Are we looking at two Black Superman projects developing at the same time? It sure looks that way. From the very beginning, Michael B. Jordan has been rumored for a Man of Steel film that would team him up with JJ Abrams. But since then, Abrams has begun working with writer Ta Nehisi Coates on a film that would reimagine Clark Kent. Well, apparently that’s not something Jordan wanted to do because reports are that he’s developing a separate Black Superman project for HBO Max.
Collider reports that Jordan and his Outlier Society brand are developing a Superman miniseries for HBO Max. That’s right, a series rather than a feature film. And this won’t be a reimagining of Clark Kent as a Black man, either. Instead, it will center on Val-Zod, the Earth-2 Superman and one of the last remaining Kryptonians. The character was introduced in 2014 and took over the mantle of Superman when his universe’s version was killed by Darkseid.
I’ve been using the image of Val-Zod as the centerpiece graphic on these Black Superman stories for months, but only now does it actually fit.
According to Black Girl Nerds editorial, Jordan “has not wanted to engage in conversations about racebending Kal-El for the same reasons many of the fans are pushing back on the current Warner Bros. re-imagined version of Clark Kent, but that he would be interested in engaging on a Black Superman project centering on the Val-Zod storyline.” It looks like that idea turned out to be true.
Furthermore, THR adds that there may have been creative friction between Jordan and Abrams, hearing from sources “it fell apart because Jordan wanted too much control over the project or Warner Bros. was shifting away from actors having control as producers, which sounds like different sides of the same coin to us…“The HBO Max side of the business then approached Jordan and asked him if he’d like to try his project for them. It was either synergy or, at the time, a surprise, depending on who you talk to. No overlap is seen, however, as Jordan’s is considered to be early development and on a different time track.”
All of this must have happened around the same time Jordan was openly denying involvement with the Coates/Abrams film.
There’s still a lot to figure out about what Jordan has in the works, like will his series fit into the larger DCEU or be separate? We still don’t know the fate of Henry Cavill’s Superman, plus there’s a Supergirl film with Sasha Calle after she appears in The Flash. We could be seeing a lot of Kryptonians in a lot of different places, after going quite a long time with no Superman projects at all.
We’re happy to offer our DC readers passage to a free early screening of Disney’s Jungle Cruise! The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jesse Plemons, Edgar Ramirez, Jack Whitehall, and Paul Giamatti.
SYNOPSIS: Join fan favorites Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt for the adventure of a lifetime on Disney’s “Jungle Cruise,” a rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton. Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank’s questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila—his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities—possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest. But as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank and their fate—and mankind’s—hangs in the balance.
The screening takes place Wednesday, July 28th at 7:00pm at AMC Tysons Corner. If you’d like to attend, register at the Gofobo ticketing site here. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you will need to arrive early to ensure seating. Enjoy the ride!
Jungle Cruise opens in theaters and Disney+ Premier Access on July 30th.
Comic-Con @Home kicked into full swing today, and the panel I was most looking forward to was Heels. How it could not be? Hello, it’s a series about professional wrestlers! And it stars Arrow and experienced pro wrestler himself, Stephen Amell, along with Alexander Ludwig. The two were on hand joined by Alison Luff, Mary McCormack, Kelli Berglund, James Harrison, Allen Maldonado, Chris Bauer, and executive producers Michael Waldron and Mike O’Malley.
Amell, who knows a thing or two about getting slammed after his time in the WWE (where he was fucking brilliant), talked about the bumps and bruises of shooting the show and how it’s just like in the squared circle for real…
“It’s not jumping off your couch onto cushions,” he shared. “It’s a wooden board and it gives a little in the middle and not so much at the edge—ask my back.”
Harrison, the former Pittsburgh Steeler and Super Bowl champion, added…
“We had to go through a little bit of training, but I think it was a little bit easier for me because I played professional football for 15 or 16 years. The thing about wrestling is that a lot of people want to say it’s fake but the actual physical nature of hitting the mat then getting up and hitting that mat again and making sure you don’t land the wrong way. The physical nature of it is 100 percent real because you’re putting your body on the line. If you do something wrong, something happens.”
Heels will finally take the ring on August 15th on Starz.
Imagine most of the blockbuster sci-fi movies you’ve seen that have been set on Mars. I’m betting none of them are anything like Settlers. Wyatt Rockefeller’s debut feature is a tense, claustrophobic chamber piece about a family living on an isolated farm on Mars, long after humanity has fled Earth. This makeshift life is interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious stranger looking to reclaim what he says is his. When violence erupts, it changes the life of 9-year-old Remmy who learns the hard way that life on this frontier is kill or be killed.
Rockefeller’s background doesn’t jump at you as someone who will eventually go on to make a feature film. An energy policy wonk who worked for the Obama administration, Rockefeller turned his attention to filmmaking and attracted a talented cast led by Brooklynn Prince, Sofia Boutella, Jonny Lee Miller, Ismael Cruz Cordova, and Nell Tiger Free. Shooting took place in an isolated South African desert, which gives the film a wide expanse, while Rockefeller’s energy background undoubtedly contributed to the industrial production design.
I had the chance to talk with Wyatt Rockefeller about Settlers, what the challenges were in making such an ambitious film on a limited budget, and as a first-time director no less. We also talked about the casting and the breakout performance by Cruz Cordova, whose terrifying presence is undeniable.
Settlers is in theaters now via IFC Midnight. Check out my review here and the interview below!
WarnerMedia took a shitload of heat for their groundbreaking decision to release all of their 2021 films in theaters and HBO Max simultaneously. In some cases it has worked out just fine, like with Godzilla vs. Kong, but not so much for others, such as In the Heights. But one thing is clear now as that practice comes to an end this year, and it’s that streaming is going to continue to be a very big deal for them going into 2022.
During an investor call, Jason Kilar, the CEO of WarnerMedia, revealed that 2022 will see 10 original films released exclusively to HBO Max. Kilar added, “Clearly motion pictures matter and will continue to matter. They also matter at home in terms of the response we’ve gotten.”
In other words, we’re going to be giving you a lot of both theatrical experiences and streaming. All of this is clearly an effort to elevate HBO Max to the level of Netflix.
This also means we should look for blockbusters to remain a very big presence in theaters, however, the 90-day release window is a thing of the past. You can expect to see movies out there for 45-days or so before moving to HBO Max and other digital platforms. The release window had begun to shrink before the pandemic but over the last year, it has been bitten right in half.
While Kilar didn’t reveal which movies would be HBO Max exclusives, we do know that smaller DC Comics projects such as Batgirl, Supergirl, and Blue Beetle are skipping theaters. They almost certainly won’t be the last. [Variety]
In Here After, Michael is a struggling actor in the midst of preparing his up-and-coming one-man-show and hopes it will lead to success. He never makes it to stage as a bad breakup leaves him stranded at an airport followed by him driving home. He pulls over to the side of the road when he realizes he doesn’t have change to pay for the toll. Upon finding a quarter, his vehicle is struck by a large truck, killing him instantly.
Michael recounts the vivid memory of his first sexual encounter at the age of 15 he had with an older redheaded girl he was wildly attracted to. His story goes from fun to crazy as he being treated and eventually succumbs to his injuries. Michael awakens in what appears to be a “Singles Purgatory” to questions from a woman with pale hair, eyes, and skin. Introduced as Scarlet, she helps him remember how he died. She further reminds that he is indeed dead. Scarlet informs Michael that he must find his soulmate in order to officially cross over because it only works in pairs.
With limited time to find true love among other recently deceased singles, Michael must navigate the new customs of a ghostly dating life. Dating in New York when he was alive was hard enough. Even Michael admits to never really being that good at it. He struggles with adapting to death and strikes out with nearly every dead woman who’s seen and heard it all. Michael still has possession of the quarter he held in his hand at the time of his death. The coin plays a significant value in his journey to find his soulmate.
Michael almost gives up when he happens to meet HoneyBee by chance. A woman who, after a few minutes of talking to her, thinks she may be the one. However, there’s one thing that is keeping them apart. HoneyBee happens to be alive and is in danger from ex-boss and creepy stalker, Patrick (Alex Hurt). Michael must figure out if she feels the same for him and how to be together before time is over for them both.
Here After is a Vertical Entertainment film written and directed by Harry Greenberger and produced by Greenberger and Carmine Famiglietti. Christina Ricci stars as Scarlet, a red-lipped, red-dressed woman in charge of the afterlife perspective. Andy Karl stars as newly single and dead, Michael, who falls for the uniquely named and ever so lovely, HoneyBee (Nora Arnezeder). HoneyBee tries to introduce Michael to her living friend Faith (Nikki M. James) and Micheal seeks guidance from dead friend Angelo (Michael Rispoli). Angelo shows him the ropes but is content with staying single.
Crossing over with a required soulmate is an open-minded concept. A possible ideology of the afterlife that has piqued my curiosity. There’s a resonating Ghost (1990) vibe that intertwines a dark humor quality used to feather the weight of this particular topic. Admittedly, the dark humor is the highlight of the film. A half naked guy (wearing only a shirt) is reading a book in a bar to “bad jokes” riddled throughout the film are outright hilarious.
The cinematography for Here After has an interesting array of variations. The background illumination, subtle distinctions of the living vs. dead, symmetrical imagery, and color scheme are stunning. The movement of empty escalators, brightly lit trees decorating the streets, to dead persons lifting to the sky as if they are riding in an invisible elevator. Characters are centered around backgrounds and colors that perfectly set the mood. Simple sounds of earthly white noise to calming elevator music while shifting through floors. The perfect metaphor of being caught between the two worlds of existence until a destination is reached. Lovely details that are this film’s redeeming grace however, not enough to save it from overwhelming flaws and rising conundrums.
The acting portrayed by Andy Karl (Michael) with his co-stars have their ups and downs. Ricci, much like her character, is a total boss. I loved watching the chemistry grow between HoneyBee and Michael and the glimpse into the friendship he and Angelo shared. However, when we meet Michael’s family, their mourning of him lacks any real grief or sadness. His mother Goldie (Jeannie Berlin, The Boys) refuses to accept the her son’s death but mother, father (Ray Inannicelli), and sister (Elissa Middleton) display no visible pain. Given the time sensitive agenda, even for the after life, certain scenes would drag on and on. Key aspects came across quite contradictory. Here After lacked logical insight and raised more questions regarding its intended purpose .
If not having a soulmate is considered “unfinished business” AND is necessary in order to cross over, why add another time clock of death to people already dead? What’s the rush? Michael observes random people disappearing, presumably at not finding their match in time. Although individuals who think they may have, disappear into nonexistence anyway. Do they not deserve the chance to find out or look a little longer? What if your soulmate hasn’t passed or even been born to die yet? What if the person you married in life turns out not to be your soulmate in death? Does the second death clock account for all that?
To note another observation, Scarlet makes it clear that Heaven and Hell do not exist as far as her world is concerned. If that’s the case, why show the dead rising in the sky? Distinctive artistry but with no explanation or real purpose, is simply, out of place.
Filming Here After in New York City must have been a challenge. There are numerous scenes where background locals and tourists are seen staring at the actors and filmmakers. Even the eyes of background actors follow Michael about when he’s supposed to be invisible among the living. Arnezeder and Karl are walking through Times Square and a young man is seen video recording with his phone during the live shooting. Not a fault by any means, but comical and distracting nonetheless.
Despite their connection, the onscreen kiss between Michael and HoneyBee is awkward. There’s something about the ending that doesn’t sit well with me either. What’s supposed to be the quest of the ultimate bond of love for eternal life feels selfish and forced. Which compels me to ask more questions: Is true love only considered such when it’s a sexual charge between two people? Does the love bond between individuals, such as a parent/guardian and child or soldiers who’ve served and died together on a battlefield not equate the same? Do bad people still get a soulmate? How is love qualified and justified when the term in itself is so damn broad?
I was hoping for an inspirational perspective to the afterlife and compare it to a personal favorite, What Dreams May Come (1998) that stars Robin Williams and Annabella Sciorra. Here After is visually captivating, funny moments, and includes the new song, “Mysteries of Life” by Debbie Harry, that conveys a dysfunctional narrative. At times presenting odd, if not convoluted, and contradicting depictions of ghostly life. I’m certainly not sold on the idea of a required soulmate in order to officially move on AFTER death. Especially, when that too also comes with an unknown time restraint. If Rom-Coms are your thing, go for it otherwise, it’s a straight-up no-go from me.
Here After will release On Demand everywhere, July 23rd.
Legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey has become synonymous with dance and creativity. This is mainly due to him creating the worldwide famous and renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, which he created with the purpose of displaying his vision of honoring black culture through dance. The Alvin Ailey Dance Company has toured across the world displaying numerous dance sets he has created and been appreciated by countless people. Despite pretty much changing the came for dance across the world, there’s still a great deal to explore, unpack, and learn about the legendary choreographer and his life story, which is explored in director Jamila Wignot’s documentary, Ailey.
As Ailey begins, we see Alvin Ailey being honored at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1988 for his legacy as someone who changed the game in dance, shortly before his death related to the AIDS epidemic. We see him get his flowers for all the great work he has achieved throughout his life and his impact not only on African American dance, but American Dance as a whole. Immediately we get into the meat of who Alvin Ailey really is and learn his backstory as a young boy born in the Great Depression, whose mother had to move from town to town doing whatever work she could find, which during that time was mainly housekeeping for white households. When he finally settled, he was pushed to play football due to his size and athleticism, but Alvin really wanted to dance (which his football coach said was only for “sissies”). As Alvin takes a change and explores dancing, he right away takes to it.
As Alvin begins to explore dance, he gets really good at it and joins various dance companies, and takes a liking to many black dance companies in California. Eventually, he makes the decision to create his own dance company: Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, and the rest is history as they would say. Using archival footage and Alvin Ailey’s own voice recordings, as well as interviews with still-living members of his dance company, Ailey explores not only the history of Alvin Ailey, but his impact not only on modern American dance, but his impact across the world. As the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company increased in popularity, the US State Department partnered with them for various cultural exchanges across the world. Even though his dance group had to pick and choose which hotels were going to be racist to the dance group, they were getting 20-minute standing ovations in Vietnam, Australia, and even in Russia.
Ailey goes into detail not only about the man, but his thought process of choreographing many of his now-famous dance numbers, and the history of them. For example, his best-known work “Revelations” is based on his own Christian upbringing through his observations of black people in the church and exploring slavery, baptism, and celebration at the same time. Other numbers he has created were drawn out of protest. One thing specifically mentioned is the death of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton by the hands of law enforcement impacted him as it was a murder of a Civil Rights leader and as a black man, it’s hard not to feel an impact from that event. Members of his dance company told filmmakers that many of the dance numbers he created and choreographed were his own form of protest against many injustices going on to African Americans.
Ailey also explores the notion that Alvin also was a “tortured creative,” and like many people in charge of making unique and exquisite art, they are often lonely. In fact, one of the people interviewed comments on the fact that when you are the creative leader of art, who can help you? He also was starting to hate the idea of Alvin Ailey the persona and people didn’t see him as an actual person. In addition, he adopted the viewpoint that the State Department working with his dance company and sending them across the world was “selling out” to display that “America’s not racists, see look at Alvin Ailey.” As a result, he suffered from mental illness, but thanks to the support of his dance company and his ever-enduring mother, he was able to continue on. Alvin Ailey also was a closeted gay man, who always kept that part of his personal life away from the public eye, but when the AIDS epidemic started to storm across the country in the 1980s, he, unfortunately, contracted the virus. The irony of him receiving the Kennedy honors for his work and being celebrated by Ronald Raegan while Raegan laughed at the idea of AIDS even being a serious disease is not lost on director Jamila Wignot in her imagery in Ailey. The heartbreaking recollections from members of his dance group not only show how much they revered him, but also how deeply devastated by his loss.
One criticism of Ailey is that it does not tell a linear story through the documentary. We continuously see time jumps throughout the documentary. Some moments highlight his childhood, then fast forward to the 1970s, then jump back to the 1960s, which may prove confusing for people without a complete historical view of not only Alvin Ailey, but also events going on in America during those times. In addition, there are scenes showing the Alvin Ailey American Dance company preparing a session for the 50th anniversary of the dance company back in 2018. While it displays the impact of the dance company and showcases that the dance company is still active in training the next generation of dancers, it doesn’t feel like it fits into the documentary and probably was not needed to be included.
That said, Ailey is a fascinating documentary as it honors Alvin and his everlasting impact not only on dance but American culture overall. The sad part is, that he’s someone that pop culture should be celebrating a thousand times over. While director Barry Jenkins is currently developing a biopic on Alvin Ailey, it’s almost inexcusable that there have not been more mainstream examinations of his life and legacy. Ailey is a great start, but the world needs to be reminded just how fascinating a person Alvin really is.
Ailey is available in select theaters in New York and expands nationwide on August 6.
“Your sister didn’t ruin your life, her illness did.”
Often when dealing with mental illness in film, it’s historically been used for comedy purposes in movies. But nowadays, as a culture we have evolved, we’ve gotten “woke,” and so does our storytelling. Plenty of films these days showcase the complexity involved with different types of mental illnesses, and Broken Diamonds is a great example of said type of film.
Scott (Ben Platt) is a twenty-something aspiring writer, who’s currently working at a restaurant with one of his few friends (Alphonso McAuley) and not necessarily happy with his 9-5 and wants to finally take the plunge and become a writer for real. He quit his job and has decided that he will take his talents to Paris to try being a writer full time.
Unfortunately for him, shortly before it’s time to head on out to Paris, he is informed by his father’s second wife Cookie (Yvette Nicole Brown) that his father has died. While it seemed as if it’s expected and he’s not necessarily that surprised or sad, he is advised by attorneys reading his father’s will that his sister Cindy (Lola Kirke) is also a recipient of their father’s estate. And if he wants to sell his father’s house (which he does), he will need his sister to also sign off for the sale of the house. Oh, and Cindy is schizophrenic.
As soon as he goes to pick up his sister from her treatment center and inform her that their father died and they are selling the house, he’s hit with more news, her behavior has gotten her kicked out of her current treatment center and Cindy has to stay with him for the next two weeks until she can be moved into another place.
This doesn’t bode well for Scott as he’s trying to get all his things in order for his move to Paris. It’s clear he’s not equipped to deal with Cindy. She burns his passport after setting the house on fire. She damages his car he’s trying to sell before his move. He does try and work with her, but dealing with someone with a mental illness is no walk in the part, no matter if you grew up with them or not. He takes her out for ice cream. He tries to get her his old job, but unfortunately, it proves to be very taxing for him. And this is all before she decides to stop taking her medication! As things continue (and her mental status deteriorates), Scott has to try and hold things together for himself. It’s clear he’s been not only dealing with issues related to his sister his whole life, but he’s now reckoning with how trying to placate her illness has impacted his own issues with life as well and there’s a lot he needs to unpack. Not only does he have deep-seated issues with his sister, but also with his father and his mother who always had to put his needs on the back-burner to help his sister Cindy.
Some aspects of Broken Diamonds did not work so well. While Yvette Nicole Brown is a national treasure at this point, her character Cookie is reduced so far to the background that you really don’t get to see her do much except provide support to Scott in yet another example of a “magical Negro.” It would have been more interesting if we got to see her a little more throughout the film. There are voiceless flashbacks that are meant to display the chaos of Scott growing up with a mentally ill sister, negligent mother, and angry father meant to help us feel sympathetic for him, but because the scenes are soundless, they don’t work as well as director Peter Sattler probably intended to. It tries to make him sympathetic, but instead makes you hate him a little bit for being so resentful to his sister.
That said, the performances in Broken Diamonds are great! Ben Platt was very good in Netflix’s The Politician, and continues to shine in Broken Diamonds. Scott starts out as kind of a dick, and doesn’t seem to really care about his father, nor his sister. But as the layers peel, we get a glimpse into the life of someone associated with a family member dealing with mental illness. Just like the family member of an addict, the illness doesn’t just affect them, but everyone around them. As the story continues (predictably), we do see a comfortable resolution to Scott and Cindy’s adventure, even if it’s heartbreaking for a while. And we cannot talk about performances without mentioning Lola Kirke’s performance as Cindy. While I am by no means a psychologist/psychiatrist, nor do I know anyone with schizophrenia (so she could be way off with how it really is), but to watch her performance is outstanding, especially as Cindy starts to decline in her mental status.
One thing that works exceptionally well is the ending where a therapy session happens with the cast and actual family members of people with family members that have mental illnesses to help further communicate to the audience that even though Broken Diamonds is a dramedy, dealing with a loved one who has a mental illness is a very real thing. They need our love and support every day. Some may be good, some may be bad, but they are still our family and need our support.
Broken Diamonds is available in theaters and On Demand.
Longtime uber-producer Randall Emmett finally gets behind the camera for Midnight in the Switchgrass, and it’s a wonder why. Why choose this dull, derivative thriller of all things with which to launch your filmmaking career? Considering the wealth of paycheck films he’s hired Bruce Willis to star in, it’s no surprise the sleepy-eyed actor would come back to snooze through another. But other than the fascination of watching Willis try to stay upright for the few minutes he’s on screen, the only other reason to watch is the film’s true star, Megan Fox, but that’s not a good thing, either.
Midnight in the Switchgrass has some buzz surrounding it, not for the quality of the movie but because it’s the film where Megan Fox and Colson “Machine Gun Kelly” Baker began their headline-grabbing relationship. They share a couple of scenes together, him as a scumbag pimp and her as FBI agent Rebecca Lombardo. They don’t exactly crackle with electric chemistry or anything, nothing in this movie really does. Along with her soon-to-retire partner Karl Helter (Willis, looking already-retired) they’re investigating the constant disappearance of women in their small Florida town. Well, sort of. Early on, Helter witnesses a staggering, obviously distressed woman march right past him and he does nothing. Moments later she’s accosted at a truck stop and violently rescued by shifty trucker, Peter (Lukas Haas), who clearly is no saint either. Good detective work there, champ.
Emile Hirsch plays Officer Byron Crawford who is also concerned with the fate of women in his town, but for reasons the shoddy script never clarifies, he’s meeting headwinds from the upper brass. He’s punted off the high-profile case of the missing woman, and instead forges something of an alliance with Lombardo to flush out the perpetrator. Neither character is given any sort of detail that we should care about, other than Crawford’s bland assertion that “nobody has ever stood up for those girls”.
Not that Midnight in the Switchgrass concerns itself with the plight of abducted and abused women. The characters in it can scarcely be bothered to show interest in the women who are alive, and that includes Lombardo who is a complete cipher. To her credit, Fox, who I think is a better actress than she is given credit, does her best with a role that is woefully underwritten and leaves her stranded as to Lombardo’s motivations. Hirsch is committed to his role, as well, and at least is given something to do as Crawford struggles with work/life balance and the effect the job has on his psyche. There’s no interesting spin on the familiar trope of cops being overwhelmed by the evil they see every day. Out of everyone, it’s Haas who seems the most comfortable as a monster living a double life, hiding the cruel side of himself from his knowing wife and young daughter. Haas has played these sorts of creepy characters before and he’s scarily good at it. A scene where Peter corners an elderly neighbor has the prickly tension you wish the rest of the film could match.
By the time Midnight in the Switchgrass ramps up into an effectively edgy cat-and-mouse game it’s already too far gone, any hope of it rebounding lost in the weeds.
Midnight in the Switchgrass is available in select theaters, digital, and VOD now.
Other than maybe Jordan Peele, Ari Aster’s third feature is one of the most anticipated of any rising star filmmaker. The Hereditary and Midsommar director has been quietly developing Disappointment Blvd, which we know will be led by Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix. Other details remain a mystery, but based on the latest casting it’s set to have the most impressive ensemble he’s put together yet.
Deadline reports Parker Posey, Zoe Lister-Jones, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Denis Ménochet, Hayley Squires, and Michael Gandolfini have joined Disappointment Blvd. They become part of a group that includes Phoenix along with Nathan Lane, Pattie Lupone, Amy Ryan, and Kylie Rogers.
Damn. Posey needs no introduction, does she? Everybody knows her best movie ever was Josie and the Pussycats. Henderson is a veteran actor known for his stagework, particularly in August Wilson plays, and films such as Fences and the upcoming Dune. Lister-Jones, who I just interviewed earlier this week, is an actor/director known for Band Aid, The Craft: Legacy, and How It Ends. Ménochet is a French actor seen in The Mauritanian and Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch. Squires recently starred in Ben Wheatley’s In the Earth. And Gandolfini, son of the late James Gandolfini, plays youg Tony Soprano in The Many Saints of Newark. Great lineup.
Production is underway now in Montreal, so we’ll probably see Disappointment Blvd hit the festival circuit next year. Aster is also developing a horror film from writer Michael R. Jackson, so he’s definitely keeping busy.
