Tag: ralph-fiennes

  • Movie Review: ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’

    Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Opening in theaters June 16 is ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple‘, directed by Nia DaCosta and starring Ralph Fiennes, Alfie Williams, and Jack O’Connell.

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    Related Article: ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Cast Interview

    Initial Thoughts

    (L to R) Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) and Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) and Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    28 Years Later‘ is enjoyable for what it is, but one of the biggest takeaways is that it was clearly a set-up for the follow-up film, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. While viewers could surely watch the latter without seeing either of the previous films, they will enjoy it much more if they know the lore and backstories of these characters.

    Story and Direction

    Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    The story picks up almost immediately after the events of ’28 Years Later’ as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) is seen putting young Spike (Alfie Williams) to the test. This is a brilliant introduction to the villain of the film, as it becomes clear just how deranged and selfish he is during this fight. His fingers, which is what he calls his child followers, know no better to believe in this man who thinks he is the son of Satan. This sets up for some truly dark, twisted, and gory events that are much on par with the previous two films.

    On the other side of things, we have Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Ian Kelson, whom we got to know a lot about in the previous film. This time he strikes up an unlikely “friendship” with the Alpha Infected Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry). Both of these plot points are captivating in their own way, as we move towards the climax of the film (which does not disappoint). The cinematography and Nia DaCosta’s directing choices are the best in the franchise, without a doubt. Being up close and personal with so many characters allows us to feel what they are feeling, whether it be terror, happiness, or peace.

    Cast and Performances

    Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell) with the Jimmies in Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) with the Jimmies in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Jack O’Connell will always and forever make a great villain. His role in ‘Sinners‘ is unforgettable, but he does something so phenomenal in ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ that he will surely be remembered for it as well. This is a career-best performance for him. He is a mentally unstable man who is drawn to violence. Throughout the entire movie, he is captivating, yes, but it is the third act where he really shines.

    The same can be said for Ralph Fiennes, who has a lot of incredible roles under his belt, but you have never seen him like this before. What he does, especially in that third act, is going to be talked about for years to come. Chi Lewis-Parry is also given a lot more to play with this time around, and he proves why he should be on many studios’ radars.

    Final Thoughts

    (L to R) Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) and Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) in Columbia Pictures’ '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'. Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) and Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ sets the bar high for 2026 films. Thanks to brilliant performances all around, a story that will have viewers on the edge of their seats, and some well placed jump scares, it is an unforgettable movie that ends the beloved franchise perfectly.

    While the studio could certainly discover more story to be told, there is no need, as the ending just feels right.

    ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ receives a score of 90 out of 100.

    (L to R) Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman) and Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell) with the Jimmies in Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman) and Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) with the Jimmies in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    What is the plot of ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’?

    Taking place after the events of the previous film, Spike (Alfie Williams) is inducted into Sir Jimmy Crystal’s (Jack O’Connell) gang of acrobatic killers in a post-apocalyptic Britain ravaged by the Rage Virus. Meanwhile, Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) forms a new relationship with potentially world changing consequences.

    Who is in the cast of ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’?

    '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' opens in theaters on January 16th.
    ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ opens in theaters on January 16th.

    List of Films in the ’28’ Franchise:

    Buy Tickets: ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Ralph Fiennes Movies On Amazon

  • ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Cast Interview

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    Opening in theaters on January 16th is ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’, which is a follow up to last summer’s ’28 Years Later’ and is the fourth installment of the ‘28 Days Later‘ franchise.

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    Written by Alex Garland (‘Civil War’), produced by Danny Boyle (’Steve Jobs’) and directed by Nia DaCosta (‘The Marvels’), the film stars returning franchise actors Ralph Fiennes (‘Conclave’) as Dr. Ian Kelson, Alfie Williams (‘His Dark Materials’) as Spike, Jack O’Connell (‘Sinners’) as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal, and Chi Lewis-Parry (’The Running Man’) as Samson, as well as new addition to the series, Erin Kellyman (‘Eleanor the Great’).

    (L to R) Chi Lewis-Parry and Ralph Fiennes star in '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'.
    (L to R) Chi Lewis-Parry and Ralph Fiennes star in ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Ralph Fiennes and Chi Lewis-Parry about their work on ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’, reprising their characters from ’28 Years Later,’ working together to create their characters unusual friendship on screen, and director Nia DaCosta’s unique vision for this world.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Fiennes, Lewis-Parry, and Erin Kellyman.

    Related Article: Movie Review: ’28 Years Later’

    Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Moviefone: To begin with, Ralph, can you talk about having the opportunity to play this character over the course of two films and what were some of the aspects of this character you were excited to explore this time around that you didn’t get a chance to explore in the last movie?

    Ralph Fiennes: Well, yes, it’s great. Look, it’s great to play a part over two films. I don’t think I’ve done it before. No, of course I have with Voldemort (in the ‘Harry Potter’ series) and M (in the James Bond movies), I suppose. But this narrative is more in favor of Kelson’s story and Samson’s story together. Alex (Garland) has written a great part. We understand he’s a doctor, he takes palliative care of Jodie Comer‘s character in the last film. We understand he has that doctor’s instinct for care but he’s in a situation where he’s reliant on survival techniques. But I think this heightens his medical curiosity, which is also a human curiosity, isn’t it? If I want to cure someone, it’s because I believe in the value of mending a fellow human being. I think that’s totally innate to Kelson. His desire to mend, heal, and where he must accept death, it’s a recognition of the life that has been lived by the person who has died. I think he’s profoundly connected to the human experience and what it is to have lived and died. He’s got a mixture of the medic and the philosopher, and I think that’s explored in this. We see his goodness, and in the end, he puts himself on the line to protect young Spike (Alfie Williams). I think he’s a good guy.

    Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) in Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: Chi, what was your approach to playing Samson and what are the challenges of portraying a character who is infected?

    Chi Lewis-Parry: The cold, that was a big challenge. Dealing with the cold while being mostly naked, I found that the cold can really zap your energy. Samson is a very high energy character, and if he’s not high energy, he’s sitting or lying down, and again, exposed to the cold. It’s a mental state. Once the mind gives up, I feel like the body follows and then you’re in an uncontrollable shiver and that’s not good on camera. There was a mental stamina that I had to have to still appear like this big physically imposing destroyer in Samson. It was tough but manageable.

    Nia DaCosta (director, '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple') at CinemaCon 2025 for Sony Pictures at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.
    Nia DaCosta (director, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’) at CinemaCon 2025 for Sony Pictures at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.

    MF: Ralph, what was it like working with director Nia DaCosta and can you talk about her unique vision for this world?

    RF: Well, she was intent to come with a different filming approach. I think she made that clear to Danny (Boyle) and Alex, she didn’t want to ever attempt to imitate Danny’s directorial style. She came with a forensic delicacy. She loves the closeups and what’s going on inside the face of someone. The closeup is a great magnifier of human thought in a life and I think she’s edited the film to allow the closeups to breathe and I like that.

    (L to R) Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) and Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) and Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Miya Mizuno. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: Chi, can you talk about Samson’s unusual friendship with Dr. Kelson and what it was like working on the relationship with Ralph?

    CLP: It was a complete dream come true. The relationship on screen is very much the relationship we have in real life because I have an affection for the man. I don’t hide it. If anything, I celebrate it. I think to have discovered a friend in this medium, I suppose, is odd and rare, especially one with such affection because I adore him, and he knows that. I’m so proud of being a part of this wonderful experience, and this wonderful film. I can’t wait for the universe to see it.

    Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: Finally, Ralph, what was your experience like working with Chi on this project?

    RF: Working with Chi was wonderful. He’s generous. He’s committed. He’s always present, ready to go, and ready to give of himself in the moment. That’s what you want with a good screen partner is that we dance together literally but we also dance together in our energies. He doesn’t speak much but all these scenes, he was transmitting feelings and thoughts and interior impulses which I could see in his face. That’s stuff just emerged between us. He comes onto the set with this wonderful generosity of spirit, and that’s rare.

    (L to R) Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) and Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) in Columbia Pictures’ '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'. Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) and Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’. Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    What is the plot of ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’?

    Taking place after the events of the previous film, Spike (Alfie Williams) is inducted into Sir Jimmy Crystal’s (Jack O’Connell) gang of acrobatic killers in a post-apocalyptic Britain ravaged by the Rage Virus. Meanwhile, Dr Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) forms a new relationship with potentially world changing consequences.

    Who is in the cast of ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’?

    • Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson
    • Jack O’Connell as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal
    • Alfie Williams as Spike
    • Erin Kellyman as Jimmy Ink
    • Chi Lewis-Parry as “Samson”
    • Emma Laird as Jimmima
    • Maura Bird as Jimmy Jones
    • Ghazi Al Ruffai as Jimmy Snake
    • Sam Locke as Jimmy Fox
    '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' opens in theaters on January 16th.
    ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ opens in theaters on January 16th.

    List of Films in the ’28’ Franchise:

    Buy Tickets: ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Ralph Fiennes Movies On Amazon

  • Jennifer Lawrence to Appear in ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel

    (L to R): Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson in 'The Hunger Games.' Photo: Lionsgate.
    (L to R): Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson in ‘The Hunger Games.’ Photo: Lionsgate.

    Preview:

    • Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will appear in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.’
    • Joseph Zada and Whitney Peak are playing the lead roles.
    • Francis Lawrence is again directing the movie.

    Here’s some big news for ‘Hunger Games’ fans starving for any update on the next prequel movie, ‘Sunrise on the Reaping,’ directed once more by regular filmmaker Francis Lawrence.

    Variety reports that Jennifer Lawrence (no, no relation) and Josh Hutcherson, who were two of the key roles in the original movies, will be back to reprise their iconic characters.

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    Lawrence will be Katniss Everdeen and Hutcherson will return as Peeta Mellark. “But Moviefone,” we hear you ask, “the new movie takes place years before their films. How will this work?”

    Simple: Suzanne Collins’ book includes an epilogue set during Katniss and Peeta’s time where they appear with Haymitch (which suggests Woody Harrelson, who plays the older Haymitch, will also make an appearance, although his voice does appear in the teaser trailer.)

    Related Article: Ralph Fiennes, Maya Hawke and More on for Latest ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel

    What’s the story of ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’?

    Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy in 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping'. Photo Credit: Murray Close.
    Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’. Photo Credit: Murray Close.

    While the previous prequel took place 64 years before the events of the original trilogy, ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ is set 24 years before that trio of original films in the world of Panem, commencing on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.

    Those games are an important event in the canon as the victor was Haymitch Abernathy, the only winner from District 12 before Lawrence’s Everdeen and Hutcherson’s Mellark’s tie win. Haymitch continues on to become a mentor, a character in the original movies played by Harrelson.

    Who else has been cast in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’?

    (L to R) Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy and McKenna Grace as Maysilee Donner in 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping'. Photo Credit: Murray Close.
    (L to R) Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy and McKenna Grace as Maysilee Donner in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’. Photo Credit: Murray Close.

    The cast already includes included Joseph Zada and Whitney Peak, who will play Haymitch Abernathy and the woman he loves, Lenore Dove Baird.

    In addition to the two leads, we also now know that McKenna Grace, who has appeared in the recent ‘Ghostbusters’ movies, will be in the movie as Maysilee Donner, Haymitch’s fellow District 12 Tribute, while Jesse Plemons has the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, as brought to life by Philip Seymour Hoffman in the original movies.

    Ralph Fiennes is the calculating President Snow while Kieran Culkin will be Caesar Flickerman (the eccentric host character played in the first film series by Stanley Tucci.)

    Elle Fanning is on to be a younger Effie Trinket; the effusive stylist as portrayed by Elizabeth Banks in the original ‘Hunger Games’ movies.

    Glenn Close is Sickle, the cruel escort to the District 12 Tributes, and Billy Porter is playing Magno Stift is her estranged husband and the Tributes’ uninspired designer.

    When will ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ be in theaters?

    Lionsgate will have the new movie in theaters on November 20th, 2026.

    (L to R) Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird and Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy in 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping'. Photo Credit: Murray Close.
    (L to R) Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird and Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’. Photo Credit: Murray Close.

    Other Movies in ‘The Hunger Games’ Franchise:

    Buy ‘The Hunger Games’ Movies On Amazon

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  • Glenn Close and Billy Porter Join New ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel

    (Left) Glenn Close arrives at the 14th Governors Awards in the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. Credit/Provider: Trae Patton / @ A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S. (Right) Billy Porter arrives on the red carpet of The 91st Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 24, 2019. Credit/Provider: Phil McCarten / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.
    (Left) Glenn Close arrives at the 14th Governors Awards in the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. Credit/Provider: Trae Patton / @ A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S. (Right) Billy Porter arrives on the red carpet of The 91st Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 24, 2019. Credit/Provider: Phil McCarten / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

    Preview:

    • Glenn Close and Billy Porter are the latest addition to the new ‘Hunger Games’ prequel.
    • Jhaleil Swaby is also aboard, playing the character of Panache.
    • Francis Lawrence is again directing the movie.

    While the cameras are now rolling on the new ‘Hunger Games’ franchise entry, prequel offering ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’, you might think that the stream of casting would dry up. You’d be mistaken!

    Two more big names and more of a rising star are the latest people to be announced, as Deadline reports that Glenn Close will be Drusilla Sickle, Billy Porter has the role of Magno Stift and Jhaleil Swaby (‘The Lake’) will play Panache.

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    Here’s ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ producer Nina Jacobson on Close’s casting:

    “Glenn Close is a dream Drusilla. She brings so much of her intellect and imagination to each role, creating characters who are unforgettable and iconic. I think Glenn and Francis will have a ball bringing Drusilla from the page to the screen.”

    And regarding Porter:

    “Billy is one of those rare performers who can dazzle and devastate in equal measure on stage and screen. He made an indelible impression on me when we worked together on Pose, both as an actor and a human being. Casting this show has felt like winning the lottery every time one of our idols said yes to us.”

    Related Article: Ralph Fiennes, Maya Hawke and More on for Latest ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel

    What’s the story of ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’?

    'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' is scheduled for release on November 20, 2026. Photo: Lionsgate.
    ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ is scheduled for release on November 20, 2026. Photo: Lionsgate.

    While the previous prequel took place 64 years before the events of the original trilogy, ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ is set 24 years before that trio of Jennifer Lawrence films in the world of Panem, commencing on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.

    Those games are an important event in the canon as the victor was Haymitch Abernathy, the only winner from District 12 before Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson’s Peeta Mellark’s tie win. Haymitch continues on to become a mentor, a character in the original movies played by Woody Harrelson.

    Who else has been cast in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’?

    (Left) Joseph Zada to star as Haymitch Abernathy in 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping'. Photo credit: Hugh Stewart. (Right) Whitney Peak to star as Lenore Dove Bard in 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping'. Photo: Kate Whyte.
    (Left) Joseph Zada to star as Haymitch Abernathy in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’. Photo credit: Hugh Stewart. (Right) Whitney Peak to star as Lenore Dove Bard in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’. Photo: Kate Whyte.

    The cast also includes Joseph Zada and Whitney Peak, who will play Haymitch Abernathy and the woman he loves, Lenore Dove Baird.

    Ralph Fiennes is the latest actor to play the calculating Coriolanus Snow, who we meet as a younger man in previous prequel ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,’ there played by Tom Blyth and was most famously portrayed by Donald Sutherland as President Snow in the original four movies.

    Maya Hawke, most recently seen in ‘Maestro’ and ‘The Kill Room’ and who provided the voice of Anxiety in ‘Inside Out 2,’ will be Wiress, former Hunger Games champion–turned–District 12 mentor.

    Lili Taylor, as Deadline has learned, will be Mags, another former champion who is now a mentor for one of the District 12 tributes. And Ben Wang, who broke out in Disney+ series ‘American Born Chinese’ and will be one of the leads of ‘Karate Kid: Legends,’ has landed the role of District 12 Tribute Wyatt Callow.

    In addition to the two leads, we also now know that McKenna Grace, who has appeared in the recent ‘Ghostbusters’ movies, will be in the movie as Maysilee Donner, Haymitch’s fellow District 12 Tribute, while Jesse Plemons has the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, as brought to life by Philip Seymour Hoffman in the original movies.

    Kieran Culkin accepts the award for Male Supporting Actor - Motion Picture at the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, airing live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, January 5, 2025, at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Kieran Culkin accepts the award for Male Supporting Actor – Motion Picture at the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, airing live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, January 5, 2025, at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Finally, recent Academy Award winner Kieran Culkin is to play Caesar Flickerman (the eccentric host character played in the first film series by Stanley Tucci).

    As for the new additions?

    Close’s Sickle is the cruel escort to the District 12 Tributes, while Porter’s Stift is her estranged husband and the Tributes’ uninspired designer.

    Swaby’s Panache, meanwhile is a crude and aggressive career tribute from District 1, known for his arrogance and ruthlessness.

    ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’: Collins and the filmmakers talk

    Director Francis Lawrence in 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.' Photo Credit: Murray Close.
    Director Francis Lawrence in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Photo Credit: Murray Close.

    Here’s Suzanne Collins’ statement on the new book and movie:

    “With ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’, I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few… The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day. From the beginning, Lionsgate has been a wonderful home and partner for the ‘Hunger Games’ franchise, and I’m very excited to be collaborating with Adam and the team as we bring this next story to theaters in 2026.”

    And here’s Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Adam Fogelson:

    “Suzanne Collins is a master storyteller and our creative north star. We couldn’t be more fortunate than to be guided and trusted by a collaborator whose talent and imagination are so consistently brilliant. We know ‘Hunger Games’ fans worldwide will be spellbound by where Suzanne has focused this next extraordinary story. The Second Quarter Quell is legendary and looms large over the history of the Games, even into the time of Katniss Everdeen a quarter-century later. Like fans around the globe, we are eagerly anticipating this exciting return to Panem.”

    When will ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ be in theaters?

    Lionsgate will have the new movie in theaters on November 20th, 2026.

    'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' opens in theaters on November 20, 2026.
    ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ opens in theaters on November 20, 2026.

    Other Movies in ‘The Hunger Games’ Franchise:

    Buy ‘The Hunger Games’ Movies On Amazon

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  • Movie Review: ’28 Years Later’

    (L to R) Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son Spike (Alfie Williams) in Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later'. Photo: Sony Pictures.
    (L to R) Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son Spike (Alfie Williams) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures.

    ’28 Years Later’ receives 8 out of 10 stars.

    Opening in theaters on June 20 is ’28 Years Later,’ directed by Danny Boyle and starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Alfie Williams, and Jack O’Connell.

    Related Article: Cillian Murphy Does Not Appear in ‘28 Years Later’ Producer Andrew Macdonald Confirms

    Initial Thoughts

    An infected in Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later'. Photo: Sony Pictures.
    An infected in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures.

    Director Danny Boyle’s ’28 Days Later,’ released in 2003, gave a fresh new spark of life (pardon the expression) to the reanimated dead. Well, hold up: the rabid, frenzied, flesh-tearing creatures of Boyle’s groundbreaking film were not zombies risen from the grave, but living humans infected with a powerful bioweapon – nicknamed the Rage Virus – that turned them into fast-moving, savage, homicidal murderers within minutes.

    Boyle’s overwhelmingly violent Infected (as they came to be called), the use of digital video cameras for maximum flexibility, the filming in real locations, and the emphasis on character – particularly Cillian Murphy’s Jim – all contributed to the movie’s success and its impact on the zombie subgenre of horror, no matter what Boyle called his monsters. ’28 Weeks Later,’ a lackluster sequel without the involvement of either Boyle or writer Alex Garland (later to write and direct ‘Ex Machina,’ ‘Civil War,’ and ‘Warfare’), followed five years later, and rumors have persisted ever since about a third movie – with Boyle allegedly interested in returning.

    Now it’s happened: Boyle and Garland have returned respectively to direct and write ’28 Years Later,’ which – as the title confirms – takes place decades after the initial outbreak of the Rage Virus. And true to form, the two filmmakers have once again crafted a horror epic that, while it may not feel as groundbreaking as the original, is incredibly intense, visceral, and atmospheric, while providing characters whose fates we come to care very much about.

    Story and Direction

    Director Danny Boyle for Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later'. Photo: Anthony Ghnassia.
    Director Danny Boyle for Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Anthony Ghnassia.

    An opening card tells us that the Rage Virus was driven back from continental Europe but confined to the British mainland, with a strict quarantine in place and the survivors inside left to fend for themselves. Admittedly, there’s a rather large hole in the story here if you want to think about it: have there really been no attempts in nearly three decades to contact anyone living inside the quarantine zone, or find a way to rescue them? Perhaps Boyle and Garland are saying something about the transactional, indifferent relationship among nations now, in which a nation’s collapse leads others to push away as if they don’t want to get caught in its wake and pulled under with it, but it still sits there as a gap in the worldbuilding.

    Otherwise that worldbuilding is largely well-handled. The bulk of the film takes place among the community of Holy Island, a thousand-acre patch floating off the coast and connected by a causeway. The community there is a rural, agrarian one, isolating themselves with heavy fortifications at the causeway entrance and the water around them doing the rest (their form of government is never quite explained, but they’re damn good at throwing drunken, almost ritualistic parties).

    It’s here we meet 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams), his dad Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his mum Isla (Jodie Comer), as Spike prepares for a kind of rite of passage in which he and his dad will cross the causeway to the mainland so that Spike can kill his first Infected. Isla, however, is not completely on board with it, but can’t do much about it either: she is suffering from a malady that causes her great pain, mood disorders, and memory loss, and since Holy Island has no doctors there is no way to determine what is afflicting her.

    (L to R) Director Danny Boyle with Aaron Taylor-Johnson on the set of Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later'. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Director Danny Boyle with Aaron Taylor-Johnson on the set of Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Jamie and Spike’s trip to the mainland – the rules are that if they don’t come back, no one will go out to look for them – is not exactly a walk in the park. They’re pursued by both slow-moving Infected that have bloated into almost slug-like form and the fast-moving brand seen in the previous two movies, only now mostly filthy, naked, and barely recognizable as human. There are also “alphas,” leader-type Infected whose bodies have been expanded to strongman proportions by the Rage Virus and are, if anything, even more relentless and brutal than the regular flavor.

    Spike makes his first kill, although he bungles the rest (“the more you kill, the easier it gets,” his dad offers helpfully), and learns that there is an insane man living further out in the land who may have once been a doctor. “There are strange people on the mainland,” Jamie warns, but after father and son return to Holy Island and a lavish celebration – during which Spike sees Jamie do something that is hurtful to the boy – Spike turns on his dad, smuggles Isla from the house, and secretly takes her to the mainland, where he hopes to locate the doctor, Ian Kelson, and see if he can make his mother well again.

    All this plays out in a visual aesthetic that pays homage to the original film but enhances it. Boyle uses up to 20 iPhones to shoot some sequences, including a sort of version of “bullet time” for a number of the film’s very gory kills. Yet the film is also shot in an ultra-wide 2:76:1 ratio, giving it an expansive feel while retaining the intimacy of the original movie. The editing is quick, as in ’28 Days,’ and often choppy, mirroring the chaos of the world in which the story is set, while certain scenes – like Spike and Jamie’s frantic dash back on the causeway against a glittering star-filled sky – have a dark fairy tale patina to them.

    (L to R) Jodie Comer and Director Danny Boyle on the set of Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later'. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Jodie Comer and Director Danny Boyle on the set of Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    There are other sequences, some even in broad daylight with the backdrop of pristine green fields and mountains behind them, that border on nightmarish due to the frightening assault of the Infected at nearly every turn. There are moments of beauty as well, such as a late scene between Spike and Isla in the temple of bones glimpsed in the trailers. And there are bucketfuls of in-your-face gore as the Infected kill or are killed, with plenty of guts, gouts of blood, and decapitated heads on hand (not to mention one skin-crawling yet eventually poignant scene on an abandoned train) to firmly establish this new entry’s credentials for the zombie horror crowd.

    But best of all, there is a great story behind it all, anchored by terrific characters like Jamie, Spike, Isla, and later, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes). Although the script can feel episodic and there are some shifts in tone here and there that don’t quite line up, the fate of these people and the ordeal they go through is riveting enough to carry the movie to an ending that some folks may find irritating (because it all but advertises the sequel, ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,’ which is due out next January).

    Cast and Performances

    (L to R) Spike (Alfie Williams), Isla (Jodie Comer) and Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later'. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Spike (Alfie Williams), Isla (Jodie Comer) and Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    There are three outstanding performances in ’28 Years Later.’ The first is by Alfie Williams, making his motion picture debut as Spike. This is really Spike’s story, a chronicle of his passage from brave but still nervous boy into a stronger, more resilient, more mature warrior, and Williams handles it with confidence, charisma, and a lack of standard child actor tricks.

    Next is Jodie Comer, whose Isla takes more of a central role in the film’s second half as she and Spike venture onto the mainland. Her body and mind wracked by her illness, Isla is trying to break through the fog that envelops her even as her memories splinter and merge. The excellent Comer portrays all this with great empathy and a tragic nobility, showing us why she’s one of the best actors to emerge in recent years.

    Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later'. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    And then there’s Ralph Fiennes, whose Dr. Kelson seems genuinely eccentric and bizarrely funny when we first meet him, but who deepens into a figure of great compassion and dignity even if he walks around coated in iodine (“the Rage Virus doesn’t like it at all,” he notes). Fiennes brings his effortless gravitas to a role that could have been a stock nutty survivalist but is instead imbued with humanity and grace. His bone temple is a “memento mori,” a remembrance of the dead, that has a stark beauty all its own, and Fiennes’ work reflects that.

    As for Aaron Taylor-Johnson, he’s fine. Sturdy, fearless, rugged, Jamie is a pillar of the community, a loving but tough dad, and unfortunately a flawed man who loses the trust of his son. But the character is not as deeply portrayed as the others, and largely sits out the second half of the movie. The other notable player is Edvin Ryding as Erik, a Swedish soldier who gets trapped on the mainland and spends some time with Spike and Isla. Ryding provides some welcome comic relief as he describes modern conveniences in the outside world that Spike has no idea exist – and gets a big laugh when she shows Spike a photo of his cosmetically enhanced girlfriend, whose filler-boosted face remains Spike of a friend’s allergic reaction to shellfish.

    Final Thoughts

    (L to R) Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son Spike (Alfie Williams) being chased on the causeway in Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later'. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son Spike (Alfie Williams) being chased on the causeway in Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Like ’28 Days Later,’ and unlike, say, the socio-politically minded zombie films of George A. Romero, ’28 Years Later’ shies away from sociological or political themes. Yet there is something here about the way that societies crumble so quickly and yet take so long to reform, as well as the way in which humans can fall so rapidly into savagery. There are tantalizing questions raised about who or what else lives on the mainland, as well as what exactly is going on in the outside world, some of which will perhaps be answered in ‘The Bone Temple’ or a third film.

    But what these films do continue to be about – aside from Boyle and Garland providing audiences with an intense, heart-pounding experience from start to finish – is the way in which individual human beings will strive to be kind and do good even among the most horrific of circumstances. Whether it’s in 28 days, 28 weeks, or 28 years, this is a message that bears repeating.

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    What is the plot of ’28 Years Later’?

    It’s been almost three decades since the Rage Virus escaped a bioweapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. When one of a group of survivors leaves their heavily defended island on a mission to the mainland, he discovers horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.

    Who is in the cast of ’28 Years Later’?

    • Jodie Comer as Isla
    • Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Jamie
    • Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson
    • Alfie Williams as Spike
    • Christopher Fulford as Sam
    • Edvin Ryding as Erik Sundqvist
    • Chi Lewis-Parry as Samson
    • Jack O’Connell as Sir Jimmy Crystal
    Columbia Pictures' '28 Years Later'. Photo: Sony Pictures.
    Columbia Pictures’ ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures.

    Movies Similar to ‘28 Years Later’:

    Buy Tickets: ’28 Years Later’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Aaron Taylor-Johnson Movies on Amazon

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  • Ralph Fiennes and More Join New ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel

    (Left) Ralph Fiennes. Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images. (Center) Maya Hawke. Photo: Trevor Tweeten. (Right) Lili Taylor. Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for The National Audubon Society.
    (Left) Ralph Fiennes. Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images. (Center) Maya Hawke. Photo: Trevor Tweeten. (Right) Lili Taylor. Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for The National Audubon Society.

    Preview:

    • Ralph Fiennes will be President Snow in the new ‘Hunger Games’ prequel.
    • Maya Hawke, Lili Taylor and Kelvin Harrison Jr. are also joining the cast.
    • The movie is set 24 years before the main movies.

    Though we’ve been seeing a drip feed casting process for the new prequel to ‘The Hunger Games’ –– that would be ‘Sunrise on the Reaping,’ in case it had somehow slipped your mind –– that turned into something of a torrent this week with a slew of new announcements.

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    Deadline brought the biggest news: Ralph Fiennes, who has a little bit of form playing the Big Bad in a book-based movie franchise, will become the latest actor to play the calculating Coriolanus Snow, who we meet as a younger man in previous prequel ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,’ there played by Tom Blyth and was most famously portrayed by Donald Sutherland as President Snow in the original four movies based on Suzanne Collins’ novel trilogy.

    This is what producer Nina Jacobson of Color Force had to say about the new casting:

    “We wanted to honor Donald Sutherland by having one of this generation’s greatest actors play President Snow 24 years before Katniss Everdeen entered the arena. Working with Ralph has been on my bucket list since he traumatized me for life in ‘Schindler’s List.’ It’s genuinely a thrill to welcome him to the Hunger Games.”

    Ben Wang in Columbia Pictures 'Karate Kid: Legends'. Photo: Sony Pictures.
    Ben Wang in Columbia Pictures ‘Karate Kid: Legends’. Photo: Sony Pictures.

    And that’s not all! Maya Hawke, most recently seen in ‘Maestro’ and ‘The Kill Room’ and who provided the voice of Anxiety in ‘Inside Out 2,’ will be Wiress, former Hunger Games champion–turned–District 12 mentor.

    Also on new additions list? Lili Taylor, who Deadline has learned will be Mags, another former champion who is now a mentor for one of the District 12 tributes. And Ben Wang, who broke out in Disney+ series ‘American Born Chinese’ and will be one of the leads of ‘Karate Kid: Legends,’ has landed the role of District 12 Tribute Wyatt Callow.

    Last, and by no means least among the newcomers (in franchise terms) is Kelvin Harrison, Jr., last seen in ‘O’Dessa,’ who Jeff Sneider reports will be Beetee Latier, champion of the 34th Hunger Games and father of Ampert Latier, who is a Tribute in the new movie. Fun fact: Jeffrey Wright played Beetee in three of the original movies.

    Franchise veteran Francis Lawrence is directing once again from a script by Billy Ray, and the cameras are now rolling.

    Related Article: New ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel Finds Leads in Joseph Zada and Whitney Peak

    What’s the story of ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’?

    'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' is scheduled for release on November 20, 2026. Photo: Lionsgate.
    ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ is scheduled for release on November 20, 2026. Photo: Lionsgate.

    While the previous prequel took place 64 years before the events of the original trilogy, ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ is set 24 years before that trio of Jennifer Lawrence films in the world of Panem, commencing on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.

    Those games are an important event in the canon as the victor was Haymitch Abernathy, the only winner from District 12 before Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson’s Peeta Mellark’s tie win. Haymitch continues on to become a mentor, a character in the original movies played by Woody Harrelson.

    Who else has been cast in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’?

    (Left) Joseph Zada to star as Haymitch Abernathy in 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping'. Photo credit: Hugh Stewart. (Right) Whitney Peak to star as Lenore Dove Bard in 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping'. Photo: Kate Whyte.
    (Left) Joseph Zada to star as Haymitch Abernathy in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’. Photo credit: Hugh Stewart. (Right) Whitney Peak to star as Lenore Dove Bard in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’. Photo: Kate Whyte.

    These new arrivals bolster a cast that already included Joseph Zada and Whitney Peak, who will play Haymitch Abernathy and the woman he loves, Lenore Dove Baird.

    In addition to the two leads, we also now know that McKenna Grace, who has appeared in the recent ‘Ghostbusters’ movies, will be in the movie as Maysilee Donner, Haymitch’s fellow District 12 Tribute, while Jesse Plemons has the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, as brought to life by Philip Seymour Hoffman in the original movies.

    Kieran Culkin accepts the award for Male Supporting Actor - Motion Picture at the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, airing live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, January 5, 2025, at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Kieran Culkin accepts the award for Male Supporting Actor – Motion Picture at the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, airing live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, January 5, 2025, at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Fiennes’ casting resolves one rumor –– there has still been chatter about recent Academy Award winner Kieran Culkin mulling an offer to play Caesar Flickerman (the eccentric host character played in the first film series by Stanley Tucci.) Nothing official has been announced about that yet, so we can only assume a deal is still being worked on if at all.

    Elle Fanning has also been linked with the role of a younger Effie Trinket; the effusive stylist as portrayed by Elizabeth Banks in the original ‘Hunger Games’ movies. But that has yet to be confirmed.

    ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’: Collins and the filmmakers talk

    Director Francis Lawrence in 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.' Photo Credit: Murray Close.
    Director Francis Lawrence in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Photo Credit: Murray Close.

    Here’s Suzanne Collins’ statement on the new book and movie:

    “With ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’, I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few… The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day. From the beginning, Lionsgate has been a wonderful home and partner for the ‘Hunger Games’ franchise, and I’m very excited to be collaborating with Adam and the team as we bring this next story to theaters in 2026.”

    And here’s Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Adam Fogelson:

    “Suzanne Collins is a master storyteller and our creative north star. We couldn’t be more fortunate than to be guided and trusted by a collaborator whose talent and imagination are so consistently brilliant. We know ‘Hunger Games’ fans worldwide will be spellbound by where Suzanne has focused this next extraordinary story. The Second Quarter Quell is legendary and looms large over the history of the Games, even into the time of Katniss Everdeen a quarter-century later. Like fans around the globe, we are eagerly anticipating this exciting return to Panem.”

    When will ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ be in theaters?

    Lionsgate wants the new movie in theaters on November 20th, 2026.

    'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' opens in theaters on November 20, 2026.
    ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ opens in theaters on November 20, 2026.

    Other Movies in ‘The Hunger Games’ Franchise:

    Buy ‘The Hunger Games’ Movies On Amazon

    Cz6dmiOg
  • Elle Fanning Offered Role in New ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel

    (Left) Elle Fanning at the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas.Photo: Disney. (Right) 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' is scheduled for release on November 20, 2026. Photo: Lionsgate.
    (Left) Elle Fanning at the Disney presentation at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas.Photo: Disney. (Right) ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ is scheduled for release on November 20, 2026. Photo: Lionsgate.

    Preview:

    • Elle Fanning is among the rumored cast for ‘The Hunger Games: Sunshine on the Reaping.’
    • ‘The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ director Francis Lawrence is aboard the movie.
    • It’s set 24 years before Katniss enters the arena.

    We’ve known for a few months now that Lionsgate quickly snapped up the rights to adapt Suzanne Collins’ latest ‘Hunger Games’ prequel, ‘Sunshine on the Reaping.’

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    In the time since the book and movie were announced, things have moved on considerably –– Billy Ray has written the adaptation and regular ‘Hunger Games’ director Francis Lawrence (who also made the previous prequel, ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’) confirmed he will handle this next outing.

    With production gearing up for this July in Germany, we’ve reached the casting stage and the rumors have begun to swirl.

    Nexus Point News, which has been on top of a couple of scoops about possible actors, brings word that Elle Fanning has been offered the role of a younger Effie Trinket.

    Effie, of course, is the effusive stylist as portrayed by Elizabeth Banks in the original ‘Hunger Games’ movies.

    What’s the story of ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’?

    'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' opens in theaters on November 20, 2026.
    ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ opens in theaters on November 20, 2026.

    While the previous prequel took place 64 years before the events of the original trilogy, ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ is set 24 years before that trio of Jennifer Lawrence films in the world of Panem, commencing on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.

    Those games are an important event in the canon as the victor was Haymitch Abernathy, the only winner from District 12 before Lawrence’ Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson’s Peeta Mellark’s tie win. Haymitch continues on to become a mentor, a character in the original movies played by Woody Harrelson.

    For ‘Sunshine on the Reaping,’ Effie serves as a stylist for the District 12 tributes in order to assist her sister, Proserpina. Although she supports the Hunger Games in principle, Effie shows genuine compassion for the tributes and treats them with kindness and care.

    Who else has been rumored for ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’?

    Kieran Culkin accepts the Oscar® for Actor in a Supporting Role during the live ABC Telecast of the 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025.
    Kieran Culkin accepts the Oscar® for Actor in a Supporting Role during the live ABC Telecast of the 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

    Nexus Point news was also behind the story that Charlie Plummer is the filmmaker’s likely top candidate to play the younger Haymitch.

    Plummer, who has appeared in the likes of 2019 miniseries ‘Looking for Alaska,’ has also been seen in last year’s ‘The Return’ and 2022’s ‘Moonfall.’

    Perhaps most tellingly, he’s one of the leads of Francis Lawrence’s next film to be released, the Stephen King adaptation ‘The Long Walk,’ due in theaters on September 12th and hyped at the company’s recent CinemaCon presentation.

    Ralph Fiennes arrives on the red carpet of the 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Credit/Provider: Etienne Laurent / The Academy. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.
    Ralph Fiennes arrives on the red carpet of the 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Credit/Provider: Etienne Laurent / The Academy. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

    And talking of ‘The Return,’ regular scooper Daniel Richtman has reported that that film’s star, Ralph Fiennes, is also being courted for the movie, this time to play Coriolanus Snow, as brought to screens by Donald Sutherland in the original films and Tom Blyth in ‘Songbirds and Snakes.’

    It would mark the latest big book-based franchise that Fiennes could be joining after a slightly successful series of movies about a certain boy wizard.

    And he’s not all –– Richtman also brings word that recent Oscar winner Kieran Culkin is mulling an offer to play Caesar Flickerman (the eccentric host character played in the first film series by Stanley Tucci.)

    ‘Hunger Games’ doesn’t scream the sort of movie that Culkin usually appears in, but Oscar wins sometimes lead to interesting choices.

    ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’: Collins and the Filmmakers Talk

    Director Francis Lawrence in 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.' Photo Credit: Murray Close.
    Director Francis Lawrence in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Photo Credit: Murray Close.

    Here’s Suzanne Collins’ statement on the new book and movie:

    “With ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’, I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few… The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day. From the beginning, Lionsgate has been a wonderful home and partner for the ‘Hunger Games’ franchise, and I’m very excited to be collaborating with Adam and the team as we bring this next story to theaters in 2026.”

    And here’s Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Adam Fogelson:

    “Suzanne Collins is a master storyteller and our creative north star. We couldn’t be more fortunate than to be guided and trusted by a collaborator whose talent and imagination are so consistently brilliant. We know ‘Hunger Games’ fans worldwide will be spellbound by where Suzanne has focused this next extraordinary story. The Second Quarter Quell is legendary and looms large over the history of the Games, even into the time of Katniss Everdeen a quarter-century later. Like fans around the globe, we are eagerly anticipating this exciting return to Panem.”

    When will ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ be in theaters?

    Lionsgate already has a release date in place for this one: the studio wants the new movie in theaters on November 20th, 2026.

    'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' is scheduled for release on November 20, 2026. Photo: Lionsgate.
    ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ is scheduled for release on November 20, 2026. Photo: Lionsgate.

    Other Movies in ‘The Hunger Games’ Franchise:

    Buy ‘The Hunger Games’ Movies On Amazon

    Cz6dmiOg
  • John Lithgow In Talks to play Dumbledore in the ‘Harry Potter’ TV Series

    (Left) John Lithgow stars as Cardinal Tremblay in director Edward Berger's 'Conclave', a Focus Features release. Credit: Philippe Antonello/Focus Features ©2024 All Rights Reserved. (Right) Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore in 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.' Photo: Warner Bros.
    (Left) John Lithgow stars as Cardinal Tremblay in director Edward Berger’s ‘Conclave’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Philippe Antonello/Focus Features ©2024 All Rights Reserved. (Right) Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore in ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.’ Photo: Warner Bros.

    Preview:

    • John Lithgow’s near a deal to play Albus Dumbledore in the ‘Harry Potter’ TV series.
    • He’s the first actor anywhere near confirmed.
    • The show aims to adapt the books across the next several years.

    With development and even pre-production already in full swing for Warner Bros. Discovery’s plan to mine the ‘Harry Potter’ novels for an ambitious new, HBO-based small screen adaptation, the news is beginning to heat up on the casting front.

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    There have been rumors aplenty (learn more below) with ‘I May Destroy You’ and ‘The Lazarus Project’s Paapa Essiedu reportedly in the running to play Professor Snape, as famously brought to movie screens by Alan Rickman.

    And Warner Bros. has had an open casting call to find the key roles of Harry, Ron and Hermione running for a while now.

    But according to Deadline, the series might have zeroed in on its first near-confirmed hire as John Lithgow, most recently seen in ‘Conclave,’ is apparently close to a deal to play Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the series.

    To give him his full name, Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is also the founder and leader of the Order of the Phoenix, an organization dedicated to fighting the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort.

    And while he’s a powerful wizard, he’s also a complicated one –– having had both a relationship and an antagonistic dynamic with previous dark magic troublemaker Gellert Grindelwald.

    Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore in 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.' Photo: Warner Bros.
    Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore in ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.’ Photo: Warner Bros.

    In the movies, the character was first played by Richard Harris, with Michael Gambon stepping him after Harris’ death for the third film onwards. In the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films, a younger Dumbledore is played by Jude Law.

    Lithgow would be the first American to portray Dumbledore on screen, but it’s not like he doesn’t have history with British characters –– he played Winston Churchill to Emmy-winning effect in Netflix’s ‘The Crown.’

    HBO, somewhat naturally, is sticking to its blanket refusal to confirm anything:

    “We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation. As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.”

    What’s the story of the ‘Harry Potter’ TV series?

    (L to R) Emma Watson as Hermione Granger,Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2' (2011). Photo: Warner Bros.
    (L to R) Emma Watson as Hermione Granger,Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley in ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2’ (2011). Photo: Warner Bros.

    Here’s the official HBO statement on the show:

    “The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved ‘Harry Potter’ book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling. It will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters ‘Harry Potter’ fans have loved for over twenty-five years. Each season will bring ‘Harry Potter’ and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and cherished films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.”

    The series will be written and executive produced by Francesca Gardiner, who scored the job after HBO conducted an extensive search for the right showrunner. Mark Mylod is executive producing and direct multiple episodes of the series for HBO in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television. The show will be shot at Warner Bros.’ Leavesden Studios facility outside London in the UK, where the movies were made.

    Who else has been rumored for the ‘Harry Potter’ TV series?

    Cillian Murphy in 'Peaky Blinders'.
    Cillian Murphy in ‘Peaky Blinders’. Photo: Netflix.

    Alongside Essiedu, there has been plenty of talk via Variety of Mark Rylance, an actor who has deep roots in British theatre and who has been seen in movies including ‘The BFG,’ ‘Ready Player One,’ ‘Dunkirk’ and ‘Bridge of Spies’ (for which he won an Oscar), potentially playing Dumbledore. It would seem that those discussions didn’t work out.

    On the less solid side, we have Lithgow’s ‘Conclave’ co-star Ralph Fiennes –– who was the villainous Voldemort in four of the seven ‘Potter’ movies –– suggesting someone who could take over that character (even though he’s said he’d be willing to return if asked).

    Following speculation of ‘Oppenheimer’ Oscar winner Cillian Murphy taking it on, Fiennes was asked on TV show ‘Watch What Happens Live’ about the possibility. This is what he said:

    “Cillian is a fantastic actor. That’s a wonderful suggestion. I would be all in favor of Cillian. Yeah.”

    We’d add at this point that The Hollywood Reporter’s sources have poured cold water on the idea of Murphy even being considered right now. Which is not to say he isn’t, but that no one wants to talk yet.

    The biggest issue for getting more famous –– and therefore busier –– actors involved is the commitment issue; those taking part would likely be contracted for a good 10 years or so. But we can imagine HBO conjuring hefty cash offers to name stars to entice them.

    What about the J.K. Rowling issue?

    (L to R) Emma Watson and J. K. Rowling at the premiere of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.' Photo: Warner Bros.
    (L to R) Emma Watson and J. K. Rowling at the premiere of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.’ Photo: Warner Bros.

    ‘Potter’ creator and original novelist J.K. Rowling is a big consideration here, since A) she has final say on anything adapted from the books and B) is a problematic figure given her negative views on trans people.

    This was HBO’s recent statement on the issue:

    “Warner Bros. has been working with J.K. Rowling and in the ‘Harry Potter’ business for over 20 years. Her contribution has been invaluable. We are proud to once again tell the story of ‘Harry Potter’ — the heartwarming books that speak to power of friendship, resolve and acceptance. J.K. Rowling has a right to express her personal views. We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement.”

    Fiennes (yes, him again) weighed in on the issue when talking to The New York Times in 2022:

    “J.K. Rowling has written these great books about empowerment, about young children finding themselves as human beings. It’s about how you become a better, stronger, more morally centered human being. The verbal abuse directed at her is disgusting, it’s appalling. I mean, I can understand a viewpoint that might be angry at what she says about women. But it’s not some obscene, über-right-wing fascist. It’s just a woman saying, ‘I’m a woman and I feel I’m a woman and I want to be able to say that I’m a woman.’ And I understand where she’s coming from. Even though I’m not a woman.”

    When will the ‘Harry Potter’ series be on screens?

    HBO CEO Casey Bloys recently said that he expects the show to debut in late 2026 or early 2027, which makes sense given that production isn’t likely to start until some point in 2025.

    Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore in Warner Bros. Pictures' fantasy adventure 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secret of Dumbledore,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore in Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secret of Dumbledore,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Harry Potter’ Franchise:

    Buy ‘Harry Potter’ Movies On Amazon

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  • Cillian Murphy Does Not Appear in ‘28 Years Later’

    Cillian Murphy in 2002's '28 Days Later.' Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
    Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.

    Preview:

    • Cillian Murphy is not in new zombie outing ‘28 Years Later.’
    • One of the infected who looks a little like him shows up in the trailer.
    • Murphy is a producer behind the scenes.

    We know him these days as the ‘OppenheimerOscar winner and star of the popular ‘Peaky Blinders’ crime series out of the UK (which itself has a big screen version on the way), but back in 2002, Cillian Murphy had a few film and TV credits to his name but broke out in a big way thanks to Danny Boyle’s horror thriller ‘28 Days Later,’ which drew praise for its inventive take on the zombie genre (more on that below), its guerilla filming style and intensity.

    The movie spawned a sequel, 2007’s ‘28 Weeks Later,’ but Murphy didn’t return for that one, nor did Boyle or writer Alex Garland, aside from being executive producers.

    Fast-forward a good few years to now and Boyle is back, alongside Garland (who has since gone on to enjoy a healthy directing career himself) for a new planned trilogy kicking off later this year with ‘28 Years Later.’ And following the launch of the first teaser trailer a few weeks ago speculation has been rife that Murphy shows up as a skeletally thin member of the infected.

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    When in fact… it’s not him.

    Producer Andrew Macdonald confirmed to Empire that the shambling creature is, in fact, not played by Murphy:

    “On this, we wanted him to be involved and he wanted to be involved. He is not in the first film, but I’m hoping there will be some Jim somewhere along the line. He’s involved at the moment as an executive producer, and I would hope we can work with him in some way in the future in the trilogy.”

    As for Boyle, he told the film magazine that his partner warned him of the similarity…

    “I showed my girlfriend the trailer and she said, ‘People will think that’s Cillian.’ I said, ‘Don’t be silly.’ I ignored her. So I’ve eaten a bit of humble pie since.”

    What’s the story of ‘28 Days Later’?

    Aaron Taylor-Johnson in '28 Years Later'. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
    Aaron Taylor-Johnson in ’28 Years Later’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.

    ‘28 Days Later’ sees Murphy starring as Jim, a bike courier who has been in an accident and awakens from a coma to discover that London –– and the rest of the UK–– has been overtaken by a virus that turns its victims into rage-filled monsters who savage their victims.

    While the “Z” word is never used, the Infected, for all their fast speed, are certainly a take on the genre.

    28 Weeks Later’, which was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, picked up the story months later as the country is slowly cleared of the infected, with evacuated civilians returning –– even as the danger persists.

    As the title suggests, ‘28 Years Later’ will then spin the clock forward nearly three decades to see what life is like for the people who are making a go of living in the country –– and the fact that while the Infected are still a threat, the original movie’s theme of man’s inhumanity to man, even in the case of a unifying situation, also emerges.

    Boyle and Garland are back as director and writer for ‘28 Years,’ which is kicking off the new trilogy. The cast includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, Jack O’Connell, Erin Kellyman and Alfie Williams.

    Candyman’s Nia DaCosta has picked up the baton, directing ‘28 Years: The Bone Temple.’ The third movie has yet to be detailed.

    Related Article: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes on for ‘28 Years Later’

    Who is the “Infected” in the trailer?

    Cillian Murphy in 2002's '28 Days Later.' Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
    Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.

    After the internet lit up with chatter about the Infected in the trailer looking strikingly like Murphy, British art director Angus Neill told the UK’s Guardian newspaper that he’s behind the prosthetic:

    “Danny told me he’d always had me in mind for the role. So we met up, hit it off, and I agreed to take part. On set he has an extraordinary ability to hypnotize you and working with him on the film was a very, very intense experience.”

    You can see Neill’s professional Instagram listing here:

     

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    While Sony Pictures has yet to officially comment, Neill certainly looks the part.

    Where can I see Cillian Murphy, then?

    Cillian Murphy in 'Peaky Blinders'.
    Cillian Murphy in ‘Peaky Blinders’. Photo: Netflix.

    It’s not like Murphy is hurting for work –– he was in demand even before Christopher Nolan directed him to an Academy Award.

    Murphy was most recently seen in indie title ‘Small Things Like These,’ which itself is drawing some awards attention.

    He will be back on our screens in the aforementioned ‘Peaky Blinders’ movie for Netflix, reprising the role of crime boss Tommy Shelby. The film has yet to confirm a launch date.

    Then there’s comedy drama ‘Steve,’ in which he plays the titular headteacher who is battling for his reform college’s survival while managing his mental health.

    Finally, he’s attached to star in based-on-truth crime/mining drama ‘Blood Runs Coal.’

    When will ‘28 Years Later’ be in theaters?

    ‘28 Years Later’ is currently scheduled to infect theaters on June 20th.

    DaCosta’s ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,’ meanwhile, will follow on January 16th, 2026.

    (L to R) Rose Byrne and Jeremy Renner in '28 Weeks Later'. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
    (L to R) Rose Byrne and Jeremy Renner in ’28 Weeks Later’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.

    Movies Similar to ‘28 Years Later’:

    Buy ‘28 Days Later‘ on Amazon

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  • Movie Review: ‘Conclave’

    Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence in director Edward Berger's 'Conclave', a Focus Features release. Credit: Philippe Antonello/Focus Features ©2024 All Rights Reserved.
    Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence in director Edward Berger’s ‘Conclave’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Philippe Antonello/Focus Features ©2024 All Rights Reserved.

    Opening in theaters October 25th is ‘Conclave,’ directed by Edward Berger and starring Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, Brian F. O’Byrne, Sergio Castellitto, and Carlos Diehz.

    Related Article: Ralph Fiennes and Director Edward Berger Talk Thriller ‘Conclave’

    Initial Thoughts

    Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence in director Edward Berger's 'Conclave', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.
    Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence in director Edward Berger’s ‘Conclave’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

    If Eon Productions can somehow lure Edward Berger – the German director of 2022’s devastating ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ and now ‘Conclave’ – to direct the next James Bond film, they can have my money now. Between the brutal scope of ‘All Quiet’ and the cerebral thrills of this new Vatican-set suspense drama, Berger has effectively shown his ability to bring intelligence, visual acumen, and narrative coherence to two wildly different genres – although one could argue that ‘Conclave’ is also about war, just played out on a different front.

    The process of choosing a new Pope, a ritual shrouded in antiquity and mystery, is revealed in Berger’s absorbing film to be anything but holy. As various cardinals jockey for power and position themselves for the post, with conspiracies and scandals erupting left and right, ‘Conclave’ brilliantly demonstrates that even the alleged holiest of men – and yes, it’s all men – can be as petty, vain, and spiteful as anyone else. And it’s impressive how Berger shrouds all the pomp and circumstance in the cinematic equivalent of a paperback beach read.

    Story and Direction

    (L to R) Director Edward Berger and actor Ralph Fiennes on the set of 'Conclave', a Focus Features release. Credit: Philippe Antonello/Focus Features ©2024 All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Director Edward Berger and actor Ralph Fiennes on the set of ‘Conclave’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Philippe Antonello/Focus Features ©2024 All Rights Reserved.

    Following the sudden death of the Pope, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), as Dean of the College of Cardinals, must assemble the conclave of cardinals who will elect the pontiff’s successor. Even as the cardinals are still arriving at the Vatican from all over the world, camps form around certain candidates. Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci) is the liberal, forward-thinking progressive from America; Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow) of Canada, already in the Vatican as an advisor to the Pope, is more of a moderate; Nigeria’s Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) is conservative and fiercely anti-homosexual, but could break new ground as the first African Pope; and Venice’s Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) is even more reactionary and seemingly determined to drag the Church back to the Middle Ages.

    Once all the Cardinals are convened – including the mysterious, ethereal Cardinal Benitez of Kabul (Carlos Diehz), whose very existence was apparently known only to the late Pope before his unexpected arrival – they are sealed off from the outside world to begin voting. Almost immediately, scandalous information begins to emerge and shake up the voting process: Lawrence is informed that Tremblay was asked to resign by the Pope the evening before the latter’s death over an unknown matter, while a figure from Adeyemi’s past shows up and threatens to upend even his position as Cardinal. As round after round of anonymous voting continues, even Lawrence – who backs Bellini – starts to accrue votes, making Bellini and others suspicious that he really wants the job for himself. Everyone is revealed to have secrets – even the nuns, led by the fierce Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini), who are there to serve the Cardinals but act as a silent force amidst the proceedings.

    Isabella Rossellini stars as Sister Agnes in director Edward Berger's 'Conclave', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.
    Isabella Rossellini stars as Sister Agnes in director Edward Berger’s ‘Conclave’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

    As all this plays out across production designer Suzie Davies’ sumptuous recreations of the Vatican, including the Casa Santa Maria and the Sistine Chapel, the supposedly spiritual nature of the proceedings peels away like a mask, revealing the political machinations, petty jealousies, hidden histories, and potentially corrupt ambitions that lie beneath. Each of the major cardinals – both those actively seeking the papacy and those who claim they don’t want it – strategizes against the others, while Lawrence strains to keep order even as he is forced to reveal certain information that could affect the outcome of the election and even his own position.

    Berger stages and paces it all like a spy thriller, with whispered confessions, clandestine meetings, and shocking revelations, but minus of course the car chases, bone-crunching fisticuffs, and explosive shoot-outs. There is also a nice seasoning of humor – served up dry by Fiennes in particular – that punctuates the somber proceedings here and there. Yet the film still builds up a palpable aura of suspense as it reveals the human failings that lie at the heart of one of the world’s oldest and most secretive institutions. While some of the Church’s own failings – like its inability to deal in real-life with a seemingly never-ending stream of sexual abuse scandals – are glossed over here and one late-in-the-game twist isn’t quite fleshed out enough to have the impact it should, ‘Conclave’ is nevertheless absorbing from start to finish.

    The Cast

    (L to R) Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence and Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini in director Edward Berger's 'Conclave', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence and Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini in director Edward Berger’s ‘Conclave’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

    ‘Conclave’ offers up the model of a fantastic ensemble cast, led by the great Ralph Fiennes in one of his finest performances ever. When we meet him, Cardinal Lawrence is a man already deep into a crisis of faith, unsure of whether he even wants to remain a cardinal and reluctant to supervise the conclave and the election. His doubts about his own faith mirror that of the late Pope, and the more that Lawrence is burdened with, the more you can see in Fiennes’ eyes and manner how disillusioned he becomes. And yet something within him remains aligned with his God, and a speech he gives to the conclave halfway through makes it clear that in many ways he’s well-suited to the papacy he rejects. Fiennes is simply brilliant in the role as a man struggling to retain his composure and spirituality in a situation that tests them relentlessly.

    “The men who are most dangerous are the men who want it” is a theme that echoes through this film, and all the other “men who want it” – Lithgow, Tucci, Castellitto, and Msamati – bring their vain, ambitious characters to life in deft strokes, with Tucci especially superb in portraying the subtly manipulative Bellini. New actor Carlos Diehz, in his first major motion picture, also brings a serenity to Cardinal Benitez that makes an impression despite the character’s tricky placement in the narrative. And of course there’s Isabella Rossellini, who is a portrait of strength, courage, and implacability as the head of the nuns who are there to silently support the conclave – a woman who nevertheless speaks volumes every time she opens her mouth.

    Final Thoughts

    (L to R) Brían F. O'Byrne as Cardinal O'Malley and Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence in director Edward Berger's 'Conclave', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Brían F. O’Byrne as Cardinal O’Malley and Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence in director Edward Berger’s ‘Conclave’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

    We can expect ‘Conclave’ to be part of the Oscars conversation this season, even if it’s not quite as award-friendly as Berger’s ‘All Quiet on the Western Front.’ But nominations for best picture, best actor (Fiennes), best supporting actor (Tucci), cinematography, editing, costume design, and production design all seem like they’d be in the mix, with Berger and Rossellini also possible contenders depending on the strength of their categories. All would be well-deserved: this is in many ways big studio filmmaking of a classic vintage.

    As we noted earlier, ‘Conclave’ doesn’t address the real-world issues and conflicts that face the Church as it trundles uncertainly into the 21st century, its mission and reason for existence very much in flux. This is, when it comes down to it, a political thriller cloaked in the pageantry and mystery of a vast, murky religious edifice. But Peter Straughan’s screenplay (from the novel by Robert Harris) and Berger’s sure-handed, meat-and-potatoes direction – which suits this material as effectively as his more stylized work on ‘All Quiet’ – reveal that there’s much more going on under the surface, and that even an institution that claims to be operating at the behest of its God is still privy to the will, whims, and weakness of man.

    ‘Conclave’ receives 9 out of 10 stars.

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    What is the plot of ‘Conclave’?

    When the Pope dies, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with organizing the conclave to elect his successor. But a secret kept by the late Pope, as well as machinations by some of the other cardinals, threatens the process and the papacy.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Conclave’?

    • Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence
    • Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini
    • John Lithgow as Cardinal Tremblay
    • Sergio Castellitto as Cardinal Tedesco
    • Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes
    • Lucian Msamati as Cardinal Adeyemi
    • Carlos Diehz as Cardinal Benitez
    • Brían F. O’Byrne as Monsignor Raymond O’Malley
    (L to R) Director Edward Berger and Ralph Fiennes talk 'Conclave'.
    (L to R) Director Edward Berger and Ralph Fiennes talk ‘Conclave’.

    Other Ralph Fiennes Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Ralph Fiennes Movies On Amazon

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