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Tom Cruise Rumored For ‘Red Notice’ With Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, And Ryan Reynolds

By
Travis Hopson
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Tom Cruise to star in new Iñárritu film

This rumor is almost too good to be true, which means it almost certainly is. So y’know, grain of salt and all that. But The Illuminerdi (ugh) say Tom Cruise is trying to find time in his busy schedule jumping off of buildings or blasting himself into space to join the star-studded cast of Red Notice. What’s Red Notice? That’s the Netflix film that already stars Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds.

Red Notice is a Netflix joint, so it’s not like they’re short on cash to throw Cruise’s way. Still, it would be the biggest get ever to get Cruise under their umbrella alongside such a high-powered cast. However, it’s said that his role would be a cameo that could possibly set him up for more in a sequel.

The site adds that if they can’t sign Cruise, a star of “similar magnitude” will be sought. So clearly producers see something big in this part that they’ll want to build on.

Red Notice is directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, his third collaboration with Johnson after Central Intelligence and Skyscraper. The title is based on the INTERPOL signal to locate and arrest a criminal wanted by an international tribunal. Johnson plays an INTERPOL agent hot on the trail of Gadot’s art thief, with Reynolds as the world’s greatest con artist.

The film was originally set to hit theaters in June 2020, before being moved to November. When Netflix acquired the rights from Universal they pushed it to a later date that has yet to be revealed.

The Future is Here With ‘Superman: Man of Tomorrow’

By
John Nolan
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You know what the beautiful thing about an animated film is? No one says “do we really need another X?” I don’t know what the difference is but, you make 3 Spiderman films in 10 years and everyone freaks out, but you can make a thousand animated Superman origins and people just sit back and enjoy. Speaking of the difference between animated and live-action, DC has dominated the quality department of animated superhero adventures for nearly 2 decades. Superman: Man of Tomorrow is the latest VOD adventure from DC’s animated feature department. It’s basically Superman: Year One as opposed to Smallville: The Animated Series. I guess the most interesting revelation in this trailer is the inclusion of Lobo, who I didn’t know to ever be a Superman foil. Honestly, I’m just excited to see Martian Manhunter make another appearance, he’s been shunned from the film world but seems to always show up in the TV and VOD stuff. The only real reservation I have from the below trailer is the animation itself, which seems more like Archer then Superman, at least in certain shots.

 

Superman: Man of Tomorrow will hit Blu-Ray and Digital Summer 2020

 

Boots Riley Is Making A TV Series About A 13-Foot Tall Black Man In Oakland

By
Travis Hopson
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Where’s Boots Riley been lately? The Coup frontman and director of the bizarre satire Sorry to Bother You has kept a low profile lately, but now he’s back and ready to announce his next project. And yep, it sounds pretty far out there, too.

Boots Riley hit social media to reveal he’s working on a TV series titled I’m a Virgo, which stars Emmy-winner Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us, Moonlight) as a 13-foot-tall black man living in Oakland.

Told you that shit was pretty far out.

It’s no surprise Boots is setting the series in Oakland, as he’s kept the city close to his heart, and his work, for many years. That’s where his hip-hop group The Coup is based, and it also was a character unto itself in Sorry to Bother You.

No word on a network yet, but when Boots is ready, trust that they’ll come calling. Boots has a unique perspective on the world and an activist spirit that makes anything he does worth paying attention to.

 

 

 

 

 

Podcast: Talking ‘7500, ‘I Am Vengeance: Retaliation’, Theaters Reopening, And More

By
Travis Hopson
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On an abbreviated episode of Cinema Royale, we’re talking about theaters reopening and if the safety guidelines are enough to bring us back. Plus reviews of 7500 starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and I Am Vengeance: Retaliation with Stu Bennett and Vinnie Jones. Plus a lot more, of course!

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‘Over The Moon’ Trailer: Netflix’s Animated Musical Explores Legend Of The Chinese Moon Goddess

By
Travis Hopson
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There’s so much to love about Netflix’s trailer for Over the Moon, a simply gorgeous animated film that looks like it came from the folks at Disney/Pixar. A modern update on the Chinese Moon Goddess fable, it’s directed by animation legend Glen Keane, who recently won an Oscar for his Kobe Bryant short, Dear Basketball.

Over the Moon tells the story of 13-year-old Fei-Fei, who decides to prove to her disbelieving family that the mythical Moon Goddess Chang’e really exists. To do it, she builds a rocketship to launch herself into space, only to end up on an unexpected adventure on Lunaria.

The voice cast largely features Asian-American actors, including Cathy Ang, Phillipa Soo, Robert G. Chiu, Ken Jeong, John Cho, Ruthie Ann Miles, Margaret Cho, Kimiko Glenn, Artt Butler, and Sandra Oh. The late Audrey Wells (The Hate U Give) wrote the script, and music is scored by Oscar-winner Steven Price (Gravity).

Although Keane has been a veteran animator, working on films such as Treasure Planet, The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Aladdin, and Tangled, this marks his feature directorial debut.

Netflix will debut Over the Moon this fall.

‘Virunga’: Leonardo DiCaprio And Barry Jenkins Team For Adaptation Of Acclaimed Netflix Doc

By
Travis Hopson
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In 2014, Netflix earned just its second Oscar nomination in its short history for a documentary feature, Virunga. Directed by Orlando von Einsiedel, it followed rangers risking their lives to protect gorillas at the Congo’s Virunga  National Park during the rise of a violent rebellion. Conservation efforts are one of those things that perk up the ears of Leonardo DiCaprio, and he’s set to make a movie based on Virunga, and he’s bringing Moonlight director Barry Jenkins with him.

Deadline reports that Jenkins will write the script for Virunga, based on the acclaimed documentary. DiCaprio will produce through his Appian Way banner, having exec-produced the doc for Netflix, who are also involved with this adaptation. Nothing on who will direct at this point, or if DiCaprio will have a role.  DiCaprio has quietly attached himself to numerous environmental docs in the past, and it continues to be a passion that he doesn’t talk much about publicly.

The inclusion of Jenkins is interesting and unexpected, but this is what happens when you write and direct two critically-acclaimed films as Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk. He’s currently finishing up an Underground Railroad series for Amazon, and will then move on to a biopic of choreographer Alvin Ailey.

David F. Sandberg Returns To Horror With ‘The Culling’

By
Travis Hopson
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Lights Out, Annabelle: Creation, and Shazam director David F. Sandberg hasn’t let COVID-19 slow him down. He’s spent the bulk of quarantine returning to his short-film roots, in order to keep those horror muscles sharp. That’ll come in handy for his next film, a demon horror titled The Culling.

Deadline reports Sandberg will direct The Culling for Lionsgate, based on a spec script by Stephen Herman. It’s a bit of a different look for the priest vs. demon subgenre, as the story follows a troubled man of the cloth who confines himself in a cabin in the woods to battle the same demon that terrorized him as a child.

Sandberg hit Twitter and said that Shazam 2 is next for him, and that doesn’t drop until 2022. So we may be waiting a while before The Culling is ready to go, but I love exorcism flicks, one of the rare forms of horror I do actually like, and can’t wait to see this one.

 

‘Chicken Run’ Sequel Heads To Netflix With ‘Mission: Impossible’-style Action

By
Travis Hopson
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The unyielding appeal of Aardman Animation’s stop-motion Chicken Run has long baffled me, but there’s a large group of fans who love it. Today marks the 20th anniversary of the hit film’s release, and Aardman has taken this time to announce that Netflix has exclusive rights to an upcoming sequel.

Variety reports on the Chicken Run sequel, announced by Aardman during an Annecy International Animated Film Festival virtual panel. The film has been in the works for a couple of years, and Netflix plunking down money for it isn’t too surprising. They collaborated with Aardman for 2019’s A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, and the working relationship must’ve worked out for both sides.

The original movie centered on a group of chicken trying to break out of their coop before being turned into chicken pot pies. The sequel goes in the opposite direction, as they’ll be trying to break in, giving it a heist movie feel. Sam Fell (ParaNorman) will direct, based on a script by Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell, and Rachel Tunnard.

Here’s what Fell had to say about the Chicken Run 2 plot…

“I tell you it will be fun and games seeing these chickens back in action. All the gadgets, the kit, we’re kind of moving towards an almost-tribute to Mission Impossible with elements of heist and how they’re going to pull off this amazing break-in.”

Furthermore, the story will include the return of characters Rocky and Ginger, originally voiced by Mel Gibson and Julia Sawalha, who are living on the exotic island they escaped to. They also have a child, Molly, who wants to leave home and see the world. Meanwhile, a threat on the mainland also endangers the island, and it’s up to Molly to save all of chicken-kind. Gibson’s role will be recast, according to TheWrap. That should surprise nobody.

Production on Chicken Run 2 begins next year, and considering this is stop-motion, expect a very long process.

Review: ‘My Spy’

Dave Bautista Lets His Guard Down In A Formulaic But Amusing Action-Comedy For All Ages

By
Travis Hopson
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If you’re a muscle-bound guy who either looks like an ex-professional wrestler or actually IS an ex-professional wrestler, then your path to stardom passes through the family-friendly kids’ comedy. Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, and John Cena have all had their time getting bested by some child in a movie that makes them look innocent and harmless, and now with My Spy it’s Dave Bautista’s turn and he doesn’t let us down.

That’s not to say My Spy is anything more than a passable, feel-good film with an enjoyably dopey Bautista, because it definitely isn’t. But it does give Bautista a chance to show that he can believably play warm ‘n fuzzy, something he’s only been able to tease slightly as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy and as the gentle bruiser Sapper Morton in Blade Runner 2049.

My Spy stars Bautista as JJ, a killing machine for a CIA that prefers their agents be a bit more stealthy. But going unnoticed isn’t exactly easy for a guy like JJ, and after blowing his first big mission, is busted down to a surveillance gig watching over Kate Newton (Parisa Fitz-Henley) and her 8-year-old daughter Sophie (Chloe Coleman of Big Little Lies), who are connected to a French arms dealer. Joined by his dorky sidekick Bobbi (Kristen Schaal, always a treat), JJ is too angry at his crappy, boring assignment that he doesn’t notice Sophie has figured out their base of operations and walks right into their HQ. Rather than blow the mission and certainly lose his job, JJ agrees to take Sophie ice skating so she can try and fit in with the other school kids. If he does it to her satisfaction, then Sophie won’t expose them. But JJ can’t do anything halfway, and soon he starts ingratiating himself into Kate and Sophie’s lives as their over-protective neighbor.

Directed by Peter Segal, who has given us comedies such as Get Smart and Grudge Match, the formulaic sitcom hijinks are at a high. Bautista’s gung-ho for all of it, too, even as he’s forced to endure the classic show & tell scene in front of a bunch of wary school kids. And if you guessed Bautista has at least one embarrassing dance scene, you’re right! Bautista’s further along in letting his guard down than others were at this stage of their careers. Bautista plays awkward and sensitive extremely well, which is a big reason why his bond with Coleman, a rising star in the making, clicks despite the cliche material. He even shows himself to be a believable romantic lead as JJ and Kate start to get close.

My Spy is exactly what you are already expecting it to be, and that’s okay. As a showcase for Bautista to prove he can have that all-ages appeal, it’s a definite win and hopefully will lead to more beyond simple action movies…maybe even a My Spy 2?

My Spy hits Amazon Prime on June 26th.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Confirms Disney Animated Musical Set In Colombia

By
Travis Hopson
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It’s official: Lin-Manuel Miranda is working on an animated musical for Disney. The rumor first surfaced at the start of the year, with Miranda expected to feature Disney’s first Latina princess or heroine. Now we know the film will take place in Colombia, and feature talents talents from Disney’s Moana and Zootopia.

“I’m actually writing a new animated musical with Disney Animation,” Miranda said. “I’m collaborating with the Zootopia guys and Jared Bush, who wrote Moana with me. It’s set in Colombia, in Latin America and that’s all I can say before Bob Iger just shows up in my home.”

Co-directing is the Zootopia team of Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and playwright/screenwriter Charise Castro Smith. Rumors are the film will be titled Encanto, and center on a Colombian girl who lacks magical powers despite her family having them.

This is turning out to be a huge week for Miranda, whose Broadway sensation Hamilton will make its screen debut on Disney+.

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