Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
Preview:
The fourth, untitled MCU ‘Spider-Man’ movie lands in July 2026.
Tom Holland is starring.
Destin Daniel Cretton is in the director’s chair.
With ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ gobbling up huge amounts of money back in 2021 (an even more impressive achievement given that audiences were still wary of movie theaters during the ongoing COVID pandemic), you knew that Sony and Marvel were not going to just give up on future installments of the web-slinging franchise, even if it represented the end of star Tom Holland’s then-current contact.
And now, per Sony, we have news that the fourth film –– whose title we have yet to learn –– will be in theaters on July 24th, 2026.
What’s the story of ‘Spider-Man 4’?
Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Given that ‘No Way Home’ changed things in a huge way for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker –– as you’ll likely recall, it ended with a spell that wiped everyone’s memory of him so as to protect the people he loves –– the storyline going forward is naturally something of a mystery.
“The first few meetings were about, ‘Why would we do this again?’ And I think we found the reason why,” Holland told the Reporter previously about the fourth movie. But that actual reason has yet to be divulged (and with Holland not currently doing press, we’ll have to wait until he does before any details emerge accidentally).
We do at least know that Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who contributed to or wrote the previous three Spider-outings, are back on board for this one.
Holland also recently told Jimmy Fallon that the movie will be shooting next summer.
Here’s what he had to say:
“Next summer, we start shooting. Everything’s good to go. We’re nearly there. “The project is super exciting.”
That makes sense given the new release plan and will make it the second confirmed MCU release for 2026 after ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ in May.
Zendaya in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
Though the game was changed considerably in ‘No Way Home’, we can’t imagine that the franchise would continue without Zendaya as MJ (Peter’s big love interest) and Jacob Batalon as Ned (his best friend). Surely a way will be found to have them remember him?
What movies will the new ‘Spider-Man’ film be up against?
While the latest Spidey outing has its release date to itself, Holland may face competition –– from himself. He’s reportedly aboard the next Christopher Nolan film, which is scheduled to land on July 17th, 2026, so one week before the fourth ‘Spider-Man’ entry.
Could we be looking at the next “Barbenheimer” with a Double Holland coincidence? Only time will tell…
Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Preview:
‘Shang-Chi’s Destin Daniel Cretton is in talks for ‘Spider-Man 4’.
Tom Holland is back as the title character.
Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers will once more write the script.
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ proved that even as the film industry recovered from the pandemic, audiences were still eager to embrace superhero movies if they were done well.
It earned almost $2 billion at the box office and ranks as one of the more successful MCU entries, produced as usual alongside Sony Pictures.
Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Given that ‘No Way Home’ changed things in a huge way for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker –– as you’ll likely recall, it ended with a spell that wiped everyone’s memory of him so as to protect the people he loves –– the storyline going forward is naturally something of a mystery.
“The first few meetings were about, ‘Why would we do this again?’ And I think we found the reason why,” Holland told the Reporter previously about the fourth movie. But that actual reason has yet to be divulged (and with Holland not currently doing press, we’ll have to wait until he does before any details emerge accidentally).
We do at least know that Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who contributed to or wrote the previous three Spider-outings, are back on board for this one.
(L to R) Zendaya and Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Though the game was changed considerably in ‘No Way Home’, we can’t imagine that the franchise would continue without Zendaya as MJ (Peter’s big love interest) and Jacob Batalon as Ned (his best friend). Surely a way will be found to have them remember him?
What else has Destin Daniel Cretton being doing in the MCU?
If his name is familiar, that’s because Cretton has already found Marvel success with ‘Shang-Chi’, which introduced the titular character, played by Simu Liu, to cinema audiences.
Obviously, this impacts forward movement on a ‘Shang-Chi’ sequel, but perhaps it means Liu will get his chance to show up again before an ‘Avengers’ movie.
(L to R) Zendaya and Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are in talks for ‘The Drama’.
It’s the new movie from ‘Dream Scenario’ filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli.
A24 is backing the film.
As they find space in their schedules waiting for other big projects to kick back in again, Zendaya (who will be shooting the long-delayed third season of ‘Euphoria’ at some point) and Robert Pattinson (who is awaiting Matt Reeves’ script for ‘The Batman’ sequel) are looking to co-star in a new movie together.
That film is called ‘The Drama’ and will be the latest effort from writer/director Kristoffer Borgli, who saw success last year with the Nicolas Cage oddity ‘Dream Scenario’.
tgvHeKsAPCBLliFp6Uolb
Deadline reports that the starry duo are in early talks to take the lead roles in the movie.
What’s the story of ‘The Drama’?
Zendaya attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.
Plot details for this latest Borgli movie are under wraps at this point, but Deadline has heard that it could well follow a romantic couple who have decided to get married, but who hit a rough patch before the big day.
Given how ‘Dream Scenario’ turned out –– Cage starred as an unassuming college professor who unexpectedly starts showing up in people’s dreams, to initially comedic and then weirdly violent effect, meditation on insta-celebrity and cancel culture –– we’d expect there will be more to it than that. And you know neither Pattinson nor Zendaya would want to star in a basic romantic drama.
(L to R) Nicolas Cage and director Kristoffer Borgli on the set of ‘Dream Scenario.’ Courtesy of A24.
This new movie will find Borgli returning to the A24 fold, as the studio previously backed ‘Dream Scenario’ and is happy to stay in business with the director.
And fellow A24 stalwart Ari Aster is producing the film via his Square Peg company. It’s another reunion, as Aster’s company previously backed ‘Dream Scenario’. Also on the ‘Hereditary’ director’s producing schedule is ‘Death of a Unicorn’ starring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega and ‘Eddington’ starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone.
What else are Zendaya and Robert Pattinson working on?
Zendaya in ‘Euphoria.’ Photograph by Eddy Chen/HBO.
Zendaya, who returned to Arrakis for ‘Dune: Part Two’ may well be headed back sooner rather than later if rumors of Denis Villeneuve developing ‘Dune: Messiah’ as his potential next film pan out.
As mentioned, there’s also HBO’s ‘Euphoria’, which is scheduled to start filming its third season early next year.
There is also horror movie remake ‘Possession’ on which he’s a producer. Plus, ‘The Batman’ sequel is waiting in the wings and will likely kick off shooting next year.
Finally, Pattinson will be back on our screens in Bong Joon Ho’s latest, sci-fi satire ‘Mickey 17’, which is due to be released on January 31st.
When will ‘The Drama’ be on screens?
No release date has been mentioned for the movie yet, but if it starts shooting this year, it could well be out early in 2025.
Robert Pattinson in ‘Superpowered: The DC Story.’ Photograph by Courtesy of Max/Warner Bros.
(L to R) Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Barbie Ferreira, Maude Apatow, Zendaya in ‘Euphoria’ season 2. Photo: Eddy Chen/HBO.
Preview:
After long delays, ‘Euphoria’ Season 3 will shoot in January.
Creator Sam Levinson has written the season.
Actors such as Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi will return.
‘Euphoria’ fans have had to be remarkably patient, as the show has seen some severe delays in getting back to shooting.
Now, though, there is light at the end of the tunnel for those who have been watching the (mis)adventures of Rue (Zendaya) and the rest, as HBO has announced that creator Sam Levinson will kick off production on Season 3 in January next year.
Here’s the statement from Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO programming and head of HBO drama series and films:
“I am thrilled that we are ready to begin production on ‘Euphoria’ in January. We could not be happier with our creative partnership with Sam and this incredible cast. We look forward to bringing this new season of ‘Euphoria’ to life for the fans.”
wD7NAtwsFZJIjqQxEkhxg7
What’s the story of ‘Euphoria’?
Zendaya in ‘Euphoria.’ Photograph by Eddy Chen/HBO.
For those who have somehow missed the cable channel sensation, ‘Euphoria’ follows a group of high school students as they navigate love and friendships in a world of drugs, sex, trauma and social media.
The series is an adaptation of an Israeli show of the same name, and all episodes are written by Levinson, who also directs a lot of the show.
Sydney Sweeney in ‘Euphoria.’ Photograph by Eddy Chen/HBO.
In March, a report from The Wrap brought word the delay is happening because ‘Euphoria’ creator/show-runner Sam Levinson has decided –– probably smartly, given the age of his cast –– that the new season should take the characters beyond high school.
While the second season didn’t end with graduation (instead a school play went badly wrong and a shootout left at least one character dead), the new season will follow the leads’ lives post-school.
And that change means new script work and extra time for development. Hence the delay.
Despite its star-making success, the show has not been without issues, including dealing with the pandemic while shooting its first season and strikes following its second. Indeed, Levinson had been writing the third season when the writers’ strike began last year. The actors’ strike also compounded the issue.
Barbie Ferreira, who plays the character of Kat, has announced she won’t return for the new season, and Angus Cloud, whose character Fezco was arrested at the end of Season 2, tragically died last year.
Levinson also co-wrote and produced ‘The Idol’ for HBO, which arrived last year to scathing reviews and has been cancelled after one season.
Who will return for ‘Euphoria’ Season 3?
Jacob Elordi on HBO’s ‘Euphoria.’ Photograph by Eddy Chen/HBO.
The next chapter in Paul Atreides’ story takes shape in ‘Dune: Part Two’, and is now available on VOD, with the home release coming in May 2024.
Based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, the follow-up to the 2021 ‘Dune’ was originally slated to release on October 20, 2023. However, the film was delayed due to the WGA and SAG strike. The film finally premiered on March 1, 2024. ‘Dune: Part Two’ received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike.
With ‘Dune’ taking home five Academy Awards, including Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Orignal Score, and Best Production Design, it is very possible to see ‘Dune: Part Two’ snagging nominations for the 2025 awards season.
Did you miss the epic sci-fi sequel on the big screen? You’re in luck. The movie is now available on VOD for rent or purchase, so you can watch it from the comfort of your couch, no sandworms necessary.
‘Dune: Part Two’ has a runtime of 2 hours and 47 minutes. As of April 16, 2024, the movie was made available to rent for $24.99 or purchase for $29.99 on VOD platforms such as Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, and Vudu. Apple TV includes over 100 minutes of bonus content included in the digital version. Take a deeper look at the character of Dune, the Freman language, sandworm-riding, costumes, music, and more.
With ‘Dune: Part Two’ raking in over $637 million at the global box office, what is next for ‘Dune’? In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly in 2021, Director Denis Villeneuve says he’s “always envisioned three movies.” to fully round out the Paul Atreides story. He has also mentioned that a script for the third movie is in the works.
“I always envisioned three movies. It’s not that I want to do a franchise, but this is ‘Dune,’ and ‘Dune’ is a huge story. In order to honor it, I think you would need at least three movies. That would be the dream. To follow Paul Atreides and his full arc would be nice.”
Filming a sci-fi epic is no easy task, and the director mentions the possibility of taking a break between ‘Dune: Part Two’ and ‘Dune: Messiah’. However, the third film, ‘Dune: Messiah’ is in active development.
‘Dune: Part Two’ will be released on DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4K UHD on May 14th. Collectors can also look forward to a 2-film collection from Target. The home release will feature over an hour of bonus content:
Watch the final trailer for ‘Dune: Part Two’ below:
u2byWMnP
The official synopsis for ‘Dune: Part Two’ is below:
Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, he must prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
The new horror movie ‘Tarot,’ which is based on the novel ‘Horrorscope’ and was directed by Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg, is scheduled to open in theaters on May 3rd.
Jacob Batalon in ‘Tarot’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jacob Batalon about his work on ‘Tarot,’ his first reaction to the screenplay, his character, working with the cast and the filmmakers, the effects, improvising on set, filming on location, if he believes in tarot cards, and why it is fun making a horror movie, as well as giving an update on the next MCU ‘Spider-Man’ movie, and discussing season 2 of his popular Syfy series ‘Reginald the Vampire’.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Jacob Batalon.
Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to the screenplay for ‘Tarot’ and why did you want to be part of the project?
Jacob Batalon: I thought it was such a funny, also very great and relatable movie. I think that the friend group relationship is so strong that you don’t want to see any of them die. The movie itself just turned out to be so great.
MF: How would you describe your character, Paxton and what was your approach to playing him?
JB: He’s a great friend. He’s very hard-headed, but he’s one that will try to get your back for sure but is also a little cowardice. I felt that Anna and Spenser, our directors absolutely gave me the space to really play and find the places where I could be funny, but then also be serious and to take things seriously. It turned out great.
MF: Did you improvise a lot on set, or did you stick strictly to the script?
JB: I improved quite a bit and then they told me to reel it back and then they let me improv again. So, it was figuring out what was appropriate and what wasn’t. I think everyone sort of gives me the space to just do things for sure, which is nice.
Harriet Slater in ‘Tarot’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
MF: Can you talk about the tarot card that your character pulls, and do you personally believe in the power of tarot cards?
JB: I would say that it can help you learn some things about yourself. I try to steer clear of anything spiritual just in case I get a ghost attached to me. But Paxton basically pulls the fool card, which means you are a little bullish on things and you should be more thoughtful about making plans and really thinking about your surroundings, and that hopefully doesn’t murder him in the end.
MF: We recently spoke with actor Adain Bradley about ‘Tarot’ and he mentioned that the two of you became very close friends making this movie. What was your experience like working with him?
JB: Adain was great. I think he and I really bonded on that movie, and we would basically work out every day together and he just is a great guy. I really was spending time with him. We really got close on that movie, and I enjoy watching him and his career going the way it’s going right now. I think I’m going to be at his wedding.
MF: What was it like working with the rest of the ensemble cast?
JB: I mean, everyone was so talented and so fun to be around. I think the girls were really into tarot for sure, they were really all about it. It was just a typical friend group. I think especially being the only Americans around in Serbia and Belgrade, we had to stick together. I think that really grew out the chemistry as well too, so it was a lot of jokes for sure.
Avantika Vandanapu in ‘Tarot’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
MF: Did you enjoy shooting on location in Serbia?
JB: Serbia as a country is such a beautiful place and we were able to find in that beautiful place the scariest places possible. I’ve worked on movies where we’re working late at night in some forest, but there were some places where I felt that maybe we shouldn’t be here.
MF: Is it fun making a horror movie or is it emotionally exhausting?
JB: I think it’s a bit of both, for sure. I think it’s a fun, thrilling adventure to really do a horror movie because you’re always up and something scary is going to pop out at you. It’s like a haunted house. But also, you are emotionally charged all the time between the crying, the screaming, seeing scary things and all these heightened emotions. You’re at a hundred percent all the time.
MF: What was it like shooting scenes with The Fool?
JB: It’s a practical costume, and the guy who did it, this contortionist, he was able to really bend his body in ways that were eerie. It felt like he didn’t have a spine. It was crazy.
MF: After making the Marvel movies and acting opposite tennis balls on a green screen, was it refreshing to work with practical effects?
JB: (On ‘Spider-Man’) we’re just looking at a blank green screen or blue screen and you’re told to scream now or run away. It’s just funny. I think it makes it a lot easier to build up a natural organic reaction to something. Also, I would say that it really does add to the effect, and it doesn’t feel like it’s just added into something that we’re screaming at.
(L to R) Actor Adain Bradley and ‘Tarot’ directors Anna Halberg and Spenser Cohen. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
MF: What was it like working with the directing team of Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg?
JB: It was great. I think because it’s their shared vision, they both knew exactly what they wanted. It was their first time directing something big and they did well. They’re writers first and foremost, so they know exactly the story that they want to tell. They were just great to be around. They had good energy about wanting to film stuff and they really do like scary things.
MF: Are you a horror movie fan?
JB: Yeah, for sure. I love watching scary movies. I took my girlfriend to watch, we had a pre-screening of it and she was so terrified. It was very satisfying to watch her hide her face and scream at certain points. I knew what those points that she screamed at would be, and I was absolutely laughing while we were filming it.
MF: What was the experience of making the ‘Spider-Man’ films like for you and working with Tom Holland and Zendaya?
JB: It was great. It was my first job ever, ‘Homecoming’ was, and so it felt like I was being thrown into the deep end really trying to learn everything I can about the industry and being a good actor. I think that it has helped me in my life now professionally and personally. I mean, I can’t say enough about the people that I’ve worked with. They’ve taught me a lot. Everyone were veterans when I first met them, working with Robert Downey Jr., watching Marisa Tomei and Michael Keaton really do their things, it was truly a blessing watching everyone else from Jake to Toby (Maguire) to Andrew (Garfield) and everyone else. I really love Willem (Dafoe). They were just so awesome to really watch do their thing because they’re so good at it. It was a very special experience for sure.
(L to R) Jacob Batalon and Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’. Photo: Sony/Marvel.
MF: Do you feel like you became a stronger actor between making ‘Homecoming’ and ‘Now Way Home’?
JB: I would hope so, but I think for me, I learned a lot and I learned how to conduct myself. So, I guess in that sense, yeah, for sure. But I would hope other people see it in me too.
MF: Are you excited for the opportunity to return for ‘Spider-Man 4’ and have a chance to work with Tom and Zendaya again?
JB: Yeah, it would be nice to be a part of something great like that. Hopefully it happens, but we know this industry, it’s just whatever happens, happens. But yeah, it’d be nice.
MF: There was recently an internet rumor that ‘Spider-Man 4’ will start shooting this fall. Is that true?
JB: I don’t know. I don’t know how everyone else knows this stuff and I don’t. That’s not a good sign for me.
Jacob Batalon.
MF: In general, what are you looking for when you are choosing projects to be a part of?
JB: I think you read so many things that you get the gist of basic storytelling and there’s certain patterns that you realize and recognize. I think for me, if I read a story and I can’t predict what happens within 50-60 pages, I’ll probably see it through. But usually if I can tell where this is going and it’s kind of doing the same things, I think that’s probably something that I might not be gravitating towards. I mean, I’m open to anything that’s cool, creative and different. I’m not necessarily looking for a particular role, I’m more like whatever strikes me as interesting. I know it was a very vague answer, but I really do like anything that I think is a good read on script. I think you would want to work with people who are well-seasoned and who are creative, but you also just want to make sure you click with people. I think that’s a very big part of creativity.
Jacob Batalon in ‘Reginald the Vampire’. Photo: Syfy.
MF: Finally, the second season of your Syfy series ‘Reginald the Vampire’ premieres on May 8th. What can fans expect from the upcoming season?
JB: With season two of ‘Reginald’, it is like you are watching his continued growth and his willingness to be the hero. I think the first time around he was sort of reluctantly the hero, but now he really takes on that role. We’re facing a bigger threat now. It’s not just the community against me in terms of vampires, but we’re facing the angels who are far more powerful and superior in every way, so it’s up to Reginald again to really save the day.
2cNkxTt6AHDPSfC3Dc6ZG7
What is the plot of ‘Tarot’?
The plot centers on a group of college friends who start dying in ways that are related to their fortunes after having their tarot cards read. Before their time runs out, they must work together to uncover the mystery.
(L to R) Writer Justin Kuritzkes, producer Amy Pascal, Josh O’Connor, Zendaya, Mike Faist, director Luca Guadagnino, producer Rachel O’Connor and Mike Hopkins, SVP of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.
Preview:
Zendaya, Mike Feist and Josh O’Connor were among the talent attending the ‘Challengers’ press conference.
Zendaya talked about how her dance background helped with her tennis training.
Director Luca Guadagnino outlined the lengths he went to for the movie’s final sequence.
Luca Guadagnino (‘Call Me by Your Name’, ‘Bones and All’) is a director known for his grasp of sensuality and complicated, grown-up stories of relationships. And his latest, ‘Challengers’ marries that sensitivity with the competitive world of tennis, where curdled personal and professional jealousy causes issues for one woman and the men who share an attraction to her –– at the cost of their own formerly deep friendship.
‘Challengers’ stars Zendaya (‘Dune: Part Two’) as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court.
Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist, ‘West Side Story’), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor, ‘The Crown‘) –– his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend.
As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself what it will cost to win.
(L to R) Josh O’Connor, Zendaya and Mike Faist attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Stewart Cook/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.
The movie marks Guadagnino’s latest and potentially most mainstream crossover movie, with a script from relative newcomer Justin Kuritzkes and ‘Spider-Man’ veteran Amy Pascal among its producers.
Moviefone recently attended a virtual press conference for ‘Challengers.’ Taking part were stars Zendaya, Faist and O’Connor alongside director Guadagnino, producer Pascal and writer Kuritzkes.
Here are 10 things we learned from the press conference, edited for clarity and length.
1) Writer Justin Kuritzkes was Partly Inspired by a Particular Moment in Tennis
Writer Justin Kuritzkes attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Stewart Cook/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.
Kuritzkes says he wasn’t much of a sports fan before writing the script, but one moment during a televised tennis game gave him the initial kernel for ‘Challengers’, which hinges on a couple of dramatic games.
Justin Kuritzkes: I just happened to turn on the US Open and it was the final between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka. And there was this very controversial call from the umpire where he accused Serena Williams of receiving coaching from the sidelines. I had never heard of this rule, but Serena was saying, ‘That didn’t happen. I would never do that.’ Immediately this struck me as this intensely cinematic situation where you’re all alone on your side of the court and there’s this one other person in this massive tennis stadium who cares as much about what happens to you as you do, but you can’t talk to them. For whatever reason, it just clicked in my mind: What if you really needed to talk about something, and what if it was something beyond tennis? What if it was something that was going on with the two of you, and what if it involved the person on the other side of the net? How would you have that conversation and how could you communicate the tension of that situation using the tools that are specific to film? So yeah, that was really where it all started for me.
2) Amy Pascal Wanted to Produce the Film Because it Was a Grown-Up Concept
Producer Amy Pascal attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.
Pascal was given the script by her producing partner Rachel O’Connor and knew it was something she wanted to shepherd to screens.
Amy Pascal: It is very rare that commercial movies are about adult relationships and about sex. I was sick of it, so I thought it was high time that people kiss in movies and more, and there was no better director to bring that to life than Luca.
3) Pascal Convinced Kuritzkes to Let Her Option the Script with One Compelling Offer
(L to R) Director Luca Guadagnino and producer Amy Pascal attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.
Pascal brings enough of a heavyweight reputation thanks to her years in the business, which you think might be enough for most people. But thanks to her history with the ‘Spider-Man’ movies, she also had a secret weapon…
Pascal: I think what really locked it, and I don’t think Zendaya knows this, but I’ll say it now, is we promised we’d get her to do it. I said, I know there’s a lot of other producers, but I know Z personally and I will get her to do this movie, and that is why Justin chose us, I’m certain.
4) Luca Guadagnino Loved the Script –– But Had to be Cajoled to Read it at First
Director Luca Guadagnino attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.
Guadagnino said he’d wanted to work with Pascal for a while, so the script was a tempting one… Even if she had to keep at him to read it, since he was already busy on another film.
Luca Guadagnino: Amy and I, we have been courting each other for many years now. There is a sort of an unspoken love story between the two of us! But when Amy sent me the script I was working on something else, and she was calling me every half hour to ask me if I was reading it or not. Eventually I had to read it while working. The script was fantastic. The characters were amazing. The structure was so cinematic that I just immediately, instinctively felt that the company of Amy, the company of Zendaya and the company of Justin, the artistic endeavor that we could all gather together in this would be fantastic. So, I think I said I was in immediately.
5) Zendaya was convinced to do the film after a table read
Zendaya attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.
Zendaya is a busy actor, and obviously is offered a lot of scripts these days. So the producers decided to go an extra step to convince her to join ‘Challengers’.
Zendaya: We had a mock table read at my agent’s house and I just fell in love with the script. I mean, it was brilliant. It also made me very nervous as something to tackle because of, I think, how complicated these characters are. Also, I couldn’t define what kind of movie it was. It was funny. It was so funny, but I wouldn’t say it was a comedy. There was drama, but I wouldn’t say it was just a drama. It had tennis, but it wasn’t like a sports movie. So I think that feeling that it was just everything at once in this beautiful way was terrifying, but equally exhilarating and exciting.
6) Mike Faist thought he’d blown his chance to appear in the film.
Mike Faist attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Stewart Cook/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.
Faist, who broke out big in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of ‘West Side Story’ admits he needs prodding from his agents to read scripts. But he loved the ‘Challengers’ screenplay when it was sent to him to read at home in Ohio and immediately agreed to a Zoom meeting with Guadagnino, which led to a screen test.
Mike Faist: They flew me to London to meet with Zendaya, and we did a screen test there. I remember I left the screen test, and I was walking around London, and I actually felt like it went atrociously wrong. I thought, “Oh, okay. Well, I did not book that at all.” Then Luca gave me a call and he said, “Mike, where are you? Come back, have lunch with me.” We sat down and had lunch and we just chatted some more and got to know each other.
7) Josh O’Connor initially worried he wasn’t up to the challenge of his role.
Josh O’Connor attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Stewart Cook/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.
O’Connor, who plays strong-headed but down-on-his luck player Patrick Zweig, was concerned he didn’t have the chops to play such a complicated character, despite winning awards for playing ‘The Crown’s Prince Charles.
Josh O’ Connor: I’d read the script before. But then when Luca asked me about doing it initially, Patrick was, I thought, beyond my reach. I felt like this was a character that was so confident, so front-footed, so comfortable in himself, even though he has, as we all do, fears and insecurities. But really he completely lives life to the full and is very accepting of his flaws. All those things seemed like a reach and Luca very brilliantly accepted that and made me feel comfortable around that.
8) Zendaya found one of her own skills helped her with learning to look like a tennis pro.
The actor recalls having trouble with the tennis training, and that even when she thought her skills had clicked in, she couldn’t remember them.
Z: I’d be, Yeah, I got this. Okay, and then you come in the next day, and you can’t recreate it and you’re, ‘Damn, back to square one.’ I once said, ‘I want to try to see what it feels like to return a serve. Someone hit me a real one.’ The way that thing flew by me so fast, and at the time I still had glasses, so I couldn’t even see the dang thing!
But she figured out that something she was already skilled at might help.
Z: At some point I realized, “Okay, my approach has to be different because whatever this is, isn’t working.” So I said, “Okay, well, let me approach it like choreography. I’m a dancer, so let me dance this thing out.”
9) Faist and O’Connor developed a close bond before shooting and enjoy joking about their connection on and off screen.
(L to R) Josh O’Connor, writer Justin Kuritzkes and Mike Faist attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Stewart Cook/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.
It’s clear from hearing them talk about it that Faist and O’Connor are good friends. But that doesn’t stop them having fun at each other’s expense. Such as when they’re asked to define how they developed the toxic bromance between Art and Patrick in the movie and Faist answers: “Well, we hate each other.”
JOC: Mike does this joke sometimes and sometimes he follows it up with the punchline of, “Just kidding. We’re great friends.” But in the UK last week we did an interview where he committed so much to this joke that it sounded like I bullied him. It was extraordinary.
(L to R) Josh O’Connor, Zendaya and Mike Faist attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.
MF: Josh genuinely in the middle of the interview, was screaming at me, “Please tell them that you’re joking!”
10) Luca Guadagnino and his team worked hard crafting the kinetic final tennis sequence.
The movie jumps back and forward in time, but hinges on one particular climactic match between Faist’s Art and O’Connor’s Patrick. Guadagnino and his team knew that would need a lot of preparation to make work on the different emotional and physical levels.
LG: We rehearsed the dramatic part of the movie many, many, many days. Then we were on the court every day, few hours watching the points, understanding how those sports action had to be reflective of the dynamic between the characters. We understood that the final sequence, the final moment, had to be basically a silent sequence or a non-dialogue sequence, that was going to be very clear to everyone in the audience, to understand the emotional ramp up that had to be built there. It took a long time in the conception, planning and shooting. I think that sequence, the last 10 minutes, took us eight days to shoot, more or less, which is incredible.
‘Challengers’ is in theaters on April 26th.
gwLiqXqIYZMU7Nzp1ffta
What is the plot of ‘Challengers’?
Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor) are college tennis players with dreams of turning pro who both unexpectedly fall for fellow player Tashi (Zendaya). Patrick ends up dating her, but as their careers take different paths, it’s Art and Tashi who eventually get married. Yet Tashi’s plan to snap Art out of a losing streak and get him to the U.S. Open are disrupted by the return of Patrick, as tensions sexual and otherwise run high.
There have been justified complaints for quite some time now that adult-oriented films are hard to find in the mainstream marketplace. ‘Challengers’ could go a long way toward rectifying that. This three-hander from director Luca Guadagnino – known for sensual, voluptuous, emotion-charged efforts like ‘Call Me By Your Name’ – is an intense, erotically infused character study of three college tennis players and their 13-year journey both together and apart.
‘Challengers’ is not a particularly explicit film – save for one bracing scene of full-frontal male nudity in a locker room – but it is a highly sexual one, as desire hangs like a constantly threatening storm cloud over the lives of Tashi (Zendaya), Art (Mike Faist), and Patrick (Josh O’Connor). What makes this film so fascinating and irresistible is seeing how that physical desire overlaps with all three players’ emotional needs and differing levels of ambition to become champions. These are fully-fleshed out characters in a fleshy and sumptuous morality play, heighted by ravishing cinematography and a typically outstanding score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
‘Challengers’ doesn’t tell its tale in linear fashion, opening in 2019 and the flashing back 13, 12, and eight years (in addition to “the day before” at one point). When we first meet our three leads, it’s at a tiny little nothing tennis tournament – the Phil’s Tire Town Challenge – in New Rochelle, New York. Tashi and Art are married with a child and travel with an entourage that includes her mother, plus Art’s physical conditioning therapist and a security guard. Judging by where they stay and how they travel – not to mention the giant billboard we spot for a luxury car that features both — the couple are quite wealthy.
Patrick, on the other hand, pulls into town for the open and sleeps in his car when his credit card doesn’t work at the local fleabag motel. He’s hungry, unshaven, and smells. He appears to have zero money, counting on the nominal fee he’ll earn for just appearing at the tournament to get him through until he wins the championship money. It quickly becomes clear that Art is a wildly successful pro looking to find his game again – with the help of Tashi, who’s also his coach — before attempting to get back into the U.S. Open, while Patrick is perhaps an even better player who just hasn’t had the right breaks.
As the movie progresses, we skip back in time to find out how these three came together and eventually (sort of) split apart. Art and Patrick, we learn, have been bunkmates since they were 12 and have gone through tennis camps and academies together. They’re like brothers and perhaps a little more: when they first meet the beautiful, poised, sharp-beyond-her-years Tashi at a mixer for young players – who both are absolutely smitten by – they confess later to her in their hotel room that it was Patrick who taught Art the art of sexual self-gratification.
Tashi’s amusement at this and apparently instant understanding of the boys’ relationship – Patrick is more confident, outgoing, and even arrogant, while Art is reserved, shy, and lacks his pal’s confidence – allows her to easily bend the two to her will in that room, even if things don’t go quite as Art and Patrick initially fantasize. But it’s Patrick who ends up dating Tashi, and while all three remain friends, it’s clear that Art is secretly, painfully in love with her, while the relationship between Tashi and Patrick is more transactional in nature (“Are we talking about tennis?” he says at one point as they get hot and heavy in his room. “We’re always talking about tennis,” Tashi replies).
The blurred, constantly intersecting lines of their professional and personal lives – as both Tashi’s career and her relationship with Patrick come to an abrupt end, driving her into the willing arms of Art and cleaving the two young men’s bond in two – form the meat of the narrative in ‘Challengers,’ leading back to Phil’s Tire Town Challenge and why it’s so important for Art to beat his former friend once and for all. But all three know each other well enough to keep manipulating each other right up to the end, with their dysfunctional desires and ambitions fueling each of them in different ways.
Guadagnino, who spent a few years in the horror genre recently with his overripe ‘Suspiria’ remake and the underrated cannibal love story ‘Bones and All,’ has fashioned perhaps his best, most complete, and most accessible film to date here. Channeling the flavor of ‘Call Me By Your Name,’ he shoots his three leads and most of the movie’s action in stark, intimate fashion, relying largely on close-ups of their faces – the two men literally drip sweat onto the camera during the final set of their climactic match — and bodies, whether it be O’Connor’s hairy, muscular legs, Faist’s narrow, pale ones, or Zendaya’s sleek flanks. All three fill the screen impressively, drawing the viewer into their psyches often without saying a word.
But aside from the electricity and sense of nerve endings sparking to life that the leads generate in proximity to each other – especially during their initial hotel encounter — there’s an intense physicality to the movie overall. In one final sequence, the director and ace cinematographer Sayomphu Mukdiphrom somehow shoot the match from the perspective of the tennis ball itself as it frenetically spins through the air. This is backed impressively by Reznor and Ross’s pulsating score, which channels ‘80s dance music and heightens the subtle emotional intensity present under all the physical action.
Zendaya has been impressive in just about all of her big-screen work to date (we’ve never watched ‘Euphoria’), but ‘Challengers’ provides her (thanks to Justin Kuritzkes’ detailed screenplay) with perhaps her best character to date. Enigmatic and alluring when we first meet her, Tashi stays that way even as the more complex nature of her character comes to the fore. Relentless as a player – she mows down her competition with the same ferocity that the actor’s Chani cut down Harkonnen soldiers in ‘Dune: Part Two’ – she is forced to pivot when her career comes to a shattering end. And pivot she does, making Art the avatar for her ambitions whether he wants to be or not.
Does Tashi love Art? It’s difficult to say. But it’s clear that she’s drawn more strongly to the reckless, cunning Patrick, even all these years later. It’s also clear that she sees right through both men, and the fact that they are each flawed in their own way allows her to exert control over them. Tashi doesn’t let anyone push her around or stand in her way – life’s too short, especially when you’re a young woman whose career goes out of your control – and she’ll do whatever she can to steer things her way.
Patrick, of course, is the wild card in all this, although even his outward appearance as a struggling tennis bum masks a different reality that Tashi reminds him about. A constant smirk tugging at his mouth and always threatening to turn into a sneer, Patrick refuses in many ways to grow up but also does his best not to play into Tashi’s games. Josh O’Connor, best known as Prince Charles on ‘The Crown,’ plays this entitled young American with just the right amount of curdled privilege.
The third part of this triangle is Art, with Mike Faist following up his outstanding breakout in ‘West Side Story’ with another superb performance. Art has the talent, but doesn’t quite have the same drive as either Tashi or Patrick, and one gets the sense that he wants to focus on other things beside just hitting a ball back and forth on the court. Yet he is just as capable as manipulation as either one of them, even if he’s clumsier at it.
If ‘Challengers’ has a flaw, it’s that the rest of the characters more or less disappear into the background. We meet Tashi and Art’s daughter – who seems like an inconvenience more than anything else – and Tashi’s mother, but they’re barely in the mix. There are really just three people in this movie, but they’re enough to carry it for its (slightly overlong) running time.
A crowd-pleaser, a sports movie, a romantic drama, and an arty character study all at the same time, ‘Challengers’ finds director Luca Guadagnino putting aside the more esoteric pretensions of his recent genre output while still making a movie that is intensely adult, sensual, and immersive. Justin Kuritzkes’ script, the insistent Reznor/Ross score, and the award-caliber work by his three leads all help make ‘Challengers’ a winner whether tennis is your game or not.
‘Challengers’ receives 9 out of 10 stars.
gwLiqXqIYZMU7Nzp1ffta
What is the plot of ‘Challengers’?
Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor) are college tennis players with dreams of turning pro who both unexpectedly fall for fellow player Tashi (Zendaya). Patrick ends up dating her, but as their careers take different paths, it’s Art and Tashi who eventually get married. Yet Tashi’s plan to snap Art out of a losing streak and get him to the U.S. Open are disrupted by the return of Patrick, as tensions sexual and otherwise run high.
Zendaya in ‘Euphoria.’ Photograph by Eddy Chen/HBO.
Preview:
‘Euphoria’s third season shoot is delayed.
Creator/show-runner Sam Levinson needs more time to work on the scripts.
The series will now depict its characters after high school.
If you were eagerly anticipating the return of hit high school-set drama ‘Euphoria’ as advertised by HBO for 2025… You might want to be more patient than you expected to be.
Because though the show had initially intended to kick off filming its third season in May, that plan is reportedly out of the window. The reason? When it returns, it may not be set in high school at all.
Sydney Sweeney in ‘Euphoria.’ Photograph by Eddy Chen/HBO.
According to The Wrap, which has spoken to multiple sources, the delay is happening because ‘Euphoria’ creator/show-runner Sam Levinson has decided –– probably smartly, given the age of his cast –– that the new season should take the characters beyond high school.
While the second season didn’t end with graduation (instead a school play went badly wrong and a shootout left at least one character dead), the new season will follow the leads’ lives post-school.
And that change means new script work and extra time for development. Hence the delay.
Here’s what one inside told the trade site:
“No one has lost faith in Sam as a creator. He is the driving force creatively on this show, he is still working with the same creative executives that he always has been, but since the show is changing, that process is taking longer.”
What else has been happening?
Jacob Elordi on HBO’s ‘Euphoria.’
Despite its star-making success, the show has not been without issues, including dealing with the pandemic while shooting its first season and strikes following its second. Indeed, Levinson had been writing the third season when the writers’ strike began last year.
Barbie Ferreira, who plays the character of Kat, has announced she won’t return for the new season, and Angus Cloud, whose character Fez was arrested at the end of Season 2, tragically died last year.
Levinson also co-wrote and produced ‘The Idol’ for HBO, which arrived last year to scathing reviews and has been cancelled after one season.
What has HBO said about the news?
Colman Domingo in ‘Euphoria.’ Photograph by Eddy Chen/HBO.
The cable channel has so far put out just one official statement:
“HBO and Sam Levinson remain committed to making an exceptional third season. In the interim, we are allowing our in-demand cast to pursue other opportunities.”
Which means that the stars of the show, including Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney, who have become big film names since the series began, will be back in theaters screens likely sooner than though. Quick: someone convince Denis Villeneuve to shoot ‘Dune: Messiah’ while he has the chance!
When will ‘Euphoria’ be back on our screens?
HBO reportedly is still aiming at that 2025 return, though likely late in the year now.
Zendaya on HBO’s ‘Euphoria.’ Photograph by Eddy Chen/HBO.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with acclaimed filmmaker Denis Villeneuve about his work on ‘Dune: Part Two,’ the decision to split the book into two movies, pacing challenges, changes he made to the source material, shooting the sandworm scenes, utilizing black and white imagery, and casting Austin Butler and Florence Pugh in their pivotal roles.
Moviefone: To begin with, even after making the decision to split the first book in half and make two different movies, there is a lot of Frank Herbert’s story left to tell. Can you talk about the challenges of finding the right tone and pacing for this sequel, especially with the addition of new characters this time around?
Denis Villeneuve: I think it’s a good question. First, it was important for me that the movie would be kind of autonomous, meaning that someone who has not seen ‘Dune’ could still enjoy ‘Part Two.’ So, we gave enough hints at the beginning of the story to make sure that it was kind of autonomous. Of course, it’s a better journey if you have seen ‘Dune,’ but I tried that. That was one of the first challenges. Then it’s a story that is quite different than the last movie. In ‘Dune,’ we follow a boy that is discovering a world and is getting in contact with a new culture. It’s a boy that will be victim of the events, that will try to survive an attack, but he doesn’t have any control. It’s a much more contemplative, meditative movie. ‘Part Two,’ that boy becomes a man, a leader, a fighter, and he wants to avenge his father. It’s more of an action movie, so it has a different rhythm, a different pacing that I had to find in the screen writing at first. But still, it was very important for me to take the time to put on the screen as much of the Fremen culture as possible. That’s my favorite thing about the book. That is one of the main reasons I insisted making two movies instead of one, because I wanted to have the necessary amount of time to dig a little in the culture to see the rituals, to see the way the people are praying, the way they are eating, the way that they train, the way the people are and their survival techniques in the desert. I’m grateful that I had enough time at the beginning of the film to express that.
MF: Can you talk about some of the changes you made to the source material, particularly expanding the role of the female characters?
DV: Yeah, it’s fundamental. It’s crucial to the success of the movie. The idea here is that it all starts with Frank Herbert being disappointed by the way people perceived the first book. He realized that people thought that the first book was a celebration of a hero, a celebration of Paul Atreides and he wanted to do the opposite. He wanted the first book to be a cautionary tale, a warning against charismatic figures and to correct that, to bring precisions about his intentions, he wrote a tiny book called ‘Dune Messiah’ that is a kind of an epilogue that is like a last chapter of Paul Atreides’ journey. Knowing that fact about Frank Herbert and having read of course ‘Dune Messiah,’ I decided to make my live adaptation. I decided to be more faithful to Frank Herbert than to the book and what I did is I used both the two female characters which are Chani and the mother, Jessica. Both characters in the second part of the book disappear, they go more in the background. They are under the shadow of Paul, and they disappear. I gave both strong lines, a dramatic arc and a precise agenda, making them two eminent characters. That’s one of the big differences. Chani is a very important character. She allows me to have a critical distance with Paul. She allows me to have perspective on Paul’s transformation and from Chani’s perspective. The movie goes in the direction that Frank Herbert wanted his book to.
MF: Can you talk about casting Austin Butler and Florence Pugh in their pivotal roles?
DV: First, Florence, of course I knew Florence from her work and I’m a big fan of Florence. I thought of her first for it and when I met her, it was clear, after a few minutes of our meeting that I was in front of Princess Irulan. I wanted to create a character that will have inner strength and that will never be perceived as a victim. I wanted an actress that could convey only with the way she’s listening. I wanted someone with a strong presence that the audience could see just in the way she was witnessing events or listening to other characters, that they feel her presence on her own journey, but she’s more of a witness in this story. Of course, if there’s a ‘Dune Messiah’ as we plan, she’ll become one of the prominent characters of that whole series. I’m doing a bit of what I did with Zendaya in the first movie. I introduced Chani in ‘Dune’ and then she becomes one of the main characters in ‘Part Two.’ I do the same with Florence, I just introduced her in ‘Part Two’ and if there’s a ‘Dune Messiah,’ she becomes one of the main characters. For Austin, I was very curious about Austin, having seen him in a few movies, specifically the Quentin Tarantino movie, ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,’ and learning more about this actor that I found quite riveting. Baz Luhrmann shared with me some scenes from ‘Elvis’ and was raving about him. I met with Austin, and I was very impressed by him. I knew that someone who could bring Elvis to the screen the way he did could almost do anything and what he did for that movie is incredibly difficult. So, I knew that he could have all the qualities that I was looking for Feyd-Rautha, but it was a gamble. When I saw him, with all the makeup and in costume, I knew I had made the right choice, but casting, it’s all about very strong intuitions. You do a camera test, but no matter how much we are sold on it, it’s always when you start rolling camera on the first take that you know. With both actors, I was floored, like, “Oh, they nailed it.” They had big shoes to fill because I think those characters are iconic characters in the novel, both Princess Irulan and Feyd-Rautha and they had tremendous pressure on their shoulders. I’m very proud of them.
MF: Can you talk about the choice to introduce the Harkonnen home world and in particular Feyed-Rautha in black and white?
DV: The idea came from the book. One of the aspects that I love in the book is the idea that, the book is a study of the impact of the ecosystem on human beings, all from the nature of the ecosystem, the human developed religions, techniques, and ways of survival, all their culture, we are the product of our environment and when you want to know about the Fremen, you just look at the desert and it will inform you about the native people. I love this idea and I tried, for Giedi Prime, the home world of Harkonnen, there’s less information in the book and it’s a world that is disconnected from nature. It’s a plastic world. So, I thought that it could be interesting if the light, the sunlight could give us some insight on their psyche. What if instead of revealing colors, the sunlight was killing them and creating a very eerie black and white world, that will give us information about how these people perceive reality, about their political system, about how that primitive brutalist culture and it was in the screenplay. (Cinematographer) Greig (Fraser) was tremendously inspired by that, and we were making tests. I wanted a black and white that would seem alien and coming from another world, a sunlight that we have not seen in cinema. Greig came up with this idea of infrared which I absolutely loved, and we shot the movie that way. The only thing is that when you film this way, there’s no way back. I said, “You have to know that. Okay, we are doing this and there will be no way back. So, we cannot put color after it’s over.” That’s the thing I love about (producer) Mary Parent is that she’s good, she does not operate by fear, and she supported the idea one hundred percent.
MF: Finally, can you talk about executing your vision for the sandworm riding scenes and did the final version end up looking the way you had imagined?
DV: Absolutely. It’s a scene that I didn’t want to make any compromises. I really wanted to bring the images that were in my mind when I was a boy reading the book. I put a lot of pressure on my crew too and we took the time, but it was very challenging. It’s the most difficult scene I’ve ever done technically, but I’m very lucky I was able to find the right tools to first figure out the Fremen technique. How do you jump on the worm actually? Because it’s very basic, the book does not really explain how to do it, so I wanted to find a way that will look plausible. Then once I found the technique, I had to figure out for myself how to bring that to life. I came up with a theory of how to shoot this and that to my great relief it worked out. The thing is that I wanted to shoot everything as much as possible on camera with natural light. So, it meant that it really required a tenuous amount of time, and it required also some technology that we had to design to create different worms. I was very keen to the fact that the studio embraced my ambition.
XBfOVvaBHpE472vRjA6LC2
What is the plot of ‘Dune: Part Two’?
With the planet Arrakis and its valuable spice now firmly in the grip of Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) and his depraved minions, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother (Rebecca Ferguson) seek revenge against the Harkonnens for the destruction of the Atreides family. Striking from the hidden depths of the desert alongside the planet’s native people, the Fremen, Paul also begins to realize that he may be the powerful leader foretold in ancient prophecies.
