It will officially begin on January 23rd when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announce the Oscar nominees, with the 96th Oscars Ceremony scheduled for March 10th.
Moviefone is making its Oscar nomination predictions for the major categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, ahead of the nominee announcements on January 23rd.
Let’s begin!
BEST PICTURE
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
(L to R) Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Danai Gurira, and Chadwick Boseman in ‘Avengers: Infinity War.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
Preview
Marvel is reportedly considering a return for some beloved Avengers stars.
Jonathan Majors’ ongoing legal problems are proving a headache.
The studio has faced issues with newer movies such as ‘Blade’ and others.
There was a time when Marvel was on top of the Hollywood tree –– its movies were almost always guaranteed hits, people were loving the interconnected storylines and there was hope that the Marvel Cinematic Universe could stretch its Hydra-like tentacles into the world of streaming, providing a wealth of content for Disney+.
These days, there is more trouble than an assault from Doctor Doom (who we’ll have to wait to see on screen). Recent releases aside from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ have failed to set the box office alight and there have been quality concerns about visual effects on screens big and small, a key element of making the stories work.
(L to R) Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, and Robert Downey Jr. in ‘The Avengers.’ Photo: Courtesy of Marvel Studios.
While this is far from a concrete possibility, the Variety story cites sources saying there have been discussions about bringing back the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson to reprise their roles as fan-favorite Avengers characters.
Of course, all that would depend on whether the actors would even want to return at this point, and perhaps more crucially, the realization that the budget to pay the salaries of the likes of RDJ would require breaking several piggy banks.
Still, the idea of the Avengers as a selling point would help assuage issues with someone who was planned to be the big bad of future team-up films. ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’.
Yes, one of the biggest problems currently facing Marvel is Jonathan Majors, who appeared as different variations of the multiversal character Kang in ‘Loki’ Season 1 (he’s back as another version for Season 2) and ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’.
But Majors is embroiled in a huge domestic violence legal case with a trial set for later this month. And that is a giant headache for both Marvel and parent company Disney (which pulled the planned release of his Sundance movie ‘Magazine Dreams’ from the release slate amid all the legal worries).
The MCU team has yet to specify how it’ll address the issue going forward –– but it needs to figure it out quickly as the first of the new ‘Avengers’ movies was supposed to be shooting next year (though that could also be delayed thanks to the knock-on effect of the actors’ strike). There’s a chance the studio could recast the role or pivot to some other villain.
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‘Blade’s blunted path to screens
Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade.’
‘Blade’ was supposed to be one title that got fans particularly excited. Marvel boss Kevin Feige announced Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as the new version of the vampire-battling vigilante once portrayed by Wesley Snipes.
Yet that has faced its own issues – two directors so far, several writers, innumerable drafts of the script (including, reportedly, one where Blade was the fourth lead in his own movie) and a shutdown six weeks before shooting was to begin.
Michael Green, who wrote ‘Logan’, is the latest writer aboard and the aim is to shoot the movie on a cheaper budget next year.
(L to R) Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in ‘Deadpool 3.’ Photo courtesy of Ryan Reynolds Instagram account.
There are, at least, some positives if the Marvel team can get the right –– the Fox deal gave Disney the rights to the Fantastic Four and X-Men, and Feige and co. have been figuring out how to introduce two of the most famous comic book teams into the MCU.
‘Deadpool 3’, which was halfway through shooting when the actors’ strike shut it down, is certainly seeing some excitement, and that’s a potential way to bridge to the future.
And no one should write off the Marvel team completely –– they’ve shown a remarkable ability to bounce back and come up with hits.
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Hugh Jackman will return as Wolverine in Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool 3.’
(L to R) Cillian Murphy (as J. Robert Oppenheimer) and writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer.’
Christopher Nolan’s historical biopic was not only a box-office powerhouse but also delivered compelling performances and stunning visuals.
The film chronics J. Robert Oppenheimer‘s career from the beginning of his studies to his role in the Manhattan Project to the 1954 security hearing. The film used color to differentiate between Oppenheimer’s point of view and Lewis Strauss’ point of view – with color representing Oppenheimer and black and white for Strauss. The difference in color also depicts their personality, where Oppenheimer sees the world in bright colors, while Strauss sees it in black and white.
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The official synopsis for ‘Oppenheimer’ is below:
“During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work comes to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witness the world’s first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history.”
Who Is In The Cast of ‘Oppenheimer’?
Robert Downey Jr is Lewis Strauss in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
The film did not use any CGI or VFX to recreate the Trinity Test blast. As we saw with Nolan’s 2020 film ‘Tenet’, the director has always had a knack for creating realistic and explosive moments on film with practical effects. To recreate the atomic bomb detonation, Nolan worked with cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema to capture the explosion on film.
Working closely with special effects supervisor Scott Fisher and visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson, they first ran tests by dropping silver particles in an aquarium.
“We built aquariums with powers in it. We dropped silver particles in it. We had molded metallic balloons which were lit up from the inside. We had things slamming and smashing into one another, such as ping-pong balls, or just had objects spinning,” said Van Hoytema.
The explosion was captured in in close-up at variable frame rates, combined with Van Joytema’s IMAX cinematography which filled the screen with an image that is both beautiful and deadly. When this moment is played in the theaters, the film goes silent as the detonation flashes before the deafening blast shakes and resonates in everyone’s core.
(L to R) Tom Conti is Albert Einstein and Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
‘Oppenheimer’ held its world premiere on July 11, 2023, at Le Grand Rex in Paris. The film was released domestically on July 21 in formats such as IMAX 70mm, stand 70mm, and 35mm. The film was released simultaneously as Warner Bros.’s ‘Barbie’, creating the internet phenomenon known as “Barbieheimer.”
‘Oppenheimer’ earned over $82.4 million on its opening weekend and has since grossed over $322.4 million domestically and $933.8 million worldwide, making it the 2nd highest-grossing R-rated movie. ‘Oppenheimer’ has a total runtime of 3 hours.
Watch the official trailers for ‘Oppenheimer’ below:
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While some theaters are still playing the movie, options are limited as the film has passed its 45-day theatrical window. Currently, there is no word on when the historical biopic will be released on digital or streaming. ‘Barbie’, which was released at the same time as ‘Oppenheimer’, is already available on digital. However, it is possible the film remains in theater longer as Nolan requested a longer theatrical window.
If the film were to follow the release schedule of Universal’s ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’, arriving on its streaming service Peacock 120 days after its theatrical release. That could mean ‘Oppenheimer’ would be available on streaming by mid-November.
(L to R) Emily Blunt is Kitty Oppenheimer and Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
We’re used to celebrity name combos –– your “Bennifer” etc. But movies of such different styles being treated as a duo? That really doesn’t happen very often. And yet here we are with “Barbenheimer”.
The pop cultural sensation of moviegoers choosing a double bill of ‘Barbie’ and the ‘Oppenheimer’ (trust us when we say, it’s best to start with Christopher Nolan’s weighty, thoughtful exploration of the father of the Atomic Bomb before moving on to Greta Gerwig’s fun, colorful comedy, which despite appearances has some satire and real intelligence of its own) has also been igniting the box office to successful effect.
Both of the movies opened big, and both have held on to huge swathes of their audiences as film fans kept turning out to experience them.
Greta Gerwig’s subtle satire of gender relations and product placement is the biggest film of the moment and could well end up as the most successful of the year, on track to become one of –– if not the only –– billion-dollar movie in 2023.
‘Barbie’ opened with $150 million, and continued to play well through the following week, crowds turning out consistently. It doesn’t hurt that many kids are on summer vacation and the movie has family appeal.
Second weekends can increasingly be tough for movies that open wide and successfully, but Gerwig’s movie rose to the latest challenge, adding an impressive $93 million in its sophomore three-day segment, a 43% drop from its debut and representing the seventh biggest second weekend in history. It’s up there with the giant likes of the more successful modern ‘Star Wars’ films and some of Marvel’s ‘Avengers’ titles.
As it stands right now, ‘Barbie’ has more than $750 million in the bank globally and is the third biggest movie of the year so far.
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’Oppenheimer’s No Bomb
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Nolan’s film, meanwhile, is also doing spectacularly for the director and for studio Universal, which took the chance to snag his services after he was displeased with the treatment of fellow filmmakers by former Hollywood home Warner Bros. during the pandemic.
‘Oppenheimer’ opened to $80.5 million, a feat for a three-hour movie with a darker, mature subject matter and complex tone. And, like ‘Barbie’, it has continued to perform, becoming the first R-rated film to gross more than $10 million for seven days in a row on Friday.
Its own second weekend was similarly impressive, the Cillian Murphy-starring movie dropping just 44% for $46.6 million this past weekend. All in all, the movie has earned more than $400 million at the worldwide box office.
“Weekend two proves the outpouring of interest in ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ a week ago was not a fluke. Both films put up second weekend numbers that would have been considered solid as debuts and reflect two of the best sophomore session holds in box office history.”
Such was the impact of that one-two punch that new releases had trouble making it into the charts. Disney’s ‘Haunted Mansion’ (the latest adaptation of the classic theme park ride) could only muster $24.6 million in third, which isn’t that great for a movie costing $150 million to make and millions more to promote. Yet while horror movie ‘Talk To Me’ opened sixth, its far smaller $4.5 million budget means a $10 million opening is counted as more of a success.
The “Barbenheimer” sensation set a box office record this past weekend as fans spill into the theaters for both movies. With endless memes on the internet and fans planning their double-feature viewing strategy for ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’, the phenomenon has set the weekend box office on fire. Showing up in a sea of pink for Greta Gerwig’s latest film, ‘Barbie’ opened to $155 million. Not to be outdone, Christopher Nolan’s visually stunning ‘Oppenheimer’ follows with $80.5 million on opening day.
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The massive box office number is due to audiences refusing to choose one or the other, making their double feature an event of the summer. As the “Barbenheimer’ trend continues to grow on social media, many small businesses leaned into the theme, creating shirts and accessories to celebrate the release. Fans show off their outfit changes as they go from one movie to the next. Star of ‘Barbie’ Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig have also shown their support by posing for a photo in front of a poster of ‘Oppenheimer’ with tickets in hand.
‘Barbie’ also sets a record high for a movie by a female director, surpassing ‘Captain Marvel’ ($153.4 million) and ‘Wonder Woman’ ($103.3 million). Currently, both films are certified on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, with ‘Barbie’ at 91% and ‘Oppenheimer’ at 94%. Worldwide, the movies have earned a combined $551.1 million, with ‘Barbie’ earning $337 million and ‘Oppenheimer’ earning $174.1 million.
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A New Record For AMC Entertainment
Writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer.’
Movie theaters struggled with attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have been slow to recover. The opening of both films sent masses to the theaters, setting the highest records since post-pandemic. According to AMC, Saturday was their busiest day since July of 2019. They recorded their fifth-highest single-day US ticket revenues in their 103-year history. AMC also recorded 87,000 members of their Stubs loyalty program members booked tickets for both movies over the weekend.
AMC CEO Adam Aron sends a personal congratulations to both films:
“AMC sends an enormous thank you and congratulations to Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and the entire team at Warner Bros., and to Christopher Nolan and the team at Universal Pictures. They’ve demonstrated that well-made, well-marketed films that captivate audiences can open on the same weekend and both enjoy great success.”
One of the main driving forces leading the audience into the theater is ‘Oppenheimer’ being shot with IMAX cameras and offered in formats such as IMAX 70MM. While it’s not the first movie to be shot with IMAX cameras, Nolan’s visionary storytelling and use of practical effects create a theatrical experience that cannot be duplicated at home.
It is likely for the “Barbeheimer” trend to continue well into the summer as fans continue to show up for their chance to see the movies.
Greta Gerwig attends the ‘Barbie’ Press Tour, Sydney Australia 2023. Photography by Caroline McCredie for Warner Bros/NBC Universal. Contact: jade.perry@nbcuni.com.
Christopher Nolan has crafted another masterpiece with an epic historical biopic that is as captivating as it is compelling. What begins as a character study eventually unfolds into an intriguing political mystery with unexpected twists and turns. Cillian Murphy gives the performance of his career as the conflicted and complicated J. Robert Oppenheimer, while Robert Downey Jr. also gives one of his finest performances to date as Lewis Strauss, Oppenheimer’s eventual adversary.
Story and Direction
Writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer.’
The three-hour long movie tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer from his early years studying physics in Germany, to eventually being recruited by the U.S. government to work on the Manhattan Project and the aftermath of the creation of the Atomic bomb. The story is mostly told in flashbacks from both Oppenheimer and Lewis Strauss’ points of views. Oppenheimer is defending his actions following WWII in a secret government meeting, while Strauss is addressing a Senate committee as he has been appointed to a cabinet position. We see the events as they unfold as memories for both characters, with Strauss’ in black and white, and Oppenheimer’s depicted in color, which also represents the characters personalities as Strauss sees the world in black and white while Oppenheimer sees bright colors.
Christopher Nolan is unarguably one of the most celebrated filmmakers of his generation and is known for making twisty movies like ‘Memento’ and ‘Inception,’ as well as historical documents like ‘Dunkirk,’ but ‘Oppenheimer’ excels because it does both at the same time and embraces everything Nolan does well. Nolan’s script is smart, cutting back and forth between both Oppenheimer and Strauss’ hearings and their individual flashbacks, and using that to frame the story of creating the Atom bomb. But the movie is also a political thriller, and has a ‘Usual Suspects’ level twist towards the end that you won’t see coming.
Nolan sets an epic tone for the film, which is grand in scope and design, and he gets the very best out of his ensemble cast. Nolan’s use of cutaways to visual effects of atoms, molecules, fire and stars representing thoughts running through Oppenheimer’s head were interesting but thankfully used sparingly. While the film is long at just about three-hours, it goes fast and Nolan uses the most of his time setting the stakes for the drama and allowing his cast room to breathe. The movie also looks gorgeous, thanks to Nolan and the work of cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema.
Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Cillian Murphy is best known for playing the Scarecrow in Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ movies and hasn’t really had the chance to show off his talents until now. As the title character Murphy delivers a strong and layered performance with authority that gives the movie a feeling of importance and urgency. Oppenheimer is driven, egotistical, brilliant, self-absorbed and conflicted, and Murphy conveys all of this with very little effort, giving a seamless performance. This is definitely the actors best work, and I would be surprised if he doesn’t get a lot of attention come awards season.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Performance
Robert Downey Jr is Lewis Strauss in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Robert Downey Jr. is one of the most popular actors of his generation, but after a decade of playing Iron Man, it’s easy to forget just how good a dramatic actor he is and this movie helps remind us of that. Despite the title, ‘Oppenheimer’ is almost as much Downey’s movie as it is Murphy’s, and the actor completely holds his own narrative well. While the two actors share few scenes together and Downey’s role is supporting, his character is pivotal to the story and the true antagonist of the film. In a career as impressive as Downey’s, it’s hard to say this is his best performance, but it’s certainly on the short list, and I’m starting the campaign now for Downey to get nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Supporting Cast
Matt Damon is Leslie Groves in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Nolan has always assembled incredible casts of actors for his projects, but the abundance of riches here is a bit embarrassing. The movie stars a who’s who of talented actors, and I of course can’t mention all of them, but I will say Matt Damon stands out. Damon plays Leslie Groves, the General that recruited Oppenheimer. The actor plays the role with a bit of his signature charm, which fits the otherwise serious military figure well. Damon also has good chemistry with Murphy, and the two characters forge a nice friendship together.
Surprisingly, Josh Hartnett, who’s been away from the big screen for some time makes a fantastic comeback as Ernest Lawrence, one of Oppenheimer’s colleagues. Hartnett gives a really strong performance opposite Murphy and is a wonderful addition to the cast. Benny Safdie and David Krumholtz also play colleagues of Oppenheimer and both actors bring a lot to their characters as well.
Josh Hartnett is Ernest Lawrence in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Florence Pugh also stands out and gives a very daring performance as Jean Tatlock, Oppenheimer’s first love. Pugh’s character is sweet and vulnerable, and you understand why he falls in love with her in the first place. But their story is also tragic, and Pugh’s tender performance gives her character a real voice in the movie.
Unfortunately, Emily Blunt’s performance as Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty, did not work for me. The character was not as well-defined in the script as Jean, and while Blunt is a great actress and did her best in the role, her performance falls flat with her limited screen time. The chemistry between Oppenheimer and Kitty never quite works, especially in comparison to his relationship with Jean, but perhaps that was the point.
Emily Blunt is Kitty Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
(L to R) Emily Blunt is Kitty Oppenheimer and Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
I would imagine that this film will be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars next year. I’d be surprised if Nolan doesn’t get nominated as well for both Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Depending on how the rest of the year shapes up, he’ll probably walk away with at least one of those awards. Nolan’s been nominated five times before and never won, and right now, this seems like the movie and the year where he might actually win.
I think Cillian Murphy has a great chance of being nominated for Best Actor, and certainly deserves it, but I’m really hoping that Robert Downey Jr. is rewarded for his incredible performance here, as well as his overall body of work. Florence Pugh also has a chance at a Best Supporting Actress nomination, but that will really rely on who the rest of the competition will be. I would also imagine the film will receive several technical nominations as well as cinematography for Hoyte van Hoytema.
Final Thoughts
In the end, ‘Oppenheimer’ is another Christopher Nolan masterpiece. A movie that works both as a compelling historical biopic, and an intriguing political thriller with brilliant performances from Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.
‘Oppenheimer’ received 9.5 out of 10 stars
(L to R) Cillian Murphy (as J. Robert Oppenheimer) and writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer.’
Of course, history ended up going a very different way: Julian McMahon ended up playing Victor Von Doom in Tim Story’s superhero movie and Robert Downey Jr. saw his career skyrocket to new heights playing Tony Stark in the first film Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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The revelation came from ‘Iron Man’ director Jon Favreau, who sat down with Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige for a video looking back at the making of the 2008 movie.
Says Favreau in the video (which you can watch above),
“I remember you had all met with him already for like Doctor Doom or something on another project. I think he had come through on maybe ‘Fantastic Four,’ so everybody sort of knew who he was.”
Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Iron Man 3’
Fantastic future?
It’s fun to speculate on what might have happened with Downey and the ‘Fantastic Four’ movies had he ended up in the role. Would he have made more of an impact than McMahon (who admittedly came back for the sequel)? Almost certainly. Might it have turned those ‘Fantastic Four’ movies into a hugely successful franchise and spared us all the gloomy 2015 reboot? Less certain.
It’s unlikely that Downey Jr. would have enjoyed the same freedom and collaboration that he had with Favreau and the scrappier, still-an-independent company Marvel. Back in 2005, ‘Fantastic Four’ was a tentpole for 20th Century Fox and we doubt the riskier shooting style would have been embraced. In the same video, Favreau opens up about both the re-writing process of the film and how RDJ’s casting unlocked ‘Iron Man’ for him and his team.
Julian McMahon as Victor Von Doom / Doctor Doom in 2005’s ‘Fantastic Four.’
“Once it was him, that’s when my life got a lot easier, because he understood. He understood the voice of the character. And then one by one, people were just signing on board because now it became something interesting.”
Downey’s casting was a domino that then led to opportunity to add Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Paul Bettany and more, and the rest, as they say, was history. The MCU was born and would go on to earn more than $29.5 billion at the box office alone.
Had someone else ended up as Tony Stark (historically, Tom Cruise was circling the role years before Marvel’s version), who knows whether the movie would have taken off to the same degree. So perhaps we are living in the best timeline when it comes to that history.
Marvel, of course, is producing its own take on the ‘Fantastic Four,’ with ‘WandaVision’s Matt Shakman directing and casting rumors flying thick and fast –– currently Margot Robbie, Adam Driver and Paul Mescal are those being talked about, but nothing has been officially confirmed. With Comic-Con next month, we’re expecting to learn more.
Julian McMahon as Victor Von Doom / Doctor Doom in 2005’s ‘Fantastic Four.’
Other Movies Similar to ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Fantastic Four’:
Premiering on Netflix beginning April 27th is the second season of the popular series ‘Sweet Tooth,’ which is based on the comic book series of the same name by Jeff Lemire, and is executive produced by Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, and Amanda Burrell.
What is the plot of ‘Sweet Tooth’ season 2?
Following the events of the first season of ‘Sweet Tooth,’ the second season involves begins as a deadly new wave of the Sick bears down, and Gus (Christian Convery) and a band of fellow hybrids are held prisoner by General Abbot (Neil Sandilands) and the Last Men. Looking to consolidate power by finding a cure, Abbot uses the children as fodder for the experiments of captive Dr. Aditya Singh (Adeel Akhtar), who’s racing to save his infected wife Rani (Aliza Vellani).
To protect his friends, Gus agrees to help Dr. Singh, beginning a dark journey into his origins and his mother Birdie’s (Amy Seimetz) role in the events leading up to The Great Crumble. Outside the Preserve, Tommy Jepperd (Nonso Anozie) and Aimee Eden (Dania Ramirez) team up to break the hybrids free, a partnership that will be tested as Jepperd’s secrets come to light. As the revelations of the past threaten the possibility of redemption in the present, Gus and his new found family find themselves on a collision course with Abbot and the evil forces that look to wipe them out once and for all.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with executive producers Susan Downey and Amanda Burrell about season 2 of ‘Sweet Tooth,’ what attracted them to the source material, world-building for the new season, parallels to the real-world, expanding General Abbot and Dr. Singh’s roles, working with the kids, Gus and Jepperd’s bond, and their ideas for season 3.
Moviefone: To begin with, Susan, can you talk about what excited you about adapting the comic book into this series in the first place, and the challenges of expanding the universe for season 2?
Susan Downey: Well, I think when we first got the graphic novel, we were sort of like, “What the heck is this? It’s so strange.” But when you dig into it and you understand what Jeff Lemire is trying to say and the allegory that’s there, you realize that there’s something really special and powerful in this storytelling. We really fell in love with Gus and obviously, the relationship with Jepp. I think if anything, it scared us a little bit. We knew that certainly with season one, we wanted to take all the great things that Jeff was trying to do, all of his intentions with these characters and the journey that they went on, but we wanted to make sure that we delivered it in a way that was a bit maybe more hopeful, not quite as dark as the source material. So we created this storybook dystopia, as we called it, a world of wonder with Gus as our guiding light of hope. I think that excited us because I’ve never seen anything like this. I haven’t seen a “Deer-Boy Show.” So that ticks a big box for us, which is okay, it doesn’t feel familiar. I think going into a second season though, we felt we had created this really strong foundation. Again, Gus and Jepp and their relationship as this center, as well as some of these other incredible first-season characters that joined a second season, that we actually could start creeping into a little bit of the darkness while still maintaining, again, that hope, that wonder and the beauty that we had created, but unearthing some of the darker themes and the stronger antagonists that are very focused in their goals. So it was really about expanding the world. It was introducing some new characters, and as you saw, it was expanding the world of the hybrids, which was so much fun. Again, a lot of the times we were looking at each other and going, “What are we doing here?” When my son saw the trailer, he’s like, “There’s an elephant boy?” The excitement was palpable. So I think we nailed it.
MF: Amanda, can you talk about bringing some of the separate storylines from the first season together for season 2, and expanding the world of ‘Sweet Tooth’ with more characters, locations, and flashbacks this season?
Amanda Burrell: It’s so funny because in season one, you spend so much time building it and then trying to nail a tone or at least figure out what your show is in a lot of ways. I think because we evolved it from the graphic novel, I think we figured it out in season one, and then it just allowed us, “Okay, tonally, actually the hybrid stuff is really connecting. It’s really emotional. How do we build that and expand it?” So it felt we really understood clearly what we got in season one, and now we just get to really up it. Abbott was always going to Loom large. He’s big in the comic book. When we cast Neil, it was so fun in season one, to kind of almost keep him at bay until the audience was ready. I think the fact that we can just bring him out in all of his glory, and Neil just milked it and just was so ready for it. But also to have Singh in the mix in not only the same time space, but that whole alignment of it was just really exciting and we were always building towards it. So it felt like season one allowed us to build the excitement towards it and now we get to realize the potential of all of it. So we definitely blew it out. I feel we’re really proud of the season. We can’t believe how incredible all the hybrids are. So yeah, we’re pumped.
MF: Susan, the series deals with a pandemic and obviously we are just coming out of a pandemic in the real-world now. Did the real-world pandemic at all change the way you depicted the pandemic in the show?
SD: It’s interesting. Not entirely. This was based on a graphic novel that existed well before our pandemic, so our development of it was even before the pandemic. So I think more than anything, it’s just interesting that an audience can relate in a way that they maybe wouldn’t have had it not happened. I feel for us, more than anything, there’s just little details people are familiar with, taking temperatures, wearing masks, those kind of things. But our story takes place after, and it’s about the hope, the rebuild, the reset and what does the future offer. So, if it taps into something within all of us that we’ve experienced, it’s not looking to tap into whatever we’ve dealt with over the past few years. It’s looking to say, “Well, what are you going to do now moving forward? How are you going to change? Where are you going to take this opportunity and see that maybe there’s a different version of the future that’s been altered by this incredible event that happened?”
(L to R) Nonso Anozie as Tommy Jepperd and Christian Convery as Gus in ‘Sweet Tooth.’ Photo: Kirsty Griffin.
MF: Amanda, Gus and Jepperd are separated at the end of season one. Can you talk about the strong connection those two characters made in the first season, and the challenges of separating them for the beginning of season 2?
AB: Well, it’s another interesting thing. We really took our time with it. Jepp, in the first episode, he really shows up at the very end and you realize this person’s going to be a force. Then the whole first season is really about this unlikely connection. We spent a lot of time talking about how long we could keep them apart in season two, honestly, because they are magic together. Our actors are so close to one another and have such a beautiful relationship and camaraderie. Nonso is just such a spiritual father figure for Christian. So we really knew we had to get them back together. But I think the other thing that’s interesting about kids growing up is they need their own space too to find their people, to find their connections. I think Wendy really provides that friendship that we as adults maybe don’t need to get in the mix of. So it’s almost like expanding the opportunity. But yeah, we were all like, “We got to get them back together.” I think it’s just such a beautiful moment when they see each other again and this deep love has not wavered.
(L to R) Nonso Anozie as Tommy Jepperd and Christian Convery as Gus in ‘Sweet Tooth.’ Photo: Kirsty Griffin.
MF: Susan, as a producer, can you talk about working with actors Christian Convery and Nonso Anozie and watching them create these characters and their unique friendship over these two seasons?
SD: Well look, we were so fortunate in the casting process to get a young actor in Christian Convery who is just such magic on screen. We also loved the fact that he had a bunch of experience under his belt by the time he was working with us even first season because as you see, he is in so much of this. He was in so much of the first season, and so much of second season. So he is a seasoned pro who’s then just digging into this character. Obviously, with Jepp, we made some adjustments from the source material. Finding Nonso, again, was such a victory for us. But you don’t know until you put these two on screen together what that chemistry’s going to be. As Amanda said, they just fell in love with each other. They couldn’t be physically or visually more different, which is perfect, and what we’re going for. Again, the larger thematic exploration of finding family, creating your own family, it doesn’t matter what you look like or even what species you are, in our case, you can find that connection. These two really did find it both on screen and off. I think you can feel it as you’re watching it.
MF: You’ve also added several more young actors to the cast this season, who play the hybrids. Since child actors have limited time to work on set, and many of them are wearing elaborate costumes or make-up, can you talk as a producer about the challenges of working with such a large cast of young actors?
SD: Well, this is when you really rely on your ADs to schedule things properly and to make sure that they know exactly when they need to break the kids, send them to school, all of that kind of stuff. Fortunately, we had these other very active storylines. They loom large because they are so incredible and fun and unique. But we were able to jump around and shoot other things, and get some of these other storylines, and they really formed a bond, this group of kids. That casting process was also a ton of fun because when we were looking at it and thinking about each of the different characters, it was like we couldn’t find the kid until we found him (or her). There was never, “Is it this one or this?” It was always like, boom, this is our kid, this kid’s magic. Once again, you’re rolling the dice. Are they going to get along? What are they going to be like? What are the parents going to be like? But we got incredibly fortunate with this group.
MF: Amanda, we only saw Neil Sandilands as General Abbot briefly in the first season, but his role is greatly expanded for season 2. Can you talk about the decision to give him a larger role in the new season?
AB: He’s such a lovely human too. It’s so funny how much he also revels in being kind of evil in that way. But honestly, he brought so much to it. I think once he embodied the role in season one, I think the writers were so deeply inspired by him. So it was easy to write for him. He revels in it so much. I think the same thing goes for all the hybrids, all of our cast, they set the table season one that the writers just loved writing towards them. I think his relationship with his brother is really illuminating this season too, which was really vital. I think we wanted to give him dimension. There’s a past, there’s a history, there’s a context for why people become who they are. I think the other thing with him is that you really believe that he has a philosophy that he’s committed to in order to understand the world. While that is taking him into incredibly dark places, we really wanted to make sure that audiences understood him because those are the best villains, the ones that you actually totally get what their point of view is. You don’t believe that the choices they’re making are the right ones, but you understand them, and you’ll see in the latter half of the season, you get to meet other villains of the world, which I think is also really interesting.
MF: Susan, can you talk about Dr. Singh and Rani’s relationship and how that really motivates his actions in season 2?
SD: Again, this is one of those things where we took something that we learned in season one and let it inform a storyline for season two because originally, she wasn’t necessarily going to survive. But we fell so in love with her, and so in love with them and the true north that he needed through the course of this season to do the things and go to the lengths he went to. You had to believe and invest in that relationship because everything he’s doing obviously is driven to keep her alive. These two actors just brought such chemistry, such magic to the screen and you’re just rooting for both of them. Both of them are just incredible. So I think that, as Amanda was saying, it’s important as people are crossing moral lines to understand the motivation. You may not agree with their technique, but you have to at least accept why they’re doing it. To me, their relationship is the heart of his character, and is the heart of why he’s willing to go to the lengths that he’s willing to go.
MF: Finally, do you already have ideas for season 3, and do you have a larger arc designed for future seasons?
SD: Look, we’re focused right now on getting season 2 out, and hopefully, everybody loves it. The nice thing is Jeff (Lemire) gave us a lot of material in the books. So if we’re fortunate enough to have a season 3, I know that the writers certainly have ideas on how to utilize some of the other storylines found in the graphic novels to continue to tell the story of Gus and Jepp.
To watch our exclusive interviews with the cast of ‘Sweet Tooth’ season 2 including Christian Convery, Naledi Murray, Nonso Anozie, Dania Ramirez, Adeel Akhtar, James Brolin and showrunner Jim Mickle, please click on the video player below.
President & CEO of Discovery Streaming & International JB Perrette. Photograph by Jeff Kravitz/Warner Bros. Discovery.
HBO Max is (nearly) dead! Long live… Max? Yes, the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service will be evolving into a shared app known simply as Max in May, and as part of today’s big announcement, the company has released a raft of news about shows that heretofore had existed more as rumor and speculation.
Here, then, is your handy breakdown of the most exciting titles heading our way…
Long rumored, but the subject of busy negotiations between HBO and controversial Potter creator J.K. Rowling, we now know that the ‘Harry Potter’ series is officially a go.
According to the official announcement, the Potter books will become a decade-long series featuring a new cast. Each season will be authentic to the original books
“We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way,” says Casey Bloys, Chairman of Max content. “‘Harry Potter’ is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World. In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years.”
“Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series,” adds J.K. Rowling, who will be an executive producer but not directly involved in running it.
While the prospect of adaptations able to include all the details the movies couldn’t is certainly one to anticipate, HBO is at lengths to point out that the movies will still be available to stream and a key focal point for fandom.
(L to R) Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel ordered
A century before @GameofThrones, there was Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg.
Executive produced by George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker, Ryan Condal, and Vince Gerardis, A Knight of the #SevenKingdoms: The Hedge Knight has received a straight to series order. #StreamOnMaxpic.twitter.com/MRPUke5Upt
With ‘House of the Dragon’ already a big success for HBO, the company has naturally been busy looking to expand the chronicles of Westeros yet further. In the years since ‘Game of Thrones’ finished, there has been talk of spin-offs that flamed out (before ‘Dragon’, one concept made it to pilot but no further’) and chatter about various other options, including one put forward by Kit “Jon Snow” Harington.
As it turns out, the next show given the official nod is another prequel, ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight’, which will see novelist George R.R. Martin adapting his “Dunc and Egg” novellas alongside fellow executive producer Ira Parker.
Set a century before the events of ‘Thrones,’, the show will follow two unlikely heroes who wandered Westeros… A young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.
Given that the series is still at an early stage, there’s no word on casting or when we might see it hit screens –– and fans are already facing a wait for Season 2 of ‘House of the Dragon’, which is back shooting, but won’t be airing until 2024.
Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen in HBO Max’s ‘House of the Dragon.’
‘The Penguin’
Academy Award nominee Colin Farrell is #ThePenguin.
Also shooting right now is the first commissioned spin-off from Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ featuring Colin Farrell as scheming, ambitious criminal Oz Cobblepot, better known as The Penguin.
Though he had relatively brief screen time in the movie, the new show, run by writer Lauren LeFranc (with Reeves among the executive producers) will span eight episodes and chart the rise of Farrell’s character as he looks to become the new crime kingpin of Gotham City.
‘True Detective’ will also return for Max, with the fourth season –– subtitled ‘Night Country’ –– starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis.
The show is set in Ennis, Alaska, where the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station have vanished without a trace just as the long winter looms. To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice…
The show, run this time by Issa López as opposed to creator Nic Pizzolatto, will hit Max this year.
(L to R) Vera Farmiga as Lorraine Warren and Patrick Wilson as Ed Warren in ‘The Conjuring.’
‘The Conjuring’ TV spin-off
We know very little about the company’s plans for a ‘Conjuring’ TV spin-off but given that James Wan’s original has so far spawned two main sequels, three movies about supernatural doll Annabelle and two (the second is due in September) featuring the demonic nun from ‘The Conjuring 2’, this was, we suppose a safe bet as the next step.
Producer Peter Safran will be involved (when he’s not busy running DC Studios with James Gunn) and Wan is in talks to join him. What can say for sure? It promises to be spooky.
‘The Regime’
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Originally titled ‘The Palace’, this new series stars Kate Winslet and, according to the limited synopsis, chronicles one year within the walls of the palace of a modern European regime as it begins to unravel.
It hails from ‘Succession’ writing veteran Will Tracy, and certainly looks to share some sweary, satirical DNA with that show, even if it’s more about politics than business. Stephen Frears directs, and it’ll be on Max next year.
‘The Sympathizer’
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Of interest to Park Chan Wook fans is ‘The Sympathizer’, a show he created with Canadian filmmaker Don McKellar.
Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, the show is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States.
The series, like many of the titles announced today, will be on Max next year.
Robert Downey Jr. in Max’s ‘The Sympathizer.’ Photograph by Courtesy of HBO.
Among other offerings announced or hinted at today? A ‘Rick and Morty’ anime series, a ‘Peter and the Wolf’ short film overseen by U2’s Bono, another spin-off from ‘The Big Bang’ theory and the official launch of prequel series ‘Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai’.
Max will go live on May 23rd with three pricing plans: $9.99 a month/$99 a year for ad-supported tier Max Ad Light; $15.99/$149.99 for Max Ad Free, which offers two concurrent streams; and $19.99/$199.99 for Max Ultimate Ad Free, up to four concurrent streams.
Chief Executive Officer and President of Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaslav. Photograph by Jeff Kravitz/Warner Bros. Discovery.
We have clearly reached an age where no film, no matter its classic status, is safe from a studio deciding to dip into its back catalogue and decide that a new version could work.
With the studio –– like several others –– raiding its existing title list for new content, the plan is to have ‘Peaky Blinders’ and ‘See’s Steven Knight (who also just jumped into the ‘Star Wars’ galaxy) write a fresh take on the original story.
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What was the original ‘Vertigo’ about?
Directed and produced by Hitchcock, ‘Vertigo’ was based on the 1954 novel ‘D’entre les morts’ (‘From Among the Dead’) by Boileau-Narcejac and adapted by screenwriters Alec Coppel and Samuel A. Taylor.
The film stars Stewart as former police detective John “Scottie” Ferguson, who has retired after an incident in the line of duty caused him to develop acrophobia (an extreme fear of heights) and vertigo, a false sense of rotational movement.
Scottie is hired by an acquaintance, Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore), as a private investigator to follow Gavin’s wife Madeleine (Kim Novak), who is behaving strangely.
Of course, as Scottie digs into the case, he comes to learn there is far more to it than that, and his life could be at risk…
(L to R) James Stewart and Kim Novak in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo.’
It’s still early days, but Robert Downey Jr. has expressed an interested in starring, taking on the Stewart role. He’s also aboard to produce via his Team Downey company, alongside Davis Entertainment’s John Davis and John Fox.
The Hitchcock estate controls the rights to the movie and has granted Paramount the go-ahead to make this new version, but the bigger question might be how it’ll work in the shadow of the original.
Other Hitchcock movies have been remade with varying levels of success, but few if any are regarded as highly as the originals.
And let’s not forget, the last time Robert Downey Jr. starred in and produced a remake, we got ‘Dolittle’. We’re naturally hoping for better things this time around –– assuming the new film goes ahead.
Downey Jr. has taken his foot off the gas on the acting front somewhat since finishing up his tenure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Besides ‘Dolittle’, he’s only appeared in ‘Sr’, the documentary about his father, Robert Downey Sr. Yet he will be back on our screens this year in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’, due in theaters on July 21st.
Behind the scenes, he’s been much more active, producing all manner of TV shows in particular, including HBO’s ‘Perry Mason’ and ‘Sweet Tooth’ on Netflix.
Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written and directed by Christopher Nolan.
