‘Unhinged’ Trailer: Russell Crowe Is Pushed Over The Edge In Summer’s First Exclusive Theatrical Release

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May 12, 2020

While we’ve all got July 17th and the debut of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet as the bellwether for the future viability of theatrical releases, there’s another movie with an A-list actor that will beat it by a couple of weeks. That movie is the Russell Crowe road rage thriller Unhinged, which has a new trailer that could convince audiences to come out of shelter a bit early.

Unhinged finds Russell Crowe going…well, unhinged, as a man who is pushed over the edge by an incident at a traffic light and proceeds to stalk the woman involved. Caren Pistorius (Slow West, Gloria Bell) plays Crowe’s target, with Gabriel Bateman and Jimmi Simpson co-starring. The film is directed by Derrick Borte, who made his debut in 2009 with The Joneses.

So will people show up for Unhinged when it opens on July 1st? We’ll just have to wait and see.

SYNOPSIS: Academy Award winner Russell Crowe stars in Unhinged, a timely psychological thriller that explores the fragile balance of a society pushed to the edge, taking something we’ve all experienced- road rage – to an unpredictable and terrifying conclusion. Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is running late to work when she has an altercation at a traffic light with a stranger (Crowe) whose life has left him feeling powerless and invisible. Soon, Rachel finds herself and everyone she loves the target of a man who decides to make one last mark upon the world by teaching her a series of deadly lessons. What follows is a dangerous game of cat and mouse that proves you never know just how close you are to someone who is about to become unhinged.

Katee Sackhoff Is Bringing Bo-Katan From ‘The Clone Wars’ To ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2

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Travis Hopson

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May 12, 2020

News on season 2 of The Mandalorian just keeps rolling in. A couple of days ago we posted about the possibility of actor Temuera Morrison playing both Boba Fett and Captain Rex, but we started by noting how the show was beginning to look more like a continuation of Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars. Well, that’s definitely the case with this latest update, as a character important to both is returning and played by the same actress.

Slashfilm reports that Katee Sackhoff is returning to play Bo-Katan Kryze in The Mandalorian season 2. What’s interesting about this is that Sackhoff, who many know from her time as Starbuck on Battlestar Galactica, will be one of the rare actors to bring the character she voiced into the live-action realm.

As for who Bo-Katan is, her history is a little bit complicated. She was very recently seen in concluding episodes of The Clone Wars’ final season alongside Ahsoka Tano. Bo-Katan was a leader among the Mandalorian people, ultimately becoming Mand’alor or the sole leader of the clan, and was the previous wielder of the Darksaber which we know is now in the hands of Moff Gideon.

So add Sackhoff to a growing list of new additions to The Mandalorian, along with Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano, Michael Biehn as a bounty hunter, Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett, and possibly WWE superstar Sasha Banks.

Rumor: Emmy-Winner Michelle MacLaren “In The Mix” To Direct ‘Captain Marvel 2’

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Travis Hopson

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May 12, 2020

In the realm of no-brainer rumors, you can add this one from The Direct which claims Michelle MacLaren is “in the mix” to direct Captain Marvel 2. Early this year the superhero sequel was dated for July 8th 2022, with Marvel hoping to land a solo female director to take over as previous directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck would not be returning.

I call this a no-brainer because MacLaren, who is best known for her Emmy-winning work on Breaking Bad, is mentioned for every female-led project. She had been attached to direct Wonder Woman before creative differences forced her out, only to be replaced by Patty Jenkins. MacLaren has also been listed as a contender for Sony’s potential Spider-Woman movie.

Tying this rumor into place is that MacLaren is already directing Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt in the delayed Cowboy Ninja Viking. Her credentials speak for themselves, but working with another Marvel actor definitely couldn’t hurt.

Take this with a grain of salt for now until a more reliable source chimes in. Other than Brie Larson the cast of Captain Marvel 2 has yet to be confirmed. WandaVision writer Megan McDonnell is on the screenplay which will set events in the present day.

Robert Pattinson Says Nobody Saw His Indie Stuff, So He Returned To Making Blockbusters

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Travis Hopson

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May 12, 2020

Much like his Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson has been judged almost entirely by the glittery vampire movie he made more than a decade ago. This despite a career in which he completely moved beyond mainstream studio films and began working with auteurs. That he built up an impressive resume hasn’t meant much, it seems, both to those who still think of him as the captain of Team Edward, or to studio directors looking for a blockbuster lead.

Speaking with GQ, Pattinson talks about his return to blockbuster films with Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and Matt Reeves’ The Batman, and why he’s doing so now. To hear it from him, the reason why is that he was having a hard time getting work, and for once he wanted to make a movie that people would actually see…

“I started the beginning of last year with no job,” Pattinson said. “And I was calling my agent and just being like—I had gotten good reviews in stuff—and I was like, ‘What the fuck? I thought this was a pretty good year, and I’m fucking starting the year like I’ve just done a pile of trash.’”

Pattinson continued, “The problem which I was finding was, however much I loved the movies I was doing, no one sees them. And so it’s kind of this frightening thing, ’cause I don’t know how viable this is for a career.… I don’t know how many people there actually are in the industry who are willing to back you without any commercial viability whatsoever.”

I’ve had this argument with people too many times to count. Pattinson, and Stewart for that matter, have long since proven themselves as incredibly talented actors. The problem is that nobody pays to see High Life, The Lost City of Z, and Good Time. When Pattinson was announced as the next Batman, the main criticism I heard was that he was the “Twilight guy”, which is just ridiculous. It’s funny how people will latch on to one role and never let certain actors get away from it. The irony is that neither of Pattinson’s upcoming movies is likely to be among his best performances, but they may go the longest way in changing minds about him.

Tenet is set to open on July 17th. The Batman opens October 1st 2021.

‘Hamilton’ Is Coming Exclusively To Disney Plus This July
More Than A Year Early

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Travis Hopson
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May 12, 2020

The need for Disney Plus content is STRONG! So strong, Disney has moved up the release of their recording of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway sensation, a full year, and made it a Disney Plus exclusive.

Hamilton will hit Disney Plus on July 3rd 2020, moved up from its original date of October 15th 2021. This is big for Disney, as Hamilton was guaranteed to be a massive theatrical release for them, with the potential to do extremely well at the box office. They paid a reported $75M to acquire the Broadway phenomenon with plans to have it in theaters.

This just goes to show how badly Disney Plus is in need of content to keep subscribers paying $6.99 monthly. With the economy wrecked right now, households may start eyeing these subscriber plans more closely.

Disney’s Hamilton isn’t a remake designed for the big screen, but a “live capture” of the musical with the original Broadway cast. The performance was filmed in 2016 at the Rogers Theatre in New York City.

It’s only a matter of time…

Our Hamilton film.
THIS July 3rd.
On Disney+.#Hamilfilm pic.twitter.com/cXTM949hRr

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) May 12, 2020

Watch The Fiery Finale Of ‘Midsommar’ Recreated In ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’

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Travis Hopson

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May 12, 2020

Like millions of others stuck indoors during the outbreak, I too have become obsessed with Animal Crossing. It’s a game I’ve played in pretty much every previous version, but never quite like this. That said, while I’m still busy trying to find a good place to stick an incline or a bridge, Youtube’s Evil Imp (via BloodyDisgusting) is recreating the fiery final scene from one of last year’s most shocking movies, Midsommar.

That’s right. The scorching finale of Midsommar has been recreated using Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and it’s downright creepy how accurate it is. You’ve got bear suits, burning pyre, and Dani’s (Florence Pugh) savage awakening into a goddess of vengeance, surrounded by anthropomorphic animals from the hit Nintendo Switch video game.

It’s pretty wild, and shows the customizable depths of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. If it hasn’t already, expect this to start a deluge of movie recreations. I’ve already seen Animal Crossing talk shows, movie trailers, whose to say someone can’t just do an entire series or a full feature film?

Genndy Tartakovsky’s ‘Popeye’ Film Reportedly Back On

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Travis Hopson

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May 12, 2020

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about Genndy Tartakovsky’s animated Popeye movie, not since he left it in 2015 over creative differences with Sony. A longtime fan of the spinach-eating sailor, Tartakovsky toiled hard to make that movie happen, and despite the roadblock it seems the effort he put in my still pay off.

According to Animation Magazine, Tartakovsky’s Popeye movie is back on, with the director teaming up with rights-holders King Features. He’ll reportedly “go back to the drawing board”, whatever that means in this case, in an effort to bring a decade of development to fruition. Sony Pictures has been working on Popeye since 2010, and it’s likely they are still involved due to their current overall deal with Tartakovsky.

At one point the Popeye script was by Ratchet & Clank writer T.J. Fixman, but it’s unclear if that’s still the case. Tartakovsky is the animation dynamo behind the blockbuster Hotel Transylvania franchise, Star Wars: Clone Wars, and more. In 2014 he released some Popeye test footage that blew people away, and also showed his love for the character. Check it out below.

Siegfried & Roy To Be Focus Of New ‘Tiger King’ Episode For Netflix

By

Travis Hopson

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May 12, 2020

pdc_siegfriedroy — Siegfried & Roy are two German-American former entertainers who became known for their appearances with white lions and tigers. From 1990 until an injury ended their stage careers on October 3, 2003, the duo formed the show "Siegfried & Roy At The Mirage", which was regarded as the most-visited show in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The magic word of the duo was "SARMOTI" (Siegfried And Roy, Masters Of The Impossible"). This image was taken of Siegfried & Roy and their white lion in their private apartment in Las Vegas.

Roy Horn of the legendary magician duo Siegfried & Roy died a few days ago due to COVID-19. The pair were famous for their Las Vegas act which often included the use of white tigers and lions, until Roy was mauled by a tiger in 2003. With Roy’s passing, it’s expected that many specials will run focused on them, but would anybody expect it to be in an episode of Tiger King? Probably not.

THR has learned from an unexpected source that a new episode of Tiger King is in the works at Netflix. But instead of continuing the bonkers story of Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, this one will be a spinoff of sorts, centering on Siegfried & Roy and the 2003 tiger attack which ended their act and left Roy partially paralyzed…

Dr. James Liu, a wildlife veterinarian and field biologist who is the associate director of the Turtle Conservancy, contacted The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, requesting contact information for Chris Lawrence, a former tiger handler for Siegfried & Roy’s Las Vegas show. Lawrence received national media attention in March 2019 when he was profiled in THR about his 15-year battle with PTSD following the infamous attack, which left Roy Horn permanently injured. (The handler, who was onstage during the mauling, disputed what he termed the pair’s “romanticized” narrative of what had occurred, detailing a mix of Horn’s own operational failures and errors as the culprit.)

Liu said the show he’s doing would be “a follow-up episode, under the Tiger King name” that he hopes will help change some of the criticisms of the original show’s tone. Maybe Liu doesn’t get it, but the show’s producers certainly do, that the tone is part of its appeal. Producers rejected any notion they’ll be pursuing a more “conservative” route for the episode.

Kevin Hart And Director Tim Story Reunite For Superhero Comedy ‘Night Wolf’

By

Travis Hopson

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May 12, 2020

The Kevin Hart superhero comedy Night Wolf has found its director, and he’s someone who is very familiar with the box office star. Tim Story, who worked with Hart on Think Like a Man and Ride Along, will get behind the camera for the film penned by Detective Pikachu scribes Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit.

Night Wolf stars Hart as a man who discovers his future father-in-law is secretly a superhero named Night Wolf. The film has been described as in the same vein as Meet the Parents, obviously with 100% more superhuman abilities.

This isn’t Story’s first brush with the superhero genre. He directed Fox’s two Fantastic Four films in 2005 and 2007, before the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He just completed work on the upcoming Tom & Jerry movie, and most recently directed 2019’s Shaft sequel with Samuel L. Jackson. [Deadline]

Cate Blanchett To Join Next Films By Adam McKay And James Gray

By

Travis Hopson

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May 11, 2020

While Hollywood has mostly ground to a halt, Cate Blanchett is busier than ever. She can be seen right now in the terrific FX series Mrs. America, and is currently in talks to star in a movie based on the hit Borderlands video games. Now she may be about to join two more projects from acclaimed filmmakers, Adam McKay and James Gray.

First up, Collider says Blanchett is in talks to join the upcoming Netflix comedy Don’t Look Up, from Oscar-winning The Big Short director Adam McKay. She would be co-starring alongside Jennifer Lawrence, with the story following two astronomers as they try to warn the world of a humanity-destroying asteroid due to hit the planet in six months. Of course, nobody wants to listen to them.

As if that wasn’t big enough, Variety reports Blanchett is also close to joining Armageddon Time, James Gray’s followup to Ad Astra. The memoir-like film is set in the ’80s during Gray’s time at the Kew-Forest School where Donald Trump was an alumnus and his father Fred Trump served on the school board.

No word on when either movie will roll as productions are still largely in shutdown mode, but these are both high-profile projects that Blanchett will be at the center of. Count on them to have a lot of attention, and perhaps earn the Oscar-winner even more accolades.