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  • Sydney Sweeney and Michael Bay Driven to ‘OutRun’

    (Left) Sydney Sweeney at the Lionsgate presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Lionsgate. (Right) Michael Bay attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Columbia Pictures' 'Bad Boys: Ride Or Die' at the TCL Chinese Theater on May 30, 2024 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Sony Pictures.
    (Left) Sydney Sweeney at the Lionsgate presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Lionsgate. (Right) Michael Bay attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Columbia Pictures’ ‘Bad Boys: Ride Or Die’ at the TCL Chinese Theater on May 30, 2024 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Sony Pictures.

    Preview:

    • Sydney Sweeney and Michael Bay are teaming up for an ‘OutRun’ adaptation.
    • It’ll be drawn from the popular 1980s arcade/video game franchise.
    • Jayson Rothwell will write the script.

    Here’s what we’d describe as both a surprising and yet understandable combo of talent and subject.

    While we’re not certain we had Sydney Sweeney and Michael Bay teaming up on our 2025 bingo card, the idea that they’d be coming together to work on a video game adaptation might top that for its unlikely quality.

    Still, given that Sweeney has been increasingly getting into the producing side of movie-making and Bay has a little bit of experience with action, maybe we should all have seen their collaboration on an adaptation of classic 1980s Sega title ‘OutRun’ heading our way –– at least, potentially.

    According to Deadline, Bay will direct the new movie for Universal, with Sweeney –– at least so far –– only aboard to produce rather than making a deal to star. Of course, if the script takes a shape she’s interested in, expect her to take a role, even if it’s supporting part, to get this one made.

    Toru Nakahara (who worked on the likes of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog) will also produce for Sega, while the company’s president and COO Shuji Utsumi will oversee development.

    Related Article: Sydney Sweeney in Negotiations to Star in Legendary’s ‘Gundam’ Movie

    What’s the story of ‘OutRun’?

    'OutRun' video game. Photo: Youtube.
    ‘OutRun’ video game. Photo: Youtube.

    With video games enjoying a huge moment on screens big and small (‘Minecraft’ continues to build at the box office, while ‘The Last of Us’ returned to HBO and Max with a bang a couple of weeks ago, and just released its most impactful episode so far), it’s hardly surprising that other companies would be rooting through titles to find possibilities.

    Universal itself has already seen success in the sphere with ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ and ‘Five Nights at Freddie’s both launching film franchises.

    The initial struggle with ‘OutRun’ is that it features no traditional narrative: this is a pseudo-3D driving video game in which the player controls a Ferrari Testarossa convertible from a third-person rear perspective. The object of the game is to reach the finish line against a timer.

    Still ‘OutRun,’ which Sega debuted in arcade cabinet form back in 1986 and saw become its most successful arcade title of the decade, has enjoyed a long-running embrace by game fans since being ported to variety of consoles and systems, spawning a franchise.

    Jayson Rothwell, whose credits include Netflix thriller ‘Polar,’ comedy horror mystery ‘Silent Night’ [2012] and 2004 horror thriller ‘Blessed’ is the scriptwriter who will be figuring out how it works as a movie.

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    There have been different approaches to titles such as this in the past –– the more recent ‘Gran Turismo’ took the novel idea of focusing on a real-life player of the game becoming a driver, while the less successful (in every sense) 2014 effort ‘Need for Speed’ looked to put a crime thriller coat on the racing action.

    And let’s not forget that “Bayhem” isn’t a term by accident (except for the many spectacular vehicular collisions he’s brought to screens on purpose); the director knows how to stage a set piece with real momentum.

    What else is Sydney Sweeney working on?

    (L to R) Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney in 'Anyone But You. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
    (L to R) Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney in ‘Anyone But You. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.

    Sweeney’s current schedule is as packed as anyone’s in Hollywood.

    Last year included the continued success of hit rom-com ‘Anyone But You’ opposite fellow rising star Glen Powell and Neon horror thriller ‘Immaculate.’

    She followed those up with one that she might wish to vanish from her resume, misfiring Spider-Man spin-off ‘Madame Web.’

    The actor also filmed the Ron Howard-directed thriller ‘Eden’ about a society of people who opt to start a new life in the Galapagos islands, only for things to wrong. That one should be in theaters this year.

    (L to R) Brandon Sklenar, Amanda Seyfried, Sydney Sweeney and director Paul Feig at the Lionsgate presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas.Photo: Lionsgate.
    (L to R) Brandon Sklenar, Amanda Seyfried, Sydney Sweeney and director Paul Feig at the Lionsgate presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas.Photo: Lionsgate.

    She has shot the Lionsgate adaptation of the novel ‘The Housemaid,’ which has Paul Feige in the director’s chair, and has worked on two other movies, ‘Echo Valley’ about a woman (played by Julianne Moore) whose life is turned upside down when her daughter (Sweeney) shows up covered in someone else’s blood, and a biopic of real-life boxer Christy Martin, with Sweeney in the lead role (not to mention it’s another movie she produced).

    Still to come is a starring role in Colman Domingo’s film ‘Scandalous!,’ which will see her playing Kim Novak in the story of the actor’s controversial relationship with Sammy Davis Jr. (played by ‘Alien: Romulus’ David Jonsson).

    And that list doesn’t even include the potential movies to which she is attached: that list includes a remake of sci-fi comedy ‘Barbarella,’ thriller ‘The Caretaker’ and a drama called ‘The Registration.’

    More recently, she was linked to the attempt to make a live-action ‘Gundam’ movie.

    Finally, we have HBO series ‘Euphoria,’ whose much-delayed third season which is finally filming now for a 2026 release.

    What else is Michael Bay working on?

    Producer Brad Fischer, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Director/Producer Michael Bay, Eiza González and Jake Gyllenhaal attend Universal Pictures 'Ambulance' Premiere at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, CA on Monday, April 4, 2022.
    (L to R) Producer Brad Fischer, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Director/Producer Michael Bay, Eiza González and Jake Gyllenhaal attend Universal Pictures ‘Ambulance’ Premiere at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, CA on Monday, April 4, 2022. Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages.

    Bay, who has been working as a filmmaker longer than his new collaborator has been alive, is busy as both a director and a producer.

    While his most recent feature directorial gig was 2022 action thriller ‘Ambulance,’ he’s got parkour documentary ‘We Are Storror,’ which follows the daring and successful Parkour team, who have amassed a huge following on YouTube. The doc premiered at SXSW on March 8th.

    As a producer, his Platinum Dunes company has backed a number of recent movies, including ‘Drop,’ ‘Transformers One’ and ‘A Quiet Place: Day One.’

    And as usual, he has a vast array of projects in development under both sides of his output, including the long-gestating ‘Robopocalypse,’ a crossover between the ‘Transformers’ and ‘G.I. Joe’ properties and a third main ‘A Quiet Place’ outing.

    When will ‘OutRun’ be in theaters?

    Universal has yet to announce anything close to a release date for this one, so we’ll have to be patient for now. Cool your engines, people!

    Sydney Sweeney in 'Euphoria.'
    Sydney Sweeney in ‘Euphoria.’ Photograph by Eddy Chen/HBO.

    Sydney Sweeney Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Sydney Sweeney Movies on Amazon

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  • ‘Expend4bles’ Interview: Director Scott Waugh

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    ‘Expend4bles,’ which is the fourth film in ‘The Expendables’ franchise and was directed by Scott Waugh (‘Act of Valor,’ ‘Need for Speed’), opens in theaters on September 22nd.

    What is the plot of ‘Expend4bles’?

    Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables, led by Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. When The Expendables are assigned a mission to stop a terrorist organization from smuggling nuclear warheads that will ignite a conflict between Russia and the U.S., new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.

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    Who stars in ‘Expend4bles’?

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Scott Waugh about his work on ‘Expend4bles,’ the challenges of joining a franchise already in progress, if Sylvester Stallone is really passing the series over to Jason Statham, Lee Christmas going all ‘Die Hard’, shooting a motorcycle chase on a cargo ship, why he enjoyed working with Megan Fox, and how ‘The Expendables 3’s Antonio Banderas almost returned for the new movie.

    Levy Tran and director Scott Waugh on the set of 'Expend4bles.'
    (L to R) Levy Tran and director Scott Waugh on the set of ‘Expend4bles.’ Photo credit: Yana Blajeva.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Waugh and producers Kevin King-Templeton and Les Weldon.

    Moviefone: To begin with, as a filmmaker, can you talk about the challenges of joining a movie series already in progress and coming in to direct the fourth installment of a popular franchise like ‘The Expendables’?

    Scott Waugh: Well, I think the challenge is you never want to deviate from the brand. The fans love ‘The Expendables.’ They love the tone of ‘Expendables.’ It’s a brand that doesn’t take itself too seriously. I always say it’s an escapism type of movie. You leave our dark world we live in and pay money to go somewhere else and have some fun. That’s ‘Expendables’. So for me, what I really was focused on the whole time was how do I bring something fresh and fun, but throwback to the original movie? So we were extremely hyper-focused on going back to the original movie and maintaining that core cast and the fun of it, tonally getting back on message, getting back to rated R, and getting back to the fun violence. But then I wanted to elevate the action and the fights, and take it to a new level. That’s when we brought in the Hong Kong fight team that I worked with on ‘Hidden Strike’ and really just tried to elevate all of that.

    Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross in 'The Expendables 4.'
    Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross in ‘The Expendables 4.’

    MF: The movie introduces the idea of Barney Ross handing over the team to Lee Christmas, and in a way, Sylvester Stallone handing the franchise over to Jason Statham. Can you talk about that theme in the movie and was Stallone cool with the idea of taking a back seat to Statham and the rest of the crew?

    SW: I think the idea that Stallone’s passing this to Statham is exciting. Stallone still amazes me, his physical capability at his age. It’s still unbelievable to me. I’m 53 and busted up, and somehow he is in his late seventies and can still do it. But I think for Sly, he’s in a place in his life where time is super important to him. Being on the full run of an ‘Expendables’ movie takes up a lot of his time and I fully respect that. Jason’s my age and really is still excited about continually working a lot. So it was a natural pass. Now, I’ll say, I definitely don’t think Sly is out of the brand. I think Sly will always be a part of it. He’s the starter of ‘The Expendables’ and the original director. So I think it’s new blood with the old.

    Related Article: ‘Expend4bles’ Red Band Trailer

    Jason Statham as Lee Christmas in 'The Expendables 4.'
    Jason Statham as Lee Christmas in ‘The Expendables 4.’

    MF: The second act of the film sees Lee Christmas taking on a group of bad guys by himself and it seemed a little ‘Die Hard’ inspired. Can you talk about that sequence and was that what you were going for?

    SW: So look, the story itself is a revenge and redemption story, and it does come around the character of Lee Christmas. So I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a Christmas story, but it definitely leans on his character because of what his character’s going through. But there is this wonderful moment in the end of act two that I really feel like, does the franchise have the boldness to do what you think they might do? I don’t want to give away the plot, but we do something that will really make your eye drop. I’m not going to give it away, but I’ll just say this, it stays on message with the brand.

    Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Dolph Lundgren, and director Scott Waugh on the set of 'Expend4bles.'
    (L to R) Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Dolph Lundgren, and director Scott Waugh on the set of ‘Expend4bles.’ Photo credit: Yana Blajeva.

    MF: There is an incredible action sequence involving a high speed motorcycle chase that takes place on a cargo ship. Can you talk about choreographing and shooting that scene?

    SW: I come from motocross. I was super excited about trying to bring something fresh to the ship because I’m like, “What can we do on the ship because it’s a ship?” I’m like, “What about a motorcycle chase on the ship?” That’s how we designed this whole thing. Then the exciting part was I go, “Man, we got to do something super cool. We need to bring in somebody like Robbie Maddison and do some badass X Games jumps and get that quintessential moment in the movie.” Luckily, we were able to get Robbie to come in and do the big jump for us. I think it’s just one of those moments that hopefully makes you smile because it’s so crazy, so cool, and so Christmas.

    Megan Fox as Gina in 'Expend4bles.'
    Megan Fox as Gina in ‘Expend4bles.’

    MF: While there have been female Expendable members in past movies, Megan Fox’s Gina is different because she is also a team leader and receives the same level of respect as Ross and Christmas. Can you talk about the importance of creating a female character who is really on the same level as the strongest Expendable members?

    SW: Look, I think it was definitely a part of the script when I came in with Megan’s character, Gina, and I really enjoyed the fact that there was a female character that was on equal ground and was badass. It’s incredible working with somebody like Megan because she doesn’t give herself enough credit. I was working with her. I’m like, “You’re so physically talented,” and I think she’s a wonderful actress and she fits in so well with the rest of the guys because she can hold her own weight. She doesn’t take any shit from any of the guys, and I just love that. That’s why I think she just fits in with those type of big personalities.

    Jacob Scipio as Galan in 'Expend4bles.'
    Jacob Scipio as Galan in ‘Expend4bles.’

    MF: Finally, actor Jacob Scipio plays Galan, the son of Antonio Banderas character, Galgo from ‘The Expendables 3.’ But I understand that originally Banderas was set to return but you just couldn’t work out his shooting schedule, is that correct?

    SW: That’s exactly it. When I read it, I was expecting Antonio was coming in. Then when they said, “We can’t make it work out with Antonio’s schedule,” I was like, “But the character’s so great and he’s so important throughout all those moments.” So I thought about it. I came back to the producers and I said, “What if we make it his son? Galgo was his father. Galan is the new character and Galan could be just like his dad with the same personality.” So that’s when we came up with that character and then we casted Jacob and he did a great job.

    Director Scott Waugh and Andy Garcia on the set of 'Expend4bles.'
    (L to R) Director Scott Waugh and Andy Garcia on the set of ‘Expend4bles.’ Photo credit: Yana Blajeva.

    Other Movies Similar to ‘Expend4bles’:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Expend4bles’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy ‘Expendable’ Movies on Amazon

  • Level Up: The 7 Videogame-Based Movies Actually Worth Watching

    Level Up: The 7 Videogame-Based Movies Actually Worth Watching

    Disney/Legendary

    This weekend “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu” opens and attempts to break the videogame-based film adaptation curse once and for all. (Although the trailer for “Sonic the Hedgehog” seems to have set those efforts back at least two decades – and it was only a trailer!) There have been dozens of videogame adaptations since the 1990s and most of them have been incredibly terrible (especially those directed by Uwe Boll, an Ed Wood-style master of schlock whose chosen genre seems to be awful videogame adaptations). In fact, it was a stretch to pick 7 movies worthy of your time … or at least your quarters.

    7. ‘Super Mario Bros.’ (1993)

    Disney

    It’s astonishing how few Nintendo games have been adapted for other forms, but it undoubtedly has something to do with “Super Mario Bros,” the first movie based on a videogame and definitely, if not one of the worst, then certainly one of the weirdest. Directed by “Max Headroom” co-creators Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, with a screenplay that was cobbled together by at least a half-dozen writers, this adaptation of the iconic videogame saw a pair of everyday plumbers (Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo) fun afoul of an evil plot and get zapped to a land where dinosaurs had continue to evolve (mostly), ruled by an evil King Koopa (Dennis Hopper). Aesthetically, the movie has a lot going for it, from the overstuffed sets that look like a combination of Tim Burton’s “Batman” and Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil,” to the creature effects that are pleasingly pre-“Jurassic Park” in their simplicity and effectiveness. And on a narrative level, there’s more charm than you probably remember, especially as we brace ourselves for a more “faithful” animated adaptation coming soon.

    6. ‘Warcraft’ (2016)

    Legendary/Universal

    Indie auteur Duncan Jones followed up his beloved, small-scale sci-fi films “Moon” and “Source Code” with this behemoth based on the medieval strategy game of the same name. Orcs and humans are constantly battling it out, for reasons that are never fully explained but always seem unnecessarily complicated (something to do with portals). “Warcraft” can, at times, be an absolute slog, full of clashing swords and questionable accents, although what other movie can you point to that features Ben Foster as an evil wizard and Paula Patton as a green-skinned, half-orc babe? Like many of the best videogame adaptations, its ambitions are enviable, and the visual effects by Industrial Light & Magic would probably have constituted as game-changing had anybody actually seen the movie. “Warcraft” works much better at home, too, when you can pause it whenever you need to and be able to take a walk or make a sandwich.

    5. ‘Street Fighter’ (1994)

    Universal

    Most people point to the original “Mortal Kombat” as one of the best videogame adaptations. But those same people probably haven’t actually watched “Mortal Kombat” in 20 years. Because it is bad. It is very, very bad. Much better, in my estimation, is “Street Fighter,” released the year before “Mortal Kombat.” It’s also based on a fighting game, but has a much better sense of humor, and unlike “Mortal Kombat,” its PG-13 rating doesn’t seem like a betrayal of the source material. (There were no twitching, disembodied spinal columns in “Street Fighter.”) As written and directed by “Die Hard” co-screenwriter Steven E. de Souza, the movie has a knowingly campy vibe, as exemplified by Jean-Claude Van Damme’s lead performance (that hair!) and Raul Julia, in his last role, as the hammy villain. Its visual effects, mostly of the old school variety, have aged much better than “Mortal Kombat’s” janky computer graphics too.

    4. ‘Need for Speed’ (2014)

    DreamWorks/Disney

    Weirdly overlooked, “Need for Speed” entered the marketplace as an earnest alternative for the “Fast and the Furious” films. Sadly, it never got the chance to be a franchise, instead getting stuck as a fascinating one-off. Aaron Paul leads a surprisingly starry cast (including Rami Malek, Imogen Poots, Michael Keaton and, er, Kid Cudi) in what is a fairly standard “guy gets out of prison and seeks revenge” movie but gussied up with really terrific car chases/crashes. (The original videogame is a classic driving arcade game.) Director Scott Waugh is a former stuntman and insisted almost all of the stunts be staged for real, and the result is a thrillingly authentic joyride that, while it might not be the most original movie ever made, is certainly one of the more exciting in recent memory. Seriously. Take a look.

    3. ‘Silent Hill’ (2006)

    Davis Films

    It’s actually scary! “Silent Hill,” the moody horror survival game by Konami, gets the big screen treatment courtesy of French auteur Christophe Gans and “Pulp Fiction” co-writer Roger Avary, and it’s actually pretty spooky. Gans smartly places a very human drama at the center of all of the supernatural weirdness, allowing the audience to emotionally connect with something before piling on all of the ghoulish nuns and pyramid-headed monsters. The result is arguably the most visually striking videogame adaptation of all time; it sometimes hits some snags in the narrative but Gans and his collaborators are very committed to maintaining and translating the essential tone and atmosphere of the original game, while adding some much-needed cinematic flourishes. Of all the videogame adaptations on the list, this one really goes there.

    2. ‘Resident Evil: Extinction’ (2007)

    Screen Gems

    There have been so many “Resident Evil” movies, each with a subtitle more interchangeable than the next, so it’s understandable if you can’t exactly remember which one “Resident Evil: Extinction” is. So let me help you out: it’s the third movie and the one set largely in Las Vegas, which has a distinctly dusty post-apocalyptic vibe that’s different than most of the latter, clearly-shot-in-a-dingy-warehouse-in-Bulgaria installments. It also has some genuinely nifty, heady action set pieces orchestrated with much aplomb (nothing beats a flock of zombie crows getting lit on fire), thanks largely to Australian auteur Russell Mulcahy. Even if you haven’t seen the previous movies (or the latter ones), “Resident Evil: Extinction” is a stylish, energetic blast, a movie that proudly wears its videogame inspiration on its sleeve while pushing things forward in fun and unique ways.

    1. ‘Pokémon: Detective Pikachu’ (2018)

    Legendary/Warner Bros

    While it’s certainly not a high bar to clear, “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu” is easily the greatest videogame adaptation of all time. And the reasons for this are simple. It takes the central premise of the videogame and card series, set in a world in which humans capture and “battle” adorable little monsters, and smartly expands it, deepening the emotional stakes (a young man, who has no Pokémon sidekick, teams up with Pikachu to investigate the disappearance of his father) and establishing a gorgeously realized, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”-esque futuristic city where humans and Pokémon live side-by-side. Sure, the detective story trappings don’t have anywhere to go and it could have used some inspired, Joe Dante-style mayhem, but in terms of adapting what is essentially a point-and-click RPG into something even remotely resembling rousing entertainment is a feat in and of itself. And the creatures, which have a tactile believability, give off 1980s Jim Henson vibes, they’re so lifelike and seamless. If this is as good as videogame adaptations get, well, it’s pretty damn good.