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Diablo Cody Talks Up ‘Jennifer’s Body’ Reboot, Says ‘Lisa Frankenstein’ Is Set In The Same Universe

Lisa Frankenstein and Jennifer's Body

It’s impossible to miss the similarity in tone between Diablo Cody’s upcoming horror-comedy, Lisa Frankenstein, and her 2009 film Jennifer’s Body. Both tackle the genre from a specifically female perspective, exploring the tropes of body horrors and zombie films. And now we know that the connection between the movies is much stronger than we knew, at least in Cody’s mind.

While speaking with Deadline at the Lisa Frankenstein premiere, Cody says the film takes place in the same universe as Jennifer’s Body…

“I am just declaring that this movie takes place in the same universe. I have decided that. I will not say that you’d see any overt references to that but I’m saying it.”

In other words, she’s just making it up that it’s a real thing. Hey, why not? They’re her movies, she can do what she wants. She could say they exist in the same universe as Juno and who would we be to refute it?

It’s just amazing how the perception of Jennifer’s Body has changed in recent years, because I guarantee you Cody wouldn’t have wanted to connect ANYTHING to it back in 2009. The film, which starred Megan Fox as a hot gothic high schooler who becomes possessed and begins devouring her classmates, was a box office dud and an embarrassing critical failure.

Jennifer’s Body has become a cult favorite over the year, though, and Cody has begun considering the idea of a reboot. She says Lisa Frankenstein could be the “final push that I need to actually make it happen. It’s hard to get things made these days.”

I doubt any studio would invest in another Jennifer’s Body, but Cody sticking around the horror-comedy realm for a while longer? It seems as if she’s found her groove in this niche, despite being wary of coming back to it…

“I was nervous to get back into that. And then this magical thing happened the last few years where that movie found an audience and people began to really appreciate it. And it gave me the confidence to say, ‘You know what? I never lost my passion for that world and I want to do another one.’ So, I’m here.”

Lisa Frankenstein opens on February 9th, directed by Zelda Williams.

‘Saw XI’ Will Bring Back ‘Saw X’ Director Kevin Greutert

Saw

Last year’s Saw X went back to the franchise’s beginning, acting as a sequel to the original movie and a prequel to future films. It proved to be a winning move, as the revitalized horror scored $111M worldwide, nearly triple what 2021’s Spiral did and that film had Chris Rock in the lead role. Well, that kind of success has led to, what else, a brand new sequel, and a familiar name back to direct it.

Bloody Disgusting has confirmed that Kevin Greutert will return to direct Saw XI. Greutert is a franchise vet, having directed Saw VI in 2009 and Saw: The Final Chapter a year later. He also served as editor on the first five Saw movies, as well as 2017’s Jigsaw. James Wan and Leigh Whannell may have launched these movies back in 2004, but you could argue Greutert has been the biggest creative influence.

Saw X writers Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger are not coming back, though, so Greutert will be working with a new creative team. As long as Tobin Bell returns as John Kramer aka Jigsaw, and Shawnee Smith as Amanda, fans should remain happy. There’s something about the two of them together that just clicks, and I think it’s safe to say these movies aren’t as good when they’re apart.

And as usual, these movies get made pretty damn fast. Saw XI is set to hit theaters on September 27th, so we don’t even have to wait too long.

New ‘Evil Dead’ Spinoff Film In The Works With Sébastien Vaniček As Director

Evil Dead Rise

The $147M success of Evil Dead Rise last year proved that Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise is alive and well. It did far and away better than 2013’s reimagining, which is surprising given it was a spinoff with little connection to the other movies. Well, Raimi’s no fool, and he’s got another spinoff in the works with a director already attached.

Deadline reports that Sébastien Vaniček will direct and co-write a new Evil Dead, which is being described as as a spinoff, similar to the standalone Evil Dead Rise. No details are available at this point, but it doesn’t need to stray too far from the straight horror model involving possession, deadites, and other supernatural threats. Gone is the horror-comedy tone established by the early movies featuring Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, although his portrayal remains the franchise’s most popular.

Vaniček’s best known for his directorial debut, last year’s spider horror Infested, which debuted in Venice and then won Best Picture and Best Director in its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest. His hiring fits with the pattern established by Raimi, picking rising star filmmaker with an affinity for the horror genre, such as Evil Dead Rise‘s director Lee Cronin, and Fede Alvarez before him.

New ‘Jurassic World’ Trilogy Lands David Leitch As Director

David Leitch won't join new Jurassic World trilogy

Stuntman-turned-filmmaker David Leitch continues to branch out from the John Wick franchise he helped launch. Since then he’s directed Bullet TrainAtomic BlondeDeadpool 2Hobbs & Shaw, and the upcoming summer blockbuster The Fall Guy, so a variety of films that are either franchises or potential franchises. But now Leitch is joining one of the longest-running franchises ever, as Deadline reports he’ll direct Universal’s new Jurassic World trilogy that they are moving forward with rapidly.

This new trilogy was revealed just days ago, and has original Jurassic Park writer David Koepp aboard. Leitch joins a film that Universal has big hopes for, having already set a July 2nd 2025 release date. The film will feature an entirely new cast, so don’t expect to see Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, or any of the originals such as Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum. Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall are exec-producers on the new trilogy, further cementing connections to the original trilogy.

Leitch should be able to do some amazing things with Jurassic World. He’s shown an ability to handle action on multiple levels, from beautifully-choreographed fight sequences to blistering car chases, and even big superhero spectacles.  The potential here is through the roof.

That said, this franchise has seen better days. While it has made $6B across six total movies, the feeling right now is that it could use a break. Fallen Kingdom, released in 2022, made just over $1B but was critically panned.

 

‘Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey 2’ Red Band Trailer: Evil Public Domain Pooh Is Back And He’s Brought Friends

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2

The Hundred Acre Wood just got a lot deadlier! We’ve seen a few images from Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, the sequel to the public domain horror that started a craze! But today brings the official red band trailer, which features new look at seriously twisted versions of Tigger and Owl.

In the sequel, Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Owl aren’t out looking for honey. They want the blood of Christopher Robin (Scott Chambers) for exposing their existence. But now that it’s been done, they refuse to live in the shadows and cut a bloody swath of vengeance through the town of Ashdown.

The film is once again written and directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, who I guess is like the godfather of these weird horror twists on beloved fictional characters. He also has Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare coming up later this year.

One thing that’s clear from this footage? The increased budget has made a dramatic impact, because Pooh looks a lot scarier this time around!

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 arrives soon.

 

‘Blue Beetle’ Star Xolo Maridueña Is Sure Of His DCU Return, But Unsure Of When And Where

It’s like nobody believes it that Xolo Maridueña will return as Blue Beetle when James Gunn launches the DCU. Well, who can really blame them? While Maridueña was the first actor confirmed to be keeping his role, that was before Blue Beetle became the lowest-grossing DCEU movie of them all. If Gunn decided to reverse course, who could blame him?

But so far that hasn’t happened, and Gunn has had plenty of opportunities if he wanted to go in a different direction with the Jaime Reyes character.

As for Maridueña, he remains ready to go and firm in his belief that he will be back in the Blue Beetle armor, one way or another…

“I know we’ll see Blue Beetle again, whether it comes in the form of Blue Beetle 2 or wherever,” Maridueña said [via ScreenRant] at the recent Saturn Awards.

Maridueña continued, “It’s been really great to work alongside James [Gunn] and Peter [Safran], who have graciously folded us into their new universe even though it wasn’t part of what they came up with. It’s an honor. Now, where Blue Beetle heads in the future? I don’t know. But I can confidently say that we will see him soon.”

His caveat that it might not happen in a Blue Beetle sequel seems accurate. Following a $130M theatrical run, it’s doubtful that Warner Bros. will want to invest in another movie, but appearances scattered throughout the DCU makes a lot of sense. Perhaps when a new Justice League is formed he’ll be part of it?

‘Stormy’ Trailer: First Look At Stormy Daniels Doc Hitting Peacock Just In Time For Donald Trump’s Hush Money Trial

Stormy Daniels doc hits Peacock on March 18th

As if Donald Trump doesn’t have enough to worry about spending millions of dollars to fight 92 criminal counts, a documentary about the woman who told the world his penis is “smaller than average” and shaped like a citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom is about to premiere on Peacock. Stormy, a new doc about porn star Stormy Daniels aka Stephanie Clifford is set to hit the streamer on March 18th.

Daniels became a national celebrity when it was revealed that Donald Trump paid her $130K to keep quiet about their affair, committed while he was still married to his current wife. The payoff was so the information wouldn’t come out during the 2016 Presidential Election and hurt his chances of winning.

The film is directed and exec-produced by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Sarah Gibson (Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste). Judd Apatow is also aboard as an exec-producer through his Apatow Productions banner.

Here’s the official synopsis: Stormy delves into the life and times of Stormy Daniels, as she shares her story and account of events that have become part of American history … the film takes the audience behind the curtain as Stormy navigates being a mother, an artist, and an advocate working hard to reinvent herself, while still grappling with the bombshell that went off in her life five years earlier. From reporters to lawyers to politicians, many have attempted to define Stormy Daniels. Stormy tells the unvarnished truth about an unlikely American icon — this time, in her own words.

Recent developments have put Daniels back into the spotlight. The hush money case against Trump for the payments to Daniels, and the falsification of business records to hide the alleged affair, could be the first criminal trial to take place, possibly as soon as next month, just in time for the Stormy doc to hit. Could the timing be any better?

Matthew Vaughn Teases Expanded ‘Kingsman/Argylle’ Cinematic Universe; Says He Won’t Direct ‘Kick-Ass 3’

Kingsman, Argylle, and Kick-Ass

Matthew Vaughn has franchise fever right now. Not only is Kingsman still going strong, but he has hopes of connecting it to his latest spy movie, Argylle, and building a cinematic universe. But if that happens, Vaughn tells ThePlaylist that it won’t be just those two franchises, but possibly two more spy projects that he wants to bring into the mix…

“I’ve done the Kingsman. Hopefully, we have more ‘Kingsman,’ and we’ve got the world of ‘Argylle,’ and there are two other spy things I’m looking at,” Vaughn said.

“So you’re going well; well, Marvel and DC created these universes that are superheroes; why can’t we do it with spies? So that’s part of the plan,” he added.

That could be a long shot, though, given Argylle‘s poor reception at the box office. Costing roughly $200M, the Apple film only earned $18M last weekend. It’s hard to see Apple wanting to invest in sequels.

Vaughn has more up his sleeve, though. There’s also Kick-Ass 3, which we know is a planned reboot with an entirely new cast. While it shouldn’t come as a surprise since Jeff Wadlow directed the previous film more than a decade ago, but Vaughn won’t be directing this new one, either.

“I have a director, I have the cast, I have the concept,” he revealed to ThePlaylist again on their podcast.

“I just have to— it’s pretty extraordinary,” Vaughn said, beginning to explain why he won’t direct it. “Every time I do these interviews, everyone’s always asking about all these millions of movies that we should or could be making, but I’ve just got to put some infrastructure in my life because being the one-man band and playing all the instruments…a) I’m getting too tired, but b) you know, there’s no such thing as a one-man orchestra, and that’s what we need to build right now.”

The problem with doing another Kick-Ass (and newly adapting anything penned by comics writer Mark Millar, who also did Wanted and Kingsman) is finding something fresh to say. When the film arrived in 2010, Hollywood was only about two years into its obsession with Marvel and DC superhero movies. Already, they were feeling very stale and homogenized, and Kick-Ass was like a foot in the ass of the genre. But the landscape has changed. We have R-rated shows like The Boys out there, and traditional superhero movies are less popular than they’ve ever been. What is there to say now?

“The most important line in’ Kick-Ass’ was… two lines [were]… ‘why does everyone want to be Paris Hilton, no one wants to be Spider-Man’—which I think is fascinating because remember that was a new thing… the whole reality star thing, that was a big thing, and ‘With no power comes no responsibility,’ so those were the two hooks.”

“So we’ve taken those two ideas, and we [now] have to reflect,” he continued. “’ Kick-Ass,’ the reboot is a reflection of the world we now live in and what’s happened to superhero films and comics and where we are now.”

“‘Kick-Ass’ was a, ‘Hey, this is new and fresh and new way of looking at [things],’ so we’ve had to do that again. So all I can say is people will be very surprised. And I didn’t want to go back to the world of ‘Kick-Ass’ just to do a ‘Kick-Ass 3,’ and it’s the same, but it’s not the same. It’s not what anyone expects, but there will be enough in it for people to go, ‘OK, that’s different, but it’s pretty damn cool.’”

So a lot of irons on the fire for Vaughn, but I would caution that some of this stuff may have passed their expiration dates. I’m pretty sure Argylle is dead in the water, and we shouldn’t forget that audiences had already moved on from Kick-Ass by the time the sequel arrived just three years later. Kingsman is coming off the disappointing prequel, The King’s Man, so it’s also got some rebuilding to do.

‘IF’ Super Bowl Teaser Features Ryan Reynolds And Randall Park Doing A Classic ‘The Office’ Gag

Randall Park and Reynolds tease IF

It’s already started. Goddammit it’s ALREADY STARTED!!! The Super Bowl is still days away, but teaser TV Spots are dropping online now, starting with IF, the imaginary friends fantasy-comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by John Krasinski…or is that Randall Park?

At least this teaser for the eventual Big Game spot is sorta fun, especially if you’re a fan of The Office. See, Randall Park turns up and impersonates Krasinski, which you might recall he did in the Season 9 episode of The Office titled “Andy’s Ancestry”.  So they’re having some fun with fans here and that’s kinda cool. We know that Reynolds loves his pranks, and the more meta, the better. Isn’t the Deadpool franchise almost entirely built on meta gags at this point?

Here’s the IF synopsis: From writer and director John Krasinski, IF is about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends — and what she does with that superpower — as she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids. IF stars Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Cailey Fleming, Fiona Shaw, and the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr. and Steve Carell alongside many more as the wonderfully unique characters that reflect the incredible power of a child’s imagination.

IF was written and directed by Krasinski, not Randall Park, and hits theaters on May 17th.

Cinema Royale: Recapping The Bests & Worsts From Sundance 2024!

Sundance 2024

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival is wrapped, the Punch Drunk Critics have returned from Park City, and with all of the awards handed out, it’s time to talk about the best movies we saw there this year. Joining this episode of Cinema Royale is fellow critic Cortland Jacoby, who attended the festival with me once again.

We’re going to pick our favorite films to emerge from Sundance this year, which of them got acquired for distribution, and their prospects for success once released. Two movies from Kristen Stewart, a Will Ferrell road trip doc, and even a Nazi-fighting comedy featuring Too Short, we’ve got a lot to cover!

All of this and more on a new episode of Cinema Royale!

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