‘The Witcher: Sirens Of The Deep’ Trailer: Geralt Dives Into An Age-Old Conflict In Netflix’s Animated Film

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January 15, 2025

Geralt is voiced by Doug Cockle in THE WITCHER: SIRENS OF THE DEEP

Through three seasons, The Witcher has been one of the strongest hits for Netflix. But that was with Henry Cavill starring as the monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, and it remains to be seen how fans will react to Liam Hemsworth in the role beginning with season four. The streamer continues to grow the franchise with The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, a mature-themed animated film arriving next month.

Neither Cavill or Hemsworth voices Geralt in the new fantasy film. Instead, it’s Doug Cockle, who is no stranger to the role having voiced him in numerous Witcher video games.

The film is based on the short story “A Little Sacrifice” in which Geralt uncovers an undersea city of sea creatures while investigating the disappearance of a ship’s crew, believed to have been killed by a monster. What he finds a centuries-old conflict between humans and merpeople.

Veteran Witcher writers Mike Ostrowski and Rae Benjamin wrote the screenplay. Kang Hei Chul directs, after acting as storyboard artist on The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.

Netflix premieres The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep on February 11th.

SYNOPSIS: Geralt of Rivia, a mutated monster hunter, is hired to investigate a series of attacks in a seaside village and finds himself drawn into a centuries-old conflict between humans and merpeople. He must count on friends — old and new — to solve the mystery before the hostilities between the two kingdoms escalate into all-out war.

‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Trailer: Matt Murdock Brings Retribution To The MCU

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Travis Hopson

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January 15, 2025

DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN hits Disney+ in March

For years during the Marvel/Netflix era, fans pleaded for Daredevil and the other shows to become part of the MCU. They would wishlist their favorite heroes joining the Avengers, or imagine cameos from big-screen actors. While it’s taken some time, those fans have pretty much gotten what they asked for with Daredevil: Born Again, which is essentially a sequel series with Charlie Cox returning as the Man Without Fear.

It’s been a long, tough road for Daredevil: Born Again to reach this point, with a brand new trailer debuting today. Back in October 2023, the series was overhauled with a brand new showrunner in Dario Scardapane, while Loki and Moon Knight duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead took over as writers. The change pulled the series further into the MCU, basically establishing that everything that came before is now canon.

Does that mean we could get an appearance by Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones? Or Mike Colter as Luke Cage? Or that one guy who played Iron Fist?

Cox will be joined by much of the old Daredevil crew including Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Wilson Bethel, and Ayelet Zurer. After his appearance in Echo, Vincent D’Onofrio will return as Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin. Jon Bernthal will also suit up as The Punisher, reprising his role from the Netflix series. Meanwhile, Cox has already made a mark on the MCU with appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk. Margarita Levieva, Michael Gandolfini, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, and Jeremy Earl are new additions to the cast.

Daredevil: Born Again hits Disney+ in March.

‘Iron Man’ Actor Faran Tahir To Reprise Villain Role For Marvel’s ‘Vision Quest’ Series

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Travis Hopson

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January 15, 2025

Faran Tahir is returning as Raza in VISION QUEST

There’s some surprising casting news for Marvel’s Vision Quest series featuring the return of Paul Bettany as Vision. Deadline reports Faran Tahir has joined the WandaVision spinoff, and this is surprising because he’ll reprise his role as terrorist Raza al-Wazar, who was seen in the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film, 2008’s Iron Man. What the Hell is he doing back?

Obviously, we don’t know the answer to that question. Raza was leader of the Ten Rings terrorist organization that kidnapped Tony Stark as part of their plan for global domination. Raza was ultimately working for Obadiah Stane.

Along with Bettany and Tahir the other major casting we know is James Spader who will return as Ultron. Picard actor Todd Stashwick also has a role. It stands to reason that other familiar MCU faces will make appearances. It would seem to make sense that Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch would show up in some capacity, but nothing has been confirmed.

Tahir recently starred in the dark comedy Coup!, and voiced DC Comics villain Ra’s al Ghul in the 2021 Injustice prequel film.

Terry Matalas will act as showrunner on Vision Quest, while WandaVision and Agatha All Along‘s Jac

Schaeffer will write the scripts. It’s not expected to hit Disney+ until 2026.

The Russos Discuss MCU Return For ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ And ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

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Travis Hopson

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January 14, 2025

The Russo Brothers are back at Marvel for DOOMSDAY and SECRET WARS

The Russo Brothers were done with Marvel following Avengers: Endgame, leaving to start their production label AGBO. The duo produced a couple of well-received hits, including Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All At Once and action flick Extraction, but a couple of high-profile duds in Cherry and The Gray Man were a big blow. Still, it was a surprise last year when the duo were announced as directing Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

So what made the Russos return to Marvel? Speaking with Empire Online, they talked about having unfinished business and a story that only they could tell…

Anthony said, “Endgame was the end, and it took a little time for us to begin to think about it as something other than an end. We’re very close with Kevin and Lou [D’Esposito, Marvel Studios’ Co-President] and the entire Marvel team and we’ve had conversations through the years. We’ve talked about a lot of ideas.”

He continued, “Really what happened was, we ended up stumbling upon an idea that activated all of us. You couldn’t see it coming until it came, and once it came it was like, ‘Well, that’s a story we need to tell.'”

While co-writer Christopher Markus is keeping AGBO running smoothly, the Russos are reuniting with writer Stephen McFeely who will pen Doomsday and Secret Wars solo…

Joe said, “There were ideas that we were trying to wrap our heads around that preceded this one, and we just never found the story. I remember calling Steve and said, ‘Hey, crazy idea. What do you think if we all go back and do Secret Wars?’ You were like, ‘F*** no. Absolutely not.”

“And then you hung up. And the next morning at 7.30 you called and were like, ‘Alright, I have an idea.”

Next up for the Russo Brothers is The Electric State, which hits Netflix in March and stars Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, and Ke Huy Quan.

Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on May 1st 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on May 7th 2027.

Bill Skarsgard Rumored For MCU Role That Isn’t A Return As ‘Eternals’ Villain Kro

By

Travis Hopson

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January 14, 2025

Bill Skarsgard rumored for a new MCU role that isn't for ETERNALS 2

Released in 2021, Marvel’s Eternals gets, I think, an unfair rap. Sure, it has a “Rotten” rating on RT and was a box office dud, but the film came out during a difficult time for movie theaters and for fans who had a lot more on their minds. Still, the bad response has pretty much killed off any hope for a sequel and the resolution of some dangling plot threads.

It also means we probably won’t hear Bill Skarsgard voice the Eternals villain, Kro, ever again. That’s probably a good thing since Kro was pretty lame, but it doesn’t mean Marvel is done with Skarsgard. According to scooper My Time to Shine Hello, the Nosferatu actor is being eyed for a different MCU role.

What might that role be? That’s anybody’s guess. Skarsgard is pretty great at playing monsters and villains, but Boy Kills World shows he can be the hero, too. I’d love to see him as an X-Men villain. He’d probably be a great Magneto, or maybe the Shadow King or Mister Sinister?

What do you think? Assuming any of this is true, who would you like to see Bill Skarsgard play if he were to join the MCU? Or would you like to see Eternals 2 happen?

‘The Alto Knights’ Trailer: Robert De Niro Plays Warring Mob Bosses In Barry Levinson’s Crime Film

By

Travis Hopson

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January 14, 2025

It's De Niro vs. De Niro in THE ALTO KNIGHTS

If you’re into mobster movies, and let’s face it most of us are, then The Alto Knights has to be on your list. First of all, the film about warring Italian-American mob bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello is directed by Barry Levinson, known for directing Bugsy. The film stars Robert De Niro in a dual role as Genovese and Costello. Finally, the film has a script by Nicholas Pileggi, who not only wrote Casino but also the book Wiseguy that was then adapted into a little thing called Goodfellas. Oh, he’s also been involved with The Irishman, American Gangster, and the series Vegas. Pileggi knows his gangsta shit.

The Alto Knights tells the true story of how Genovese put out a hit on Costello. When Costello is wounded but survives, he decides to retire from the Mafia but finds staying out to be more difficult than anticipated.

The film also stars Debra Messing, Kathrine Narducci, and Cosmo Jarvis hitman Vincent Gigante.

Warner Bros. will release The Alto Knights on March 21st.

SYNOPSIS: Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, a pair of Italian Americans who run two separate crime families in the mid-20th century. Genovese attempted to assassinate Costello in 1957, although Costello retired from the mob.

‘The Woman In The Yard’ Trailer: Danielle Deadwyler Receives An Ominous Warning In New Blumhouse Horror

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Travis Hopson

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January 14, 2025

Director Jaume Collet-Serra has always worked pretty fast. Case in point: he’s currently riding high with the release of Carry-On, which has become one of Netflix’s most-watched original films ever. Just weeks from now Collet-Serra will return to the genre that made him with The Woman in the Yard, a new Blumhouse horror film led by Danielle Deadwyler.

Deadwyler, in a reunion with Collet-Serra after Carry-On, stars in The Woman in the Yard alongside Okuwi Okpokwasili, Russell Hornsby, Peyton Jackson, and Estella Kahiha.

Penned by Sam Stefanak, the story centers on a mysterious, spectral woman clad in black who appears on a family’s lawn with a dire warning, leaving them to wonder what her true intentions are.

One look at the trailer and it’s clear that it’ll be one of Collet-Serra’s best looking films. A lot of that will be thanks to cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski, known for his work on Hereditary, Midsommar, Nobody, and Blue Beetle.

Collet-Serra’s last horror was the hit Blake Lively film The Shallows in 2016. He’s also directed House of Wax, Orphan, plus a bunch of studio blockbusters including Black Adam and Jungle Cruise.

Universal releases The Woman in the Yard in theaters on March 28th.

‘Millers In Marriage’ Trailer: Morena Baccarin, Minnie Driver, & More Star In Edward Burns’ Latest Relationship Drama

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Travis Hopson

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January 13, 2025

1995 marks the 30th anniversary of Edward Burns’ directorial debut and breakthrough film, The Brother McMullen. Burns has been a New York indie stalwart ever since with films such as Sidewalk of New York, She’s The One, and Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies. Now he’s back with another story of complicated personal and professional entanglements with Millers in Marriage, his first movie in almost six years so it’s been a longer wait than normal.

As usual, Burns writes, directs, and co-stars in the film, joined by Gretchen Mol, Morena Baccarin, Benjamin Bratt, Brian d’Arcy James, Minnie Driver, Julianna Margulies, Campbell Scott and Patrick Wilson. In short, the entire ensemble is incredible. It’s par for the course for Burns, who premiered the film at TIFF last September.

On a personal note, seeing Campbell Scott with gray hair makes me feel very old. I still see him as the guy who taught Jesse Eisenberg a thing or two in Roger Dodger but that was 23 years ago (!!!).

SYNOPSIS: A tale of three middle-aged married couples coming to grips with universal questions about marriage and fidelity, professional success and failure, and the challenge of finding a second act.

Millers in Marriage opens in theaters and digital on February 21st.

‘Presence’ Final Trailer: Steven Soderbergh’s Ghost Story Haunts Theaters Later This Month

By

Travis Hopson

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January 13, 2025

NEON has really come fully-armed with teasers and trailers for Steven Soderbergh’s haunted house film, Presence. There have been a ton of them already, and now there’s a final one before it opens later this month after debuting at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. They have reason to be excited as Soderbergh has never tackled this genre before, and the director’s many fans are eager to see what he can bring that’s new because they know he wouldn’t bother, otherwise.

Penned by David Koepp (writer of Soderbergh’s film Kimi), the story centers on a family who learn they are not alone upon moving into a new home. As I wrote in my review, Soderbergh’s “lens is an actual presence, a supernatural force lurking in some places, observing carefully in others.” That makes this a movie seen from the entity’s perspective, which opens up some fascinating areas of exploration. Soderbergh’s approach to doing so is deliberately paced to not match the rhythms of studio horror movies, so expect more of a slow burn.

Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, and Chris Sullivan lead the cast, joined by Callina Liang, Eddy Maday and West Mulholland.

Soderbergh doesn’t want to give anything away, which is why the synopsis is so bare: A family moves into a suburban home and becomes convinced they’re not alone.

NEON will release Presence in theaters on January 24th 2025.

‘Disfluency’ Interview: Libe Barer Talks PTSD Recovery, Working with Her Sister Ariela, and Learning Sign Language

By

Travis Hopson

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January 13, 2025

Libe Barer joins Travis Hopson to talk DISFLUENCY

In Anna Baumgarten’s new drama Disfluency, Jane “The Brain” fails her final class in college and returns home to lick her wounds. While there, she reconnects with her older sister and childhood friends, helps a single mom learn sign language to better communicate with her deaf son, and studies her friends’ speech patterns to earn extra credit. It might not sound like much, but there’s a lot more going on with Jane that makes Disfluency more than just a typical coming-of-age film. See, Jane experienced a trauma while at school that disrupted her life, just as disfluency is an interruption that disrupts the quality of speech.

Libe Barer has now played Jane twice, once in the 2018 Disfluency short film, and again in Baumgarten’s feature film which is now open in select theaters. Barer, who might be known for her roles in Sneaky Pete and Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Libe delivers a performance that is at times deeply heartbreaking but also hopeful as Jane begins to take the necessary steps to recovery from her trauma, leaning on communication with the people she loves most.

I had the chance to speak with Libe Barer about Disfluency, and we talked about this challenging role, what it’s like to take this character from the short to the big screen. We also talked about her learning of sign language for a key aspect of the film, and what it meant to work alongside her sister, Ariela Barer, who fans might know from Runaways and How to Blow Up a Pipeline.

Disfluency is open in select theaters now and begins expanding on January 17th before moving to VOD on January 24th. Check out the trailer below, and subscribe to our YouTube channel!