John Boyega in ‘Breaking.’ Courtesy of Bleecker Street.
Preview:
‘Star Wars’ actor John Boyega is starring in a ‘Book of Eli’ prequel series.
It’ll be set 30 years before the Denzel Washington movie.
The film’s creative team is involved.
It would seem that there are few movies left that haven’t been explored in some prequel fashion, often in another medium. Just this week, for example, we’ll see the ‘Sexy Beast’ TV series that chronicles the earlier days of the characters in Jonathan Glazer’s 2000 crime thriller.
So it’s not surprising that memorable Denzel Washington post apocalyptic dramatic thriller ‘The Book of Eli’ would get the same treatment. And now we know that John Boyega, no stranger to genre after ‘Attack the Block’ and the ‘Star Wars’ sequel trilogy, will star as a younger version of the title character played by Washington.
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What was the story of ‘The Book of Eli’?
Denzel Washington in ‘The Book of Eli.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
The neo-Western movie takes place thirty years after a nuclear catastrophe caused an ecocide. It revolves around Eli (Washington), a nomad who fights his way across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic America while protecting a sacred book that holds the secrets to humanity’s salvation.
What’s the angle of ‘The Book of Eli’s TV prequel?
Denzel Washington in ‘The Book of Eli.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
Plot details are scarce at this early stage, but Deadline has heard it’ll be set 30 years before the movie’s storyline, so roughly around the time of the atomic attack that leads to its wasteland locales.
Who is making the new show?
John Boyega in ‘Breaking.’ Courtesy of Bleecker Street.
In addition to Boyega, who will produce as well as star, the series has the movie’s writer, Gary Whitta, aboard as creator, writer and executive producer, and would effectively be one of the people running the show.
Albert and Allen Hughes, who directed the movie, are aboard as executive producers.
Alcon Entertainment, the company which produced the movie, is backing the new show. But while Warner Bros. was the distributor, and you might think Warner Bros. Discovery might snap this up for HBO or its allied Max streaming service, it’s actually being shopped around to different buyers.
So while Max could still nab it, it may end up at Apple, Netflix or somewhere else entirely. Alcon, for example, has another TV project based on one of its movies, with a ‘Blade Runner’ series on the way from Prime Video, so that could be a destination (though the company may not want another apocalyptic series on its books with ‘Fallout’ already set for this year).
(L to R) Denzel Washington and Mila Kunis in ‘The Book of Eli.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
Of all the various shows and movies teased by Netflix as part of its big “TUDUM” virtual event this weekend, perhaps one of the most unexpected – and certainly the wackiest – was the pulpy, pointed mystery caper ‘They Cloned Tyrone’, which stars John Boyega, ‘WandaVision’s Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx.
They’re starring in the new movie, which tells the story of Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris), Slick (Jamie Foxx), and Fontaine (John Boyega), three unlikely friends who are brought together by their shared discovery of a massive, secret governmental surveillance plan to monitor the lives of Black people before disappearing them and replacing them with clones.
It’s hard to tell from the trailer just what the end goal of snatching people up is, or how three conspiracy theorists are supposed to take down that sort of operation on their own. But they’re going to give it a shot.
This first look at the movie proves it’s certainly going for a 1980s vibe, and a campy one (check out Foxx and Parris duetting on a funky number in an elevator, using their guns as microphones) though with definite hints that there’s some serious social commentary lurking a few layers deeper.
(L to R) Teyonah Parris as YO-YO, Jamie Foxx (Producer) as Slick Charles, and John Boyega as Fontaine in ‘They Cloned Tyrone.’ Photo: Parrish Lewis/Netflix.
‘They Cloned Tyrone’ is directed by ‘Creed II’ and ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy‘ scriptwriter Juel Taylor, who makes his directorial debut and shares a writing credit on this with Tony Rettenmaier.
Boyega’s having a good year so far – between ‘The Woman King’ and ‘Breaking’, he’s been scoring praise for his work, even if he did end up departing another Netflix project, ‘Rebel Ridge’, in 2021. And outside of the streamer, he has fans excited by gearing up to finally appear in a sequel to cult sci-fi pic ‘Attack the Block’ with director Joe Cornish.
Foxx, meanwhile, has been on a run of collaborations with the streaming service – he’s been a conflicted action hero for 2020’s ‘Power Project’ and took down vampires in this year’s thriller ‘Day Shift’. He’s scheduled to be seen next year opposite an “un-retired” Cameron Diaz in action comedy ‘Back in Action’.
As for Parris, she’ll be back as ‘WandaVision’s Monica Rambeau for ‘Captain Marvel’ sequel ‘The Marvels’, sharing screen time with Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers who, of course, was best friends with her mother Maria (Lashana Lynch in that first film) and an inspiration for young Monica (played then by Akira Akbar).
Scheduled for release on July 28, 2023, ‘The Marvels’ will also see ‘Ms. Marvel’s Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) finally meeting her superhero idol.
Netflix has yet to confirm a release date for ‘They Cloned Tyrone’.
Releasing in theaters on September 16th, ‘The Woman King’ feels like a throwback to the sort of historical drama that is rarely made by studios these days.
And, indeed, one that has almost never been made by and about people who look like Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim and the vast majority of the cast for the film itself.
Gina Prince Bythewood, who last directed ‘The Old Guard‘ (a more fantastical tale of an immortal female warrior leading her similarly long-lived squad), here brings real power and emotion to the based-on-truth story of an African kingdom in the 19th century that could serve as the template for a more progressive and egalitarian society today.
Davis stars as Nanisca, the Miganon, or general of the Agojie, the fearsome, all-female unit of warriors who defended the Kingdom of Dahomey (an area of the African continent now known as Benin) and its ruler, the freshly installed King Ghezo (John Boyega).
(L to R) Viola Davis and John Boyega star in ‘The Woman King.’
This is a time when the slave trade is at its height, European cultures running their economies on the back of trading humans. And Dahomey is not innocent in that – the kingdom has seen its own financial wellbeing dependent on selling the prisoners it captures in battle. Nanisca, though, the scars of her own imprisonment from years ago still clear in body and mind, is pushing for change, arguing that their society can benefit more from the trade in palm oil and other goods than human lives.
Mostly, though, she’s busy commanding Dahomey’s forces, protecting its citizens from the forces of neighboring tribes, who have forged their own ties with slavers.
Yet our way into this powerful fighting force – and the story itself – is via Mbedu’s Nawi, a forthright and headstrong young woman whose father has given up all hope of marrying off (particularly after she puts her latest, rude, wealthy suitor squarely in his place) and decides to hand her over to the king.
Nawi, fascinated by the Agojie, instead opts to become a recruit, looking to show she has what it takes to join this elite force. Which means she’s soon under the tutelage of Izogie (Lynch), a chief lieutenant whose stern sergeant major manner belies a witty, caring side.
(L to R) Viola Davis and Lashana Lynch with young recruits in ‘The Woman King.’
Davis is, as befits her career to date and her Oscar-winning status, is magnetic and stern in her role, but, in combination with Bythewood and Dana Stevens’ script, finds real vulnerability in her role. There’s more to Nanisca than simply scowling and fighting, coming across as a rounded woman dealing with the challenges of her time period.
But right there with her are Lynch, Mbedu and Sheila Atim, the other key figures of the movie, whose characters are all well-rounded. Lynch, best known for ‘Captain Marvel’ and as the sly new 007 in ‘No Time To Die’ is excellent as Izogie, a woman with no time for weakness and a love for whiskey, but who also shows other sides of herself.
Carrying her fair share of the dramatic weight, Mbedu (a veteran of Barry Jenkins’ ‘The Underground Railroad’) also shines, making sure that her character never comes across as instantly perfect at everything she does – it’s a hard road from wide-eyed newcomer to battle-hardened warrior.
Then you have Atim, who got so little to do in films such as ‘Pinocchio’ and ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ really getting her teeth into the role of Amenza, Nanisca’s closest friend, aide and spiritual adviser, the person who can truly confront her when necessary. She’s far from the stock character of this sort in historical drama, making Amenza feel alive and human.
(L to R) Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, and Shelia Atim in ‘The Woman King.’
John Boyega has less to do as the King, but he’s entertaining in his scenes, proving to be commanding when the role requires and thoughtful at other times.
Bythewood infuses almost every scene with verve and energy, though she can’t quite make all the elements work. A half-baked, non-starter of a romantic connection between Mbedu and Jordan Bolger’s Malik, born to a Dahomey mother and a white father who grew up in Europe and returns in the company of his best friend Santo (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), who has inherited a slave operation and is learning how to run it. That subplot ultimately ties into the rest of the story but never feels as authentic as the rest, more a Hollywood concoction than something drawn from truth.
More effective (but still not up to quite the standard of the movie as a whole) is a surprise revelation for two of the characters that we won’t spoil. But suffice to say it’s soapier than it might have needed to be.
Viola Davis stars in ‘The Woman King.’
The movie really comes alive when Davis and co. are in battle, the clashes pushing the PG-13 rating to its limit (though still more bloodless than the violent stabbing, slashing and shooting might suggest), and the cast fully commit to the action, working alongside some extremely adept stunt performers to make sure that Nanisca, Izogie and the rest are exactly as brutal and efficient on the battlefield as you might expect.
Nanisca has some demons she needs to confront, literally in one case when she faces off against Jimmy Odukoya’s misogynistic and cruel Oba Ade, commander of the forces from the nearby Oyo Empire, who is her nemesis and one of the only people who can actually stand up to her in battle. Odukoya is a vital, dangerous force in the film, more than just a simple villain.
Vibrant and full of passion, ‘The Woman King’ might not have the same multimedia appeal of, say, ‘Black Panther’, but it deserves to do well, telling a story that many people won’t have heard and bringing a unique aspect to the genre.
‘The Woman King’ receives 4 out of 5 stars.
(L to R) Lashana Lynch, Viola Davis, Shelia Atim, Sisipho Mbopa, Lone Motsomi, Chioma Umeala in ‘The Woman King.’
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The film is set in the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the 1820s and follows the Agojie, an all-female group of warriors who protect the kingdom. Their leader, General Nanisca (Viola Davis) is training a new generation of warriors to fight against an enemy who wants to destroy their way of life.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Viola Davis and Thuso Mbedu about their work on ‘The Woman King,’ and creating their complex characters.
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You can read the interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Davis, Mbedu, John Boyega, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, producer Cathy Schulman, and director Gina Prince-Bythewood.
Moviefone: To begin with, Viola, as an actress, what was it like for you to step into this role, both internally and externally?
Viola Davis: To be honest, I’m one of those actors that when I do a role and the movie is done, I’m done. I don’t think about it. I don’t want to think about it. I forget the lines. I forget everything. But then there’s some times, characters do stay with you because they help you. We become “people whisperers.” We invite these human beings into our lives for as long as we’re doing the movie and we’re researching the movie. Then they sit with us, and sometimes they become the best therapist and healers for us.
Naniska taught me to be brave. She did. There’s a lot of times in my life that when I walk in the room, everything is a fight. As an actor, as a Black actor, as a Black female actor, everything is a fight. Sometimes I need a sword, I really do. I need to believe that I can walk in the room and I can slay. Especially being shy, and being introverted, which I am. That’s what Naniska taught me. She shifted me.
Viola Davis as Nanisca in TriStar Pictures’ ‘The Woman King.’ Photo: Ilze Kitshoff.
MF: Finally, Thuso, Nawi goes through a big transformation from the beginning of the movie to the end. What was it like for you as an actress to have an opportunity to develop such a complex character?
Thuso Mbedu: It was a lot of fun. Nawi, I think, is different to me in a lot of ways. So, finding her, playing with her, growing with her was a lot of fun, in conversation with Gina (Prince-Bythewood) at all times. Gina has this swagger about her that she really wanted Nawi to have.
She would constantly remind me on set. “Don’t forget the swagger.” I was like, okay, I have to sit into that confidence that Nawi has. Live your life in such a way where the death of your dream is not an option. That is who Nawi is. I enjoyed playing her.
Opening in theaters on August 26th is the new drama ‘Breaking,’ which was written and directed by Abi Damaris Corbin.
Based on a true story, the movie centers on Lance Corporal Brian Brown-Easley (John Boyega), a former Marine Corps veteran in financial trouble.
After not receiving several of his benefit checks from the VA, and with no one listening to his complaints, Brian takes two hostages (Nicole Beharie and Selenis Leyva) at a local bank, hoping to gain attention from the media.
With a police Major (Jeffrey Donovan) itching to take him out, Brian deals with a sympathetic police negotiator (Michael K. Williams), and a local reporter (Connie Britton) willing to listen to his story.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with John Boyega and Nicole Beharie about their work on ‘Breaking,’ the true story it is based on, their characters, the mood on set, and working with writer/director Abi Damaris Corbin.
John Boyega in ‘Breaking.’ Courtesy of Bleecker Street.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Boyega, Beharie, and writer/director Abi Damaris Corbin.
Moviefone: To begin with, John, can you talk about your first reaction to hearing Brian’s story, reading the screenplay, and your approach to playing this character?
John Boyega: My first reaction, I was quite surprised. I hadn’t heard of the story. It was shocking that this happened in Atlanta, in a major city, and at the same time that I hadn’t heard about it. But then going into the screenplay, going into script, I liked how detailed it was. I liked that this wasn’t just a typical thriller. I like that this was actually a character study.
Also, at the same time, a moment to go back into the life of a vet, a perspective that personally, from my background, I didn’t necessarily have family members that have gone and done that. So, for me, it was an education and then excitement, because we have a lot of dramatic moments.
I heard that Michael Kenneth Williams might be a part of it, and Nicole and Selenis. The combination of all those things was like, “Okay, cool. This is a project I would love to do if I get the opportunity.”
MF: Nicole, can you talk about how Estel handles the situation she finds herself in and the sympathy that she ends up having for Brian?
Nicole Beharie: It’s interesting. This is based on a true story and I did get to read what the protocol for a bank manager is. Initially, look, Nicole is not staying in the bank, okay? When that’s happening, I’m not staying in the bank, I’m running.
But I felt like this woman’s heroism came from her training, and also this man, seeing something that she identified from other people that she knew, and wanting to protect him as best she could. I think that was a big part of it for me.
(L to R) Selenis Leyva, Nicole Beharie, and John Boyega in ‘Breaking.’ Courtesy of Bleecker Street.
MF: Nicole, your scenes are incredibly intense, can you talk about how you prepared emotionally day-to-day to be a hostage?
NB: Do you know what’s funny is my scenes are only intense because John came in with all the intensity. He provided the fire for us to be like, “We have to take this fire out.” So, I have to give that to my fellow cast in creating this world, keeping it alive so that we can be reacting and working off of the nuances, the little changes.
I think that’s really what it’s about and so exciting when it works that way, and that’s exactly what happened. So, for me, I didn’t have to do a whole lot of work because everyone brought it. We were just there, keeping it alive.
MF: Can you both talk about what the movie says about the way we treat our veterans in this country?
JB: For me, it’s the loneliness that was so interesting. We have a lot of these people in our society who walk amongst us, but don’t have their perspective and their point of view heard. I think for me that can be so frustrating to go to several different avenues, the official avenues that comes with the veteran’s affairs, but also going to try and talk to family. Trying to get some form of empathy can be quite hard because a lot of people just don’t have that perspective.
But then you do the full circle, when you think about it, you’re like, “Oh, well that’s the illusion.” Right? As civilians who are protected, we’re the babies in the bubble that the governments say, “Don’t tell them anything, they might freak out.” So, to have this perspective, especially when vets come back home and they’re trying to integrate back into society, to see their complications and their struggles is something that we can all learn from, for real.
NB: Another reason I was drawn to this movie was because I have quite a few family members who’ve served in the military in different aspects. I, in particular, had one uncle who came back different and this speaks to everything in that. I feel like personally, as a civilian, as John said, I wasn’t able to be there in the way that Estel is. So, it’s like I vicariously get to have this other experience. I just wanted to add that, because it’s a big part of the pull for me.
Nicole Beharie in ‘Breaking.’ Courtesy of Bleecker Street.
Finally, Nicole, what was your experience like working with writer and director Abi Damaris Corbin?
NB: Abi was amazing. She also has a personal connection, having veterans in her family and she really cares about all the details in this story. I think also what’s really interesting is its Brian’s story, but there are all these different other characters that pop in here and there and they still feel very fleshed out.
It feels like that dance that they have between corporate and what they’re told to do with bureaucracy, whether it’s at the VA, the detective or the news anchor, they all are dancing this line between institution and humanity, and what they want to do. I just think it’s really powerful the way that she executed that.
John Boyega in ‘Breaking.’ Courtesy of Bleecker Street.
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Looking to upend what we have traditionally seen from historical action dramas – which, let’s be honest have often been focused on white dudes swinging swords to avenge their families or conquer other countries – director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s ‘The Woman King’ instead puts Viola Davis front and center as the general commanding an army.
Inspired by true events, ‘The Woman King’ tells the story of the Agojie (AKA Amazons), the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. This is the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life.
Looking like the sort of fighting force that inspired ‘Black Panther’s fearsome Dora Milaje, the Agojie are responsible for defending King Ghezo (John Boyega). Our way into the story, meanwhile, is via Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), who is a relatively new recruit and learns that there’s more to this fighting force than just being badasses.
Viola Davis as Nanisca in TriStar Pictures’ ‘The Woman King.’ Photo: Ilze Kitshoff.
“I’ve never had a role like this before. It’s transformative,” Davis tells Vanity Fair. “And to be a producer on it, and to know that I had a hand in bringing it to fruition…. There’s always a vision you have for your career, but there are very few roles as an actress of color. Dark skin with a wide nose and big lips. I’m just gonna continue to say it. Those stories are extraordinarily limited. I knew what it would mean to us as Black people. Something that has never been done before. And what it would mean for Black women sitting in that movie theater. The responsibility is really high.”
For Prince-Bythewood, part of getting a handle on the movie’s impressive-looking action was also taking inspiration from her own past. “I grew up an athlete. The women around me were athletes,” she says. “There was a normalcy to how I thought about myself. You fight. Aggression is good. Leave it all out on the floor. And as I got older, it surprised me how few women had the advantage of growing up like that. That innate warrior that I believe we all have is dormant in so many women because it wasn’t encouraged or valued.”
‘Naked Singularity’ tells the story of a public defender named Casi (John Boyega) who seems to nearing the end of his rope, until an opportunity comes his way that he may not be able to pass up. The film also stars Olivia Cooke, Tim Blake Nelson, Bill Skarsgård, and Ed Skrein, with Linda Lavin playing the no-nonsense Judge Cymbeline. The movie was written and directed by Chase Palmer, and he and Lavin talked to us about the movie.
First, Linda Lavin talks about her extremely acerbic judge.
Moviefone: You’re the first person I’ve ever seen that make drinking from a water bottle look menacing.
Linda Lavin: That was a wonderful moment! I’d forgotten about that. We shot this film almost two years ago and when I watched it, I thought, “Oh my God, I forgot that one!” That was funny. I have to credit the director. It’s the director, Chase Palmer, a great writer and director. And that was so much fun to do. Thank you. And working with John Boyega. So wonderful. So wonderful.
MF: What was interesting about this judge character for you?
Lavin: What was interesting was playing a woman of such intelligence and power who was not cowed by this man who was so beaten down by the system, such a terribly difficult system, the criminal justice system, and being so arrogant with it. It’s so full of hubris, and thinking he could get away with murder with me. And it just was so much fun to sit so far above him. So high above the crowd, and let him know he wasn’t going to get away with that stuff with me. It was a lot of fun, and it was very meaningful. We got to shoot it on at 60 Center Street, which is the big courthouse in New York City. And I sat at a desk that judges sit at every day and hand out judgements and try to make sense out of a system that’s so convoluted and so compromised. It was a wonderful opportunity. I love the movie. I think it’s a great thriller, and he’s a great actor and a wonderful human being, very different from the character.
MF: John Boyega has such a righteous indignation as Casi. And what tools do you have to use as an actor to play a judge that’s having none of that?
Lavin: Well, I just had to listen and make a commitment to her dedication to the truth. And we’ve all been in a position where somebody doesn’t hear us or doesn’t want to know what we think or is trying to, as you say, righteously defend a situation that is indefensible. And she said that to him, “Oh, I’m glad we’re speaking, frankly.” She says, “Now we’re speaking frankly.” He tries to get away with it with saying, “It’s a joke.” And she says, “So now we’re being comical.” She hears everything. And the only tool I had to do was to listen, learn the lines, and show up, because it’s not a difficult thing. When you hear something coming at you that threatens your sensibilities or your intelligence, when someone’s trying to get away with something. Anybody who’s raised children knows that one.
MF: I’m glad you brought that up because it’s as if the judge sometimes has these moments, similar to a parent, which is, “You really think haven’t heard this one before?”
Lavin: (Laughing) Right. Who do you think you’re talking to? Exactly.
MF: What was the time commitment like for you?
Lavin: I think it was a two-day shoot. And so we did all my scenes together in that two-day period downtown, and this is the same courthouse that they use for Law and Order. But I’ll tell you, my dressing room was a closet. It was a small office that had a locker on it, in it, excuse me, a locker with things, pasted all over it, post-its. And this was my dressing room. And it was in the courthouse. There were no dressing rooms and had a bad coffee machine that was so stained from years and years of never being washed. And I thought, “Wow, this makes ‘Law and Order’ look glamorous.”
This was really, really shabby. And then I got to walk into the courtroom dressed as this judge and got to speak her intelligence and her utterance of the law. The law is the point, not what you think and not what you feel. And we know that anybody who’s watched Judge Judy as I do as often as possible, knows that when she says, “I don’t care. It doesn’t matter that he hurt your feelings. I don’t care what you were wearing that day. I care about the law and what you’re legally responsible for or what you were legally the victim of.” So I loved pretending to be that person, that lawyer, that judge.
MF: I know that costumes could really help actors get into a character. I have to imagine the moment you put on that robe, it’s “Okay, Judge Lavin is here and you guys are all in trouble.”
Lavin: Absolutely! So as soon as I walked in that courtroom, I felt that power. Absolutely. And it was given to me. And that was so respectful and so thoughtful. And there’s something about sitting higher than anybody else. The physical ramification of that deal is more than symbolic.
Writer/director Chase Palmer talks about adapting the novel and shooting on the streets of NYC.
Moviefone: Could you talk a little bit about what it takes to adapt this sprawling, philosophical novel?
Chase Palmer: Yeah. That’s correct. I think with these big books, the thing that I look for the most in an adaptation is, what’s the spirit of the book, because you can’t, do everything. You can’t do all the plot, all the character. I try to pick books that I connect to the spirit of it, the essence of it, and then go from there. In the case of Naked Singularity, Sergio De La Pava, the author, is a public defender for 20 years, and he’s married to a public defender for 20 years. He’s a Manhattan-based defender. His wife, Susanna, is in Brooklyn.
What I loved about the book was it was just so well-observed. It was, obviously, coming from somebody who was on the inside of the whole system, but more importantly, he had just a very distinct voice. It was outraged. It was absurdist. It was darkly comic. There were some philosophical detours. It was just wild. There was a bit of sort of genre mashup going on. I wanted to kind of capture that way in to telling a story about this sort of young public defender and his experience sort of butting up against the dysfunctional justice system. It just felt like a new way in to kind of explore that idea.
MF: I’m glad you talked about the outrage, because I was going to ask, is the book and the topics of the situations it covers as infuriating as we see the movie gets, especially early on, and you see some of the stuff that happens to Casi’s clients?
Palmer: Yeah, very much. I mean, the book is very long, so he has a lot more clients, and so you really get to see sort of the diversity of injustice. It often is very petty. I think what we wanted to do in our film is to show that even these sorts of small infractions can snowball into something much larger that can affect people’s lives. These petty injustices are some of the easiest things for the system to try to prevent, and we still have a hard time preventing them. Yes, it was even more infuriating. In talking to Sergio, I sort of asked him what would be the first thing you would do if you could reform the system, and New York recently passed this, but it was, essentially, bail reform, and making sure that people who had money weren’t treated differently than people who did not have money.
MF: The pettiness is apparent very early on, because one of those first scenes we get with Linda Lavin, where she reaches for her water bottle and slowly brings the straw up, it’s like you’re communicating, “Oh, here we go again.” What was it like working with her and casting her in the movie?
Palmer: Oh, it was a dream. I mean, we needed to get somebody… She’s in the film for five scenes, but she is chewing up John and chewing up scenery in those five scenes. We wanted somebody who was both formidable, but also brought a humor to their banter back and forth. You wanted to make sure she wasn’t just this sort of cruel, faceless representation of the system, that there was also… She’s been on that seat in that courthouse for 30 years, and she’s seen a lot of guilty people, so she’s reacting to what she sees on a regular basis and has probably gotten a bit entrenched and calcified in her worldview, but she’s a human, and she’s good at what she does. Linda could do all of those things. She’s just an amazing stage actress in New York, and I wanted to get somebody of her caliber to play this role. She said, “Yes,” and we were lucky.
MF: This movie shows you a lot of real places in New York, but it’s also got a bit of a ’70s feel to it. I love that you name checked The French Connection. Can you talk a little about those influences that we see on the film?
Palmer: Yeah. I’ve lived in New York for 20 some years, and I often see it depicted in movies, not fully reflecting the New York that I live in and that I love, and so I tried to do a… We had this idea of, it’s the vinyl record version of a contemporary band. That was sort of our approach. It’s present day, but there’s something kind of retro about the film, and mostly because we’re shooting all of these locations, like tow pounds and courthouses and junkyards on the waterfront that have existed for 50 years, and they haven’t changed very much. Just the patina of those places kind of give a look and a feel for the film. I wanted it to feel kind of retro, but also present day. The movie’s a bit heightened, obviously, because we’re juggling genres, and I felt the heightened quality, the look of it, would allow us to kind of have a unified feel, hopefully.
MF: I’m sure I’m not the first person to bring up ‘…And Justice For All.’ That’s a movie that has to cast a long shadow over this topic matter on this subject, but you manage to make your own movie. How do you make sure you’re going your own way?
Palmer: Well, I think you’re always aware of other movies that play in the same space, I think I was just focused on the book. The book had a simple idea at the core of it, which is this public defender sort of snapping at a point of crisis, and then kind of getting embroiled in a little heist snatching that may or may not empower him to provoke the change that he wants. That was the simple idea of the book, despite the complexity of the book. I think it was just trying to really focus on the book, and yes, but we did know that that was there. We’ve certainly watched everything that mattered, whether it was Sidney Lumet movies or Dog Day Afternoon, obviously, and then you get in the heist genre. Anything that you can touch that’s Elmore Leonard gets watched, as well. Yeah, that’s part of the fun of making these movies, is you kind of get to do a deep dive in all the influences.
MF: Another question I have to ask, so you’ve got a Brit playing Casi, you’ve got a Brit playing Lea, you’ve got a Brit playing Craig, all of these native New Yorkers, was there a point in the casting you’re thinking, “Well, everybody better get their accents right”?
Palmer: Certainly, yeah, certainly not intentional. I mean, by the time I was finishing the script, I was writing it for John, so that was a no-brainer. Then Olivia came on board next, and a friend of our producer had worked with her on Thoroughbreds, and when we met I had to, definitely, cast her. You just start casting people you think are the right people, and then hope that all these professionals can get the accent right. They all worked hard. They all did a great job. We didn’t have an accent mashup on set. Everybody was prepared. It didn’t make a difference, but yes, I was worried.
MF: I’m so glad you mentioned that you wrote this with John in mind, because in some of the other roles we’ve seen him in, he’s got such a righteousness to him, that inner fire. What’s that like for you as a director and writer, knowing that you’re writing for that, and then when you get it on set and see that happen?
Palmer: Oh, I mean, watching him in those courtroom scenes was thrilling. We actually shot the movie in reverse order, so we did all the heist stuff first. We’ve seen John. Obviously, he could tackle all of that sort of genre stuff quite easily, but really, we were all looking forward to seeing him in that courtroom sparring with Linda. Like you said, there’s sort of a core integrity. There’s a core sense of indignation that he can bring that aligns with the character of Casi. I mean, when I saw him in Detroit, you see this character, he had to do so much acting where he couldn’t act against what he was seeing, but you were watching him go through all these emotions. You’re feeling the indignation and outrage, despite him not being able to act on it. I felt that was a similar situation that Casi was in. He can be more pushy, but there’s a limit to it. John just brought that in spades.
MF: I’m always curious about what it’s like shooting in New York City. For somebody who’s lived there for 20 years, what’s on your mind as you’re shooting outdoors in New York, that the city’s running around you? I’m just curious as to what that feels like day-to-day.
Palmer: I mean, for me, I felt so lucky. I’ve wanted to make a movie for a really long time. I love this city, so the fact that you could show up… I mean, for a couple of weeks, I could walk from my apartment in Brooklyn to our set. How crazy is that? I picked a number of locations that for years have been part of my daily routine or in my neighborhood or whatever. I wrote to some of these locations. Then, when you find yourself standing there with New York kind of rushing around you, I think my first feeling was just, yeah, I felt lucky and how fun it is to make a movie. It’s hard, but it’s fun, especially in a city that you love like that, and people in New York are sort of used to it. They treat you well.
John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Oscar Isaac star in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’
In this latest TV spot from Lucasfilm we get a couple of title cards that ominously tell us that “The Saga will end.” That shouldn’t be too big a surprise; you can only have three movies in a trilogy, right?
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This trailer definitely plays up the idea of things coming to a close. Not only do we hear Mark Hamill talking about destiny, we also hear Threepio say something about looking at his friends “one last time.” That might mean this is the last ride for the fussy protocol droid. On the other hand, the trailers for ‘The Force Awakens’ and ‘The Last Jedi’ were pretty good at using misdirection to subvert our expectations, so it won’t be too surprising to see that happening here. In any event, all will be revealed in less than a month when ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ opens on December 20.
The end of the “Star Wars” saga may also be the end of John Boyega’s journey in the galaxy far, far away.
At least, that’s what the actor recently told MTV News when asked if he might ever play stormtrooper-turned-resistance fighter Finn again after December’s “The Rise of Skywalker.”
“Honestly, the bottom of my heart, I don’t think that I am [going to play Finn again],” he admitted.
Boyega added, “This really is that movie. I think everyone doesn’t believe it but this is that war that just ends everything.”
Of course, Boyega simply may not know about future plans for his character. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has said that some new trilogy characters may be seen again in future projects.
“There’s no question that there’s certain characters that we’ve created, certainly in the last three movies, that we may very well wanna see down the line in the future,” she noted.
“We also have huge opportunities with Disney+ now to be able to look at that space and find perhaps even smaller stories, grittier stories.”
Marvel is doing that very thing with “Avengers” spinoffs on Disney+ (including series featuring Falcon and Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch and Vision, and Loki).
So, it’s in the realm of possibility that Disney+ rolls out a Finn/Poe Dameron bromantic dramedy where they fly X-wings and dispense space justice across the galaxy. We can dream!
Earlier today, at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, we were served a deep-dish slice of brand new details about the highly-anticipated sequel, one that supposedly closes out the Skywalker “saga” films for good. The lively Episode IX panel, hosted by none other than Stephen Colbert (who has been a fan “three weeks longer than any of you,” thanks to him attending an early screening of the original film back in 1977), featured co-writer/director J.J. Abrams, producer Kathleen Kennedy, and stars Anthony Daniels, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billy Dee Williams and new kid on the block Naomi Ackie (more on her in a minute). It was conversational and fun and we learned a lot about the new movie, including …
(We should probably propose a mild spoiler warning to those who want to go into “Episode IX” completely free of knowledge.)
The Title of the Movie
At the very end of the panel, the trailer for the movie ran (a very, very good trailer that you have undoubtedly watched 10,000 times already) and at the end of that trailer, words we had never seen before appeared: “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” What that means, exactly, is somewhat unclear. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver, a no-show today) is obviously a Skywakler but an intriguing fan theory has already emerged: that Skywalker is the new name for anyone who does good with their Force connectivity. After all, Luke was the last Jedi, but something always rises in its place. Something … like Skywalker.
The Emperor is Back
The insidious laugh at the end of the trailer belongs to none other than Emperor Palpatine, the big bad of the original trilogy and the titular “Phantom Menace” of the prequels. He is once again played by English actor Ian McDiarmid, who was on hand at Celebration to inform the control booth to run the trailer “one more time.” It’s fascinating that McDiarmid has played the character in so many formats for so many years (he’s now 74), when the character was originally visualized thanks to the help of a woman in heavy prosthetic make-up and a chimpanzee. (Seriously, look it up.)
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The Movie Had to Be About Many Things
Before the cast even took to the stage, Abrams said how important the movie was, on a number of levels. “This movie, in addition to being the end of three trilogy, it has to work as its own movie,” Abrams explained to Colbert (and the thousands of audience members in attendance). “That’s been part of the fun of it, part of the challenge of it. But it’s about this new generation and what they’ve inherited, as they face the greatest evil, are they prepared? It’s amazing to look at this thing George created and bring it to a close.” When the trailer ran, everything he was alluding to became somewhat clearer, as our new characters are left to deal with unresolved issues, the hollowed-out remains of the Death Star (don’t know which one yet) and, of course, the Emperor.
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The Use of Carrie Fisher Material Was Emotional for Everyone
Abrams, who is deep into the editing process of the movie (Christmas will be here before you know it, pal!), spoke about the use of Carrie Fisher footage that was shot for “The Force Awakens,” never used, and is being incorporated into the new movie to finish Princess (General?) Leia’s arc. (You can see some of this footage in the trailer.) “The crazy thing is, I say this emotionally, every day it hits me that she’s not here but it’s so surreal because we’re working with her still. She’s in scenes,” Abrams said. “And the craziest part is how not crazy it feels. She’s there in these scenes, in some scenes with her daughter. Princess Leia lives in this film in a way that is mind-blowing to me.”
Things Don’t Pick Up Right Where They Left Off
The time between “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi” is relatively short; Finn doesn’t even wake up from the wounds he suffered at the end of the first movie until after the big introductory set piece. But that isn’t the case this time around. Abrams revealed that “the movie doesn’t pick up immediately after.” This sentiment was echoed by Daisy Ridley later in the panel. There seems to have been an evolution, or at least a maturation, between the movies, which is pretty exciting.
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The Gang’s Together This Time
One of the more shocking things about re-watching “The Last Jedi” is the scene at the end when Poe (one of the main characters of the so-called “sequel trilogy”) introduces himself to Rey. They only meet at the very end of the second movie! That’s insane. Happily, Abrams said that the new film can be described as “an adventure that the group goes on together.” Whew!
Anthony Daniels’ Book Title Got Rejected
The uncontested star of the first part of the panel was undoubtedly Anthony Daniels, who was clearly having the time of his life holding court in front of such a large audience. At one point he started talking about his new memoir, which will be unveiled tomorrow, and how the original title of the memoir was rejected by his publisher. The name he proposed, he said? “Telling the Odds.”
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Billy Dee Never Left
It was a hoot to see Billy Dee Williams, just as smooth as ever, get up on stage and talk about his love and admiration for the cast and crew, and in particular JJ (at various times he called the filmmaker “a beautiful young man” and “extraordinary”). When Colbert asked him what it was like getting back into the Lando groove again, Williams perfectly shot back, “How did I find Lando again? Lando never left me.” Abrams then went on to describe Williams’ first day on set (“everyone went quiet”). “It was honestly an emotional thing,” Abrams said. At the end of his section of the presentation, Williams also defended Lando’s position in the original trilogy. Hilariously, he became animated, saying, “I’m sick and tired of being accused of betraying Han Solo!” He went on: “He was up against Darth Vader! He had to figure something out! Did anybody die? Nobody died! I had to prevent the complete demise of my friend and his friends.” It was truly amazing. And Williams was life: Lando never left.
Naomi Ackie’s Character May or May Not Be Lando’s Daughter
When introducing her new character Jannah to the “Star Wars” universe, Ackie deftly avoided saying whether or not she was Lando’s daughter, even when asked, point blank, by Colbert (apparently she helps the central characters during their journey). “Lando is a very charming man so he could have children all over the universe,” she demurred. Given that she was interviewed right after Williams and her character’s considerable amount of swag, all things point to yes on that particular paternity issue.
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Finn is Now Fully Part of the Resistance
John Boyega spoke about the journey of his character Finn, who started off as a Stormtrooper, became more shaded and complex in “The Last Jedi,” and is now fully on board with the Resistance. He said that, “Finn has just found he’s got his identity in the Resistance.” Part of that identity, Boyega said, was that he finally got an iconic costume. He said that when he saw his new blue pants, he exclaimed, “I’m in Star Wars!” (Again, we’re assuming.)
Phasma is Maybe Dead Probably?
Boyega was pretty dodgy when it came to answering questions about whether or not we’ll see a rematch with his chief antagonist, Captain Phasma. When Colbert asked if that relationship has found closure, he said, “Emotional closure, sure,” without saying whether or not she’d be returning. Reading his body language and the way he was answering his questions, either she is really dead or Boyega has gotten a lot better at evading pressing “Star Wars”-related questions.
The Messy Love Triangle Remains
During his section of the panel, Boyega joked that Finn is “single and ready to mingle.” Later on, he remarked that wartime is “a very distracted place to fall in love.” And during Kelly Marie Tran’s section, all she said was that Finn is “a very eligible bachelor.” So we say yes, the Jedi might be gone but the triangle remains.
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Oscar Isaac Thinks Poe is a More Versatile Pilot Than Han
When Colbert asked if Poe was a better pilot than Han Solo, Oscar Isaac squirmed. “There was so much goodwill a second ago,” the actor said. He then couched his answer: “No one can fly the Millennium Falcon like Han. However, Poe can literally anything.” He then joked that Poe would be “the better Uber driver.”
Rey Has Read the Books
At the end of “The Last Jedi,” it was revealed that Rey had stolen the sacred Jedi texts before Luke and Yoda burned down the tree that housed them. (That same kind of tree was in the backyard of a future Resistance all-star … Poe.) Ridley said that, “She may have gotten started,” noting that the long time in between movies would have given her plenty of opportunity to catch up.
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There Will Be New Force Powers
One of the more divisive elements of “The Last Jedi,” a movie seemingly comprised only of divisive moments, was the introduction of new or at least unseen Force powers, like the communication between Rey and Kylo Ren, Luke’s astral projection, and Leia’s deep space recovery. When Colbert asked if Rey had any new Force abilities, she kicked the question to JJ. After giving a lengthy shout-out to the movie’s unbelievable stunt team, he did acknowledged that, “Yes, there are some other things and you’ll see them soon.” Could he be referring to the superhuman jump that Rey does as Kylo’s TIE fighter tries to run her down?
Suotamo Has a Preferred Preparation for Porg
After a lovely appreciation of Peter Mayhew, the original actor to inhabit Chewbacca, and a cute story about his young child visiting set, Joonas Suotamo finally revealed what Chewbacca’s preferred method of porg-preparation is. “They taste best fried,” the actor said, in the most deadpan way possible.
There’s a New Creature…
One of the photos they showed was of Snap Wexley (Abrams’ old friend Greg Grunberg) standing next to a tall, slug-like creature named Klaude. Klaude is hilarious and adorable and we don’t know much else about him (including why might be voicing him). Abrams, at various points during the panel, stated how much of the movie he attempted to shoot on real locations with practical creatures and droids.
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… And a New Droid!
Another character introduced during the panel is a new droid! His name is “D-0” (pronounced “Dio”) and he kind of looks like an old timey megaphone on a unicycle. In other words: he is adorable. And he rolled out onto the stage and interacted with BB-8. The amount of Dios that are going to be under the Christmas tree this year cannot be overstated.
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” opens in your galaxy on December 20th, 2019.
