Paramount has seemingly won the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery.
Netflix had seemed to be in prime position but have backed out.
The news sent shockwaves through the industry.
Though it looked in December as though streaming giant Netflix had been successful in its attempt to buy Warner Bros., in a surprise move, Paramount Skydance has swept in to snatch the deal from the company’s hands.
Paramount’s David Ellison and his team had been making overtures to the Warner board, and recently upped its bid to the point where the board decided to go with the new offer.
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Now the big question is whether one media giant –– especially one as similar to Warner Bros. as Paramount, can clear the regulatory hurdles such a deal would generate. But Ellison and his company’s faithfulness to the current administration would seem to be a help to them.
Netflix bosses talk the end of its bid for Warners
Co-CEO and Chief Content Officer at Netflix Ted Sarandos attends the World Premiere of Netflix’s ‘Red Notice/ at Regal LA Live. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Netflix.
Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters released the following statement about the company’s decision to drop out of the bidding process:
“We’ve always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance’s latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match. This transaction was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price.”
What next for Paramount and Warners?
Matt Smith in ‘House of the Dragon’ season 2. Photograph by Theo Whitman/HBO.
Pending regulatory approval, Paramount will own not only Warner Bros. and HBO, but also many popular cable networks including CNN, TNT, TBS and Food Network. The deal would represent a major ground shift for the entertainment industry, which is trying to adapt to seismic shifts in audience habits and technology.
Will the giant merged legacy media company be able to overcome competition from Netflix, which has its own sphere of influence? Only time will tell…
Chelsea Handler hosts the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards. Photo: CCA.
Preview:
Winners of the 31st Critics Choice Awards included ‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘Hamnet.’
‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Sinners’ also took home awards.
The ceremony was hosted by Chelsea Handler.
Though there were few surprises among the big winners at this year’s Critics Choice Awards, where ‘One Battle After Another’ took home a three big trophies (Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay), the ceremony was nevertheless still a lively, energetic affair, hosted once again by Chelsea Handler.
Following a monologue from Handler that took shots at Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav and paid loving tribute to Rob Reiner and Diane Keaton, it was on with the show.
(L to R) Leonardo Di Caprio and Director/Writer/Producer Paul Thomas Anderson on the set of ‘One Battle After Another.’ A Warner Bros. Pictures Release. Photo Credit: Merrick Morton.
Benicio del Toro as Sensei St. Carlos in ‘One Battle After Another.’ A Warner Bros. Pictures Release. Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
Paul Thomas Anderson – ‘One Battle After Another’ – WINNER
Universal Pictures’ live-action ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, written and directed by Dean DeBlois. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Preview:
The new ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ is a roaring success so far.
Dean DeBlois’ film has earned more than $197 million globally.
Disney’s own live-action conversion of ‘Lilo & Stitch’ fell to second place.
Looks like audiences were very ready to visit the island of Berk again.
Or perhaps the term should truly be re-visit, since the new ‘How to Train Your Dragon,’ a live-action re-imagining of the 2010 animated adventure, is essentially that movie told over again.
Still, audiences embraced it to the tune of $83 million at the domestic box office.
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The new movie, written and directed by Dean DeBlois (who co-wrote and directed the animated original before taking on its two follow-ups), has been a big success for DreamWorks and Universal, which dipped a toe (a claw, perhaps?) into the animated-to-live-action conversion following years of Disney doing the same.
How did the ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ live-action movie do elsewhere at the box office?
(from left) Hiccup (Mason Thames) and Astrid (Nico Parker) in Universal Pictures’ live-action ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, written and directed by Dean DeBlois. Photo: Universal Pictures.
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ wasn’t just successful here.
It collected $114 million while landing in 81 overseas markets, ranking as the No. 1 movie at the international box office, and $197.8 million globally. Top territories include Mexico with $14 million, the UK and Ireland with $11.2 million and China with $11.2 million.
Here’s Universal’s domestic distribution chief Jim Orr on the success of the movie:
“Our filmmaker Dean DeBlois created an incredible tale with heart, action and emotion. Multiple generations are in love with it. With our audience scores, I can only believe we are going to have a long run throughout the summer.”
And this was ComScore analyst Paul Dergarabedian on one reason for it:
“PG has become the goldilocks of ratings, one that indicates a film is appropriate for kids but still has enough edge to appeal to young adults, teens and more mature moviegoers. This is certainly a trend that should carry over to ‘Elio,’‘Smurfs’ and ‘The Bad Guys 2,’ which are yet to come on the summer movie slate.”
It’s a success story, since the movie cost $150 million to make and an additional $100 million to market, but assuming it has legs at the box office, it’ll easily make some profit.
What else happened at the box office this weekend?
This weekend’s new arrival deposed the previous box office champ, Disney’s ‘Lilo & Stitch’, another example of a movie that was re-imagined in live-action from an animated original.
In a distant second place, the other remake has collected $15.5 million in its fourth weekend of release.
The company won’t be too worried, though, as the movie is already a blockbuster with $366 million domestically and $858 million globally. It’s on track to be the year’s first billion dollar release.
The weekend’s other major wide release, A24’s ‘Materialists,’ launched at No. 3 with a promising $12 million from 2,844 venues.
Though it was met with a mixed audience reception, the film launched above projections that had been sitting around $8 million to $10 million.
Directed by Celine Song in her follow-up to the Oscar-nominated ‘Past Lives,’ the movie follows a New York City matchmaker (Dakota Johnson) who finds herself in a love triangle with a wealthy suitor (Pedro Pascal) and an imperfect ex (Chris Evans).
A24 spent $20 million on the film, not including marketing fees.
(L to R) Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal in ‘Materialists’. Credit: Atsushi Nishijima.
The eighth entry in the Tom Cruise-starring action franchise has amassed $166.3 million in North America and $506 million worldwide to date.
Against its massive $400 million budget (partly the impact of covid and other delays), though, ‘The Final Reckoning’ doesn’t have the strength to climb out of the red in its initial theatrical run.
The film earned $9.4 million from 3,409 theaters in its second weekend of release, a 62% decline from its debut. So far, the movie has generated $41.8 million domestically and $91.5 million globally, hardly punching above its weight for the franchise.
What’s the future for the ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ live-action franchise?
Even before this movie was released, DreamWorks and Universal were clearly enthused, as a sequel has already been ordered, with a date set for June 11th, 2027.
Given the response to this one, it certainly looks like cinemagoers will be back for it.
Mason Thames (right) as Hiccup with his Night Fury dragon, Toothless, in Universal Pictures’ live-action ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, written and directed by Dean DeBlois. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Other Movies Similar to ‘How to Train Your Dragon:’
The (possibly) final chapter of his ‘Mission: Impossible’ series, entitled ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘, opens in theaters on May 23rd and in honor of the new release, Moviefone is counting down the 35 best movies of Tom Cruise’s career, including his latest!
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown in ‘Cocktail’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
After being discharged from the Army, Brian Flanagan (Cruise) moves back to Queens and takes a job in a bar run by Doug Coughlin (Bryan Brown), who teaches Brian the fine art of bar-tending. Brian quickly becomes a patron favorite with his flashy drink-mixing style, and Brian adopts his mentor’s cynical philosophy on life and goes for the money.
In ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan’s past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission – not even the lives of those he cares about most.
Wounded in Africa during World War II, Nazi Col. Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) returns to his native Germany and joins the Resistance in a daring plan to create a shadow government and assassinate Adolf Hitler. When events unfold so that he becomes a central player, he finds himself tasked with both leading the coup and personally killing the Führer.
Military cadets (Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, Cruise) take extreme measures to ensure the future of their academy when its existence is threatened by local condo developers.
Nathan Algren (Cruise) is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai’s way of life in the name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself and to fight for their right to exist.
Tom Cruise in ‘Vanilla Sky.’ Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
David Aames (Cruise) has it all: wealth, good looks and gorgeous women on his arm. But just as he begins falling for the warmhearted Sofia (Penélope Cruz), his face is horribly disfigured in a car accident. That’s just the beginning of his troubles as the lines between illusion and reality, between life and death, are blurred.
When two poor Greasers, Johnny (Ralph Macchio) and Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell), are assaulted by a vicious gang, the Socs, and Johnny kills one of the attackers, tension begins to mount between the two rival gangs, setting off a turbulent chain of events.
A young man (Cruise) leaves Ireland with his landlord’s daughter (Nicole Kidman) after some trouble with her father (Robert Prosky), and they dream of owning land at the big giveaway in Oklahoma ca. 1893. When they get to the new land, they find jobs and begin saving money. The man becomes a local barehands boxer, and rides in glory until he is beaten, then his employers steal all the couple’s money and they must fight off starvation in the winter, and try to keep their dream of owning land alive. Meanwhile, the woman’s parents find out where she has gone and have come to America to find her and take her back.
A fugitive (Cruise and Cameron Diaz) couple goes on a glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure where nothing and no one – even themselves – are what they seem. Amid shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals, they race across the globe, with their survival ultimately hinging on the battle of truth vs. trust.
(L to R) Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, Greg Tarzan Davis plays Degas, Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn and Hayley Atwell plays Grace in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and the IMF team continue their search for the terrifying AI known as the Entity — which has infiltrated intelligence networks all over the globe — with the world’s governments and a mysterious ghost from Ethan’s past on their trail. Joined by new allies and armed with the means to shut the Entity down for good, Hunt is in a race against time to prevent the world as we know it from changing forever.
Jack Harper (Cruise) is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete. His existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger (Olga Kurylenko) from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.
After Dr. Bill Harford’s wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill (Cruise) becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings — and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.
Former pool hustler “Fast Eddie” Felson (Paul Newman) decides he wants to return to the game by taking a pupil. He meets talented but green Vincent Lauria (Cruise) and proposes a partnership. As they tour pool halls, Eddie teaches Vincent the tricks of scamming, but he eventually grows frustrated with Vincent’s showboat antics, leading to an argument and a falling-out. Eddie takes up playing again and soon crosses paths with Vincent as an opponent.
When Ethan Hunt (Cruise), the leader of a crack espionage team whose perilous operation has gone awry with no explanation, discovers that a mole has penetrated the CIA, he’s surprised to learn that he’s the No. 1 suspect. To clear his name, Hunt now must ferret out the real double agent and, in the process, even the score.
Tom Cruise in ‘Jack Reacher.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
When a gunman takes five lives with six shots, all evidence points to the suspect in custody. On interrogation, the suspect offers up a single note: “Get Jack Reacher!” So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher (Cruise) against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for violence and a secret to keep.
Retired from active duty to train new IMF agents, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is called back into action to confront sadistic arms dealer, Owen Davian (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). Hunt must try to protect his girlfriend while working with his new team to complete the mission.
Mitch McDeere (Cruise) is a young man with a promising future in Law. About to sit his Bar exam, he is approached by ‘The Firm’ and made an offer he doesn’t refuse. Seduced by the money and gifts showered on him, he is totally oblivious to the more sinister side of his company. Then, two Associates are murdered. The FBI contact him, asking him for information and suddenly his life is ruined. He has a choice – work with the FBI, or stay with the Firm. Either way he will lose his life as he knows it. Mitch figures the only way out is to follow his own plan…
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team are racing against time to track down a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), who has gained access to Russian nuclear launch codes and is planning a strike on the United States. An attempt to stop him ends in an explosion causing severe destruction to the Kremlin and the IMF to be implicated in the bombing, forcing the President to disavow them. No longer being aided by the government, Ethan and his team chase Hendricks around the globe, although they might still be too late to stop a disaster.
The biography of Ron Kovic (Cruise). Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, he becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.
Talented but unproven stock car driver Cole Trickle (Cruise) gets a break and with the guidance of veteran Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall) turns heads on the track. The young hotshot develops a rivalry with a fellow racer (Michael Rooker) that threatens his career when the two smash their cars. But with the help of his doctor (Nicole Kidman), Cole just might overcome his injuries– and his fear.
Ethan (Cruise) and team take on their most impossible mission yet—eradicating ‘The Syndicate’, an International and highly-skilled rogue organization committed to destroying the IMF.
Meet Joel Goodson (Cruise), an industrious, college-bound 17-year-old and a responsible, trustworthy son. However, when his parents go away and leave him home alone in the wealthy Chicago suburbs with the Porsche at his disposal he quickly decides he has been good for too long and it is time to enjoy himself. After an unfortunate incident with the Porsche Joel must raise some cash, in a risky way.
Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.” Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.
When car dealer Charlie Babbitt (Cruise) learns that his estranged father has died, he returns home to Cincinnati, where he discovers that he has a savant older brother named Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) and that his father’s $3 million fortune is being left to the mental institution in which Raymond lives. Motivated by his father’s money, Charlie checks Raymond out of the facility in order to return with him to Los Angeles. The brothers’ cross-country trip ends up changing both their lives.
Jerry Maguire (Cruise) used to be a typical sports agent: willing to do just about anything he could to get the biggest possible contracts for his clients, plus a nice commission for himself. Then, one day, he suddenly has second thoughts about what he’s really doing. When he voices these doubts, he ends up losing his job and all of his clients, save Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), an egomaniacal football player.
Cab driver Max (Jamie Foxx) picks up a man (Cruise) who offers him $600 to drive him around. But the promise of easy money sours when Max realizes his fare is an assassin.
Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. lead an ensemble cast in ‘Tropic Thunder,’ an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the most expensive war film. After ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys.
Tom Cruise in ‘Minority Report.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
John Anderton (Cruise) is a top ‘Precrime’ cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they’re committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator (Colin Farrell) targets him for a murder charge.
Major Bill Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and dropped into combat. Cage is killed within minutes, managing to take an alpha alien down with him. He awakens back at the beginning of the same day and is forced to fight and die again… and again – as physical contact with the alien has thrown him into a time loop.
When an IMF mission ends badly, the world is faced with dire consequences. As Ethan Hunt (Cruise) takes it upon himself to fulfill his original briefing, the CIA begin to question his loyalty and his motives. The IMF team find themselves in a race against time, hunted by assassins while trying to prevent a global catastrophe.
When cocky military lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Cruise) and his co-counsel, Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore), are assigned to a murder case, they uncover a hazing ritual that could implicate high-ranking officials such as shady Col. Nathan Jessep (Jack Nicholson).
Tom Cruise in ‘Top Gun.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
For Lieutenant Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Cruise) and his friend and co-pilot Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), being accepted into an elite training school for fighter pilots is a dream come true. But a tragedy, as well as personal demons, will threaten Pete’s dreams of becoming an ace pilot.
Also returning to the franchise is actor Rolf Saxon (‘Saving Private Ryan’), who played William Donloe in 1996’s ‘Mission: Impossible’. He was the CIA analyst that Ethan Hunt (Cruise) stole the NOC list from in that famous scene from the first movie.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Rolf Saxon about his work on ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’. The actor discussed returning to the franchise, his character’s pivotal role in the story, how the script changed on set, creating his backstory, reuniting with Tom Cruise, how he was cast in the original, what it was like appearing in that film’s iconic scene, his admiration for the legacy of the franchise and Cruise’s stunt work, and what it means to him to be part of one of the most popular franchises in cinematic history.
Rolf Saxon plays William Donloe in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Russell Baer.
Moviefone: To begin with, how did you find out that you would be returning for ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ and were you surprised to get a call 30 years after filming the first movie?
Rolf Saxon: Honestly, I thought it was a joke. I thought a friend of mine in Scotland was winding me up. Suddenly, I get an email to meet Christopher McQuarrie, and I see the address and I think, “Oh, that’s good, man. I’m going to owe you big time on this one, dude.” So, I’m in a t-shirt with a glass of wine and McQuarrie comes up and it’s like, “What? Wait, what?” I’ve got goosebumps just thinking about it. It was insane. He offered me the job within about three minutes, and he spent the next hour telling me what he thought. I couldn’t even joke about, “Oh, let me think about it, Chris. I might do this. I might not.” I just went for it. I thought it was a joke, and it wasn’t. So, I’m still having difficulty with this. No kidding. I had two lines, maybe three minutes on screen in the first movie and suddenly I’m doing this. Unbelievable.
MF: When it was announced that you would be returning, many thought it would be just a cameo, but your character plays a pivotal role in the story of the film. Was it always designed to be like that or did your part grow through production?
RS: Two things. One, Chris works in a very improvisational way. When I first came on board, it was a very different concept. Not hugely, I mean, it was still the same thing, but the way I was introduced was one way when we started filming, and then they decided to change an integral part of the story structure. So, that had to be readjusted. With that came a further readjustment. I was put in act three of the film. Again, this job has been like that for me. It’s like, “Wait, what? Seriously are you winding me up now? Is this a joke?” With Chris, I realized very soon, he doesn’t joke about stuff like that ever. Never. So, when he says something like that, it’s like, “This is wonderful.” I mean, I don’t know what his original concept of it was, to be honest with you. There was no script that I could read. It was just what he was telling me. That’s what I was going on. Then, as I said, we started filming it, and then we changed it. He then said, “We’re going to do something here and there, and we’re going to do this now.”
(L to R) Greg Tarzan Davis, Christopher McQuarrie, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Simon Pegg, Rolf Saxon, Pom Klementieff and Hayley Atwell on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
MF: A lot of time has passed since the last time we saw your character, and some of that is explained in the movie but did you create a backstory for yourself so you would understand how he got to this point in his life?
RS: Christopher was clear on what he wanted. As an actor, when one gets that kind of direction, it’s up to us to sort through that. Because of this, the energy and the positivity that’s around that just permeated that set. When someone said something like that, instead of like, “How am I going to do this?” It’s like, “Okay, this is cool. This is great.” It’s much more proactive. You’re not on the back foot so much, you’re on the front foot. I love that and that wasn’t a fluke that from day one to the last day for me was like that. So yeah, we worked, Chris and I talked a lot about what it was going to be, and then Lucy (Tulugarjuk) came on board. When she came on board, we did some more chatting about it. Then it was just a matter of making it work with what he was presenting us.
MF: You had only one scene with both Henry Czerny and Tom Cruise in the first movie, but you didn’t have any speaking lines in those scenes. What was it like to reunite with both of those actors on this movie and get to act opposite them this time around?
RS: Yeah, it was great. I mean, to get to act with Tom Cruise, again, it sounds a little bit fan-like, but it was brilliant, man. I mean, it was great. He brings, again, an energy and a positive focus that, there’s only one Tom Cruise. That’s it. There’s a reason for that. I got to experience it, which was wonderful. Henry, I met on set, but before we started working together, and it’s the first time I’d seen him in 30 years, I walked up to him and I said, “Hey, listen, I just want to say, no hard feelings.” He looked at me, and then he just started laughing. He’s got a great sense of humor. We’ve been tight since then. I mean, we get on very well. He’s a lot of fun.
(L to R) Hayley Atwell plays Grace, Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn, Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, Rolf Saxon plays William Donloe, Lucy Tulugarjuk plays Tapeesa, Greg Tarzan Davis plays Degas and Pom Klementieff plays Paris in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
MF: Can you talk about the first time you saw Tom Cruise again after all these years? Did he thank you for returning to the franchise?
RS: The first day I was brought on set just outside of London, to the studio. I was brought on just to see the set because there were two sound stages they were using. One of them was for a tunnel sequence that they had rebuilt where Luther (Ving Rhames) was working in that room. I was brought on to see it, meet a couple of heads of department and stuff. I came in around this corner and through this room, and there was Tom, the heads of department, and Christopher McQuarrie. I got this big round of applause, and Tom came up and hugged me. Simon Pegg was also there, who I’ve known for many years ago. I was made to feel so welcome immediately on the set. Tom just said, “Anything you need, let me know.” He’s not a warm and fuzzy kind of guy. He’s not that kind of Californian thing, but boy, he’s a hundred percent there.
MF: Can you talk about how you were cast in the first ‘Mission: Impossible’? Did you audition for director Brian De Palma?
RS: I was doing a David Mamet play, a tour. We’d done a theater, and it was very successful. So, we went on tour with it. I got a phone call from my agent saying they want to set up an audition for this movie. Tom Cruise is going to do ‘Mission: Impossible’. I said, “Like the TV series? This is going to be interesting.” So, I took a three-hour train ride and met them at Pinewood Studios. Brian (De Palma) was working at the time, so there was a little bit of a delay, and I had to be back for the curtain that night. So, I went in, I was there with him for about three minutes, and that was it. As I walked out, I turned to the casting director, and I said, “Well, that was a waste of time.” She said, “No, you were in there longer than anybody else. I think he really liked you.” I thought, “Yeah, right. Thanks. Appreciate it.” So, I got on the train back three hours just in time for the half hour call, and I got a message saying, “Phone your agent.” And I thought, “Oh, that’s cool. Okay.” So, I did the show. The next morning, I called my agent and he said, “Yeah, they’ve offered you the job. They want you to do it.” I said, “You’re kidding.” I was doing another film, a much better part, but they said they were going to work around it. So, I thought, “Okay, cool.” Of course, that film has completely disappeared. It’s funny how things work. That’s how I got that one. Again, this job has been like that from the get-go. A constant series of surprises, and very pleasant ones.
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Rolf Saxon in ‘Mission: Impossible’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
MF: The scene from the first film where Ethan Hunt is stealing the NOC list and Tom Cruise is hanging from the ceiling above you has become one of the most popular scenes in cinematic history. How has it felt over the years to know you were part of such an iconic movie moment?
RS: Well, I’ll be honest with you, Jami. I had no idea of this. I mean, I saw myself in the movie, I’m critical of things I do. So, some of it I like, some of it I didn’t like. I’ve seen it, and all my friends and family say, “Oh, you’re brilliant.” They’re your friends and your family, what are they going to say, you stink? No. So, McQuarrie said what you’re saying, and I thought he was blowing smoke. When I came to London, I was in a hotel. I met a guy, I didn’t know him, but I could tell he was American. So, I said, “Hey, how are you doing?” We chatted for 30 seconds on an elevator ride, and then I didn’t see him again for a couple of days. The next time I saw him was on the set for ‘Mission: Impossible’. It was Greg Tarzan Davis. He looked at me and pointed and said, “Oh, my gosh, you are William Donloe.” Christopher was standing behind him. I thought, again, between the two of them, they’d worked this out. Tarzan said, “No, man. I suddenly realized you’re the guy.” He said, “You looked a little familiar. But I thought, it was just me.” He said, “That is a great scene. Everybody knows it.” To be honest with you, I still find that difficult to believe, the fact that I’m in it. It’s more to do with what Tom’s doing and the film, I’m in the background of it. So, while I am part of it, it’s a tiny little part. I’m ecstatic about it. Don’t get me wrong. I love being a part of it. It brought me back. So yeah, I’m very happy.
MF: What is your opinion of the direction the series has gone in since the first film, and Tom Cruise’s incredible dedication to the stunt work?
RS: I’ll be honest, this is not my genre of film. I’ve watched every single one of them. I watched the second one because I was in the first one. But it became very much, “I love these.” I love these films. They’re great fun. This is not my normal genre, what I normally watch. So, that says for me how good they are. I’m not someone who gravitates to this kind of thing, and I love them. I watch them as soon as they come out. What I think of the franchise, it’s grown and grown. I mean, when we did the first one, it was a gamble. Tom was taking a big chance, and it paid off. That’s before he was the Tom Cruise he is now. That could have failed. So, because of him and his guiding, and especially when Chris came on, I think the last four films, they’ve got a working relationship that just gets bigger and bigger. Technology has improved. They do amazing things with technology, except the stunts. There’s no technology there. There’s none. That’s all him. That, I think, is one of the major selling points of the film. You’re seeing a human being doing everything that he does. I mean, I wouldn’t train to do those stunts. No way. I have friends who are stunt performers, and one of them who is American guy, he’s been doing it for a long time, and he said he’s never met any stunt person who has a sense of physical space the way Tom Cruise does. He doesn’t get excited, or nervous. He gets problem-solving. He said, “I’ve never seen anybody do anything the way he’s doing this.” I thought, “Well, it makes perfect sense.” But stunts can go wrong, and stunts have gone wrong with him. He’s broken bones. He’s injured himself, but he’s never come close to dying. That is a mark of, I think, how good he is at this and his team around him. He gets the best in the world. He can do that, and it works.
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
MF: Finally, you were in the first ‘Mission: Impossible’ and now you’re in the last. What does it mean to you personally to have been a part of one the most popular film franchises of all time?
RS: Again, it’s a gift. This from the outset has been a gift, an unknown gift in the beginning. I mean, this kind of thing, I suppose someone like Tom can do this kind of thing as an actor. He can say, “This is what I want to do,” but to be able to do that is a whole other thing. This was presented to me on a platter. I am fortunate that I’m the one it was presented to. Do you know what I mean? I spend a long-time perfecting what I do as best I can. So, when something like this comes up, hopefully I can do it. But the right place, the right time kind of thing comes to mind. I’ve had a lucky career. I’ve been very lucky. I’ve done many things that I’ve been gifted for. But this has got to be at the top. This is great.
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What is the plot of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’?
Following the events of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning,’ Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team must stop the villainous Gabriel (Esai Morales) from gaining control of the powerful sentient AI known as the Entity, which has plans of its own for the world.
Who is in the cast of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’?
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Based on the popular TV series of the same name, Tom Cruise‘s ‘Mission: Impossible‘ films have earned more than $4 billion at the box office and has become one of the most popular cinematic franchises of all time!
Cruise and McQuarrie have revitalized the franchise with their elaborate stunts and action sequences, and their latest addition to the series, and possibly the last, ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning‘, opens in theaters on May 23rd.
In honor of the new film’s release, Moviefone is ranking every ‘Mission: Impossible’ film ever made.
With computer genius Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) at his side and a beautiful thief (Thandiwe Newton) on his mind, agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) races across Australia and Spain to stop a former IMF agent (Dougray Scott) from unleashing a genetically engineered biological weapon called Chimera. This mission, should Hunt choose to accept it, plunges him into the center of an international crisis of terrifying magnitude.
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One ‘from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
In ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,’ Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan’s past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission – not even the lives of those he cares about most.
When Ethan Hunt (Cruise), the leader of a crack espionage team whose perilous operation has gone awry with no explanation, discovers that a mole has penetrated the CIA, he’s surprised to learn that he’s the No. 1 suspect. To clear his name, Hunt now must ferret out the real double agent and, in the process, even the score.
(L to R) Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, Greg Tarzan Davis plays Degas, Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn and Hayley Atwell plays Grace in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and the IMF team continue their search for the terrifying AI known as the Entity — which has infiltrated intelligence networks all over the globe — with the world’s governments and a mysterious ghost from Ethan’s past on their trail. Joined by new allies and armed with the means to shut the Entity down for good, Hunt is in a race against time to prevent the world as we know it from changing forever.
Retired from active duty to train new IMF agents, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is called back into action to confront sadistic arms dealer, Owen Davian (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). Hunt must try to protect his girlfriend (Michelle Monaghan) while working with his new team to complete the mission.
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team are racing against time to track down a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), who has gained access to Russian nuclear launch codes and is planning a strike on the United States. An attempt to stop him ends in an explosion causing severe destruction to the Kremlin and the IMF to be implicated in the bombing, forcing the President to disavow them. No longer being aided by the government, Ethan and his team chase Hendricks around the globe, although they might still be too late to stop a disaster.
Ethan (Cruise) and team take on their most impossible mission yet—eradicating ‘The Syndicate’, an International and highly-skilled rogue organization committed to destroying the IMF.
When an IMF mission ends badly, the world is faced with dire consequences. As Ethan Hunt (Cruise) takes it upon himself to fulfill his original briefing, the CIA begin to question his loyalty and his motives. The IMF team find themselves in a race against time, hunted by assassins while trying to prevent a global catastrophe.
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
If 2023’s ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’ was a rocketship of a movie that blasted clear into the stratosphere on a two-and-a-half-hour surge of supercharged action fuel, then ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ is the long, bumpy descent back to Earth, full of near-misses and some truly exhilarating moments before settling onto the ground in somewhat anticlimactic fashion.
As a possible close to this nearly 30-year-old, eight-movie saga, it’s frustrating, fan-servicey, and non-committal; as an entry on its own terms in what has become one of the best action franchises of the 21st century, it’s got a weird structure that goes flat for long stretches before jolting us with some of the series’ most electrifying set pieces. But star/producer Tom Cruise, writer/director Christopher McQuarrie and their cast work hard to sew up many of the franchise’s loose ends and deliver a ton of movie, even if it doesn’t quite live up to the expectations set by the last three or four chapters in the story.
Story and Direction
Director Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
The first 30 or 40 minutes of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ are its wobbliest. The film begins with a montage of moments from across the entire series, as if to remind us of not just what happened in the last movie, but to recap the entire saga and jog our memories of how monumental it all is. We’ve also got to get up to speed on the events of ‘Dead Reckoning,’ since – despite the efforts to play down the two films as ‘Part One’ and ‘Part Two’ after the former underperformed at the box office – ‘The Final Reckoning’ is a direct sequel that picks up almost right where we left off (despite reports of reshoots, some of which are glaringly obvious here).
Cruise and McQuarrie seemingly want to secure their franchise’s place in the action/sci-fi movie firmament as well, right next to the likes of Marvel’s Infinity Saga, the James Bond films, and the Skywalker Saga. In fact, there’s an air of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ around ‘The Final Reckoning,’ with McQuarrie’s screenplay (co-written with Erik Jendresen) not just rehashing the events of movies past but bringing in plot points and characters from specific films — most notably the very first ‘Mission: Impossible’ and J.J. Abrams’ ‘Mission: Impossible III’ – while retconning a few as well. There’s also a significant death early in the picture, which makes it seem – at least initially – that everyone’s life could be up for grabs.
Well, they kind of are, actually: ‘The Final Reckoning’ leans fully into the pulp sci-fi aspect of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ IP — going all the way back to the TV show — by making the stakes here nothing less than the end of human civilization at the hands of the Entity, the sentient, self-replicating AI that was the bogey at the heart of the previous film. As the film opens, the Entity is seizing control of not just the world’s nine major nuclear arsenals one by one, but, oddly, all online content as well, creating its own never-ending of deepfakes and fake news to confuse the human race and turn everyone against each other (as if we need AI to do that these days).
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
The Entity’s proselytizer and human henchman from the first film, Gabriel (Esai Morales), is now operating on his own and wants to get control of it, which requires a key that only Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is currently in possession of. Former CIA director Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett), now the President of the United States, wants Ethan to come in, while current CIA director, the eternally oily Kittredge (Henry Czerny), wants to get his hands on the Entity’s steering wheel as well. But Ethan knows that the Entity cannot be tamed and must be destroyed.
The means to do that is revealed in a lot of heavily-convoluted scenes of exposition that stop the film dead in its tracks several times, with McQuarrie deploying characters to finish each other’s sentences even if they’re sometimes not in the same room or on the same continent. The results are bizarre, as if the filmmakers are taking the criticism of this property’s often nonsensical storylines so seriously that they want to make sure that you’re fully briefed every 10 minutes or so.
In any case, it turns out that the only way to either stop or gain control of the Entity is by obtaining its source code, which is on a drive hidden away in that submarine that sank at the beginning of ‘Dead Reckoning.’ If that source code can be combined with a “poison pill” virus created by Ethan’s reliable bestie and teammate Luther (Ving Rhames) and uploaded to the internet, it can theoretically send the Entity scurrying through the world’s routers and fiber-optic cables into a trap that Ethan, Benji (Simon Pegg), Grace (Hayley Atwell) and their allies hope can capture the AI “in the blink of an eye.”
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Director Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’. Photo: Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
With the IMF team on the run from the Bering Sea to South Africa to achieve their mission, as Gabriel’s minions close in on them from one side and Kittredge’s squads bear down on the other, ‘The Final Reckoning’ eventually kicks into gear with two absolutely superb action sequences that are notable for how unlike each other they are. The first is an eerie, almost completely wordless 20-minute segment in which Ethan indeed breaches that sub, now a massive underwater tomb, and must escape with the source code before the sub plunges off the outcropping it’s perched on to the bottom of the ocean. Ethan’s fight to get out is incredibly nerve-wracking, although the end of the sequence undermines even its movie realism by allowing him to do something we were told one scene earlier is impossible for any human to do.
The second action set piece is basically the entire third act, a steady build-up of tension as we cut between Ethan and Gabriel battling in mid-air on dueling bi-planes, a standoff in an underground shelter involving guns, a ticking bomb, and one badly injured hero, and the President getting ready to pre-emptively press the nuclear button with a traitor standing just feet from her. The aerial dogfight is nothing short of stunningly spectacular, Cruise once again risking his life as he hangs off both planes and slides all over their wingspans as the aircraft dive and swoop through mountains, ravines and valleys.
That last half hour is really what we want from a ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie, and worth every penny onscreen (speaking of which, the movie looks astounding throughout, even if large chunks of it take place in tight, dark spaces). The very end of the story, meanwhile, sort of undermines the climax but also suggests a last-minute retooling. It’s not really clear where this franchise goes from here, but it is evident from the movie’s coda that the filmmakers themselves don’t really know either.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, Greg Tarzan Davis plays Degas, Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn and Hayley Atwell plays Grace in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Is his job finally getting to Ethan Hunt, or is making these behemoths finally getting to Tom Cruise? The venerable movie star seems a bit tired here, although in some ways he gives perhaps his most emotional performance as Ethan Hunt. Still, the idea that the fate of the world rests on his shoulders – and has been resting on them for a while – seems a bit much to hang on one guy. Having said that, Cruise gives his all here as usual, particular in those gut-churning airborne stunts and his seemingly unending ability to run great distances at speed.
As with ‘Dead Reckoning,’ the cast here is stacked to the rafters. It’s just a shame that most of the glittering ensemble don’t really play characters but just chess pieces who each get a moment or two to shine if they’re lucky. Pegg and Rhames are dependable as always, forming the emotional core of the movie, while Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff look fabulous as they do whatever the script requires and little else.
(L to R) Nick Offerman, Charles Parnell, Angela Bassett, Mark Gatiss and Janet McTeer in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
As for the rest of the folks – Bassett, Holt McCallany as the Secretary of Defense, Nick Offerman as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (just one year after playing the President himself!), the great Janet McTeer as Someone Important in the President’s Circle, and Hannah Waddingham and Tramell Tillman as a carrier commander and submarine captain respectively – well, they’re all terrific (especially Waddingham and Tillman) and we wish we could see more of them.
The biggest disappointment is Esai Morales’ Gabriel. We warmed to him in ‘Dead Reckoning,’ but here the character’s motivations are even more vague, and Morales seems unsure whether to play the character as a cool-as-a-cucumber 007 antagonist or a maniacally laughing comic book supervillain.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt and Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Even though the movie itself doesn’t close the book definitively, this is probably where the mission should end (some thought it should have wrapped two movies ago with the sublime ‘Fallout’). It doesn’t seem plausible that each installment can keep getting bigger, and it’s less plausible that Tom Cruise will begin to age backwards. The more pronounced underlying theme here as well – Ethan Hunt is the savior of the world – strains good taste and credibility.
But let’s also give thanks to Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, and everyone else involved in these films over the years – including a handful that should receive a tip of the hat in this entry but don’t (cough, Rebecca Ferguson, cough) – who have kept the torch lit for big-screen, crowd-pleasing, spectacular action epics with a bit of heart and brains. ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ might not be the best of the series by a long shot, but it goes out mostly strong and even makes a much-needed plea for kindness, understanding, and trust. That might be the most impossible mission of all – should we choose to accept it.
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What is the plot of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’?
Following the events of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning,’ Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team must stop the villainous Gabriel (Esai Morales) from gaining control of the powerful sentient AI known as the Entity, which has plans of its own for the world.
Who is in the cast of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’?
Summer 2025 is almost here and with it comes the sun, the beach and summer movies!
The summer movie season will officially begin on May 2nd when Marvel’s highly anticipated ‘Thunderbolts*‘, which stars Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan, opens in theaters.
Anna Kendrick stars as Stephanie Smothers in ‘Another Simple Favor’. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) and Emily (Blake Lively) reunite on the beautiful island of Capri, Italy for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman. Along with the glamorous guests, expect murder and betrayal to RSVP for a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square.
Nicolas Cage stars in ‘The Surfer’. Photo: Saturn Films.
A man (Nicolas Cage) returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son. When he is humiliated by a group of locals, the man is drawn into a conflict that keeps rising and pushes him to his breaking point.
David Dastmalchian in ‘Rosario’. Photo: Mucho Mas Releasing.
Wall Street stockbroker, Rosario Fuentes (Emerald Toubia), returns to her grandmother’s apartment after her sudden death. While sorting through her Grandmother’s belongings, Rosario uncovers a horrifying secret—a hidden chamber filled with occult artifacts tied to dark generational rituals. As supernatural occurrences plague her, Rosario must confront her family’s buried secrets and face the truth about the sacrifices and choices they made.
Rainey Qualley as “Astor” in the music drama ‘Off The Record’. Photo courtesy of Quiver Distribution, a True Foe production.
Rainey Qualley stars as Astor Grey, a rising singer-songwriter whose life takes a dark turn when she enters a turbulent romance with washed-up rock star Brandyn Verge (Ryan Hansen). What begins as a whirlwind love story unravels into a gripping tale of manipulation and resilience as Astor fights to reclaim her autonomy and music.
Shia LaBeouf and Toby Kebbell star in an emotional, action-packed film about a prize fighter’s battles both inside and outside the ring. When a battered boxer past his prime finds his dreams and his relationships on the ropes, he falls back in with a dangerous crowd and has to take the biggest swing of his life to reclaim his hope and his family.
Swamp Dogg in ‘Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted’. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
Legendary musician Swamp Dogg, alongside housemates Moogstar and Guitar Shorty, has transformed his home into an artistic playground. Together they navigate the tumultuous music industry, and forge a unique and inspiring path across time and space.
Wyatt Russell in ‘Broke’. Photo: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
A bronc rider (Wyatt Russell) in denial about his fading rodeo career battles against brain injury and a sudden blizzard while reflecting on how it became so difficult to achieve his dreams.
(L to R) Omar Sy as Isaac and Kerry Washington as Kyrah in ‘Shadow Force’. Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate.
Kyrah (Kerry Washington) and Isaac (Omar Sy) were once the leaders of a multinational special forces group called Shadow Force. They broke the rules by falling in love, and in order to protect their son (Jahleel Kamara), they go underground. With a large bounty on their heads, and the vengeful Shadow Force hot on their trail, one family’s fight becomes all-out war.
‘Clown in a Cornfield’ opens in theaters on May 9th. Photo: RLJE Films & Shudder.
Quinn (Katie Douglas) and her father have just moved to the quiet town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she discovers a fractured community that has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time.
(L to R) Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in ‘Friendship’. Photo: A24.
Suburban dad Craig (Tim Robinson) falls hard for his charismatic new neighbor, as Craig’s attempts to make an adult male friend threaten to ruin both of their lives.
Don Johnson in ‘Unit 234’. Photo: Brainstorm Media.
While working the night shift alone, Laurie Saltair (Isabella Fuhrman) discovers a comatose man, Clayton (Jack Huston), in Unit 234 of her family’s storage facility. What transpires is a thrill ride of a cat-and-mouse game for Laurie and Clayton to survive the night.
‘Watch The Skies’ opens in theaters on May 9, 2025. Photo: XYZ Films & Flawless.
When a foster home placed teenage rebel suspects that her father is not dead but kidnapped by UFOs, she takes help from a UFO association to find out the truth. Together, they embark on a risky adventure that takes them far beyond the laws borders and into a world filled with UFO expeditions, conspiracies and inexplicable phenomena.
(L to R) Shia LaBeouf and Evan Jonigkeit in ‘Henry Johnson’. Photo: 1993.
Henry Johnson (Evan Jonigkeit) navigates his search for a moral center, after an act of compassion upends his life. Looking to authority figures he encounters along the way, Henry’s journey leads him down a road of manipulation and ethical uncertainty.
Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.
(L to R) Troy Gentile as “Mason Kelly,” Riele Downs as “Killer Queen,” Page Kennedy as “Big Farmer Jay” and Grace Caroline Currey as “Violet” in the thriller horror comedy ‘A Breed Apart’, a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
When Violet (Grace Caroline Currey) accepts an invitation to a private island with some of the world’s most famous social influencers, she expects a weekend of unrivaled viral opportunity. She soon becomes part of her own horrific reality show when the guests are pitted against each other to capture the island’s legendary man-eating dogs before they become victims of the monstrous canines.
(L to R) Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, Greg Tarzan Davis plays Degas, Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn and Hayley Atwell plays Grace in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
After escaping a calamitous train crash, Ethan (Tom Cruise) realizes The Entity is stashed aboard an old Russian submarine, but a foe from his past named Gabriel is also on the trail.
‘The Surrender’ opens in theaters on May 23rd. Photo: Shudder.
A fraught mother-daughter relationship that is put to a terrifying test when the family patriarch dies and the grieving mother hires a mysterious stranger to bring her husband back from the dead. As the bizarre and brutal resurrection ritual spirals out of control, both women must reconcile their differences as they fight for their lives, and for each other.
(L to R) Jackie Chan, Ben Wang and Ralph Macchio in Columbia Pictures ‘Karate Kid: Legends’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
After a family tragedy, kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) is uprooted from his home in Beijing and forced to move to New York City with his mother. Li struggles to let go of his past as he tries to fit in with his new classmates, and although he doesn’t want to fight, trouble seems to find him everywhere. When a new friend needs his help, Li enters a karate competition – but his skills alone aren’t enough. Li’s kung fu teacher Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) enlists original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) for help, and Li learns a new way to fight, merging their two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown.
Kōki, in John Maclean’s ‘Tornado’. Courtesy of Norman Wilcox- Geissen. An IFC Films release.
A Japanese puppeteer’s daughter (Kōki) gets caught up with criminals when their show crosses paths with a crime gang, led by Sugarman (Tim Roth) and his son Little Sugar (Jack Lowden).
Ana de Armas as Eve in ‘Ballerina’. Photo: Murray Close.
Taking place during the events of ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum‘, the film follows Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) who is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
Nick Kroll in ‘I Don’t Understand You’. Photo: Vertical.
Stranded in rural Italy without transportation or language skills, an American couple on the verge of adopting tries to reconnect during a disastrous vacation, as their fears and relationship problems threaten to boil over.
(L to R) Christian Convery “Ethan” and Garrett Hedlund as “Caleb” in the Crime, Drama, Thriller ‘Barron’s Cove’, a Well Go USA release. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.
Barron’s Cove follows a father with a violent past (Garrett Hedlund) as he grieves the sudden loss of his only child. Convinced of a cover-up and intent on obtaining answers about his son’s death, he kidnaps the troubled boy he holds responsible – the son of a prominent local politician – which ignites a media firestorm and frenzied manhunt. But as he grows ever closer to uncovering the truth, he is left to wonder whether his pursuers are really seeking to protect the boy, or merely the secrets he keeps.
Jai Courtney in ‘Dangerous Animals’. Photo: IFC Films.
A savvy and free-spirited surfer is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer. Held captive on his boat, she must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below.
‘Best Wishes to All’ opens in theaters on June 6th. Photo: Shudder.
A young woman’s visit to her grandparents’ home leads to the discovery of what’s brought them happiness, a revelation that will lead her to question her choices, sanity and reality itself.
(L to R) Orlando Bloom as “Marlon,” Bryce Dallas-Howard as “Kat,” and Nick Mohammed as “Hugh” in the action comedy ‘Deep Cover’. Photo courtesy of Peter Mountain/ Metronome Film.
Three improv actors are hired by the police to help stage low-level stings. Their instinct to “always say yes” without breaking character leads them deep inside London’s criminal underworld.
Mason Thames (right) as Hiccup with his Night Fury dragon, Toothless, in Universal Pictures’ live-action ‘How to Train Your Dragon,’ written and directed by Dean DeBlois. Photo: Universal Pictures.
On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames) stands apart, defying centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.
It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.
Elio (Yonas Kibreab), a space fanatic with an active imagination, finds himself on a cosmic misadventure where he must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions and somehow discover who he is truly meant to be.
Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes in Apple Original Films’ ‘F1,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original Films.
Racing legend Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is coaxed out of retirement to lead a struggling Formula 1 team—and mentor a young hotshot driver—while chasing one more chance at glory.
‘Hot Milk’ opens in theaters on June 27th. Photo: IFC Films.
Rose (Fiona Shaw) and her daughter Sofia (Emma Mackey) travel to the Spanish seaside town of Almería to consult with the shamanic Dr. Gomez, a physician who could possibly hold the cure to Rose’s mystery illness, which has left her bound to a wheelchair. But in the sultry atmosphere of this sun-bleached town Sofia, who has been trapped by her mother’s illness all her life, finally starts to shed her inhibitions, enticed by the persuasive charms of enigmatic traveller Ingrid (Vickey Krieps).
Something bad happened to Agnes (Eva Victor). But life goes on… for everyone around her, at least. When a beloved friend visits on the brink of a major milestone, Agnes starts to realize just how stuck she’s been, and begins to work through how to move forward.
Scarlett Johansson as skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett in ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, directed by Gareth Edwards. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Five years after the events of ‘Jurassic World Dominion‘, covert operations expert Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) is contracted to lead a skilled team on a top-secret mission to secure genetic material from the world’s three most massive dinosaurs. When Zora’s operation intersects with a civilian family whose boating expedition was capsized, they all find themselves stranded on an island where they come face-to-face with a sinister, shocking discovery that’s been hidden from the world for decades.
Superman (David Corenswet), a cub reporter in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.
Against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel’s First Family is forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, while defending Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer.
(from left) Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos) and Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina) in DreamWorks Animation’s ‘The Bad Guys 2’, directed by Pierre Perifel. Photo: Universal Pictures.
The now-reformed Bad Guys are trying (very, very hard) to be good, but instead find themselves hijacked into a high-stakes, globe-trotting heist, masterminded by a new team of criminals they never saw coming: The Bad Girls.
(L to R) Ana Sophia Heger and Taron Egerton in ‘She Rides Shotgun’. Photo: Lionsgate.
Newly released from prison and marked for death by unrelenting enemies, Nate (Taron Egerton) must now protect his estranged 11-year-old daughter, Polly (Ana Sphia Heger), at all costs. With scant resources and no one to trust, Nate and Polly form a bond forged under fire as he shows her how to fight and survive — and she teaches him what unconditional love truly means.
(L to R) Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis at the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Disney.
Years after Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Anna (Lindsay Lohan) endured an identity crisis, Anna now has a daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover lightning might indeed strike twice.
(L to R) Mel Jarnson as “Brooke,” Jamie Campbell Bower as “Alexander Babtiste,” Madison Iseman as “Emily,” and Aaron Dominguez as “Christian” in the Horror film ‘Witchboard’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.
Emily (Madison Iseman) and her fiancé Christian (Aaron Dominguez) discover a mysterious Wiccan artifact as they prepare to open a bistro in New Orleans’ French Quarter. A darkness descends over Emily as she becomes obsessed with the board’s power of divination and ability to summon spirits, and Christian seeks the help of Alexander Babtiste (Jamie Campbell Bower), a mysterious occult expert who’s hiding secrets of his own.
Peter Dinklage as “Toxie” in the action, comedy, horror film, ‘The Toxic Avenger’, a Cineverse release. Photo courtesy of Yana Blajeva/Legendary Pictures.
A horrible toxic accident transforms downtrodden janitor, Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage) into a new evolution of hero: The Toxic Avenger.
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Preview:
Paramount offered news on some of its upcoming movies at its CinemaCon Presentation.
‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ and ‘The Running Man’ were among those hyped.
Surprisingly little was said about ‘Scream 7’ and a few other big titles.
Paramount had a very mixed 2024. Though the likes of ‘Gladiator II,’ ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ and ‘Smile 2’ did decent business, the studio also had its share of disappointments –– despite a compelling subject matter in musician Robbie Williams (albeit one unfamiliar to many in the States) and the intriguing choice to portray him entirely as a CGI ape, ‘Better Man’ became a domestic flop.
The studio is also dealing with being in flux in terms of management, with Skydance merger battling its way to closure.
More importantly, 2025 is ‘Mission’ critical, and by that, we mean ‘Mission: Impossible –– The Final Reckoning,’ which needs to reassure theater chain owners that the franchise can get back to its glory days after the disappointing returns for 2023’s ‘Dead Reckoning.’
Tom Cruise attends the Abu Dhabi Red Carpet and Premiere of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ presented by Paramount Pictures and Skydance at Emirates Palace Hotel on June 26, 2023, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Photo by Darren Arthur/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures.
Not to mention that this is potentially the actual final ‘Mission: Impossible,’ at least starring Tom Cruise in his ongoing collaboration with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie. The big question: would the company announce that this really is the last chapter in a saga that began back in the 1990s (at least in movie terms), as a way to goose interest? Or would it confidently confirm that, like James Bond, Ethan Hunt would return?
Either way, the CinemaCon presentation was likely to feature Tom Cruise in some fashion –– be it on stage, or on video clinging to a plane, train or automobile (or building).
Or even, possibly just on screen holding his breath underwater during the entire panel, simply to prove he can.
Ghostface in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
And now, on with the show…
Stunts are often something studios like to roll out, so Paramount kicked off with Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution riding a motorcycle on stage. He rode off to be replaced by three other riders, who did jumps off ramps and flips, all with smoke and explosions. Aronson was back to announce, “that’s right, I do my own stunts!”
He also talked up the company’s efforts to make 2025 a rebound year after the strikes and pledged to show fewer ads and trailers in theaters (phew!), plus other deals such as discount Wednesdays and extended matinee hours.
Following a sizzle reel of Paramount Pictures past and future, Brian Robbins, president and CEO took the stage to announce big news… Four ‘Paw Patrol’ movies for each pup to compete with Sony’s Beatles movies. He was joking of course. Or was he???!!
(L to R) Callum Shoniker as “Rocky,” Christian Corrao as “Marshall,” Luxton Handspiker as “Rubble,” Nylan Parthipan as “Zuma,” Christian Convery as “Chase,” McKenna Grace as “Skye,” Marsai Martin as “Liberty,” Alan Kim as “Nano,” Finn Lee-Epp as “Ryder,” North West as “Mini,” and Brice Gonzalez as “Tot” in ‘Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie’ from Spin Master Entertainment, Nickelodeon Movies, and Paramount Pictures.
Robbins also said that the studio’s guiding principle is shareholder… Sorry, that people love going to the movies.
Co-writer/director Edgar Wright was on stage to tout the Glen Powell-starring new version of the dystopian King story where civilians compete in deadly games to win cash prizes.
‘The Running Man,’ is per Wright is “the kind of movie that gives everyone something to cheer for.” He explained that since the source novel is set in 2025, so is the movie.
And talking of cheering, he was joined by star Powell on stage.
Powell said:
“This is the full meal. What Edgar has cooked up with this one is nothing short of extraordinary,”
The actor joked that he asked pal and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ boss Tom Cruise for advice on using a stunt double –– and has paid the price for doing so much himself.
“We knew we were part of something really special,” gushed Domingo, while Brolin admitted it was a thrill to play a wonderfully maniacal character.
Despite the movie having wrapped three short weeks ago, Domingo (dropping into character as show host Bobby Thompson) was able to cue up some footage, and a first look played.
In an extended trailer, Brolin’s executive character recruits Glen for show to protect his family. Lots of action. We see him in show and then being chased.
‘The Running Man’ sprints into theaters on November 7th.
The latest take on the little blue creatures features, as previously mentioned, Rihanna (who touted the movie in a video introduction) as the voice of Smurfette, in the story of Papa Smurf being kidnapped and the others having to find him.
The first trailer for the new animated/live-action outing was shown, showing how our diminutive heroes travel to the real world in search of Papa and encounter Ken, his brother (Offerman).
‘Smurfs’ will smurf its way into theaters on July 18th.
The latest SpongeBob film had voice star Tom Kenny on stage to talk up the movie, (he called it a “coming of age” story), joined by fellow performer Mark Hamill. Cue the ‘Corvette Summer’ jokes!
Hamill –– who plays the Flying Dutchman –– made the crowd laugh by saying,
“I did an episode in Season Five and I did such a good job they asked me back 18 years later!”
We got a first look at the film itself. Like ‘Smurfs,’ (and some other SpongeBob outings) it blends animation with live action, and features Clancy Brown as Blackbeard. The story finds out hero wanting to grow up and embrace his macho side by having more adventures –– including to the underworld.
‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants’ will sail into theaters on December 19th.
Liam Neeson plays Frank in ‘The Naked Gun’ from Paramount Pictures. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
The new reboot of the classic comedy franchise –– spawned, let’s not forget from the files of ‘Police Squad’ is a Seth MacFarlane-produced take on the idea with Liam Neeson and Paul Walter Hauser among the cast.
‘Naked Gun’s presentation kicked off with a saxophone player on stage pumping out noir-y music as Chris Aronson stood silently on stage, while a recorded voice-over played over the speakers as if his internal monologue was happening in real time.
Best line?
“This musician sounds expensive, but this is Vegas, you have to pay for good sax…”
The teaser was shown, which you can find here:
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It’s a funny clip, introducing Neeson’s badass Frank Jr taking out bank robbers, only slightly undercut by being dressed as a Catholic schoolgirl complete with panties. Bonus points for a fun final gag featuring a wall of tributes to dead cops, crying sons honoring their fathers and possibly the best way to incorporate OJ Simpson (who played Nordberg in the original).
‘The Naked Gun’ stumbles on to screens on August 1st.
He cued the first trailer for the movie, a biopic of the fugitive Jeffrey Manchester, a former United States Army Reserve officer, known colloquially as “Roofman” due to his propensity to steal from branches of McDonald’s after entering their premises via the roof, and, after he was jailed and got out evaded further capture from police by hiding in the wall of a Toys ‘R’ Us store.
(L to R) Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, Greg Tarzan Davis plays Degas, Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn and Hayley Atwell plays Grace in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Paramount’s Robbins returned to the stage to introduce the one, the only Tom Cruise, who got a rapturous reception.
Instead of launching into promotion, Cruise took a moment to memorialize friend and ‘Top Gun’ co-star Val Kilmer, who recently died.
“I can’t tell you how much I respected his work and to have him in ‘Top Gun’ and back for ‘Maverick.’ Thank you, Val. I wish you well on your next journey.”
(L to R) Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in ‘Top Gun’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
From there, he enthused about ‘Mission’ writer/director Chris McQuarrie, with Cruise mentioning how long they’ve been collaborating (on the Ethan Hunt movies and beyond). He even joked that people think “McQ” (as Tom calls him) is Jonathan Lipnicki from ‘Jerry Maguire’ all grown up!
Cruise went on to talk about how the ‘Mission’ movies are a puzzle and a Rubik’s Cube made under intense pressure, living breathing things where endless discoveries are made in the process.
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
They also discussed how Cruise brought McQuarrie in to rewrite scenes in ‘Ghost Protocol’ but didn’t tell Brad Bird or the rest of cast. Brad and Simon Pegg said on set, “who is this guy?” Tom replied, “That’s McQ”. Apparently McQuarrie came up with the “Blue is glue, red is dead” stunt scene on the spot in Dubai.
There was also time for Cruise to add that he’s looking forward to seeing ‘F1’ and his recollections of racing go-karts against friend Brad Pitt (who stars in that movie) while making ‘Interview with the Vampire’ together.
(L to R) Damson Idris and Brad Pitt in ‘F1’. Photo: Warner Bros. and Apple Original FIlms.
Switching tracks back to ‘Mission,’ Cruise stressed the challenges and importance of shooting in the pandemic, keeping crews working and the industry going.
“We were able to deliver these movies to theaters despite being shut down by pandemic and two strikes.”
Cruise then introduced McQuarrie himself, who strode on stage and quipped:
“Tom knows I can’t stand compliments, he’s enjoying this immensely…”
He’ll have to suffer more, as he’s receiving the Director of the Year award at the CinemaCon awards later.
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
He offers that he was ready to quit the business, but Cruise saw potential in him.
Cruise: “I’m here today because if your vision and trust.”
And for McQ’s side:
“It’s been fun to work with you and put you in harm’s way for everyone’s pleasure.”
The new ‘Mission’ movie contains some of the most complex practical sequences on celluloid –– not that that should be surprising from these two.
(R to L) Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Admitting that they’d be nowhere without audiences, Cruise introduced the new ‘Final Reckoning’ trailer, but not before name-checking every writer and director who has worked on the franchise so far, plus the executive likes of Sherry Lansing, Sumner Redstone and Paula Wagner too.
Then, it was time for the trailer itself, which sometimes felt like an expanded version of the teaser that arrived last year.
Lots of Ethan Hunt action (of course!) with Tom leaping off and onto things, plus a look at some newer cast members including Nick Offerman and Janet McTeer. It also serves as a love-letter to the whole franchise.
(L to R) Nick Offerman, Charles Parnell, Angela Bassett, Mark Gatiss and Janet McTeer in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Indeed, the ‘Mission’ portion of the presentation felt like that too –– while no one said directly it’s the end, this felt pretty final. Until they announce the next one, that is…
‘Mission: Impossible –– The Final Reckoning’ speeds into cinemas on May 23rd.
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And talking of finality, there ended the Paramount CinemaCon 2025 presentation!
(L to R) Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt and Simon Pegg plays Benji Dunn in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
‘Uppercut’ is an English-language remake of the German film ‘Leberhaken,’ with the original movie’s writer/director, Torsten Ruether, and star, Luise ‘Luiii’ Grossman, joined in the new version by the legendary Ving Rhames, star of ‘Pulp Fiction,’ ‘Dawn of the Dead,’ and all eight ‘Mission: Impossible’ movies.
(Left) Ving Rhames as “Elliot” in the thriller ‘Uppercut’, a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate. (Right) Luiii as “Toni” in the thriller ‘Uppercut’, a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
Moviefone spoke with Rhames and Grossman about working together, the differences between the two films, their characters, and how Grossman prepared for the role physically, as well as Rhames thoughts on the upcoming ‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning‘ and working with Tom Cruise on the franchise.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Ving Rhames and Luise ‘Luiii’ Grossman.
Ving Rhames as “Elliot” in the thriller ‘Uppercut’, a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
Moviefone: Ving, had you seen the original movie? How did this come about for you?
Ving Rhames: They approached my manager. I read the script. It touched me, and I realized in America, we don’t make films about the human condition, the human experience. This film has a boxing backdrop, but it was about the human condition, the human experience, so that drew me towards the film.
MF: Luiii, you played the role in the original German version. Aside from this one being in English, how is this version different from the original and did you approach it any differently?
Luise ‘Luiii’ Grossman: I think it’s different in almost every way because I regarded this as a totally new project. I mean, not just because I was working with someone like Ving Rhames, which was also different than in the German movie when I was with a German co-star. Of course, there were parts we took from the original movie to this one. My character still wants to get trained by a boxing legend and so on. But we were shooting this as a New York City story. My character developed also with the addition of the second time layer. So for me, this was a totally new approach compared to the German original.
Luiii as “Toni” in the thriller ‘Uppercut’, a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
MF: What is interesting for you to play a character at two ends of her career?
LG: I think this was pretty interesting to me, to have this strong female character in the first part where she’s wild, impatient and sometimes even over the top. She’s trying so hard to get what she wants. Then later she’s this young businesswoman in a male-dominated boxing industry. This was something really interesting to me, to have this strong lead and these two time layers that were so different. To be able to bring this together and show the development of the character — that she’s not becoming a professional boxer as you would expect, but becoming a boxing manager, was for me the more interesting approach.
MF: Ving, what attracted you to the character of Elliot in particular, and how would you describe him and his history as this boxing legend who’s in this very different part of his life?
VR: Well, as my father would say, there’s nothing like an older Black man. He has nothing to lose, he can be himself, he can say what he wants. So Elliot gave me a lot of freedom and a lot of understanding of my dad really.
Luiii as “Toni” in the thriller ‘Uppercut’, a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
MF: You’ve done your share of movies that have boxing as a background. What do you think makes that backdrop of the boxing world so compelling and able to tell such a wide variety of stories?
VR: Like people, sports is universal, so I think having that backdrop, there’s a certain amount of fear in sports. You’re either good or you’re not. You either win or you lose, in all sports. So I think something about that element adds to the human experience.
MF: Luiii, how did your background as an athlete help you prepare for doing the movie and for the training portions of the movie?
LR: I was a professional athlete in my youth. I did track and field, in particular, and I think having this background helped me because I know my body quite well. I know what I have to do to get in shape. I’m still now working out almost every day. I’d never done boxing before these boxing movies, but I really like the sport and how complex it is. It’s not just about power — it’s so complex and you need your whole presence in this very moment. I found it really interesting. I worked in Germany with a former world champion and she trained with me two weeks and we had really intense training sessions.
(L to R) Ving Rhames as “Elliot” and Luiii as “Toni” in the thriller ‘Uppercut’, a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
MF: Ving, what was it like doing these very long takes, where it almost seemed like you two were doing a play, especially as opposed to many modern movies that are cut, cut, cut all the time?
VR: Well, I think a lot of American movies are cut, cut, cut. But whenever I’ve done something international, it’s more about taking your time, getting to know the characters, finding a natural flow, and that’s what I think we did in this.
MF: Luiii, I think I understand that there was a lot of improvisation between the two of you. Can you talk about that and also working opposite Ving?
LR: Yes, of course. It was a great honor for me to work with Ving and such a joy, to be honest, because when we first met, there was this openness and this curiosity about each other, and I think this made it easy for us to work. But then we also had the time, really, on set to talk about the scenes beforehand. We talked with Torsten, the director, so there was no pressure. Although we had a lot of pages a day, we could take time for every scene. To have these long takes is a great opportunity to really dive into the moment, into the character. It gave us a lot of freedom to really [connect] with each other.
(L to R) Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg in ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
MF: Ving, you have another movie coming out this year that’s a bit different from this one. What can you say about ‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning’? Does it feel like it’s the last one?
VR: It does. I had a very good time, enjoyed the full experience. It’s the first time I’ve ever done eight movies with basically the same crew of actors, so that helped me as an actor.
MF: You and Tom have been the cornerstones of the franchise — the only actors who have been in all eight movies.
VR: I’m going to have to hand it to Tom because Tom is willing to take a risk. He’s willing to break norms. When I first read the first script, I died in the first 10 pages. I said, “Tom, why is it the Black man always dies in the first 10 pages?” He said, “Yeah, why is that?” So now I just finished number eight, so I thank him.
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What is the plot of ‘Uppercut’?
A young female boxer named Toni (Luise ‘Luiii’ Grossman) tracks down former boxing legend Elliot (Ving Rhames) in his gym and asks him to train her, leading them to forge an unlikely connection through a long night of getting to know each other – with Toni eventually embarking on a much different future.
