It can’t be a coincidence that on the same day Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms reached a $17B teen media addiction settlement, a new trailer for The Social Reckoning arrived. Aaron Sorkin takes over as writer and director this time, sixteen years after The Social Network, to chart what Facebook evolved into in the wake of decisions made by Zuckerberg.
It took Sorkin a while to find the right subject to return to the topic of Facebook, and he found that with whistleblower Frances Haugen’s leak of internal documents to the Wall Street Journal, released in 2021 as “The Facebook Files.”
Oscar winner Mikey Madison stars as Haugen, with Jeremy Allen White as journalist Jeff Horwitz, and Jeremy Strong as Zuckerberg. Sorkin spent days trying to convince Jesse Eisenberg to reprise the role, but he refused. Based on what we’ve seen in trailers, Strong’s version is more confident, stronger, as well he should be, as this Zuckerberg is older, craftier, and richer. He’s no longer figuring out what he wants Facebook to be; by this point the platform has been instrumental in shifting culture and politics.
Also in the cast are Bill Burr, Billy Magnussen, Wunmi Mosaku, Betty Gilpin, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Anna Lambe, and Portia Doubleday.
The Social Reckoning hits theaters on October 9th.
Ridley Scott’s post-apocalyptic film The Dog Stars opens in theaters this week (my review), and so he’s hitting the outlets to promote it. Naturally, it’s also sparked conversation about some of his other projects, including the Alien: Covenant sequel with Michael Fassbender that he’s been dying to make since 2017, and may be close to happening if there’s truth to what he told the LA Times.
According to Scott, the film, possibly titled Alien: Awakening, is still in development at Scott Free and 20th Century Studios. You may recall, Alien: Covenant was the sequel to Prometheus, which largely centered on Fassbender’s rogue synthetic, David, who developed quite the God complex out there in deep space. Scott says the next film would find David building a “brave new world for himself.”
“AIs can go off. And if they do, it’s like a bomb”, Scott said, revealing his clear fascination with AI and its impact on the world.
“The uneasy question is: Can the AI only be as good as the information fed into it?” Scott said. “If I say ‘Here’s a blank canvas, write me such and such,’ would that just be a melange of millions of other scripts? Probably. But the danger is it’ll pass that point and become smarter than we are.”
There’s been some talk behind the scenes that Scott was a big reason why Fede Alvarez dropped out of directing a sequel to Alien: Romulus, which was the first big hit in the Alien franchise in quite some time. It seemed as if Scott had pulled away from creative decision-making following the failure of Alien: Covenant, but perhaps he was just biding time until he could return to what truly interested him. He’s been attached to Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth series as a producer, and obviously was involved with Alien: Romulus in the same capacity. That sequel could move forward with Michael Sarnoski (A Quiet Place: Day One) at the helm, although other names have been kicked around.
Scott’s The Dog Stars hits theaters on August 28th.
We might finally be nearing an end to all of the James Bond speculation, and thank goodness for it. Page Six has a list of names who will be testing with director Denis Villeneuve and Amazon MGM for the 007 role in Bond 26, and many of them are actors we’ve been hearing about for months. However, there’s apparently an unexpected frontrunner who has definitely not been on a lot of radars.
The shortlist of actors testing for James Bond in September includes Jack Barton, Jack Lowden, Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal and Harris Dickinson.
Turner, who can be seen right now in One Night Only, has been the most talked-about candidate if you believe the rumor mill. Lowden, one of the stars of Slow Horses, has recently emerged as a strong contender. Mescal, Dickinson, and Elordi have been talked about as potentials for ages, and are the most recognizable names by far.
However, the surprising name that is apparently top of the list is Jack Barton. The UK actor is best known for starring in Steven Knight’s SAS: Rogue Heroes series alongside Connor Swindells, Jack O’Connell, and Alfie Allen, three guys who might not be bad options for James Bond, either. O’Connell has been mentioned for it many times.
Barton can also be seen in Netflix’s hit rom-com series, Heartstopper, alongside newly minted X-Men star Kit Connor.
It’s that Barton is a relative unknown that attracted casting director Nina Gold as she looked for someone just like him to fill Daniel Craig’s shoes. Something tells me Villeneuve would prefer someone like Barton rather than an established name, someone he can build into a superstar. I’m not sure Amazon MGM feels the same way about that. Big names tend to bring in more dough.
So I imagine Jack Barton’s name is at the top of a lot of Google searches today. If he’s been staying undercover and out of the Hollywood spotlight, that time in the shade is over.
The most interesting thing about Prime Video’s rom-com The Love Hypothesis has little to do with the film itself. The plot is pretty generic, frankly. It stars Lili Reinhart (*swoon*) and Tom Bateman, who was terrific in Hedda, as a PhD student and her professor who start a phony relationship to test their theories about love. Naturally, those fake feelings get complicated when real feelings emerge.
Nothing you haven’t seen before. The film is directed by Claire Scanlon, whose streaming rom-com background is solid with Set it Up and The People We Hate at the Wedding.
The film is based on Ali Hazelwood’s bestseller, which began life in 2018 as online Star Wars fan-fiction shipping Rey and Kylo Ren. Hazelwood’s romance novels tend to focus on women in academia and STEM fields, which is a big part of their appeal. Intellect is sexy; what can I say?
The Love Hypothesis hits Prime Video on September 23rd, and co-stars Rachel Marsh, Nicholas Duvernay, Jaboukie Young-White, and Arty Froushan.
Netflix has finally given us a real title for David Fincher’s Quentin Tarantino-scripted Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel. It’s not much different than what we’ve already been calling it: The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth.
The period showbiz comedy set in 1977 will hit IMAX theaters on November 25th for two weeks, before hitting Netflix on December 23rd.
There’s a brand new synopsis, as well: Brad Pitt returns to his Academy Award-winning role as Cliff Booth, only this time it’s 1977, and it’s a very different Hollywood. Directed by David Fincher, from a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino.
Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Peter Weller, Matt Groove, JB Tadena, Corey Fogelmanis, Karren Karagulian, and Timothy Olyphant co-star.
There was some hope the film might hit the festival circuit, but it’s simply not ready yet. There were reshoots fairly recently, with Fincher reconnecting with DP Jeff Cronenweth. The film’s regular cinematographer, Erik Messerschmidt, was kinda busy with Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part II.
Here is some unexpected news from out of nowhere. As if Ryan Gosling isn’t busy enough following Project Hail Mary, his upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, and reunion with Shawn Levy on Marvel’s Ghost Rider, now he’s going back to the Stone Age. Deadline reports Gosling will produce, along with Warner Bros., a live-action Flintstones movie centered on Bamm-Bamm, the caveman-esque son of Barney and Betty Rubble.
The Flintstones is a property WB has repeatedly gone back to. The classic animated series from Hanna-Barbera ran for six seasons in the 1960s, in prime time, the first to ever do it long before The Simpsons. Two live-action movies hit theaters, 1994’s The Flinstones and 2000’s The Flinstones in Viva Rock Vega, which combined for over $400M worldwide.
The new film will center on an adult Bamm-Bamm, the club-swinging kiddo of Barney and Betty. Aging him up is an idea that was tackled previously in CBS’ animated series The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, where he was dating his neighbor Pebbles Flintstone, formed a rock band, got a job, etc. The two would eventually get married and start a family. It’s unthinkable that a Bamm-Bamm movie wouldn’t also have Pebbles, Fred, Wilma, Barney, Betty, and maybe even Dino.
At this point, Gosling and his Open Invite producing partner Jessie Henderson are seeking a screenwriter and director. There’s no indication that Gosling will lead the film, but that’s obviously an option to be considered.
Whether Gosling stars could depend on the continued negotiations he and the Barbie team of Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, and Noah Baumbach- are having with WB about a sequel. Those talks need to conclude soon; otherwise, the rights revert back to Mattel.
The Flintstones’ futuristic counterparts, The Jetsons, are also getting a live-action movie starring Jim Carrey. It’s a pretty big moment for the Hanna-Barbera brand, and I’m only wondering when someone will finally bring Laff-A-Lympics to the screen.
Ok, so I wasn’t imagining things yesterday. Focus Features released a new teaser for Paul Greengrass’ The Uprising, and it’s no longer just about a simple farmer who led an uprising against the British Crown. The film is now about the rise of Robin Hood, and the true events that helped create the legend.
Um, that’s quite a shift. For a long time, many felt that Andrew Garfield’s character was Wat Tyler, who led the rebels against the forces of King Richard II in 1381. That role is apparently being filled by Warfare actor Cosmo Jarvis.
Garfield is officially recognized as “Ploughman”, although the teaser specifically refers to “The Rise of Robin Hood”, with footage of the outlaw robbing the rich with a bow and arrow.
Here’s the new synopsis: Andrew Garfield stars as the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II. Set against the true events of the Uprising that helped inspire the legend of Robin Hood, he forms an army of the people to face the King’s might in a fight for justice.
It’s a curious decision to highlight the Robin Hood aspect this much. Did Focus Features not see how poorly The Death of Robin Hood did just weeks ago? I wouldn’t have mentioned it at all.
Joining Garfield and Jarvis in the cast are Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, Tom Hollander, Thomasin McKenzie, Jonny Lee Miller, Woody Norman, Katherine Waterston, and Sky Yang.
The Uprising hits theaters on September 10th.
To the rich, he was an outlaw. To the people, he was a hero. Witness the rise of Robin Hood in THE UPRISING, only in theaters September 11.
Remember when Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion felt like an outlier? This word of warning of a possibility that was unlikely to happen? COVID has certainly changed that. Now, there are more movies than ever where some kind of super virus has wiped out the human population, leaving behind a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars is another, adapted by Mark L. Smith from the book by Peter Heller, and it’s a different kind of movie than we’ve seen from the director in quite some time. While still feeling larger in scope than many films of this genre, it takes a refreshingly personal approach to the material that succeeds until the tone suddenly goes wildly out of wack.
It’s a strong lead performance by Jacob Elordi, who shows real leading man qualities as Hig, a mechanic living off the grid with his loyal canine Jasper, and his survivalist colleague Bangley, played by a particularly ornery Josh Brolin. Hig has, what else, a tragic backstory from happier times before a super plague wiped out most of the world. Now, all he has left is his four-legged sidekick and the hope that there’s still some humanity out there, somewhere. A supposed paradise in Grand Junction might be little more than a dream, but it’s one that Hig clutches on to.
Bangley sees the world for what it actually is. The few pockets of survivors left out there stay isolated, while roaming packs of feral killers stalk the countryside. The threat of them looms large throughout, and Bangley is quick to kill the “roaches” who dare step onto their land. Hig doesn’t let this stop him. One of the most rewarding aspects of The Dog Stars is that it’s not a movie about someone trying to save the world, to find a cure to the plague, or whatever. It’s about Hig and how he just wants to help people, using his plane to transport goods to the Mennonite outpost housing a bunch of kids born after the decimation.
Beautifully shot by cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, who captures the natural beauty that stands strong even in the aftermath of cataclysm, The Dog Stars moves at a slower pace, charting Hig’s emotional journey. He finds inner peace up in the air, piloting his plane, gliding past the mountains, over large swaths of forests, and through ruined cities. Eventually, he encounters survivors who could be either friend or foe. Margaret Qualley plays Cima, a former medic who quickly takes a liking to him. And Guy Pearce as her father, Pops, who takes a bit of convincing to give Hig the time of day.
The romance that develops between Hig and Cima moves along gradually, like the rest of the film, with Elordi and Qualley finding good chemistry. However, it almost feels out of place in the latter stages of the story, which goes a bit insane and into horrror in ways that don’t make a lot of sense. Allison Janney, wearing a retro stewardess outfit, shows up as the leader of another group of survivors, in a sequence that might’be been pulled from a completely different movie. As quickly as that genre-centric stretch began, it just as abruptly returns to normal, leaving you to wonder what the Hell that was all about in the first place?
My guess is that a longer director’s cut of The Dog Stars is out there somewhere. Scott is notorious for releasing extended versions of his movies, and they are oftentimes a Hell of a lot better. I can see the same thing happening here, especially if it affords more time to Hig and Cima, and shows us more of Bangley’s time trying to survive on his own. While a bit rough around the edges, The Dog Stars offers a different, highly entertaining take on the post-apocalyptic thriller, and a better showcase for Scott’s continued talent behind the camera than the epics he’s favored recently.
Dan Stevens has a new job: to “Serve the public trust, protect the innocent, and uphold the law.” He’ll follow these Prime Directives as Robocop in the upcoming Prime Video series from showrunner Peter Ocko (Lodge 49) and Blumhouse Atomic Monster. The eight-episode show was given the green light officially last month, after being in the works for a couple of years.
Penned by Ocko, Robocop kicks off when a giant tech conglomerate pursuades the city to place a powerful robot on its police force – a robot implanted with the consciousness of a beloved fallen officer, Alex Murphy (Stevens).
Of course, the series is based on the 1987 cyberpunk classic by Paul Verhoeven, about a cop who is brutally murdered by gangs, only to be revived as a powerful robotic force for justice, implanted with Alex Murphy’s memories.
Remaking Verhoeven has always been a foolish errand. His mix of satire, action, comedy, extreme violence, and foreign sensibilities as a Dutch filmmaker are tough to get right. Just look at the forgettable 2014 Robocop reboot starring Joel Kinnaman. Does anyone remember it?
Neill Blomkamp was close to doing Robocop Returns for MGM, but as typically happens with Blomkamp, the project got scrapped. That guy’s luck is in the toilet. Abe Forsythe (Little Monsters) took it over in 2019 but that never went anywhere, either.
James Wan will produce and direct multiple episodes, which could be interesting. Wan has rarely failed as a director and could get the tone just right.
Stevens can be seen right now in the third season of AMC’s The Terror, titled Devil in Silver. Next up for him is a reunion with Adam Wingard for next month’s action flick, Onslaught, followed by next March’s Godzilla x Kong: Supernova. [Deadline]
I think a lot of us thought Dolly Parton might live forever. She seemed like she would. Unfortunately, the country music and entertainment icon, beloved around the world, has died today at the age of 80.
From the obituary released by the family…
“A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family. Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.”
Parton’s cause of death is unknown, but the family’s statement says she “died peacefully today in Nashville.” Her health had become a larger issue in the fall of 2025, when she was forced to drop out of a limited comeback to the stage in Las Vegas due to her condition. It continued last September when Parton was unable to attend the Governors Awards to accept the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. As recently as this month, Parton was unable to make appearances at Dollywood due to her doctor’s orders.
Known as the Queen of Country, Dolly Parton was so much more than just a country music star. The singer/songwriter/actress was a creative juggernaut, penning most of her twenty-five #1 hit singles herself. She was also instrumental in the recent creation of the traveling musical “Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony,” as well as Dolly: An Original Musical, which premiered over the summer.
Parton is one of the few country musicians who completely crossed the genre lines. She was beloved by everyone across the spectrum, and despite initially rejecting the honor, was inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
Of course, Parton’s talents stretched far and wide, and she was known as much for her acting as her music and broad, boisterous persona. Some of the iconic films she was known for include the definitive 1980 workplace classic, 9 to 5, alongside other greats Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dabney Coleman. Parton also played Truby Jones, the kindly Louisiana beauty shop owner, in Steel Magnolias. And who can forget her roles in Straight Talk, Rhinestone, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas?
The first thought many will have about Parton’s death is that the world just lost an amazing person, a true humanitarian known for her big heart and generosity. She truly used her fame and wealth to help better the lives of others, and that is truly why she was so adored around the globe.
Everyone will have their favorite Parton role, or there favorite Parton song. Her “I Will Always Love You” is the one that beats all for me. And I just love her in Straight Talk, as a small-town woman who moves to Chicago, where her personality, big heart, and straight talk made her a famous radio talk show host.
I send my condolences to the friends and family of Dolly Parton for their loss.
