Moviefone Editorial

Tag: joey king

Lee Pace and Maisie Williams Added to ‘Practical Magic 2’
(Left) Lee Pace in ‘Foundation,’ premiering July 14, 2023 on Apple TV+. (Right) Maisie Williams in ‘Game of Thrones’. Photo: HBO.

Preview:
- Lee Pace and Maisie Williams are leading the new recruits for ‘Practical Magic 2’
- Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock are back to star.
- Susanne Bier is directing the movie.
It’s clearly the time for long-awaited sequels to much-loved movies announcing clutches of new casting to support their returning stars.

With ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ recently adding actors, it’s the turn of ‘Practical Magic 2’, which will see the return of Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock as witch sisters Gillian and Sally Owens.
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According to Deadline, new for the sequel will be Lee Pace (‘Foundation’), Maisie Williams (‘Game of Thrones’) Xolo Maridueña (‘Blue Beetle’), and Solly McLeod (‘The Dead Don’t Hurt’). We also now have confirmation that Joey King is officially aboard after previously being in talks.

That’s not all –– Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest, who appeared alongside Bullock and Kidman in the original movie –– will reprise their roles.

Related Article: Joey King in Talks to Join Witch Family Curse Sequel ‘Practical Magic 2’

What’s the story of ‘Practical Magic’?

(L to R) Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock in ‘Practical Magic’. Photo: Warner Bros.

‘Practical Magic’ adapts Alice Hoffman’s 1995 novel. The movie follows two sisters, Sally (Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Kidman), who come from a long line of witches.

Orphaned at a young age, they are raised by their eccentric aunts, who embrace their magical heritage. However, the Owens family is cursed: any man who falls in love with an Owens woman is doomed to an untimely death.

Subsequently, Sally and Gillian struggle with their powers and the consequences of the family curse. Sally attempts to lead a normal life, distancing herself from magic, but tragedy strikes when her husband dies.

Gillian, on the other hand, lives a wild life, embracing her magical abilities. The sisters are reunited when Gillian finds herself in a dangerous relationship with Jimmy Angelov (Goran Visnjic), a violent man. In an effort to protect Gillian, the sisters accidentally kill Jimmy, leading to a series of supernatural events as they attempt to hide his death and ultimately break the family curse.

What will be the story for ‘Practical Magic 2’?

(L to R) Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in ‘Practical Magic’. Photo: Warner Bros.

While there are zero official details are available for the new movie’s storyline, King’s casting does open up a narrative alley we figured they’d take.

She’ll play one of Bullock’s daughters, the one who discovers the dark family secrets and her own dark powers, plunging the family into a crisis.

As for the newcomers (beyond King), we don’t yet know their roles.

But Wiest and Channing, of course, will be Aunt Jet and Aunt Frances respectively, who always have wise words for their nieces (and now, grand-nieces).

Akiva Goldsman, who worked on the script for the original, is back, with Georgia Pritchett, a veteran of ‘Veep’ and ‘Succession,’ also credited.

What else has Susanne Bier made?

Susanne Bier, Oscar®-nominee for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, arrives for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards® at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA February 27, 2011. Credit/Provider: Ivan Vejar / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Bier is a hugely respected Danish filmmaker who is more normally found in the indie sphere, though has been diversifying into premium TV in recent years.

She got her start with 1991’s ‘Freud Leaving Home’ and has since made the likes of ‘Like It Never Was Before,’ ‘Credo,’ ‘The One and Only,’ ‘Open Hearts,’ ‘After the Wedding,’ ‘Things We Lost in the Fire,’ ‘Serena’ and ‘In a Better World,’ which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year in 2011.

Her work has scored many other accolades and trophies, and she’s also been behind projects such as John le Carré adaptation ‘The Night Manager’ and White House drama ‘The First Lady.’ She is the first female director to win a Golden Globe, Emmy and European Film Award, collectively.

Perhaps most pertinent to ‘Practical Magic’ and its stars is her previous collaborations with both Bullock and Kidman.

Bullock starred in Bier’s Netflix thriller ‘Bird Box,’ the story of a world plunged into chaos when aliens arrive who send anyone who glimpses them mad.

As for Kidman, Bier handled HBO drama ‘The Undoing,’ which saw the actor starring alongside Hugh Grant in a murder mystery. And more recently, Bier tackled all the episodes of Netflix drama ‘The Perfect Couple,’ with Kidman playing the icy matriarch of a wealthy, dysfunctional family.

Here’s the statement from the filmmaking team on the new casting choices:

“Twenty-five years ago, Sally, Gillian, Aunt Jet and Aunt Franny flew off the pages of Alice Hoffman’s beloved novel and into theaters around the world, and we are thrilled to bring the Owens family back to the big screen with Joey, Lee, Maisie, Solly and Xolo joining the next chapter in our story. The enduring affection for these characters has been our inspiration to deliver the next installment in the Owens’ story to new fans, and those who’ve been with us since the beginning.”

When will ‘Practical Magic 2’ be in theaters?

We do now know when Warners is looking to release the sequel –– and in theaters, rather than sending it direct to streaming service HBO Max –– September 18th, 2026.

Production is currently underway in England, so all looks good for the sequel to hit that date.

Nicole Kidman in ‘Practical Magic’. Photo: Warner Bros.

Other Movies Similar to ‘Practical Magic 2′:
- ‘The Witches of Eastwick‘ (1987)
- ‘Love Potion No. 9‘ (1992)
- ‘Death Becomes Her‘ (1992)
- ‘Hocus Pocus‘ (1993)
- ‘The Craft‘ (1996)
- ‘Practical Magic‘ (1998)
- ‘Bewitched‘ (2005)
- ‘The Craft: Legacy‘ (2020)
- ‘Hocus Pocus 2‘ (2022)
Buy ‘Practical Magic’ Movie On Amazon
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July 15, 2025
Joey King in Talks for ‘Practical Magic 2’
Joey King attends the world premiere of Netflix’s ‘A Family Affair’ at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on June 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix.

Preview:
- Joey King is in talks for ‘Practical Magic 2.’
- Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock are back to star.
- Susanne Bier is preparing to direct the movie.
We’ve known for a while that a sequel to 1998 witchy family curse comedy drama ‘Practical Magic’ was on the way –– stars Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock have been talking it up, and the project took a big step forward when Susanne Bier was announced as director.
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With a shoot now planned for late summer in the UK (a common spot for Warner Bros. to produce its movies these days), The Hollywood Reporter brings the latest news: Joey King is now in talks to land a role in the sequel.

Related Article: ‘Bird Box’ Director Susanne Bier to Conjure Up ‘Practical Magic’ Sequel

What’s the story of ‘Practical Magic’?

(L to R) Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock in ‘Practical Magic’. Photo: Warner Bros.

‘Practical Magic’ adapts Alice Hoffman’s 1995 novel. The movie follows two sisters, Sally (Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Kidman), who come from a long line of witches.

Orphaned at a young age, they are raised by their eccentric aunts, who embrace their magical heritage. However, the Owens family is cursed: any man who falls in love with an Owens woman is doomed to an untimely death.

Subsequently, Sally and Gillian struggle with their powers and the consequences of the family curse. Sally attempts to lead a normal life, distancing herself from magic, but tragedy strikes when her husband dies.

Gillian, on the other hand, lives a wild life, embracing her magical abilities. The sisters are reunited when Gillian finds herself in a dangerous relationship with Jimmy Angelov (Goran Visnjic), a violent man. In an effort to protect Gillian, the sisters accidentally kill Jimmy, leading to a series of supernatural events as they attempt to hide his death and ultimately break the family curse.

What will be the story for ‘Practical Magic 2’?

(L to R) Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in ‘Practical Magic’. Photo: Warner Bros.

While there are zero official details are available for the new movie’s storyline, King’s casting does open up a narrative alley we figured they’d take.

She’ll play one of Bullock’s daughters, the one who discovers the dark family secrets and her own dark powers, plunging the family into a crisis.

Akiva Goldsman, who worked on the script for the original, is back, with Georgia Pritchett, a veteran of ‘Veep’ and ‘Succession,’ also credited.

Who else is making the ‘Practical Magic’ sequel?

Griffin Dunne in Greenwich Entertainment’s ‘Ex-Husbands’. Credit: Wyatt Angelo, Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment.

Griffin Dunne was in the director’s chair for the original, and spoke to Moviefone earlier this year about why he was not returning as director.

“I think we should see what a woman would bring to that magic. I think that there’s no such thing as a man being a woman’s director anymore, there’s a woman director. I’m included as executive producer, but not involved in a day-to-day or any of that.”

As mentioned, Goldsman is the only one of the first movie’s writers (which also included Robin Swicord and Adam Brooks) to come back.

Bullock and Kidman will produce the movie alongside the original’s Denise Di Novi.

Where else can we see Joey King?

Joey King as Zara Ford in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Aaron Epstein/Netflix © 2024.

King made her debut on Disney series ‘The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,’ but has built quite the career since then.

Her other TV includes ‘Ghost Whisperer,’ ‘New Girl,’ ‘The Flash,’ ‘Fargo’ and perhaps biggest in terms of impact, Netflix TV movie series ‘The Kissing Booth’.

On the big screen, she’s been seen in movies such as ‘The Conjuring,’ ‘The Princess,’ ‘Bullet Train,’ and most recently, ‘A Family Affair’ (which also happens to star one Nicole Kidman) and ‘Uglies.’

What else has Susanne Bier made?

Susanne Bier, Oscar®-nominee for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, arrives for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards® at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA February 27, 2011. Credit/Provider: Ivan Vejar / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Bier is a hugely respected Danish filmmaker who is more normally found in the indie sphere, though has been diversifying into premium TV in recent years.

She got her start with 1991’s ‘Freud Leaving Home’ and has since made the likes of ‘Like It Never Was Before,’ ‘Credo,’ ‘The One and Only,’ ‘Open Hearts,’ ‘After the Wedding,’ ‘Things We Lost in the Fire,’ ‘Serena’ and ‘In a Better World,’ which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year in 2011.

Her work has scored many other accolades and trophies, and she’s also been behind projects such as John le Carré adaptation ‘The Night Manager’ and White House drama ‘The First Lady.’ She is the first female director to win a Golden Globe, Emmy and European Film Award, collectively.

Perhaps most pertinent to ‘Practical Magic’ and its stars is her previous collaborations with both Bullock and Kidman.

Bullock starred in Bier’s Netflix thriller ‘Bird Box,’ the story of a world plunged into chaos when aliens arrive who send anyone who glimpses them mad.

As for Kidman, Bier handled HBO drama ‘The Undoing,’ which saw the actor starring alongside Hugh Grant in a murder mystery. And more recently, Bier tackled all the episodes of Netflix drama ‘The Perfect Couple,’ with Kidman playing the icy matriarch of a wealthy, dysfunctional family.

When will ‘Practical Magic 2’ be in theaters?

We do now know when Warners is looking to release the sequel –– and in theaters, rather than sending it direct to streaming service Max (sorry, HBO Max, or whatever it’s called by the time the movie arrives) –– September 18th, 2026.

So if you need more witchy magic in your life, you’re going to have to be patient for a little over a year. But what’s that compared to the 28-year-long wait already?

Nicole Kidman in ‘Practical Magic’. Photo: Warner Bros.

Other Movies Similar to ‘Practical Magic 2′:
- ‘The Witches of Eastwick‘ (1987)
- ‘Love Potion No. 9‘ (1992)
- ‘Death Becomes Her‘ (1992)
- ‘Hocus Pocus‘ (1993)
- ‘The Craft‘ (1996)
- ‘Practical Magic‘ (1998)
- ‘Bewitched‘ (2005)
- ‘The Craft: Legacy‘ (2020)
- ‘Hocus Pocus 2‘ (2022)
Buy ‘Practical Magic’ Movie On Amazon
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May 23, 2025
Movie Review: ‘Despicable Me 4’
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Opening in theaters on July 3rd, ‘Despicable Me 4’s is Illumination Entertainment (and distributor Universal) unleashing the latest salvo of their behemoth franchise.

The success of ‘Despicable’ movies is almost comically predictable at this point, and while the latest offering does very little that’s really new, it seems certain to appeal to the family target audience.

Related Article: Movie Review: Minions: The Rise of Gru

Will ‘Despicable Me 4’ Keep the Family Happy?

‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Though it would be wrong to say that the franchise really matures, the new offering does at least represent the usual evolution of the story, as it finds Steve Carell’s Gru well and truly settled into family life. Yet his villainous past once more comes back to haunt him when a rival threatens his domestic bliss and the Gru clan is forced to retreat to a safe house.

Plus, any movie featuring Gru is contractually obliged to include the Minions, and here there is a new spin on that concept, albeit a slightly tired satire of a genre that has long since been spoofed beyond reason.

Script and Direction

‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Written by ‘Despicable’ veteran Ken Daurio and in a slightly surprising turn, Mike White (though ‘The White Lotus’ boss is also credited with last year’s ‘Migration’, also from Illumination), so he’s clearly found a side gig groove with the animation company.

Don’t go expecting any ‘Lotus’-level depth here (not that you would from a knockabout cartoon effort), and the movie is refreshingly free of hackneyed attempts to teach family bonding lessons, mostly because they’ve all been covered before by the ‘Despicable’ movies. The gags come thick and fast, but the main issue with the screenplay and the movie on which they are based is that it all feels like separate elements that eventually try to gel for the big finish, but never feel like they’re all in the same plotline.

Gru, for example, not only has to deal with an old nemesis coming back, but a new potential threat, and the screenplay doesn’t really juggle them as effectively as they might, with several feeling underserved.

‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Kudos, though, to the team for two referential jokes that feel like they were layered in specifically for the parents bringing their kids to this one –– particularly a ‘Terminator 2’ moment that really works.

Chris Renaud (another ‘Despicable’ veteran) and Patrick Delage (who has worked his way up from the animation department into more of an overall leadership role here) oversaw direction. And rather than trying to change what was working about the look and feel of the movies, they kept to the basic template –– lots of Minion moments (even if, like the split plotlines, they feel like separate skits that are crowbarred into the story until they serve a point at the end. And even then, they feel like a throwaway afterthought.

If you’re taking kids who are really only there for the squat, chattering, yellow pill-shaped nuisances, you might be better off just re-watching old shorts and moments online.

Performances

‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.

The voice cast is predictably entertaining –– many of them have been at this franchise long enough to bed into their roles. Where things fall down somewhat is a by-the-numbers script that doesn’t really give them much that’s fresh.

Steve Carell as Gru

‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Carell knows how to knock out a Gru line in his sleep these days, but he throws himself into the role with typical relish. He’s a little isolated from the rest of the family for large stretches of the story, but he bounces well off of Joey King, who plays Poppy, a teenager with criminal aspirations of her own.

Will Ferrell as Maxime Le Mal

‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Will Ferrell here plays Gru’s old schoolmate and nemesis, but though Ferrell tries out a cod-French accent to try and get something new, he’s rarely all that memorable. An obsession with cockroaches seemingly opens the door to Minion-style madness, but his insect army is established and then quickly forgotten. In the ranks of gadget-obsessed villainy that have cropped up in the movies, Le Mal doesn’t really pop.

And that goes double for his girlfriend, Valentina (Sofia Vergara). It seems clear that either there is more of her role on the cutting room floor, or Vergara spent roughly 10 minutes in the recording booth as Valentina is a largely pointless character.

Stephen Colbert, Kristen Wiig and More

‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Stephen Colbert, Carell’s old ‘Daily Show’ colleague is always good value matched against him (here as snooty, preppy new neighbor Perry Prescott.

Kristen Wiig, meanwhile, gets some meatier material as Lucy Wilde, Gru’s wife, including her attempts to become part of the new community where they’re forced to move.

And finally, there’s Gru Jr. the family’s new addition (who mostly just makes gurgling and other infant sounds). He’s a fun diversion, a child who simply doesn’t like his father (until…. Well, that would be spoiling things, but you can guess).

The Minions do their thing as usual, and their superhero spoof is diverting if not really effective at this point when we don’t really need another example of poking fun at the genre.

Final Thoughts

‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Gru and co. are such reliable money spinners for Illumination at this point that they could probably just put out 90 minutes of Minions babbling and slapping each other, and family audiences would crack open their wallets to see it.

You might find yourself wishing for something truly revolutionary, but it’s unlikely to disappoint the diehard kiddie fans.

‘Despicable Me 4’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘Despicable Me 4’?

Gru (Steve Carrell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) and their girls —Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan) — welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad.

At the same time, Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Sofia Vergara), and the family is forced to go on the run.

Who else lends their voices to ‘Despicable Me 4’?

The voice cast for the new animated movie includes Joey King, Stephen Colbert, Chloe Fineman, Pierre Coffin and Steve Coogan.

‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Other Movies in the ‘Despicable Me’ Franchise:
- ‘Despicable Me‘ (2010)
- ‘Despicable Me 2‘ (2013)
- ‘Despicable Me 3‘ (2017)
- ‘Minions‘ (2015)
- ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru‘ (2022)
Buy Tickets: ‘Despicable Me 4‘ Movie Showtimes

Buy ‘Despicable Me’ Movies On Amazon
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June 30, 2024
Movie Review: ‘A Family Affair’
(L to R) Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood, Zac Efron as Chris Cole and Joey King as Zara Ford in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2024.

Launching on Netflix on June 28th, ‘A Family Affair’ continues the trend –– aside from most famous recent example ‘Anyone But You‘ –– of the rom-com movie finding a more a natural home on streaming than in theaters.

And while this latest instance of the genre doesn’t come across as particularly outstanding, it does at least have enough laughs to sustain it, while also handling a slightly refreshing premise without diving too far into schmalzy cheese.

Related Article: Joey King and Zac Efron Talk ‘A Family Affair’ and Working with Nicole Kidman

Will ‘A Family Affair’ Make You Fall For It?

(L to R) Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood and Zac Efron as Chris Cole in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2024.

The premise of romance across an age divide is not exactly new, but the fact that Kidman’s character is the older woman falling for a younger man is far less frequently explored. Add to that the wrinkle of the King character’s reactions/connections to the new relationship and you have the building blocks for a solid rom-com.

Not everything about the movie works –– some of its portrayals of a Hollywood hotshot also being a nervy, demanding diva also come across as tired and facile, but those are simply one layer to this story, which fortunately has more to say.

Script and Direction

(L to R) Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood and Zac Efron as Chris Cole in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Aaron Epstein/Netflix © 2024.

Carrie Solomon makes her feature writing debut with the movie, partially channeling her own experiences working as an assistant on movies and for a Broadway theatre performer (who, she has been at pains to say, was nothing the spoiled, immature character she concocted and who is brought to life by Zac Efron in the movie).

The screenplay for ‘A Family Affair’ is surprisingly funnier than trailers made it out to be, letting the slapsticky early act’s wackiness fade into the background for a slightly more nuanced look at love’s impact on a tight-knit family. It does enough work to have you empathise with the main trio, with even the Efron character showing that he’s more than just a preening actor.

It’s all clearly inspired by the likes of Nora Ephron, but never reaches that very high watermark.

As for director Richard Lagravenese, the visual style is not much to write home about, but it does the job of providing a decent enough setting for the characters and script to do their work. There’s some small amount of flare when Efron’s character takes Nicole Kidman’s on a late-night tour of a studio lot, and lights it up for her, while scenes set at a Christmas-decorated Big Bear house are suitably snowy (even though the movie was shot in Atlanta).

Performances

(L to R) Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood, Joey King as Zara Ford and Zac Efron as Chris Cole in ‘A Family Affair.’ Photo: Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2024.

Boasting the typically starry cast that Netflix’s deep coffers can provide, you might find yourself wondering why people of this level agreed to make this particular movie, but their roles are meaty and satisfying enough that you can ultimately see the appeal.

Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood

Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2024.

Despite Kidman’s storied career seemingly putting her past making movies like this, she clearly felt like a change of gear (and she did, after all, agree to show up briefly for the ‘Aquaman’ sequel, so not every choice is a winner, even for someone with her taste and ability to choose). Naturally, she brings movie star charm to the role, seemingly ageless and yet totally comfortable playing a woman overcoming heartbreak and finding love in an unexpected place.

Her chemistry with her co-stars is clear (Efron, of course, has been her on-screen love interest before, in ‘The Paperboy’ –– this is at least less embarrassing than that) and she acquits herself well.

Zac Efron as Chris Cole

Zac Efron as Chris Cole in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2024.

When we meet him, Cole is your typical mock-Hollywood superstar –– he’s appearing in a giant movie franchise, has a beautiful house (more than one) and someone to cater to his every need, but still whines that he can’t go to the grocery store. He can find the world’s smallest violin in aisle six.

Still, that’s just part of his comedy DNA, and Efron gives him the humanity to be more than that, eventually evolving into someone that Kidman’s Brooke might actually find worthy of her time.

Joey King as Zara Ford

Joey King as Zara Ford in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Aaron Epstein/Netflix © 2024.

Joey King has the most significant role in the film, as Zara, Chris’ harried assistant (whom he’s promised to help train to be a producer) and Brooke’s daughter. You can completely understand why she might freak out upon learning that her mother is sleeping with her boss, and while not every turn in her storyline truly makes sense (would she really keep working for him after the revelation and quitting in spectacular style early on?) King and writer Solomon at least infuse her with some self-awareness so that she doesn’t come across as a whining Gen-Z type.

It’s also that the screenplay makes her well-rounded enough that it doesn’t need to throw in any romantic complications for Zara herself, preferring to focus on her reactions to, an agency about, the situation already giving her enough of a headache.

Kathy Bates as Leila Ford

(L to R) Joey King as Zara Ford and Kathy Bates as Leila Ford in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2024.

Kathy Bates is a pro at this sort of scene-stealing elder stateswoman role (witness her recent turn in ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.’) and here, you might initially feel she’s wasted playing Brooke’s former mother-in-law (her son was Brooke’s late husband) and editor for her writing career. But she’s soon enough given some decent scenes to show what she does well –– both as sage counsel and entertaining life and soul.

Final Thoughts

(L to R) Joey King as Zara Ford and Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2024.

‘A Family Affair’ hardly breaks the rom-com mold but does bend it enough to offer gentle entertainment for those looking for something along the lines of Prime Video’s recent Anne Hathaway romantic drama ‘The Idea of You’.

It’s mild, inoffensive and provides a suitable level of laughs.

‘A Family Affair’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
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What is the plot of ‘A Family Affair’?

Zara (Joey King), a young woman who works as the personal assistant to self-absorbed Hollywood star Chris Cole (Zac Efron), discovers that her boss is having a secret romantic relationship with her widowed mother (Nicole Kidman).

Who is in the cast of ‘A Family Affair’?
- Zac Efron as Chris Cole
- Joey King as Zara Ford
- Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood
- Kathy Bates as Leila Ford
- Liza Koshy as Eugenie
(L to R) Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood and Zac Efron as Chris Cole in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Aaron Epstein/Netflix © 2024.

Zac Efron Movies:
- ‘Hairspray‘ (2007)
- ‘High School Musical 3: Senior Year‘ (2008)
- ‘Me and Orson Welles‘ (2009)
- ‘17 Again‘ (2009)
- ‘Charlie St. Cloud‘ (2010)
- ‘New Year’s Eve‘ (2011)
- ‘At Any Price‘ (2012)
- ‘The Lorax‘ (2012)
- ‘The Lucky One‘ (2012)
- ‘The Paperboy‘ (2012)
- ‘Parkland‘ (2013)
- ‘Neighbors‘ (2014)
- ‘That Awkward Moment‘ (2014)
- ‘We Are Your Friends‘ (2015)
- ‘Dirty Grandpa‘ (2016)
- ‘Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates‘ (2016)
- ‘Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising‘ (2016)
- ‘Baywatch‘ (2017)
- ‘The Disaster Artist‘ (2017)
- ‘The Greatest Showman‘ (2017)
- ‘The Beach Bum‘ (2019)
- ‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile‘ (2019)
- ‘Scoob!’ (2020)
- ‘Gold‘ (2016)
- ‘Firestarter‘ (2022)
- ‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever‘ (2022)
- ‘The Iron Claw‘ (2023)
- ‘Ricky Stanicky‘ (2024)
Buy Zac Efron Movies on Amazon
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June 27, 2024
‘A Family Affair’ Interview: Joey King and Zac Efron
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Premiering on Netflix on June 28th is the new romantic comedy ‘A Family Affair’, which was directed by Richard Lagravenese (‘Beautiful Creatures’) and stars Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman (‘The Hours’), Joey King (‘Bullet Train’), Zac Efron (‘The Iron Claw’) and Oscar-winner Kathy Bates (‘Misery’).

Related Article: Joey King Talks Hulu’s ‘The Princess’

(L to R) Joey King and Zac Efron talk ‘A Family Affair’.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Joey King and Zac Efron to talk about their work on ‘A Family Affair’, their approach to their characters, and working with Nicole Kidman.

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with King, Efron and director Richard Lagravenese.

Zac Efron as Chris Cole in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2024.

Moviefone: To begin with, Zac, can you talk about your approach to this character, having the opportunity to make fun of celebrity, and what was it like for you playing a character as insecure as Chris Cole?

Zac Efron: I mean, it was fun. I guess, I got to just amplify a lot of feelings and things that I’ve experienced over the course of my career, in a very fun way and just jab at it a little bit. So yeah, it was fun.

(L to R) Joey King as Zara Ford and Zac Efron as Chris Cole in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2024.

MF: How would you describe Chris’s working relationship with Zara?

ZE: She’s seeing him at his absolute worst. She’s got to be terrified. It’d be weird if I put myself in Zara’s shoes. It’s a very awkward scenario.

Joey King as Zara Ford in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Aaron Epstein/Netflix © 2024.

MF: Joey, can you talk about how Zara’s relationship with Chris changes once he starts dating her mom?

Joey King: So, Zara and Chris have a very interesting relationship when we first meet them. It’s tense, but also full of love. It’s like a family kind of relationship. They hate each other, but they’d do anything for each other. When Brooke comes into the mix and starts dating Chris, it’s like everything that was just bubbling under the surface for Zara and Chris, and the tension they had, just explodes to the surface. Zara just cannot handle how this man is ruining her life, in more ways than one. She’s employed by him, and now he’s dating her mom!

(L to R) Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood and Zac Efron as Chris Cole in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Aaron Epstein/Netflix © 2024.

MF: Zac, can you talk about Chris’ feelings for Brooke, what he sees in her and what it was like working on that relationship with Nicole Kidman?

ZE: It’s interesting. I think Chris and Brooke’s relationship in the film, it just feels very natural. It feels very easy, and I don’t think they have to pretend around each other. I’d say that’s pretty much like how working with Nicole was for me in real life. So yeah, it’s just very natural, very easy, and always fun. Nicole’s just the best. She’s the sweetest and full of love.

(L to R) Joey King as Zara Ford and Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2024.

MF: Finally, Joey, can you talk about the betrayal Zara feels when her mom starts dating her boss and what it was like for you working with Nicole Kidman?

JK: So first, for your first question, working with Nicole is just, I mean she’s so fantastic. It’s hard to encapsulate what an angel she is in terms of just how I admire her. Also, just becoming friendly with her. She’s just truly so special. I’m so lucky to work with her and Zach, they’re both fantastic. The betrayal that Zara feels is super intense. Obviously, it’s wrapped up in this hilarious predicament, but when we see Zara in her raw moments, she’s really hurt by this, and she’s really affected by it. I think that that’s where the growth comes in, because Zara realizes, “Yes, it’s okay that she’s hurt by this. She absolutely has every right to feel hurt by this, but it’s not the end of the world.” I think that there lies her growth in terms of what her mom, who’s not just her mom, deserves as a person. I think this story makes Zara really see her mom as a woman, not just her mom for the first time. It’s a definite new chapter for them. All good things but I think all important change starts with discomfort. I think that Zara and Brooke have a big uncomfortable moment. Then through that blossoms this new chapter of their relationship, where I think they can be better friends and not just have a mother daughter dynamic. I think we can all relate, if we have a parent that we’re close with, there was a moment where you are like, I see you as a person, not just a parent, and that you’re helping your parents. You’re like, I want you to see me like a person, not just your child. Going through that moment of change usually is met with fighting and discomfort, but also through that comes a much better relationship in the end.
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What is the plot of ‘A Family Affair’?

Zara (Joey King), a young woman who works as the personal assistant to self-absorbed Hollywood star Chris Cole (Zac Efron), discovers that her boss is having a secret romantic relationship with her widowed mother (Nicole Kidman).

Who is in the cast of ‘A Family Affair’?
- Zac Efron as Chris Cole
- Joey King as Zara Ford
- Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood
- Kathy Bates as Leila Ford
- Liza Koshy as Eugenie
(L to R) Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood, Zac Efron as Chris Cole and Joey King as Zara Ford in ‘A Family Affair’. Photo: Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2024.

Zac Efron Movies:
- ‘Hairspray‘ (2007)
- ‘High School Musical 3: Senior Year‘ (2008)
- ‘Me and Orson Welles‘ (2009)
- ‘17 Again‘ (2009)
- ‘Charlie St. Cloud‘ (2010)
- ‘New Year’s Eve‘ (2011)
- ‘At Any Price‘ (2012)
- ‘The Lorax‘ (2012)
- ‘The Lucky One‘ (2012)
- ‘The Paperboy‘ (2012)
- ‘Parkland‘ (2013)
- ‘Neighbors‘ (2014)
- ‘That Awkward Moment‘ (2014)
- ‘We Are Your Friends‘ (2015)
- ‘Dirty Grandpa‘ (2016)
- ‘Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates‘ (2016)
- ‘Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising‘ (2016)
- ‘Baywatch‘ (2017)
- ‘The Disaster Artist‘ (2017)
- ‘The Greatest Showman‘ (2017)
- ‘The Beach Bum‘ (2019)
- ‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile‘ (2019)
- ‘Scoob!’ (2020)
- ‘Gold‘ (2016)
- ‘Firestarter‘ (2022)
- ‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever‘ (2022)
- ‘The Iron Claw‘ (2023)
- ‘Ricky Stanicky‘ (2024)
Buy Zac Efron Movies on Amazon
June 24, 2024
Movie Review: ‘Bullet Train’

(L to R) Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brad Pitt in Sony Pictures’ ‘Bullet Train.’

‘Bullet Train’, which opens in theaters today, looks to add some violent fun to a summer movie season that hasn’t had too many original films on its schedule.

Which isn’t to say that the movie is completely original, as Zak Olkewicz’ script adapts Kôtarô Isaka’s novel ‘Maria Beetle’.

Yet in the hands of ‘Deadpool 2’, ‘Atomic Blonde’ and ‘Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw’ director David Leitch, it becomes a stylized blend of hitman action, crossed coincidences and over-explained backstories.

Anchored by a laconic but funny performance from Brad Pitt, ‘Bullet Train’ is the story of Ladybug, an assassin who got out of the game and sought out a therapist after bad luck seemed to haunt his every job. Now, he’s back and looking for a relatively easier job for his first new assignment.

(L to R) Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock star in ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield. Copyright (C) 2022 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.

His handler, Maria (Sandra Bullock, who is primarily heard over a phone line) assures him that grabbing a briefcase from a bullet train and getting off at the next station should offer him no real challenge.

Of course, it doesn’t work out that way at all. Turns out, the briefcase has connections to the kidnapping of a lethal crime lord’s son (Michael Shannon is the boss known as “White Death”, while Logan Lerman is his slacker kid), and a variety of other assassins.

Prime among them are Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) and Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), adoptive siblings who are also two of the most notorious hitmen around, who have rescued Lerman’s character and retrieved the ransom money – which is in the briefcase Ladybug has been sent to grab.

Elsewhere on the train is Kimura (Andrew Koji), looking for revenge on the person who injured his son, The Prince (Joey King), a young woman who uses her youth as a weapon as much as any gun or knife, The Wolf (Benito A Martínez Ocasio), with his own vengeful quest and The Hornet (Zazie Beetz), with a specific target for her poisonous talents.

Brad Pitt stars in ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield. Copyright: (C) 2022 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.

With Leitch in charge of the chaos (it’s worth remembering that he, along with Chad Stahelski, helped turn Keanu Reeves into a badass assassin for the first ‘John Wick’ movie), ‘Bullet Train’ is naturally crammed with inventive action. Leitch has spent his career performing stunts, coordinating them and now directing them and he knows how to craft a fun sequence that in places has echoes of Jackie Chan’s use of props as weapons.

There has also clearly been a lot of training involved, so the cast (and their stunt teams) throw themselves into the various fights and plot turns. It’s diverting to see the likes of Brian Tyree Henry, not normally known for his action work, give it their all.

Leitch and co., meanwhile have built a slick-looking set that keeps the action condensed and focused, cinematographer Jonathan Sela’s camera roaming the aisles and, later in the movie, heading outside the train to follow the combat as characters

Where it all goes off the rails (literally, at one point) is in the characters. Though some are handed backgrounds (Taylor-Johnson and Henry in particular), mostly the movie lets fists fill in the details.

(L to R) Bryan Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson star in Sony’s ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield.

The problem with prioritizing fight scenes over story is that the latter can’t completely carry the former, and when you have an entire sequence explaining how a water bottle came to be crucial to the plot and yet seems to rely on coincidence to make it work, you’re in trouble.

This is a movie that is all surface and little substance, and while that’s not the sort of dilemma that troubles summer movie audiences too much, ‘Bullet Train’ starts to feel like a numbing collection of traits, quirks and insults, like a movie conceived by some teenagers who figured they could write the ultimate script with all the stabbing, shooting, punches and kicks they could put into one movie.

Cliches crop up all over the place, including the henchman who show up at every station to threaten Ladybug and co., snarling about handing over the briefcase (which serves as a McGuffin in more ways than one).

And given the Japanese setting, it leans heavily on cliched iconography and the movie is relatively light on Asian faces. When they do appear, they’re given stereotypical roles and dialogue, while the Westerners (there a few fake British accents here among the Americans) get the lion’s share of the screen time.

(L to R) Bryan Tyree Henry and Brad Pitt star Sony’s in ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield.

Everyone is clearly having a blast beating each other up or figuring out how to survive as the train speeds to its destination, but while that’s fun for a while, it doesn’t always translate to the whole journey of the movie.

Pitt makes a solid stab at breathing life into Ladybug, who is obsessed with fate and luck, and really would rather not get into scraps (but is very adept when he does). And his chemistry with old real-life friend Bullock overcomes the fact that she’s largely off screen.

Likewise Taylor-Johnson and Henry, who generate real squabbling sibling energy but can’t quite make their characters feel more than archetypes. And King (despite some accent issues) makes for a cold, calculating killer.

Shannon gets to parlay his steely menace effectively, making the most of a relatively brief screen time allotment.

Brad Pitt stars in ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield. Copyright:(C) 2022 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.

The likes of Ocasio (normally found performing in the music sphere as Bad Bunny) and Hiroyuki Sanada (who plays Koji’s character’s father) are largely wasted in nothing roles.

There are also a couple of big celebrity cameos that we won’t spoil here, and the reveal of Beetz’ character is at least entertaining.

Imagine a crossbreed of Guy Ritchie’s repartee-filled early gangster films with the sort of action-heavy titles for which Leitch has become known and you’ve got the idea for this movie. Some of the comedy works, and a lot of the fight scenes are great, but ‘Bullet Train’ runs out of steam.

‘Bullet Train’ receives 3 out of 5 stars.

Brad Pitt stars in ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield. Copyright: (C) 2022 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.
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August 6, 2022
Brad Pitt and Cast Discuss ‘Bullet Train’

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Opening in theaters on August 5th is the new action movie ‘Bullet Train’ from director David Leitch (‘Atomic Blonde,’ ‘Deadpool 2‘ ).

The movie stars Oscar winner Brad Pitt as Ladybug, an assassin tasked by his handler (Sandra Bullock) with retrieving a valuable briefcase from a bullet train leaving from Tokyo to Kyoto.

However, once on board, he must battle other assassins like Lemon and Tangerine (Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson), Prince (Joey King), Hornet (Zazie Beetz), The Wolf (Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio), The Elder (Hiroyuki Sanada), and White Death (Michael Shannon) if he wants to survive and complete his mission.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Brad Pitt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Bryan Tyree Henry about their work on ‘Bullet Train,’ their wild characters, and working together on the movie.

(L to R) Brad Pitt and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Sony’s ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield.

You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Brad Pitt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Tyree Henry, Hiroyuki Sanada, and director David Leitch.

Moviefone: To begin with, Brad your character in the film, Ladybug, believes he’s unlucky. But some would say that he’s actually very lucky and it’s really just all about perspective. What was your perspective on Ladybug?

Brad Pitt: I think you just nailed it. Thank you very much, that was so easy. Yeah, that’s it. I can’t say it any better. He’s just a bit of a whiner.

MF: Your character has a very peaceful approach to his mission. In real life, how does Brad Pitt maintain peace in his life?

BP: I don’t know. Peace. That is the old struggle, isn’t it? I don’t know. I just got some lovely friends. I try to stay in nature. I try to stay creative. I try to stay centered and just relax.

Brian Tyree Henry: It takes a village to raise a Brad Pitt. It’s all hands-on deck. See, you got to make sure that he’s centered. You want to make sure he is taking his vitamins.

MF: Is that what it’s like working on a Brad Pitt movie?

BP: Yeah. They’d give me pep talks when I get down. They’d come up and go, it’s all right, buddy. You got this. I’d go, “Thanks, man.” They were really supportive.

BTH: We really were there for him, man. He’s incredibly needy.

BP: That’s true. I’m a delicate flower, and it’s in my contract too.

(L to R) Bryan Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson star in Sony’s ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield. Copyright: (C) 2022 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Brian, your character and Aaron’s character are partners in the film and referred to as “the twins.’ Can you talk about their working relationship together?

BTH: You know what, man? I lucked out in the hugest way to have a co-star like Aaron Taylor-Johnson. He was the most amazing scene partner to have and the chemistry between he and I was immediate once we met. David Leitch let us play around with the relationship between Lemon and Tangerine, because we found that between Aaron and me. We just really got along and really cared about each other, so we wanted the audience to go along with that.

We wanted the audience to feel that. We just played. Honestly, I think that characters that you see really caring about each other and having such a good time, it’s undeniable that you have to go along with them. So, that’s what we wanted to bring to both of them because that’s who we were. We were very carefree and wanted to have fun.

MF: Finally, Aaron what was it like for you working with Brad Pitt?

Aaron Taylor-Johnson: I love this man, honestly. It was important for us. But it was also really rare. That doesn’t happen often, but we clicked instantaneously, and it was just magic. This guy’s beautiful.

BP: These guys are so funny in this movie.

(L to R) Bryan Tyree Henry and Brad Pitt star Sony’s in ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield.
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August 3, 2022
Joey King Talks ‘The Princess’

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Premiering on Hulu July 1st is the new action/fantasy movie ‘The Princess,’ which was directed by Le-Van Kiet (‘The Requin’).

The movie stars Joey King as The Princess, who after refusing to wed Julius (Dominic Cooper), the sociopath to whom she is betrothed, she is kidnapped and locked in a remote tower of her father’s castle. Now, with Julius planning to take her father’s throne, the princess must protect her family and save her kingdom. In addition to King and Cooper, the cast also includes Olga Kurylenko, and Veronica Ngo.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Joey King about her work on ‘The Princess.’

Joey King in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Princess,’ exclusively on Disney+/Hulu.

You can read our full interview with Joey King below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with King and director Le-Van Kiet.

Moviefone: To begin with, how far along in the script did you get before you decide that this was a role you had to play?

Joey King: The minute the fights just started to take off at the beginning of the script. Then I just kept reading and I was like, wow, there is so much action. When you read action, it’s very different. It’s like you have to picture it in your head while you’re reading it and it’s a little complicated. So, getting the essence of it while you’re reading a script is something that’s a little bit difficult, but you can see it playing out.

So, taking on this character was something that when I read the script, I was like, this is going to be, just from reading the script, 92 pages of full action. I am going to have to do a lot of work and a lot of training on this, and that’s exactly what I did. I enjoyed every minute of how exhausting that was.

Joey King in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Princess,’ exclusively on Disney+/Hulu. Photo by Simon Varsano. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

MF: As an actress, what was it like taking on the physical demands of this role?

JK: So actually, it was intended that I would do some of it, but definitely have someone else do most of it. Then when I came in and started training for this, I made it pretty clear that even though I still had no idea what I was doing yet, I had no prior training, that I wanted to get to a place where I was confident enough to do most of the things that I could do. I have to say, I put in so much work and it was so hard, but I had some amazing trainers. Then on top of that, the two girls who were hired as my stunt doubles, were so supportive. They helped train me every day and also, they wanted me to do everything that I could.

They were so supportive, and they were really huge cheerleaders for me in being able to accomplish what I did. I would look to them for advice and help every day, and I’m so grateful for them. I was able to do 90% of what you see in the movie, which was not how it was supposed to be. But I was really stubborn about that and everyone made me feel so uplifted.

Joey King in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Princess,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Finally, can you talk about the amazing costume you wear in the movie and was it difficult performing the action sequences in that outfit?

JK: What a gorgeous costume. Our costume designer did an amazing job with her team building this dress. It was something that was talked about well before we even started filming. Because when I was training, we had to understand what it was going to be like for me, so that when I walked on set day one, it wasn’t a huge rude awakening. So, I was training and fighting in a corset and a long dress. We had to build replicas of it so that I could start training with it in the gym.

So, it was just such an unreal thing to go from training with leggings and T-shirts to then all of a sudden wearing a ball gown. I really loved that challenge of it. I think our costume department did such an amazing job breaking down this dress, making it this cool battle armor, and also making it accessible for me to be able to do my thing in it and still be able to hide back pads, knee pads and different stuff in it. They did an amazing job of making it something that had more uses than just one.

(L to R) Joey King and Veronica Ngo in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Princess,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo by Simon Varsano. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
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June 29, 2022
Brad Pitt Fights for His Life in the new ‘Bullet Train’ Trailer

Brad Pitt stars in ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield. Copyright: (C) 2022 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.

If you’re an assassin by trade, can you really claim that it’s bad luck that people keep dying around you? If you’re Brad Pitt’s character in upcoming action comedy thriller ‘Bullet Train’, you might actually have a point.

The latest trailer for the movie is now online and is full of all the Pitt vs. assassin action you could hope for. It opens with Pitt’s Ladybug – a title given to him by his handle, Maria Beetle (Sandra Bullock), in the hopes that it might mean good luck – ticking off the ways that previous gigs have gone badly wrong. And even times when he’s not actively trying to murder someone, the bodies keep piling up. He’s stressed and looking for a less death-laden life.

Dispatched on what would seem to be a routine, relatively harmless mission to pick up an important briefcase on a Bullet Train in Japan, Ladybug hopes for a quieter time of things. Fate, however, may have other plans, as this latest job puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe – all with connected, yet conflicting, objectives – on the world’s fastest train… And he’s got to figure out how to get off.

Cue fists flying, swords swinging and Pitt nailing Aaron Tylor-Johnson with a bottle of fizzy water. Taylor-Johnson plays Tangerine, one half of a deadly duo with Brian Tyree Henry’s Lemon, with the pair after the very same suitcase. And they are not the only dangerous passengers onboard.

There’s Joey King, who is playing a young killer without a shred of moral doubt, Logan Lerman, Zazie Beetz, Hiroyuki Sanada, Masi Oka, Bad Bunny and Andrew Koji to boot. Oh, and possibly worse than all of them is Michael Shannon as a notorious crime boss with a personal army of thugs at his disposal.

With David Leitch, the stuntman-turned-filmmaker who kickstarted his directing career with ‘John Wick’ and has since made movies including ‘Atomic Blonde’ and ‘Deadpool 2’ in charge here, the movie looks stylish and slyly funny, especially that moment in the quiet car (and Pitt punching a mascot who refuses to give up the case).

And, because this is Leitch we’re talking about, you can naturally expect a lot of inventive action within the cramped confines of the train, as his 87 Eleven stunt team goes to work finding new ways to create chaos.

There’s also a hint that Pitt and some of others (those left standing by the time the train reaches its destination) might actually end up joining forces to combat Shannon’s murderous men. It’s certainly more dangerous than the threat of a cancelled train or a blocked toilet stinking up a whole carriage.

‘Bullet Train’ will pull into theaters on August 5th.

(L to R) Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock star in ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield. Copyright (C) 2022 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.

Brad Pitt stars in ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield. Copyright: (C) 2022 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.

Brad Pitt stars in ‘Bullet Train.’ Photo: Scott Garfield. Copyright: (C) 2022 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.
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June 7, 2022
Joey King is a Tough Royal In the Trailer for ‘The Princess’

Joey King in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Princess,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

There is a history of tough princesses in movies – there’s the likes of Princess Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz) in the ‘Shrek’ franchise, while on TV we’ve had Bean (Abbi Jacobson) in ‘Disenchantment’.

Now we can add Joey King’s thus-far unnamed royal butt-kicker to the list for new Hulu movie ‘The Princess’.

In the story, she’s a strong-willed princess who refuses to wed the cruel sociopath (Dominic Cooper, giving it his best snarling schmuck) to whom she is betrothed, is kidnapped, and locked in a remote tower of her father’s castle. With her scorned, vindictive suitor intent on taking her father’s throne, the princess must protect her family and save the kingdom.

Instead of singing songs about her predicament, she decides to take matters into her own hands – and feet – laying the smack down on anyone who tries to oppress her. She’ll have help from ‘The Old Guard’s Veronica Ngo, who helps train the princess in the martial arts, which will come in handy when she has to keep battling people. And she mostly has to do it while clad in a lacy dress. That includes falling down huge chambers on top of someone she’s busy beating up and swinging from a tower in a way that would make Rapunzel jealous.
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This one looks like a whole heap of fun – with King’s character taking down leering henchmen and all manner of guards while performing the sort of stunts that would probably make your average princess wish they could get up to this sort of John Wick-style action. We could perhaps picture ‘Frozen’s Anna kicking some ass, but few others.

The new movie comes courtesy of ‘Furie’s Le-Van Kiet, who directs from a script by Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton. And you might not be too surprised to learn that ‘Fast & Furious’ veteran producer Neil H. Moritz and ‘John Wick’ writer/producer Derek Kolstad are involved behind the scenes. King, who has become increasingly involved in guiding her own career, is also a producer.

And clearly tough princesses are on lots of people’s minds right now – also in production is ‘Damsel’, in which ‘Stranger Things’ Millie Bobbie Brown plays a similarly strong princess who realizes that her upcoming marriage is all part of a plan to sacrifice her to a hungry, fire-breathing dragon and decides that she’s going to do something about it. That one, which Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is directing for Netflix, also features Shohreh Aghdashloo, Nick Robinson, Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett, and Robin Wright (who has form as a princess thanks to legendary fantasy satire ‘The Princess Bride’).

(L-R): Veronica Ngo and Joey King in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Princess,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Dominic Cooper in 20th Century Studios’ ‘The Princess,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

‘The Princess’ will hit Hulu on July 1st.

‘The Princess’ will hit Hulu on July 1 st.
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June 2, 2022