Guillermo del Toro poses backstage with the Oscar® for Animated Feature Film during the live ABC telecast of the 95th Oscars® at Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 12, 2023.
Visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is one of the most popular directors working today!
Del Toro received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for his work on ‘Pan’s Labyrinth‘, and would go on to win Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director for ‘The Shape of Water‘, as well as an Oscar for Best Animated Feature for his work on ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio‘.
The director has also made such popular films as ‘Pacific Rim‘, ‘Crimson Peak‘ and ‘Nightmare Alley‘, which was also nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award.
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Del Toro’s latest film, ‘Frankenstein‘, a long time passion project for the director, opens in theaters on October 17th before premiering on Netflix November 7th.
In honor of the new release, Moviefone is counting down every film Guillermo del Toro has ever directed, including his latest.
Tom Hiddleston in ‘Crimson Peak’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author (Mia Wasikowska) is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds… and remembers.
A disease carried by common cockroaches is killing Manhattan children. In an effort to stop the epidemic an entomologist, Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino), creates a mutant breed of insect that secretes a fluid to kill the roaches. This mutant breed was engineered to die after one generation, but three years later Susan finds out that the species has survived and evolved into a large, gruesome monster that can mimic human form.
Fernando Tielve in ‘The Devil’s Backbone’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Spain, 1939. In the last days of the Spanish Civil War, the young Carlos (Fernando Tielve) arrives at the Santa Lucía orphanage, where he will make friends and enemies as he follows the quiet footsteps of a mysterious presence eager for revenge.
Faced with his own mortality, an ingenious alchemist tried to perfect an invention that would provide him with the key to eternal life. It was called the Cronos device. When he died more than 400 years later, he took the secrets of this remarkable device to the grave with him. Now, an elderly antiques dealer has found the hellish machine hidden in a statue and learns about its incredible powers. The more he uses the device, the younger he becomes…but nothing comes without a price. Life after death is just the beginning as this nerve-shattering thriller unfolds and the fountain of youth turns bloody.
(L to R) Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones in ‘The Shape of Water’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
An other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962, where a mute janitor (Sally Hawkins) working at a lab falls in love with an amphibious man (Doug Jones) being held captive there and devises a plan to help him escape.
A scene from ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’. Photo: Netflix.
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents Carlo Collodi’s classic tale of the wooden marionette (Gregory Mann) who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto (David Bradley). This whimsical, stop-motion film directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world.
(L to R) Doug Jones and Ivana Baquero in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
In post–civil war Spain, 10-year-old Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) moves with her pregnant mother to live under the control of her cruel stepfather. Drawn into a mysterious labyrinth, she meets a faun who reveals that she may be a lost princess from an underground kingdom. To return to her true father, she must complete a series of surreal and perilous tasks that blur the line between reality and fantasy.
(L to R) Cate Blanchett and Bradley Cooper in ‘Nightmare Alley’. Photo: Searchlight Pictures.
An ambitious carnival man (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychologist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is.
(L to R) Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, and Rinko Kikuchi in ‘Pacific Rim’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Using massive piloted robots to combat the alien threat, earth’s survivors take the fight to the invading alien force lurking in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless enemy, the forces of mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes who now stand as earth’s final hope against the mounting apocalypse.
(L to R) Ron Perlman and Doug Jones in ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Hellboy (Ron Perlman), his pyrokinetic girlfriend, Liz (Selma Blair), and aquatic empath, Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), face their biggest battle when an underworld elven prince plans to reclaim Earth for his magical kindred. Tired of living in the shadow of humans, Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) tries to awaken an ancient force of killing machines, the all-powerful Golden Army, to clear the way for fantasy creatures to roam free. Only Hellboy can stop the dark prince and prevent humanity’s annihilation.
Ron Perlman in ‘Hellboy’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
In the final days of World War II, the Nazis attempt to use black magic to aid their dying cause. The Allies raid the camp where the ceremony is taking place, but not before they summon a baby demon who is rescued by Allied forces and dubbed “Hellboy”. Sixty years later, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) serves the cause of good rather than evil as an agent in the Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense, along with Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) – a merman with psychic powers, and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) – a woman with pyrokinesis, protecting America against dark forces.
Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), a brilliant but egotistical scientist, brings a creature (Jacob Elordi) to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.
Liam Neeson in ‘Absolution’. Photo: Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Liam Neeson about his work on ‘Absolution’, his first reaction to the screenplay, his character’s memory loss and relationship with his family, choosing the look for his character, and shooting on location in Boston, as well as his performance in the highly awaited upcoming remake, ‘The Naked Gun’.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Liam Neeson in ‘Absolution’. Photo: Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to reading the screenplay, and your approach to playing a character who’s suffering memory loss?
Liam Neeson: I just liked the script when Hans-Petter Molland sent it to me. I had worked with Hans before in a film called ‘Cold Pursuit’ five years ago. Loved being with him. He and I get on. We’re pals now I like to think. He’s a very good director, and I thought this was interesting. Yes, there’s certain action sequences in it, which I’ve done before, but he’s a character who’s suffering from this chronic traumatic encephalopathy, CTE, and it can be an incredibly dangerous very debilitating disease. I just thought it was interesting. This guy who was a thug, has done some nasty, horrible things in his life for money, it’s his job to be a thug, but he is looking for some kind of thread of redemption. He tries to find it in his grandson and teach the grandson to stay on a road that’s more appropriate for a kid to grow up into a respectful adult. I think that’s essentially all he wants with his grandson. He’s not religious. I don’t think he’s spiritual in any way, but there’s just something that he needs to connect in some way with a member of his family. But I did like the script.
MF: Can you talk about your character’s difficult relationship with his father, how he’s dealing with the loss of his son, and how he’s trying to make it up to his daughter and grandson?
LN: He doesn’t remember that his son died. When his daughter tells him, it’s a real shock to his system. Even though this disease has taken hold. He can’t remember certain things. But it was always interesting. Every day, it was interesting. Hans had got an extraordinary cast together with Yolanda Ross, Frankie Shaw, big Ron Perlman. We had a fantastic actor, Javier Molina, who played the bad guy, wonderful actor. So, it was easy in a way to be in these actor’s company. They just give you so much. So, I didn’t have to dig all the time. They just present their beautiful talent to you and it’s like, “Oh, thank you.” It just sweeps over you, and you find yourself in a way acting better, or being more truthful in the scene, which is always a joy when it happens. With this guy, it was happening every day. So lucky, so fortunate.
(L to R) Terrence Pulliam and Liam Neeson in ‘Absolution’. Photo: Samuel Goldwyn Films.
MF: Can you talk about creating the specific look of this character?
LN: Well, it would be a discussion with Hans, the director first. I saw the guy, his youthful heyday, it was in the 70s, and the mutton chops and the mustache was for me, indicative of that period. So, there wasn’t any huge arguments about that look and wearing leather jackets, maybe a bit retro. I wish I had worn a pair of flared trousers. That would’ve been such a giveaway. I didn’t. Anytime I see the film, it bugs me that I didn’t have a pair of flared trousers. It’s just a little thing, but it bugged me a little bit the first time I saw the film.
MF: The film takes place in Boston and the city is really a character in the movie. Does shooting on location and living in that area while filming, inform your performance in any way?
LN: I think it does regarding being there. I love the city of Boston. I don’t like the traffic. Every hour of the day it was crazy, roads going all over the place. But it was a good city. Did it help me? I’m not sure, but I guess it did. I always like being away on location. I live in New York; Boston was a definite location, and we had a fantastic crew. Normally when I’m in a location, I don’t go to museums, I don’t go to art galleries and stuff. I just focus on what I’m there to do. It’s a bit boring. It must have informed me in some way, and my character in some way. Apologies for my accent by the way, but I tried to hit the occasional word in kind of Bostonese. Extraordinary history too, Boston has. It was lovely being there, I have to say, and I’m not just saying that.
Leslie Nielsen in ‘The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
MF: Finally, what can you tell us about making ‘The Naked Gun’ remake and stepping into that iconic role?
LN: It was fun because I was funny. That’s why I got the part. We wrapped it about three months ago. Akiva Schaffer, who’s an ex-SNL writer, is a very good director. I worked with Pamela Anderson, who’s just a joy, and Danny Houston, we had a really, really good cast. I was a bit nervous most days because it’s a genre I’m not used to. But we’ve wrapped it about three months ago, as I say, and we shall see. I think it’s coming out early next August, I believe.
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What is the plot of ‘Absolution’?
An aging gangster (Liam Neeson) attempts to reconnect with his children and rectify the mistakes in his past, but the criminal underworld won’t loosen their grip willingly.
Beyond Fest runs September 25th – October 9th, 2024.
Preview:
Beyond Fest is back in Los Angeles for its 12 year later this month.
‘Salem’s Lot,’ ‘The Brutalist’ and more will receive premieres.
Filmmakers including Sam Raimi, Shane Black and more will present retrospectives.
Now entering its 12th year, the highest-attended genre film festival in the US, Beyond Fest is back offering even more exciting screenings and talks with filmmakers.
The event, which has brought first looks at new movies and more to fans for years, is back this month, boasting 82 features, including 16 World Premieres, 4 International Premieres, 1 North American Premiere, 3 US Premieres, and 25 West Coast Premieres.
(L to R) Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in ‘Lethal Weapon’. Photo: Warner Bros.
This year’s event runs between September 25th – October 9th.
In partnership with the American Cinematheque and presented exclusively by distributor NEON, Beyond Fest will screen at the Egyptian Theatre, Aero Theatre, Los Feliz 3, and Vista Theatre.
Here’s what Head of Programming Evrim Ersoy has to say about this year’s fest:
“Combining a celebration of cinema whilst firmly focusing our gaze on the next generation of filmmakers has always been at the heart of the Beyond Fest. And this year we have even more opportunity to bring together the full spectrum of genre filmmaking to the community that is at the core of everything we do: from Kiyoshi Kurosawa to Brady Corbet, Jennifer Kent to Sam Raimi, we have created a program that embraces all corners of the cinematic spectrum.”
What could I see at the 2024 Beyond Fest?
2024’s Salem’s Lot. Photo: Warners Bros.
In its inimitable style, Beyond Fest is blending exciting new movies with the chance to experience old favorites and listen to the people who made them.
(L to R) Matt Damon and Casey Affleck promoting ‘The Instigators’. Photo: Apple TV+.
Doug Liman hasn’t had a good time with his chosen profession in recent years. The director’s last three efforts, ‘Chaos Walking,’ ‘Locked Down,’ and ‘Road House,’ have all ranged somewhere between mediocre and unwatchable, a steep fall for the filmmaker who once brought us ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ and ‘The Bourne Identity.’ His latest outing, the crime caper comedy ‘The Instigators,’ isn’t a great piece of work, but it’s considerably more entertaining that his previous few films even if it runs into its own problems.
Much of the entertainment value comes from stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck (the latter of whom also co-wrote the screenplay with fellow Bostonian Chuck Maclean), whose longtime real-life friendship translates easily into an onscreen chemistry even as their characters are mostly at odds with each other. The two leads are backed up by a generously stacked cast, including the likes of Hong Chau, Ron Perlman, Alfred Molina, Michael Stuhlbarg, and others, all of whom are terrific to watch even if some of them get short-changed by the shaggy script. Like Affleck’s character, a cynical ex-con who’s smarter and has a bigger mouth than everyone else in the room, ‘The Instigators’ is fun until it becomes irritating.
Story and Direction
(L to R) Casey Affleck, director Doug Liman and Matt Damon on the set of ‘The Instigators’. Photo: Apple TV+.
Damon plays Rory, a divorced ex-Marine who has fallen on hard times and is hinting enough at suicide to alarm his therapist, Dr. Rivera (Chau). But before Rory can “cash in his ticket,” as he says, he has one thing left to do: he wants to see his son, but in order to make that happen he needs to settle exactly $32,480 in child support and other payments. And the only way for him to do that is to participate in a heist being orchestrated by lower-tier mob boss Mr. Besegai (Stuhlbarg) and his right-hand man Richie (Molina), who operate out of a local bakery.
Besegai’s plan is for a small group of thieves to infiltrate the election headquarters of the corrupt Mayor Miccelli (Perlman), whose re-election is all but reassured and who collects a staggering amount of cash “gifts” every election night from stakeholders who want to curry favor with him. The idea is to go in after the election night party is over and stick the place up, grabbing the cash from the mayor and escaping by boat behind the building. In addition to Rory, the crew will consist of Cobby (Affleck) and Scalvo (Jack Harlow), the latter a hot-headed hood who Mr. Besegai puts in charge of the operation.
Aside from Scalvo being trigger-happy and Rory being utterly inexperienced at crime (plus depressed and none-too-bright), a series of other variables – such as Miccelli losing the election in an upset – turns the plan completely upside-down. This is the best part of ‘The Instigators’: normally a film like this leads up to the big heist in the third act, and even if things go wrong, the crew improvises their way through it. Here the caper goes sideways in the first half-hour, with every carefully laid-out aspect of the plan going completely in the opposite direction.
(L to R) Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Hong Chau and director Doug Liman from Apple Original Films’ “The Instigators” make an appearance at View Boston. Photo: Marion Curtis / Starpix for Apple Original Films.
That leaves Rory and an injured Cobby as unlikely partners and fugitives, fleeing the scene with little cash but with a piece of personal property that’s extremely valuable to the bellowing mayor. After its offbeat first third, ‘The Instigators’ becomes more episodic and unbelievable as Rory and Cobby go on the run, evading hitmen and corrupt cops (including one menacing Special Ops officer played by Ving Rhames) through a series of chases, explosions, and narrow escapes — with Dr. Rivera somehow hitching along as a fake hostage.
The contrivances necessary to get Rivera into and out of the situation, then back in it again later, also lead to some of the most tonally off moments in the movie. One extended, destructive chase sequence finds Rivera dispensing cliched therapeutic bromides to Rory (“Think about the person you want to be,” she offers improbably) as they careen through the streets of Beantown with a dozen police cars in pursuit. Because this is essentially a comedy, the stakes never feel as real as they could – even with compromised cops, seedy lowlife thugs, and political corruption rampant throughout the story, the script and Liman’s freewheeling direction keep this light and all on a surface level, leading to a somewhat tiresome finale.
The Cast
(L to R) Hong Chau, Casey Affleck and Matt Damon in ‘The Instigators’. Photo: Apple TV+.
Even as the air starts to seep out of the script, ‘The Instigators’ (an odd title, since Rory and Cobby don’t instigate anything, but merely react to their changing circumstances) is kept buoyant through its ensemble of sturdy, always reliable players. As mentioned earlier, Damon and Affleck provide most of the appeal here: the way that Damon’s morose straight man and Affleck’s jaded, seen-it-all crook bounce off each other provides most of the movie’s fun. Damon’s Rory has a wounded working-class decency, a guy who’s been pushed to the edge both by his own mistakes and things not in his control who only gradually retakes command of his own destiny as best he can.
Affleck’s Cobby is the source of most of the movie’s humor, as his disaffected demeanor, rogue-ish charm, and constant barrage of jokes, pokes, and non-sequiturs hide a street-level, quick-on-his-feet intelligence that gets him and Rory both into and out of every scrape. He becomes irritating not just to his targets but to us as well, and we’re kind of onboard when some of those targets tell him to shut the f**k up.
Hong Chau is always superb even though she has the least plausible material to work with and a character who verges in the edge of “therapist stereotype.” The rest, especially Stuhlbarg, Molina, Toby Jones (as Miccelli’s mild-mannered accountant), and Perlman as his Trumpy, self-serving boss, are all a pleasure to watch even if their characters are paper-thin.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Casey Affleck and Matt Damon promoting ‘The Instigators’. Photo: Apple TV+.
“Paper-thin” is a good way to describe ‘The Instigators’: it all operates on a surface level, never resonating emotionally too much and not quite settling on the right balance of comedy, action, and crime thriller. It will make you laugh – or perhaps chuckle quietly – without building to a real comic crescendo.
Yet Liman keeps it all moving (only the extended finale drags out a bit), gets us in and out of the story in 90 minutes, and provides ample opportunity to watch Damon and Affleck have some fun. There are far worse ways to spend an hour-and-a-half – including a few that Doug Liman has provided before this.
‘The Instigators’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.
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What is the plot of ‘The Instigators’?
A desperate, depressed dad (Matt Damon) and a cynical, wisecracking ex-con (Casey Affleck) find themselves roped into a brazen robbery that quickly goes sideways, with the unlikely duo soon hunted by hitmen, the police, the corrupt mayor of Boston, and the dad’s very concerned therapist (Hong Chau).
Who is in the cast of ‘The Instigators’?
Matt Damon as Rory
Casey Affleck as Cobby
Hong Chau as Dr. Donna Rivera
Paul Walter Hauser as Booch
Michael Stuhlbarg as Mr. Besegai
Ving Rhames as Frank Toomey
Alfred Molina as Richie Dechico
Toby Jones as Alan Flynn
Jack Harlow as Scalvo
Ron Perlman as Mayor Miccelli
(L to R) Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in ‘The Instigators’. Photo: Apple TV+.
But later in 2024, we’ll see them in meatier roles for a new crime thriller called ‘The Instigators’, in which they play two thieves pulling off a desperate robbery.
Apple TV+ was quick to snap this one up and has the first images from the movie online.
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What’s the story of ‘The Instigators’?
Rory (Damon) and Cobby (Affleck) are reluctant partners: a desperate father and an ex-con thrown together to pull off a robbery of the ill-gained earnings of a corrupt politician. But when the heist goes wrong, the two find themselves engulfed in a whirlwind of chaos, pursued not only by police, but also backwards bureaucrats and vengeful crime bosses.
Completely out of their depth, they convince Rory’s therapist (Hong Chau) to join their riotous getaway through the city, where they must put aside their differences and work together to evade capture –– or worse.
And for Damon, this was a chance to reunite with his ‘Bourne Identity’ director. This is what he said:
“I absolutely love working with Doug. I can’t believe it took us 20 years to find something else to do together. Doug is one of the most creatively tenacious people I’ve ever met. He just won’t stop until the movie is as good as it can be, and that is the best possible thing you can feel from a director. I trust him completely.”
“‘The Instigators’ is about two strangers who are hired for a heist. They become frenemies and then become friends while Jack Harlow yells at us, Paul Walter Hauser insults us, Ving Rhames hunts us, and Hong Chau keeps us alive.”
When will ‘The Instigators’ land on Apple TV+
Apple TV+ will start streaming the new movie on August 9th. Hopefully Liman is already aware it’ll be going directly there; we don’t need another ‘Road House’ protest.
(L to R) Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in ‘The Instigators’. Photo: Apple TV+.
(L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
Premiering on Prime Video this week, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ loosely –– very loosely –– adapts the 2005 Doug Limanmovie that saw Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie playing married assassins unaware of each other’s secret job whose stale relationship is re-ignited when they’re assigned by their competing agencies to take each other out (and we don’t mean on a date).
But the new series shares really only the title and the most basic concept with the movie. Instead, here we have two strangers who apply for a job that sees them partnered up and moving through the various stages of relationships in their fake coupledom even as real feelings develop and the missions become more perilous.
Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ deployed monsters as metaphor for teenage angst, body changes, and concerns. ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ tries a similar trick (though hopefully without the problematic future Joss Whedon of it all), utilizing the central couple’s various experiences as a mirror for a developing relationship.
It’s not a completely 1:1 situation, though some episodes play to that much more than others (episode 5, for example, sees the duo forced into a situation where their charge, played wonderfully by a superbly grumpy Ron Perlman is effectively a substitute child) but in general, the idea works.
Sometimes the balance of character work to action can be off-kilter, and not everything about the main dynamic works (Donald Glover and Maya Erskine have decent chemistry, though it takes some time to find its groove). Which, we suppose is how all relationships start and end up working.
But on the whole, it’s an entertaining peek into the various marker points of the relationship and the series format certainly offers more scope to explore the character levels than anything in the movie.
‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’: Script and Direction
(L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
Though Glover originally developed the show with ‘Fleabag’ creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, creative differences saw Waller-Bridge depart and Glover instead create the show with his ‘Atlanta’ cohort Francesca Sloane (who runs the show here).
The writing for the series carries some of the hallmarks of Glover and Sloane’s past work (though none of its experimental, random nature which probably wouldn’t have worked for this). This time around, their focus is on the burgeoning relationships and using the spy missions/job as a giant metaphor for an evolving connection between two people is one that largely works well, even if it does mean there tends to be a larger focus on interaction between the two main characters rather than the action side of things. Jane and John are written decently, though they may end up testing the patience of some audiences.
As for the metaphors, they run the gamut from excellent to exhausting. One episode, where our main pair meet and spend time with another “John” and “Jane” is at times interminable (no fault of the actors involved). But the mission-of-the-week format means that if you don’t spark to one episode, you may well enjoy another.
Directors Hiro Murai, Christian Sprenger and Karena Evans (the first two have ‘Atlanta’ experience on their busy resumes, the latter has focused more on music videos and other TV series) bring a fresh, dynamic look to the show, and if the action moments aren’t quite up there with the likes of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ or ‘Bond’ franchises, that’s because it isn’t the main point here. This is a relationship drama with a side of set-pieces.
‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’: Performances
(L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
With the guest cast almost constantly changing (only one or two people beyond the leads appear in more than a single episode), the weight is very much on Glover and Erskine. As people who have both been the focus of TV series they co-created, they’re both more than able to carry the load of leading roles.
Of the two, Erskine comes off better, getting to show more development than the slightly more disconnected Glover. She’s excited for the opportunity to begin with, but you can really see the weight settle upon her as the season moves on. Keeping the metaphor of the relationship going, she becomes more and more disenfranchised as she realizes she’s holding up more of her end in terms both missions and personal life.
Which is not to say that Glover is bad –– his John Smith is a man who seems far less willing to leave his old life behind (a nod towards the usual commitment issues found more often in men than women) –– and he has some superb moments as the relationship develops and, at times, sours.
(L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
Neither of the main pair are natural action stars, but they do their best, aided with a decent stunt team.
Around them is an ever-changing roster of others: Paul Dano is a good-looking neighbor who Jane takes a shine to, while Wagner Moura and Parker Posey are the other John and Jane who share the double date that ends awkwardly (and dangerously). Again, as mentioned above, the actors are perfectly fine in their roles, they’re just let down a little by the episode’s script.
Perlman, meanwhile, is wonderful in his role as the mysterious man that John and Jane are assigned to protect.
‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’: Final Thoughts
(L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
If it sometimes stretches the concept a little thin, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ is an effective mix of spy thriller and marriage drama with the emphasis on the latter.
Those seeking the next ‘Atlanta’ won’t find that here, but then, that wasn’t the point –– and as adaptations of movies go, this at least has the confidence to truly be its own thing.
‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.
(L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
What’s the story of ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?
Two lonely strangers land jobs working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travel, and a dream brownstone in Manhattan.
The catch? New identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John (Donald Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine) navigate a high-risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone.
Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier: espionage or marriage?
Prime Video’s ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ has launched its first trailer.
The show stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine.
The series launches on February 2nd.
Once upon a time, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith‘ were Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, playing married assassins whose relationship had begun to feel stale. But when they discover their shared, hidden sides, things spice back up –– even if neither might survive it.
In taking that idea, ‘Atlanta’ creator and co-star Donald Glover has given it a slight twist (see below), recruiting Maya Erskine to play Mrs. Smith to his Mr.
From the looks of the first teaser, the show certainly manages to bring both the funny and the action levels, so this is one we’re anticipating.
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What’s the story of ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?
(L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
While it has a similar basic concept to the 2005 Doug Liman movie (famously the project where Pitt met and ended up married to co-star Jolie), the new series puts a fresh spin on the story.
Here, Glover and Erskine play two lonely strangers who land jobs working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travel, and a dream brownstone in Manhattan.
The catch? New identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John and Jane navigate a high-risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone. Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier: espionage or marriage?
Who also appears in ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?
Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
Glover co-created the series with Francesca Sloane, one of his ‘Atlanta’ colleagues. Christian Sprenger, a fallow ‘Atlanta’ veteran, is the main director.
Originally, ‘Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge was aboard to co-write and co-star, but because of creative differences, she left the show in 2021.
“I worked on that show for six months fully in heart and mind and really cared about it — still care about it. And I know it’s gonna be brilliant. But sometimes it’s about knowing when to leave the party. You don’t want to get in the way of a vision. Creative collaboration is like a marriage, and some marriages don’t work out.”
When will ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ be on our screens?
All eight episodes of the show will debut on Prime Video on February 2nd.
(L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.(L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.(L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
Ashley (Ashley Greene) and her young daughter Sarah (Thalia Campbell) must seek out Ashley’s estranged father, Matt (Nicolas Cage), for help when they wind up in the middle of a criminal enterprise that threatens their lives. Matt is living the life of a retired beach bum in the Cayman Islands when they track him down but are soon found by crime boss Donnie (Jackie Earle Haley) and his lieutenant Bobo (Ron Perlman). The more time Ashley spends with Matt, she realizes he has a secret past she knew nothing about.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with filmmaker Tim Brown about his work on ‘The Retirement Plan,’ crafting the story, shooting in the Cayman Islands, directing Nicolas Cage and his unusual acting style, his character’s parental skills, Ron Perlman’s fantastic performance, putting the cast together, and creating the action sequences.
(L to R) Director Tim Brown and Nicolas Cage on the set of ‘The Retirement Plan.’ Courtesy of The Retirement Plan.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about how this project came together and why you were excited to direct it specifically?
Tim Brown: I think I’d be excited to make any movie, frankly, but certainly this one. I think it came about almost in a bit of a different fashion. The Cayman Islands was Covid free at the time and the financier of the film was trying to find a way to bring a bunch of productions there. So I had an idea for a story and I said, “Well, what if John Wick just became a drunk on the beach for 20 years? What would he be like if it had to be pulled into action again after really not doing anything but being a drunk on the beach?” So it spawned from that idea. I thought it’d be like a Shane Black movie in a way, an action film that had a lot of comedic elements. I really like when the bad guys come into play and start talking about things that normally when you’re about to assassinate someone you wouldn’t talk about, like having a conversation about the bad service at Starbucks. Just something that takes you away from the real seriousness of the situation that you’re in to keep it light. So it really spawned from that and from having the location in the Cayman Islands and then having this sort of loose concept of a guy who has to be called back into action. And I just began writing, and as you write, that just evolved into what it became. So it was really an organic process for me.
(L to R) Nicolas Cage, director Tim Brown and Ron Perlman on the set of ‘The Retirement Plan.’ Courtesy of The Retirement Plan.
MF: Tell us about shooting on location in the Cayman Islands during Covid, what was that experience like for you?
TB: Amazing. They brought everybody in since they were Covid free. They had a very strict policy. They were one of the only places on Earth at the time that had no Covid whatsoever. So when you got there, they decided to do a slate of movies, and I was one of four at the time. I think they ended up doing two or three more films there. So they had built up a crew and they brought in every nut, every bolt, every dolly, every camera, and every person to operate that stuff, including the cast. When you arrived, you were put into a strict 16-day quarantine in your hotel room, bracelet, phone, lockdown, and two months in jail if you broke quarantine. So it was crazy strict. But when you got out of quarantine, I didn’t put a mask on for six months, so we were going to buffets, we were hanging out, living the life that we lived prior to the whole Covid business. So on production, having that freedom, I think the cast were initially kind of shocked. I remember talking to Ernie Hudson about it, and so I’m saying, “What’s it like?” And he’s like, “I feel like I’m walking around naked without a mask on my face.” I go, “You’ll get over that in about three hours.” Sure enough, he’s hugging people, high-fiving and running around the beach. So it was an amazing experience. The weather was phenomenal, although I know it was tough. Ronnie Perlman who was there, we’d keep him in an air-conditioned car because it’s 95 degrees, the humidity is about 98%, and the moment you get outside, it’s similar to being in a steam bath. He’s got to wear sharkskin suits, so he’s really in heavy clothing and doing fight scenes and things of that nature on the sand and the beach. So when it came to that aspect of shooting in the Caymans, that was probably harder on the cast than anyone. Because if you just walk outside, you start sweating, and you obviously don’t want that too much within your character, obviously on camera. So I think I evolved Bobo’s character a little bit into commenting on how hot it was. So anytime Ron’s saying how hot it is, he’d be telling me on the side, “Oh my God, it’s so hot.” So I’d go, “Say that. Just say that because at least it lends believability to your character who’s currently about to pour with sweat in about 30 seconds if I keep the cameras rolling.” So that was a bit of a challenge. But the people of the Cayman Islands are absolutely extraordinary individuals. It’s literally one of the nicest places I’ve been on Earth because they’re just so friendly and welcoming there. There are beautiful people there across the board, and we were really super lucky to be there.
(L to R) Nicolas Cage and director Tim Brown on the set of ‘The Retirement Plan.’ Courtesy of The Retirement Plan.
MF: Can you talk about your experience directing Nicolas Cage? What did you learn from working with him and can you talk about his approach to playing Matt?
TB: I learned a ton of stuff. When you just start to look at his resume and think about it, you kind of get overwhelmed. The majority of the process with him that’s so fantastic is the amount of work he does before you start shooting. So all of the conversations and the majority of the stuff that we talked about in prep. He’s a cinephile at the highest level. So If you want to talk film, and certainly, I don’t think I’m at his level because he’ll bring up some German existentialist film from the ’20s that I’m lost on, but he knows it cold. We would talk films a lot, referencing his character. So he likes to dive in, I believe, at least with me, into other past cinema to feed his current performance. He called me up and he said, “I want you to watch a film starring Leslie Howard called ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel.’” Not everyone’s going to know this film, but it’s an older movie set in the French Revolution when this gentleman would dress up as the Scarlet Pimpernel. At day, he’s a very flamboyant, fun-loving, easygoing, rich guy. But at night, he dresses up and he masquerades and he rescues French aristocrats from getting the guillotine. So I watched the film and as I’m watching the film, I’m like, “What the hell? How is this connected?” Then we’d talk about it and we had this expression with Matt, which was “peeling back the layers of the onion.” You realize that this Leslie Howard character in ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’ is a master of disguise. So Matt is by all the things you see in front of him, he’s just like a drunk beach bum, but that’s just the facade. So Leslie Howard’s character was the same way. He had a facade, but underneath that he was an expert professional. So we would slowly pull back the layers until at the very end when he’s putting on a flak jacket, now the onion is fully exposed as this ex-agent character who’s fully back in action now. But I tried to do that slowly and with Nic and his focus on character and his engagement into the story is incredible. He’s so prepared, every day. I can’t imagine there’s a director that hasn’t worked with him that doesn’t say the same thing, that he’s just phenomenal to work with because he’s so prepared coming into it. When I first met him, we had a meeting in his hotel and the script was on the coffee table and it looked like someone carried it through Normandy at the beach raid because it was just coffee stained and it was the most worn script I’ve ever seen. So clearly, he had just read it a hundred times. He knew his lines, everyone else’s lines, but he also knew the conversations about how his character gets to where he needs to get to, that was fascinating. Then he brings what I would call, I think I referred to it as the “Nic Cage spice.” It was a secret elixir, a secret ingredient that added a flavor to whatever you were eating, to use an analogy of cooking, that was so unique. He would do it very subtly and he would improvise something very rarely. He was very adamant on script, but he would improvise a small little thing. I realized later it was a nuance to a film he had done in the past or it was a little piece of meta. If you really know Nic, you’ll see things in this movie that he does that have been taken from other films that he’s done, and I didn’t even know he was doing it. I remember he did something in one of the conversations with the little girl. He says, “Sarah, you always knocked me for a loop.” It was an improvised line because he is supposed to say, “You just asked me a million questions. What’s your question?” I said, “Cut,” and I walked over and he goes, “Oh, you didn’t like that?” I go, “No, it’s fine.” I just didn’t know why he added the, “Sarah, you always knocked me for a loop.” I think long after I’d finished the film, I was watching ‘Kick-Ass’ and when Chloë Grace Moretz says, “I want a puppy. No, I’m just kidding. I want a butterfly knife,” Nic says, “Oh, Hit-Girl, you always knock me for a loop.” I went, “He meta-ed himself in this film,” which was to me, and the fact that I discovered it and didn’t even know he did it on set, made my day. So things like that and the comedy, the subtleties, he’s a phenomenal comic actor, like crazy good. It’s just these little nuances that he puts into the character. I think he does it a fair amount with Matt, and it was a sheer joy to watch him work for sure. Again, it was tough on him too. There was a lot of fighting and action. There was never a day it wasn’t 90 degrees hot with humidity. So that was a challenge for him. But no, he was just a joy to be around for sure, and on occasion entertaining the entire crew on some days, which everyone just couldn’t have enjoyed more.
(L to R) Ashley Greene as Ashley, Thalia Campbell as Sarah, and Nicolas Cage as Matt in ‘The Retirement Plan.’ Courtesy of The Retirement Plan.
MF: Can you talk about the family dynamic between Matt, Ashley and Sarah, and how Matt is adjusting to being a father again, and now also a grandfather?
TB: Well, one of the blessed things about that was Nic loves films that have a family theme around them. If you know anything about Kurosawa or a lot of Japanese works, he thinks Kurosawa was the king of the hill. I think a lot of Kurosawa’s and a lot of Japanese drama deals with a family dynamic. He related to that really well. And actually Ernie Hudson said the same thing. He was really drawn to the picture because of the family element to it. I just think when you add a grandchild into it, it just raises the stakes. So when I gave her the MacGuffin that everyone’s trying to get their hands on, and it was tongue-in-cheek when I called it the “hard drive” because there’s not an action picture around that someone’s not trying to get ahold of the hard drive. So I mean, that was sort of a MacGuffin almost for the sake of the comedy of it. But I think that what family does is, I think it just increases the heart part of it. You don’t want to just randomly kill people and you want to have an emotional connection. I think if you’re trying to help a granddaughter and one you’ve never known before, that might’ve helped Nic and whoever was going to play Matt at the time get into that proper state of mind where it’s just an elevated situation instead of helping a stranger if you’re trying to save your granddaughter’s life or your daughter’s life. Of course, I made them estranged at the beginning so they can have an arc to get to at the end. But I think it adds the element, and I think a lot of films where you have family involved, it makes it a little more emotional. So I think that was probably in essence, the reason for it.
(L to R) Thalia Campbell as Sarah and Ron Perlman as Bobo in ‘The Retirement Plan.’ Courtesy of The Retirement Plan.
MF: Actor Ron Perlman really shines as Bobo. Did you write the role for him, and can you talk about his performance?
TB: Yeah, Bobo was a great joy to write. It’s funny, I don’t think I really had a person in mind when I wrote Bobo. I think if anything I head in my brain was kind of the character of Marv from ‘Sin City,’ this sort of guy who’s understated, huge and really intimidating, but an old school mob guy. I thought he’s really come down to the end of his days when he’s working for this character that Jackie Earle Haley plays, which was a guy who’s just done his time. So when we first talked about the character, I wrote a pretty detailed biography for Bobo, and I did the same thing for Nic’s character as well, four or five pages of basically where he was born and where he was raised. I wrote a lot about the guy who raised him and it was almost like Charles Dickens. I think I used a lot of that, which is why I wanted to make him smart. I thought it was totally against type, the idea that he’s talking about Shakespeare and Othello and why Iago is betraying somebody. Of course, he’s talking to this little child who’s trying to understand it while he’s kidnapped her and is about to kill her. So I thought those little nuances were kind of fun. Then when someone had suggested Ron, I mean my head exploded. I just said, “He is Bobo. It’s perfect for me.” I couldn’t have fathomed another person for Bobo. I can’t think of anyone other than Ron. When we got him, I was pretty excited. I think the only time I got more excited was when I heard Ernie Hudson was going to come to the island. So that made me really happy.
(L to R) Ernie Hudson, Nicolas Cage and Ashley Greene in ‘The Retirement Plan.’ Courtesy of The Retirement Plan.
MF: In addition to Cage, Perlman and Hudson, the movie also includes Ashley Greene, Jackie Earle Haley, Joel David Moore, Rick Fox and Lynn Whitfield. Can you talk about putting together the cast?
TB: I think they were attracted to the script. Ashley talked about this a lot and Nic said it too, that they both thought it was really funny while they were reading it. They said that was different for them, for a lot of the projects they’ve been getting, where they get an action picture and really wanted to add comedy to it. The more I wrote, the more I found that I really wanted the tongue-in-cheek as firm as I could. I wanted to make fun of the genre of action pictures and the sort of dialogue around classic paint-by-numbers action films. So I tried to make fun of myself through the process and make fun of the genre itself. I don’t know exactly why they did it, but I do know that Nic and Ashley were very specific saying they really liked that it was so funny. So I thought that must be the main reason.
(L to R) Nicolas Cage as Matt and Jackie Earle Haley as Donnie in ‘The Retirement Plan.’ Courtesy of The Retirement Plan.
MF: Finally, how challenging were the action sequences to shoot?
TB: Well, the whole thing with budget is time. The lower the budget, the less time. We had no rehearsal. So all the stunt sequences, those were done on the day. I mean, we really couldn’t rehearse much. Nic came on his day off to run through the hotel scene and to rehearse just to help us out because we didn’t have the luxury of two weeks of prep. I wrote some big set pieces, especially the hotel out on the balcony when they’re hanging up. So that stuff’s really challenging to do. I was very lucky to have Mark Irwin as my director of photography. His resume is crazy. He’s done a ton of comedy. Obviously the FarrellyBrothers he’s worked with a lot, and Jim Carrey and I learned a lot from him. He helped me a lot in the cheat department where I thought, “How am I supposed to show this POV?” He said, “Ah, let show you what 40 years of cinematography will get you.” He helped me out pretty quickly with that. So that was a great bonus to have that. I was surrounded by a terrific support team, but we were lucky. I had a great rigger who came literally right off of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie. He came to help with the rigging of some of that stuff. I figured if those guys can keep Tom Cruise safe, they can certainly keep our guys safe. So it was great to have that. But those sequences even on budgets that are $60 or $70 million, they’re tricky. When you’ve got less than that, to say the least, it’s really tough, but we seem to get through it okay. Thankfully, no one got hurt.
(L to R) Ashley Greene, Ron Perlman, Nicolas Cage, Ernie Hudson and Jackie Earle Haley star in ‘The Retirement Plan.’ Courtesy of The Retirement Plan.
(L to R) Optimus Primal and Optimus Prime in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
Autobots, roll out! The latest installment of the Transformers franchise ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ transports the audience to the home world of the Maximals and introduces Unicron – also known as the Chaosbringer, who consumes planets.
The official synopsis for ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ is below:
“Returning to the action and spectacle that have captured moviegoers around the world, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on a ’90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformer — the Maximals — to the existing battle on earth between Autobots and Decepticons.”
‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ was released domestically on June 9, 2023.
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Maximals On The Big Screen
(L to R) Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Wheeljack and Arcee in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
This is the first time the Maximals faction is introduced in the ‘Transformers’ franchise. They are descendants of the Autobots and in their fight with the Terrorcons, they are forced leave behind their homeworld and hide out on Earth until the Terrorcon figured out their location.
Similar to Autobots, the Maximals can also transform. Instead of transforming into vehicles and aircrafts, Maximals transform into Animal-like robots. The Maximals in the film are Optimus Primal, Apelinq, Airazor, Cheetor, and Rhinox.
Before they made their big screen debut, the Maximals were Introduced in Beast Wars – a computer animated TV series from 1996. There are four factions in Transformers – Autobots, Decepticons, Maximals, and Predacons.
Where Does This Take Place In The Transformers Franchise?
(L to R) Arcee, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
The first ‘Transformers‘ film was directed by Michael Bay and was released in 2007, starring Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox. Since then, there have been six Transformers movies, include ‘Rise of the Beasts’. Director Michael Bay helmed the first five films until the franchise received a “soft reboot” in 2017 with Travis Knight’s ‘Bumblebee’, which starred Hailee Steinfeld and fan-favorite Autobot Bumblebee.
Knight’s film took place in the 1980s while Steven Caple Jr.’s film takes place in the 90s, serving as a sequel to ‘Bumblebee’. In the film, there was a small nod to the 2017 film where Optimus Prime acknowledges that Bumblebee has made a human friend during his initial arrival on Earth.
Paramount has already confirmed there will be two more sequels to follow, though it is unclear whether stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback will be involved. There is also a scene in the film that eludes to the Transformers franchise potentially having a cross-over with another Hasbro property. If this cross-over does happen, it would be the first time in live-action for these two Hasbro IPs exist in the same movie.
Where Can I Watch ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’?
Mirage in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
The movie held its premiere at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on May 27, 2023. It was released domestically on June 9, 2023, and is currently playing in theaters in formats such as IMAX, RealD 3D, Dolby cinema, and 4DX. Be sure to check showtimes on Moviefone below.
Watch the official trailers for ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ below:
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As of July 11, 2023, the film has been made available on digital for rent or purchase. Services such as Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, YouTube, Microsoft, Redbox, and Google Play will have it for $19.99 or $24.99 respectively.
For DVD and blu-ray release, that’ll come on October 10, 2023. Bonus content will include:
‘Human Affairs’ – In a world of robots, machines, and aliens, we explore the humans who help save the world.
‘Life in the 90s’ – The filmmakers discuss how the music, set design, fashion, and cultural references transport viewers to New York in the 90s.
‘Heroes’ – Get an inside look at the inspiration and thought process behind designing the Autobots and the Maximals.
‘Villains’ – Watch as the filmmakers bring the Terrorcons and Predacons to life.
‘The Chase’ – Meet Mirage, a new Autobot that converts into a 1993 Porsche, and experience the adrenaline-filled car chase through New York City.
‘The Battle of Ellis Island’ – Join the cast and crew as they go behind-the-scene of the epic battle sequence between the Autobots and the Terrorcons at the museum.
‘Into the Jungle’ – The Transformers franchise has been filmed all over the globe. This time, join the cast and crew as they explore the new and exotic location of Peru.
‘The Switchback Attack’ – Witness the wild and intense driving sequences filmed on location in Peru where the Autobots fight the Terrorcons through a town square and into the mountains 15,000 feet up.
‘The Final Conflict’ – Get a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s epic climax. Watch as the Autobots, Maximals, Noah, and Elena attempt to save the world
‘Extended/Deleted Scenes’ – Includes an alternate opening and ending to the film.
What is the plot of ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’?
‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformers, the Maximals, to join them as allies in the existing battle for earth.
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Who is in the cast of ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’?
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback about their work on ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,’ their love for the franchise, their characters, and working with the beloved robots.
(L to R) Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback star in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Ramos, Fishback, and Tobe Nwigwe.
Moviefone: To begin with, Anthony, how familiar were you with the ‘Transformers’ universe before making this movie?
Anthony Ramos: Very. ‘Beast Wars: Transformers’ was a childhood favorite and I love all the Maximals. I went crazy when Optimus Primal in the movie says, “Maximals maximize.” I promise you, I jumped out of my seat. That moment got me more hyped than the Autobots roll out, because ‘Beast Wars’ was such a huge part of my childhood, so I’m deeply connected to these characters. Then, I saw the ‘Transformers’ movies after that, so I’ve been a big fan.
(L to R) Arcee, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
MF: Dominique, how about you? Were you a fan of ‘Transformers’ before being cast in this film?
Dominique Fishback: Actually, when Anthony was watching the cartoons, I was watching a bunch of romances, so I was not aware. But I loved ‘Even Stevens,’ and I loved Shia LaBeouf in that show, and I was a huge Disney fan. I always wanted to be an actor. So when he went from ‘Even Stevens’ to ‘Transformers,’ I was like, “Oh man, okay.” I was mapping it out in my head, like, “Okay, I have to do something like that, a show and then a movie like ‘Transformers.’” I never thought that it would actually be ‘Transformers’, so it’s really incredible.
Anthony Ramos stars in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
MF: Anthony, can you talk about why Noah is so willing to help the Transformers and join forces with them?
AR: He’s broke. There’s a lot of things you’ll do when you are not making money, but he’s also desperate. He’s desperate too, and that desperation comes for his love for his family and wanting to be able to help them and support them and his sick brother. It almost seems like he feels like this is a last resort. Obviously, he probably eventually would’ve gotten a job, but I think it’s a movie about robots and Transformers, and it only seems right that his last resort is to join these robot aliens.
Dominique Fishback stars in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto /Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.
MF: Dominique, can you talk about Elena’s growth as a character throughout the course of the movie?
DF: I think the growth is just being intentional with (director) Steven Caple Jr. and saying, “Okay, in acting school, you learn how is a character different from the beginning of the movie to the end of the movie, from the beginning of the scene to the end of the scene.” So she starts off, the beginning of the movie, really engaged in her books and not going for the adventure. I think too, she’s a little bit scared to put herself out there. She lives behind her books, and I think even in the beginning, it’s like, “Oh, you want me to go?” Then, by the end, there’s a sense of, “I’m here for this fight as well, and I’m not leaving either,” type of thing.
(L to R) Dominique Fishback and Anthony Ramos star in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’
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‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ is produced by Skydance, Paramount, di Bonaventura Pictures, Bay Films, New Republic Pictures, Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy Production, Hasbro Studios, Entertainment One, and Amblin Entertainment. It is set to release in theaters on June 9th, 2023.
