Remember when Joss Whedon was going to direct Batgirl? That seems like a lifetime ago now, doesn’t it? Warner Bros. made the right move in getting as far away from that as possible, and now after taking some time, they’ve found the filmmakers who will lead Barbara Gordon’s first solo adventure on the big screen.
THR reports Bad Boys for Life duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah will direct Batgirl, from a script by Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson.
“With Batgirl, we hope to take the audience on a fun ride and see a different side of Gotham,” said producer Kristin Burr. “Christina’s script is crackling with spirit. Adil and Bilall have an excited and joyous energy which is infectious, making them the perfect filmmakers for this Batproject. And I’m just psyched I get to be part of the DC universe, which is super cool.”
Adil and Bilall are red hot right now. Not only did they pump energy into the Bad Boys franchise after two decades, but they’re also working on the upcoming Ms. Marvel series for Disney+. Yep, they’ll be keeping feet in both the DC and Marvel worlds for a while.
And now the big question is who they will get to play Batgirl?
Everyone wasn’t a fan of Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One in Doctor Strange. The character as portrayed in Marvel Comics was a stereotype, a sage-like Asian man who teaches Stephen Strange to become the Sorcerer Supreme. So the decision was made to do something different to get away from that portrayal by casting Swinton who is white and often plays nonbinary. Well, that might not have been the best choice, and Kevin Feige can admit that.
With Asian representation a major factor in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Feige addressed the Ancient elephant in the room to Men’s Health.
“We thought we were being so smart, and so cutting-edge,” Feige said about casting Swinton as The Ancient One. “We’re not going to do the cliché of the wizened, old, wise Asian man. But it was a wake-up call to say, ‘Well, wait a minute, is there any other way to figure it out? Is there any other way to both not fall into the cliché and cast an Asian actor?’ And the answer to that, of course, is yes.”
On the plus side, Marvel really is doing Shang-Chi the right way with a cast that includes Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, and Hong Kong superstar Tony Leung as the real version of The Mandarin, not the phony played by Ben Kingsley in Iron Man 3.
All of that said, I quite liked Swinton as the Ancient One, and chalked her up as one of many different versions across the Multiverse. Her appearance in Avengers: Endgame was a highlight, too, and I hope they don’t just write her off.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens September 3rd.
The big question I had after this new Lokiclip, which features quite a lot of footage we haven’t seen yet, is when will Disney have the Miss Minutes merch available to buy? Miss Minutes is not just the name of this clip, but the cute talking clock that Tom Hiddleston’s Loki gets aggravated by during his stay with the Time Variance Authority.
First glimpsed in the Loki poster released earlier this month, Miss Minutes appears to be both a mascot and a perky representative for the TVA. Not that Loki appreciates being given instructions, cheerfully or not, until he sees the fatal repercussions for disobeying.
On top of that, we also see the humiliation Loki endures after his capture, plus more of Owen Wilson as Agent Mobius, who confirms that the god of mischief has broken the timeline and must now fix it. Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays Agent Renslayer, who doesn’t think any of this is a good idea.
Renslayer is interesting because she seems to be at odds with Mobius most of the times we’ve glimpsed her, and I’m wondering if this will lead to her becoming Terminatrix, a villain and lover to the time-hopping Kang the Conqueror, rumored to be played by Jonathan Majors in Ant-Man 3 and possibly Loki.
There have been rumblings for months that a Harry Potter tv series could be coming to HBO Max. Well, those rumors are true! But it’s probably not what fans of the Wizarding World were hoping for. Are you ready for Harry Potter…the quiz show?
THR has the news on the Harry Potter quiz show that is being conjured up for as a four-episode event on HBO Max in celebration of the franchise’s 20th anniversary. Expect to see “super fans competing to answer trivia questions with special guests set to also be featured in the four-episode series.” A retrospective special will also air on HBO Max, TBS, and Cartoon Network.
“To celebrate the dedicated fans old and new who have passionately kept the Wizarding World magic alive in so many forms for decades, these exciting specials will celebrate their Harry Potter fandom in a must-see multiplatform TV event,” said Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics president Tom Ascheim. “All Potter fans can gear up for this ultimate one-of-a-kind celebration by embracing their inner Hermione Granger and studying their Wizarding World knowledge. For fans who have always wanted to discover what it might be like to take the O.W.L. exams, this is as close as they are going to get!”
If you know the name Simon Barrett at all, it’s probably due to the work he’s done with Adam Wingard on two excellent thrillers: You’re Next and The Guest. Both films take simple ideas and subvert genre conventions, creating something that feels palpably different in the process. As Barrett makes the move to directing with Seance, he tries and largely succeeds to do the same, combining mystery, teen slasher, ghost story, and revenge flick all in one.
Suki Waterhouse (Assassination Nation) plays Camille, a mysterious new arrival at the Edelvine Academy for Girls, a private school where the students are still recovering from the shock of a tragic death, a death that some of the girls also feel a little responsible for. Camille’s arrival sets off a shockwave, drawing the attention of the resident mean girls (played by Inanna Sarkis, Madisen Beaty, Megan Best, Stephany Sy, and Jade Michael) looking to make her an instant outcast. But Camille befriends fellow outsider Hellina (Ella-Rae Smith), just in time for the body count to stack up as the girls start dying in grisly fashion.
While that may seem like a pretty straight-forward slasher flick in the vein of Sorority Row, Barrett shakes things up by adding supernatural component. The film isn’t titled Seance for nothin’, as the girls called upon the spirit of a ghost that supposedly haunts the boarding school’s grounds. Later, because people in horror flicks are stupid, they perform the act again. But is it really a malevolent force that’s after them? Or something more down-to-earth?
Barrett does a good job of making everyone a suspect. All of the students are awful people, for the most part, including handyman Trevor (Seamus Patterson), apparently the only guy around, and the headmistress who doesn’t care if the girls die as long as it doesn’t hurt the school’s reputation. The way they’re set-up is pretty formulaic, though, which is strange coming from Barrett. The characters don’t have much depth, and jump scares are aplenty. You would think with Barrett mixing in so many different genres that he’d find new ways to weave them together. but things play out in fairly predictable fashion.
That said, Seance works in just about every other aspect. Barrett conjures up some really inspired kills, while also leaving room for our imaginations to go nuts. There’s also something dangerous and fun about a horror set amongst an all-girl school where surviving the social hierarchy can be murder enough. Barrett doesn’t fall into the trap of oversexualizing things, either, even when romance begins to blossom between two of the girls he gives it proper room to develop.
Although she’s definitely too old to play a college kid, Waterhouse is excellent as the enigmatic Camille, exuding quite a lot of Sharni Vinson in You’re Next energy. The bulk of the cast make the most out of one-dimensional characters, giving them more life than the script affords. The standout is Smith, however, whose Hellina is a jumble of emotions, mainly fear, demonstrated by an outward need to forge a genuine connection with Camille.
Not every twist and turn makes sense or is satisfying in the way Barrett might’ve hoped, especially a final act reveal that nearly derails the whole thing. The tropes Barrett employs feel like they’re coming from someone with a genuine love of genre, and combined with a talented cast Seance is worth conjuring up if in need of an entertaining distraction. When Barrett gets a grip on both writing and directing, he’s going to be a filmmaker to keep an eye on.
This is going to drive Batman fans crazy, in the best possible way. There’s a reason Batman: The Animated Series is looked at as one of the finest examples of animated storytelling done right. The long-running cartoon was a creation of Bruce Timm, who just gets the Dark Knight like few others do. And so it’s pretty exciting to learn that he’s returning to that world again, with the help of JJ Abrams and The Batman director Matt Reeves.
Variety reports that Warner Bros. Animation is developing Batman: Caped Crusader, a new animated series for HBO Max and Cartoon Network that will be exec-produced by Timm, Abrams, and Reeves. Details on the series are unknown, at this point, but it doesn’t seem to be connected to Reeves’ upcoming film.
“We are beyond excited to be working together to bring this character back, to tell engrossing new stories in Gotham City,” the trio said. “The series will be thrilling, cinematic and evocative of Batman’s noir roots, while diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters. We cannot wait to share this new world.”
Add this to the wealth of DC Comics projects currently at or in the works for HBO Max, including Harley Quinn, a Constantine series that will tie-in to Justice League Dark, Aquaman: King of Atlantis, a Gotham PD series from Reeves, and Peacemaker from James Gunn. There’s also a new Superman coming-of-age cartoon, My Adventures with Superman, which you can get a glimpse of below.
Netflix is offering horror fans a summer of fear this July, as they release their Fear Street trilogy, based on the novels by R.L. Stine, as a major weekly event. Three movies, three weeks, one director in Leigh Janiak, best known for the 2014 horror Honeymoon.
Fear Street Part 1: 1994 will be released on July 1st. Fear Street Part 2: 1978 will be available on July 9th. Fear Street Part 3: 1966 will be released on July 16th.
The films star Maya Hawke, Jordana Spiro, Kiana Madeira, Fred Hechinger, and Ashley Zukerman, along with Gillian Jacobs, Jordana Spiro, Ryan Simpkins, Sadie Sink, and more. A lot of talent very familiar to Netflix.
“We filmed all three Fear Street movies over one crazy, bloody summer,” Janiak said.“It’s a dream that audiences now get to experience the story in the same way – back to back to back, with only a week of waiting in between. I can’t wait to welcome everyone into the world of Fear Street in 1994, 1978, and 1666!”
Stine added, “Fear Street fans are in for a treat – and some major surprises. Readers know that the book series is rated PG. But the movies are rated R. That means a lot more thrills – and a lot more terror! I have seen Leigh Janiak’s epic trilogy releasing on Netflix in July and I can tell you the scares and the SCREAMS are more than I ever expected. What fun to see the horrors of Shadyside come to life!”
Here’s the synopsis: In 1994, a group of teenagers discovers that the terrifying events that have haunted their town for generations may all be connected — and that they may be the next targets. Based on R.L. Stine’s best-selling horror series, the trilogy follows the nightmare through Shadyside’s sinister history.
It’s been a long time coming, but Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul herself, may finally have a biopic worthy of her tremendous voice and career. Respect stars Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson as the Hall of Fame singer, in a film that charts her childhood and rise to superstardom, which could only be achieved after she was able to find her reason for singing.
The film features a star-studded supporting cast led by Mary J. Blige, Titus Burgess, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, and Marc Maron. Making her directorial debut is Liesel Tommy, whose work directing Danai Gurira’s stageplay Eclipsed earned a Tony Award nomination.
If there were no pandemic it’s likely Respect would’ve been part of the last awards season. MGM had it slotted to open last Christmas with a traditional Oscar-qualifying rollout, but pushed it back and now we will see it in theaters on August 13th.
Following the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice.
You know me, I don’t want to complain about remakes like a lot of people do. They are just a reality in this movie business we love so much. That said, I reject the notion that Tony Scott’s 1983 erotic vampire romance The Hunger needs to be redone, or that it even can be done effectively today.
However, it is indeed happening, and Warner Bros. has just named its director. Deadline reports Angela Robinson will direct a new version of The Hunger. The original film was a wild, sensual ride that, appropriately enough, starred a trio of sex symbols in Catherine Deneuve, Susan Sarandon, and David Bowie. The story follows a centuries-old vampire couple, the last of their kind, who enlists the aid of a human scientist to unlock the secrets of eternal life, only for a steamy and tragic love triangle to develop.
The story is based on Whitley Strieber’s 1981 novel, and will be adapted by Jessica Sharzer, whose script for A Simple Favor is delightfully sinful. Greg Berlanti is on board as a producer.
Robinson is best known for the lesbian spy comedy D.E.B.S. and the recent biopic Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. She was also a director on HBO’s True Blood and Showtime’s The L Word. On paper, she seems like the right choice for something like this which explores female sexuality, and her films have a loyal, if small, audience. So perhaps she can make something new out of a cult classic. Matching the hyper-sexuality of the previous film and its cast is going to be very tough.
Are you ready for the new #ReleaseTheSnyderCut? No, not for another DC Comics film, but for another by Zack Snyder that got absolutely demolished by critics a decade ago: Sucker Punch.
Geezus, I’ll never forget the uproar about Sucker Punch, which saw scantily-clad women bridging from reality into a fantasy world where they fought giant robots, Nazi zombies, samurai warriors, dragons, and more. It was a pretty nuts film, both visually and in terms of the female empowerment story Snyder was trying, rather unsuccessfully, to tell. The box office wasn’t great for it, either.
Apparently, Snyder hasn’t forgotten about the reaction to Sucker Punch, either. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he says there’s a director’s cut of it out there, while blaming Warner Bros. for the version that opened in theaters…
“[Sucker Punch] was the first time where I really faced, like, a true radical restructuring of the film for it to be more commercial,” Snyder said. “And there is a director’s cut of that movie that has yet to be released. I’ll say that out loud.”
In regards to the reaction Sucker Punch received, Snyder suggests it was misunderstood by those who never looked beyond surface level…
“It’s a protest movie in a lot of ways. It’s a movie about genre. I was asked at the time ‘Why did you dress the girls like that?’ and I’d always go ‘I didn’t dress them like that, you did.’ I always saw it as an indictment of, in some ways, popular culture. I think at the time I was criticized for it being the opposite, like, some sort of sexist rant. It was fun to make and I still love it to this day.”
I’m not so sure about that. In general, Sucker Punch is a lot of fun if you can simply skip ahead to the action/fantasy scenes, but the stuff set in reality is a drag. And contrary to what Snyder says, I think most people did see where he was coming from, but the script was unsophisticated and probably should’ve been written with a female perspective, like the recent film Maydaywhich tells a very similar story.
