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The ‘Super Pets’ Of DC Heroes Have An Animated Film On The Way

By
Travis Hopson
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Perfect timing on this news as I just bought a Funko of Krypto the Super-Dog.  According to Collider, Warner Bros. has hired Jared Stern to write and direct Super Pets, an animated movie centered on the pets of DC Comics heroes.

If you’ve never heard of the Legion of Super-Pets, they mainly consist of Superman’s dog Krypto, Streaky the Super Cat, Comet the Super Horse, Beppo the Super Monkey, Bat-Cow, Damian Wayne’s dog Titus, and more. Right now it’s unclear if the film would be based on the comics or the DC Super Pets toons that aired on Cartoon Network. You might think this sounds dumb and like a totally DC kind of thing to do, but know that Marvel has Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers as their resident animal squad.

Stern is becoming quite the heavy hitter over at Warner Bros. where he wrote The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie. He also wrote and directed Netflix’s rom-com Happy Anniversary starring Noel Wells and Ben Schwartz.

I take it this won’t tie in to Todd Phillips’ Joker movie?

Kiersey Clemons May Join Disney’s Live-Action ‘Lady And The Tramp’ Remake

By
John Nolan
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With Disney’s remake of Lady and the Tramp set to be a centerpiece film for their upcoming streaming service, the cast being assembled for it is shaping up impressively. Last week Justin Theroux and Ashley Jensen agreed to voice canines in the film, and now Kiersey Clemons is in talks for one of the film’s few human roles.

Clemons, who is coming off a terrific performance in Hearts Beat Loud, could join the cast as Darling, the human owner of the Cocker Spaniel, Lady. Charlie Bean (The Lego Ninjago Movie) will direct the remake of the 1955 animated classic about a stray mongrel named Tramp and a cultured cocker spaniel named Lady who fall in love. Theroux will voice Tramp, while Jensen is voicing Scottish terrier named Jackie, a friend of Lady’s. Nobody has been named as the voice of Lady just yet.

The busy year for Clemons is hardly done as she’ll be seen later this month in An L.A. Minute opposite Gabriel Byrne, and then in the Blumhouse thriller, Sweetheart. [Variety]

More Good News For Disney As ‘Incredibles 2’ Passes $1B Worldwide

By
John Nolan
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Want to know why Solo: A Star Wars Story kinda flopping at the box office isn’t a big deal? It’s because Disney can shut anyone up with news like this. On Monday Pixar’s Incredibles 2 surpassed the $1B mark, making it the fastest animated film to ever do so, taking only 47 days from release.

And that’s just the first of many stats Disney will be able to trumpet. This is Disney’s third $1B movie of 2018 already, following Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War. That’s just crazy, especially when you consider the major films they still have on deck. It’s also Disney’s 18th film to cross $1B, which is astounding when you consider only 36 films have ever done so.

Incredibles 2 is only the 7th animated movie to surpass $1B, and at the rate it’s going may threaten all-time record holder, Disney’s Frozen, which sits at $1.27B. Now, how long will Disney make us wait for a threequel?

Topher Grace Re-Edited Peter Jackson’s ‘The Hobbit’ Into A 2-Hour Fancut

By
John Nolan
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Six years ago Topher Grace took time out of his busy schedule to recut the Star Wars prequels into an 85-minute feature titled Star Wars: Episode III.5: The Editor Strikes Back. He screened it for a few folks, and has since dabbled in editing other films of his choosing. It’s just something that he does. And now he’s done it again, only this time with Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, which frankly needs all of the bloat aired out of it as possible.

Speaking with IndieWire, Grace revealed that his work on Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, in which he plays racist David Duke, was so taxing emotionally that he needed some form of outlet. So he took on the monumental task of chopping down Jackson’s 8-hour Hobbit trilogy into a neat and clean 2-hour experience.

“I think that maybe The Hobbit should’ve been one movie, and many people would agree,” Grace said. “Money drives a lot of those franchises. It’s better when the art leads.”

Doesn’t sound like we’re going to see the “Topher Grace Cut” in theaters, store shelves, or even online anywhere, though. This was just a way for the actor to blow off some steam…

“I don’t know what other guys do. Go fishing? For me, this is just a great way to relax,” he continued. “There’s something really zen about it.”

You can see Topher Grace get all racist and shit in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman next week on August 10th. Check him out in a clip below.

A ‘Fantasy Island’ Film Is In The Works At Blumhouse

By
John Nolan
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“Boss, ze plane, ze plane!”

If you get the reference then you remember the campy 1970s TV series Fantasy Island, which featured the late Hervé Villechaize as Tattoo and Ricardo Mantalban as his boss, the mysterious Mr. Roarke. The geniuses over at Blumhouse are hoping you’re up for a return trip to the island because they’re teaming up with Sony Pictures on a big screen version, directed by Kick-Ass 2‘s Jeff Wadlow.

Fantasy Island was created by TV series guru Aaron Spelling, initially as a joke, but the series went on to run for seven seasons ending in 1984. The show, which delved heavily into fantasy and the supernatural, followed guests to a secluded island where all of their greatest desires will be fulfilled. They are greeted there by the white-suited Mr. Roarke and his exuberant assistant, Tattoo, who frequently caution that getting one’s wish isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Pretty easy to see how Blumhouse could have some fun with this concept.  There was a short-lived revival of Fantasy Island that ran in 1998, led by Malcolm McDowell. It was pretty terrible.

Wadlow is probably best known for directing Kick-Ass 2 (although Cry_Wolf remains my favorite film of his), but he recently scored a huge hit for Blumhouse with the horror, Truth or Dare. The $5M movie earned over $100M worldwide. He will also write the script alongside Chris Roach and Jillian Jacobs.

While casting the role of Roarke should be easy I’m curious to see who Blumhouse gets to play Tattoo. Maybe an unknown actor is in order?  Or, and this could be really creepy if played right, maybe get a child actor for the role? [THR]

Marc Maron Will Drive Joaquin Phoenix Nuts In The ‘Joker’ Film

By
John Nolan
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Todd Phillips’ Joker film continues to confound, but it’s hard to deny the casting. With Joaquin Phoenix set to play Batman’s greatest nemesis, plus Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro, and Frances Conroy in support, the film has now added GLOW‘s  Marc Maron to hopefully add some righteous anger and a few laughs.

According to Variety, Maron will play “an agent on Robert De Niro’s talk show who plays a part in booking Phoenix’s character, and eventually causing him to go mad and become the Clown Prince of Crime.” Sounds like Maron will be playing an epic a-hole, which should suit him perfectly.  The story, which Phillips co-wrote with Scott Silver, is partially based on The Killing Joke, so maybe Phoenix is booked to do some standup comedy and shit goes horribly awry.

Joker hits theaters on October 4th 2019.

Exclusive Trailer: Jillian Bell Comes To A Former Child Star’s Rescue In ‘Pretty Bad Actress’

By
John Nolan
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They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, and that goes double in Hollywood where any misdeed or tragedy can be used to further one’s career. In the upcoming dark comedy Pretty Bad Actress, a washed-up former child star with anger management issues must save not only her own life, but her career when she’s kidnapped by a crazed stalker, who also happens to snatch up her obsessed #1 fan.

We’re happy to exclusively debut the trailer for Pretty Bad Actress, which features Workaholics and Rough Night star, Jillian Bell. She plays Cheryl, the loyal assistant to former child star Gloria Green (Apt Pupil‘s Heather McComb) and the actress’s only real hope of rescue since her manager is more concerned with using the kidnapping to save her career. Seinfeld fans will recognize Danny Woodburn as Gloria’s manager, while the rest of the ensemble includes American Pie’s Chris Owen, newcomer Stephanie Hodes, John Hensley (Nip/Tuck), Kevin Brennan (It’s a Disaster), Annet Mahendru (The Americans), Mara Marini (CHips).

Nick Fituri Scown will make his writing and directing debut, having been inspired by the tragic real-life stalking case of Raging Bull actress Theresa Saldana, who survived an attack only to later make a TV movie about the ordeal.

Pretty Bad Actress opens in LA at the Arena Cinemalounge on August 10th and will hit VOD the same day.

Pretty Bad Actress Extended Trailer from N. Fituri scown on Vimeo.

‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Deleted Scene Explores Thanos And Gamora’s Complicated Past

By
John Nolan
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Undeniably, Avengers: Infinity War was about Thanos rather than the titular team of superheroes. His quest to attain the Infinity Stones is one of tremendous will and personal sacrifice, and no sacrifice was greater than his relationship with adopted daughter, Gamora. Without giving too much away in case one or two of you haven’t seen the film, let’s just say whatever was between them gets broken pretty badly by the time the movie’s over.

With the film out now on digital, another deleted scene has been released. This one focuses on Thanos and Gamora, and it’s an extension of what could be described as their pivotal interaction. Thanos uses the power of the Reality stone to flashback to an earlier, happier time when she wasn’t such a do-gooder. It’s a form of emotional torture he uses against his daughter, and it’s just a precursor to more physical abuses that come later.

I can see why Joe and Anthony Russo decided to cut this scene out. While it fills in the edges of the movie’s central relationship well enough, it also drags and doesn’t add anything new to the table. What happens later should resonate the same way whether you have this information or not.

Avengers: Infinity War  is available now on digital, but hits Bluray on August 14th.

Creepy Poster And Synopsis For Gareth Evans’ Occult Fable, ‘Apostle’

By
John Nolan
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Yes, the wait for The Raid 3 is excrutiating but director Gareth Evans may have something just as good coming up first. His “occult fable” Apostle has sounded amazing right from jump street, and while it won’t have Iko Uwais beating down waves of foes, it will have Dan Stevens infiltrating a deadly cult. 

The first poster has arrived along with a synopsis, and both tease a cryptic nightmare from Evans. Burning churches, upside down crosses, dead bodies skewered in a tree, outstretched hands clawing up from the dirt…it’s pretty creepy. Here’s the plot:
London, 1905. Prodigal son Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens) has returned home, only to learn that his sister is being held for ransom by a religious cult. Determined to get her back at any cost, Thomas travels to the idyllic island where the cult lives under the leadership of the charismatic Prophet Malcolm (Michael Sheen). As Thomas infiltrates the island’s community, he learns that the corruption of mainland society that they claim to reject has infested the cult’s ranks nonetheless – and uncovers a secret far more evil than he could have imagined. Written and directed by Gareth Evans (THE RAID), APOSTLE is a harrowing occult fable where the only thing more horrifying than madness is the sinister reality behind it.

Hopefully a trailer will arrive soon.  Apostle hits Netflix on October 12th and co-stars Lucy Boynton, Mark Lewis Jones, Bill Milner, Kristine Froseth, Paul Higgins and Michael Sheen. 

Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Suspiria’ Remake Has A Terrifyingly Long Runtime

By
John Nolan
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I don’t think there was any doubt Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Dario Argento’s Suspiria would be something specific to the director, but this news just confirms it. Argento’s 1977 giallo classic runs for a cool 98 minutes, and uses every second of it in hair-raising fashion. Guadagnino’s version? You’ll want to pack a lunch because it runs for a whopping 152 minutes. Guh.

My first thought was “That’s a lot of Dakota Johnson for one person to take”, but then I remembered her A Bigger Splash co-star Tilda Swinton was in it, too.

The trailer already showed some ways in which Guadagnino’s version would differ. The color palette is much darker than Argento’s neon-colored take, for instance. Still, this could prove daunting, and the film’s official Twitter kind of agrees, publishing a poll that asks moviegoers how much of the film they’ll be able to watch. I can already see some of the squirmier film critics stepping out to take a powder halfway through…

It’s impossible to judge if Guadagnino is going overboard until we see the whole thing, but I know it can be tough to sustain high level of suspense for that length of time. There’s every reason in the world to trust Guadagnino, though.

Along with Johnson and Swinton, Suspiria stars Chloe Grace Moretz and Mia Goth, telling the story of an American ballet dancer who joins a prestigious new troupe that hides some sinister secrets.

Suspiria opens November 2nd.

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