Moviefone Editorial

Tag: white-house-down

  • Samuel L. Jackson Starring in ‘The Beast’

    Samuel L. Jackson at the red carpet premiere of Marvel Studios' 'Secret Invasion.'
    Samuel L. Jackson at the red carpet premiere of Marvel Studios’ ‘Secret Invasion.’

    Perhaps the most famous action thriller about a U.S. President getting tough with terrorists on one of his vehicles is 1997’s Wolfgang Peterson’s ‘Air Force One’, in which Harrison Ford plays James Marshall.

    He’s none too pleased when Gary Oldman’s band of communist rebels take over the plane and hold his family and staff hostage on board, eventually growling one of the most famous lines of action movie dialogue.

    Since then, there have been a few pretenders to the throne (Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman have been Commanders in Chief in peril, but they both had Gerard Butler’s Secret Service tough guy to help out in the ‘..Has Fallen’ movies that launched with 2013’s ‘Olympus Has Fallen’.

    And the same year as that movie, we got Jamie Foxx’s President and Channing Tatum’s cop protecting the former’s place of residence in ‘White House Down’.

    Now, though, ‘The Beast’ promises to deliver Samuel L. Jackson kicking ass as a President, who has to utilize the many facilities of his limo.

    What’s the story of ‘The Beast’?

    Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag in 'Suicide Squad.'
    Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag in ‘Suicide Squad.’

    The real-life limo used to transport the President is famously nicknamed ‘The Beast’ by the Secret Service agents who ride in and maintain it.

    The impenetrable tank is stocked with grenades, shotguns, armor-plating and bullet-and-bomb-proofing.

    When a militia of unidentified hostiles coordinates a coup against the U.S. presidency, the President (Jackson) uncovers the extent of The Beast’s highly classified offensive capabilities.

    Separated from his wife, the President must learn to control The Beast — and the monster inside himself — in order to save his life, the life of Secret Service agent Taft (Joel Kinnaman), and America.

    Related Article: 10 Things We Learned at the ‘Secret Invasion’ Virtual Press Conference

    Who is making ‘The Beast’?

    Director Peter Berg at the world premiere of Netflix's 'Spenser Confidential.'
    Director Peter Berg at the world premiere of Netflix’s ‘Spenser Confidential.’ Photo: Charley Gallay.

    This one is still in pre-production, and other casting has yet to be announced. But we do know that James Madigan, who has segued from a career in visual effects to second unit director on movies such as ‘The Meg’ and ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’, will direct this one from Umair Aleem’s script.

    And Peter Berg, no stranger to action movies himself, will be one of the producers.

    Since the film is not yet associated with a studio (it’ll be offered to distributors as a package deal at this year’s Toronto International Film Market), it has a waiver with performers’ union SAG-AFTRA to shoot this year.

    Interestingly, it marks the second time Jackson has played the role, since he was the Leader of the Free World in 2014’s ‘Big Game’ in which a teenager helps him survive in a forest after baddies shoot down Air Force One. Could it be the same president? Probably not, but it would be fun to watch Jackson get frustrated about his ride being compromised again.

    For Marvel fans, it’ll be a chance to see Jackson getting tough in a tricked-out vehicle again after Nick Fury took on some enemies in ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’. Hopefully he won’t have to deal with a metal-armed, defrosted assassin this time…

    Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in Marvel Studios' 'Secret Invasion,' exclusively on Disney+.
    Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in Marvel Studios’ ‘Secret Invasion,’ exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Des Willie. © 2023 MARVEL.

    Other Movies Similar to ‘The Beast’:

    Buy Samuel L. Jackson Movies On Amazon

  • Lance Reddick Dies at the Age of 60

    Lance Reddick as Irvin Irving on Prime Video's 'Bosch.'
    Lance Reddick as Irvin Irving on Prime Video’s ‘Bosch.’ Photo: Aaron Epstein. Copyright: Amazon Studios

    Lance Reddick, an actor who brought poise, gravitas and depth to even the smallest role, has died.

    Best known for movies including the ‘John Wick’ series and TV shows including ‘The Wire’, ‘Fringe,’ and ‘Bosch,’ Reddick was 60.

    20057434
    Lance Reddick as Irvin Irving on Prime Video's 'Bosch.'
    Lance Reddick as Irvin Irving on Prime Video’s ‘Bosch.’ Photo: Hopper Stone. Copyright: Amazon Studios

    Who was Lance Reddick?

    Born in 1962 in Baltimore, Reddick’s initial passion was for music; he attended the Peabody Preparatory Institute and completed a summer program on music theory and composition at the Walden School as a teenager. Yet acting calling to him: after earning his Bachelor of Music degree from Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, he relocated to Boston, Massachusetts in the 1980s to start attending the Yale School of Drama in 1991.

    Reddick began his screen career in the mid-1990s, guesting on such series as ‘The Nanny’ and ‘New York Undercover’. Later in the decade, he appeared on the big screen in films including ‘Great Expectations’ and ‘The Siege’ before recurring on HBO’s Emmy-winning 2000 miniseries ‘The Corner’, which was based on David Simon’s book. The same year, he scored a role on fellow gritty HBO drama ‘Oz’.

    But all that was prologue to the first of his most notable TV roles –– Simon cast him in ‘The Wire’ as Cedric Daniels, an iconic character who appeared throughout the show’s run. He also won fans for his work as Phillip Broyles in sci-fi drama ‘Fringe’.

    More recently, he’s been back on the TV cop drama beat with ‘Bosch’. But his career has been incredibly varied, Reddick showing up on shows such as ‘The Blacklist’, ‘Castle’, ‘Intelligence’, ‘Castlevania’, ‘Corporate’, ‘The Legend of Vox Machina,’ and Netflix‘s ‘Resident Evil.’

    Lance Reddick as Albert in 'Resident Evil.'
    (L to R) Lance Reddick as Albert in ‘Resident Evil.’ Photo: Netflix © 2021.

    Related Article: Lance Reddick to Return as Charon for ‘John Wick’ Spin-Off ‘Ballerina’

    Which movies has Lance Reddick been in?

    Movie-wise, he’s enjoyed a long and successful career that takes in a wide variety of films including ‘White House Down’, ‘Little Woods’, ‘Angel has Fallen’ and ‘One Night in Miami…’ But perhaps he’s become best known as Charon, the stoic, badass concierge of the Continental hotel in the ‘John Wick’ movies.

    Reddick has a few films left in which audiences can enjoy his work: he’s in the remake of ‘White Men Can’t Jump’, due out this year, ‘Saint Sebastian’, ‘The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial’ (which is still in production), and ‘Wick’ spin-off ‘Ballerina’, which stars Ana de Armas. He’s also playing Zeus in the new Disney+ adaptation of ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’, which should be out next year.

    Most recently out promoting ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’, which is in theaters next week, the actor was found dead of natural causes at his home in Studio City. Reddick is survived by his wife, Stephanie Reddick, and children, Yvonne Nicole Reddick and Christopher Reddick.

    Lance Reddick as Charon and Ian McShane as Winston Scott in 'John Wick: Chapter 4.'
    (L to R) Lance Reddick as Charon and Ian McShane as Winston Scott in ‘John Wick: Chapter 4.’

    Other Lance Reddick Movies:

    Buy Tickets: ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Lance Reddick Movies On Amazon