He’s made cameos in his past work and had a meatier role in the likes of ‘From Dusk Till Dawn,’ but for a new drama, he’s taken his biggest role in years, as reported by Deadline.
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Tarantino is part of the cast for director Jamie Adams’ new drama, ‘Only What We Carry’, which recently wrapped shooting in Deauville, France.
Simon Pegg plays Benji in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
The movie is described as “a meditation on love, loss, and the quiet courage it takes to move forward”
Pegg plays Julian Johns, a once-formidable instructor whose former student Charlotte Levant (Boutella) returns home to face the ghosts of her past. Joining them are John Percy (Tarantino), Julian’s old friend whose sudden arrival stirs long-buried truths; Josephine Chabrol (Gainsbourg), Charlotte’s protective sister; Vincent (Hellmann), a restless artist caught between love and loyalty, and Jacqueline (McAlpine), a young aspiring dancer whose presence forces everyone to confront the weight of what they’ve left behind.
Here what Adams said about making the movie:
“It’s always been a dream of mine to shoot an Eric Rohmer styled picture in Normandy, a dream that included collaborating with an exceptional international ensemble cast and crew. It turns out that by embracing the freedoms of independent cinema, that dream has come true. I’m forever grateful to the cast and crew of ‘Only What We Carry’ for this moment.”
(L to R) Dave Bautista and Sofia Boutella star in ‘The Killer’s Game’. Photo: Lionsgate.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Dave Bautista and Sofia Boutella to talk about their work on ‘The Killer’s Game’, their first reaction to the screenplay, their characters, the action, the romance, and working with Sir Ben Kingsley.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Bautista, Boutella and director J.J. Perry.
Dave Bautista in ‘The Killer’s Game’. Photo: Lionsgate.
Moviefone: To begin with, Dave, what was your first reaction to reading the screenplay and having the opportunity to play a character that’s different than anything we’ve seen you play before.
Dave Bautista: The first reaction would’ve been years and years ago, and I loved it right off the bat because I thought it was like a rom com disguised as an action film. At that time, I really didn’t want to do action films. I just wanted to pursue interesting action roles, and this would’ve been something new for me. So, I was really excited about it. I thought it was fun. It’s something I’ve been really searching for. A couple years ago, I made a conscious decision to stop, not to stop, but to really limit my supporting roles because I felt like if I keep accepting supporting roles, I’m not going to get leading roles. So, I had to really start searching and holding out for leading roles. This is kind of that first leading man, almost cliche leading man, where I just kick ass and I get the girl. So, it was like, “Hey, it’s a new venture for me.” I was nervous about it. I was self-conscious about it. I’m still nervous about it, and I hope people receive it. But I had so much fun doing it, and I’m very proud of it. It was a great learning experience and hopefully the first of many.
MF: Sofia, can you talk about your approach to playing Maize and how your dancing background prepared you to play this character?
Sofia Boutella: First, I always say that my dancing background helps me with anything I do in my life and even in things that aren’t physical because of how I think about projects and the physicality, just the discipline of what I must execute, period. But I was really attracted to working with David, and to be in an action film where I don’t do any action and just fall in love on screen. I’ve never played a character that is that soft and that just has romance in her life. I haven’t got a chance to explore that. So, I’m happy that I got a chance to do that and dance again, which I was terrified about because I haven’t done it in a long time.
(L to R) Dave Bautista and Sofia Boutella in ‘The Killer’s Game’. Photo: Lionsgate.
MF: Sofia, can you talk about the relationship between Joe and Maize and what was it like playing those romantic scenes on screen with Dave?
SB: I loved it. I just loved how much of an introvert he was and how much Maize wants to get it out of him. I think she sees through the facade, and she finds that tenderness very appealing because he’s just so imposing and he’s just so tough and big, but then she sees the softness inside of him. So, this was fun for me and to play also just such a giddy character. When you get to the place where he’s breaking her heart. You don’t expect him to do that, and she knows that he’s not capable of that. So, it’s all very confusing. But all of that was very fun.
MF: Dave, can you talk about shooting the action sequences and what it was like working with director J.J. Perry, who is a former stunt coordinator himself?
DB: It was great, and I say that because we were so limited on time shooting this film. Because J.J. understands action so well, it just made it easy for me. Also, we didn’t have the luxury of going in and rehearsing action sequences for weeks like I did on Bond (‘Spectre’). I rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed and over rehearsed. With this, a lot of times it was coming to set, and because J.J. is so experienced in this, he knows exactly what he needs. So, we just need these few beats, and we need these few beats, and then we need these few beats. So, it’s stuff that I could learn just very fast, right there on the day. Which it just wouldn’t have worked if we had some money, less experience, it just wouldn’t have worked because we had 42 days to shoot this whole film and a lot of stuff. A lot of times we had two units running at once because he knew exactly what he needed, and he’s so prepared. He just made it very easy. I mean, it just wouldn’t have worked without J.J.
Sir Ben Kingsley in ‘The Killer’s Game’. Photo: Lionsgate.
MF: Dave, what is it like having Sir Ben Kingsley as a scene partner?
DB: It was nerve-racking, man. It was intimidating as you’d imagine, for me, especially because I’ve got such a chip on my shoulder to prove myself as an actor. I want to feel like I deserve to be there, sharing scenes with Sir Ben. It’s very validating for me. But at the same time, the energy was very different when Sir Ben was on set. That’s the thing. It’s just such a respect factor. The energy doesn’t change because he is intentionally trying to be intimidating or he’s high maintenance. It’s just the respect factor and they love him and respect him so much. So, everybody just wants to cater to him, and it always comes from a good place. But he’s just such a sweet, loving human being, which makes it even more like you just want to give him all that respect.
MF: Finally, Sofia, what was your experience like working with Sir Ben Kingsley?
SB: Everybody was nervous the day he came on set. Everybody was like, “He’s here. Remember, call him sir.” No, it was an honor, really. When you see the body of work that he has and how talented he is, and the charisma that comes with his presence is monumental. But he was also very sweet, very kind, and chill. But he is Sir Ben Kingsley.
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What is the plot of ‘The Killer’s Game’?
A veteran assassin (Dave Bautista) fends off a hit he placed on himself after learning the terminal medical diagnosis he received was incorrect.
Sofia Boutella in an exclusive photo from ‘The Killer’s Game’. Photo: Lionsgate.
Preview:
Take an exclusive first look at Sofia Boutella in ‘The Killer’s Game’.
She stars alongside Dave Bautista in the action comedy thriller.
J.J. Perry directed the movie.
If you were wondering when you might get an exclusive look at the new action comedy thriller starring Dave Bautista and Sofia Boutella, your wait is over.
Moviefone is excited to debut a new image from the film, featuring Boutella as Maize, a key character in the story (see above).
With a cast brimming with action icons and character favorites, it promises plenty of crazy set-pieces and entertaining performances as it answers the question “what would happen if a hitman learned they’re dying and put a hit out on themselves. But… Oops! Turns out the diagnosis is wrong, but now they still have to deal with everyone trying to kill them.”
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What’s the story of ‘The Killer’s Game’?
Dave Bautista in ‘The Killer’s Game’. Photo: Lionsgate.
The new action comedy kicks off when top hitman Joe Flood (Bautista) is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and he decides to take matters into his own hands –– by taking a hit out on himself.
But when he both learns he was misdiagnosed and the very hitmen he hired also target his ex–girlfriend (Boutella), he must fend off an army of assassin colleagues and win back the love of his life before it’s too late.
Pom Klementieff in ‘The Killer’s Game’. Photo: Lionsgate.
The new movie has been in development for a long time. But it has finally found like thanks to Lionsgate, which acquired the script in 2023 and hired ‘Day Shift’ director J.J. Perry to oversee it.
Dave Bautista talks ‘The Killer’s Game’ and his co-star
(L to R) Dave Bautista and Sofia Boutella in ‘The Killer’s Game’. Photo: Lionsgate.
Bautista was recently asked about the choice of Boutella as Maize by The Hollywood Reporter.
This is what he had to say:
“They brought forth other actresses, and I just kept turning them down, saying, ‘No, I just can’t wrap my head around anybody else other than Sofia,’ ”So then I said, ‘Let’s not look for another actress. Let’s just try to move schedules around so we can make Sofia work.’ It took a lot of doing from producers and agents and managers, and Sofia being willing to fly back and forth from Budapest to London while she was on two projects.”
When will ‘The Killer’s Game’ be in theaters?
You’ll be able to catch all the action when ‘The Killer’s Game’ arrives in theaters on Friday, September 13th.
Dave Bautista in ‘The Killer’s Game’. Photo: Lionsgate.
On Netflix on Friday, April 19th, ‘Rebel Moon: Part Two –– The Scargiver’ sees director Zack Snyder offering up the second chapter of his expansive, war-happy space adventure, this time with a narrowed focus and slightly more coherent storyline.
Yet, like the first part, it doesn’t work, falling into the feeling of a lower-rent ‘Star Wars’ movie that disappoints on many levels.
If you watched the first part of ‘Rebel Moon’ and had your socks knocked off at its audacious, sweeping scale and intense science fiction action… Then good for you. But we wonder if we watched a different movie.
For those who found that outing an unoriginal slog filled with cliches and tropes and wondered if a follow-up could do the impossible and actually come off worse, then… Zack Snyder is here to unfortunately confirm that suspicion.
Because ‘The Scargiver’ somehow manages to be full of battles and stakes and yet completely devoid of authentic emotion or reaction. True, some of the heroes here don’t make it out alive, but you honestly will not care. And the rest? Pure noise and bolted-together nonsense.
The script for ‘The Scargiver’ simply and obviously continues what ‘A Child of Fire’ began –– Sofia Boutella’s Kora has returned to the pastoral moon of Veldt with the warriors she thinks could defend the place. But bafflingly (due to some poorly explained Motherworld policy), she seems to believe that all will be well since she managed to slay Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein). Alas! Not only is Noble not dead thanks to some slightly Darth Vader-like medical treatment, but he’s also boiling with vengeance towards Kora and is only too happy to take it out on Veldt.
Yet the new movie somehow manages to waste even the vaguest spark of an idea, any potential value buried in a mire of off-the-peg motivational speeches that would make someone giving out advice at a Holiday Inn conference room cringe. Even seasoned performers such as Anthony Hopkins cannot make this stuff work.
The pacing is also way off, the first third of the movie stilted and awkward, grinding to a halt as various characters fill the people of Veldt (and, by extension, whoever is watching and not already asleep by that point) in on their backstories. There are zero surprises to be found here, except perhaps from Staz Nair’s Tarak, who it turns out is these days often shirtless but used to be a buttoned-up prince whose people used giant warbirds in the hope that they can battle spaceships –– it did not go well for them! Yet even that seemingly impressive sequence feels like Snyder borrowing, in this case from himself, as it has echoes of the opening scenes of ‘Man of Steel’.
Snyder also still indulges himself on the visual front –– for every impressive location shot or beautiful looking sequence of a ship against a giant ringed moon, there are a hundred generic moments of laser blast fire and such an overload of slow-motion that you could watch the movie on fast forward and large chunks of it would appear to be playing at normal speed. A director having a stamped-on style is one thing. A filmmaker lazily going to the well so many times that it quickly runs dry is quite another.
‘Rebel Moon’s returning cast don’t manage to spin the material into gold any more than they did the original. In many ways, they’re even more stranded among their director’s indulgences.
As we mentioned above, the initial chunk of the film splits its time between Ed Skrein’s Darth V… Sorry, Admiral Noble being angry (Skrein still at least seems to be having fun swallowing scenery) and either the warrior characters spinning their wheels talking about their background, or long, dull sequences of farming that make it all look like a Budweiser commercial.
Sofia Boutella carries the lion’s share of the character work, her own backstory an entirely unsurprising tale of betrayal, but even she’s stranded in a character who appears to have two modes: violent fighter or mopey love interest.
The likes of Bae Doona, Djimon Hounsou and E. Duffy likewise remain entirely wasted in their supporting roles, whose character development is relegated to fighting or worrying.
Everyone else is an archetype in search of a character, less active participants than human props.
An utterly disappointing follow-up to the first ‘Rebel Moon’ that we didn’t think was possible, this easily limbos under the low bar set by that movie. A waste of time, money and actors, it is reduced to embarrassingly cringeworthy moments such as a quartet still playing dramatic music in the same room as a king is being portrayed or long, battering sequences of war machines shooting at people.
This so wants to aim for the quality and majesty of movies such as the recent ‘Dune: Part Two’ but ends up hitting ‘Dumb: Part Two’. Snyder has already talked about, and leaves us with, hints of further stories to come, but that’s not something to anticipate after this.
‘Rebel Moon: Part Two –– The Scargiver’ receives 5.5 out of 10 stars.
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What is the plot of ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’?
Kora (Sofia Boutella) and the surviving warriors prepare to fight and defend their new homeworld Veldt against the Motherworld.
Who is in the cast of ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’?
Director Zack Snyder Talks ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director and cinematographer Zack Snyder about his work on ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver,’ creating the overall story, knowing where to split ‘A Child of Fire’ and ‘Scargiver’ into two different films, Kora’s journey, working with Sofia Boutella, shooting the battle sequences, and the future of the franchise.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Snyder, Sofia Boutella, Michiel Huisman, Djimon Hounsou, Staz Nair, Elise Duffy, Ed Skrein and Fra Fee.
Zack Snyder attends the Netflix’s Tudum: A Global Fan Event 2023 at Fundação Bienal de São Paulo on June 17, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about developing the overall story for these two films, when you realized it was too much story for one movie, and how you decided where to split the two films?
Zack Snyder: When Kurt (Johnstad) and Shay (Hatten) and I were working on the script, even as I was pitching it with Netflix in our early days, we knew we were over 220 pages for the script. We cut it down to the version that you see, and it was still a good solid two hours and the director’s cuts are a solid three hours each, so it’s a lot of material, obviously. So, I knew early on that we were going to have to cut it and we knew we had Gondival in the middle of the movie and that run-in with Noble, and so that was where we kind of thought, “Okay, that’s a good spot.” Kora has a small victory, but it’s a false victory and we felt like that would be a good place to break it. The truth is that I think once you see ‘Part Two,’ you’ll really understand that it’s one story.
MF: Can you talk about how Kora has changed from the first film, the importance of seeing this story through her eyes, and what it’s been like for you working with Sofia Boutella on these two movies?
ZS: First, I’ll just say Sofia’s an incredible partner and an incredible actress, and I trust her incredibly with the work and really rely on her physicality and her emotional strength. She’s just amazing. Also, I really feel like her story is an incredible story of redemption. You’ll find out in ‘Part Two” why she’s on the run, what she’s done and the importance that this kind of sacrifice has for her. How far she would be willing to go to be redeemed, I think is really an incredible and fun thing that she really personifies incredibly well.
MF: In addition to directing, you are also the cinematographer on ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver.’ Can you talk about shooting the battle sequences and was it physically and emotionally challenging for you to do both?
ZS: Yeah, thankfully, I’m supported by this guy named John Clothier, who’s an incredible camera operator who I’ve been working with since ‘Watchmen,’ and he is an amazing resource. He’s the A camera operator, I’m the B camera operator, and so we work really in partnership. But during the battle sequences, all those explosions and stuff, we were just right in them, in the heart of them, getting plastered with dirt and debris every day. So yeah, it was really taxing and difficult for us to photograph, but super fun, rewarding and I wouldn’t do it any other way. It’s just like when you are in the trenches, literally with the guy’s filming, you really understand just what physically is happening and what emotionally needs to happen because you’re just right there and so it’s a kind of cool way to make a movie.
MF: Finally, are there more stories that you want to tell in the ‘Rebel Moon’ universe, and what is the future of the franchise?
ZS: Sure, absolutely. I would love to make some more ‘Rebel Moon’ movies. I mean, right now we’re trying to set up to make this little movie that I’ve been working on, so I might go do that, just as a palate cleanser. But in the end, I think the ‘Rebel Moon’ universe has some stories left in it, obviously based on the end of this movie.
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What is the plot of ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’?
Kora (Sofia Boutella) and the surviving warriors prepare to fight and defend their new homeworld Veldt against the Motherworld.
Who is in the cast of ‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’?
It is in no way surprising that this began life as a pitch Snyder presented to Lucasfilm way back in the days before Disney snapped it up. That Kathleen Kennedy passed on his side story set in that galaxy far, far is both good and bad news, and particularly positive if you’re a fan of the director’s distinctive visuals and action sense, as it’s full of both.
How you react to the movie might depend on what you’re looking for going in –– if you’re after a sweeping sci-fi epic full of scrappy underdogs looking to battle a powerful empire that is cracking down on any hint of rebellion well… if you’ve also watched ‘Star Wars’ than this might be a solid second choice.
Perhaps the biggest issue with the movie might be that despite all the unfamiliar names for words and characters, it all feels very… done before. Opening on a giant, lurking space vessel and then panning down to a planet where someone is engaged in farm work feels less like crafting a homage to George Lucas (who, let’s not forget, borrowed liberally to create his own space opera) and more like cribbing from his homework. And not just Lucas –– there are elements that you’ll recognize from the likes of ‘Serenity’, ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Terminator’ and many, many more.
Yet with its own mythology to build and some compelling sequences, ‘Rebel Moon’ does find the confidence to stand on its own, even if what remains is not as memorable as some of the classics it is referencing.
Snyder, who has been letting this one cook in the back of his head for years, finally got cracking on it with regular collaborators Shay Hatten (‘Army of the Dead’, ‘Day Shift’, ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’) and Kurt Johnstad, and they’ve whipped up a mostly entertaining romp through the stars. Using the ‘Seven Samurai’ mold of oppressed people looking to secure the services of warriors who will fight an oncoming enemy for them, they’ve built out the story of Kora in such a way that it feels like they were all considering other spin-offs and stories ahead of actually making this one tick over.
Still, in its defense, ‘Part One’ does at least tell a complete story before the inevitable cliffhanger setting up the next movie and does so in a less outwardly annoying fashion than some recent Marvel and DC entries.
The characters are decently drawn, even if none of them feel truly original –– a fighter with a troubled past, a rogue with his own agenda, a disgraced royal with some serious animal wrangling skills… they’re all versions of something that has gone before. Ditto the overarching mythology, which tells the story of a kingdom which loses its monarch and sees the power vacuum filled by a grasping, cunning Regent (played, albeit briefly so far, by Fra Fee).
Snyder as director indulges in every stylised trick for which he’s become known –– if you enjoy his ramped-up, slow-motion, quick-cut action sequences, there is plenty of it on display here, all shot in the cloudy/chome-y sepia-toned way he favors.
The movie assembles a solid cast but doesn’t always quite give them enough to do beyond basic archetypes. Sofia Boutella’s Kora is the focus in the early going, and she’s more than up to the task of playing this recognizable central figure who has some dark notes in her past.
As for the rest, they’re a mixed bag: Charlie Hunnam sports a perhaps ill-judged Irish (space-Irish?) accent as the roguish Kai, who initially helps her look for the others who will help fight back when the forces of the Motherworld (read: Empire) threaten the peaceful community she’s trying to make a new start in. Michiel Huisman has some charm as the naïve farmer who is in over his head, while mostly everyone else gets their action-packed introduction or moment to shine later when the baddies led by Ed Skrein’s Admiral finally track them down.
For both good and ill, ‘Rebel Moon’ is Zack Snyder on full blast. If this one leaves you craving more, don’t forget that Part Two, subtitled ‘The Scargiver’, will be on Netflix on April 19th.
While the writer/director is in genre magpie mode, borrowing a little from other (often better) movies and stories, the whole doesn’t completely equal the sum of its parts. It’s at least a visually interesting, rousing sci-fi adventure.
‘Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘Rebel Moon?
After crash landing on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a stranger with a mysterious past, begins a new life among a peaceful settlement of farmers. But she soon becomes their only hope for survival when the tyrannical Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) and his cruel emissary, Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein), discover the farmers have unwittingly sold their crops to the Bloodaxes (Cleopatra Coleman and Ray Fisher) — leaders of a fierce group of insurgents hunted by the Motherworld.
Tasked with finding fighters who would risk their lives to defend the people of Veldt, Kora and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), a tenderhearted farmer naive in the realities of war, journey to different worlds in search of the Bloodaxes, and assemble a small band of warriors who share a common need for redemption along the way: Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a pilot and gun for hire; General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a legendary commander; Nemesis (Doona Bae), a master swordswoman; Tarak (Staz Nair), a captive with a regal past; and Milius (E. Duffy), a resistance fighter. Back on Veldt, Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins), an ancient, mechanized protector hiding in the wings, awakens with a new purpose.
But the newly formed revolutionaries must learn to trust each other and fight as one before the armies of the Motherworld come to destroy them all…
Chris Hemsworth attends the Netflix’s Tudum: A Global Fan Event 2023 at Fundação Bienal de São Paulo on June 17, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX.
After a couple of years of having stars show up in front of greenscreens to be composited into a fancy virtual stage to promote their latest wares, streaming giant Netflix was able to go live for the third TUDUM event: think Comic-Con meets a shareholder meeting, all entirely built around the company’s big hit shows, big name stars and those it has coming in the future.
Held this year in Brazil, the event was more raucous than ever as a parade of famous faces and some rising stars took to the stage (or sent videos) to raise fans’ anticipation for what they can expect in the coming months.
If you didn’t watch it, here’s a handy guide to our picks of what you missed…
Given that ‘Extraction 2’ only just hit Netflix’s servers this past weekend, don’t go thinking that the new movie will be here particularly soon.
But star Chris Hemsworth (who plays veteran soldier Tyler Rake) and director Sam Hargrave arrived to thank fans for their support of the movies so far and promise more to come.
At least, in Hemsworth’s words, they’re talking about a third entry. And if we know anything about Tyler Rake, it’s that he’s exceedingly hard to kill.
With ‘Squid Game’ proving to be one of the company’s biggest hits, Netflix is naturally getting as much as it can out of the Korean series.
Yet because creator Hwang Dong-hyuk takes his time making the show, there was no release date to tease just yet. Work is under way on Season 2, though, and Netflix was able to announce that stars Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-jun, and Gong Yoo will all be returning for the second installment, joining new cast members Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon, and Yang Dong-geun.
There was more to show from the company’s reality game show based on the series. Yes, for those applied to compete in non-lethal versions of ‘Squid Game’s trials, the first teaser for ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ ran as part of the event. The show will premiere this coming November.
‘All the Light We Cannot See’
(L to R) Taz Skylar, Iñaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu and Jacob Romero Gibson attend the Netflix’s Tudum: A Global Fan Event 2023 at Fundação Bienal de São Paulo on June 17, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX.
Upcoming from prolific producer/director Shawn Levy (who lists ‘Stranger Things’ among the projects he works on) is a new limited series called ‘All the Light We Cannot See’.
Based on Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of the same name, the limited series takes viewers back in time to German-occupied Paris. The coming-of-age story follows French teenager Marie-Laure (Aria Mia Loberti) who is blind and connects with Werner (Louis Hofmann), a German orphan, through radio frequencies. As Marie-Laure and her father (Mark Ruffalo) flee Paris to her uncle’s (Hugh Laurie) house in Saint-Malo, the two strangers’ paths intertwine.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, already anointed as Netflix’s Chief Action Officer, is sticking around beyond the first season of spy comedy series ‘FUBAR’ and the ‘Arnold’ documentary.
Schwarzenegger was at the TUDUM event in person to explain what he loves about Brazil and to thank those present and audiences around the world for watching ‘FUBAR’. Despite less-than-glowing reviews, the show will be back for a second season.
The action icon also debuted a blooper reel from the first season:
One of the most anticipated new offerings is the adaptation of Cixin Liu’s best-selling sci-fi trilogy of novels. And it boasts two showrunners who know a thing or two about bringing big books to small screens –– ‘Game of Thrones’ veterans David Benioff and DB Weiss.
Liu’s tomes tell a sprawling story about alien contact and humanity’s shifting fortunes, but here’s your basic synopsis:
“A young woman’s fateful decision in 1960s China reverberates across space and time to a group of brilliant scientists in the present day. As the laws of nature unravel before their eyes, five former colleagues reunite to confront the greatest threat in humanity’s history.”
Nothing to do with James Cameron’s giant movie franchise, the manga and anime versions of ‘Avatar’ are themselves hugely popular.
Set in an Asiatic, war-torn world where certain people can “bend” one of the four classical elements: water, earth, fire, or air. Aang (Gordon Cormier) is the “Avatar”, the only one capable of bending all the elements, and is destined to bring peace to the world from the Fire Nation.
With his new companions Katara (Kiawentiio Tarbell) and Sokka (Ian Ousley), Aang sets out to master the elements while being pursued by the exiled Fire Nation prince Zuko (Daniel Dae Kim), who seeks to regain his honor by capturing the Avatar.
The show’s stars unveiled an exciting first look at their faithfully realized characters, which you can see below.
Also on the anime adaptation front is the live-action take on the best-selling title of all time — ‘One Piece’, written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda.
The story follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, where he explores the Grand Line in search of the mythical treasure known as the “One Piece” in order to become the next King of the Pirates.
Mackenyu, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero Gibson and Taz Skylar make up the rest of his crew for the show, which is being brought to life this time by showrunners Steven Maeda and Matt Owens.
‘One Piece’ will kick off on Netflix on 31 August, and you can find the teaser below…
Zack Snyder offers a look behind the scenes of ‘Rebel Moon’
The Netflix’s Tudum: A Global Fan Event 2023 at Fundação Bienal de São Paulo on June 17, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX.
‘Rebel Moon’ focuses on the agricultural moon of Veldt, part of a sprawling galaxy of planets overseen by the ferocious, all-powerful Imperium which oversees the other planets from its home base of Mother World.
When Imperium forces expand out to Veldt’s local area, they target the moon as a potentially rich source of food and new recruits. But the natives, none too happy that their already struggling existence is being threatened, turns to a newcomer, Kora (Sofia Boutella) for help.
The isolated woman, who has her own past with the Imperium, knows that it would be foolish to try and negotiate a better deal with the powerful government, so she rounds up some fighters who could be of use against the might of the enemy. But keeping alliances together won’t be quite so easy…
Snyder’s big attempt to launch a franchise on the scale of ‘Star Wars’, has already put out some imagery and the director, alongside producer/wife Deborah Snyder and star Sofia Boutella, brought some behind-the-scenes footage.
‘Stranger Things’ is no stranger –– pun intended –– to 1980s movie and TV icons and it is adding at least one more in the shape of ‘Terminator’ veteran Linda Hamilton.
She appeared via video to reveal her casting on the show but wouldn’t be drawn on who she might be playing. And given the writers’ strike, we’re going to have to wait longer than planned for the fifth and final season of the show to arrive.
It’s not just Chris Hemsworth that can bring the action goods. Gal Gadot has plenty of that sphere under her belt –– she has an iconic superhero character too and has appeared in the likes of ‘Red Notice’ and the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise.
She’s back on Netflix with new action thriller ‘Heart of Stone’, which will see her playing Rachel Stone, an operative for a secretive organization known as The Charter, who step in when governments can’t handle tough situations. It’s a lonely life for the agents who serve as the knife’s edge of the operation. And things just get tougher when a hacker gets control of The Heart, a powerful tech system that helps the Charter with its missions. Compromised and alone, Stone will have to stop the new threat.
There was, of course, a lot more to see, and you can see it at Netflix’s TUDUM site.
Gal Gadot attends the Netflix’s Tudum: A Global Fan Event 2023 at Fundação Bienal de São Paulo on June 17, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX.
A long time ago (well, probably around 2012) in a galaxy far, far away (actually more like Los Angeles), Zack Snyder heard that Disney was buying Lucasfilm and that new ‘Star Wars’ movies were likely. Yet while the director’s pitch for a standalone movie set in the universe of George Lucas’ creations didn’t ultimately click with Kathleen Kennedy and co., he’s now been able to retool the concept into his own sci-fi movie… Or movies, as he’ll explain below.
‘Rebel Moon’ is being produced under Snyder’s big deal with Netflix, set up around the time of zombie thriller ‘Army of the Dead’. It’s an ambitious, ‘Seven Samurai’-style tale of scrappy heroes fighting back against an imposing empire, with more than a few echoes of its original intended destination.
But unlike ‘Star Wars’ more normal family-friendly fare, ‘Rebel Moon’ will have a harder edge, with Snyder planning both an all-audience cut and something he describes as “for fans of mine and people who are ready to take a deeper, harder dive.”
‘Rebel Moon’ focuses on the agricultural moon of Veldt, part of a sprawling galaxy of planets overseen by the ferocious, all-powerful Imperium which oversees the other planets from its home base of Mother World.
When Imperium forces expand out to Veldt’s local area, they target the moon as a potentially rich source of food and new recruits. But the natives, none too happy that their already struggling existence is being threatened, turns to a newcomer, Kora (Sofia Boutella) for help.
The isolated woman, who has her own past with the Imperium, knows that it would be foolish to try and negotiate a better deal with the powerful government, so she rounds up some fighters who could be of use against the might of the enemy. But keeping alliances together won’t be quite so easy…
Though Snyder originally wrote one big script for the first movie, the powers that be at Netflix decided that it wouldn’t work as one giant film. So, a change was made…
Says Deborah Snyder, the director’s wife and regular producing partner:
“ Originally, the script was one movie, but it was in ‘Zack form; It was 172 pages. [Netflix film chairman Scott] Stuber was like, ‘On the service, under-two-hour movies really do better for some reason,’ even though you’ll binge-watch a series of eight episodes. Zack said, ‘If you ask me to make this less than two hours, I’m going to lose all the character. You won’t care about these people. It’s a character story about how people can change, and redemption, and what are you willing to fight for…’ So, he said, ‘What if I give you two movies?’”
The first installment of ‘Rebel Moon’ is due to land on Netflix on December 22nd.
In the new movie ‘Settlers,’ Sofia Boutella (Atomic Blonde, Climax) plays Ilsa, a homesteader on Mars, working with her husband and daughter to keep their settlement viable. But a stranger appears, who says that the land is rightly his. Thus begins a complicated, dramatic story about settlers, immigrants, and what sacrifices people may make to stay alive. Boutella recently talked to us about the new movie.
Moviefone: You’ve picked some interesting projects in the last few years, like ‘Fahrenheit 451’ and ‘Climax’ and ‘Atomic Blonde.’ What goes into choosing a project for you?
Sofia Boutella: Honestly, it’s a project at a time, right now I’m being sent projects and I read them enough, and I do fall in love with the character and the circumstances, the relationships. And so far, I can say that I’ve been very lucky and blessed with very interesting projects with characters that are rich and interesting to play, and I’ve just had a blast so far.
MF: What was interesting to you about Ilsa? This feels like an immigrant story to a certain extent.
Boutella: Yeah. And in a way, I could relate to her trajectory and her story very much, being an immigrant from Algeria. And an immigrant twice, I moved to France when I was 10 years old, from Algeria because of the civil war. So it was not just a hopeful move. It was just a move. I mean, it was hopeful, but it was not out of wanting something else because we just wanted, it’s just like, we didn’t have much choice and Algeria was in a terrible state at the time. And I was lucky enough to have a family that could move me out of there. That could leave because not all families could go.
And then I left because I wanted something else, and when I was 23, when I moved to LA. So Ilsa is facing something that is very powerful and something that we can, sort of, in a way anticipate nowadays considering the environmental backdrop that we are living in and the one that they are probably coming from, in Settlers that Ilsa, her husband and her daughter are living in.
And I think that, yeah, it’s very similar to the situation that we’re facing now, if we keep going this way,
MF: Where did you shoot the movie? I read that it was South Africa, but it really does look like you’re on Mars.
Boutella: Yeah. It’s South Africa in the Northern part on the West Coast. I mean not the West Coast, but in the west side and the border of Namibia, and we were in a town called Vioolsdift, that’s how you say it, fuels drift. And we were very isolated. It was in a way, an environment that scene, it felt hostile. And the set that we had was entirely practical, which was a dream for us actors to, sort of, how to play this character, that in real life, I mean, their circumstances are isolated on their own and in this very, very quiet environment. That’s how we lived while we were there.
MF: On screen, Brooklyn Prince seems like she’s got such an old soul. Is she like that on set?
Boutella: She’s entirely this way. She is very mature for her age. She is very aware of the circumstances of these characters, her character very much, and the other characters. So aware of the dynamic that me and her had to have and understood sort of why Ilsa is in a way hard on her and sort of, not even if you can see and tell that she is maternal and nurturing, but that she has sort of an edge. And because she is so overworked by having to raise this child in this environment that is not, sort of, favorable, but that’s the only choice she has. But Brooklyn was very much aware of that, and she’s such a good actress, and she also remains a kid when it’s time. But then once she goes to where she turns it on, and she had the other dimension about her, she’s very, very good. Yeah.
MF: With your history in dance, what’s the crossover as a performer for you, between dance and acting and are there some of the same tools that you’re using?
Boutella: When I used to dance, from the teachers that I’ve had and the training that I’ve had, I’ve always sort of interpreted circumstances and characters, and I’d never done it without sort of knowing where I came from emotionally. And that is what dance is to me, in my whole career and how I was trained, it was always dancing from that place of interpreting something that is deeper than what meets the eyes of just dance steps and counts and use music. It could also be that, but that’s not where I come from in terms of either my training and the teacher that I’ve worked with and the project that I’ve been on, even when later on, I went on tour with Madonna, maybe Nike was more about the dancing, but everything else that I did was very much about the depth of it.
And so when I moved into acting, it was same, it was portraying, working from that same place minus certain aspect which has dance movement, but then still, you still have to find the physicality of your character and how your character moves and work with their bodies. Every single character that I’ve had, I’ve found a walk or something to do with my body to make them different.
MF: It’s a rare treat for us to get to see you play guitar and sing. Had you already played guitar? Is that you really playing there on screen?
Boutella: Yeah. It’s me. Yeah. I play a little bit. I like to play the ukulele. I play a little bit of guitar. It was fun to learn this piece of music, I think is beautiful or the composer of the film who’s lovely and so talented. I love what he does. But my father is a composer, and so I grew up in a house where everybody played music, and it was sort of in way natural, even if it’s not my job, but it was fun to do that.
MF: You mentioned being out on location. How long were you out there?
Boutella: We were there, in September, that would be two years ago. I think that we were there for two months, I believe.
MF: That’s a long time to be remote like that.
Boutella: Yeah. It’s a long time, but it’s what’s necessary in order to make this movie happen, and it’s good to have that sort of time. It’s very enjoyable. I love working on these kinds of movies that sort of embrace the time that it needs in order to be executed the best possible way. And also to understand, sort of, our characters have been on Mars for quite some time now. And I think it’s good to just feel that longevity, in a way it was very helpful.
MF: What was the rehearsal and preparation like for this? Were you talking to Jonny Lee Miller? I imagine you’re obviously talking to your director, but how much time do you spend on your prep work before you start shooting?
Boutella: Well, from the moment that you say yes to the project until your first day of filming, there’s constant work that is happening depending on what you’re doing before that. But before I flew there, I was already, I like to personally come to a set on something, having broken down the whole script. And then I did talk a lot with Wyatt [Rockaway, the director] and coming both of us to an understanding. There was something initially that was written about Ilsa, the way she was written was in a way very, very, like she seems that she was holding some sort of secret, and she’s very, in a way there’s something quite dark about her. And I think developing that secret was very interesting with Wyatt is to understand how a mother, when she’s very protective and wants something more for her daughter having come from a place like Earth that is beautiful, that was beautiful, that had so much hope.
And she sort of in a way coming from that place of having had broken dreams and having had, she hoped for more, but where they landed was not very hopeful for her daughter. So she is very much protecting her from that truth. And coming to that understanding was why having at first I read, and I found her very, even though I liked the story, I didn’t at first agree or understand right away the sort of darkness and complexity that she came from. And talking with Wyatt made complete sense because I’ve had to face it to me personally with members of my family, this sort of same dynamic, but it doesn’t mean that your mother doesn’t love you unconditionally. And I think that’s why I really love ‘Settlers’ is that it’s complicated, it’s emotionally complicated, but it’s very human.
And I think what I love the most about is that everybody would love… I mean, I don’t think whether you like the movie or not, everybody would be left with some sort of moral questions, what they would do in certain situation. And I truly appreciate movies, me as an audience, that made me question my own morals. And this movie really does that on so many aspects. So many aspects, the environmental backdrop, this sexual social dynamic that is going on between them, the political aspect, and what’s going on right now on earth, the environment. And like all of it, I think, is being questioned in it. And the audience will need to, will get a chance to do that for themselves.
MF: This movie gives the audience hints about the rest of the world, but not much more than hints. Because what’s going on, on Earth and what the war’s about, none of that is really all that important to the story. Even when Ilsa tells Jerry about his parents, the information is fairly sparse. Did you work out with Wyatt that you’re not necessarily going to answer every question?
Boutella: Yeah. I love that. I love when you don’t spoon-feed your audience, when you don’t infantilize your audience and you sort of consider them as, thinking, intelligent being that can come up with an understanding. When we meet people every day, we don’t have justification or understanding to why they are the way they are. And that’s how you enter this film from the get-go, you are questioning what they’re about, what they’re like, what they must have come from, and sort of Ilsa saying that little detail about having killed Jerry’s father, is very sort of telling to a lot of her. Why she killed the other stranger when she was protecting her child and where she must’ve come from. And even in that conversation, she couldn’t say even more than what she comes from, but I think it’s more interesting if you feel it from the character, as opposed to being told or shown what it was, and you can see it on the other person’s face the other actors face or that own character’s face.
‘Settlers’ is now in theaters and on demand.
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Steve the robot and Brooklyn Prince in ‘Settlers,’ written and directed by Wyatt Rockefeller
Wyatt Rockefeller’s film ‘Settlers’ features Jonny Lee Miller, Sofia Boutella and Brooklyn Prince as homesteaders on a remote patch of land on Mars. As they struggle to keep the farm running, a group of strangers appears, and one of which (played by Ismael Cruz Córdova) claims that the farm is rightfully his. What ensues is a story about sacrifice and survival, and writer/director Wyatt Rockefeller spoke to us about the movie.
Moviefone: What inspired this story?
Wyatt Rockefeller: It started with a feeling, really. I was with my dad in the woods, and it was snowing. And when it snows, it can absorb all the ambient sound in a way that is really quiet, quiet in a way that we almost never hear. And there was something, at least At that moment, very eerie about it. And I remember looking over to the tree line and imagined being watched by something, someone, looked up ahead of my dad in his old coat and imagined a guy patrolling the outskirts of his farm and thought, what might he be guarding against?
And by the time we got inside, basically had the whole plot. Which is a good sign, when a story tells itself. But also it hit me at a gut level, like wow, that is really dark. Told it to a few others, and they agreed, but it was only then, probably a year later, that I had the idea to set it on Mars. And that’s what made me decide to pursue it as a feature, because to set it on Mars in a moment where it’s changing, where it’s in the process of being terraformed to suddenly unlocked all these dramatic and also very visual opportunities.
A lot of people have noted this could really be set anywhere. And I agree with that to a certain extent. And I was when I made the decision to set it on Mars, I was thinking about places where they couldn’t leave, because it is integral to the plot that they feel that this is their best option, if not their only option. Because that’s what forces them to reckon with these choices that they wouldn’t in a million years consider other than that this is maybe their only choice. And that for me is… What’s interesting about this, it’s people having to confront those choices.
MF: In the scene where Jerry burns the face masks, I immediately thought of those stories about the conquistadors burning their ships, so that the their crews were forced to make their settlements work. Are you specifically setting out to comment on the idea of settling across various generations?
Rockefeller: The short answer is no. But for me, the story comes first, the characters come first, the whole background and any larger message that people may draw from this, I think it’s all secondary. It has to come from the story. And I think if your goal is to make an argument or to convey a specific larger message, then you’re probably better suited to another medium, or I think you’re probably going to undercut the potential of the story you’re trying to tell.
That doesn’t mean you can’t deal with these larger issues. I think it, at least in terms of my own priority, it really does begin and end with the story and the character. Now, that said, my wife was one of the producers. She said, “Look, I know you didn’t mean to write a political movie and this isn’t a political movie, but you do have to recognize that you started writing this in the fall of 2016, and you have ended up writing a movie about ecological collapse, the resulting mass displacement of people and sexual power dynamics.”
And so I think that is a fair point. We are products of our times. And I will also say, one of the real advantages of working in genre and working in sci-fi, where you’re basically making it up I mean, we’re trying to adhere to the science, but effectively making it up, you can do an end-run around people’s biases. You can engage with current themes, current topics, but the names and the places are different. So people I think are a little bit more open when they come to this.
MF: That’s one of the great things about science fiction as a genre, is that you can look at issues we’re facing and take out some ancillary effects. Was it a conscious choice to only reference the background that various people are coming from without necessarily explaining every detail? You get hints that the people on Mars don’t like the people from Earth, but you never get into that too deeply.
Rockefeller: Yeah. It was very conscious, and it was an ongoing choice really. I mean, I admittedly agonized during the writing stage while we were shooting in the edit about how much do we need to provide? I think it’s very important that you, as the filmmaker, really do have an answer to everything. And I think especially because they are in such a remote location, where everything that you see in the background has to have a reason for being there. So it has to have a reason to have made the trip, so it all needs a backstory. But then, and I think having that base then allows you to create a texture that is believable. But then you really do, I think, need to pick and choose about what is actually relevant for people understanding of the dynamics that play between these characters and what is going to be extraneous. So it’s a judgment call that you have to continuously make.
MF: What was the casting process like?
Rockefeller: Well, when my wife and I, and we had a script, and we basically sent it around to everyone and their mother, and we thought, wouldn’t it be great to find a girl like Brooklynn Prince? And then out of the blue we got a call from an agent who had read the script, he had gotten hold of it, and he said, I really liked this. Who did you imagine? And just so happened that they repped Brooklynn and got it to her. And she and her parents liked it and attached. And that was actually what got this going, got it off the ground. And they stuck with us through thick and thin as the whole thing came together.
MF: What was that like for you on your first feature, working with Sofia Boutella, Jonny Lee Miller and Ismael Cruz Córdova?
Rockefeller: It was an incredible opportunity to work with such talented actors who come with very different approaches. And I’ll give you an example, Ismael, he likes to do multiple takes without cutting, and it gives you a few options and that was really fun. And it was based on I think I trust, that they have to trust you as a director, especially as a first time director. They really wanted to understand how did I see this and what was the relationship between their characters to this setting, to this world. But then once I had that confidence in what I was doing, that I had a clear vision, that gave them the confidence to then inhabit their characters and feel free to make choices that felt honest to the characters. And that was a process that we felt through together. And that’s the fun of it.
MF: Not only is this your first feature as a director, but you’re also on location for what looks like almost the entire shoot. What tools do you use as a director to convince your cast and your crew, and everybody else, I have a vision for this, we’re going to work it out together.
Rockefeller: I think putting them in such an isolated location probably helps. It was great that they didn’t have all that much else to do then make a movie. But also they show up, it was so exciting to bring each actor to set for the first time, because we had this full 360 degree set. So I didn’t actually have to explain it to them, they could see it for themselves. And it was an incredible set that Noam Piper, the production designer, designed.
And we were also, thanks to the fact that we were in South Africa, which has very generous tax credits and such a talented crew base, that we really were able to build at a larger scale than we would have probably anywhere else. And I would say that, putting them in an isolated environment and giving them that 360 degree experience really allowed them to actually, I think, get into character and imagine what it would be like to be so far out there.
MF: I would be remiss if I don’t talk about Steve the robot. Is Steve mostly a practical effect, or was there a fair amount of CGI in that?
Rockefeller: It was a mix. So he was both a puppet and a CGI. Basically, when you see the more elaborate movements, that’s CGI. But we had to be very specific about where we deployed it. So we story boarded all of his scenes. But it was this really fun collaboration. Actually, I wrote a piece in detail on it, on talkhouse.com if you want to learn more. But I don’t have time to go into it here. I’d love to, because it really was probably the most fun of the whole thing.
I grew up reading through books on ILM, and we had a workshop about how they designed all those creatures and everything else, to be able to work with both the VFX and the puppeteers, and the creature designers to figure out, well first of all, what does Steve do? What is his function down to real specifics? And then go from there. I really wanted the design to follow his function. And I think that’s what ultimately allowed us to get to something that feels both very much a part of the world and unique.
