Julianne Moore will play a con artist targeting Manhattan billionaires in Sharper. Deadline reports Moore has joined the film which marks the latest collaboration between A24 and Apple. The script is by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, but it could still be a ways off as there is no director just yet. Moore has another Apple project already in the works, a series adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Lisey’s Story.
The Crown star Claire Foy will headline the 1930s psychological horror, Dust. The film by co-directors Will Joines and Karrie Crouse follows a young mother in 1930s Oklahoma who is trapped by frequent dust storms. She’ll go to extreme measures to protect her family, while also being haunted by her past. Krouse, a writer on HBO’s Westworld, will also write the screenplay according to Variety.
These days, if you’re going to be competitive in the streaming wars there needs to be a sci/fi or fantasy epic as part of the lineup. AppleTV+ has gone way back in selecting theirs, a series adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s influential sci-fi novels, Foundation, put together by Dark Knight trilogy and Man of Steel writer David Goyer.
Goyer teams with Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Avatar 2) on Foundation, a sprawling futuristic series that Apple spared no expense in developing some stunning visual effects. The show is led by SAG award-winner Jared Harris as Hari Seldon; Lee Pace as Brother Day; Lou Llobell as Gaal; Leah Harvey as Salvor; Laura Birn as Demerzel; Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk; and Cassian Bilton as Brother Dawn.
SYNOPSIS: The future begins in 2021. Based on the award-winning novels by Isaac Asimov, Foundation chronicles a band of exiles on their monumental journey to save humanity and rebuild civilization amid the fall of the Galactic Empire. Foundation is executive produced by Robyn Asimov, David S. Goyer, Josh Friedman, Cameron Welsh, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Marcy Ross. The series is produced for Apple by Skydance Television.
No word on an official release date yet, but AppleTV+ will hope Foundation can be their next big thing. They went big at launch with another sci-fi series, For All Mankind, but reviews were mixed
What’s becoming a more and more standard headline, that a big film is heading for VOD in lieu of under-filled theaters, has been taking a new twist lately with some films choosing to grab some of those opening weekend dollars in high dollar rentals before hitting one of the major subscription streaming giants. SpongeBob: Sponge on the Run is the latest to make the move, Variety reports that everyone’s favorite resident of a pineapple under the sea will be hitting the internet via rental in the early part of 2021 before pivoting over to CBS All Access shortly after. This is bit for CBS as their streaming service has been fairly noteworthy in the TV world but hasn’t made really any splash in the full-length feature department. While Spongebob and friends aren’t really high-brow awards material it’s hard to deny the draw that the residents of Bikini bottom have, especially on the younger viewers. In news that makes total sense with this latest release CBS has also announced that the entire back catalog of Spongebob Squarepants epsiodes will be available on the service later on this year.
For more on CBS All Access check out our coverage, here!
All my eighties and nineties babies: get ready to be drowned in nostalgia. Netflix has just released the trailer for The Baby-Sitters Club reboot. Based on the beloved book series by Ann M. Martin, the reboot brings beloved characters Kristy, Mary-Anne, Claudia, Dawn, and Stacey into the 21st century.
Taking a modern approach to the issues that the book series originally raised, the series will cover the formation of the club, first crushes, self-discovery, and divorce. Even though it was considered a pretty girly series, its diversity, business focus, and positive female relationships made it one of the most read and beloved series for young readers.
Its popularity led to spin-offs, a 1990 TV series, a 1995 film starring Rachel Lee Cook, a computer game, and graphic novels. I have super fond memories, staying up late reading them, and debating favorite characters with my friends. However, it’s clear that this new iteration will be for a younger generation. It will be interesting to see how they will like a more updated version of The Baby-Sitters Club.
The Baby-Sitters Club series is set to premiere on Netflix on July 3rd. You can watch the trailer below.
One of the reasons Trevor Noah hasn’t quite clicked with The Daily Show audience as Jon Stewart did, is that Stewart was more than just funny. He was a political force who could use humor to skewer the system, shed light on what’s broken, and rally the youth to care about what’s going on in the White House. He understood that politics matters in every respect, and used all forms of media, even going so far as to hold rallies, to make that point. With his sophomore effort behind the camera, Irresistible, Stewart shows that maybe some rust has set in being away from the game for so long. While the film has its bygone-era charms, it lacks in the kind of biting insight we come to expect from Stewart.
Stewart tries to play it clever with Irresistible, a film that presents itself as harmless and good-natured, a Mr. Smith-esque fable about a good man facing down an entrenched and corrupt system of corruption. But where Stewart fails is that, well, it actually turns out to be harmless whether he wanted it to or not. While still enjoyable because of the cast and low-key nature of the laughs, is that what anybody expects from Stewart?
Irresistible is led by two comedic heavyweights, Steve Carell and Rose Byrne, who are both playing characters they could do in their sleep, only with more talk of polling numbers and gerrymanders. Set sometime after the Orange Wedding…er, the election of Trump, the film stars Carell as Democratic strategist Gary Zimmer, who has found what he thinks is the perfect candidate in Marine colonel Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper). A resident of Deerlaken, Wisconsin, Hastings is seen in a viral video giving an uplifting speech about defending immigrants and the less fortunate. It’s the kind of message that resonates with liberals, delivered by a guy who looks like he just walked out of a MAGA rally, a no-nonsense farmer who could capture disillusioned conservatives and independents. All Jack sees is a chance for the Democrats to win back America’s heartland.
Flying into Deerlaken, Gary is immediately a fish out of water, and this is when Stewart starts to lose his way. You can already see the jokes as city boy Gary tries to win over the small-town locals, driving his rented SUV into a town he only just read about on Wikipedia, sporting a beard that looks painted-on rather than rugged, and demanding burgers ‘n fries because it sounds like something they’d eat? Despite his phoniness, Gary convinces Jack to run for mayor in hopes that the RNC would see it as a threat and spend national resources in a place they normally wouldn’t. And so the plan works, as they send in Gary’s worst nemesis/friend-with-benefits, strategist Faith Brewster (Byrne), who is so unscrupulous she makes Sara Huckabee-Sanders look like she belongs in a convent. She’s there to bolster the incumbent’s campaign, and wrinkle her nose up at the hicks a bit more brazenly than Gary does.
Stewart sets up camp in middling territory, refusing to go too far in disparaging either side of the ideological aisle. And that’s the big problem with Irresistible; it’s just bland and milquetoast without the sharp critique that is needed at the most polarizing time in our history. The cake is already baked that the Republican side is unprincipled, so Stewart does his best to keep the playing field even and proving that both sides are part of a swamp that needs draining. An example finds Gary taking Jack to a fundraiser in New York so he can loosen up the purse strings from those infamous liberal elites who are so eager to throw money at a “cause”, whatever’s hot at the time.
So you get it, both sides suck. Both are shockingly inauthentic and will they drag a good, decent man like Jack into the mud with them? Stewart attacks this question with all the subtlety of John Boehner’s oversized House gavel. Jack finds his morals challenged at every turn, while Gary cooks up insulting ad campaigns (One has Jack fishing with a machine gun), obsessing over polling data, and making eyes with Jack’s stern 28-year-old daughter Diana (Mackenzie Davis). Whatever personality this town once had is all about raw numbers to Gary, whether that’s in polling or contributions. Stewart also wants us to realize the media’s part enflaming the culture wars that keep us divided, but he doesn’t seem to have much to say about doing anything about it.
Irresistible is low on solutions to the current political crisis, but worse it’s also low on laughs. Stewart wants us to stop fighting with ourselves and start taking on those who seek to keep us at one another’s throats, but to do that requires some hard truths that must be accepted. Stewart is unwilling to lend voice to those truths so that he can appear nonpartisan, but by tacking so far to the center he’s rendered Irresistible as bland as an “undecided voter.”
Somehow, Stewart still feels his film is a real force for change, concluding with a call to “RESIST.” The anti-Trump buzzword is a rallying cry Irresistible does little to earn.
After Colin Trevorrow is done in Jurassic World: Dominion, he’ll set sail for Atlantis.
Deadline reports Trevorrow will direct Atlantis for Universal, a new original thriller based on the lost undersea kingdom that was most recently-seen in Aquaman. But this isn’t a superhero movie or like any other version of the classic Atlantis stories. For one thing, this version of Atlantis will be on a lost continent , a multicultural civilization in the Indian Ocean with advanced technology. You can see the Wakanda comparisons already, can’t you?
The film will be directed by Trevorrow based on an idea he cooked up with Matt Charman (Bridge of Spies). Writing the script is Dante Harper, whose script for All You Need is Kill eventually became Edge of Tomorrow. He also wrote Alien: Covenant.
Trevorrow has been developing this project for years, doing research with his team and fleshing out the world, so this is a huge undertaking that a lot will be expected from. But first, he’ll resume production next month on Jurassic World: Dominion, which is due in theaters on June 11th 2021.
Yeah, you read that headline right. A rumor has been going around for a while that Michael Keaton, who to many is still THE Batman after his two Tim Burton films, could suit up as the Dark Night once more. And now that rumor gets more concrete footing with The Wrap making it somewhat official.
Keaton is said to be in talks to play Batman once more in The Flash movie starring Ezra Miller and directed by Andy Muschietti. You probably figured that was, if anywhere, the place we could see Keaton back in the cape and cowl. Why? Because the Flash is a character whose ability with the Speed Force often has him racing through time, and this particular story is said to be based on the time-traveling Flashpoint arc. The script is currently being worked on by Birds of Prey writer Cristina Hodson.
In the past, we’ve seen rumors suggest Flashpoint could help write-off Ben Affleck’s Batman, and reset the DCEU in a sense. While the latter point seems moot now that there’s been so much recent success, it seems Keaton could be in play for the long haul, playing a version of Bruce Wayne who is an aging mentor to younger heroes. The Flash would certainly fit that bill, and if Ray Fisher’s Cyborg has a role then he would, too.
This also puts the kibosh on any hopes of Robert Pattinson’s Batman joining the Justice League alongside Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, and the other DCEU regulars. Matt Reeves’ The Batman, much like Joker before it, is looking more like a standalone than ever before.
The R-rated comedy Blockers may not seem like the most likely place to find a new breakout star, but it certainly served well for Geraldine Viswanathan. She has been everywhere since, from the underrated drama Hala, to a couple of seasons of Miracle Workers, and the HBO film Bad Education. And now, she might be in the first movie you see in a movie theater this summer with The Broken Hearts Gallery.
So on July 17th you’re not going to get Tenet as expected, but you can still head to a theater and check out rom-com The Broken Hearts Gallery. The film stars Viswanathan alongside Stranger Things heartthrob Dacre Montgomery, and centers on a young art gallery assistant recovering from a breakup who wanders into the car of a stranger and doesn’t end up murdered, but sparking what could be her next great relationship. Well, there are plenty of “stalker” and “murder” jokes so at least writer/director Natalie Krinsky is in on how ridiculous this particular meet-cute is.
The cast surrounding Viswanathan and Montgomery is really good and includes Utkarsh Ambudkar, Molly Gordon, Phillipa Soo, Suki Waterhouse, Arturo Castro, Ego Nwodim, Taylor Hill, and Bernadette Peters.
Like I said earlier, The Broken Hearts Gallery will be in theaters on July 17th, making it one of the first movies available as they reopen doors. This could be a golden opportunity for a movie that might’ve been overlooked otherwise to shine. Will you be there to check it out?
SYNOPSIS: What if you saved a souvenir from every relationship you’ve ever been in? THE BROKEN HEARTS GALLERY follows the always unique Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan), a 20-something art gallery assistant living in New York City, who also happens to be an emotional hoarder. After she gets dumped by her latest boyfriend, Lucy is inspired to create The Broken Heart Gallery, a pop-up space for the items love has left behind. Word of the gallery spreads, encouraging a movement and a fresh start for all the romantics out there, including Lucy herself.
It’s official: Cobra Kai will be getting its kicks at Netflix from now on.
Last month, we learned that after two seasons on YouTube Red (now YouTube Premium), The Karate Kid spinoff show Cobra Kai was likely to be headed to a new streaming platform. And now today it’s been confirmed that Netflix has secured the rights to the series, which has developed quite the loyal audience, despite the limitations of its previous home. Let’s be real, most of the YouTube Premium offerings haven’t been great.
Netflix will not only develop a third season, but there’s a chance of expanding into a franchise with other shows linked to The Karate Kid.
I can see the “young Mr. Miyagai” headlines already, can’t you?
Cobra Kai returns Ralph Macchio and William Zabka to their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, respectively, with Martin Kove also appearing as sensei John Kreese. It takes place 30 years after the 1984 film, which ended with the All Valley Karate Tournament that saw LaRusso pull off the infamous Crane Kick on his way to victory. That moment turned out to be a seminal one for everybody.
Here’s the synopsis: Cobra Kai takes place 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, where a now successful Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) struggles to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of Mr. Miyagi, and must face his previous adversary, down-and-out Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), who seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo.
Netflix will begin streaming the first two seasons of Cobra Kai next year with the third season at a later date.
At the start of this month we learned that J.K. Simmons’ return as J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: Far from Home wouldn’t be a one-off, and that he was signed for multiple appearances. At the time, Simmons didn’t know whether Marvel would actually make use of him, though, especially with so much uncertainty around productions right now.
Well, apparently a lot has changed in the weeks since, because now Simmons tells SiriusXM that he’s already shot his return as Jameson, who has turned newspaper The Daily Bugle into an Alex Jones-like conspiracy theory website, the better to attack Spidey from…
“There is a future for J. Jonah Jameson,” said Simmons. “Assuming movie theaters reopen and people are back in movie theaters sometime in the [future]. If not, I guess we’ll see it on our TVs at home. There is one more JJJ appearance in the can, and from what I’m hearing, there is a plan for yet another one. So, hopefully, JJJ will continue now and forever.”
So not only is Simmons back for one more, which I’m assuming will be in Sony’s Morbius film, but there will be other appearances beyond that. That would likely be in the sequel to Far from Home, which is currently due to open on November 5th 2021. But I wouldn’t put it past Marvel/Sony to make Jameson a figure beyond just the world of Spider-Man. He’s a character who fills a very specific niche, looking at the complete world of superheroes with skepticism. He’d be good to have around. Simmons agrees, although he likes the “less is more” aspect to Jameson…
“[JJJ is] one of those less is more characters…I come in, I do my thing. It’s not the biggest part of the thing…but it has an impact while I’m there. I really like that, not having to shoulder the whole load.”
