As silent and as deadly as Snake Eyes himself, Paramount’s G.I. Joe spinoff/reboot has been delayed to 2021. The film, which stars Henry Golding as the team’s resident ninja badass, had been scheduled for October 23rd 2020.
The reasons for the delay? Isn’t it obvious? COVID-19 has decimated Hasbro, including their film division, and theater closures necessitated the movie’s shift into next year.
Titled Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (please change it!!!! Ugh!), the film is intended to be reboot of the G.I. Joe franchise, following 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and 2013’s G.I Joe: Retaliation. Both good films with star-studded casts that really played into the nostalgia of the ’80s toy line, but failed to become the huge blockbusters Paramount and Hasbro wanted.
It’s unclear when the movie will ultimately open, but I would pay attention to what Paramount did with Top Gun: Maverick and A Quiet Place 2. Both films are a lot more anticipated than Snake Eyes, and yet they were shifted by more than half a year. In other words, it could be a long wait.
Golding is joined in Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins by Andrew Koji as Storm Shadow, Iko Uwais as Hard Master, Ursula Corbero as Baroness, and Samara Weaving as Scarlett. [THR]
A decision in regards to the release of Tenet has finally been made, and it seems this morning’s rumor was nearly on target. Warner Bros. has announced a limited U.S. rollout of Christopher Nolan’s anticipated spy thriller on Wednesday, September 2nd. That will be preceded by an international release in 70 countries beginning August 26th.
The limited domestic release strategy is a necessity, unfortunately, as many markets are still under strict lockdown due to the coronavirus. As the pandemic has been in a surge of late, causing further restrictions on Los Angeles and other key cities, coming up with a singular distribution plan was difficult.
We’ve seen WB move Tenet repeatedly over the last few months, in hopes of seeing as many theaters open as possible. This staggered rollout is the next best option, as AMC, Regal, and other cinemas kept adjusting their schedule in accordance with the movie’s release. While AMC has determined to reopen in mid-to-late August, Regal has pulled their planned reopening on July 31st and will announce a new date soon.
On this week’s Cinema Royale, we review two directorial debuts from actors-turned-filmmakers. First, Dave Franco’s vacation horror THE RENTAL! Then Romola Garai also goes the horror route with AMULET! Plus reviews of RADIOACTIVE with Rosamund Pike an YES, GOD, YES starring Natalia Dyer. And of course, we have to recap Comic-Con @ Home and talk about TENET which no longer has a release date. Damn!
HBO should go ahead and label this, “Luca Guadagnino: The Series”. The filmmaker, best known for his stories of passion, self-discovery, and drama in idyllic Italy brings all of his cinematic stylings to TV with We Are Who We Are, a series that looks to capture the exhilaration of first love.
It and Shazam star Jack Dyan Grazer plays Fraser, an introverted teen from New York who moves onto an Italian military base with his mothers, played by Alice Braga and Chloe Sevigny. He begins to form a special bond with Caitlin (newcomer Jordan Kristine Seamón), a popular girl who has been on the base for years.
From the surreal atmosphere to the explorations of love and identity, this may look like the small-screen equivalent to Call Me By Your Name. Guadagnino rejects that notion harshly in a recent Variety interview…
“I will never complain about people’s laziness, but that sounds very lazy,” Guadagnino said. “‘Call Me By Your Name’ is about the past seen through the prism of a cinematic narrative and this is about the here and now. This is about the bodies and souls of now. I think they are so different.”
Guadagnino wrote and directed all eight episodes of We Are Who We Are. HBO will debut the series on Monday, September 14th.
SYNOPSIS: Jack Dylan Grazer stars as shy and introverted fourteen-year-old Fraser, who moves from New York to a military base in Veneto with his mothers, Sarah (Chloë Sevigny) and Maggie (Alice Braga), who are both in the U.S. Army. Tom Mercier (Jonathan) plays Sarah’s assistant. Jordan Kristine Seamón stars as the seemingly bold and confident Caitlin, who has lived with her family on the base for several years and speaks Italian. Compared to her older brother Danny (Spence Moore II), Caitlin has the closer relationship with their father, Richard (Kid Cudi), and does not communicate well with her mother Jenny (Faith Alabi). Caitlin is the lynchpin of her group of friends, which includes Britney (Francesca Scorsese), an outspoken, witty, sexually uninhibited girl; the cheerful and good-natured Craig (Corey Knight), a soldier in his twenties; Sam (Ben Taylor), Caitlin’s possessive boyfriend, and Craig’s younger brother; Enrico (Sebastiano Pigazzi), a playful eighteen-year-old from Veneto, who has a weak spot for Britney; and Valentina (Beatrice Barichella), an Italian girl.
Every streaming service needs at least one killer fantasy series to drive viewership and subscriptions. Netflix has found theirs in the massive response to The Witcher, which I’m sure is driven by the show quality and not because it stars a frequently bare-chested Henry Cavill. The streaming giant has gone all-in on The Witcher, previously announcing an animated spinoff series, and now the franchise expands with prequel The Witcher: Blood Origin.
A live-action expansion of author Andrzej Sapkowski’s books (and best-selling video games), The Witcher: Blood Origin takes place in an elven world 1200 years before events in the core series. It will set out to tell the origin of the very first Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal “conjunction of the spheres,” when the worlds of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one.
Serving as exec-producer and showrunner is Declan de Barra, a writer on The Witcher season one. He’ll be joined by exec-producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, with Sapkowski as a creative consultant.
“As a lifelong fan of fantasy, I am beyond excited to tell the story The Witcher: Blood Origin,” said de Barra. “A question has been burning in my mind ever since I first read The Witcher books – What was the Elven world really like before the cataclysmic arrival of the humans? I’ve always been fascinated by the rise and fall of civilizations, how science, discovery, and culture flourish right before that fall. How vast swathes of knowledge are lost forever in such a short time, often compounded by colonization and a rewriting of history. Leaving only fragments of a civilization’s true story behind. The Witcher: Blood Origin will tell the tale of the Elven civilization before its fall, and most importantly reveal the forgotten history of the very first Witcher.”
Filming on Blood Origin will take place in the U.K., which is also where The Witcher‘s second season is shooting. Because of you-know-what, it’s unclear when to expect anything right now, but fans of the series have reason to be happy right now.
Searchlight Pictures is rolling out the red carpet for Chloe Zhao’s third feature, Nomadland. The anticipated film, which follows Zhao’s breakout debut The Rider and her upcoming Marvel movie The Eternals, will have its world premiere simultaneously at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival on September 11th. They will be accompanied by virtual introductions by producer, writer, editor, and director Zhao, and producer/star Frances McDormand.
Nomadland stars Oscar-winner Frances McDormand as Fern, a woman who, after the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. The film features real nomads Linda May, Swankie, and Bob Wells as Fern’s mentors in her journey through the American West. The film also stars Emmy-winner and Golden Globe nominee David Strathairn. Zhao adapted Nomadland from the acclaimed book by journalist Jessica Bruder.
In addition, Searchlight announced a series of global screenings to commemorate the release of Nomadland. While Telluride had to cancel this year’s event due to COVID-19, a special “Telluride from Los Angeles” drive-in screening in Southern California will be held later in the evening, featuring in-person appearances by Zhao and McDormand. Also, the New York Film Festival has announced Nomadland as its Centerpiece Selection, leading to the movie’s domestic release this fall and subsequent international rollout.
This is a big deal, and shows Disney (Searchlight’s parent company) has serious Oscar hopes on this one. As well they should given Zhao and McDormand’s track records, along with a premise that is specially tuned to the hardship many are facing right now.
Tenet may be off the Warner Bros. release schedule, but that is hardly the end of the conversation. No, it seems destined that Christopher Nolan’s film will be talked about a lot more while in limbo than when it actually opens, and today is no different because it MAY have a new date according to Regal Cinemas.
While Tenet has no official date, WB was said to be looking at a staggered rollout. International theaters would likely get the movie first, followed by select markets in the U.S. in which the coronavirus isn’t spiking. But according to the Regal website, a new U.S. date for Tenet has already been set…
A September date seems generous, at this point, but it would be in step with WB’s previous half-measures. Then again, there’s a good chance this date means nothing and is just a placeholder. Perhaps they were eyeing it as a possibility before pulling the film entirely?
We already know what Nolan wants. He thinks Tenet needs to be released this year and in as many theaters as possible. Assuming WB wants to keep him happy (and they do), then maybe this September date holds. We shall see.
Charlize Theron: Evolution of a Badass – An Action Hero Career Retrospective
IGN’s Terri Schwartz sits down with Charlize Theron to discuss the evolution of the modern female action hero, of which she has become the modern template. Of course, they delve into the roles that inspired her, what drove her to go down this past and what drives her to constantly push her limits with fight
Don’t Look Deeper
Don Cheadle, Emily Mortimer, Helena Howard, director Catherine Hardwicke and co-creator Jeffrey Lieber discuss bringing the sci-fi thriller Don’t Look Deeper to life for Quibi.
The Capture
Join executive producers Ben Chanan and Rosie Alison and stars, Holliday Grainger, Callum Turner, Ron Perlman, Laura Haddock and Famke Janssen. The Capture will be streaming exclusively on Peacock on July 15.
The Simpsons
It’s 2020 and The Simpsons still have a panel at Comic-Con, simply amazing. Al Jean, Matt Selman, David Silverman, Carolyn Omine, Mike B. Anderson, and moderator Yeardley Smith. Find out how the show has surmounted social distancing and turbulent times en route to Season 32!
Bless the Harts
Watch Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Ike Barinholtz, Jillian Bell and Fortune Feimster with executive producers Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Andy Bobrow chatting about their favorite moments from season one, what they’re looking forward to in season two on FOX this Fall
Constantine: 15th Anniversary Reunion
On the panel are Keanu Reeves, director Francis Lawrence, and producer Akiva Goldsman reunite to Look back on the supremely underrated comic-book film 15 years later. Moderated by Collider’s Steven Weintraub.
The Right Stuff
This one’s got gravitas, which comes easy when you are moderated by a former NASA Astronaut, Dr. Mae Jemison. On the panel are cast members Patrick J. Adams, Jake McDorman, Colin O’Donoghue, Michael Trotter, Aaron Staton, Micah Stock and James Lafferty, showrunner and executive producer Mark Lafferty and executive producer Jennifer Davisson.
Guillermo del Toro and Scott Cooper on Antlers and Filmmaking
Who want’s to miss a Guillermo panel?
For All Mankind
Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones, Shantel VanSanten, Jodi Balfour, Wrenn Schmidt, Sonya Walger, and Krys Marshall zoom in for a look back on season one of the Apple TV+ series and discuss what’s ahead for season 2
Women Rocking Hollywood 2020: Supporting Female-Helmed Film and TV
Watch Nisha Ganatra, Lauren Wolkstein, Gina Prince-Blythewood, Zetna Fuentes, and Alison Emilio share their experiences and insights. Moderated by DC Resident and fellow WAFCA member Leslie Combemale (creator of Women Rocking Hollywood).
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – The Stories and Science of Mutants, Androids, Space Travel and Aliens
Bill & Ted Face The Music
Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine, William Sadler, director Dean Parisot along with writers Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson gather for a lively panel moderated by filmmaker and fan Kevin Smith. Most assuredly an excellent panel!
Brave New World
Creator and showrunner David Wiener and cast members Alden Ehrenreich, Jessica Brown Findlay, Harry Lloyd, Hannah John-Kamen, Nina Sosanya, Kylie Bunbury and Joseph Morgan take a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Peacock’s highly anticipated new series.
Stumptown
Stars Cobie Smulders, Jake Johnson, and Michael Ealy will be joined by executive producers Jason Richman, David Bernad, Ruben Fleischer and, graphic novel author Greg Rucka to answer your burning questions and discuss the cliffhangers from last season’s finale plus all the action in store for the upcoming season.
What We Do in the Shadows
Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Kayvan Novak, Mark Proksch, Harvey Guillén join, Haley Joel Osment as moderator for this look into the crazy FX series!
Wynonna Earp
The cast of the wildly popular cult-hit Wynonna Earp share a sneak peek of the season 4 premiere episode and share stories from behind the scenes!
NOS4A2
Moderated by Entertainment Weekly’s Clark Collis, the panel will feature showrunner and executive producer Jami O’Brien, executive producer Joe Hill and cast member Zachary Quinto.
An Evening with Kevin Smith
It wouldn’t be Comic-Con without a Kevin Smith panel closing the weekend’s events!
If there’s one thing that we can see as a positive from this year’s Comic-Con @ home is that we get immediate hi-def access to all of the virtual panels. Generally speaking you have to be there to get a good look and while some (most) panels eventually get online, it’s not until the news is stale and on top of that the video is usually sub-par. So, dark clouds, silver linings, and all that. To make it easy for you we’ve scoured every panel we could find and compiled them here for you. Check out all the panels from part 1 of our compilation below and let us know which was your favorite in the comments.
Star Trek Universe
Back-to-back panel sessions featuring everything that’s going on currently in Star Trek! This bonanza includes the cast of Star Trek: Discovery (season 2), the voice cast of Star Trek: Lower Decks the upcoming animated series. Of course, no Star Trek panel would be complete without taking the chance to “Make it so” with the cast of Star Trek: Picard (including Patrick Stewart, of course) and discussing everything to come in the Trekiverse
Upload
Greg Daniels and stars Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, Kevin Bigley, Allegra Edwards and Zainab Johnson get together to discuss season 1 of their surprise future-comedy hit Upload. Of course, it has everything a panel should have, behind-the-scenes stories from season 1 and plenty of talk about what fans can expect in season 2.
Collider Presents: Directors on Directing
This is the kind of panel I always look forward to, there’s just something about getting in the mind of amazing storytellers. With names like Robert Rodriguez (Desperado), Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World: Dominion), and Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) you can be sure this is one of the must-see panels of the year.
SYFY Presents: The Roast of Todd McFarlane
I’ve never been a huge fan of “Roasts”, it always piques my anxiety. That being said a lot of people love them and what better way to Roast a legendary name in comics then to do it while celebrating the subjects upcoming documentary. Todd McFarlane better have his big boy pants on as he gets flambeed in honor or the upcoming doc, Todd McFarlane: Like HellI Won’t which covers McFarlane’s legendary achievements in comic book art.
Close Enough
Jason Mantzoukas, Gabrielle Walsh, Kimiko Glenn and Jessica DiCicco get with Quintel to discuss the upcoming HBO Max
While Comic-Con @ Home has been getting all of the attention the last few days, another Con put on by fans has been going on. JusticeCon is a fan event organized for Zack Snyder’s Justice League and charitable organizations linked to the filmmaker. And unsurprisingly given the amount of teases Snyder has dropped over the years, there were some juicy nuggets of info that came out of today’s presentation.
First of all, Snyder revealed his Snyder Cut of Justice League, which is due to hit HBO Max in 2021, will be 214 minutes long. The 2016 Joss Whedon cut was around 2-hours, which is what Warner Bros. always wanted, but Snyder said he always preferred a longer movie or a miniseries release. He says he’s working with Junkie XL on the score to coincide with the additional footage.
Speaking of that footage, Snyder also says his version of Justice League will have ZERO shots by Whedon. Snyder was especially adamant about this point, too, stating that he still hasn’t watched Whedon’s “Frankencut” of the film which combined new footage with re-edited, re-colored versions of Snyder’s work…
“I would set the movie on fire, I’d destroy it before I used a single frame that I did not photograph,” Snyder said.
Also, while there have been images of Henry Cavill’s Superman in his infamous black suit going around for a long time, those were always re-colored scenes. Snyder actually debuted the first official look at Superman in the black suit, taken directly from his Snyder Cut. In the scene, we see Superman descend from the air and confront Jeremy Irons’ Alfred Pennyworth. Not much else to go on, but it’s pretty cool to finally see the suit being used.
Snyder said, “I would argue for the black suit all the time and they said it was not a good idea. We had done little adjustments to the suit that would make it easier to adjust. We knew how to do this transformation. We had done a bunch of private experiments to make sure we could switch it, because frankly [the studio] was just not into it. I knew it was the correct evolution for him after he rose from the dead. But the perception of the black suit was just, ‘You’re trying to make the movie dark and not hilarious.'”
Fisher said, “Obviously I put out some pretty strong words, and some pretty strong comments about Joss Whedon and every single one of those words, and every single one of those comments is true.”
He continued with, “there is a process that is being undergone as we speak to get to the heart of everything that I’m talking about. The man is probably scared, and he should be because we are going to get to the heart of everything — everything — that went down.”
