After the split reaction to Eddington last year, Ari Aster has finally figured out what his next feature will be. And not only has he decided, but an A-list star is already aboard. Deadline reports Scarlett Johansson will star in Scapegoat, which Aster will write and direct.
Scapegoat is set up with A24, the studio behind his last four movies. It’s an interesting partnership, to say the least, and I sorta wonder how it’s lasted this long. Aster struck gold with his first two movies, Hereditary and Midsommar. But the last two, Beau is Afraid and Eddington, were expensive flops.
Perhaps things will turn around with Scapegoat, though. Plot details are under wraps, per Aster’s usual modus operandi. He’s teased doing a sci-fi project and a horror as his next feature, so perhaps that’s what this will turn out to be.
Filming will take place in the fall to work around Johansson’s busy schedule, which includes Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist, and a little something called The Batman Part II.
It’s crazy, but Matthew Lillard is having one of the busiest stretches of his career right now, and all after Quentin Tarantino verbally kicked him in the nuts a couple of months ago. Now he’s heading to the DCU and James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow, joining the Superman sequel’s cast in a mystery role.
Lillard joins a cast led by David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, along with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Lars Eidinger as Brainiac, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathon Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Adria Arjona as Maxima and Aaron Pierre reprising his Lanterns role as Green Lantern John Stewart.
Man of Tomorrow is written and directed by Gunn, with the story finding Superman and Lex Luthor forced to team up against the alien threat of Brainiac.
Lillard has been everywhere lately, returning for Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, reprising his role as Stu Macher in Scream 7, and appearing in the second seasons of Cross and Daredevil: Born Again.
Man of Tomorrow hits theaters on July 9th 2027. [Deadline]
Alan Ritchson has never needed to say much to make an impression. I’m pretty sure his barrel chest arrives about five minutes before he does. That said, Ritchson says practically nothing at all in the action flick Motor City, a stylish 1970s revenge thriller that has only a few lines of dialog. Pfft! Who needs all of that pesky talkin’, anyway?
Written and directed by Potsy Ponciroli (Greedy People, Old Henry), Motor City is set in 1970s Detroit, and centers on Ritchson’s ex-con, John Miller, who loses everything when he is thrown in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Having lost the love of his life, John sets out on a bloody path of vengeance against the criminals who set him up.
Having seen Motor City at TIFF last year, I can attest that it has only a handful of lines of dialogue. Co-star Ben Foster says it has five in total, and that sounds about right.
Also in the cast are Shailene Woodley, Pablo Schreiber, Ben McKenzie, Amar Chadha-Patel , and The Bear‘s Lionel Boyce.
So if there’s no dialogue, what fills in those spaces between Ritchson punching things? Music. Detroit native Jack White served as the music director, providing a propulsive score.
Motor City hits theaters on July 24th courtesy of IFC. You can check out my full review here.
The fifth and final season of The Bear hits Hulu this summer, but fans of the hit restaurant drama are getting one Hell of an appetizer. A new episode featuring buddies Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach has arrived on Hulu, and is available today.
The episode was co-written by Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach, who reprise their roles as Richie and Mikey, and directed by series creator Christopher Storer. According to Variety‘s synopsis, the episode is titled “Gary”, and follows “the two friends’ complicated relationship, uncovering new layers of Mikey’s mental state while offering crucial insight into the man Richie is when audiences first meet him in Season 1 — adding emotional context that reframes their story from the very beginning.”
In case you don’t watch The Bear (which makes me wonder why you’d be reading this), the show centers on Jeremy Allen White’s character, Carmy, a highly-trained chef who returns home to Chicago and reopens the family sandwich shop that was run by his brother Mikey before he committed suicide. That’s about as much as I care to say without spoiling anything. It’s a great show and worth watching.
Some are trying to speculate whether “Gary” is the start of a spinoff series or something like that, but it seems like a one-off done by two pals who love their characters and the show.
Las Vegas did not gain global fame overnight. The city started as a small desert stop with limited appeal. Developers saw potential and built hotels, casinos, and roads. Visionaries took risks and invested heavily in growth. Filmmakers soon noticed its striking look and bold energy. They used bright lights and busy streets to tell vivid stories. Audiences connected with those images quickly. People who never traveled there still felt familiar with the city. Films shaped that recognition and spread their image worldwide.
Hollywood’s Love Affair with Las Vegas
Filmmakers noticed Las Vegas early and saw its potential. The sharp contrast between the empty desert and the bright neon created strong visual tension. Cameras captured movement, light, and energy in a unique way. In the 1960s, Ocean’s 11 with Frank Sinatra showed smooth criminals and clever plans. Audiences admired the style and confidence on screen. The city quickly became a stage for daring characters and bold stories. Directors in later years pushed that image further. They explored ambition, greed, and wild behavior. The casino showed power, control, and hidden systems. The Hangover revealed chaos and unexpected consequences. Each story added a new layer. Tourism data confirms this impact. Reports show over 40% of first-time visitors cite film and TV as key influences in their decision to visit. Screen stories clearly shape travel decisions.
The Rise of Casino Culture Through Film
Movies did more than present bright casinos and crowded tables. They showed how games function in simple ways. Viewers saw poker hands unfold and slot reels spin. Many learned basic rules without formal instruction. This exposure built confidence and curiosity. People started to believe they understood the system.
Films highlighted key elements of gambling culture:
The tension between risk and reward
The mindset behind quick decisions
The feeling of luxury and exclusivity
The promise of fast winnings
However, these portrayals often reduced complexity. Directors focused on jackpots and dramatic losses. Everyday play rarely appeared on screen. Even so, this version of reality made casinos feel approachable and exciting.
How Free Casino Bonuses Reflect the Movie Fantasy
Many viewers feel a spark after watching casino films. They want to try the games and feel the same tension. At the same time, most avoid large financial risks. Online platforms answer this need with safer entry options. No-deposit bonuses address this hesitation directly. These offers let users test games without using personal funds. Players can explore slots, tables, and features at no initial cost. This setup reflects the film’s idea of a sudden lucky chance. It lowers hesitation and builds early confidence. Every bonus includes rules. Wagering requirements define how many times a player must use winnings before withdrawal. Maximum bet limits restrict risk during play. Time limits push users to act within a set period. Withdrawal caps control how much can be taken out. Careful reading prevents confusion later. Services like CasinosAnalyzer guide through these details. Thanks to their reviews, users can compare bonus options and review conditions. A careful approach brings better results. Read each condition with attention. Set strict limits before you begin. Focus on learning how games work. Keep expectations realistic and treat the process as entertainment first.
From Fiction to Reality: Why Las Vegas Still Wins
Las Vegas still holds attention in the digital era. Films keep its image alive and recognizable. New releases highlight its lights, casinos, and bold lifestyle. Streaming services bring older classics to younger viewers. This constant exposure refreshes interest across generations. The city itself has changed over time. Developers added concerts, shows, and high-end restaurants. Large events now draw global crowds. In 2025, more than 40 million visitors arrived. Many came for the full experience, not just gambling, and some even plan trips around rare events or symbolic moments like the blood moon eclipse that capture the public imagination and add another layer of spectacle. Film and reality influence each other constantly. Stories create expectations in viewers’ minds. The city responds by evolving its offer. This exchange keeps Las Vegas relevant and visible worldwide.
Key Elements That Made Las Vegas a Symbol
Several factors explain why Las Vegas became such a powerful cinematic icon. The city offers a rare mix of visuals, emotion, and meaning that directors value.
Visual identity. Neon lights cut through the night sky. Famous hotels create bold silhouettes. The skyline looks unique and easy to recognize.
Narrative flexibility. The setting supports many story types. Crime plots unfold easily here. Comedies and dramas also feel natural in this space.
Emotional stakes. Gambling introduces instant tension. Every decision carries risk. Characters face quick wins or sharp losses.
Cultural symbolism. The city represents freedom and danger. It suggests change and second chances.
These elements help filmmakers build strong stories again and again.
Conclusion
Las Vegas built much of its global image through film. Directors turned it into more than a physical place. The city came to represent risk, ambition, and bright spectacle. That vision still draws millions of visitors each year. New stories continue to grow from this image. Many people want to explore casino culture beyond the screen. Reliable information becomes important at that point. CasinosAnalyzer provides that support. The platform reviews licenses, bonus rules, and payment options. It helps users compare offers with confidence. Readers can make better choices with this guidance. The dream of Las Vegas still begins with a story. Movies told it first. Today, every player gets the chance to step into it – carefully, wisely, and on their own terms.
After an acting career spanning more than fifty years, John Travolta is finally stepping behind the camera himself. Travolta makes his directorial debut with Apple’s Propeller One-Way Night Coach. It’s a film that’s deeply personal for the actor, as it’s based on the children’s book he wrote in 1997, and features his deep-rooted love of aviation.
Directed, written, and produced by Travolta, the family-friendly film centers on Jeff, a young aviation enthusiast played by newcomer Clark Shotwell. Jeff and his mother embark on a life-changing one-way cross-country flight to Hollywood during the height of the aviation age.
Also in the cast are Kelly Eviston-Quinnett , Ella Bleu Travolta and Olga Hoffmann.
An Apple Original Film, Propeller One-Way Night Coach premieres globally on Apple TV Friday, May 29th. Before that, it will have its world premiere at Cannes, where it’s nominated for the Caméra d’Or.
It’s rare that you see a sequel that is as much of an apology for its predecessor than Mortal Kombat II. The sequel, which reunites director Simon McQuoid and writer Jeremy Slater, does everything that the first movie, released in 2021 to a lukewarm reception and meager $84M box office, did not. It delivers more of the fan-favorite characters fans of this iconic video game franchise want; it streamlines the story with a focus on brutal otherworldly battles, and, oh yeah, fatalities fatalities FATALITIES! In a year when the game’s eternal rival, Street Fighter, also has an anticipated high-profile movie on the way, Mortal Kombat II has dealt the first blow, and it’s a doozy.
A key part of the Mortal Kombat II apology tour? Poor Lewis Tan as original character Cole Young, introduced as the fateful, upstart hero of destiny in the first movie. Here, he’s barely relegated to supporting status, his starring role tossed into an acid bath like one of Shao Khan’s victims in the Dead Pool. In his place is Karl Urban as one of the game’s most popular, most important characters, Johnny Cage. While Urban is too old to play the hotshot Hollywood actor as Cage is normally depicted, he’s perfect for a grizzled, past his prime former action star who hasn’t had a hit in years. Urban’s performance is like Jean Claude Van Damme mixed with Steven Seagal, hokey and self-important at the same time. Cage has never accomplished anything that truly mattered, and he hates himself for it.
Lucky for Cage, because he’s just been recruited to participate in Mortal Kombat! He joins the other warriors of Earthrealm led by the thunder god, Lord Raiden, played once again by Tadanobu Asano. Jessica McNamee is back as Sonya Blade, with Mehcad Brooks as Jax, and Ludi Lin as the fiery Liu Kang. Oh, and Cole Young is there, too. *shrug* The brutal warlord of Outrealm, Shao Khan (Martyn Ford) is this close to enslaving Earth the same way he has other realms. His adopted daughter, Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), who saw her real father slaughtered in combat with Shao Khan, is as much a prisoner of Shao Khan’s rule as anyone, and works against him from the inside.
Credit to McQuoid and Slater for wrangling together all of these characters’ insane, criss-crossing storylines and making them make sense. You can’t mess around with them too much because fans will revolt if you screw up their personal favorites too much. Each needs their moment to shine, and for the most part, everybody gets to deliver their signature one-liners and devastating signature killing blows.
The way McQuoid handled it is by focusing the story on the main thing fans wanted to see: the titular tournament itself. There’s just enough story there to keep you invested in the fate of Kitana, the heroic rise of Johnny Cage, the scheming of soul-stealing sorcerer Shang Tsung (Chin Han), the return of that unhinged Aussie merc Kano (Josh Lawson), and the Hellish vengeance sought by Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada). But mainly, these subplots only exist to set up the next fight, which is exactly what we want.
The action choreography is vastly superior to the previous film, with each battle vastly different depending on who is involved. When the cyborg-armed Jax slugs it out with Kitana’s best friend and mentor Jade (Tati Gabrielle), it’s a much different battle than Cage’s comical scrap with the Tarkatan leader Baraka (CJ Bloomfield), who threatens to literally eat him on the spot. More importantly, McQuoid truly captures the transcendental scope of the games, with deadly duels backlit by swirling vortexes in dazzling temples; others taking place in claustrophobic torture chambers filled with spikes, or in the aforementioned Dead Pool.
Here’s the thing; I’m not a Mortal Kombat guy. I’ve played the games, I know the characters, but my heart belongs to Capcom and Street Fighter. So it hurts me, just a tiny bit, to have to admit that Mortal Kombat II is friggin’ awesome, and the Street Fighter movie better bring the goddamn heat this October because there won’t be enough apologies in the world if it doesn’t measure up!
The Deadites are back, and they are pissed! Following the critical and box office success of Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise, and before that 2013’s Evil Dead reboot, the franchise is stronger than it has ever been. And now it continues with Evil Dead Burn, which features new characters, a new director in Sébastien Vaniček, and a grim nightmare fueled by…wedding vows?
The trailer for Evil Dead Burn has arrived, and it comes with a dark tagline: “Family is the root of all evil.”
The film has been shrouded in mystery, but now we know the plot: “Evil Dead Burn” unleashes the franchise’s most savage and terrifying ride to date, blazing onto big screens with an all-new chapter of carnage and demonic mayhem. After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws in their secluded family home. As one by one they are transformed into Deadites—turning the gathering into a family reunion from hell—she comes to discover that the vows she took in life… live on even in death.
Leading the cast is Swiss actress Souheila Yacoub, joined by Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan, Tandi Wright and George Pullar.
Vaniček directed and co-wrote the script with Florent Bernard. The two previously collaborated on Vaniček’s feature debut, Vermines, which is likely what caught the eye of producer Sam Raimi. There doesn’t seem to be any direct connection between any of the previous Evil Dead movies.
There are some rumors out there that Evil Dead Burn could be connected to Cronin’s The Mummy, which is in theaters right now. Certainly, the look and tone of both films is very similar. We’ll find out when it opens on July 10th.
Chilean filmmaker Felipe Gálvez’s caught quite a few people by surprise with his 2023 revisionist western, The Settlers. It’s a film that used genre and extreme violence to explore Chile’s marginalized history. Now Gálvez is back with his sophomore effort, Impunity, and it’s going to be a considerably more star-studded affair, as it will be led by Sebastian Stan and Ana de Armas.
Stan and de Armas will star in Impunity, a spy thriller directed by Gálvez. The film is set in 1998 and centers around a legal case involving the arrest and attempted extradition of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in London. The story is based on Philippe Sands’ book, 38 Londres Street.
Both English and Spanish will be incorporated, so Stan is actively learning to speak the latter now. Filming is expected to begin this year.
Also in the cast are Alfredo Castro, Antonia Zegers, and Alejandro Goic.
Here’s a synopsis of the book:
“Set against the backdrop of one of the legal cases of the 20th century, when Augusto Pinochet was arrested in London in 1998. For the first time, a former dictator could lose his immunity and face justice beyond his own country. As two covert operations unfold behind closed doors, a mercenary recruited by an NGO and a Chilean envoy are drawn into a labyrinth of conspiracies, betrayals, and geopolitical maneuvering — only to discover, at their own expense, that the real battle for justice is fought far from the courtroom, in the shadows.”
Neither Stan or de Armas are strangers to espionage movies. He, of course, has played super-spy Bucky “The Winter Soldier” Barnes in the MCU for years, msot recently in Thunderbolts*. She played a spy supporting James Bond in No Time to Die, and another covert operative in The Gray Man. [Variety]
Fans of Osgood Perkins’ Longlegshave a date to mark on their calendars. Deadline reports that Paramount has set a January 14th 2028 release for the horror sequel, once again written/directed by Perkins and featuring Nicolas Cage reprising the serial killer role.
The film, however, is not expected to be a true sequel. Instead, it will be a spinoff set in the Longlegs universe, and will clearly hold a tight connection to the original. That film was a surprise summer hit in 2024, earning $128M globally. Perkins hasn’t found the same success with his two films since. The Monkey earned $68M, while Keeper only made $6M.
It was just a few weeks ago that Paramount took over distribution from NEON, which wasn’t too keen on Perkins’ proposed budget, which is said to hover around the $50M range. That’s obviously not a problem for Paramount.
Coming up next for Perkins is The Young People, which will reunite him with star Tatiana Maslany for a third time, along with Lola Tung, Johnny Knoxville, Heather Graham, and Nico Parker. It’s expected to open late this year.
