gang, who erroneously believe he double-crossed them.
When he meets up with Lightfoot, a low-level street thief played by Jeff Bridges, the two come up with a plan to team with the old gang for a new bank job. Nothing goes as intended.
The movie was the directorial debut of Michael Cimino, who would later go on to win a best directing Oscar for his 1978 Vietnam War drama ‘The Deer Hunter.’ Cimino also wrote the script for ‘Thunderbollt.’ Bridges earned an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor for his performance.
And stop us if we’re wrong, but we’re thinking… could this be the movie that reunites Reynolds with his pal and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ co-star Hugh Jackman? Actually, don’t stop us. We like the idea too much.
What else is Ryan Reynolds up to?
Ryan Reynolds attends the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Despite saying he’s taking a break after all the effort he poured into the last Deadpool movie, Reynolds has seemingly been as busy as ever, just more behind the scenes. That is when he’s not appearing in Mint Mobile commercials every other TV ad break.
Just this week, he signed on to star as the villain in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of ‘Eloise,’ based on the children’s book series written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight, which he and his Maximum Effort colleagues are producing. He is also a producer on ‘John Candy: I Like Me,’ the documentary on the late great comedic actor that premiered at this year’s Toronto Film Festival and is now streaming on Amazon.
Besides those, there are his rumored plans for a Deadpool/X-Men crossover and various other potential movies.
When might the new ‘Thunderbolt & Lightfoot’ be on screens?
With the movie still in a relatively early development phase, Amazon MGM has yet to commit to an actual release date. But it sounds like there is some positive forward movement.
Ryan Reynolds in ‘Smokin’ Aces’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
In theaters on October 10 via Walt Disney Studios is ‘TRON: Ares’, the third entry in the franchise about artificial beings existing on a computer grid.
The ‘Tron’ movies have always been about humanity’s connection to –– and issues with –– technology, and as AI dominates headlines, the time seems right for a new entry to the venerable franchise, which has so far only put out two entries.
Yet the latest suffers from some very basic issues, especially when it comes to its script, but does have enough entertainment value.
The new movie’s script, written by Jesse Wigutow (David DiGilio receives a “story by” credit) makes the whole affair feel like a video game that has some impressive graphics, but not quite enough power to make it work fully. It’s loaded up with coincidence and contrivance along the lines of many basic would-be blockbusters.
And while it doesn’t lean too heavily on nostalgia, there’s a chunk of it near the end which, while it allows for a welcome return, does tend the drain the tension.
Director Joachim Rønning, meanwhile, has experience with this sort of big scale movies, but he can only do so much to inject humanity into the overall result.
Jared Leto actually tones things down, Ares naturally being a more muted character until he starts to evolve. He’s perfectly serviceable in the role, and even funny towards the end.
Greta Lee enjoys some decent moments, but is mostly saddled with a character you feel like came straight off the peg in terms of story arc.
Evan Peters has fun as the villainous Julian Dillinger, but spare a thought for poor Gillian Anderson who pop ups for a couple of scenes as his mother but is essentially a walking cliché.
‘TRON: Ares’ follows a highly sophisticated Program, Ares (Jared Leto), who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings.
(L to R) Jared Leto and Jeff Bridges at the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con Hall H Panel for ‘TRON: Ares’. Photo: Disney.
Preview:
‘TRON: Ares’ showed off some new footage at Comic-Con.
Director Joachim Rønning was present at the panel.
The movie will land on October 10th.
With much of Disney’s other big franchises –– Marvel especially –– skipping the San Diego Comic-Con this year, it’s up to ‘TRON: Ares’, the latest entry to feature A.I. Programs and humans mixing, to fly the genre flag.
A highly sophisticated Program called Ares (Leto) is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings.
What happened at the ‘TRON: Ares’ panel?
(L to R) The cast and crew of ‘TRON: Ares’ at the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con Hall H Panel. Photo: Disney.
The ‘Ares’ panel began with a digital light display and bots floating around the screens of Hall H, with suited Programs on stage.
Before any of the filmmakers or cast arrived, a new trailer played for the crowd.
Director Rønning brought Leto, Peters, Anderson, Turner-Smith and Bridges on stage to discuss the movie.
Leto admitted he was already in the tank for ‘Tron’ before taking the role:
“At the end of the day, I am an official ‘Tron’ super fan. If I wasn’t on the stage, I would be in the audience, for sure, watching this panel right now, cheering like all these crazy people out here.”
He also called Jeff Bridges a hero, a sentiment surely everyone in the crowd would share.
Rønning was also enthused to work on the movie:
“Well, it’s ‘Tron’. So, I was immediately drawn into it. I love the franchise, the movies, I think, in many ways, are masterpieces. And, you know, I always dreamt about making science fiction. I think the topic is super interesting, and they had a twist to it.”
(L to R) Jeff Bridges, Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith at the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con Hall H Panel for ‘TRON: Ares’. Photo: Disney.
A couple of new clips were shown, including Leto’s Ares in a light chase with Turner-Smith’s Athena, and one set in the digital world of the Grid, which has been expanded by Peters’ Julian Dillinger (a name that should set alarm bells ringing in ‘Tron’ fans’ minds).
The panel ended with the debut of Nine Inch Nails’ new tie-in single, “As Alive as You Need Me to Be” (Trent Reznor and his group supply the music for the movie).
This is what Leto had to say about the soundtrack:
“The music for ‘Tron’ has always been such an important part. When we were talking about music for this film, there was really only very few people you could think about that could fill those shoes and Nine Inch Nails absolutely did it. I mean, they made music that’s going to live a lifetime.”
When will ‘TRON: Ares’ be in theaters?
The third instalment of the ‘Tron’ franchise will bring the Grid to screens on October 10th.
(L to R) Jodie Turner-Smith, Evan Peters and Gillian Anderson at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 for ‘TRON: Ares’. Photo: Disney.
Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Disney.
Preview:
Disney brought several movies to its CinemaCon 2025 presentation.
The likes of ‘Tron: Ares,’ ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ and more were showcased.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ also showed footage, alongside Pixar’s Elio, Freakier Friday and the new, live-action/CG ‘Lilo & Stitch
While it is still looking to rebuild its fortunes, Disney can at least look back on 2024 as one with several big hits, especially ‘Inside Out 2’ and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.’
But it will have to prove that this year’s slate can match past successes. Luckily, the Mouse House has more strings to its bow than even the likes of Universal or Warner Bros., and heavy hitters including Pixar, Marvel and James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ series primed and ready with new entries, plus the return of ‘Tron’ to the grid… er, cinemas.
Following the usual stuff about sponsors and theater owners (got to play to the crowd!), the Disney presentation signaled the end of CinemaCon’s studio events and began with the traditional sizzle reel of upcoming movies, framed in amusing fashion by having ‘Lilo & Stitch’s titular blue troublemaker wander through the rest of the slate.
Getting the presentation off to its formal stage start was Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment.
He was joined by Andrew Cripps, head of theatrical distribution at the studio to unveil the typically packed schedule of movies the studio will have across the rest of the year, and to extol the fact that Disney movies are Disney movies are typically in theaters an average of three weeks longer than any other studio.
2025’s live-action ‘Lilo & Stitch’. Photo: Walt Disney Pictures.
The latest animated-to-live-action conversion project faces additional pressure following ‘Snow White’s poor showing at the box office this past month. With Disney bosses pushing pause on a planned ‘Tangled’ live-action movie, ‘Lilo’ will need to perform in order to keep that particular strand of the company’s strategy alive beyond ‘Moana,’ due next year.
Some fresh, sneak peek footage from the new movie was screened for the crowd, featuring Stitch on a trip with Lilo and family; they go to a restaurant where the little blue alien causes the requisite chaos even as Lilo tries to teach him to behave. Some of what was shown has already popped up in the trailer, including Stitch squirting her with a soda gun.
(L to R) Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis at the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Disney.
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan were ushered on stage to promote this sequel to the 2003 original, which moves the story forward and features even more body-switching chaos than last time as Curtis’ Tess and Lindsay’s Anna Coleman switch places with their teenage daughter/granddaughter.
Curtis and Lohan cued up a look at some brand new footage from the movie, which according to the duo has been playing well with test audiences.
Curtis says that the film was…
“Made to be seen on a big screen.”
The scene played showed Tess and Anna trying to win back Anna’s boyfriend –– but in different bodies.
‘Freakier Friday’ brings body swap chaos to theaters on August 8th.
(L to R) Jared Leto and Jeff Bridges at the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Disney.
The studio went all out with a light show to promote the third ‘Tron’ movie, and also brought Jeff Bridges and new franchise face Jared Leto to the stage.
Bridges said,
“To be back on the grid was incredible, and working with Jared… It was a great time.”
For his part, Leto said he was obsessed and this was everything he wanted from a movie. It took him to a world he had never seen before.
Leto described his character, Ares:
“An advanced program that crosses over to real world to fulfill his directive.”
After confirmation of Nine Inch Nails doing the music for the new movie, we got a look at some new footage.
What was screened was a look at Ares riding his bike in the real world, with Bridges’ Kevin Flynn narrating. We also see him ask Ares, “Are you ready? Because there is no coming back…”
‘Tron: Ares’ departs the grid for our world on October 10th.
With ‘The Amateur’ due on screens next week, its chunk of the presentation was minimal, limited to a full version of the scene in the pool we glimpse in the trailer, but show full-length here. It was followed by the trailer.
‘The Amateur,’ as mentioned, will find a way into theaters on April 11th.
Elle Fanning at the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas.Photo: Disney.
The new ‘Predator’ movie from ‘Prey’s Dan Trachtenberg immediately looked interesting, since the Predator creature is more of a protagonist in this one, and it takes place on a new planet where he’s been exiled and must fight his way back.
Star (no, not as the Predator!) Elle Fanning arrived on stage to confirm that this movie breaks new ground in the ‘Predator’ universe. She also said something unprecedented happens. Her character is not being chased, she teams up with Predator and you see him in new light.
She cued up the first trailer for the new movie, which sees the Predator battling a giant, nearly invincible beast with Fanning’s help.
‘Predator: Badlands’ stalks into cinemas on November 7th.
Strong, for the record, plays Jon Landau, Springsteen’s manager and producer. He said he sees the role as Lewis to Springsteen’s Clark.
White, meanwhile, explains that the movie charts Springsteen’s teenage years to around 1982.
Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen in ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere.’ Photo: 20th Century Studios.
We got a first look at the trailer for the new movie, which is directed by Scott Cooper. The footage wraps up showing Springsteen in concert performing ‘Born to Run.’
‘Deliver Me from Nowhere’ has yet to announce when it’ll be delivered to theaters.
(L to R) Emma Mackey and Jamie Lee Curtis at the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Disney.
James L. Brooks’ new comedy drama stars Emma Mackey as an idealistic young politician who juggles familial issues and a challenging work life while preparing to take over the job of her mentor, the state’s longtime incumbent governor (Albert Brooks).
She co-stars with Jamie Lee Curtis, and the latter returned to the stage alongside Mackey for the presentation.
Brooks, meanwhile, received the Cinema Vérité Award on stage and called for more movies to have a 35-day window in theaters.
Director James L. Brooks receives the Cinema Vérité Award at the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Disney.
He also had a great quote about previewing movies with audiences:
“A woman came up to me and said the loveliest words: ‘they’re crying in the ladies toilet.’ Compare that to data.”
After Brooks’ emotional speech, we got a first look at the movie itself. The scene that played took place in a bar, where Curtis’ character takes Ella to meet her father, Woody Harrelson. They haven’t spoken in years after he dated her friend.
That was followed the trailer.
‘Ella McCay’ will be in cinemas on September 19th.
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From there, it was time to look at team Searchlight’s output, following a victory lap for the awards success of ‘A Real Pain’ and ‘A Complete Unknown.’ The studio arm’s new offering is…
Unlike the 1989 version, this Jay Roach-directed sees Cumberbatch and Colman as a successful chef and her businessman husband whose lives start to fall apart when he’s fired.
Things go from bad to worse, and as we saw in the trailer that played, it gets to the point where she has him at gunpoint.
‘The Roses’ fights for its place in theaters on August 29th.
Talking of guns, we moved on to one of the studio’s biggest… Marvel!
First up was the next movie from the prolific superhero franchise.
(L To R) David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Wyatt Russell, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus at the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Disney.
The ‘Thunderbolts*’ portion of the show kicked off with a funny bit about the cast being MIA –– Wyatt Russell appeared to have lost a lot of cash in the casino with co-star Julia Louis-Dreyfus hoping the movie makes money so they can pay his debts!
The scene featured the Thunderbolts driving through New York as Harbour’s Red Guardian tries to bond with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). The team has to fight their way through bad guys to Avengers tower.
(L To R) Hannah John-Kamen, Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Wyatt Russell in ‘Thunderbolts*’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
We got an extended look at the Avengers Tower scene where Louis-Dreyfus gathers the gang –– after having sent them to kill each other and being frustrated that they teamed up.
There was also a very brief look at the introduction of Sentry (Lewis Pullman). And following that? A sizzle reel of scenes from the movie, which appears to be full of chaotic fun.
‘Thunderbolts*’ heads to cinemas on May 2nd. Less than a month for this one, folks!
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That was followed by Marvel boss Kevin Feige, currently in the UK on the set of ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ (which is “days away from the start of production”) confirming the appearance of the original X-Men team in the new movie.
We also got our first look at Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer, who cautions that planet Earth is “marked for death.” Kirby’s Sue Storm says they’ll “fight the threat as a family”.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ flies into theaters on July 25th.
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To switch tracks (but still be galactic rather than Galactus), it was the turn of the animation arm(s).
Zoe Saldaña at the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Disney.
Pixar’s latest finds a young lad dreaming of being abducted by aliens.
Zoe Saldaña, who plays the title character’s Aunt Olga, arrived on stage to talk about the new ‘toon.
A scene from the movie was shown in 3D, showing Elio brought on board an alien spaceship that is more like a living planet via a tractor beam, where he meets the vessel’s AI. He’s been recruited to join the universe’s smartest creatures to work together as a collective… But have they made a mistake? Elio meets and bonds with a young alien creature.
‘Elio’ heads into space (and theaters) on June 20th.
Ke Huy Quan introduces ‘Zootopia 2’ at the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Disney.
Thanksgiving sees the return of Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), the mismatched buddy duo of rabbit police officer and crafty fox. This time around, they’re on an undercover mission to stop a murderous reptile (Ke Huy Quan’s Gary).
In a video introduction, we got Bateman changing the show’s title to “ZinemaCon” and there are animal jokes about theaters –– AMZ, Pandango, Fur D X, followed by giving other Disney movies critter-like makeovers (‘Thundercolts,’ ‘Sealio,’ ‘The Fantastic Fur.’)
‘Zootopia 2’. Photo: Disney.
Quan arrived on stage to discuss the sequel and his role as Gary the snake. And that Judy and Nick go to a therapy animal (played by ‘Abbot Elementary’s Quinta Brunson) to sort their strained friendship –– which we saw in a scene from the movie. That was followed by a scene of Nick and Judy at Marsh resort trying to track down Gary.
‘Zootopia 2’ goes wild in theaters on November 26th.
Zoe Saldaña at the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Disney.
James Cameron appeared via video from New Zealand, where he’s still at work on the latest ‘Avatar’ outing. He was sorry he isn’t there in person, but he did tell the crowd he’d sent some footage.
He promised “increased emotional heart and soul,” and that the Sully family will be put through the wringer (again) as they face the Ash People. We’ll also meet the Wind Traders.
Saldaña (who has been part of the franchise since the 2009 original) returned to the stage to introduce the footage.
Zoe Saldaña at the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Disney.
We saw Jake and wife Neytiri (Saldaña) flying a dragon creature to Wind Traders’ ship where Miles “Spider” Socorro (Jack Champion), the son of Miles Quaritch, lives now.
That preceded a reel of other scenes, including Jake telling Neytiri they can’t live in hate, humans attacked the Na’vi, a shot of the whale-like creatures we met in ‘The Way of Water,’ the return of Stephen Lang’s Quaritch and Varang, the Na’vi leader of the volcano-dwelling Ash People threatening Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), the daughter of Dr. Grace Augustine’s Na’vi avatar who was adopted by the Sully family.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ welcomes us back to Pandora on December 19th.
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And that’s all, folks!
(L To R) Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Wyatt Russell, and Hannah John-Kamen at the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Disney.
Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn in 1982’s ‘Tron’. Photo: Buena Vista Distribution.
Preview:
Jeff Bridges says he’s heading to the ‘Tron: Ares’ set to shoot a role.
He didn’t specify if he’ll be back as Kevin Flynn.
Jared Leto and Gillian Anderson are among the stars of the new movie.
It surely would not be a ‘Tron’ movie without Jeff Bridges, who played Kevin Flynn in the 2982 original movie about a programmer named Kevin Flynn who is drawn into the virtual world of The Grid inside his computer to compete in various challenges and to battle a malevolent program.
Bridges returned for 2010’s ‘Tron: Legacy’, playing both Flynn and Clu, the program he created in the past to oversee the Grid system that ends up turning into a threat himself.
“I’m heading off to play a part in the third installment of the ‘Tron’ story; I’m excited about that. It’s wild. Jared Leto is the star of this third one, and I’m really anxious to work with him, I’ve admired his work.”
Bridges doesn’t specify whether he’ll be Flynn or appearing as Clu in flashback (since he was vanquished in ‘Legacy’). Our guess would be the former.
But he did talk about his thoughts on the technology involved in the new movie:
“I’m really excited to see what the technology is going to be all about this time. When I did ‘Tron: Legacy,’ we had to put all these dots on our face and all these kinds of things. And that’s probably all passé. I had to see myself as a young guy or as another character, but the same guy, but it was gonna be digitally created. I think it was de-aging, but I didn’t like the way I looked in it; I felt like I looked more like Bill Maher than myself; it was kind of bizarre! I hear there’s even less A.I. stuff in this. It’s going to be more a practical set, and they’re beautiful; there are beautiful sets that I’ve seen.”
Written by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne, the script follows Leto’s computer program Ares on a journey from the digital world to that of humans.
There remains no word on whether Bridges’ fellow ‘Legacy’ stars Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde will be back, though we’d especially have to doubt Wilde’s return for anything other than a cameo given her busy directing career.
(L to R) Lee Brice, Rob Mayes and Beau Bridges in ‘The Neon Highway.’ Photo: Mountain Movies.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Beau Bridges and Rob Mayes about their work on ‘The Neon Highway,’ Bridges first reaction to the screenplay, which legendary musician his role was originally written for, inspiration he took from other real-life musicians, the advice he got from his brother Jeff Bridges on playing the guitar, working with Mayes and their characters’ relationship, while Mayes discussed his approach to playing his character, performing the movie’s title song, and what he learned from working with Bridges.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
(L to R) Rob Mayes and Beau Bridges talk ‘The Neon Highway.’
Moviefone: To begin with, Beau, what was your first reaction to the screenplay, and did you recognize immediately that this would be a great role for you?
Beau Bridges: Well, I recognized it was a beautifully written script. That’s what I really saw initially, and that’s the first thing I looked for, really. William Wages and Phil Rob Bellury wrote a wonderful script, and I liked the values that it addressed. With music at its heart, I figured it couldn’t miss, because music is really the international language to hear those dulcet tunes. No, I thought, this could be a good story to tell.
MF: Rob, can you talk about your approach to playing Wayne?
Rob Mayes: Well, first, I mean it was the same thing that brought me to this project was the script and the character. I like to play roles that are either super close to home or far from, and this hit close to home because it’s what I do on a day-to-day basis in Nashville. I’m an actor, but I’m also a songwriter and a country artist. So that’s what drew me to it. It comes down to the song. ‘The Neon Highway’ is the name of the song. The reason this whole thing came together for me was because I took a publishing meeting about three and a half years ago to talk about songwriting, and the first thing that they said to me was, “There’s a movie and maybe you could be in it. We don’t know anything about it.” But lo and behold, here we are. So, it really comes down to the song kind of through and through, especially with this project.
Beau Bridges in ‘The Neon Highway.’ Photo: Mountain Movies.
MF: Rob, can you talk about why Wayne decides to go on this journey with Claude and how their relationship grows throughout the course of the film?
RM: I mean, my character sets out to be a songwriter. Tragedy strikes, and his dreams are railed. Then through happenstance, he ends up meeting Beau’s character setting up some cable in his house, and realizes that this is a country music legend, and he shoots his shot. He tries to see if maybe he would like his song, and he does, makes little tweaks, some edits, and we decided to hit the road and take it to Nashville and make it big. There’s some trials and tribulations along the way to make it interesting and to make it truthful. But through all those hardships, it kind of unites our characters in a heartfelt way, I think.
MF: Beau, can you talk about Claude’s true motivations and why he decides to help Wayne?
BB: I think this movie is about survival, because our two characters are a couple of lost souls in different ways, and they’ve lost their purpose in life, a reason to get up and be passionate about something for the day. They’re really at their wit’s end, and they find in each other, some common ground and they speak to each other. There are lessons to be learned by both because of their friendship. I think that in this young man that comes into his house to fix his phone and then I give him a guitar for him to play, because I know he likes music. I learned that from him right away. I like his song and I recognize in him that there’s talent there. It excites me like I haven’t been excited in many years, and I think that’s what happens. That’s what turns him on. Then through this young man, he also sees, well, maybe I can get a resurgence to my music career. That may not be the way it turns out, but he still enjoys his relationship with this guy. We’re from two different generations. I think in many ways, my character Claude sees Rob’s character as a son. It takes a while for that to get there, but I think in the end, that’s really what the relationship is.
Beau Bridges in ‘The Neon Highway.’ Photo: Mountain Movies.
MF: Beau, did you draw inspiration from any real-life musicians for this character?
BB: No, not really. I mean, I’ve met some music people along the way that I think about whenever I’m touching a guitar and getting into music. Jackson Brown is a friend. I think about him. He’s a storyteller. The guy that was supposed to play my role, the script was written some 30 years ago, and Johnny Cash was supposed to play my role. I’ve always loved his music, so I was listening to that.
MF: Rob, can you talk about the title song and performing it in the movie?
RM: It’s a great song and it’s written by one of the greatest, Dallas Davidson, single-handedly. So, a hundred percent by Dallas. He was able to write a song that kind of distills the entire story of the film down to three minutes. Beau gets to perform it too, and he does a heck of a job with it.
Beau Bridges in ‘The Neon Highway.’ Photo: Mountain Movies.
MF: Beau, obviously you have a musical background having performed in ‘The Fabulous Baker Boys,’ but what was it like for you to have an opportunity to sing and play guitar in this movie?
BB: Yeah, it was a little scary for me in the beginning. I have had some experience. I was on Broadway in ‘How to Succeed Business Without Really Trying.’ I did that for six months and really prepared hard for that. In this one, I had a lot of support from these guys, the real guys helping me, Rob and Lee Brice, who’s in it and is a fantastic singer. Then our music director, Chuck Mead worked with me a lot before I even got on the set, just helping me try to get myself together. Also, my brother Jeff (Bridges) is a performer and singer and has a band. So, he talked to me a lot about it. He said, “Make sure that you keep the straight rhythm all the time. Don’t try to be picking around like you do.” He said, “You got to just keep the straight rhythm.” So, I took it from whoever I could get it from.
MF: Rob, what was it like for you to work on this film with Mr. Bridges?
RM: Incredible. An absolute dream. I mean, this was a movie that I kind of took things into my own hands and reached out to the casting director and expressed my interest. Let’s just say that the sticky wall method for me auditioning and just seeing what comes my way doesn’t really work. But hitting them up worked in this case. They let me know that they wanted me to be a part of it. I asked, “Well, is anyone else attached?” They said, “Yeah, Beau Bridges,” which I mean there’s nobody better. I learned so much from him getting to work with him every single day. His humility and just passion for it. It would be so easy to phone things in and he does not.
‘The Neon Highway’ opens in theaters on March 15th. Photo: Mountain Movies.
MF: Finally, Beau, what was your experience like working with Rob?
BB: Well, coming into it, I mean, he really carries the movie on his shoulders, a lot of it. So, I was wondering what he would bring to the table because it was such an important element of our project. You can tell right away if someone has a good sense of being an actor. It’s a strange world to inhabit. Some people don’t have it and some people do, and he does. He has a real natural way about it communicating on screen and on the set. He’s hardworking too. Some young people that come into this business think they’re God’s gift and they’re late, they don’t know their lines, and they’re not professional. He was right there every step of the way. I think this movie should open a lot of stuff for him.
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What is the Plot of ‘The Neon Highway’?
Wayne Collins (Rob Mayes) pursues a career as a country music singer-songwriter in Nashville, but his plans are derailed after he is involved in a car accident. Twenty years later, he is economically struggling with a 9 to 5 job to support his family until he meets Claude Allen (Beau Bridges), a famous country musician near the end of his career. The two form a partnership to pair Collins’s songwriting and Allen’s fame but face a challenge when they find the changing country music industry is not interested in recording their song.
Who is in the Cast of ‘The Neon Highway’?
Rob Mayes as Wayne Collins
Beau Bridges as Claude Allen
Sam Hennings as Ray
T.J. Power as Lloyd Collins
Lee Brice as Lamont Johnson
Pam Tillis as Herself
Jennifer Bowles as Ginny Collins
Sandra Lee-Oian Thomas as Pepper Dewberry
Wilbur T. Fitzgerald as Buck Bates
Brett Gentile as Elton
‘The Neon Highway’ opens in theaters on March 15th. Photo: Mountain Movies.
Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Crown’ season 4. Photo: Des Willie.
Preview:
Gillian Anderson is the latest person cast in ‘Tron: Ares’.
Shooting has now kicked off on the movie following a delay.
The movie should be on screens next year.
It has been a long road to the screen for the third ‘Tron’ movie. In development since the second film, 2010’s ‘Tron: Legacy’, arrived, ‘Tron: Ares’ (as it is currently called) has faced multiple challenges so far, not the least of which was being shut down before it could begin shooting last year when the writers and actors’ strikes hit.
But now, it has turned a corner (or swerved on a right angle given how the iconic Light cycles work), and the cameras are finally rolling on the long-anticipated sequel, which follows both ‘Legacy’ and the 1982 original ‘Tron’, which sees humans drawn into a virtual world.
Now, with Jared Leto starring as a character called Ares, it looks like the opposite will be happening, and Gillian Anderson is the latest addition to the cast, playing an unknown role.
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What’s the story of ‘Tron: Ares’?
A scene from ‘Tron: Legacy’ directed by Joseph Kosinski.
Written by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne, the script follows Leto’s computer program Ares on a journey from the digital world to that of humans.
There’s no word yet on whether Jeff Bridges (who starred in the original and also showed up in ‘Legacy’) or ‘Legacy’ stars Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde will be back, though we’d especially have to doubt Wilde’s return for anything other than a cameo given her busy directing career.
“Today was supposed to be our first day of principal photography on ‘Tron: Ares’ (a movie subsequently about AI and what it means, and takes, to be human). Instead, we are shut down with over a hundred and fifty people laid off. It’s indefinite, which makes it exponentially harder for everyone. The AMPTP, SAG-AFTRA and WGA need to speed up the negotiating process and not leave the table until it’s done. This is Hollywood. We close deals for breakfast. Why do we suddenly have all the time in the world when every day is so precious? These tactics are extremely frustrating. It’s time for diplomacy so we can get back to work –– under conditions that are fair to everybody.”
When will ‘Tron: Ares’ be in theaters?
Disney has yet to confirm whether the film –– which will require plenty of post-production work –– will maintain a 2025 release date, but the fact that it’s now shooting is a hopeful sign.
Though things have been awfully quiet for the last couple of years, it seems that the ‘Tron’ grid might actually be coming back online. According to Deadline, Disney is busy making a deal with director Joachim Rønning to make ‘Tron: Ares’, with Jared Leto attached to star.
The latest installment of the venerable sci-fi trilogy (which has become used to big gaps between movies––after all, ‘Tron: Legacy’ hit screens 28 years after 1982’s original) is gearing back up again after rumors of other filmmakers looking to tackle it.
‘Tron’, for those who are somehow unaware, starred Jeff Bridges and was set inside a computer program called the Grid, where Bridges’ computer hacker is abducted and forced to participate in gladiatorial games alongside the heroic title character (Bruce Boxleitner).
The movie didn’t set the box office alight, but its envelope-pushing computer generated effects were groundbreaking for the time and it became a cult favorite.
It was also enough of a known name for Disney––a company that thrives on raiding its back catalogue for potential source material––to commission the follow-up. ‘Legacy’ saw Bridges reprising his role (this time playing both hacker Kevin Flynn and Clu, his villainous virtual (and de-aged) counterpart, and Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde joining the franchise.
Olivia Wilde as Quorra in ‘Tron: Legacy.’
‘Legacy’ director Joseph Kosinski talked up the idea of a sequel around that movie’s release, but development stalled out and he moved on to other things, including a slightly successful other legacy sequel called ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’
Leto’s name was first mentioned back in 2017, when he tweeted his excitement to be part of a follow-up movie. “I am so very excited and proud to confirm that YES––I will be starring in ‘Tron,’ ” he wrote. “We will work as hard as we possibly can to create something that I hope you all will love. We have some very special ideas in store for you all… See you in the grid! I’m struck with such gratitude for the opportunity to bring this movie to life, especially as both the original video game and the film affected me so deeply as a young child. The fact that I get to be a part of this new chapter is mind-blowing.”
Garth Davis, the director behind ‘Lion’ and 2018’s ‘Mary Magdalene’ was mentioned as a potential filmmaker, though despite aggressively pursuing the job, he’s since dropped off the project. Rønning, the Norwegian filmmaker who made his name co-directing voyaging movie ‘Kon-Tiki’, has become a reliable go-to director for Disney.
Deadline cautions that the deals are still being made, but a crew is being assembled for a potential August start to the shoot in Vancouver. Jesse Wigutow wrote the script and despite earlier versions being mentioned as a reboot, ‘Ares’ appears to be a direct sequel to ‘Legacy’.
Now we just wait to see if it boots up this time.
Jaed Leto in Apple TV+’s ‘WeCrashed.’
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Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges is ready to try something new: starring in a TV series. The veteran actor is taking on a lead role in the drama “The Old Man,” which has gotten a straight-to-series order from FX, THR reports.
“The Old Man” is based on Thomas Perry’s 2017 novel of the same name, and it follows Dan Chase (Bridges), an ex-CIA operative who lives off the grid. He has to face his past, however, when an assassin shows up and tries to take him out. The series comes from co-creators Jon Steinberg and Robert Levine, who previously teamed up on Starz’s “Black Sails.”
Although Bridges has appeared on various TV series, this will be by far his largest role. He has primarily been a film star, racking up multiple Oscar nominations over the years and winning for his performance in 2009’s “Crazy Heart.” He also had a memorable turn as The Dude in the 1998 cult favorite “The Big Lebowski.” Needless to say, FX is thrilled to have Bridges on board.
“Jeff Bridges is an iconic, extraordinary actor and to have him as the star of this series is an incredible moment for FX,” said the network’s president of originals, Nick Grad. “Jon Steinberg and Robert Levine have delivered an amazing pilot script and Jeff is perfect for the role of Dan Chase.”
Steinberg and Levine are set to executive produce the drama alongside Bridges, Warren Littlefield, Jeff Shotz, and David Schiff. It comes from Fox 21 Television Studios in association with The Littlefield Company.
