Viola Davis as Amanda Waller in 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad.’
After scheming her way through both 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad’ and last year’s ‘The Suicide Squad’, not to mention two quick cameos in ‘Peacemaker’, Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller looks to become the focus of her own TV series.
According to Variety, Davis is in talks to return as Waller and to be an executive producer on the new series. Gunn, who is currently in the final stages of filming ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, won’t write or direct on the show, choosing instead to focus on the future of ‘Peacemaker’ itself and other projects he’s developing.
Instead, Christal Henry, who has worked on shows including ‘Watchmen’ (also for HBO Max), ‘The First’ and ‘APB’, will be the creative head, lead writer and executive producer of the Waller series, should it make it to production. Gunn will be involved, however, as an executive producer alongside regular producing partner Peter Safran.
Waller, for those who have somehow avoided both the ‘Suicide Squad’ movies and ‘Peacemaker’, is the ambitious, conniving civil servant and director of A.R.G.U.S. who established Task Force X, AKA the Suicide Squad, wanting to assemble a team of expendable metahumans who would be used to execute covert operations against even more dangerous threats.
Viola Davis as Amanda Waller in 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad.’
Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ introduced John Cena’s Christopher Smith, better known as Peacemaker, a bullish, dim-bulb hero whose stated mission is peace at any cost – even if it means killing everyone in sight. ‘Peacemaker’ developed the character in much more rounded fashion, exploring his traumatic, troubled past and seeing him confront a new enemy in the shape of alien butterfly creatures intent on taking Earth for themselves.
‘Peacemaker’, though it only featured Waller briefly, introduced some big changes into the storyline for the character as – spoiler alert – the finale saw her daughter, Leota Adebayo (played by Danielle Brooks) blow the whistle Waller’s actions and her attempts to frame Peacemaker to put him back behind bars.
That would seem to effectively close down Task Force X and other opportunities for Waller, who has always worked best in the shadows. The new series would presumably feature her attempts to deal with the fallout, and to get a new scheme and/or team into play. Brooks was entertaining and human as Adebayo, so hopefully she might also crop up in the new show.
This would by no means be Davis’ first TV series. She won an Emmy for playing brilliant criminal defense professor Annalise Keating on ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ and is currently to be found playing Michelle Obama on Showtime series ‘The First Lady’, which looks at the lives of various presidents’ wives, including Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt.
And Davis will also be back in theaters with ‘The Woman King’, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical action drama which sees Davis as Nanisca, ruler of the kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. That movie will be out on September 16th.
It took a remarkable amount of confidence for writer/director James Gunn to announce a spin-off from ‘The Suicide Squad’ based around John Cena’s Christopher ‘Peacemaker’ Smith, the numbskull vigilante whose entire credo is peace through any means – even if those means are killing anyone or anything he deems necessary.
Peacemaker wasn’t the most popular character on the ‘Squad’ crew, but, played with relish by Cena, he certainly made an impact, and Gunn hinted at more to come when the character survived near certain death.
‘The Suicide Squad’ itself didn’t do that well at the box office, partly due to the pandemic and because of its day-and-date launch on HBO Max. And when Gunn confirmed the series was in the works, plenty of people questioned the need for a show based around the character.
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How wrong they were. As it turns out, ‘Peacemaker’ is one of the more satisfying series of the year so far, and streets ahead of even some of the recent Marvel and Lucasfilm offerings.
Picking up as Smith is released from hospital, the show sees him thrown into a new mission, this time dealing with a threat from alien bug creatures that have taken over humans for their own ends.
Peacemaker is – somewhat unwillingly – teamed up with Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee), who we met in more headquarters-bound form in ‘The Suicide Squad’. This squad is led by Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji), a special forces operative who has little time for interaction with his team. And then there’s the new recruit, Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), who seems completely unprepared for the task in hand, but has a secret – she’s the daughter of ‘Squad’s Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), and a hidden agenda.
(L to R) John Cena and Danielle Brooks in HBO Max’s ‘Peacemaker.’
Tagging along are two of Peacemaker’s friends – pet and best pal Eagly (a fantastic CGI creation who has all the personality and humour you’d expect from a James Gunn project, even if he can’t talk) and Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), a cheery sociopath who enjoys killing people if he thinks it serves justice… Or just because.
This team, which redefines the term “rag-tag” must investigate and stop extra-terrestrials nicknamed “Butterflies” that have their own plans for humanity. Oh, and then there’s Christopher’s father, Auggie Smith (a foul-mouthed Robert Patrick), who is a racist, scheming White Supremacist who constantly belittles his son. These various sides will come into serious conflict – and not everyone will make it out alive…
‘Peacemaker’ works so well because Gunn has been given free rein to indulge his creative side, pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable on a superhero show, or indeed any TV series.
But far from simply being vulgar, bloody, and violent, the show is a potent combination of everything Gunn does so well. The humor and action are both excellent, but secondary to character growth. Every single member of the cast gets moments to shine – this is not simply Smith’s show. And everyone enjoys a complete character arc that finds them evolve and grow as the plot trundles along.
Gunn said when the show was originally revealed that he was looking to dig under Peacemaker’s helmet to find the man beneath, in a way that isn’t possible in a movie. And he certainly lived up to that claim – with Cena throwing himself into the role (literally, on occasion), Christopher Smith proves to be a far more complex person than the slaughter-happy idiot we meet in the ‘Squad’ movie.
He’s burdened by serious daddy issues thanks to Auggie’s toxic parenting, and still haunted by accidentally killing his brother (again, really his father’s fault). He starts to realize that his bullying, smug attitude is drawn from this background and begins to figure out how to be a better person.
Murn is a tough nut to crack, but Iwuji gives him layers, particularly later, and obviously left an impact on Gunn, who cast him in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.’ Brooks, best known to date for Netflix’s ‘Orange is the New Black’ shines as Adebayo, thrust into a world she’s (mostly) unprepared to handle, she figures out her place on the team and bonds with Smith over their shared parental problems.
Holland’s casting was controversial since she dates Gunn in real life, but anyone trying to cry nepotism need to take a long, hard look at themselves – freed from the confines of her ‘Squad’ duty, Holland really works as Harcourt, letting her initially chilly side melt as she interacts with her colleagues. Similarly, Agee is handed plenty to do than simply play a nervous nerd behind a computer, coming into his own heroic side with occasionally violent results.
John Cena in HBO Max’s ‘Peacemaker’
Stroma, meanwhile, doesn’t see his character change all that much, but that’s because Vigilante (real name: Adrian Chase) is so entertaining as a clueless goofball that to alter him might upset what makes the man work. Yet he also has a great arc that finds him drawing closer to the rest of the gang.
And then there’s Eagly, who is both a comedic gem and the beating heart that keeps Peacemaker grounded (even as he flies).
Yet the character work also extends to the supporting cast – Annie Chang’s endlessly miffed cop Sophie Song has a great line in insults, particularly for Auggie, and she’s backed up by gung-ho partner Fitzgibbon (played with a sweet nature by Lochlyn Munro). And when we finally meet the leader of the alien threat, they’re not simply a scheming, mustache-twirling villain (partly because they don’t have a mustache).
Along the way, there is so much to enjoy – hilariously rude riffs on other superheroes (Peacemaker has some seriously warped ideas on their behavior), some weird enemies (Christopher Heyerdahl as Police Captain Locke is a strange fellow even before he gets taken over by one of the alien bugs, and the performance clearly delighted his director, as he features in several extended moments) and some fun with rock and metal music. Oh, and seemingly in a dig at Marvel’s obsession with setting up other stories and characters, ‘Peacemaker’s end credit sequences only serve to add more jokes.
The path to the finale is a rollicking ride that never forgets to also have heart, and the last episode sticks the landing, with a couple of gigantic cameos that don’t feel out of place. Gunn skillfully weaves jokes and character touches into the story, and everything pays off at the end.
Though the first season ends with the threat largely vanquished and everyone in a very different place to where they started, the possibilities are endless for this series. Gunn wrote the entire first run and shared directing duties with Brad Anderson, Jody Hill, and Rosemary Rodriguez, but plans to handle it all for season 2.
If I were to guess as to what might happen? Peacemaker will continue his journey to become a better person (while still finding time to rock). Harcourt will become more of a leader. Adebayo will find more time for her wife (Keeya played by Elizabeth Faith Ludlow), and Eagly will continue to be the bright, shiny star of the series.
The entire series is now available on HBO Max. Be sure to watch the finale, as it features surprise cameos from several other popular DC Characters!
(L to R) Margot Robbie, Daniela Melchior, Idris Elba, Sylvester Stallone, and David Dastmalchian in ‘The Suicide Squad’
‘The Suicide Squad’ begins with our introduction to Savant (Michael Rooker), a criminal behind bars, with a talent for geometry and a mean streak when it comes to birds. He’s given the set-up for the story; he’s going to go on a black ops-type mission with a team of fellow convicts, and in return, ten years will get knocked off his prison sentence. This is explained to him by one Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), who also informs him that if he tries to escape, or ditch the operation, or double-cross her in any way, she’ll detonate the tiny bomb in his head.
So if you never saw the 2016 ‘Suicide Squad,’ you’re pretty much caught up at this point – Waller uses incarcerated super villains for spy missions, and she’s not really concerned if they make it back alive. If you did see the previous film, you’ll recognize some returning faces, like military liaison Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), and the inimitable Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), who says she’s back in the joint for “road rage… in a bank.” Savant and the rest of Task Force X are off to the (fictional) South American island nation of Corto Maltese to destroy a science lab called Jötunheim.
James Gunn wrote and directed this latest entry in the DCEU, and he brings his own impressive stamp to the movie. I think it’s fair to say that Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ is closer to his films ‘Slither’ and ‘Super’ than it is to either of his Guardians of the Galaxy outings. Given the R-rating in play, it probably won’t be surprising to learn that this is a particularly grisly comic-book movie with more than a few risqué (if now downright dirty) jokes. But it is surprising how much emotion Gunn brings into this story.
Being that this takes place in a comic-book world, the characters personalities are as extreme as their powers. Idris Elba’s Bloodshot is a violent mercenary who thinks the best parenting advice he can give his recently-arrested daughter is to make sure she has a lookout the next time she steals something. John Cena’s Peacemaker is a jingoistic meathead who will happily kill (among other things) to make peace. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is… well, you’d have to have been living in a cave for the past few years not to know who she is. And King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone) is simply the bestest boy.
As expected, some of these characters don’t get along, and the rivalry between Bloodshot and Peacemaker is particularly well served by Elba’s tired sighs and Cena’s gung-ho cluelessness. But some of the other characters ground the movie with unexpected empathy. Daniela Melchior’s Ratcatcher at first seems like she’s in over her head, but she’s the first to show she’s willing to reach out to others in the group, and Melchior makes us believe it. And David Dastmalchian’s Polka-Dot Man is… I’ll put it this way; Polka-Dot Man is a terrible comic book character. He’s down there with Crazy Quilt, Clock King, and Condiment King in the DC Villains Hall of Lame. But between Gunn’s script and Dastmalchian’s pathos, Polka-Dot Man becomes a tragic figure (albeit a crazy one). At the same time, Gunn and Margot Robbie show us the continuing evolution of Harley Quinn, showing us that she’s learned from (some of) her mistakes, but she’s willing to make entirely new ones, too.
Team movies can be tough, especially when team members have superpowers. But the movie doesn’t get bogged down in origin stories; at most, Davis’ Waller might give a rote description of someone’s role on the team, but not much more than that. She gives us the sense we’ll learn about what someone can do when we need to, and in that, she’s doing what Gunn does as a director. And it works. That lets him deftly balance the various character arcs, and make sure that they’re all relevant to the main story at hand. And you’d never think this movie is 132 minutes long; Gunn capitalizes on the abundance of characters to keep the story moving around, but never so much that we lose track of the overall plot. Henry Braham’s cinematography helps give us a sense of place, both in his long shots of pitched battles and giant monsters, or the mobile camera work in a nightclub and on rooftops.
Ultimately, this is a great example of a director being given the freedom to bring their own style to a big-budget production. The cast is clearly having a good time making this movie, and that energy is infectious. I, for one, would watch another mission from this crew if Gunn is in charge again.
David Dastmalchian, John Cena, Idris Elba, and Daniela Melchior in ‘The Suicide Squad’
James Gunn (of Guardians of the Galaxy fame) brings his high-stakes DC epic, ‘The Suicide Squad,’ to the big screen. Although we’ll see a handful of characters return from the 2016 ‘Suicide Squad,’ there are quite a few new faces. Don’t worry if you don’t know every new character that Gunn is bringing in, where here to introduce them all to you.
Harley Quinn
Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Harleen Quinzel Played By: Margot Robbie First Appearance: Batman the Animated Series
One of the returning characters from the original film, Harley Quinn (psychologist Doctor Harleen Quinzel) was once the Joker’s girl, helping him to break out of prison and become his clown partner of crime. But Harley grew to realize the Joker’s love wasn’t love, but abuse, and ran away to become her own anti-hero, more recently getting her own film as well. Harley uses a multitude of weapons but is well-known for her mallet and use of multiple firearms. Her outfit in the film seems to be taking inspiration from the Batman Arkham games, a nice callback.
Bloodsport
Idris Elba as Bloodsport in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Robert DuBois Played By: Idris Elba First Appearance: Superman Vol. 2 #4
This is not Bloodsport’s first live-action appearance, that honor goes to ‘Supergirl’ on The CW. In the comics, DuBois was an ex-soldier who, after seeing his brother come home mortally wounded, took up contract killing to fight against those he claimed ‘had freedom’ when they didn’t. TIt doesn’t look like the film is using all of that backstory, but if the trailer is anything to go by, it is using the story where he had gone toe-to-toe with Superman (and has even gotten the upper hand!) The big question is, since he’s worked for Lex Luthor in the past, will that be mentioned?
Rick Flag
Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Anthony Miller. Played By: Joel Kinnaman First Appearance: The Brave and the Bold #25
Another returning character (and actor!) from the original film, Rick Flag is as “government agent” as a character can get. Brought in by Amanda Waller to lead tThe Suicide Squad, he’s the team’s field commander and accompanies them on every mission, to make sure they stay in line. In the comics, he comes from a long line of military men, and maybe with the film diving deeper into comic book territory, we may see this come up? While he has no superpowers, his military history and firearms expertise makes him a very well-trained member of the team.
Peacemaker
John Cena as Peacemaker in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Christopher Smith Played By: John Cena First Appearance: Fightin’ 5 #40
One of the oldest characters on this list, Peacemaker originated in the 60s. A diplomat willing to get peace no matter what, Smith is willing to take down as many lives as possible to do so. Though it’s doubtful the film will use the ‘is haunted by the spirit of his father’ plotline, it seems to be taking the ‘peace at all cost’ very close to heart. Peacemaker is also the only character getting his own HBO Max show down the line.
Amanda Waller
Viola Davis as Amanda Waller in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Amanda Blake Played By: Viola Davis First Appearance: Legends #1
Another returning character from ‘Suicide Squad,’ Amanda Waller is most likely the most well-traveled as well. Appearing in TV shows, games and other films, she is the head of the Suicide Squad, and chooses whether they live or die at the touch of a button. In the comics storylines, she’s been given the nickname of “The Wall” in reference to how steadfast she is. She revived the Suicide Squad from files found she came across while working, and if she has a “super power,” it’s that she holds the lives of the squad in her hands.
King Shark
Sylvester Stallone voices King Shark in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Nanaue Played By: Sylvester Stallone First Appearance: Superboy #0
One of two animal members of this Suicide Squad, but this isn’t his first on-screen appearance (he’s shown up in ‘The Flash’ and the animated Harley Quinn series). King Shark is the son of the king of sharks and a human mother. (Ahh, comics…) And he’s exactly what he sounds like; a shark. He has a history of eating people, capturing swimmers, etc. We wouldn’t be surprised if Superboy, his nemesis, is mentioned in the film, as Shark plays a big role in Superboy’s story.
Polka-Dot Man
David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Abner Krill Played By: David Dastmalchian First Appearance: Detective Comics #300
One of the more outlandish members of the Squad (and that’s saying something with a team member like Weasel), Krill was a crook who, after witnessing Batman doing his crime-fighting thing, decided to just go around Gotham doing crime with polka-dots. (I swear that was it, no other reason was necessary.) His polka-dots get used for multiple purposes, and there have been hints that there is a biological component to powers of this version of the character.. Krill has never been a member of the Squad (save for an ‘Injustice 2’ prequel comic) so it’ll be interesting to see what he did that was so terrible that brings him with everyone else.
Sol Soria
Alice Braga as Sol Soria in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Sol Soria Played By: Alice Braga First Appearance: The Suicide Squad
Little is known about Braga’s character, because she hasn’t seemed to appear in any comics, and her debut is this movie. What we do know is she hails from the (fictional) country of Corto Maltese, and is the head of the country’s resistance group. The country has appeared in the comics as a place where metahumans are tested on and created. It’s possible she could be related to Juan Soria, a comic character who shares the same last name as Sol, a member of the Squad with cybernetic enhancements.
Savant
Michael Rooker as Savant in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Brian Durlin Played By: Michael Rooker First Appearance: Birds of Prey #56
A villain turned bad, all because Batman told him he shouldn’t do vigilante work, Savant is as smart as they come… but he might forget that due to his forgetfulness. Being a character that’s teetered on the line of villain and vigilante, it is unknown if the film will delve into his background with the Birds of Prey, and his partner/boyfriend Creote. It appears Rooker might be playing an older version of Savant, so maybe we see Creote in a flashback, perhaps? For us, the audience, but not Savant, who wouldn’t remember them in the first place!
T.D.K.
Nathan Fillion as T.D.K. in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Cory Pitzner Played By: Nathan Fillion First Appearance: The Suicide Squad
Little is known about T.D.K as he is a creation specifically from the mind of James Gunn himself, so if that tells you anything… All we do know is that he’s a metahuman who can detach his arms and legs, while having the ability to control them telepathically, and we’ve recently learned the initials T.D.K. stand for The Detachable Kid. Gunn has gone on record saying T.D.K “is from a Saturday morning cartoon,” which doesn’t speak highly of his abilities in the type of movie Gunn makes. Fillion himself has said his character is more annoying than a threat as well, so we can just take them for their word!
Captain Boomerang
Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: George “Digger” Harkness Played By: Jai Courtney First Appearance: The Flash #117
The final returning character (and actor0 from the original film, Boomer started off as a Flash villain, and has appeared in both movies and the Flash TV series. Born in Australia, he grew up being very good at carving boomerangs and using them as weapons. He’s the other character in the movie (next to Harley) that’s been featured outside of the film universe on both TV and in video games, and the character will star alongside Harley in an upcoming Suicide Squad game.
Blackguard
Pete Davidson as Blackguard in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Richard Hertz Played By: Pete Davidson First Appearance: Booster Gold #1
Little is known about Blackguard’s comic book origins, other than he was hired by a group called ‘The 1,000’ and outfitted by them as well. His known powers are, interestingly, ergokinesis (the ability to manipulate energy) and use of multiple gadgets. We don’t know if the film will go into his metahuman abilities, but he is one of the characters to have a major costume change. We also don’t know if they will dive into his Booster Gold connection (which would mean Booster’s introduction into the DCEU). But Gunn could very well add that kind of surprise.
Weasel
Sean Gunn plays Weasel in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: John Monroe Played By: Sean Gunn First Appearance: The Fury of Firestorm #35
There’s a fun story about Weasel. In the movie, he looks like as an actual… weasel-like creature. But in the comic, he’s an actual man! Monroe was a student in the 1960s who was nicknamed ‘weasel’ by his peers as they bullied him. By day, he’s a college professor. By night, he’s a murderer, dressing in a costume (most likely where Gunn’s portrayal comes from) and calling himsef ‘Weasel’. We still don’t know how Gunn will justify making him an actual animal, but the DC’s “metahuman” concept will probably play a part.
The Thinker
Peter Capaldi as The Thinker in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Clifford DeVoe (we think) Played By: Peter Capaldi First Appearance: All-Flash #12
Again, like Weasel, we got a fun one. While most characters have been given their comic-connected names and villainious monikers, we do not know which version of Thinker that Capaldi is playing. So for clarity’s sake, I’ll be going into the DeVoe version, as he has also appeared in The Flash TV show. A failed lawyer, DeVoe used his smarts to be the brains behind many small-time thugs. He was able to use his smarts as a weapon, literally, with the help of his ‘thinker cap.’ which clearly plays a role in the film. Now we just have to see if Gunn will use Thinker as a master manipulator, too…
Javelin
Flula Borg as Javelin in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Gunter Braun Played By: Flula Borg First Appearance: Green Lantern #173
Javelin doesn’t seem to have a first name in the comics, so we’re using the name Gunn gives him in the film. While he’s not a metahuman, Braun is a talented Olympian! A former member of the German Olympic team, he turned to a life of crime, but it’s not clear why. The only ‘superpower’ he has? He’s incredibly good with javelin-based weapons. As seen in the film’s featurettes, Braun sees himself as the best-looking in the room and might be one of the most stuck-up members of the squad. Let’s hope that saves him!
Mongal
Mayling Ng as Mongal in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Mongal Played By: Mayling Ng First Appearance: Showcase ‘95
The only otherworldly member of the squad seen so far, Mongal is the daughter of DC villain Mongul, born and raised on the planet Debstam IV. She’s taken on Superman, and was later killed by her own brother. She has superhuman strength and resiliance, and a long history of fighting to the death. But will that be enough to keep her alive?
Ratcatcher (2)
Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher in ‘The Suicide Squad’ Real Name: Cleo Cazo Played By: Daniela Melchior First Appearance: The Suicide Squad
Last but not least, we have Ratcatcher. A new character to the DC canon, Cazo is the daughter of the original Ratcatcher, and like her father, controls rats using a device that puts them under her influence. Gunn has said that Cazo is the “heart of the film” and even describes her as being “completely out of her element” but goes ahead and tries to make friends with everyone around her. It should be interesting to see how she plays off everyone else, and how everyone else plays off her and her rats.
‘The Suicide Squad‘ will be in theaters on August 6.
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Best Picture nominees ‘Judas and the Black Messiah,’ ‘Nomadland,’ ‘Promising Young Woman,’ ‘Sound of Metal,’ ‘Mank,’ ‘Minari,’ ‘Trial of the Chicago 7,’ & ‘The Father’
Early in the morning on March 15th, Nick Jonas and Prianka Chopra-Jonas announced the nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards. Here are the nominees for this years’ awards:
BEST PICTURE
‘The Father’
‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Mank’
‘Minari’
‘Nomadland’
‘Promising Young Woman’
‘Sound of Metal’
‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
DIRECTOR
Thomas Vinterberg, ‘Another Round’
David Fincher, ‘Mank’
Lee Isaac Chung, ‘Minari’
Chloe Zhao, ‘Nomadland’
Emerald Fennell, ‘Promising Young Woman’
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Riz Ahmed, ‘Sound of Metal’
Chadwick Boseman, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
Anthony Hopkins, ‘The Father’
Gary Oldman, ‘Mank’
Steven Yeun, ‘Minari’
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Viola Davis, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
Andra Day, ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’
Vanessa Kirby, ‘Pieces of a Woman’
Frances McDormand, ‘Nomadland’
Carey Mulligan, ‘Promising Young Woman’
Sacha Baron Cohen, ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
Daniel Kaluuya, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
Leslie Odom Jr., ‘One Night in Miami’
Paul Raci, ‘Sound of Metal’
Lakeith Stanfield, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
‘Onward’
‘Over the Moon’
‘A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon’
‘Soul’
‘Wolfwalkers’
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
‘Borat Subsequent MovieFilm’
‘The Father’
‘Nomadland’
‘One Night in Miami’
‘The White Tiger’
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Minari’
‘Promising Young Woman’
‘Sound of Metal’
‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
‘Another Round’ – Denmark
‘Better Days’ – Hong Kong
‘Collective’ – Romania
‘The Man Who Sold His Skin’ – Tunisia
‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ – Bosnia and Herzegovina
‘The Father’
‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
‘Mank’
‘News of the World’
‘Tenet’
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sean Bobbitt, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
Erik Messerschmidt, ‘Mank’
Dariusz Wolski, ‘News of the World’
Joshua James Richards, ‘Nomadland’
Phedon Papamichael , ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
‘Burrow’
‘Genius Loci’
‘If Anything Happens I Love You’
‘Opera’
‘Yes-People’
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)
‘Colette’
‘A Concerto Is a Conversation’
‘Do Not Split’
‘Hunger Ward’
‘A Love Song For Latasha’
ORIGINAL SONG
‘Fight For You’ from ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Hear My Voice’ from ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
‘Husavik’ from ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’
‘lo Sì (Seen)’ from ‘The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)’
‘Speak Now’ from ‘One Night in Miami…’
ORIGINAL SCORE
‘Da 5 Bloods’
‘Mank’
‘Minari’
‘News of the World’
‘Soul’
Delayed by the pandemic, the Oscars ceremony will be on Sunday, April 25 on ABC.
When an Oscar-winning actress and a beloved former First Lady come together, the result can only be television gold — and that’s exactly what we’re expecting from a new Showtime drama set in the White House.
Viola Davis will be playing Michelle Obama in “First Ladies,” a series that chronicles the women who helped shape their husbands’ presidencies from behind the scenes, and left enduring legacies of their own. Here’s the scoop on the project, according to Deadline:
‘First Ladies’ is set in the East Wing of the White House, where many of history’s most impactful and world changing decisions have been hidden from view, made by America’s charismatic, complex and dynamic First Ladies. The series will peel back the curtain on the personal and political lives of our most enigmatic heroes, with season one focusing on Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford and Michelle Obama.
Davis will serve as an executive producer on the project, alongside her husband Julius Tennon and their JuVee Productions banner. Author Aaron Cooley (novels “Four Seats: A Thriller of the Supreme Court,” “The Guns of Ridgewood”) is penning the series, which has already received a three-script order from Showtime.
It’s unclear how many episodes will focus on each First Lady, and who will be playing Roosevelt and Ford. But Davis as Obama is all the knowledge we need to know that we’ll be tuning in for “First Ladies” no matter what.
The series has been fast-tracked into development by Showtime. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
As part of her production deal with Amazon, Viola Davis is giving new life to little seen indie “Fast Color.”
The film, which was written by Julia Hart and Jordan Horowitz and directed by Hart, follows three generations of black women, Ruth (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), her mother Bo (Lorraine Toussaint), and Ruth’s daughter Lila (Saniyya Sidney), all of whom have extraordinary powers.
It premiered to critical praise at SXSW in 2018, but never expanded beyond its limited release of 25 theaters. It’s getting some overdue love now that it’s on BluRay and DVD.
Hart and Horowitz will write the pilot and Hart will direct. Davis will be an executive producer with her JuVee Productions partner, Julius Tennon.
“Since the day we premiered at SXSW, there has been an incredible outpouring of grassroots support for this film” Hart said. “We couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to continue living in this world, with these women, and can’t imagine better partners than Viola and Julius and Mickey and Pete and everyone at Amazon.”
“Our commitment at JuVee as artists is what fuels our imagination. We want to play. We want to challenge. We want to ask, “What if….,” said Davis and Tennon. “”Fast Color’ allows us to live in a world that fullfills all of the above. It’s a story and world that reminds us that not only do we have a soul, but we have extraordinary, unlikely women who fiercely protect it.”
The case is closed and class is dismissed — “How to Get Away With Murder” is ending after its upcoming sixth season on ABC.
The final season of the Shonda Rhimes-produced dramawill follow Annalise Keating (Emmy winner Viola Davis) and her students in their final semester of law school. According to ABC’s description, “The deception, fear and guilt binding Professor Keating to her students prove deadlier than ever.”
“HTGAWM” premiered in September 2014, joining “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” to form the Shondaland Thursday night block known as “TGIT. Davis took home the Best Actress Emmy the next year for her searing performance.
“Viola Davis made television history with her unforgettable portrayal of iconic female antihero Annalise Keating,” ABC entertainment president Karey Burke said in a statement. “I am eternally grateful to her, [creator] Pete Nowalk and Shondaland for creating and bringing to life such a smart, sophisticated and groundbreaking series that has long been an integral part of Thursday nights on ABC.”
Nowalk added, “For me, Annalise Keating’s journey has always had a clear ending. Knowing I have 15 episodes left to finish her story, and the chance to give all the characters their own killer endings, is a gift rarely given to a series creator and I’m grateful to ABC and ABC Studios for the opportunity and creative freedom.
“I am so thankful to the brilliant cast, writers and crew for dedicating themselves to the most rewarding experience of my career over the last six years. I also want to thank our fans. The only reason this show exists is because of your loyalty and enthusiasm. I can’t wait for you all to see how it ends, with twists and turns and all the craziness we love to create every Thursday night. Buckle up.”
ABC also released a sneak peek of Season 6, which flashes back to shocking moments from the past five seasons:
The story centers on Ma Rainey, the “Queen of the Blues,” as she makes a record in a studio in Chicago in 1927. In the process, tension boils between her, her white agent and producer, and her band mates. Ruben Santiago-Hudson has been tasked with adapting it for screen. He’s working from the award-winning play by August Wilson.
This project adds to Davis and Boseman’s ever-growing lists of credits. He is well-known for starring in the MCU as T’Challa and will be seen in the upcoming “21 Bridges.” Davis, an Academy Award winner, recently starred in “Widows” and has a key role in the upcoming “Troop Zero.”
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” will reunite Davis with Denzel Washington. They previously shared the Broadway stage in 2010 for the revival of “Fences,” another play written by Wilson. Davis then went on to star in Washington‘s 2016 movie adaptation of the work. He’s now producing “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” alongside Todd Black and Dany Wolf. Constanza Romero will serve as an executive producer.
The project is set to begin shooting in July in Pittsburgh. No release date has been announced yet, but we can look forward to the film will eventually making its way onto Netflix.
The 2016 movie made buckets of money ($746 million worldwide) but was universally reviled by critics.
Gunn, who is writing and directing this project, is bringing his own take to the property. So, it’s not quite a sequel, but it’s not a complete reboot either.
“Suicide Squad” (2?) opens in theaters August 6, 2021.
