Moviefone attends Netflix’s 2025 film and TV preview.
Appearing in-person were Ben Affleck, Tina Fey, John Mulaney, and The Duffer Brothers.
Guillermo del Toro sent a video message and a first look at ‘Frankenstein’.
Netflix announced several new movies and TV shows, as well as their release dates.
(L to R) Ben Affleck, CM Punk, Tina Fey, Netflix’s Bela Bajaria, Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Rhea Ripley and John Mulaney at Netflix’s Next on Netflix event. Photo: Netflix.
On Wednesday January 29th, in Hollywood, Netflix held their 2025 Next on Netflix film and TV Preview where they presented many of their upcoming movies and TV series.
Eddie Murphy in the documentary ‘Eddie’. Photo: Netflix.
There were several announcements made including a creative partnership with Lena Dunham, the previously untiled Noah Baumbach film and Eddie Murphy documentary now have titles, ‘Jay Kelly‘ and ‘Eddie’, respectively, and several first look photos and footage.
You can read the full list below:
Announcements:
Creative partnership forged with Lena Dunham
TUDUM the global fan event will live stream on Netflix on May 31 from the Kia Forum, in LA
New Title Announcements:
Tyler Perry’s ‘Madea’s Destination Wedding’ (Film) and ‘Tyler Perry’s She The People’ (Series)
‘Untitled Kathryn Bigelow Movie’ (Film) – On Netflix Fall 2025
‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’ (Film) – On Netflix Fall 2025
Daniel Craig in ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’. Photo: Netflix.
Netflix Movies:
‘RIP’
Ben Affleck at Netflix’s Next on Netflix event. Photo: Netflix.
After a sizzle reel of upcoming movies, which included The RussoBrothers‘ ‘The Electric State‘, Adam Sandler’s ‘Happy Gilmore 2’, and Rian Johnson‘s ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’, Oscar winner Ben Affleck took the stage to discuss his new crime thriller ‘RIP’.
Set in Miami and based on true events, the film re-teams Affleck with his ‘Air‘ co-star Matt Damon, and his ‘Smokin’ Aces‘ director Joe Carnahan. Affleck explained that a “RIP” is when cops keep the money that they find at a crime scene and the movie looks at what people will do for money.
“When I talked to Joe Carnahan, who directed it, he said this is going to be like ‘Heat’ meets ‘Training Day’. So, I said, “Kind of like ‘The Town‘?” But he really outdid himself and it’s spectacular. He co-wrote it; he directed it and he really wanted to make this a genre classic like ‘Se7en’ or ‘The French Connection’. A fun, engaging ride that keeps you guessing. It’s a compelling, complicated human drama that also hues to these elements of cinema that people have loved forever.”
Affleck also discussed his continued collaborations with Damon.
“It’s the seventh movie that Matt Damon and my company, Artists Equity, has made and it really is, in a lot of ways, the most important for us because we’ve found some really exciting partners who are really interested in not just what has been but what could be at Netflix.”
Affleck concluded by showing a brief scene from the movie that involved Affleck and Damon’s cop characters discovering millions of dollars’ worth of hidden cash during a bust and must decide how to proceed.
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‘Frankenstein’
Oscar Isaacs in ‘Frankenstein’. Photo: Netflix.
While Oscar winning director Guillermo del Toro was unable to attend, he did send a video message shot at his “mancave” in Los Angeles called Bleak House. The director introduced footage from his upcoming film ‘Frankenstein’ and was fittingly surrounded by his vast collection of Frankenstein memorabilia.
Guillermo Del Toro had this to say before screening the footage:
“I wanted to introduce a small taste, a teaser, for my film ‘Frankenstein’. This film has been on my mind since I was a child, for fifty years. I’ve been trying to make it for 20-25 years. In fact, some people may even think I am a little bit obsessed with Frankenstein. They probably would be right. You see, over the decades, the character has fused with my soul in a way that it has become an autobiography. It doesn’t get more personal than this. I hope you enjoy this small look at ‘Frankenstein’.”
The footage included several scenes, and we were given our first look at Oscar Isaac as Dr. Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the monster.
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New Netflix TV Series:
‘The Four Seasons’
Tina Fey at Netflix’s Next on Netflix event. Photo: Netflix.
Tina Fey was on hand to present a short scene from her new series ‘The Four Seasons’, which is an adaption of the 1981 film starring Alan Alda and the actress confessed her love for the original.
“In 1981, when I was eleven years old, I saw a movie that really shaped my idea of what my future, grown-up life could be like. It was written and directed by the great Alan Alda, and it’s called ‘The Four Seasons’. If you’ve never seen the original movie, it has a very simple premise. It follows a group of old friends, three couples, over four vacations. We never see them at home. We never see them at work, we just see how their lives change over a year by hanging out with them on vacation.”
Fey explained that she had received Alda’s permission to adapt the film and then talked about the cast that she assembled for the new series.
“All that was left to do was to assemble a cast of beloved comedy actors that could create the same warm, human vibe of the original. I’m proud to say our cast is very cozy. They’re not just my old friends, they’re yours as well. Steve Carell, Will Forte, me, Kerri Kinney-Silver, the beautiful Italian actor Marco Calvani, Broadway’s Erika Henningsen and Academy Award nominee Colman Domingo.”
We then screened a short scene from the series featuring Fey, Will Forte and Steve Carrell.
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‘Everybody’s Live in L.A. with John Mulaney’
John Mulaney at Netflix’s Next on Netflix event. Photo: Netflix.
During last year’s Netflix is a Joke Festival, comedian John Mulaney hosted a weeklong talk show titled ‘Everybody’s in L.A. with John Mulaney‘. The series was so popular that Netflix is bringing it back starting March 12th with a new episode dropping once a week for 12 consecutive weeks.
Mulaney explained how the new series came together.
“So, Netflix and I discussed this summer not being done with the show and I was thrilled to do that. It was a total blast, and it was one of those shows that neither Netflix nor I really needed to do. I never wanted to host a talk show and they were getting out of the talk show game. So, it was the perfect moment to do this.”
Mulaney’s sidekick on the series is veteran character actor Richard Kind, and the host explained how that came to be.
“Richard Kind will be joining me again for this series. Richard and I met through a real-life ‘Baby Reindeer’ scenario. He kept showing up where I worked, and I decided to incorporate him into my life.”
The audience screened a brief scene from the new series that saw De Niro’s character brutally interrogating a suspected terrorist. We were also given a glimpse of Angela Bassett, who appears to play the current President.
Also coming in 2025 is ‘Black Rabbit’, which stars Jason Bateman and Jude Law as estranged brothers. The audience screened footage from the series, which sees Law’s character thriving as a bar owner, only to have his brother’s (Bateman) return send his perfect life spinning out of control.
Returning Netflix TV Series
‘Squid Game’ Season 3
Netflix’s Bela Bajaria at Netflix’s Next on Netflix event. Photo: Netflix.
Netflix announced the long-awaited season 3 of ‘Squid Games’ will premiere June 27th. In addition to new photos, the audience also screened a scene from the upcoming season that involved a game where contestants pick a ball out of a machine that is either blue or red. Once you have collected your ball, the contestants are separated into two different groups, but they don’t know why.
Lee Byung-hun as Front man in ‘Squid Game’ season 3. Photo: Netflix.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 5
(L to R) Directors Ross Duffer and Matt Duffer at Netflix’s Next on Netflix event. Photo: Netflix.
Finally, after screening some behind-the-scenes footage from the making of season 5 of ‘Stranger Things’, creators Matt and Ross Duffer took to the stage to discuss the upcoming final season of the groundbreaking series.
Ross Duffer: “That was the world’s very first behind-the-scenes look at the fifth and final season of Stranger Things. We spent a full year filming this season. By the end, we’d captured over 650 hours of footage. So, this is our biggest and most ambitious season yet. It’s like eight blockbuster movies. It’s insane.”
Matt Duffer: “At the same time, we think it’s our most personal story. It was super intense and emotional to film for us and for our actors. We’ve been making this show together for almost ten years. There was a lot of crying. There was so much crying. The show means so much to all of us, and everyone put their hearts and souls into it. We hope and believe that passion will translate to the screen.”
But ‘Stranger Things’ fans should not be too sad that the series is ending, as Matt Duffer did hint at a possible future for the franchise.
“But while this might be the end of the story for Mike, Hopper, Dustin, Lucas, Eleven, and the others, it’s not goodbye for ‘Stranger Things’. There are many more stories to tell.”
(L to R) Ross Duffer, Ben Affleck and Matt Duffer at Netflix’s Next on Netflix event. Photo: Netflix.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking exclusively with editors Shane Reid (‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’) and Emmy-winner Dean Zimmerman (‘Stranger Things’) about their work on ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, working with Shawn Levy, how they got involved in the project, making an MCU movie, creating a love letter to the Marvel Fox movies, the addition of pre-MCU characters like Blade and Elektra, Madonna’s editorial note, and cutting the Void and van fight sequences.
SPOILER ALERT!!! Major spoilers for ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ below. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!!!
Moviefone: To begin with, Dean, you’ve worked with director Shawn Levy for a long time. What was your reaction when you heard that not only would you be working on a ‘Deadpool’ movie, but that Hugh Jackman was returning as Wolverine and that the film would take place in the MCU?
Dean Zimmerman: Here’s the ironic thing about this whole thing. The movie was dead. Ryan couldn’t crack the script. Shawn was attached, obviously, they were trying to come up with an idea. It wasn’t working. I was literally in the Hamptons cutting in a house that we were renting. He had a meeting with Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito at 2pm that day. We were literally cutting in the morning. He gets a call at 11am from Ryan Reynolds and says, “Hugh Jackman just called me and wants in.” Like that morning! So, the meeting was going to be, “Guys, we’re passing. We can’t crack it. We’re done. We’re not going to do the movie. We’ll come back to it later in time.” To, “We’ve got Hugh Jackman on board who’s going to put on the suit and be Wolverine. Does that work for you guys?” That’s literally how the meeting went. It was the craziest. It happened instantaneous, literally the moment Hugh said he was in. It was like someone lit a candle on a rocket. We were shooting within months of that. That’s how fast it all came together. The script essentially wrote itself. The fact that I was going to be doing this was … because there was such a lead up to doing this. It was like, “Oh, wait. We’re not going to do it.” So, the letdown was just dreadful and cutting with Shawn on this other thing, I was like, “Such a bummer. What are we going to do next?” The fact that that happened that day, the day I’ll never forget the rest of my life. I’ll always remember where I was and exactly what I was doing when that call came in. Obviously, it’s changed all of us. I got to meet Shane, which is now, he’s a lifelong brother and partner now. There are so many great things that happened, but at the end of the day, we told a great story, and we made a great movie. It’s what Shawn and I have been doing for 22-years and we’re going to continue to keep doing so.
MF: Shane, how did you get involved with this project and teaming up with Shawn and Dean?
Shane Reid: I hit the lottery in life, and I met Blake Lively doing a music video with her that she directed for Taylor Swift. She was a very fast friend and a fast creative partner, a wonderful person, and so generous. I got so lucky because Ryan and her are so involved in the work that they do with each other that I just got through proximity to get to know Ryan. I’d be cutting that video and then Ryan would be sending me a text message, like, “You’re the nicest guy in the world and I can’t believe what you’re doing. This was so awesome and she’s so happy.” It was like you’re all of a sudden involved in this relationship with the two of them and they’re such creative supporters of each other that when Ryan announced ‘Deadpool’ was going to happen, I was just like, “This is insane, but I’m going to ask Blake if she feels like there’s any position that I could have on this movie and if there isn’t, I get it.” It’s a big ask. I started talking to her and it was a little almost quiet for a minute. Then I didn’t realize that she was selling me through to Shawn and selling me through to Ryan and just really telling these guys, “This guy’s special. He is right up the alley of the creative collaboration that you and Dean and Ryan have assembled and is going to fit in with that and is going to bring you some ideas.” She was just such an unbelievable force in that way. So, I took a meeting with Shawn, took meetings with Dean and I think there was a little bit of a like, “Let’s just see how this goes.” I would say that the toughest thing for me going into the film and still the toughest thing to the end of it was that Dean and Shawn have this couple decade long relationship. When I first saw them on set together, I was like, “Oh, my god. These guys feel like they’re godfather and godson or something. They’re so tight and close and how do I possibly enter that and be respectful, additive, and someone who doesn’t become obtrusive or in their way?” Also, because I have a relationship with Ryan, how do I not show him stuff and respect Shawn’s position? It was a dance that was difficult, at first. They were so welcoming and warm and very much like, “Hey, man, you fly, and you do your thing, and we’ll see where this all fits.” It was just my luck that it all worked so well, and that Dean was such a generous person and Shawn a generous person and also people that expected a high threshold of turnaround and talent. I feel very fortunate to have met the requirements and now we’re all like a group of brothers.
MF: Dean, you spent a large part of your career working on the 20th Century Fox lot editing movies for that studio. ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is very much a love letter to that company and particularly the Marvel movies that they made. Given that, how did it feel to work on this movie, and can you talk about the Fox outtakes sizzle reel that plays during the end credits?
DZ: So that was an idea that was spawned by Ryan. He wanted to do a love letter to Fox to thank them for all the opportunities that they gave him. Shane cut that. It was kind of all hands-on deck at 21 Laps. Shawn’s company sent us a zillion YouTube clips of behind-the-scenes footage, and poor Shane poured through hours and hours of footage to make this legacy reel. We had a song that we wanted to use, the Green Day song. So that was all done, but it was all spawned from Ryan’s appreciation and love of Fox. But for me, personally, it was the culmination of a legacy that no longer exists. It’s kind of a shell of what it used to be. When I saw it, it was very moving and very powerful. I knew even if people didn’t understand what was happening, they could appreciate what it was. Right? Which are these years of this iconic studio pushing out some of the biggest titles in the world. To be in the MCU and our first time working at Marvel and Disney, their not only willingness to be open to something like this, but their enthusiasm and support behind it all is really what made the whole experience even more special because it felt like we were going back home. Right? I felt like I was back on the Fox lot because they really embraced the same qualities and uniqueness that existed at Fox for so many of my early years. So, it was great, and it was fun. I hope for a long career at Marvel. I love them. I think they’re great. Again, the support they gave us on not only just that part of it, but the whole movie in general is what made this thing so special and unique.
The cast of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Photo: Marvel Studios.
MF: Okay, let’s talk spoilers! Shane, what was it like editing the scenes with pre-MCU actors and characters, and which one surprised you the most and was your favorite?
SR: It’s hard to say which one is my favorite. They’re all so my favorite, but I think one of the things that Dean and I have not really talked about is what we all did with Chris Evans coming out as Cap, and then turning it into Johnny Storm, which was always one of our favorite surprises. In the boards, we had a little bit of an idea of how that sequence would end with Pyro (Aaron Stanford) extinguishing his flame, but we all built him hitting the tower and falling in post. It was a collaboration between the four of us and our pre-viz team and our visual effects team where we were like, there’s this tower just sitting here and there’s such a funny way to utilize it. So, it became about how do we have one of the biggest characters in movies, but completely flip the script on who he is and what the expectation of that character is by bringing back this other character and then just humiliating him in a very Deadpool way and leaving him as this broken person on the floor that they go, “We don’t even know who that dude was.” It was such a microcosm of what it’s like to be in a ‘Deadpool’ movie and how the characters are treated differently. I think it’s my favorite because Chris was so fun and funny. I think I was saying to people who love Chris as Cap, which there are quite a few, and he has had all these great sequences where he’s very serious and quite earnest, but now they get to add to their lexicon, a moment where he is having fun and in on the joke with everybody. So, we constructed that scene. I had found a YouTube videos of a drunk woman on her husband’s shoulders at a wedding who fell off and she sort of scorpions on the ground, and it was so brutal. We’re like, “Let’s do this to him at the end.” So, we built that from pre-vis, we would record a bunch of scripts on top of it, all the way to finishing it through in visual effects. So, that might be my favorite of all of them.
Channing Tatum as Gambit in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
MF: Dean, which surprise appearance was your favorite?
DZ: I will say Gambit, Channing’s character. Just because I really hadn’t known much of him, but that character I loved every second, every word it was amazing. The fact that Ryan just can’t understand him is I just thought brilliant and the casting was amazing. Channing just killed it. It was great.
Wesley Snipes in 1998’s ‘Blade’. Photo: New Line Cinema.
MF: Dean, what was it like seeing Wesley Snipes return as Blade and have a chance to shape his performance?
DZ: It was as rewarding as anything could be because obviously his movies I was watching as a kid, right? Now being able to cut something that he would be in was awesome. Just the presence and the power of his character. By the way, he’s such a sweetheart. In real life, you’re meeting your heroes. These are the guys, and you know how sometimes people are like, “You don’t want to meet your heroes because sometimes they’re not who you expect them to be.” You just can’t say that to anyone in this crew. There are actors I work with and I’m like, “Oh, man. What a bummer. They’re not who I was expecting them to be.” But then there’s the ones that you’re just like, “Oh, my god.” Every single person on this cast was just the most beautiful soul. They were all just there for the right reasons and they gave 110%. Everyone on that crew did. It was spectacular. I mean, it was one for the record books, for sure.
Jennifer Garner attends ‘The Adam Project’ World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on February 28, 2022 in New York City. Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix.
MF: Dean, was Jennifer Garner’s appearance as Elektra a result of you, Shawn and Ryan working with her on ‘The Adam Project’?
DZ: No. I think it was just kind of bringing in these legacy people. At one point we had Jen and Ben Affleck coming back as Daredevil. Obviously, there was some stuff. But it was funnier to just have the one and then joke about it, you know what I mean? So that kind of worked out that way and I think the relationship with Jen on ‘The Adam Project ‘pushed the cards to her side a little bit more, but either way it would’ve worked perfectly. But no, it was also just to have another female badass character come back and who better than Electra, like come on!
MF: Dean, Ryan Reynolds said during the press tour that he and Shawn had to meet with Madonna to get the rights to use ‘Like A Prayer’ in the movie. He also said that during that meeting, Madonna had a note about that scene that was eventually implemented. Can you reveal which scene that was and what was her suggestion?
DZ: The editorial note that she wanted to do was I think a tonal note, but I think that came off what was recorded. So, we were always going to do an orchestra accompaniment with ‘Like a Prayer’ and we did it. We recorded it in London. What her big note was, was that it wasn’t “urban enough”. It sounded like a group of 50 white British men and women singing and she wanted it more “urban”. She wanted a robust gospel choir and more soul. So, that forced us to re-record in LA with this gospel choir and thank God, she did it. It’s just her brilliance and her being around for as long as she has that made this happen and it literally took it to a totally different level. It was a headache to do because we were literally on the final mixing stage doing the mix on the movie, and to do all this stuff last second. Also, (composer) Rob (Simonson) had to write it. So, it was all, again, happening so fast. The whole thing did, the post schedule on this was nothing like I’ve ever seen as long as I’ve been doing this, 30 something years. I’ve never experienced a post schedule this quickly with this many visual effects and the amount of scrutiny and pressure to have this be as a massive hit because the industry was depending on it almost.
MF: Shane, can you talk about cutting the fight sequences in the Void between Wolverine and Sabretooth, and Deadpool and Wolverine?
SR: The void fight, it was the first fight sequence I’ve ever cut. I remember thinking, maybe there’s these tricks that I must know. Do I cut frames out? Do I add these speed effects? Like anything, it’s just a feeling. It’s just a flow and a rhythm. I mean, I will say that the choreography by our stunt choreographer and just Hugh Jackman, my God, the faces he would make, the performance that he gave. I think what it did was it effectively gave audience members a fight that they feel like they’re sometimes missing. It gave character performance and personality to a fight sequence, and it kept it really grounded. Everything that we did from the van fight and the Void fight with Sabretooth were very grounded experiences in real world locations with props that were real. I think it’s what allows people to connect a little bit more to the physicality of the film and the characters and make them feel more human. One of the things that I keep saying from the trailer, when we first did one of the trailers where Deadpool unloads all the bullets in Wolverine’s rib cage. I was thinking, “I think that we are underestimating how powerful these visuals are.” When have we ever seen a character in any movie that’s a human being take a rib cage full of bullets in a trailer or anything? It was one of the things I thought was most exciting going into this movie is that you have that ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’, ‘48 Hrs.’, ‘Rush Hour’ tension that exists between two characters you want to see grow, but now you’ve weaponized them and they’re indestructible and they can take out that frustration physically. I think that’s the first time an audience has ever gotten to experience that take on it.
MF: Finally, Dean, what was it like cutting the incredible fight sequence in the van between Deadpool and Wolverine?
DZ: I mean, that sequence again was choreographed within an inch of its life because of the constraints of what it is, you’re fighting in a van! Deadpool couldn’t use his katanas, so we had to use the little knife that he had in his chest piece and his baby knife, where Wolverine just had these claws. So, it was always going to be a bloodbath. The biggest challenge was getting that sequence and then finding the right music to go to it. We obviously knew we were going to do the head against the radio with a full nod to ‘The Greatest Showman’ there. But then where do you go? What do you do? That’s where, again, Shane is so great with music. He picked the AC/DC song for the Void fight. I can’t remember what we came up with (for the van scene). (Note: It was “You’re the one that I want” from ‘Grease’). It’s just one of those things, like, “Let’s just put in this.” It’s like how do you do the contradiction of it? Make it weird and different but keeping it visceral and real. But again, where Shane was saying, having Hugh’s face and the anger and just the pure hatred for this character. Again, this is something that’s been built up for so long because in the press they (Ryan and Hugh) pretended they hated each other, even though they were best friends. So, it was literally both these fights were like this long time coming. To see that viscerally on Hugh’s face, and again, he went there because he was going through stuff emotionally, in his personal life as well as professionally. The performance he brought is what really made this all not only grounded and real, but just it brought it to the next level where you felt the palpable tension and you felt the hatred and you felt like, “Yeah. They’re going to fight, and they want to kill each other.” It was great. It was a little bit paint by numbers, but at the same time there were some things that wasn’t working, and we had the opportunity and luxury of having a production team very open and receptive to how fast that we work in the cutting room. Getting dailies and cutting them so quickly and showing Shawn and going, “We don’t think this works. Can we come up with something else better for this?” Then them just going out and doing it the next day. The other thing that I will say is all these fights, they were shot on location. They weren’t on a stage. They weren’t on a green screen or a blue screen. It was all out in the real world. That’s what makes this so different than a lot of these other sequences because they’re all CG. They drove the car! We trashed the van! All this stuff, we did in real life out in London, which Marvel doesn’t do because it’s all so secretive. So, it was a real testament to the lengths that they went to give us the support that we wanted to do, which was to make a real film out in the world. Yes, there were some leaks, and we had our trials and tribulations with paparazzi and all that kind of stuff, but we got through it, and it all worked hand in hand, and it made us better. I think what it showed is that we are doing something different and more unique than any other Marvel movie has done. I think that’s what audiences are enjoying more than anything, not knowing that that’s why it is because we did it for real in real life.
SR: I’ll just add one thing onto the van fight that I’m realizing I haven’t really commented on that notches up the performance and the joy of that scene, which was such a weird choice by Hugh to just start laughing while Deadpool’s on top of him, which is such a character moment of just like, “Come on.” Then Ryan had the idea to add some dripping blood onto his cheek and teeth, and it’s just such a weird piece of the puzzle that elevates sequences like that from a fight scene to like, “God, I’m getting story and character in a moment that should just be getting punches and kicks and flying around.” I think that’s the difference in this film is that you feel it everywhere.
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What is the plot of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’?
Six years after the events of ‘Deadpool 2’, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) lives a quiet life, having left his time as the mercenary Deadpool behind him, until the Time Variance Authority (TVA)—a bureaucratic organization that exists outside of time and space and monitors the timeline—pulls him into a new mission. With his home universe facing an existential threat, Wilson reluctantly joins an even more reluctant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) on a mission that will change the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Shawn Levy attends the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Director Shawn Levy‘s string of consecutive hits has made him one of the most popular filmmakers working today.
(L to R) Paul Giamatti and Frankie Muniz in ‘Big Fat Liar’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
After one of his class papers is stolen and turned into a movie, a young student (Frankie Muniz) and his best friend (Amanda Bynes) exact a hilarious, slapstick revenge on the Hollywood hot shot (Paul Giamatti) who has taken credit!
Steve Martin as Inspector Jacques Clouseau in 2006’s ‘The Pink Panther.’ Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing.
When the coach of the France soccer team is killed by a poisoned dart in the stadium in the end of a game, and his expensive and huge ring with the diamond Pink Panther disappears, the ambitious Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline) assigns the worst police inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) to the case.
1997’s ‘Address Unknown’. Photo: Leucadia Film Corporation.
A 16-year-old boy who had thought that his fathers death was an accident suspects otherwise when he receives a 10-year-old lost letter his father had written just before his death.
After his wife’s death, Michael (Mark Moses) loses track of whats important. Thats why its strictly business between Michael and Faith (Rebecca Chambers) the attractive nanny he’s hired to take care of his troubled 7-year-old daughter Lily (Brittany Alyse Smith). When Faith helps Lily deal with her mothers death she earns a place in Michaels heart. But to keep Faith in their lives Michael has to decide whats really important to him.
Steve Martin in ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
The Baker brood moves to Chicago after patriarch Tom (Steve Martin) gets a job coaching football at Northwestern University, forcing his writer wife, Mary (Bonnie Hunt), and the couple’s 12 children to make a major adjustment. The transition works well until work demands pull the parents away from home, leaving the kids bored — and increasingly mischievous.
(L to R) Brittany Murphy and Ashton Kutcher in ‘Just Married’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Tom Leezak (Ashton Kutcher) and Sarah McNerney (Brittany Murphy) fall in love and plan to get married, despite opposition from Sarah’s uptight, rich family. When they do get married, and get a chance to prove Sarah’s family wrong, they go on a European honeymoon and run into disaster after disaster. They have to decide whether the honeymoon from hell and a few pre-marital mistakes are worth throwing away their love and marriage.
(L to R) Ben Stiller and Amy Adams in ‘Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Hapless museum night watchman Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) must help his living, breathing exhibit friends out of a pickle now that they’ve been transferred to the archives at the Smithsonian Institution. Larry’s (mis)adventures this time include close encounters with Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), Abe Lincoln (Hank Azaria) and Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest).
(L to R) Tina Fey and Steve Carell in ‘Date Night’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Phil (Steve Carell) and Claire (Tina Fey) Foster fear that their mild-mannered relationship may be falling into a stale rut. During their weekly date night, their dinner reservation leads to their being mistaken for a couple of thieves—and now a number of unsavoury characters want Phil and Claire killed.
(L to R) Mizuo Peck, Robin Williams, Ben Stiller, Rami Malek and Patrick Gallagher in ‘Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
When the magic powers of The Tablet of Ahkmenrah begin to die out, Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) spans the globe, uniting favorite and new characters while embarking on an epic quest to save the magic before it is gone forever.
(L to R) Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson in ‘The Internship’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Two recently laid-off men in their 40s (Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson) try to make it as interns at a successful Internet company where their managers are in their 20s.
(L to R) Walker Scobell and Ryan Reynolds in ‘The Adam Project’. Photo: Netflix.
A time-traveling pilot (Ryan Reynolds) teams up with his younger self (Walker Scobell) and his late father (Mark Ruffalo) to come to terms with his past while saving the future.
(L to R) Ben Stiller and Robin Williams in ‘Night at the Museum’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Chaos reigns at the natural history museum when night watchman Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) accidentally stirs up an ancient curse, awakening Attila the Hun, an army of gladiators, a Tyrannosaurus rex and other exhibits.
(L to R) Dakota Goyo and Hugh Jackman in ‘Real Steel’. Photo: Walt Disney Studios.
Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is a washed-up fighter who retired from the ring when robots took over the sport. After his robot is trashed, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son (Dakota Goyo) to rebuild and train an unlikely contender.
(L to R) Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman and Adam Driver in ‘This Is Where I Leave You’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
When their father passes away, four grown (Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Corey Stoll and Adam Driver), world-weary siblings return to their childhood home and are requested — with an admonition — to stay there together for a week, along with their free-speaking mother (Jane Fonda) and a collection of spouses, exes and might-have-beens. As the brothers and sisters re-examine their shared history and the status of each tattered relationship among those who know and love them best, they reconnect in hysterically funny and emotionally significant ways.
(L to R) Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer in ‘Free Guy’. Photo: 20th Century Studios.
A bank teller (Ryan Reynolds) discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game, and decides to become the hero of his own story. Now, in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way before it’s too late.
1984’s ‘The NeverEnding Story.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
Preview:
‘The NeverEnding Story’ will return to screens in a new adaptation.
The 1984 original is a cult classic that many grew up with.
See-Saw Films, which made ‘The King’s Speech’ among others, is developing it.
Most famous for being a key part of eighties’ kids childhood (who among us can forget the heart-rending image of a horse drowning in a swamp as part of a movie designed to entertain children?), ‘The NeverEnding Story’ might also be famous for the joke about someone threatening legal action because it, you know, ended.
But now, because every piece of pop culture somehow comes spinning back around on the giant wheel of remakes (and because there was added renewed interest thanks to the use of its music in ‘Stranger Things’), the rights to adapt Michael Ende’s original novel are now in the clutches of See-Saw Films, the team behind ‘The King’s Speech’ on the big screen and ‘Slow Horses’ on the small, and they have big plans going forward.
1984’s ‘The NeverEnding Story.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
Michael Ende’s 1979 kid-friendly fantasy novel became a bestseller in Germany and ended up translated into 45 languages, selling millions of copies worldwide.
We’re introduced to shy but imaginative child Bastian Balthasar Bux who, while escaping from bullies, discovers the mysterious, titular tome about the heroic Atréyu and his mission to save the magical realm of Fantastica — a world of dragons, giants and deadly swamps — and its ruler, the Childlike Empress, from being destroyed by force known as “The Nothing.”
Yet the more he reads, the more Bastian realizes he’s not simply an uninvolved spectator and he soon finds himself transported into Fantastica himself, flying atop the luckdragon Falkor.
The movie version (directed by Wolfgang Petersen) was not to Ende’s taste, though his disapproval didn’t stop production of two sequels and a couple of short-lived TV adaptations.
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Who is working on the new ‘The Neverending Story’?
1984’s ‘The NeverEnding Story.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
Right now, all the film has is rights holders and producers; the process of finding filmmakers and cast to bring it to life, and a distribution home, is only now starting.
Iain Canning and Emile Sherman of See-Saw are working with Roman Hocke and Ralph Gassmann, who run Michael Ende Productions, the estate of the author.
Here’s what Canning told Variety about the appeal:
“The story is both timely and timeless, and really has an opportunity to be told in a fresh way. And part of the specialness of the book is that you can go back to it at different ages in your life and find different levels of meaning. So how wonderful that we have this opportunity to do a fresh perspective that will have new layers and meanings. We just believe that every generation deserves their own journey into Fantastica.”
When will the new ‘Neverending Story’ be on screens?
There is no release date for the movie yet.
1984’s ‘The NeverEnding Story.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
“There are many stories where a knight saves a damsel in distress. This is not one of them”. The Millie Bobby Brown led fantasy adventure ‘Damsel‘ lands on Netflix on March 8th, where she plays Elodie, a dutiful damsel set to marry a handsome prince.
Despite the beautiful gowns and gorgeous castle, Elodie soon realizes there’s something far more sinister lying under the guise of a royal wedding – a generational debt to be paid to a fearsome dragon, and she’s the sacrifice.
This story isn’t your traditional fairy tale. There’s no prince coming to Elodie’s rescue, and she’s not falling in love. Instead, Elodiel has found herself betrayed and trapped in the dragon’s lair. The only person who can help her is herself. While there’s not a lot of dialogue in the film – as Elodie spends most of the time trying to escape from the dragon’s wrath – it makes up for it in action.
The film’s first act has quite a bit of exposition, setting up the origin of the sacrificial debt to the dragon, Elodie’s family’s dire financial situation, and why she was willing to marry a prince she’s never met before. However, once the film moved into the second act, it was gritty, brutal, and action-packed.
‘Damsel’ is directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, with an original screenplay by Dan Mazeau. Based on the novel by New York Times best-selling author Evelyn Skye, this film is a collaboration between Netflix and Random House.
The movie quickly establishes the reason why the kingdom of Aurea owed an ancient debt to the dragon and why it must take place every generation. The flashback scene of the then-King of Aurea and the dragon was far more brutal than expected, with his army succumbing to the dragon’s deadly fire breath.
Fast forward to centuries later, we meet Elodie and her family in their kingdom of Inophe. The good-natured princess was always willing to help out the people of her realm, not afraid to get her hands dirty. Elodie had a great relationship with her father, Lord Bayford (Ray Winston), her sister Floria (Brooke Carter), and her stepmother, Lady Bayford (Angela Bassett).
Knowing her realm was in trouble, and the marriage to Prince Henry of Aurea would help her people exponentially, Elodie put her own feelings aside and agreed, even if the proposal of marriage came for a mysterious woman clad in red whose sinister presence should have been questioned.
Upon Elodie’s arrival in Aurea, her ship sails past dense fog with statues of terrifying dragons lining the course, eluding to the unknown danger she’ll soon face. However, the film does a great job of making Aurea look spectacular once the ship breaks through the fog with bright green lands as far as the eye can see, and a stunning castle, making it a perfect juxtaposition of the prior scene.
Despite the happy facade of a royal wedding, Elodie soon finds out the cruel trap that’s been laid for her as she is tossed without a care into the dragon’s pit. The film did not pull punches when it came to Elodie’s suffering and injuries while she was in the depths of the lair, giving her almost a “John McClane” level of scrapes, cuts, and bruises.
It was great to see how Elodie would survive and outsmart the dragon as more layers of the story are revealed. She’s not imbued with super-human powers, so it was great watching her relying on her own physical strength and survival skills as she navigates through the Dragon’s den. The movie did make a point of showing Elodie’s fascination with drawing and creating mazes – but the film never put this particular (and seemingly perfect) skill to use where she would map out the lair on her own.
The highlight of the film lies in Elodie’s encounter in the lair, where her determination to survive is captivating and most interesting to watch. When it came to the dialogue, much of it felt awkward or fast-tracked, with the exception of the relationship between Elodie and her sister Floria and a brief conversation between Robin Wright’s Queen Isabelle and Angela Bassett’s Lady Bayford.
It is clear that Millie Bobby Brown isn’t afraid to get down and dirty in this role as her character stumbles, crawls, and climbs through the underground lair. A majority of her scenes are by herself, and her range of emotions, from despair to determination, is perfectly portrayed. This film showcases her ability to not only carry a feature film on her shoulders but also be so captivating that the audience can’t help but cheer her on.
While Brown shines in the film, the other characters feel at times forgotten. The dialogue between characters is mostly short lived and only used as a way to propel the story forward rather than developing their character. Robin Wright was terrific as Queen Isabelle, whose beautiful smile hides a vicious agenda. It’s unfortunate that Wright and Bassett were given so little to do in the film, and their talents felt wasted.
Add this movie to the list of great female-empowering films that are fun to watch. It’s dark and gritty, has a ton of action, and breaks the “damsel in distress” trope. The story isn’t exactly original, but there are more twists and surprises than one can expect. While the dialogue lacked in parts, the movie shines the most when Millie Bobby Brown goes up against the dragon, putting her survival skills and fighting spirit to use.
‘Damsel’’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
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What is the Plot of ‘Damsel’?
A dutiful, sheltered young noblewoman (Millie Bobby Brown) agrees to marry a handsome prince (Nick Robinson), only to discover that his family intends to sacrifice her to repay an ancient debt. Trapped in the cave of a fearsome dragon, she must rely on her wits and will to survive.
Premiering on Netflix November 2nd is the four-part series ‘’All the Light We Cannot See,’ which is based on author Anthony Doerr’s novel of the same name. The series was developed and written by Steven Knight (‘Spencer’) and directed by Shawn Levy (‘Free Guy,’ ‘Deadpool 3’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Shawn Levy and writer Steven Knight about their work on ‘’All the Light We Cannot See,’ visually adapting the source material, the themes they wanted to explore, the show’s unusual structure, and casting actress Aria Mia Loberti.
(L to R) Shawn Levy and Steven Knight for Netflix’s ‘All The Light We Cannot See.’
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, Shawn, can you talk about the challenges of adapting this source material visually to the screen, as well as the themes that you were excited to explore with the series?
Shawn Levy: Well, the good news is that the hardest part of the adaptation was Steven’s job, so I was spared that. I try to listen to what the script is telling me it wants to be, which is why ‘Free Guy’ looks different from ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘The Adam Project,’ and in this case, the source material, both the book and Steven’s adaptation, it was such a combination of historic, epic visuals, but with almost lyrical intimacy. I saw an opportunity to make something that doesn’t look like anything I’ve made before, but that also said something thematically that I believe in, which is, in spite of the many ways the world can break our heart, particularly in wartime, and the cruelty that people can do, that there is the critical importance of believing in the light we can’t see at a certain moment. History just recurrently teaches us this again and again, and times are dark once again, and it’s so hard, but also so important to hold on to your humanity, to your empathy, and to your ability to connect with someone else, regardless of the uniform they wear or the side of the world or conflict that they’re on.
MF: The series follows two different stories and features a lot of flashbacks. Steven, can you talk about the structure of the series and the challenges of adapting the source material?
Steven Knight: The biggest challenge of adapting the novel is the time shifts, because it’s sort of easier to do that on the page than it is on the screen. It took some sort of ingenuity to make sure that the audience don’t get lost in the time and fall between the cracks. I mean, that is a technical challenge, but I think that the real challenge of adapting something this good and this brilliant is to be able to confidently say that you know the characters well enough to have them do things they don’t do in the book. Setting the characters free can only happen if you are sure, you know who they are, and what they would do in those circumstances. For me, that was the biggest challenge, as well as daring to adapt something this well-loved and this well-celebrated. But I think in the end you have to do that; otherwise only mediocre novels would ever get adapted.
MF: Finally, Shawn, can you talk about discovering actress Aria Mia Loberti and why she was perfect to play the lead role of Marie-Laure LeBlanc?
SL: I felt going in that if I could find someone to play Marie who was herself low-vision or blind, that it wouldn’t just be the right way to approach it, it would be the better way to approach it, because it would be the authentic way to tell this story. So, we put out an open casting call and got well over a thousand auditions. One of them was from this graduate student, Fulbright scholar, young woman, who had never acted or even auditioned before, but she had such a presence on screen. She had an intelligence and a fire in her that felt like a hero and felt like it could bring this hero to life.
What is the plot of ‘All the Light We Cannot See’?
‘All the Light We Cannot See follows’ the lives of two teenagers during the height of World War II: Marie-Laure (Aria Mia Loberti), a blind French girl and Werner Pfennig (Louis Hofmann), a German boy forced to join and fight for the Nazi Regime.
Who is in the cast of ‘All the Light We Cannot See’?
(Left) Executive Producer Shawn Levy seen at the red carpet premiere in support of the launch of the Netflix original series ‘Stranger Things.’ Photo: Eric Charbonneau/Netflix. (Right) Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in ‘Deadpool 3.’ Photo courtesy of Ryan Reynolds Instagram account.
While he is in Toronto to promote his latest collaboration with Netflix, historical novel adaptation ‘All the Light We Cannot See’, Shawn Levy has naturally also been answering questions about the movie he was working on, a slightly anticipated title known as ‘Deadpool 3’.
Yes, the latest entry in the successful superhero franchise boasts not only Ryan Reynolds back in the suit as the quip-happy Merc With a Mouth, but sees Hugh Jackman join him on screen properly for the first time as Wolverine.
While the character has been the subject of many, many gags in previous ‘Deadpool’ outings, this will Jackman’s Logan him showing up to banter with/battle Reynolds’ Wade Wilson.
And according to Levy, having the pair team-up is a dream come true.
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Shawn Levy on ‘Deadpool 3’
(L to R) Hugh Jackman, Shawn Levy, and Ryan Reynolds attend ‘The Adam Project’ World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on February 28, 2022 in New York City. Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix.
Talking to Collider, Levy revealed that has really enjoyed making the threequel so far:
“You have two major movie stars together in a movie playing their most iconic signature roles –– that is director heaven. So, the story, the tone, the movie itself leans into that gift of having Deadpool and Wolverine co-starring in a movie for the first time. So, we’re definitely not running away from that.”
Yet even all that fun couldn’t prevent the movie from shutting down for the latest strike. Even though it had kept shooting during the writers’ strike, adding the actors’ industrial action into the mix stopped it in its tracks.
According to Levy , the team was 35 days into making the movie, which is exactly halfway through the planned shoot.
Here’s Levy on whether he’s front-loaded the big effects that could have been worked on during the strike:
“That would have been smarter than I am. That would have been so savvy. But I guess, like others in our industry, I somehow thought this second strike would be averted. Then suddenly, it was upon us, and I had to send several hundred people home, and they’re still waiting to come back to work. So, I’m just really — I don’t use this word lightly — I’m yearning for a resolution that feels fair and equitable and gets this industry back to work.”
Still, he’s promising that the finished film (when it can be finished) will be raw and audacious. We’d expect no less from a ‘Deadpool’ movie.
Shawn Levy attends ‘The Adam Project’ World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on February 28, 2022 in New York City. Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Netflix.
Levy is a man with many irons in the fire, having built a successful career as a producer as well as directing movies and TV series.
All of his recent hits have led to him getting the chance to make a ‘Star Wars’ movie, but that is currently on hold because of the writers’ strike.
“We were just starting the process of developing my movie, and the writer strike happened. So, we are in that holding pattern that so much of our industry is in.”
The same fate has also befallen his plan to make a series based on his 2010 sci-fi drama ‘Real Steel’, about boxing robots. Like his ‘Star Wars’ movie, the series was in development but is on hold pending the end of the strikes.
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Will Shawn Levy be back for ‘Stranger Things’ next season?
(L to R) Creator and Executive Producer Matt Duffer, Matthew Modine, Creator and Executive Producer Ross Duffer and Executive Producer Shawn Levy seen at the after-premiere party in support of the launch of the Netflix original series ‘Stranger Things’ at Mack Sennett Studios on Monday, July 11, 2016, in Los Angeles, CA. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Netflix/AP Images. Photo: Eric Charbonneau/Netflix.
By far one of the most successful projects that Levy has been attached to through the years is Netflix series ‘Stranger Things’, which has become a giant pop culture sensation.
Created by Matt and Ross Duffer, the series is set in a small town in Indiana affected by a creepy parallel dimension that births weird creatures and affects the life of the families in the town.
The story focus on a group of young people who become directly involved in fighting back against the threats.
Levy, who has worked on the show since the beginning, has directed an episode or two every year, and he’s hopeful that despite a busy schedule, that he’ll back to help wrap the show by directing one from the fifth and final season.
Here’s what Levy had to say:
“I’ve been alongside Matt and Ross Duffer for all these years. I direct episodes every year. It’s a part of our brotherhood. It’s a part of my commitment and my love of the show, connecting with it as a director, as well as an executive producer, so I will go through hoops to figure out calendars to direct at least one episode.”
Of course, there is still the small matter of the strikes, which has shut down development of the final season while writing was initially underway.
And what of a project that is much more in the “vaporware” category, since it hadn’t even hit the writing stage yet.
What’s the status of the ‘Free Guy’ sequel?
Ryan Reynolds stars in ‘Free Guy.’
A big success for the director was 2021’s ‘Free Guy’ (which also starred Reynolds).
The story of a video game character who learns the truth about his existence earned $331.5 million at a time when audiences were worried about returning to theaters.
Naturally, Disney (which took over the movie when it bought 20th Century Fox), is eager for a sequel, and one has been in development for a while.
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Yet according to Levy, it has hit an unusual roadblock thanks to this year’s most successful movie –– ‘Barbie’:
“I think it is definitely not assured. We love ‘Free Guy’ and the love for ‘Free Guy’ that has kind of resonated in aftershocks, if you will, in the last couple of years. That’s been thrilling to Ryan and I. We are developing a sequel, but the truth is that you now have ‘Barbie’ that has obviously left a mark about a character in a fictional world who comes to self-awareness. So, we’re only gonna make ‘Free Guy 2’ if it’s different than the first movie and if it’s different from other movies.”
For now, Levy will mostly focus on promoting his current work and potentially overseeing what post-production work that can be completed on ‘Deadpool 3’ and figuring out the 500 other projects he might want to kick off once there are writers available to script them and actors to say the words.
Hugh Jackman will return as Wolverine in Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool 3.’
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.
The hits keep coming for Marvel –– and in this case, it’s not a success like the box office launch of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’. The company has had a real struggle getting its planned ‘Blade’ movie to screens and is facing yet another delay.
This time, the issue is the Writers Guild of America strike. The union’s members downed tools and began picketing on May 2nd after failing to work out a new contract with the studios and other companies such as Netflix.
Under the terms of the strike, writers in the union cannot work on movies and TV series that are signatories to its contract –– and that includes both Disney and Marvel.
So, according to The Hollywood Reporter, team Marvel has chosen to press pause on production of the movie, which had been due to begin next month in Atlanta.
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Blade: the story so far
Despite all the excitement over the announcement that Oscar winner Mahershala Ali would play the character during Marvel’s 2019 Comic-Con panel, the progress has been slow.
‘Mogul Mowgli’ director Bassam Tariq was hired to make the movie, only to depart over scheduling issues –– and given a shift in writers to Michael Starrbury, also seemed to indicate problems with the script.
‘White Boy Rick’s Yann Demage came aboard in November last year, but Pizzolatto’s hiring signaled that the movie was still having issues –– mostly, apparently, with tone. ‘Blade’ was never going to be quite the usual Marvel quip-fest, choosing instead to go a slightly grittier route.
But treading that line has apparently been trickier than anyone imagined.
Blade from Marvel Comics. Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
Originally crafted by Gene Colan and Marv Wolfman as a human who was immune to vampire bites, he was later changed to Eric Cross Brooks, whose mother is murdered by the bloodsucker Deacon Frost as she gives birth. The attack passes on vampire enzymes to her child, who becomes a Dhampir – a mix of both human and vampire.
Gifted with speed, strength, and the ability to walk in the daylight (hence his other name, the Daywalker), his mission is to hunt down and destroy vampires. In his time, he’s crossed paths with many notable Marvel characters in the comics, including Spider-Man and the Avengers. He’s also battled living vampire Morbius, who had his own movie out earlier this year, starring Jared Leto.
Yet Blade is probably most famous for the trilogy of movies released by New Line in 1998, 2002 and 2004, starring Wesley Snipes as the gruff, sword-swinging character.
Marvel had targeted a September 6th, 2024, release date, but that is all but certain to shift.
‘Blade’ is just one of the projects being affected by the industrial action. While most of the movies for this year and into next are either shot or in the middle of work, it’ll impact both big screen and small screen work beyond that –– the likes of ‘Game of Thrones’ spin-off ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight’ –– and the next season of ‘Stranger Things’ have both paused their writing rooms, with the ‘Things’ team putting out a social media post explaining the situation and supporting the strike.
Duffers here. Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then — over and out. #wgastrong
Ridley Scott’s plans for his ‘Gladiator’ follow-up just keep getting more and more interesting. Especially in terms of the casting, which is blending rising stars with established names.
And the latest update? Deadline reports that Connie Nielsen is heading back to Ancient Rome to reprise the role of Lucilla, while ‘Stranger Things’ Joseph Quinn is joining her to play a character new to the story, that of Caracalla.
The original film, of course, followed Roman general Maximus (Russell Crowe), who is betrayed by the sniveling, corrupt Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) and ends up in the gladiatorial games, from where he plots his revenge for the murder of his family.
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What is the story of ‘Gladiator 2’?
Little is known about the plot for the movie so far as Scott is keeping his cards close to his chest.
But here’s what we know so far…
Crowe has already said he’s not in the new movie, and that makes sense: short of CG-enhanced flashbacks, it’s unlikely, since the character died in the original and went to a lush heavenly zone to reunite with his slaughtered family The story, instead, spins the clock forward a few years and follows ‘Aftersun’ star Paul Mescal as Lucius.
He, you may recall, was the son of Lucilla and the nephew of Commodus, the son of Roman leader Marcus Aurelius who murdered his father and seized the throne. Commodus wound up in the gladiator ring with Maximus who, though mortally wounded, skewered the emperor before fading into the great. Maximus saved the Lucius and Lucilla while avenging his own family and left a strong impression on the young boy.
Quite what Lucius is up to in the new film remains to be seen, but there’s a chance he’ll be ending up in the arena himself, especially since Mescal has reportedly been training for the role.
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’s Barry Keoghan, meanwhile, is apparently playing the primary antagonist, Roman Emperor Geta (a fictional take on a real-life ruler). We can certainly see Keoghan as a Commodus-style troublemaker.
As for Quinn’s character, he’s a mystery for now, so we don’t know if he’ll be a heroic leader or a villainous schemer. Or both!
And that’s without mentioning the other big star draw for the new movie –– ‘Gladiator 2’ also marks Scott’s reunion with ‘American Gangster’s Denzel Washington, though again his role is being kept quiet beyond it being described as “bad-ass”. Seems fitting…
Scott has the original movie’s costume designer Janty Yates and production designer Arthur Max, along with cinematographer John Mathieson. Filming should be kicking off shortly, if it hasn’t already –– after all, the director probably has three more movies lined up to make this year on his current prolific run.
He already has ‘Napoleon’ (coincidentally starring Joaquin Phoenix) due in theaters on November 22nd ahead of streaming on Apple TV+.
(Right) Russell Crowe in director Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator.’
