You know we don’t like set photos around here, but some looks are too cool to pass up. And this is definitely one, as photos from the filming of the Ms. Marvelseries have revealed our first look at star Iman Vellani in full costume, and it’s pretty damn close to comics accurate.
Iman Vellani was spotted in her character's official suit for the very first time while filming scenes for #MsMarvel. Check out all of the photos! https://t.co/W0i1VE6WHF
So yeah, a couple of little tweaks here and there, but it’s pinpoint where it matters like with her signature thunderbolt streak and long sleeves. The character is also meant to pop up in Captain Marvel 2, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she gets another costume upgrade by then. Moving up from Disney+ to the big screen is a different beast!
The six-episode Ms. Marvel series follows Kamala Khan, 16-year-old Muslim Pakistani/American girl and gigantic Captain Marvel fan who gains superhuman shapeshifting powers. In the comics it’s discovered that she is an Inhuman, but it’s unclear how the character will gain her abilities in the MCU.
Bisha K. Ali created the show and will act as showrunner, with episodes directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life), Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Saving Face), and Meera Menon (Equity).
Ms. Marvel is expected to hit Disney+ late in 2021
No Merchandising. Editorial Use Only. No Book Cover Usage.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Gibson/Universal Stu/REX/Shutterstock (5885384s)
John Leguizamo, George A. Romero
Land Of The Dead - 2005
Director: George A. Romero
Universal Studios
USA
On/Off Set
Action/Adventure
Le Territoire des morts
How appropriate that George A. Romero’s final zombie movie, Twilight of the Dead, should prove to be beyond death? Although the master of the zombie genre, creator of 1968’s Night of the Living Dead, passed away back in 2017, his wife Suzanne Romero completed the script for his last film and it’s now officially in the works.
THR reports George Romero’s widow Suzanne has been working on the Twilight of the Dead screenplay alongside Joe Knetter, Robert L. Lucas and Paolo Zelati. The trio were all part of helping George put together the original treatment. That script is going out to potential directors now.
Here’s the logline for the film, which will pick up after the events of 2015’s Land of the Dead: “The story is set in a decimated world. Life has all but disappeared. But there still may be hope for humanity.”
The last two films by Romero, 2007’s Diary of the Dead and 2009’s Survival of the Dead, are not considered part of the same story as Night of the Living Dead, mainly because Romero didn’t like how they turned out. That’s something Suzanne and Zelati spoke to as they try to wrap up the franchise as George always intended…
“I gave [Zelati] my full blessing as long as I could be there every step of the way for it to remain true to George’s vision,” says Suzanne Romero. “We had a solid treatment and the beginning of the script. I can 100 percent say that George would be incredibly happy to see this continue. He wanted this to be his final stamp on the zombie genre.”
“It is no secret that Diary and Survival were not the way he envisioned the series ending and George knew it very well,” says Zelati. “Twilight of the Dead was his goodbye to the genre he created and wanted to go out with a powerful film.”
Sony has been forced to move their various Spider-Man spinoffs down the board due to the pandemic, but with theaters starting to show signs of life, Morbiusis getting moved for a good reason. The Jared Leto-led film is being bumped back a week, from January 21st 2022 to January 28th, as it has now been confirmed for an IMAX release.
This is a smart move by Sony, to take advantage of moviegoers’ eagerness to see big-budget, blockbuster films in the largest format possible, as evidenced by the box office successes of Godzilla vs. Kong and Mortal Kombat. The decision also gives Morbius some much-needed space away from the ridiculously crowded January 14th weekend which has a ridiculous five major films releasing on the same day including spy film The 355, Kevin Hart/Woody Harrelson comedy The Man from Toronto, the Scream revival, thriller Deep Water with Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, and Sesame Street with Anne Hathaway.
Morbius stars Jared Leto as Michael Morbius, a biologist with a rare blood disorder who gains vampiric super-abilities after a failed attempt to find a cure using bat DNA. The film is directed by Daniel Espinosa, and co-stars Adria Arjona, Matt Smith, Tyrese Gibson, Al Madrigal, and Michael Keaton.
Taika Waititi is taking his job as captain of the pilot episode of HBO Max pirate comedy Our Flag Means Death very seriously. So much so that he’s not just directing and exec-producing, he’ll now play one of the most infamous pirates ever, Blackbeard.
Variety reports that scallywag Taika Waititi has joined the cast of Our Flag Means Death, and he didn’t have to go far since he was already there, anyway. He’ll play the legendary pirate Blackbeard, but obviously a much funnier version of the feared figure, who terrorized the seas as captain of his dreaded ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge.
The series is set to star Rhys Darby, who plays the character Bonnet. Darby and Waititi are reuniting after working together on Flight of the Conchords and What We Do In The Shadows.
Waititi is currently busy shooting Thor: Love & Thunder, and when that’s done he’ll likely make the jump right into this. He also has the sports comedy Next Goal Wins coming up as it has been wrapped for over a year.
First of all, we apologize for the audio problems in the second half of this episode and will fix them for next week!
This week we drop into the Netherrealm to battle with the latest adaptation of the iconic video game, Mortal Kombat. The fights not over there, we slap on some wings to check in with the finale of the amazing The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. It came too soon, but did it pack the punch? And what should we expect out of Captain America 4?
Plus we give our thoughts on what went right and what went spectacularly wrong with this year’s Oscars! Who won the office Oscars pool, anyway? Do we even have an Oscars pool?
All this and more! You can subscribe to Cinema Royale wherever you get your podcasts! Follow the Punch Drunk Critics and Cinema Royale!
After years of bit parts and commercials, Mary Holland is having a moment. After her scene-stealing turn in November’s Happiest Season, which she co-wrote with Clea DuVall, she is now leading a movie of her own. In the new arm-wrestling comedy, Golden Arm, Holland joins character actors Betsy Sodaro, Olivia Stambouliah, Eugene Cordero, Dot-Marie Jones, and Ron Funches in a charming feminist take on Over The Top.
Holland plays Melanie, a struggling baker who is fresh out of a divorce and struggling to find herself when an old college friend Danny (Betsy Sodaro, Disjointed) waltzed back into her life, begging for a road trip. Like all old friends, Danny has a motive. An avid arm wrestler, Danny wants revenge against Brenda “the Bone Crusher” (Olivia Stambouliah) and wants to utilize Melanie’s “golden arm” to get it. The two then embark on a road trip across the Midwest, training and wrestling along the way, becoming closer together.
After playing a zany and quirky character in Happiest Season, Holland uses Golden Arm to prove that she is leading lady material. Funny yet understated with oodles of charm, Holland makes a character you’ve seen before seem compelling. Her odd couple dynamic with Sodaro’s Danny propels the movie forward, each the perfect foil of the other. Sordaro plays the messy-party-girl-slob she is known for, however gives herself space to do some emotional heavy lifting.
In classic 80s movie fashion there is a heavy duty training sequence, complete with the retired disgruntled coach. Playing the perfectly is Dot-Marie Jones. Though her Big Sexy is only in the movie 20 minutes max, Jones delivers every line with engaging passion. Funny and clearly just happy to be there, she proves that though she may be known for playing coaches and mentors, that she is damn good at it. By the time we leave Bug Sexy’s strip club, you want her to follow you around your everyday life and scream inspirational advice at you.
Though film relies heavily on niche sports films of the late 80s and 90s, Golden Arm uses nostalgia to its advantage. Though a modern piece, hair features heavily throughout, used as characterization. Director Maureen Bharoocha, a long time segment director for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, makes little choices like this blend together into one cohesive piece. The film may be small but with strong direction, charming performances, and a well written script by Ann Marie Allison and Jenna Milly, Golden Arm is mighty.
Ultimately if you are looking for a fun watch this weekend, full of girl-power that constantly passes the Bechdel test, Golden Arm is the arm wrestling movie you’ve been missing.
Golden Arm is playing in theaters and available on VOD. Watch the trailer below.
What’s a Master of the Universe movie without a He-Man? Not a damn thing, and that’s the situation the live-action movie based on the popular toy and cartoon is in now. A couple of years ago Netflix heartthrob Noah Centineo was cast as He-Man in the long-developing movie. Perhaps it’s been the many delays, but a rep has told Collider that Centineo is no longer attached…
“He is no longer attached to that project,” said a rep for the actor.
Okay, well, back to square one! Actually, this Masters of the Universe movie has pretty much been stuck on square one for nearly a decade. It finally seemed to be moving forward with Centineo on board and the Nee Brothers (Band of Robbers) set to direct. Now the filmmakers will have to get back to finding the right guy to wield the Sword of Power.
It’s possible Centineo ran into scheduling problems with DC Comics film Black Adam, in which he’ll play JSA member Atom Smasher. That could turn out to be a multi-picture role tying him to Warner Bros. for the long haul.
Y’know, I always said Finn Wittrock kinda looks like a dickhead. He’ll get to play the ultimate superhero dickhead, Guy Gardner, in Warner Bros.’ upcoming Green Lantern series on HBO Max.
THR has the news of Wittrock’s casting, which makes him the first cast member on the show. The series will follow the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic police force whose powers are fueled on willpower and channeled through their power rings. Interestingly, it’s expected to trace the history of the Corps from the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, all the way to Gardner and beyond. In other words, expect a lot of people who get to play different versions of the hero.
No, one of them will not be Ryan Reynolds. He had his shot with the awful 2011 Green Lantern movie and that ship has definitely sailed.
Wittrock is a favorite of Ryan Murphy, having appeared in American Horror Story, Ratched, and American Crime Story. On the film side he’s starred in Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk, La La Land, Judy, and most-recently Long Weekend in which he’s actually pretty damn likable.
I’m going to be hyper-critical of this choice because Gardner is my all-time-favorite Lantern. They describe as a “hulking mass of masculinity” which is on point. He was this total jerk who was all machismo, even pissing off his colleagues in the Justice League. I mean, his most famous moment is getting decked by Batman.
Green Lantern, another in the stable of Greg Berlanti’s popular superhero shows, has yet to have a release date set.
Dwayne Johnson continues to give a boost to the careers of actors of Tongan descent, just as he did Roman Reigns in Hobbs & Shaw. Now he’s landed a role for Uli Latukefu in DC Comics film Black Adam, reuniting the two after Latukefu played a younger version of Johnson on NBC series Young Rock.
Deadline reports Latukefu has landed a role in Black Adam, which follows the DC Comics antihero and rival to Shazam. It’s unclear what Latukefu’s role will be, but perhaps he’ll play a younger Teth-Adam?
The cast of Black Adam is already huge and includes Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, and Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, all members of the Justice Society of America. Sarah Shahi will play freedom fighter Adrianna Tomaz, with James Cusati-Moyer and Marwan Kenzari in roles that are being kept a mystery.
Latukefu has previously appeared in the series Marco Polo and Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant. This would be his biggest feature role to date, though.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Black Adam opens July 29th 2022.
Going outside, talking with your neighbors, and exploring your community. What a novel idea! As we’ve been under lockdown for more than a year, such concepts might be considered alien at this point to plenty of us (not those who don’t care about social distancing) thanks to Covid. But as we are starting to flatten the curve and get vaccinated, we’ll soon be outside and free to frolic… and just in time for the summer too. In a sense, we all somewhat will be able to identify with Charles (Bryan Tyree Henry), who is someone who spends all his time isolated indoors, until he gets locked out of his apartment in The Outside Story.
Charles is a video editor who specializes in cutting in-memoriam videos for celebrities prior to their deaths (talk about an isolated and depressing job), while he also works on his documentary and is completely fine being a homebody. One night of the boring and repetitive partying at a club, he meets Isha (Sonequa Martin-Green), who also just wants to stay at home and chill, and the two hit it off. Unfortunately, Isha isn’t on the same wavelength as Charles for long and ends up cheating on him, which prompts him to break up with her.
Now in addition to being isolated, Charles is nursing a broken heart. He continues his routines: cutting in-memoriam video footage and ordering takeout. Unfortunately for Charles, he ends up stiffing a food delivery person on the tip by accident, and to make amends goes outside to give the guy his tip, only to then lock himself outside of his apartment. And so goes the crux of The Outside Story. At first, Charles is frantic to get back inside. He calls his polyamorous neighbors to ask to use their stairway to try and enter his apartment through the window. We get to see Charles’s nervousness seeing people prep for group sex (especially since his girlfriend cheated on him). Of course, a random black man trying to enter an apartment through the window is bound to attract officer Slater (Sunita Mani), who everyone in the neighborhood hates for being aggressive with parking tickets, which starts their antagonistic relationship. Charles also meets a wide host of new characters in the form of his neighbors that he didn’t know before: a young music prodigy and her overbearing mother, a pregnant woman selling her comic book collection via a yard sale, a widowed woman, and countless others who not only does he interact with, but they help him navigate through his breakup with Isha. Such concepts like acceptance, jealousy, and forgiveness are explored.
The Outside Story works in large part to Brian Tyree Henry. We’ve been following him since he burst on the scene in FX’s Atlanta, but he has often be related to supporting roles. While he kills it every time, he absolutely has the charm and charisma to lead a film himself and proves it completely in The Outside Story. He’s funny when he needs to be, yet serious as well at the drop of a dime. There are a few moments where he’s able to cry on demand, showcasing his acting range. While he spends a lot of time with young actress Olivia Edward, he has the most connective chemistry with Sunita Mani. He and Mani go back and forth very well, and when the two make peace, there’s just a moment where you kind of root for them to be a couple. Speaking of couple, if fans of Sonequa Martin-Green are coming to see her as Isha, they may want to temper expectations. She doesn’t spend much time in The Outside Story except in auxiliary flashbacks showcasing her and Henry’s relationship from its formation to its ruin. While the film does have a happy ending, it’s somewhat cliched and would have probably been a little more interesting and engaging if writer-director Casimir Nozkowski opted to go a different route.
Overall, The Outside Story is a fun (semi)Rom-Com that showcases just how charming an actor Henry can be. The film also gives you a much-missed sense of community that has been absent from our lives for the past year and showcases the promise of what may come once we are maskless.
The Outside Story is currently available on Digital and VOD.
