‘Heartland’ Trailer: Jessica Chastain Is Pulled Into The Dark Side Of Country Music In Shana Feste’s Thriller

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October 6, 2026

Country roads are leading someplace very dark for Jessica Chastain in Shana Fest’s Heartland. Chastain, who can be seen this week in the creepy horror Other Mommy, stars as Misty Jones, a former country music superstar who retreated from the public spotlight. However, she’s pulled back to Nashville and country music’s seedy underbelly following the disappearance of her niece, an aspiring singer.

The film is written and directed by Feste, who runs to country music terrain after 2010’s Country Strong, which also explored the dark side of the business. It’s Feste’s first film since the supernatural thriller Run Sweetheart Run in 2020.

Also in the cast are Country Strong‘s Garrett Hedlund, Carter Faith, Ross Lynch, Paul Sparks, Jennifer Nettles, and John Hawkes, along with Hill Harper, Norbert Leo Butz, Wynn Everett, Isabelle Kusman, and David Rysdahl.

Keeping with the Country Strong theme, the soundtrack is getting a significant push. The film boasts original performances from Chastain, Grammy winner Jennifer Nettles, Ross Lynch and CMA nominee Carter Faith, alongside Margo Price, Carly Pearce, Eddy Dunlap, Channing Wilson and Dave “Fergie” Ferguson.

SYNOPSIS: Former country legend, Misty Jones, comes out of seclusion to investigate the disappearance of her missing niece, a rising country musician, and must grapple with her own past and Nashville’s seedy underbelly. Her search uncovers a murky side of Nashville where no one, including Misty, is who they seem.

Heartland hits Netflix on November 13th.

‘The Batman Part II’ Production Pauses As Matt Reeves Deals With Personal Issue

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Travis Hopson

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October 5, 2026

Well, The Batman Part II is facing another delay. Warner Bros. confirmed it with a statement: “Production on The Batman Part II has been temporarily paused while Matt Reeves focuses on a family matter. Matt has the full support of DC Studios and we look forward to continuing the journey soon.”

It’s an open secret that Matt Reeves has been dealing with a personal issue over the last couple of years, and that’s why the anticipated sequel has experienced so many delays. I have no idea what the issue is. I’ve heard rumblings, but nothing I’d dare post here. If Reeves wants it known, he’ll do it himself.

It appears that Reeves has the studio’s full support on this. That’s good to know. I’m sure that’ll be the case with the incoming Skydance regime, too.

The Batman Part II is set to open on February 18th 2028 with Robert Pattinson, Andy Serkis, Barry Keoghan, Jeffrey Wright and Colin Farrell, with Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Brian Tyree Henry, Charles Dance, and Jayme Lawson starring.

‘Sicario 3’ Is Officially Happening With Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, And Benicio Del Toro Returning

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Travis Hopson

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October 5, 2026

Well, Josh Brolin wasn’t lying. He said Sicario 3 was going to happen, and now Deadline reports that it is. Not only, but the whole team is getting back together again as Brolin will be joined by Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt.

There are some changes, though. Padraic McKinley, who directed the incredible Ethan Hawke Sorcerer-esque thriller The Weight, is coming aboard to direct from a script by Steven Knight. So much for any input from creator Taylor Sheridan and Christopher McQuarrie, who had been developing the sequel.

Denis Villeneuve, who directed the first Sicario in 2015, has long since moved on. Stefano Sollima directed the 2018 sequel, Day of the Soldado, but was never expected to return. Unsurprisingly, that film wasn’t received as well.

Knight is hella busy, and I don’t know how he fits Sicario 3 into his schedule. The Oscar-nominated writer is currently working on the next James Bond film, too. His resume is strong and leans towards gritty, street-level stuff such as Peaky Blinders, Eastern Promises, and Locke. He can do more prestige work, too, such as Spencer, Maria, and Allied.

Interestingly, the report says Knight and McKinley are working on the script together with notes from the cast. I wonder how that’ll look. An increased role for Brolin, maybe? Curious to see how Blunt’s character, a dogged but somewhat naive FBI agent not seen since the first film, returns to the fold.

Filming on Sicario 3 is expected to begin early next year. Distribution still needs to be found as well. Lionsgate released the first two movies but is not involved with this one.

‘Barbie’ Sequel Is Looking Good Again As New Skydance Bosses Push For Talks To Resume

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Travis Hopson

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October 5, 2026

A Barbie sequel hasn’t gone to that great toybox in the sky just yet. Just a couple of months after we learned talks with Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and Noah Baumbach had hit the skids, the new bosses at Skydance are already pushing to get them back on track. In short: Barbie 2 ain’t dead yet.

The word comes from a much longer Variety report about the transition following the completed Paramount/WB merger. Incoming film chiefs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein have reached out to Robbie and her LuckyChap label, along with other WB talents, to get Barbie 2 going again.

Of the many IP jewels Paramount acquired in the deal, Barbie is one of the brightest. The film ended 2023 as the highest-grossing movie in Warner Bros. history with $1.44B, while also earning an Academy Award. An inside source told Variety, “There’s no way ‘Barbie 2’ doesn’t happen.”

However, if this is going to happen, it has to happen soon. The clock is running before the rights revert back to Mattel, and at that point it’ll likely get rebooted by another studio. It’s doubtful the results would be the same, though, because it was Gerwig’s unique vision that made Barbie such a phenomenon.

Next ‘Jurassic World’ Eyes J.A. Bayona To Return As Director, Replacing Gareth Edwards

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Travis Hopson

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October 5, 2026

As much as some of us may want it to, the Jurassic World franchise isn’t being frozen in amber any time soon. Over the summer, Gareth Edwards dropped out of directing the follow-up to Jurassic World Rebirth due to creative differences. To replace him, Universal is ready to hand the reins over to someone who it is quite familiar with.

According to TheWrap, J.A. Bayona is the frontrunner to direct the next Jurassic World, possibly titled Jurassic World Liberation. Bayona already directed 2018’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, leading that film to $1.3B at the box office.

Bayona followed that film with what I think is his best movie yet, Society of the Snow, which earned multiple awards including two Oscar nominations.

Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey are expected back for more dino-action, joined by original Jurassic Park writer, David Koepp.

Filming on the eighth movie in the Jurassic Park franchise and the fifth Jurassic World begins next year.

‘Animals’ Trailer: Ben Affleck And Kerry Washington’s Private Lives Come Undone In Netflix’s Kidnapping Thriller

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Travis Hopson

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October 5, 2026

Flying a bit under the radar for Netflix is Ben Affleck’s Animals, which he directs, stars in, and co-writes. The kidnapping thriller follows a mayoral candidate and his wife, played by Kerry Washington, whose lives unravel following the kidnapping of their son.

The film is Affleck’s follow-up to 2023’s critically acclaimed Air. Affleck’s character, Mark Kimball, finds that the carefully crafted life he projects for the public is being torn apart as private secrets emerge. These secrets threaten not only his political aspirations but also his family.

It’s an intriguing premise, one that Affleck previously meant to explore with his pal Matt Damon in the lead role, and his ex-wife Jennifer Garner in the female lead. That would’ve been interesting, but ultimately both dropped out due to prior commitments.

Joining Affleck and Washington in the cast are Steven Yeun, Adriana Paz, Gillian Anderson, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Ray Fisher, Christopher Woodley, Matt Gerald, and Jacob Estrada.

Animals hits select theaters and Netflix on October 9th.

James Gunn Is Already Writing His ‘Man Of Tomorrow’ Follow-Up, But Is It ‘Superman 3’ Or Something Else?

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Travis Hopson

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October 5, 2026

James Gunn is a busy guy, always has been. Lately it’s increased tenfold. Gunn, a Big Brother superfan, was on the show recently, as he tends to do, leading up to the big finale. He really should enter Celebrity Big Brother next time. Anyway, he’s also, for now, survived the big Paramount/WB merger that briefly put DC Studios in jeopardy. Seems like he and Peter Safran are good to go. Now, Gunn has confirmed he’s already writing his follow-up to next year’s Man of Tomorrow.

Gunn revealed the update on social media, of course, while chatting with fans. Seems like a Man of Tomorrow teaser could be arriving shortly, too.

So is this Superman 3? Or something new altogether? That would be my guess as it makes the most sense. It’s too soon for something like Justice League, isn’t it? I’d rather he do a Justice Society movie, as the pieces (Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific) are already in place. Or perhaps Gunn goes in a more offbeat direction, something closer to Creature Commandos or Suicide Squad? I guess there’s a chance he’s doing a World’s Finest film, but shouldn’t he give Batman a proper intro first? Who knows the actual status of The Brave and the Bold, the Batman/Robin movie Andy Muschietti is supposedly directing.

As for Man of Tomorrow, it arrives on July 9th 2027. It’s the sequel to 2025’s Superman, which earned a respectable $618M and solid reviews. The film will find David Corenswet’s Superman and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor forced to team up against the alien threat of Brainiac, played by Lars Eidinger.

Box Office: ‘Verity’ Buries ‘Digger’ With $62M Globally

By

Travis Hopson

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October 4, 2026

Verity (review)- $32.6M

The Colleen Hoover brand has been tarnished somewhat, but it bounced back significantly with Verity, opening with $32M domestically and $62M worldwide. This was never going to be a movie where reviews mattered. This has been described as Hoover’s most popular book and the one where she ventures furthest into erotic thriller territory. As such, audiences didn’t care about the 34% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics, although it’s fair to say the 71% Popcornmeter isn’t great, either. It’s the latest success in an up-and-down year for Anne Hathaway, following Mother Mary, The Odyssey, The Devil Wears Prada 2, and The End of Oak Street. As for Dakota Johnson, it’s another strong showing for her following the $105M success of Materialists last year.

2. Resident Evil– $12.5M/$124.8M

3. Heart of the Beast– $11M/$38.3M

4. Primetime– $8M/$34M

5. Digger (review)- $8M

Like many critics, I’ve called Alejandro Inarritu’s apocalyptic satire Digger a “big swing”, but nobody really knew how big until this week. Now that it’s out there in over 3,300 theaters and earning just $8M, we can see that it was a big swing and a miss. Despite reviews of Tom Cruise’s performance being through the roof, it wasn’t enough to attract audiences to see it. That said, the failure of Digger isn’t on him. This was a movie kept largely under wraps for months, and Inarritu’s stuff is always seen as auteur-driven for the arthouse crowd. That’s why I’m shocked at the wide rollout when a platform release timed for awards season would’ve made more sense. The film, about a powerful oil magnate trying to stop a cataclysmic disaster of his own making, was hated by critics (51%) while audiences were sorta meh (71%), suggesting this one will fade away quickly. For Cruise, it’s his lowest opening since the Robert Redford political drama Lions for Lambs way back in 2007.

6. Forgotten Island– $7.2M/$23.6M

7. Avengers: Endgame Encore– $4.4M/$36.2M

Marvel and Disney have reclaimed the all-time global box office, as re-issue Avengers: Endgame: Encore which has hit $2.925B worldwide, surpassing Avatar‘s $2.923. With the $954M from Spider-Man: Brand New Day this past summer, Marvel/Disney can boast that they have the all-time global and all-time domestic records.

8. Drishyam – The Conclusion– $2.7M

9. Practical Magic 2– $2.6M/$64.6M

10. Spider-Man: Brand New Day– $2.4M/$954.4M

Also…Lionsgate released into just 1,121 theaters the giant snake movie that critics have been raving about, Beware Boiúna (review), not that it seems to have meant much. Starring Jessica Rothe, Kiana Madeira, and Logan Marshall-Green, the film hit just $550K for a weak $490 average. Ouch. [BoxOfficeMojo]

David Ellison Halts Stephen Colbert’s ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Movie Following Paramount/WB Merger

By

Travis Hopson

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October 4, 2026

While it’s certainly too early to know for sure if David Ellison is employing the same vindictive tactics as his orange pal in the White House, this news won’t assuage anyone of their fears. Just when Stephen Colbert thought he was out, he’s been pulled back in. Knight Edge Media reports that Ellison has pumped the brakes on Colbert’s Lord of the Rings movie, Shadows of the Past, now that the Paramount/WB merger is complete.

According to the report, Ellison doesn’t see Lord of the Rings as profitable as it once was, and wants to see how Andy Serkis’ The Hunt for Gollum performs before launching anything else. That’s fair. The recent animated movie, The War of the Rohirrim, bombed with just $20M in 2024.

Ellison infamously fired Colbert from The Late Show, largely to appease the whining diaper baby who calls himself President. Now Colbert finds himself at Ellison’s whims again. The optics on this are pretty terrible. Would anyone be shocked if they learned Trump had demanded Ellison drop Colbert’s movie? Me neither.

At least it’s too late for Ellison to put a halt to The Hunt for Gollum as it’s mostly completed. That said, Serkis has another LOTR film in the works and the status of that is unclear.

We learned earlier this year from Peter Jackson that Colbert had been working on a LOTR screenplay for a couple of years with his son, Peter McGee, and franchise vet Philippa Boyens.

The synopsis for Shadows of the Past: “Fourteen years after the passing of Frodo – Sam, Merry, and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began.”

Podcast: Is DIGGER The Most Divisive Movie Of Tom Cruise’s Career?

By

Travis Hopson

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October 3, 2026

On this episode of Cinema Royale, Chris Bumbray of Joblo.com and I talk about one of the year’s most anticipated, but also most mysterious films, Alejandro Iñárritu’s DIGGER! We’ve been hearing about Tom Cruise’s wild performance for months, but a lot about this movie has been kept under wraps. Would it be the tour de force that brings Cruise and Iñárritu to the Oscars stage? Or would it be an ambitious swing that misses the mark?

Also, we keep this review spoiler-free because there are some big twists that will change the way you feel about the movie.

The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.

You can find Cinema Royale anywhere you get your podcasts, plus on YouTube in video form. Please subscribe to all the feeds if you can.