‘Project Hail Mary’ is a big hit at the box office already.
Ryan Gosling stars in the movie.
Elsewhere, Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ stayed strong but ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ only found modest results.
‘Project Hail Mary’ chronicles a man in spaceship on a mission to save humanity from a star-snacking organism. And the movie itself, which stars Ryan Gosling, has just saved Amazon MGM’s box office hopes.
The new film, adapted from the novel by ‘The Martian’s Andy Weir by writer Drew Goddard and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, enjoyed a massive domestic opening of $80.5 million, the biggest by far for the studio.
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Even with a hefty $200 million budget to make up (not including a big ad campaign), the movie’s worldwide start of 140.9 million –– the biggest in Amazon MGM’s history and the strongest launch for a movie so far this year –– will go some way to helping that.
Pixar’s ‘Hoppers,’ which has proved to be a welcome success for the animation company, slid to second place after a couple of weeks. It added $18 million for $120.4 million domestically.
Third place went to the Indian action epic ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge,’ which earned $9.5 million from just 987 locations.
Searchlight’s ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ had to make do with $9 million domestically and $11.9 million globally, but has a relatively smaller budget of around $20 million.
Finally, in fifth place we find romantic drama ‘Reminders of Him’, which made $8 million.
What’s on the horizon?
(L to R) Luigi, Yoshi, Mario and Toad in Nintendo and Illumination’s ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.
‘Project Hail Mary’ should have a clear run to keep earning next week, though Universal’s ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ is looming, and if it follows the pattern of the original, will likely launch in first place when it arrives on April 1.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of traveling to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena California to sit down in-person with Ryan Gosling to talk about his work on ‘Project Hail Mary’, the film’s humor, working with a puppeteer, improvising on set, why he liked acting alone, collaborating with directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and playing a nontraditional hero.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Gosling, Sandra Hüller, author Andy Weir, screenwriter Drew Goddard, and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
Moviefone: To begin with, the film has a lot of humor in it. What was your first reaction to the screenplay and did the funny read on the page?
Ryan Gosling: I think it was a combination of all those things. I mean, Andy is funny, Andy Weir, the writer of the book. It’s such a part of his voice, is to acknowledge that things are funny and not just make them intentionally serious. Also, I think what’s special about him is not to make things intentionally bleak. There’s an optimism about his work. There’s this sense of don’t fear the future, just figure it out. With that, and with that approach and letting curiosity take over for anxiety, there’s sort of an opportunity for humor in that.
MF: Can you talk about the friendship Grace forms with Rocky, and what was it like for you working with the puppeteers on set to create that relationship?
RG: I think it was an experience I’ll never get to have again. It just was a once in a lifetime experience to work in this way with Rocky and the Rocketeers, which is what we called them. That was his glam squad. He’s high maintenance. He’s a bit of a diva, but he’s worth it. He’s the best costar you could have.
MF: Were you surprised by the way Rocky looked and were you able to improvise with the puppeteers on set?
RG: I was involved in all of that, so I wasn’t surprised. There wasn’t a reveal moment, but I was surprised really by James Ortiz who came in and became that lead puppeteer for Rocky. Because he was just supposed to be the physical puppeteer, but he started reading the lines with me to just have someone to say the lines with. But then he had such a deep connection to Rocky, and he understood him so deeply that we got to the point where we could improvise for hours sometimes off script as the characters on camera. That’s where this starts to become something else where it feels like a real relationship, and it feels like it’s happening in real time because it is. That’s something I don’t think you could get any other way but shooting it practically.
MF: You spend a lot of the movie acting alone. What was that like for you to do those scenes by yourself and not have another actor to react to?
RG: I liked it. I did. It was fun because you get to explore any idea you have. It was an opportunity to just take every scene in any direction I could think of and experiment. So, I liked it.
MF: Can you talk about collaborating with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller on set? Were they open to trying different things and seeing what works?
RG: Yes. I remember there’s a scene where I had been working alone for a long time and I was missing a partner and I said, “I need to make a friend out of a mop, so I have someone to talk to and I’m going to do that.” They were like, “Hold everything.” They both started scouring the set to find stuff we could do. We made this character we called “Moppy Ringwald”, and she became my dance partner and my friend for the day. That’s just what it was like working with them, that I could come to them with this need, and they were just on it and ready to shoot it. It ended up becoming a fun part of the film.
MF: Finally, your character is not the traditional movie hero and is even reluctant to go on this mission. What was it like for you to play a vulnerable character like that?
RG: I mean, I related to that. It was very relatable. I think that’s what’s so strong about this story is that you have a guy that’s not a natural hero that doesn’t see himself that way at all. He just wakes up and finds out that the fate of humanity is in his hands and his instinct is to run away, but he can’t. So, he must find some way to face it and deal with his fear and suddenly let curiosity take over from the anxiety he’s feeling in the panic. I think it was great for me and I think for an audience too to go through that experience of, “Okay, what happens after the panic? What happens when we say, we’re afraid, but now we must fix this?”
‘Project Hail Mary’ opens in theaters on March 20th.
What is the plot of ‘Project Hail Mary’?
Astronaut Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) awakens on a spacecraft with no memory of himself or his mission. He deduces he is the sole survivor of a crew sent to the Tau Ceti system to save Earth from disaster. To do so, Grace must rely on his vast array of scientific knowledge, sheer ingenuity, and human will, but he learns he is not alone: he is aided by an alien he dubs Rocky (voice of James Ortiz), who has come to save his world from the same fate.
Who is in the cast of ‘Project Hail Mary’?
Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace
Sandra Hüller as Eva Stratt
Lionel Boyce as Officer Steve Hatch
Ken Leung as Yáo Li-Jie
Milana Vayntrub as Olesya Ilyukhina
James Ortiz as the voice and lead puppeteer of Rocky
Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’ Photo courtesy of Universal Television.
For those who didn’t grow up in the 1980s or have somehow gotten this far in life not knowing the name Jessica Fletcher, ‘Murder She Wrote’ was a crime procedural drama series that kicked off on CBS in 1984.
It stars Lansbury as Fletcher, a seemingly mild-mannered crime writer who has a penchant for digging into mysteries of all kinds. Working and living primarily in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine, she’s consistently underestimated by police and criminals and ends up solving many murders.
For the new movie, ‘Dumb Money’ duo Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo wrote the screenplay based on the series. Curtis will take on the role as Fletcher, and the tone may tend towards warmly comedic.
What else has Jason Moore directed?
In addition to helping launch the ‘Pitch Perfect’ franchise, Moore has also been behind the camera for movies including ‘Sisters’ and ‘Shotgun Wedding.’
He’s also directed the pilot and served as an executive producer on ‘Elle,’ the upcoming ‘Legally Blonde’ prequel TV series at Prime Video.
(L to R) Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel, and director Jason Moore on the set of ‘Shotgun Wedding’. Photo Credit: Ana Carballosa.
A sequel to ‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines’ is in the works.
Guillermo Martinez and JP Sans are directing.
Netflix will release the movie under a deal with Sony.
Back in 2021, robo-uprising movie ‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines’ burst on to screens via Sony and Netflix, bringing a much-needed offering of joy to a dark time for the world as the COVID pandemic continued to effect it.
Given the success of the original (it won eight Annie Awards, including for animated feature, and was nominated for best animated feature at the Oscars), and spurred by the reaction to ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ (which has been a sensation for the companies), a sequel is in development, as reported by Variety.
The first film was initially set to be released by Sony Pictures in 2020 after the title was changed to ‘Connected,’ but following delays due to the COVID pandemic, Netflix picked up the film (under its original title) for reportedly more than $100 million.
The movie follows the titular family as they drive their eldest daughter, Katie (Abbi Jacobson), across the country to film school in California.
While en route, a rogue AI called PAL (Olivia Colman) commanders an army of robots to launch a worldwide rebellion against humanity. It’s up to the Mitchells — including Katie’s technophobic father, Rick (Danny McBride), overly sweet mother, Linda (Maya Rudolph) and hyperactive younger brother, Aaron (Mike Rianda) — to save the day.
(Left) Phil Lord on the set of ’21 Jump Street.’ Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing. (Center) Archie Andrews from ‘The Archie Show’. Photo: CBS. (Right) Chris Miller on the set of ’21 Jump Street.’ Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Preview:
A movie based on ‘Archie’ comics is in the works at Universal.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller are producing the movie.
The script comes from ‘Superwoman: Woman of Tomorrow’ comic writer Tom King.
While current audiences might be most familiar with the ‘Archie’ comic book stories via long-running CW series ‘Riverdale’, plans are afoot for a different take, this one aimed at the big screen.
The ‘Archie’ comics series, which have been published for 85 years, follows the high school hijinks of the title character and his main squeezes, Veronica and Betty. It has been turned into any number of shows and movies.
While ‘Riverdale’ was steeped in a ‘Twin Peaks’-like noir and followed the underbelly of the small town where Archie and the gang lived, the new tone of the new movie is being kept a mystery for now.
Here’s what Lord and Miller said in a statement:
“We are longtime fans of Archie, Veronica, Betty, and the gang in all of their iterations. When we heard Tom King’s take on the classic material, we instantly thought it made sense as an event movie for all audiences — both lifelong fans and a whole new generation. We’re so excited to bring these beloved characters to the big screen.”
Emma Watts, who used to run 20th Century Studios and now has her own production company, teamed up with King (who on the scriptwriting front has been working on DC Studios’ HBO series ‘Lanterns’) to develop an initial pitch, which they then presented to Lord and Miller.
They, in turn, took it to Universal under the terms of their first look deal.
What else are Lord and Miller working on?
Ryan Gosling in ‘Project Hail Mary’. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
With the project still rattling around the development zone, we wouldn’t expect to see a release date announcement until it is closer to being finalized.
Camila Mendes on ‘Riverdale’. Photo: Warner Bros. Television Studios.
Selected Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Movies and TV Shows:
Ryan Gosling in ‘Project Hail Mary’. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
Preview:
‘Project Hail Mary’ touched down at Comic-Con.
The panel included Ryan Gosling, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.
The movie adapts Andy Weir’s book.
‘Project Hail Mary’ represents the collaboration between some fairly stellar names in filmmaking. Take directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who have brought acclaimed comedies and Oscar-winning animated superhero movies to screens while having fun with genre.
Add in Ryan Gosling, who has proved his chops in both the dramatic and laugh-grabbing departments. And blend them with the invention of Andy Weir, whose book ‘The Martian’ became a wildly successful movie in its own right.
The result is a space-set adventure that appears to offer plenty of laughs and humanity to go with the big ideas.
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So the movie was naturally one that Amazon MGM Studios knew could play well at Comic-Con, with the team showing up for a panel in Hall H.
Ryan Gosling in ‘Project Hail Mary’. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
‘Project Hail Mary’ is set in the near future. Our hero is Ryland Grace (Gosling), a school teacher-turned-astronaut who wakes up from a coma, alone, on a space station with no memory of who he is or his mission.
His memory returns in bursts and he pieces together that he was sent to the Tau Ceti solar system, 12 light-years from Earth, to reverse the impact of a space event that had already hurled our planet into the early stages of an Ice Age.
As details of the mission unravel, he must call on all of his scientific training and sheer ingenuity, but he might not have to do it alone…
What happened at the ‘Project Hail Mary’ panel?
Ryan Gosling in ‘Project Hail Mary’. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
Much as with big movies such as ‘TRON: Ares’, the ‘Project Hail Mary’ team made good use of the giant screens that stretch down the sides of Hall H, projecting logos and the galactic map seen in the trailer.
Those on stage included directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, author Andy Weir and screenwriter Drew Goddard (who also adapted ‘The Martian’).
Gosling talked about why he wanted to join the projecting, citing Weir as the greatest science fiction writer (and not just because he was sitting next to him on the panel). He knew it would be great, but not how great.
Here’s what else he said:
“It’s about a scared guy who doesn’t know what he’s doing and I was a scared guy who didn’t know what I was doing, trying to turn it into a movie.”
He called Lord and Miller, which seems like a smart move…
For their part, the directors also used a movie metaphor to describe working with Gosling, in that it’s about collaboration and they had a great time working with the actor.
The filmmakers shared new concept art from the movie, including spaceship designs and more.
Biggest news of the panel? Daniel Pemberton, who has experience working with Lord and Miller on the ‘Spider-Verse’ movies, is the composer for this.
But the best part of the panel? The first five minutes of the movie were shown, including Gosling waking up from an induced coma, befuddled and unsure of where he is. He struggles with a robot that is trying to help him and discovers that the crew in the chamber with him are all dead.
Other clips were shown, but from later in the movie, so we’ll avoid discussing those to stay away from spoilers.
When will ‘Project Hail Mary’ be on screens?
Unlike some of the other projects touted at this year’s convention, we still have a wait for ‘Project Hail Mary’.
Amazon MGM Studios will release the movie in theaters on March 20th, 2026.
Ryan Gosling in ‘Project Hail Mary’. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
(L to R) Ben Affleck, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Daniella Pineda and Jon Berthal at the Amazon/MGM presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas.Photo: Amazon/MGM.
Preview:
‘Project Hail Mary’ and more were showcased at Amazon MGM’s CinemaCon presentation.
There was news of ‘Masters of the Universe’ and Luca Guadagno’s latest.
Ryan Gosling, Ben Affleck and more showed up to support their movies.
Amazon has popped up at CinemaCon a couple of times in the past, but usually partnered with one of the big theatrical studios. But as Amazon MGM Studios plans to hugely expand its cinematic footprint (having also joined the Motion Picture Association), it is also making its big, proper debut at the movie trade show.
Given the recent giant news about Amazon gaining full control of the Bond franchise, there was plenty of expectation of some announcement about that, though even with the hiring of producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman to oversee the company’s plans, unless the deal to bring them in was sealed a lot earlier than reported, was it likely that we’d have anything beyond the company touting the new arrangement?
It was an unusually late schedule time-wise, presumably because the likes of Sony, Warners, Disney and co. had snapped up the prime spots. But as a statement of intent from the new kid on the block, it had to deliver.
It’s another tale of a reluctant astronaut, this one played by Ryan Gosling, who has to try and save the Earth. The presentation kicked off with the impressive first teaser for the sci-fi movie. Set to Harry Styles’ ‘Sign of the Times,’ it looks very different to other Lord/Miller movies, but also great.
Gosling plays a schoolteacher recruited by Sandra Huller to save the planet, which is threatened by a dying sun. “You want the right stuff. I’ve got the wrong stuff! I put the NOT in astronaut. I can’t even moonwalk!” he claims amusingly (it’s even funnier coming from the man who played Neil Armstrong in ‘First Man.’)
Mike Hopkins, Head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios took the stage to announce that the company is committed to theatrical releases, with 14 working titles being readied for next year and 15 planned for 2027. They’re apparently ahead of schedule.
And the ‘Project Hail Mary’ team –– Lord, Miller and Gosling –– arrived on stage to caution the crowd that all the footage was work in progress, with Gosling singling cinematographer Greig Fraser (who also worked on the ‘Dune’ movies) out for particular praise.
Lord and Miller explained how much of themselves they poured into the movie, the biggest project they’ve ever worked on.
Gosling: “This is why we go to the movies, and I’m not just saying it because I’m in it. I’m ALSO a producer on this movie.”
Says Miller:
“Thank you for seeing movies on the big screen with the most weird and disturbing popcorn buckets imaginable.” Can’t wait to see their ‘Hail Mary’ bucket…
‘Project Hail Mary Blasts’ off in theaters on March 20th, 2026.
‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ apparently “has a few unexpected, modern twists.” Bradford Young is the cinematographer on the movie, and ‘Black Panther’s Ruth E. Carter will handle the costumes.
‘Verity,’ meanwhile, had a teaser to show, featuring the song ‘Fade Into You’ by Mazzy Star, and introduced by a fun video by the cast.
‘Verity’ has a May15th, 2026 release date set, while ‘Thomas Crown’ is too early in the process to score its own slot yet.
The latest drama from the prolific Luca Guadagnino stars Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield and follows a professor whose career is derailed by scandal. Andrew Garfield’s character is accused of assaulting Ayo Edebiri’s, and it becomes major news after Julia Roberts’ character, an attorney, takes on his case.
Edebiri and Garfield showed up on stage with Guadagnino, and Garfield praised his director, who he said he’d wanted to work with for 15 years.
The first footage from the movie was screened for the audience via a trailer.
‘After The Hunt’ will head to theaters on October 17th.
The new Chris Pratt sci-fi pic ‘Mercy’ was the next to be spotlighted, with the first footage of the movie, directed by Timur Bekmambetov.
It’s a blend of courtroom drama and action where an AI program serves as the judge, jury, and executioner. Pratt has 90 minutes to prove he didn’t kill his wife, using all technology available.
Since the trailer introduces the audiences to a high-tech chair where Pratt’s character is confined, what better way to promote than by having Pratt in said chair on stage for the presentation, jokingly forced to say a proper thank you to the assembled exhibitors, lest he had to Uber home.
Co-starring Rebecca Ferguson, the film will be in cinemas on January 23rd, 2026.
Lest you start checking again whether we’ve turned the clock back to April Fool’s Day, this is in fact a very real movie, directed by ‘Despicable Me’ veteran Kyle Balda, and is a live-action murder mystery where the detectives are sheep.
Director Layton, who says that from the very beginning, this movie was written, imagined, planned and dreamed for the big screen, is joined by Hemsworth and Berry on stage to introduce a trailer.
Layton also says he wrote Keoghan’s part as a dirt bike-riding maniac especially for him.
Hemsworth added that they wanted to make a gripping and thought provoking thriller that really captures L.A.
Director Aleshea Harris makes her cinematic debut with an adaptation of her play.
Vivica A. Fox took the stage with some of the other cast to show a trailer.
It’s the story of two little girls and their mother who were the victims of an arson attack at the hands of their father (Sterling K. Brown). Their mother’s dying wish? That the two girls, now adults, kill their father.
After that, head of film Courtenay Valenti and marketing chief Sue Kroll were introduced to extoll the company’s commitment to theatrical and that it is ramping up more productions from the Orion and United Artists.
From there, it was back to film promotion with…
Daniel Craig as James Bond in ‘Casino Royale.’
Bond! But there isn’t very much to tell yet (as we guessed), with more of a mention that chosen producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman are getting down to work in London to figure out next steps.
“(We are) committed to honoring the legacy of Bond while bringing a fresh take.”
With the movie finally in production after years in development limbo, a behind-the-scenes featurette screened, which included a lot of work-in-progress props, and some sound bites from the powers that be promising a movie that is loyal to the cartoon and the toys.
Director Travis Knight gushed about having wanted to make this movie for years, adding:
“I have been a fan of Masters of the Universe pretty much my entire life. It was something I lived and breathed. I had the toys. I even had a He-Man haircut.”
‘Masters of the Universe’ will be on screens on June 5th, 2026.
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Headed our way more imminently (as in, a couple of weeks) is…
(L to R) Ben Affleck, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Gavin O’Connor, Daniella Pineda a and Jon Berthal at the Amazon/MGM presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas.Photo: Amazon/MGM.
Affleck, Bernthal, Cynthia Addai Robinson and O’Connor were there to present an extended trailer for the action movie, which indicates that this sequel leans into the buddy comedy interplay between the brothers played by Affleck and Bernthal. While the trailer’s humor worked, the scripted banter on stage left something to the imagination, though it wasn’t really the fault of the cast.
‘The Accountant 2’ shoots for screens on April 25th
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Amazon MGM Studios’ presentation wrapped up with much talk of the past, present and future for the company’s ambitions –– and the assembled talent from their projects taking a selfie.
Ryan Gosling will play an astronaut in ‘Project Hail Mary’.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller are directing.
The movie will be on screens in 2026.
Given the success of 2015’s ‘The Martian’ –– which saw Matt Damon starring as an astronaut trapped on Mars, was directed by Ridley Scott, notched a big profit at the box office and was nominated for seven Oscars –– it’s almost surprising it has taken this long for another tome by Andy Weir, who wrote the source book, to properly launch its journey to theaters.
But then, the wheels of development grind slowly, and while at least one other book, ‘Artemis’, set on the moon, seems locked in limbo, another, ‘Project Hail Mary’, now has a star, directors and even a release date.
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What’s the story of ‘Project Hail Mary’?
Ryan Gosling in ‘First Man’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
‘Project Hail Mary’ is set in the near future. Our hero is Ryland Grace, a schoolteacher-turned-astronaut who wakes up from a coma, alone, on a space station with no memory of who he is or his mission.
His memory returns in bursts and he pieces together that he was sent to the Tau Ceti solar system, 12 light-years from Earth, to reverse the impact of a space event that had already hurled our planet into the early stages of an Ice Age.
As details of the mission unravel, he must call on all of his scientific training and sheer ingenuity, but he might not have to do it alone…
So… ‘The Martian’ meets ‘The Hangover’? Would watch. Will watch.
(L to R) Phil Lord and Chris Miller on the set of ’21 Jump Street.’
Weir’s book was published in 2021, and since then has been on a faster track to screens than ‘Artemis’.
Drew Goddard, who adapted ‘The Martian’ (and scored an Oscar nomination for his efforts), has once more written the script.
Instead of Scott returning to direct, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who are technically also still attached to ‘Artemis’, but have seen ‘Hail Mary’ move forward into prime position (let’s be honest: scheduling movies is like finding launch windows for Mars missions).
The pair will hopefully bring their instinct for balancing comedy and drama, and while their last crack at sci-fi didn’t quite work out (that would be their ill-fated stint on ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’, where they ended up creatively clashing with Lucasfilm and were ultimately replaced by Ron Howard), you’ve got to have faith in the duo who have made winners such as ‘The Lego Movie’ and are key players on the ‘Spider-Verse’ franchise.
Finally, Ryan Gosling is in place to be the central astronaut with memory issues. He’s been on a role of late, so we’re hoping for something that brings dry, smart humor to go with the space drama, as seen in ‘The Martian’.
When will ‘Project Hail Mary’ be in theaters?
That’s the final piece to fall into place… Amazon MGM Studios has planted a flag in a March 20th, 2026, release date for the movie. Start your countdown clocks!
(Left) Nicolas Cage (“Nick Cage”) contemplates his career while poolside in Mallorca, Spain in ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.’ Photo credit: Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate. (Right) Nicolas Cage as Peter Parker / Spider-Man Noir in ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.’ Photo: Sony Pictures.
Preview:
Nic Cage could bring his ‘Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse’ character to live-action.
Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Oren Uziel are all involved.
The series is in development at Prime Video.
This past week has not seen Sony’s attempts to make Marvel content showered in glory. ‘Madame Web’, the latest movie from the company to feature a side-character from the ‘Spider-Man’ universe, has gone down in flames with critics and audiences.
There is some good news for the studio, though, as word has emerged that its developing live-action ‘Spider-Man Noir’ series, set up at Amazon’s Prime Video service might be getting a shot of cool from Nicolas Cage eyeing a deal to star.
The show, which would adapt the hard-boiled, tough-talking comic book character mainstream audiences really came to know via ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’, has been in development since at least last year with ‘Spider-Verse’ duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller working alongside ‘The Lost City’s Oren Uziel to craft it.
2018’s ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.’ Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Nothing has been officially released about the storyline for the potential show, but if it even roughly follows the character’s narrative, we’ll be seeing a grizzled, older take on Peter Parker patrolling the streets of a monochrome 1930s New York as he seeks to avenge the deaths of his uncle Ben Parker to the hands of the cannibal Adrian Toomes and his mentor Ben Urich by the city’s major crime lord, Norman Osborn.
His Spidey origin story? He’s bitten by a seemingly venomous spider he unearths while investigating a smuggling ring, awakes inside a cocoon and emerges from it, now possessing super-human abilities similar to a spider. So yeah, that old tale.
Noir (as he’s sometimes simply known) made his paper debut in the pages of his eponymous comic in 2009, created by David Hine, Fabrice Sapolsky Carmine Di Giandomenico and Marko Djurdjevic, but he’s become best known via ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ where he helped Miles Morales, Gwen Stacey and the others sort out the multiversal issues caused by the Kingpin’s machinations.
How is Nicolas Cage involved in the ‘Spider-Man Noir’ series?
‘Nicolas Cage’ (Nicolas Cage) greets ‘Javi Gutierrez’ with a ‘Palm Hold Fist’ salute as he arrives in Mallorca, Spain. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate.
Cage provided the gruff vocals for Noir in his ‘Spider-Verse’ movie scenes, and while sequel ‘Across the Spider-Verse’ used archive recordings as Hailee Steinfeld’s Gwen Stacey gathered the team from the first movie to launch an attempt to help Miles Morales, signs are Cage will have a larger role in the next one, ‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’.
Of course, the series version will all depend on Cage actually making a deal, but The Ankler reports he’s in serious talks.
That series, about Cindy Moon, a Korean American classmate of the more contemporary Peter Parker’s, who is similarly bitten by a radioactive spider and possesses an advanced Spider-Sense (known as Silk Sense), is seemingly being paused for a creative overhaul with ‘The Walking Dead’ veteran show-runner still on board developing that show alongside Lord and Miller.
2018’s ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.’ Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Tiffany Haddish in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
Launched with the first two episodes on Apple TV+, the second season of ‘The Afterparty’ manages to take the story in interesting new directors while also maintaining what made the first so entertaining.
Created by Chris Miller and produced by Miller alongside regular creative partner Phil Lord, ‘The Afterparty’ has the clever conceit of presenting the events of the story from the different points of view of the various characters, all portrayed in different genres.
And while the new season doesn’t have the frisson of a new idea in quite the same way, there is still plenty of freshness here.
What’s the story of ‘The Afterparty’s second season?
(L to R) Zoë Chao and Sam Richardson in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
The story picks up with Aniq (Sam Richardson) and Zoë (Zoë Chao), now a couple, having made it through the murder mystery that sprang up during the afterparty of a high school reunion.
It’s a year later and the pair are attending the wedding of Zoë’s sister Grace (Poppy Liu), who is getting married to wealthy tech type Edgar (Zach Woods) at his family’s expansive estate north of San Francisco.
Aniq fails to make a good impression his girlfriend’s family, but that pales in comparison when Edgar is discovered dead the morning after the wedding (along with his pet lizard, Roxana).
Soon, accusations are being thrown around and skeletons from the past on all sides are coming to light. Aniq contacts Detective Danner –– or rather former Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) –– who cracked the case in the first season (and is now trying to write a book about the experience) to come and solve the new murder mystery.
Who else appears in ‘The Afterparty’ Season 2?
(L to R) Jack Whitehall and John Cho in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
Season two boasts a new group of characters including Edgar’s adopted sister Hannah (Anna Konkle), his widowed mother Isabel (Elizabeth Perkins), and business partner Sebastian (Jack Whitehall); Grace and Zoë’s parents Feng (Ken Jeong) and Vivian (Vivian Wu), as well as their long-estranged world-travelling uncle Ulysses (John Cho); and Grace’s ex-boyfriend Travis (Paul Walter Hauser).
Is ‘The Afterparty’ Season 2 an event worth attending?
(L to R) Anna Konkle, Elizabeth Perkins, Zach Woods, Poppy Liu, John Cho, Vivian Wu, Ken Jeong and Zoë Chao in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
As we mentioned, the idea of splitting the episodes between the various characters’ viewpoints and utilizing a different genre for each one is no longer as fresh and new as the first, but the show’s creative team has worked hard to make it feel different and worthwhile rather than a retread.
Part of that is rounding up a superb new ensemble to bring the characters to life, with the highlights including Cho as the worldly, weird uncle that Zoë and Grace idolized as youngsters, but haven’t seen for years after he fell out with their parents. His re-introduction to their lives (organized by Edgar and Sebastian) is a fantastic showcase for Cho, who has rarely gotten to play such a flamboyant, weird character.
Jeong is also great –– a picky shaved ice magnate (he’s quick to point out that it’s Taiwanese rather than Hawaiian) –– gives him a chance to do the sort of shouty, nervy character who works well playing against the others.
Woods’ Edgar has his own set of quirks; a painfully socially awkward genius whose closest companion is his pet reptile, and while it might come across as the character he played or some he interacted with on ‘Silicon Valley’, he brings something new to this role. Kudos also to the effects team bringing Roxana the lizard to life –– she’s almost as much of a character as she is.
Among the genres the season offers are Jane Austen-style period drama (for Grace’s story of how she met and fell for Edgar and her worries that Zoë isn’t on board with their whirlwind romance), and one set within the word of TikTok and other social media trends.
And a breakout hit of the season to come is the episode focused on Danner investigating a different case. We won’t go into any big spoilers but suffice to say that fans of 1980s and 1990s thrillers (and food) will heartily enjoy the craziness on display. You can also expect to see a spoof of heist movies and 1950s melodrama.
Through it all, Haddish and Richardson provide reliable anchors –– he all nervous energy and trying to do what’s right, she the quick-thinking, smack-talking type who knows that everyone lies at some point.
There are the same level of twists and turns this time around, the various viewpoints providing different laughs and the emotional quotient remaining high. These are characters you’ll enjoy getting to know and figuring out who might have dangerous motives and reasons to wish Edgar harm.
It also generates plenty of knowing stories about the tensions both within Asian families and towards them –– at one point Jeong’s Feng points out that white people clustered whispering is never a good thing.
Lord and Miller have long proved to be skilled at taking comedy and genre and twisting them together, and ‘The Afterparty’ continues to be a great example of that.
‘Afterparty’ problems?
(L to R) Poppy Liu and Zach Woods in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
Not every genre pick is quite as effective, which means you might find yourself going from an episode you truly enjoy to one that only offers minor chuckles.
Yet this is the only real issue with the new show, which has made a successful return to Apple’s streaming service and marks one of the best comedies on TV at the moment. The only other problem you could have is with the weekly drip feed release schedule –– your patience might be taxed waiting for each episode of the remaining eight to drop, but it’s worth it.
And the only guarantee we can’t give is that the show sticks the landing this time and resolves the mystery effectively, as critics were not provided with the crucial final episode. But on the evidence of the season so far and the great quality of the first, we have faith.
‘The Afterparty’ Season 2 receives 8 out of 10 stars.
(L to R) Tiffany Haddish and Elizabeth Perkins in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
