This is one case where I hope Lana Wachowski doesn’t get too creative. According to Collider, Mindhunter star Jonathan Groff is joining the cast of The Matrix 4. Is it too much to ask that, like his FBI character on David Fincher’s Netflix series, he’s being cast as the next version of Agent Smith?
Groff joins a cast that includes Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in the sequel to the groundbreaking sci-fi trilogy, which may or may not include a younger version of Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus. Otherwise, details on the film are extremely scarce, which shouldn’t be a surprise.
While most people will recognize Groff from Mindhunter, he’s also voiced Kristoff in both of Disney’s Frozen movies. I hear those do pretty well?
The Matrix 4 is slated to begin production early next year.
So now that Annabelle Comes Home has proven Ed & Lorraine Warren’s daughter can’t stay out of paranormal trouble just like her parents, it’s time to return to the franchise proper with The Conjuring 3. New Line has revealed the sequel’s official title, and it’s a good one: The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Might the Warrens be clashing with the ultimate evil himself?
Probably not, since these films tend to be based on the Warrens’ real-life case files. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as paranormal investigators Ed & Lorraine Warren, and the story centers on one of the first cases in U.S. history where a murder suspect used demonic possession as a criminal defense.
Here’s the synopsis: “A chilling story of terror, murder and unknown evil that shocked even experienced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. One of the most sensational cases from their files, it starts with a fight for the soul of a young boy, then takes them beyond anything they’d ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense.”
This will be the first movie in the Conjuring franchise not to be directed by James Wan, who is way too busy with other projects at this point. He’s handed the reins over to Michael Chaves, who directed The Conjuring Universe spinoff The Curse of La Llorona. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, writer on Aquaman and The Conjuring 2, will handle the script.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It opens September 11th 2020.
If you’re looking for the next major super team which the MCU will revolve around, The Eternals is a pretty good bet. Marvel has been keeping a tight lid on any info about the film, which has indie filmmaker Chloe Zhao (The Rider) on board to direct and a star-studded, versatile cast led by Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, and more. It has a lot of people excited, most of all Kevin Feige who couldn’t keep from talking about the film’s major role in Marvel’s Phase 4 plans.
Feige opened up about The Eternals while attending last weekend’s CCXP in Brazil, which is quickly catching up to Comic-Con as the place for big pop culture breaking news. He says right the idea was to do something “different” with this film, and that meant expanding the scope with “an epic that spans 7,000 years of human history, has cosmic connotations, changes everything we know about the MCU. And that is what we want it to do.” The film will cover “from present-day to Mesopotamia to all sorts of locations and time periods and really feels like nothing we’ve done before.”
If you know anything about The Eternals, that doesn’t seem so far-fetched. The alien race of near-immortals were created by the godlike Celestials an as evolutionary offshoot defending all of humanity. So yeah, pretty epic and definitely cosmic.
The hiring of Zhao, while pre-dating Martin Scorsese’s inflammatory rhetoric that Marvel films aren’t cinema, nevertheless seems like a direct answer to such critiques when described by Feige…
“She’s a giant fan of the MCU. A giant fan of cinema. And is an incredible filmmaker that has brought a new look and a new vision to the MCU,” Feige said.
And rest assured, there will be some kind of encounter with the Avengers at a future date, which Feige expertly teased…
“The Eternals know about the existence of the Avengers but the Avengers don’t know much about the Eternals…yet,” Feige teased. “The MCU is all interconnected and we like to focus on one movie at a time…and keep evolving their stories. And yes, it’s always fun to see them come together in a master plan that I promise you is well underway.”
It may have been Aquaman to be the first $1B hit for the DCEU, but it was Wonder Woman where things started to turn around for Warner Bros. The Internet is still buzzing over yesterday’s trailer for sequel Wonder Woman 1984, but if a new rumor is true there may be a lot more Amazonian ass-kicking on the way.
According to Brazilian journalist Miguel Morales, a Wonder Woman spinoff may be in the works centered on the Amazonians from her home island of Themyscira. Morales says it was confirmed by Patty Jenkins, who will exec-produce the film…
Sim @PattyJenks confirmou que a WB desenvolve um filme focado nas Amazonas!
This actually makes a lot of sense, and I’m surprised it hasn’t been announced before. Warner Bros. is already developing an Aquaman sequel, titled The Trench, that will have horror elements. A Wonder Woman spinoff following the wildly popular Amazonians is even more logical. Anything that might give us more of badass Robin Wright as Antiope is fine with me. And no dudes getting in the way! All kick-ass ladies on horseback with swords and arrows in this joint. I’m down for it.
If this turns out to be true, expect Warner Bros. to confirm it soon.
Oh, it’s yet another trailer for 6 Underground, the Netflix action flick that Ryan Reynolds swears is Michael Bay’s most Michael Bay film ever? You’ll be able to stream it this weekend, but Netflix, which ponied up an insane $150M for Bay to blow shit up, REALLY need you to watch this thing so they’re reminding you one more time.
And to be fair, it looks kinda fun. Reynolds, Melanie Laurent, Adria Arjona, Corey Hawkins, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Ben Hardy comprise a team of vigilantes who fake their own deaths in order to better fight the world’s most notorious criminals.
Netflix has invested a lot in this, and for good reason. While they’ve managed to change the perception they can’t deliver prestige, awards-worthy dramas, they’re still figuring out how to do blockbuster-sized action flicks.
What’s the best part of being dead? It isn’t escaping your boss, your ex, or even erasing your criminal record. The best part about being dead…is the freedom. The freedom to fight the injustice and evil that lurk in our world without anyone or anything to slow you down or tell you “no.” 6 Underground introduces a new kind of action hero. Six individuals from all around the globe, each the very best at what they do, have been chosen not only for their skill, but for a unique desire to delete their pasts to change the future. The team is brought together by an enigmatic leader (Ryan Reynolds), whose sole mission in life is to ensure that, while he and his fellow operatives will never be remembered, their actions damn sure will.
6 Underground opens December 13th.
When the Oscars get moved up, everything gets moved up, and today the 2020 Golden Globes nominees have been revealed. Leading the pack with six nominations was Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, including Best Picture Drama and nods for Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Laura Dern on the acting side.
Following closely behind with five nominations were Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollyood and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman. Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, which has had a very good award run to this point, came away with three nominations.
Notably, the Safdie Brothers’ Uncut Gems came away with zero, including a bit fat nada for star Adam Sandler who has been making threats if things don’t go his way.
In a very cool move that may soothe the sting of the teen comedy’s lukewarm box office, Booksmart‘s Beanie Feldstein landed in the Best Actress Comedy/Musical category. Knives Out star Ana de Armas also found herself nominated in the same category, not bad when her co-stars are Toni Colette and Jamie Lee Curtis.
The full list of film and TV nominations are below. Don’t look too hard for Watchmen or Ava Duvernay’s When They See Us because they came away with nothing, shockingly.
The Golden Globes Awards will be held on January 5th 2020.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show”
Olivia Colman, “The Crown”
Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve”
Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies”
Reese Witherspoon, “The Morning Show”
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”
Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”
Brad Pitt, “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”
Annette Bening, “The Report”
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers”
Margot Robbie, “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Daniel Craig, “Knives Out”
Roman Griffin Davis, “Jojo Rabbit”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”
Taron Egerton, “Rocketman”
Eddie Murphy, “Dolemite Is My Name”
BEST MOTION PICTURE – ANIMATED
“Frozen II”
“How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
“The Lion King”
“Missing Link”
“Toy Story 4”
BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
Bong Jong Hoo, “Parasite”
Sam Mendes, “1917”
Todd Phillips, “Joker”
Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”
Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Christian Bale, “Ford v. Ferrari”
Antonio Banderas, “Pain & Glory”
Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Ana De Armas, “Knives Out”
Awkwafina, “The Farewell”
Cate Blanchett, “Where’d You Go, Bernadette”
Beanie Feldstein, “Booksmart”
Emma Thompson, “Late Night”
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
“Big Little Lies”
“The Crown”
“Killing Eve”
“The Morning Show”
“Succession”
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Cynthia Erivio, “Harriet”
Scarlett Johnasson, “Marriage Story”
Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”
Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”
Rene Zellweger, “Judy”
BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
“Dolemite Is My Name”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Knives Out”
“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”
“Rocketman”
BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
“1917”
“The Irishman”
“Joker”
“Marriage Story”
“The Two Popes”
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Christopher Abbott, “Catch-22”
Sacha Baron Cohen, “The Spy”
Russell Crowe, “The Loudest Voice”
Jared Harris, “Chernobyl”
Sam Rockwell, “Fosse/Verdon”
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Kaitlyn Dever, “Unbelievable”
Joey King, “The Act”
Helen Mirren, “Catherine The Great”
Merritt Wever, “Unbelievable”
Michelle Williams, “Fosse/Verdon”
BEST TELEVISION LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
“Catch-22”
“Chernobyl”
“Fosse/Verdon”
“The Loudest Voice”
“Unbelievable”
BEST MOTION PICTURE – FOREIGN LANGUAGE
“The Farewell”
“Les Miserables”
“Pain and Glory”
“Parisite”
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Alan Arkin, “The Kominsky Method”
Kieran Culkin, “Succession”
Andrew Scott “Fleabag”
Stellan Skarsgard, “Chernobyl”
Henry Winkler, “Barry”
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
“Barry”
“Fleabag”
“The Kominsky Method”
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
“The Politician”
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
Alexandre Desplat, “Little Women”
Hildur Gudnadottir, “Joker”
Randy Newman, “Marriage Story”
Thomas Nemwan, “1917”
Daniel Pemberton, “Motherless Brooklyn”
BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
“Beautiful Ghosts,” “Cats”
Music and Lyrics by: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Taylor Swift
“I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” “Rocketman”
Music by: Elton John Lyrics by: Bernie Taupin
“Into the Unknown,” “Frozen 2”
Music and Lyrics by: Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez Lyrics
“Spirit, “The Lion King”
Music and Lyrics by: Timothy McKenzie, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Beyoncé
“Stand Up,” “Harriet”
Music and Lyrics by: Joshuah Brian Campbell, Cynthia Erivo
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Patricia Arquette, “The Act”
Helena Bonham Carter, “The Crown”
Toni Collette, “Unbelievable”
Meryl Streep, “Big Little Lies”
Emily Watson, “Chernobyl”
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Michael Douglas, “The Kominsky Method”
Bill Hader, “Barry”
Ben Platt, “The Politician”
Paul Rudd, “Living With Yourself”
Ramy Youssef, “Ramy”
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Christina Applegate, “Dead to Me”
Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Kirsten Dunst, “On Becoming A God In Central Florida”
Natasha Lyonne, “Russian Doll”
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag”
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Brian Cox, “Succession”
Kit Harrington, “Game of Thrones”
Rami Malek, “Mr. Robot”
Tobias Menzies, “The Crown”
Billy Porter, “Pose”
BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
Noah Baumbach, “Marriage Story”
Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won, “Parasite”
Anthony McCarten, “The Two Popes”
Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”
Steven Zaillian, “The Irishman”
It’s finally here! And with the full trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife we also get some answers to the story behind it all, for the most part the answers we got are pretty awesome. First and foremost the trailer reveals how Ivan Reitman decided to handle the legacy of Harold Ramis, and honestly it makes too much sense. That old house that the family moves into…you know the one where Ecto-1 was stored in an old barn. Yeah, that was Spangler’s, and he’s left it to his daughter. The kids in the film, his grand-kids, while it might be an obvious play it simply makes sense and ensures that he’ll be front and center, in some way, throughout the film.
Outside of that I have some reservations. Not a sight of a single OG ‘buster throughout the trailer (save for one news clip), and it would appear that the movie is almost a paranormal Goonies. That may not be a bad thing but it will ruffle some purist feathers. There is another angle, one that if true other filmmakers should copy. The footage we’re looking at could be totally from the first act and a half of the film. We know the original crew is on-board so it’s more then possible that what we are seeing is the setup for the film and Venkman, Stanz, and Zedmore are minutes away from showing up to show the little ones the way.
There’s plenty of other neat little notes from the trailer, like when Paul Rudd’s teacher character who is obviously a GB fanboy, lets out that there haven’t been any ghost sightings in 30 years and the reaction from the kids which implies the events of NYC 1984 have been all but forgotten (I mean, who wouldn’t forget a 20-story marshmallow man?). I won’t bore you by regurgitating all of the details anymore then I already have, check it out below and let us know what you think.
With so much going on it’s easy to forget there’s a Venom sequel casting up right now. The latest to join Tom Hardy in the alien goo symbiote’s sequel is Stephen Graham. Not a big actor, by any means, but one who manages to steal scenes all of the time, especially when he’s playing well-known crime figures.
Deadline reports that Graham has joined the Venom 2 cast in an unknown role, but here’s hoping he’s playing a mobster or something. Graham’s most visible roles have found him on the opposite side of the law, whether it’s in Guy Ritchie’s Snatch, as Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire, or as the hot-headed Tony Pro in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman. He also had a role as record producer Dick James in Rocketman.
Graham joins Hardy, Michelle Williams, Woody Harrelson, and Naomie Harris, with Andy Serkis coming aboard to direct. The possibly R-rated Venom 2 opens on October 2nd 2020.
It was a big weekend for Warner Bros. and the DCEU at CCXP. Not only did they drop the trailer for Wonder Woman 1984, they also confirmed what many of us already knew and were hoping to get confirmation of: Shazam 2 is coming.
While we already knew Henry Gayden had been re-hired to write the Shazam sequel, this was Warner Bros. making it official. Zachary Levi will return as Shazam, and presumably so will Asher Angel as young Billy Batson, the young boy gifted with the magical ability to transform into the powerful hero. David F. Sandberg is also expected to return as director, although that has not been confirmed. Nor has an official start date although Levi has speculated we could see filming begin next summer.
As far as where the story could go, we do have some clues. The previous film did introduce the rest of the Marvel Family, so Billy Batson/Shazam won’t be alone next time. Also, the mid-credits scene did introduce the alien worm creature Mister Mind, who proposed a partnership with Mark Strong’s Dr. Sivana. We could see Mister Mind joined by others in the Monster Society of Evil. And let’s not forget that Dwayne Johnson’s antihero Black Adam was also teased, and with the character getting his own movie soon we could see a crossover start to take shape. [via MovieWeb]
Parasite claimed a new host tonight, as the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, of which many of us here at Punch Drunk Critics are voting members, named the South Korean thriller Best Film of the Year! It also earned Bong Joon-ho the award for Best Director, as well as Best Foreign Language Film.
Adam Driver capped off a huge year with a Best Actor win for his gut-wrenching performance in Marriage Story, while Lupita Nyong’o’s dual performances in Us earned her Best Actress. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lopez came away with Best Supporting wins for their roles in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Hustlers, respectively. In our group’s unique Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of DC, the victory went to The Report, which mostly takes place in the halls of Congress and on Capitol Hill.
The full list of 2019 WAFCA Awards winners is below!
THE 2019 WAFCA AWARD WINNERS:
Best Film:
Parasite
Best Director:
Bong Joon-ho (Parasite)
Best Actor:
Adam Driver (Marriage Story)
Best Actress:
Lupita Nyong’o (Us)
Best Supporting Actor:
Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood)
Best Supporting Actress:
Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers)
Best Acting Ensemble:
Knives Out
Best Youth Performance:
Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit)
Best Voice Performance:
Tony Hale (Toy Story 4)
Best Motion Capture Performance:
Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame)
Best Original Screenplay:
Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story)
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Greta Gerwig; Based on the Novel by Louisa May Alcott (Little Women)
Best Animated Feature:
Toy Story 4
Best Documentary:
Apollo 11
Best Foreign Language Film:
Parasite
Best Production Design:
Production Designer: Barbara Ling; Set Decorator: Nancy Haigh (Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood)
Best Cinematography:
Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC (1917)
Best Editing:
Michael McCusker, ACE and Andrew Buckland (Ford v Ferrari)
Best Original Score:
Michael Abels (Us)
The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC:
The Report
