Adam Driver Will Turn Revolutionary In Jeff Nichols’ ‘Yankee Comandante’

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April 30, 2020

The last time Adam Driver and Jeff Nichols paired up, the result was 2014’s underrated sci-fi film Midnight Special. While it was just another notch on the belt of Nichols’ brief but acclaimed career, that film really marked a turning point for Driver as he rose to A-list status. Now the two are reuniting for Nichols’ latest, Yankee Comandante, and it sounds like a doozy.

Nichols will write and direct Yankee Comandante, which is based on the David Grann article in New Yorker about an Ohio man who becomes a comandante in the Cuban Revolution fighting alongside Che Guevara. The Oscar-nominated Driver is set for the lead role.

This one has “awards season” written all over it. Nichols’ resume is about as consistently great as it gets, with films such as Take Shelter, Mud, and 2016’s Loving. Driver is a much bigger star now than when he starred in Midnight Special. Lately he has been an absolute force, with The Report, BlacKkKlansman, Marriage Story, and of course, a few Star Wars movies to his credit. [Variety]

‘Deathstroke’: Gareth Evans Talks The “Lean, Visceral” Superhero Flick He Never Got To Make

By

Travis Hopson

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April 30, 2020

The idea of Gareth Evans (The Raid), one of the best action directors in the world, headed to the DCEU for a Deathstroke movie was, I guess, too good to be true. With Joe Manganiello set for the lead, and debuting in the post-credits of Justice League, it had tremendous potential to be unlike anything we’ve seen from Warner Bros. superhero movies. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be, but Evans revealed to YahooUK a little bit of what he had planned for DC’s baddest assassin.

“I’ve spoken to Joe Manganiello, who was attached to star as Deathstroke,” Evans said. “I spoke to him a while back, and we both lamented the fact that it didn’t happen. But yeah, I don’t really have much more than that, in terms of anything lately on it.”

“The plan was, I wanted to tell something that would be a lean story, that would be kind of an origin of that character. Something that felt like it could be 100 minutes or 110 minutes long, max – not to go over the two hour period with it.”

As anybody who has seen The Raid or its incredible sequel, he brings a brutally realistic style, flavored by Indonesian action flicks. How would that have worked in a superhero setting, though? Or would he have tried something different?

“Back then, I was massively influenced by the noir films coming out of South Korea, so that was my pitch. I was like, these films are amazing: the texture, and the tones of colours, the grit and the aggression of them is super interesting to use to tell Deathstroke’s story.”

“We had ideas of the kind of style that we would have gone for with that, which would have married some of the more grounded style that I have, but then because of the world of it, it would allow me to be a bit more flamboyant and a bit more stylised. We could have taken it in some really interesting areas.”

Damn, man. So much potential that I hope Warner Bros. doesn’t let go to waste. Deathstroke was to have a much larger role in Zack Snyder’s uncut version of Justice League, and Manganiello has been a supporter of the Snyder Cut’s release. When Joss Whedon’s version of the film bombed, Warner Bros. went in a completely different direction.

Evans still holds out some hope his Deathstroke movie will come together in the future…

“We had some pretty bold ideas there that could have been really visceral and really fun. But, yeah, I don’t know. Who knows? They might come back again in five or ten years time, you never know.”

Evans’ latest is crime drama series Gangs of London, which debuted on Cinemax last week.

Review: ‘The Flood’
Lena Headey And Ivanno Jeremiah Perfectly Shine A Light On The UK’s Refugee Issues

By
Khalil Johnson
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In the last few years, the rise of Right-Wing nationalism in many Western Democracies has been evident. Whether it’s Brexit or wanting to build a wall, the big thing that many places the blame for is the influx of immigrants to those countries. Usually brownish immigrants south of the border here in the states, but in the UK, it’s brownish immigrants coming from the Middle East and Africa. Thanks to non-stop coverage of “the immigration problem” in those countries, it’s very easy to see them as an “other” versus and an actual person. The Flood does a great job of trying to give people in these situations a face so that we don’t look down on them as an “other.”

Wendy (Lena Headey in her first live-action post-Game of Thrones role) is a hardened immigration officer who is dealing with her own personal problems, when her boss Philip (also Game of Thrones vet Iain Glen) assigns her a high profile immigration case to vet whether Haile (Ivanno Jeremiah best known stateside for Humans and guest-starring in Black Mirror and Doctor Who), who was apprehended wielding a knife at policemen, can declare asylum. Wendy’s a no-nonsense officer who assumes this case is pretty much a slam dunk denial, goes through the motions of listening to his story, which is captivating, harrowing, and also inspiring.

For the most part, The Flood has two settings: the interview room where Wendy is interviewing Haile, and is also told in a flashback sequence as you get to see how Haile went from the Eastern African nations of Eritrea all the way to the UK in the hopes for a better life. In Eritrea, he was a soldier who was forced to kill a presumed political prisoner, and after he defies that order, he is tortured, beaten, and left for dead. So, he begins his quest for a better life in England, free from persecution. But getting there is not an easy task. He’ll have to cross oceans with other migrants and refugees, stay in “the jungle” a refugee waystation, as well as negotiate with criminals and smugglers to make it to England.

The Flood’s main strength is humanizing the nameless and faceless we see on cable news every day. They are not secret terrorists/cartel members, but instead, just simple people who are fighting for a better way of life for themselves and their families. The introduction of a Pakistani couple Faz (Peter Singh) and his pregnant wife Reema (Mandip Gill of recent Doctor Who fame), shows the need for people to band together to accomplish their goal. Faz and Reema need Haile’s help as the Afghan smugglers hate East Africans less than they hate Pakistanis (showcasing racism within marginalized communities). From their chance encounter to make a deal, a small family grows.

The acting in The Flood is top-notch. Both Mandip Gill and Peter Singh both are great as a worrisome couple who are trying their best to bring the child to a better world with all the anxieties of not only making it to the UK, but ensuring that their baby survives the harrowing trek. If you are expecting Iain Glen to be as noble as Ser Jorah Mormont, think again as he’s just a government stooge, who simply wants Hallie processed and kicked out of the country before the election happens. The real stars of the film though, are Lena Headey and Ivanno Jeremiah. Wendy, an alcoholic and fresh off a divorce where she lost custody, just wants to do her interrogation of Haile and get him out of the country at first. It’s only Hallie’s story (and Ivanno’s immense charm) that allows her to “see the light” and basically try to change the errors of her ways. Heady along with her brother Like serve as executive producers, and she is a member of the International Rescue Committee, so she’s putting her money, time, and acting where her mouth is for this role.

While the film is harrowing and emotional, the ending doesn’t work 100%. The film spends most of the time focusing on Hallie, but towards the end shifts to Wendy. It sort of follows the troupe of the white protagonist learning to be a better person on the back of the black secondary protagonist. That said, this is a gripping watch, if you find yourself talking about “those damn immigrants… taking all our jobs,” do yourself a favor: first off, shut up about it, and secondly, watch something like The Flood, which shows you a different perspective on people who risk everything (including life and limb) to just get a taste of the freedoms you usually take for granted.

NBCUniversal CEO Responds To VOD Criticisms, Says Theatrical Remains “Central Element”
But VOD Isn't Going Away, Either

By
Travis Hopson
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April 30, 2020

With both AMC and Regal condemning NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell, and threatening to ban Universal films if their release strategy steers towards digital, it was only a matter of time before Shell responded. In an earnings conference call (via Deadline), Shell maintained an eventual commitment to theatrical, but can’t ignore the changes that led to the financial windfall seen by Trolls World Tour through streaming.

“The question is when we come out of this (pandemic), what is going to be the model? I would expect that consumers will return to the theaters and we will be part of that. And I also expect that PVOD is going to be a part of that in some way. It’s not a replacement, it’s going to be a complementary element. We’re just going to have to see how long that takes and where it takes us.”

“There’s no question that theatrical will someday be a central element to our business and film business, it’s how people make their movies and how they expect their movies to be seen. But the flip side is the majority of our movies, whether we like it or not, are being consumed at home, it’s not realistic to assume that we’re not going to change, that this part of the business isn’t going to change like all parts of the business are going to change.”

In reference to AMC, Regal, NATO, and others who have come out against Universal in recent days, Shell is trying to assuage fears caused by his statements touting VOD as a pathway going forward. It was never clear exactly what Shell meant, whether that means a release where new movies hit theatrical and digital at the same time, or if new films originally intended for theaters will simply go to VOD. Either way, it was enough to get theater owners riled up enough to speak out, and for AMC to bar Universal movies from theaters. Regal threatened similar action yesterday.

With no actual films in theaters right now, anyway, this all comes across as a lot of saber-rattling on both sides. We’ll see what happens when the first huge new release of the year comes around, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. If that does extremely well, as many analysts expect, we could see both sides come to accord pretty quickly.

‘Toy Story 4’ Director Josh Cooley Boards Animated ‘Transformers’ Prequel

By

Travis Hopson

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April 30, 2020

Remember the Transformers franchise writers room Paramount launched five years ago with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura? The one which at the time promised us a decade of new Tranformers movies? So far he’s kept good on that promise, and now the animated prequel that came out of those discussions has a director in Toy Story 4‘s Josh Cooley.

Deadline reports Cooley will direct Paramount’s Transformers animated prequel, which is to be set on the home planet of Cybertron. This will be completely separate from the live-action movies spear-headed by Michael Bay, as well as the recent solo Bumblebee movie. As far as the story goes, it’ll focus on the relationship between Optimus Prime and Megatron.

Ant-Man & the Wasp writers Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari have long been attached to pen the script. Hasbro/eOne have reportedly already begun production since animation can still proceed despite the pandemic shutting most studios down.

‘John Wick’ Directors Are Coming Back To Help Out On ‘The Matrix 4’
Lana Wachowski Is Directing The Action Herself, Though

By
Travis Hopson
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April 30, 2020

Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, the guys who gave us John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Hobbs & Shaw, and other killer action flicks, are entering The Matrix. Well, actually they’re re-entering The Matrix, as part of Lana Wachowski’s upcoming sequel.

Some of the earliest work of Stahelski and Leitch’s careers came as stuntmen on The Matrix, and now they’re returning to help out on The Matrix 4. While they won’t be punching up the action sequences as they did on Birds of Prey, the duo will be doing some conceptual stuff for Lana Wachowski, who chooses to shoot her own action sequences.

“It’s definitely, from what I know of it, it’s incredibly fun,” Stahelski told Collider. “I think if you’re a fan of the original trilogy you’re gonna love this. Coming back with a vengeance.”

“It’s more about the creative concept of some of the choreography and backing them up with stuff. Other than the Matrixes, most of their stuff…what makes [Lana] so great is she directs her own action. We’ve had second unit directors on some of the Matrixes just because of the logistics involved. But of late, and especially on Matrix 4, she’s directing her own action. The second units for them are mostly establishing shots, the B-sides of the some of the compositions for some locations. But Lana, she does her own action. She weaves it into the main unit stuff, which is why their stuff looks so good.”

Stahelski added that Wachowski has rehired most of the production crew from the original Matrix movies…

“They were really cool. They asked us to help out with the choreography and some of the physical training for the guys. I’m helping out a little bit for a sequence, I think Dave’s helping out for a sequence. Lana’s come back with a lot of love to have a pseudo-family reunion, so that’s been a lot of fun. It’s been good to see a lot of the crew members again. We just finished doing a sequence in San Francisco before the pandemic started.”

The Matrix 4 is currently scheduled to open on May 21st 2021. Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Lambert Wilson return, joined by new additions Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, and Toby Onwumere.

Regal Cinemas Join AMC In Backlash Against Universal Over ‘Trolls World Tour’ Release

By

Travis Hopson

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April 30, 2020

Only in the crazy world we live in today could Trolls World Tour be the impetus for so much controversy. Following the $100M success of the animated sequel and Universal’s boastful claims about doing more straight-to-digital releases as a result, AMC outright banned their movies. And now we know they won’t be standing alone in this bold, if perhaps foolhardy, stance, because Regal Cinemas owner Cineworld has joined in the fight.

In a statement issued to Deadline, Cineworld has made a full-throated stand against Universal if they fail to respect the theatrical release window. Here are portions of that statement…

Cineworld’s policy with respect to the window is clear, well known in the industry and is part of our commercial deal with our movie suppliers. We invest heavily in our cinemas across the globe and this allows the movie studios to provide customers all around the world to watch the movies in the best experience. There is no argument that the big screen is the best way to watch a movie.

Universal unilaterally chose to break our understanding and did so at the height of the Covid-19 crisis when our business is closed, more than 35,000 employees are at home and when we do not yet have a clear date for the reopening of our cinemas.

Universal’s move is completely inappropriate and certainly has nothing to do with good faith business practice, partnership and transparency.

Today we make it clear again that we will not be showing movies that fail to respect the windows as it does not make any economic sense for us.

We have full confidence in the industry’s current business model. No one should forget that the theatrical side of this industry generated an all-time record income of $42 billion last year and the movie distributors’ share of this was about $20 billion.

It’s not surprising that Regal, the second-largest theater chain in the U.S., would join in the condemnation of Universal. As a means of applying pressure, this is about the strongest move they can make to force Universal’s hand. At the same time, one has to wonder how long this can last. Do they really want to miss out on the potentially $1B in box office generated by the Fast & Furious or Jurassic World franchises, both of which Universal will be releasing in the next year? Doubtful.

Wes Ball To Direct Adaptation ‘The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August’ For Amblin

By

Travis Hopson

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April 29, 2020

Wes Ball made his directorial debut directing the entirety of The Maze Runner trilogy, no small feat nowadays as filmmakers come and go. A couple of years have passed since that came to an end, and Ball’s name has been attached to some high-profile projects. The latest will be another adaptation, this time of Claire North’s novel The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.

Ball will team up with Amblin for The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, which he will direct. The story centers on Harry August, reborn repeatedly, keeping the knowledge of his previous lives. He uses that knowledge to take on an academic rival gifted with similar gifts, but plans to use them for nefarious purposes.

The book will be adapted by Melissa Iqbal, a writer on TV shows such as Origin and Humans.

It’s unclear where this will fit on Ball’s schedule. Late last year he became attached to a new Planet of the Apes film, one that will continue the story from the prior trilogy. He was also attached to an adaptation of Mouse Guard, but Disney decided not to go forward with it.

‘Spider-Man 3’: Charlie Cox Shoots Down Rumors He’ll Appear As Daredevil

By

Travis Hopson

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April 29, 2020

You’ve heard the rumors. They started as soon as Spidey faced some legal trouble at the end of Spider-Man: Far from Home. Daredevil, played once again by actor Charlie Cox, would be showing up to lend his legal/crime-fighting help in Spider-Man 3. While that sounds plausible in theory, which is why it gained so much traction, Cox is here to throw some cold water on it.

“I hadn’t heard those rumors, but it’s certainly not with my Daredevil. I’m not involved in it,” Cox revealed to Comicbook.com. “If that’s true, it’s not with me. It’s with another actor.”

I find it funny that CBM then goes out their way to shit on We Got This Covered, the infamously-awful fountains of misinformation who started the rumor to begin with. True enough, but CBM has their own issues to deal with random folks posting flimsy-ass rumors.

It’s important to take note of what Cox says, too. He doesn’t say Daredevil won’t appear in Spider-Man 3, just that it wouldn’t be him in the role. I find it highly unlikely Marvel and Disney will go back to the earlier Netflix casting when they cast these characters again.

As far as Cox is concerned, that’s a shame because he loves the idea of Matt Murdock in the MCU…

“As a fan of the Marvel movies, I’ve loved the little stuff where they pop up here and there but because we were on Netflix, we weren’t able to do as much for legal reasons, I don’t know why. But I love the idea of Jessica and Matt showing up in the background or Matt as a lawyer advising Peter Parker. That’d be really, really cool.”

Spider-Man 3 opens November 5th 2021.

‘The Painter And The Thief’ Trailer: Art Theft Leads To An Unlikely Friendship In Award-Winning Sundance Doc

By

Travis Hopson

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April 29, 2020

What do you consider your crowning achievement? What’s the one thing you have that you’ve poured every ounce of yourself into in order to make it a reality? Now imagine if somebody just swooped in and took that thing away from you. What would you do to get it back? How far would you go? That’s the question at the heart of the Sundance doc The Painter and the Thief, and the story is pretty incredible.

Directed by Benjamin Ree, The Painter and the Thief centers on Czech artist Barbora Kysilkova. When two of her prized paintings are stolen from a gallery in broad daylight, Barbora doesn’t simply go to the police for answers. When she discovers the criminal’s identity, she befriends him and that leads to an unusual, truly unexpected bond and a different kind of art project.

The Painter and the Thief opens on May 22nd. The buzz is strong for this one following its Special Jury Prize for Creative Storytelling win at Sundance.

SYNOPSIS: Desperate for answers about the theft of her 2 paintings, a Czech artist seeks out and befriends the career criminal who stole them. After inviting her thief to sit for a portrait, the two form an improbable relationship and an inextricable bond that will forever link these lonely souls.