Ryan Gosling will star for directing team Daniels’ latest.
The untitled sci-fi comedy will follow their Oscar-winning ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’.
Universal is backing the film.
UPDATE! Not so fast, we’re afraid. Variety reports that while Gosling was certainly in the midst of deal talks for the movie, that old problem of scheduling issues has reared its head, and he’s no longer involved. Boo!
Gosling will lead the ensemble cast for the mysterious new movie from the unique directors and producer Jonathan Wang, with Universal locking the filmmakers into a deal even before ‘Everything Everywhere’ secured its awards glory.
(L to R) Directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert on the set of A24’s ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’ Photo Credit: Courtesy of A24.
As with their previous film, Kwan and Scheinert are keeping their cards close to their chest. But the former did tell Collider that it’ll be: “fun sci-fi, action comedy with a big heart. Very existential. All those things that you would hope that one of our movies would be. One of the reasons why it’s taking so long is because what we’re feeling and what we’re hearing from the world is very complex and really nuanced, and there’s so much paradox. To kind of reconcile all those things and put them into one movie, it takes time.”
So… yes… We’ll have to wait and see what their inventive brains have spawned this time.
When will the Daniels’ new movie be in theaters?
Fortunately, we won’t have to wait forever: Universal has scheduled the movie for release on November 19, 2027.
‘Project Hail Mary’ is a big hit at the box office already.
Ryan Gosling stars in the movie.
Elsewhere, Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ stayed strong but ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ only found modest results.
‘Project Hail Mary’ chronicles a man in spaceship on a mission to save humanity from a star-snacking organism. And the movie itself, which stars Ryan Gosling, has just saved Amazon MGM’s box office hopes.
The new film, adapted from the novel by ‘The Martian’s Andy Weir by writer Drew Goddard and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, enjoyed a massive domestic opening of $80.5 million, the biggest by far for the studio.
BCcUFMWbBHOY3zv0jhK5J4
Even with a hefty $200 million budget to make up (not including a big ad campaign), the movie’s worldwide start of 140.9 million –– the biggest in Amazon MGM’s history and the strongest launch for a movie so far this year –– will go some way to helping that.
Pixar’s ‘Hoppers,’ which has proved to be a welcome success for the animation company, slid to second place after a couple of weeks. It added $18 million for $120.4 million domestically.
Third place went to the Indian action epic ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge,’ which earned $9.5 million from just 987 locations.
Searchlight’s ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ had to make do with $9 million domestically and $11.9 million globally, but has a relatively smaller budget of around $20 million.
Finally, in fifth place we find romantic drama ‘Reminders of Him’, which made $8 million.
What’s on the horizon?
(L to R) Luigi, Yoshi, Mario and Toad in Nintendo and Illumination’s ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.
‘Project Hail Mary’ should have a clear run to keep earning next week, though Universal’s ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ is looming, and if it follows the pattern of the original, will likely launch in first place when it arrives on April 1.
(L to R): Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau, Sean Maher, Nathan Fillion, Morena Baccarin, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Jewel State and Ron Glass in ‘Firefly’. Photo: 20th Century Television.
Preview:
An animated revival of cult series ‘Firefly’ is in the works.
Nathan Fillion revealed the news.
The original show, created by Joss Whedon, ran for one season.
The original series, as created by Whedon in 2002, ran for all of one season before being unceremoniously cancelled by the Fox TV network. It returned in movie form with ‘Serenity’ in 2005, but the film didn’t do well enough at the box office spawn sequels.
5ilgSxDMGNxZVVv9U5BJG7
Now, Fillion –– who has been teasing fans via social media videos featuring his former castmates –– has revealed that a revival of the show is in development in animated form.
(L to R): Nathan Fillion and Gina Torres in ‘Firefly’. Photo: 20th Century Television.
All we really know at this point that the narrative would pick up between the end of the show and the movie. Set 500 years into the future during a global civil war, ‘Firefly’ charted the whereabouts of spaceship Serenity and its nine crew members in the year 2517.
When will the ‘Firefly’ animated series be on screens?
With this new show still in early development, and no official studio/streamer home announced (though surely Hulu is the natural place for it), there’s no word on when or even if it’ll land. You can’t stop the signal!
The spaceship Serenity in ‘Firefly’. Photo: 20th Century Television.
Selected Movies and TV Shows Featuring Nathan Fillion:
It’s time to return to Arrakis: Warner Bros. Pictures has unveiled the first teaser trailer for ‘Dune: Part Three,’ director Denis Villeneuve’s concluding chapter in the epic cinematic trilogy adapted from the landmark sci-fi novels by Frank Herbert.
Pxt18Jw7zmtazBCTzSPmI5
As you can see from viewing the trailer, ‘Dune: Part Three’ – which is due out on Dec. 18, 2026 and is based on Herbert’s second novel, ‘Dune Messiah’ – is just as immense and immersive a film experience as 2021’s ‘Dune‘ and 2024’s ‘Dune: Part Two,‘ both of which were nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards.
Just in these two minutes, the screen practically explodes with vast vistas of armies battling in the desert, spaceships rocketing through the void, and Paul ‘Muad’Dib’ Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the leader of the Arrakis native people known as the Fremen and now emperor of the universe, facing not just the galactic war he has unleashed but the prospect of parenthood with the Fremen warrior Chani (Zendaya).
(L to R) Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, director Denis Villeneuve, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Javier Bardem at the Warner Bros. Pictures, trailer launch event of ‘Dune: Part Three’ at the AMC Century City 15, in Los Angeles, California, March 16, 2026.
In addition to Chalamet and Zendaya, cast members returning from the first two films include Josh Brolin (Gurney Halleck), Javier Bardem (Stilgar), Rebecca Ferguson (Lady Jessica), Florence Pugh (Princess Irulan), and Jason Momoa, who plays a somewhat different version of his deceased character, Duncan Idaho.
New cast members include Anya Taylor-Joy as Paul’s mysterious and powerful sister Alia, Isaach de Bankolè as Paul’s former personal fedaykin (commando) Farok, and Robert Pattinson as Scytale, a member of a secretive society known as the Tlielaxu who can mimic any other human’s identity and leads a conspiracy to assassinate Paul.
Moviefone was present as Denis Villeneuve, Zendaya, Pattinson, Bardem, and Taylor-Joy premiered the trailer for press at an event in Los Angeles, and here’s what we discovered from them about ‘Dune: Part Three.’
1) Director Denis Villeneuve Says ‘Dune: Part Three’ Is A Different Movie From The First Two.
Director Denis Villeneuve at the Warner Bros. Pictures, trailer launch event of ‘Dune: Part Three’ at the AMC Century City 15, in Los Angeles, California, March 16, 2026.
Just as the book ‘Dune Messiah’ is not in the same vein as the first novel, ‘Dune,’ Denis Villeneuve hints that ‘Dune: Part Three’ charts its own path.
Denis Villeneuve: It happens many years later. It’s a very different movie from the first ones. I said to myself, it’s a good idea to come back to this world not by nostalgia, but by urgency, and to go there with a critical eye and not to be self-indulgent. I said to my team that it will be a very different film – a ‘Dune’ movie, but with a different tone, with a different rhythm, with a different base. If the first movie was more a contemplation of a boy exploring a new world, and the second one was a war movie, this one is a thriller. It’s more action-packed and more dense, more muscular than the others, I would say. It takes place many years after the first films — a bit like the book, ‘Dune Messiah’ – and gives us a new view of what has happened to Paul Atreides. It’s 17 years, and we see Paul dealing with the consequences of having too much power, and him trying to figure out how to get out of this cycle of violence. Of course, he’s an emperor who can see the future, so he’s kind of invincible, and we also follow people trying to overthrow him. It’s a quite intense story.
2) Zendaya got a pre-recorded question from Florence Pugh played for her at the trailer debut event.
Zendaya at the Warner Bros. Pictures, trailer launch event of ‘Dune: Part Three’ at the AMC Century City 15, in Los Angeles, California, March 16, 2026.
Zendaya and Florence Pugh didn’t share the screen much in ‘Dune: Part Two,’ where Pugh’s Princess Irulan was introduced, but the ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ star hints that they have more interaction in ‘Part Three.’
Zendaya: I love Florence Pugh. She’s so talented and so wonderful in this role. On the press tour the last time we were saying that we only got one scene together, and we were far away. So I was like, I hope we get more. I don’t want to tease anything, but she’s absolutely phenomenal and you guys will just have to see for yourself what happens, because it’s quite the journey. I’m so excited. I mean, these movies have meant so much to me over the years. I’ve literally been able to grow up in my entire 20s doing them, so they have such a special place in my heart, and all these people do as well. So I’m very excited and very grateful to be a part of it.
3) Javier Bardem Says His Character Stilgar Must Face Reality In ‘Dune: Part Three.’
Javier Bardem at the Warner Bros. Pictures, trailer launch event of ‘Dune: Part Three’ at the AMC Century City 15, in Los Angeles, California, March 16, 2026.
Javier Bardem’s Fremen fighter Stilgar becomes one of Paul’s most loyal soldiers and believers in the first two ‘Dune’ movies, championing him as the prophesized messiah of his people. But in ‘Dune: Part Three,’ the actor says, Stilgar finds himself in a ‘be careful what you wish for’ situation.
Javier Bardem: Well, I think it takes him to a place where he sees different realities of what being empowered means after so long. He’s in this contradiction between his loyalty to the idea that he strongly believed and fought for back in the day, and also the result of the idea becoming something that he feels may not be the thing that he dreamed about. It sounds complicated, but it’s also a complicated book, and it’s a great analogy about the idea of power and the reality of having that power, and Stilgar is there in that contradiction.
4) Anya Taylor-Joy’s Alia Is A Major Character In The Movie.
Anya Taylor-Joy at the Warner Bros. Pictures, trailer launch event of ‘Dune: Part Three’ at the AMC Century City 15, in Los Angeles, California, March 16, 2026.
Glimpsed briefly in ‘Dune: Part Two’ as both a yet-to-be-born baby and a young woman in a vision from the future, Alia Atreides – who has powerful psychic gifts of her own — becomes one of her older brother Paul’s most important allies in ‘Part Three.’
Anya Taylor-Joy: Alia has a very intense blessing/curse situation. She carries the weight and the wisdom of generations and generations in her head. She’s never in a singular conversation. It’s kind of everything everywhere, all at once. And the one thing that she really feels most strongly about is her love and devotion to her brother, because that is the only person who’s ever made her feel like she makes sense. He’s understood her from before she was even born, and she will do anything for him — to various degrees of insanity.
5) Robert Pattinson Thinks He Got The Job in ‘Dune’ Thanks To Zendaya.
(L to R) Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Javier Bardem, Zendaya, and director Denis Villeneuve at the ‘Dune: Part Three’ trailer event. Photo: Jami Philbrick.
‘The Batman’ star Robert Pattinson is such a fan of the ‘Dune’ films that he asked Zendaya for advice on how to get involved. He ended up playing a shapeshifting, biologically mutated human called Scytale who is a central figure in a plot to overthrow Paul.
Robert Pattinson: It’s incredible. I absolutely adored these movies. I saw them multiple times in the theaters, and I think I was talking to [Zendaya] on the set of ‘The Drama’ and I was like, ‘How do I get in one of those “Dune” movies?’ And then I got a very unexpected call a few months later, and I kind of think [Zendaya] had something to do with it. But I just think they’re such a towering achievement and the cast is so incredible. I just think everybody wants to work with Denis. He’s a master. When do you see the scope and scale and ambition of these movies on set, you get why they feel like this on the screen. It’s an amazing experience.
Pattinson adds that his character, Scytale, was fascinating to play because his motivations and goals are ambiguous:
Robert Pattinson: He’s an unusual character in the book. I mean, you can’t really tell whose side he’s on, which is kind of what makes him quite interesting. I want to say he’s not a conventional bad guy as such. He might even be a good guy. Who knows? I will find out when I see the movie (laughs). It’s an extremely fun character to play, and the look for it is extraordinary.
(L to R) Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Javier Bardem, Zendaya, and director Denis Villeneuve at the Warner Bros. Pictures, trailer launch event of ‘Dune: Part Three’ at the AMC Century City 15, in Los Angeles, California, March 16, 2026.
What is the plot of ‘Dune: Part Three’?
Defeating his enemies on Arrakis and becoming emperor of all known space, superhuman Fremen messiah Paul Atreides grapples with the consequences of unleashing a bloody galactic jihad, even as mysterious and powerful forces conspire to destroy him.
Who is in the cast of ‘Dune: Part Three’?
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides
Zendaya as Chani
Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan
Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides
Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica
Robert Pattinson as Scytale
Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho
Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck
Javier Bardem as Stilgar
Isaach de Bankolé as Farok
Nakoa-Wolf Momoa as Leto II Atreides
Ida Brooke as Ghanima Atreides
‘Dune: Part Three’ opens on December 18th. Photo: Warner Bros.
List of Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Dune’ Franchise:
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.Zendaya as Chani in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.Jason Momoa as Hayt in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.Robert Pattinson as Scytale in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.Florence Pugh as Empress Irulan in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.A Scene from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure ‘Dune: Part Three,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.
Ryan Gosling in ‘Project Hail Mary’. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
Preview:
‘Project Hail Mary’ touched down at Comic-Con.
The panel included Ryan Gosling, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.
The movie adapts Andy Weir’s book.
‘Project Hail Mary’ represents the collaboration between some fairly stellar names in filmmaking. Take directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who have brought acclaimed comedies and Oscar-winning animated superhero movies to screens while having fun with genre.
Add in Ryan Gosling, who has proved his chops in both the dramatic and laugh-grabbing departments. And blend them with the invention of Andy Weir, whose book ‘The Martian’ became a wildly successful movie in its own right.
The result is a space-set adventure that appears to offer plenty of laughs and humanity to go with the big ideas.
BCcUFMWbBHOY3zv0jhK5J4
So the movie was naturally one that Amazon MGM Studios knew could play well at Comic-Con, with the team showing up for a panel in Hall H.
Ryan Gosling in ‘Project Hail Mary’. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
‘Project Hail Mary’ is set in the near future. Our hero is Ryland Grace (Gosling), a school teacher-turned-astronaut who wakes up from a coma, alone, on a space station with no memory of who he is or his mission.
His memory returns in bursts and he pieces together that he was sent to the Tau Ceti solar system, 12 light-years from Earth, to reverse the impact of a space event that had already hurled our planet into the early stages of an Ice Age.
As details of the mission unravel, he must call on all of his scientific training and sheer ingenuity, but he might not have to do it alone…
What happened at the ‘Project Hail Mary’ panel?
Ryan Gosling in ‘Project Hail Mary’. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
Much as with big movies such as ‘TRON: Ares’, the ‘Project Hail Mary’ team made good use of the giant screens that stretch down the sides of Hall H, projecting logos and the galactic map seen in the trailer.
Those on stage included directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, author Andy Weir and screenwriter Drew Goddard (who also adapted ‘The Martian’).
Gosling talked about why he wanted to join the projecting, citing Weir as the greatest science fiction writer (and not just because he was sitting next to him on the panel). He knew it would be great, but not how great.
Here’s what else he said:
“It’s about a scared guy who doesn’t know what he’s doing and I was a scared guy who didn’t know what I was doing, trying to turn it into a movie.”
He called Lord and Miller, which seems like a smart move…
For their part, the directors also used a movie metaphor to describe working with Gosling, in that it’s about collaboration and they had a great time working with the actor.
The filmmakers shared new concept art from the movie, including spaceship designs and more.
Biggest news of the panel? Daniel Pemberton, who has experience working with Lord and Miller on the ‘Spider-Verse’ movies, is the composer for this.
But the best part of the panel? The first five minutes of the movie were shown, including Gosling waking up from an induced coma, befuddled and unsure of where he is. He struggles with a robot that is trying to help him and discovers that the crew in the chamber with him are all dead.
Other clips were shown, but from later in the movie, so we’ll avoid discussing those to stay away from spoilers.
When will ‘Project Hail Mary’ be on screens?
Unlike some of the other projects touted at this year’s convention, we still have a wait for ‘Project Hail Mary’.
Amazon MGM Studios will release the movie in theaters on March 20th, 2026.
Ryan Gosling in ‘Project Hail Mary’. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
Taika Waititi is putting a ‘Judge Dredd’ movie together.
Drew Pearce is attached to write the script.
The package is out to studios.
UK comics icon Judge Dredd –– the muscular, gruff dystopian lawman who rides a hulking bike and dishes out justice while calling perps “creeps” –– is no stranger to movie screens, having been adapted twice before.
(L to R) Diane Lane and Sylvester Stallone in ‘Judge Dredd’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
Created in the late 1970s by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra, the character of Dredd debuted in the pages of weekly British anthology 2000 AD.
He is a police officer in the bleak future metropolis of Mega-City One, part of a law enforcement corps that empowers officers to be judge, jury, and executioner.
The character and his stories were a satire on a judicial system taken to the extreme. Dredd proved hugely popular, engendering several more comics and comics strips, video and board games, books, and even postage stamps in the United Kingdom.
Given what’s happening on America’s streets right now, the concept feels less like satire and more like documentary, but it’s also certainly rich territory for Waititi, who has put his own stamp on even the MCU.
As mentioned above, if it goes through this would represent the third produced version of the character, following the big-budget 1995 adaptation ‘Judge Dredd’ starring Sylvester Stallone that was harshly judged by critics and audiences.
There are few official details for how Waititi and Pearce’s version will differ, but they apparently both grew up on the comics. Dredd might be more of a risk, though, as Waititi has tried to tackle classic sci-fi in the past, with ‘Akira’ slipping through his fingers.
Waititi has been a little quieter of late since 2023’s soccer comedy drama ‘Next Goal Wins’, but he has new movie ‘Klara and the Sun’ on the way this year.
Jared Harris in ‘Foundation,’ premiering July 11, 2025 on Apple TV+.
‘Foundation’ Season 3 receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.
Released on Apple TV+ on July 11th with its initial episode, ‘Foundation’ returns us to the multi-storyline tale of an Empire’s fall and a dedicated –– some might say obsessed –– scientist’s drive to steer the future.
Lee Pace in ‘Foundation,’ premiering July 11, 2025 on Apple TV+.
We are long past the point where Isaac Asimov’s ‘Foundation’ stories are considered “unfilmable” –– the team behind this Apple series have been putting the lie to that since 2021.
Yet, the source material’s endlessly layered and complex themes have not always proven so easy to transition to screens, and the third season of the show continues that. There are storylines and characters who pop (the returning ones), while others struggle to make themselves stand out.
And some serious production issues (strikes, budgetary squabbles) have led to delays on this one –– but fortunately the quality is unaffected.
Script and Direction
Lou Llobell in ‘Foundation,’ premiering July 11, 2025 on Apple TV+.
While Goyer had been serving as both head writer and initial director for the first three episodes, he was swapped out –– on the directing front, at least, by Tim Southam, who has worked on the likes of ‘One Piece’ and ‘Lost in Space’. Partly that was to allow Goyer to focus on the writing side, and partly to curb budgetary overruns.
And it’s not hard to see why –– ‘Foundation’ remains a visually dazzling, clearly expensive series that manages to balance intimate, intense character moments with sweeping star-scapes and big location shoots.
But none of that is worth it if the scripts don’t work, and while the series sometimes loses itself in esoterica, it still delivers on the ‘Game of Thrones’-esque machinations of competing political, scientific, and particularly this season, criminal dynamics looking to dominate the galaxy.
There’s real scope and scale here, but the writers also don’t forget to narrow down to a more human level (even if the character is, say, a humanoid robot who can tear her own face open with a fingertip and seal it back up again like someone else shutting a Ziploc.
On the directing side, Southam and the other directors keeps up the style of the show, all grand architecture and vibrant costumes, and the effects remain impressive.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Cassian Bilton, Lee Pace and Terrence Mann in ‘Foundation,’ premiering July 11, 2025 on Apple TV+.
As I mentioned above, the veteran cast are, for the most part, the characters who pop. Jared Harris continues to own every scene he’s in as “psychohistory” expert Hari Seldon, the deep thinker with a planet-sized ego whose math-based theories have predicted the end of empires and how civilizations can speed up the chaotic periods in between interstellar calm.
Harris is measured and fantastically smug in equal measure and despite his character’s seeming death last season, he’s not letting that stop him make pronouncements.
If there’s anyone who can match Harris for sheer presence it’s Lee Pace as Brother Day, one of the three clones who rules the Empire in endless succession, a new one decanted when one dies, and always three hanging around arguing (Pace’s scenes with co-stars Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk, the older variant and Brother Dawn, played by Cassian Bilton, are always good).
Pace, never knowingly fully clothed, is handed yet more solid material to play here, and while it’s less showy than other season, it deepens his character as his flaws really start to play on him. Plus a mano-a-mano duel late in the season we won’t spoil here is excellent.
Pilou Asbæk in ‘Foundation,’ premiering July 11, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Rounding out the standout veteran characters is The Mule, with ‘Game of Thrones’ veteran Pilou Asbæk taking over the role for this third season. A psychic warlord who can influence the brain of almost anyone he meets, he’s like a violent, vulgar crossbreed of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, a man who believes he’s destined to rule worlds and isn’t above slaughtering people to achieve his aims.
Asbæk gives him just the right amount of sneer mixed with charisma, and The Mule is a highlight of the new season.
No less impactful but much humbler is Lou Lobell’s Gaal Dornick, one of Hari’s main followers who has long since evolved into her own person with her own mission. Lobell makes her believable and empathetic.
And Laura Birn, who plays synthetic lifeform Demerzel, an aide to Pace and co’s emperors who is much more –– and much more powerful/influential than anyone suspects continues to impress.
Of the new characters this year, there is good work from Alexander Siddig (back on the science fiction beat after his first big role in ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’ decades ago). While Siddig had a small role in Season 1 of the show, he’s back playing Dr. Ebling Mis here.
Finally, there are three other newcomers who pop –– Synnøve Karlsen and Cody Fern as Bayta and Toran Mallow, a spoiled rich couple on their honeymoon who get swept up into the Mule’s storyline and Tómas Lemarquis as a hypnotic musician who works with the criminal character.
Final Thoughts
Alexander Siddig in ‘Foundation,’ premiering July 11, 2025 on Apple TV+.
‘Foundation’ might seem impenetrable to some. But if you give it a chance to wrap its tendrils around your brain, you’ll appreciate the magic trick it is pulling off bringing one of the most complicated and thoughtful novel series to life.
FVj0e0AIzTCD9yuQcnfZH1
What’s the plot of ‘Foundation’?
Set 152 years after the events of the second season, The Foundation has become increasingly established far beyond its humble beginnings while the Cleonic Dynasty’s Empire has dwindled.
As these galactic powers forge an uneasy alliance, a threat to the entire galaxy appears in the fearsome form of a war lord known as The Mule whose sights are set on ruling the universe by use of physical and military force, as well as mind control. It’s anyone’s guess who will win, who will lose, who will live and who will die.
Who stars in ‘Foundation’?
Jared Harris as Hari Seldon
Lee Pace as Brother Day
Lou Llobell as Gaal Dornick
Laura Birn as Demerzel
Cassian Bilton as Brother Dawn
Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk
Pilou Asbæk as The Mule
Cody Fern as Toran Mallow
Synnove Karlsen as Bayta Mallow
Alexander Siddig as Dr. Ebling Mis
Laura Birn in ‘Foundation,’ premiering July 11, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Doug Liman in developing an adaptation of ‘The Stand.’
Stephen King’s 1987 tale is considered among his best.
Paramount Pictures is backing the new movie project.
There are certain things you can count on in life. The changing of the seasons. The tides of the sea. A studio or filmmaker deciding to adapt a Stephen King story.
Paramount Pictures is, per The Hollywood Reporter, teaming up with the director to adapt the novel into a movie, bringing to the big screen something that has previously been miniseries.
The book, first published in 1978 then revised in 1990, is a bar-setting literary genre offering that has long influenced pop culture and inspired many other takes on post-apocalyptic narratives across different media.
An ambitious story of good vs. evil, it takes place in an America after a virus wipes out most of the population and follows dozens of characters in overlapping storylines running over many years. And while readers root for the characters such as the Trashcan Man and Mother Abigail, the final showdown came down to a group of survivors fighting the Antichrist-like Randall Flagg in the wasteland known as Las Vegas.
‘The Stand’ has, as mentioned above been adapted twice as a miniseries, once in 1994 and again in 2020 (pretty sure no one was really ready to watch it as Covid initially gripped the world), and as comic by Marvel Comics.
There’s a reason it has primarily been made into miniseries form: the book is King’s longest work, with a whopping page count of 1,152.
The history of people trying to adapt it into a movie is a litany of different filmmakers, none of whom got it over the finishing line: directors including George A. Romero,David Yates to Ben Affleck and Josh Boone (the latter ended up involved with the 2020 miniseries) have tried to tackle the material, and Warner Bros. and CBS Films partnered on developing it in the 2010s.
Now Paramount, working with Liman and producer Tyler Thompson of Cross Creek Pictures (who previously helped the director shoot Tom Cruise effort ‘American Made’ for Universal) are meeting with writers to develop Liman’s particular take –– described by THR’s sources as a one-movie idea rather than trying to launch a franchise –– into script form.
What else is Doug Liman developing?
(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.
Liman is a real genre-hopper who hates being tied down to one sort of movie, and he has several other plates spinning right now.
Right now, he’s shooting ‘Everest’, which stars Ewan McGregor as British mountain climber George Mallory, the explorer who made multiple attempts to scale the titular peak throughout the 1920s.
And then there’s ‘Deeper’ in development, an underwater supernatural thriller that is being targeted for Cruise and Ana de Armas (because as the latest ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie can attest, Cruise loves spending time underwater).
The director keeps talking about the potential for another Cruise reunion –– a sequel to sci-fi ‘Edge of Tomorrow,’ though despite the tantalizing prospect, it remains just out of reach.
Then we have the big maybes, such as a movie that could be shot on the International Space Station, starring –– you guessed it! –– one Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, a new movie adaptation of ‘The Saint’ TV show and a variety of others.
That’s not even getting into his list as a producer, but to document all of those would take probably about the same word count as ‘The Stand’.
When will ‘The Stand’ be on screens?
While Liman is a director who can get movies made, even the fact that it has a studio attached is no guarantee that this will either move quickly or even reach screens.
Add to that the fact that the movie doesn’t have a writer aboard yet, let alone a cast, and we’d expect to be waiting a couple of years for this one. So, er, stand still for now?
(L to R) Robbie Amell and Stephen Amell Talk ‘Code 8: Part II.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Robbie Amell and Stephen Amell about their new sequel, reprising their characters, how they’ve changed since the last movie, working together, collaborating with director Jeff Chan, and robotic dogs.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, Robbie, can you talk about reprising this role and what’s happening with Connor when the new movie begins?
Robbie Amell: So, our movie picks up five years after ‘Code 8’ part one ends. Connor is just getting out of prison and he’s trying to get back to some semblance of a normal life. Stephen’s character has spent the last five years building a bit of an empire and working with some shady characters. Then after the first 10 minutes of the movie, it’s pretty much a chase movie and it moves fast, and it almost happens in real time. So, it’s tough to give too much away without really jumping right into the story.
MF: Stephen, what was it like for you to play Garrett again and explore the character more with this sequel?
Stephen Amell: I think that Jeff Chan, our director and Chris Paré, his writing partner, did a cool job. We really get to dive into Garrett and Connor a little bit more. They wrote us some great, wonderful scenes. There’s a diner scene that is, I think both of our favorites.
MF: Robbie, can you talk about that relationship and why Connor doesn’t trust Garrett?
RA: I mean, they just don’t really see eye to eye in the first movie. Garrett is doing what he thinks is right and Connor is doing what he thinks is right, and I think that’s kind of life. Stephen always says Garrett’s the hero of his own story, and I think that’s true for life. People see themselves as the world’s main character and the hero of the story. In our world, everybody is not out for themselves, but decisions are being made and they’re in a gray area. It’s not necessarily right or wrong or black and white, it’s dependent on who’s making the decision and people do the wrong things for the right reasons and I like that. I think it’s interesting that at the end of the first movie Connor makes a decision that I think a lot of people didn’t agree with. I know a lot of people that did agree with it. I think that’s interesting that it sparks questions and life is about perspective.
MF: Stephen, what’s it been like for you playing a darker type of character than most audiences are used to seeing you play?
SA: Listen, I love it. I like being evil. I try to be nice in my real life. So, it’s fun to threaten people and to be evil. It’s a little bit of a release.
MF: Stephen, can you talk about having the opportunity to act opposite your cousin in these films?
SA: Working with Robbie is great. I’ve learned a lot. I used to get very much in my head when it came to acting. Then I saw Rob and he had this very practical approach and that’s helped me in my career a lot to try to emulate him a little bit.
MF: Robbie, what’s it been like for you making these movies with Stephen and sharing this experience?
RA: It’s awesome. I mean, there’s nothing better than working with family and friends and you always hope that you have chemistry with the person you’re working opposite. When it’s family, you know you have that. Steve, he knows how to get under my skin, but he also knows how to make me laugh and he can twist the knife better than anybody. We’re so lucky and it’s not only with Steve, but the entire crew is also back from part one for part two. Everybody takes a lot of pride and ownership in this movie, and I think that’s really the reason for its success.
MF: Robbie, can you also talk about the robot dogs you fight in the movie and were those done with practical or visual effects?
RA: So, Jeff and Chris, they do a ton of research before they start writing these movies. For this, there was a lot of looking at the Boston Dynamics and those dogs that have already been made. But there’s a lot of these YouTube videos about these incredible robotic dogs and they were like, “We got to use these.” It feels like it’s just around the corner. The dogs, when we were shooting, you had a guy in a green suit with a light on his head. We built a practical dog, but it couldn’t move and then sometimes there was nothing. So, you would do the scene multiple times and a lot of it is just for reference for our amazing visual effects company who then come in and put it in aftereffects. Our visual effects team is unbelievable, and they take so much pride and effort into what goes on screen.
MF: Stephen, what was it like working with director Jeff Chan and watching him execute his vision for this movie?
SA: Jeff is incredibly prepared. Rob was saying earlier that every scene that we do, he comes in with a very clear vision, but best idea wins. So, he’s a great director, works wonderfully with the actors. I can’t say enough good things about him.
MF: Robbie, what was your experience like collaborating with Jeff Chan on set?
RA: I mean he’s really the driving force behind ‘Code 8.’ He lives and breathes it and he comes in like Steve said, so prepared, but he’s also very open and malleable to how it’s going to work on the day and the best way. He’s got no ego for a guy whose kind of built this from a short film to a Netflix sequel and the whole crew, the whole cast, we’re just very lucky. We got great people.
MF: Finally, are you open to the idea of making a ‘Code 8: Part III’?
RA: Hey man, if people turn out we’ll make a third one.
fjfRNtJnmMZ92rWr66hD03
What is the Plot of ‘Code 8: Part II’?
The film centers around the 4% of people living in fictional Lincoln City who possess special abilities. It follows the journey of a teenage girl (Sirena Gulamgaus) fighting to get justice for her slain brother at the hands of corrupt police officers. After becoming a witness to the cover-up, she becomes a target and enlists the help of an ex-con (Robbie Amell) and his former partner-in-crime (Stephen Amell).
The series centers on married couple Franklin (Simmons) and Irene York (Spacek), who discover a portal in their backyard that leads to a deserted planet.
In addition to Spacek and Simmons, the series also features Chai Hansen, Kiah McKirnan, Adam Bertley, and Julieta Zylberberg.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons about their work on ‘Night Sky.’
I5BXSsha
You can read our full interview with Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Spacek, Simmons, Kiah McKirnan, and Chai Hansen.
Moviefone: To begin with, Sissy can you talk about the relationship between Franklin and Irene?
Sissy Spacek: Well, they’re like related now. They’ve been together so long. I think they’d have a lot less fun in life if they didn’t have each other. He has been her protector. He’s her rock. He’s her metronome. He’s always solid as a rock. She’s a little flighty, and a little moody.
MF: The series explains that Franklin and Irene discovered the portal years ago, so in theory, the show could have begun when they were younger. J.K., why do you think it was important to start the story now, with the characters in their older age?
J.K. Simmons: That was one thing that intrigued me as I went through the scripts, reading for the first time. I learned from (show creator) Holden (Miller) that really the whole idea of this show, even before the sci-fi aspects of it, was really inspired by his relationship and his closeness with his grandparents.
Even though it’s not at all autobiographical or about them specifically, he wanted to do something to honor them. I love that it takes its time introducing these characters and giving the audience some credit for having patience and being willing to invest in these characters. Then, ultimately there are fireworks, right and left, but it really takes its time in developing, which I appreciate.
MF: Finally, Sissy how do you think the discovery of the portal has affected Franklin and Irene’s lives, both positively and negatively?
SS: Well, one of the negative things I think is it’s a huge secret for them to keep. So, they’ve isolated themselves. They’re not as involved with the community as they once were. When they lose their son, it just turns their lives upside down because they find that thing in their backyard right after they lose Michael, and they get it all kind of mixed up with each other. I think Irene is waiting for something to happen. She thinks that maybe she can find Michael. I mean, it sounds so far-fetched, but she’s almost paralyzed by her fascination with it.
‘Night Sky’ premieres on Prime Video beginning May 20th.
