‘Hot Wheels’: Jon M. Chu Takes The Driver Seat Of Mattel’s Live-Action Car Movie

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July 7, 2025

Jon M. Chu will direct a HOT WHEELS movie next

So what’s next for Jon M. Chu after directing two Wicked adaptations to what is expected to be massive combined success? How about a return to the realm of nostalgic toys with Warner Bros. and Bad Robot’s live-action Hot Wheels movie, based on the classic Mattel toy?

Once with Justin Lin (Fast & Furious) attached to direct, Hot Wheels will be taken over by Chu, according to Deadline. Chu is no stranger to adapting nostalgic toys for the big screen as he directed GI Joe: Retaliation as well as Jem and the Holograms.

“‘Hot Wheels’ has always been about more than speed; it’s about imagination, connection, and the thrill of play. Bringing that spirit to the big screen is an incredible opportunity. I’m excited to partner with Mattel Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Bad Robot to create an adventure that honors Hot Wheels’ legacy while driving it somewhere entirely new,” Chu said in an official statement.

Hot Wheels will have a script by Creed II writers Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier. The duo also penned Netflix’s excellent sci-fi satire They Cloned Tyrone.

Chu reunites with WB and Bad Robot, whom he is teaming up with on an adaptation of Dr. Seuss book Oh, the Places You’ll Go, arriving in 2028.

DC Readers: Attend A Free Early Screening Of ‘Smurfs’

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Travis Hopson

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July 7, 2025

We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free early screening of Smurfs, starring Rihanna as Smurfette! Also in the cast are James Corden, Nick Offerman, JP Karliak, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Jimmy Kimmel, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, Marshmello, with Kurt Russell and John Goodman.

SYNOPSIS: When Papa Smurf (John Goodman) is mysteriously taken by evil wizards, Razamel and Gargamel, Smurfette (Rihanna) leads the Smurfs on a mission into the real world to save him. With the help of new friends, the Smurfs must discover what defines their destiny to save the universe.

The screening takes place on Saturday, July 12th at 11:00AM at AMC Tysons Corner. If you’d like to attend, RSVP for your family at the Gofobo site here! Please remember, all screenings are first come first served and you’ll need to arrive early to enjoy seating. Enjoy the show!

Smurfs opens in theaters on July 18th.

Mahershala Ali Doesn’t Want To Talk About ‘Blade’ Anymore

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Travis Hopson

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July 7, 2025

Mahershala Ali has been waiting a long time to play BLADE, but it may never happen.

Mahershala Ali, riding high on the $300M+ opening weekend of Jurassic World Rebirth, would really like everyone to stop asking him about Blade. His frustration is understandable. it’s been almost six years since the Marvel film was announced and a slew of delays have left him on the hook all of that time. Now, he’s just getting more direct in stating his objection to discussing the troubled project.

While speaking with Vogue’s Off the Cuff alongside Jurassic World Rebirth co-stars Jonathan Bailey and Scarlett Johansson, Ali’s joking response when asked by Bailey how many Marvel movies they’ve done was “Leave me out of it.”

There have been all sorts of mixed signals about the future of Blade. Kevin Feige has said the vampire superhero film is still on, but a more recent update says it has been “nixed” for now. At one point, Ali was said to be getting very frustrated with the process but he’s still set to star as the Daywalker whenever the film gets rolling. That said, a director will need to be found first, and they haven’t been sticking around for long.

Coming up for Ali is Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, from writer/director Bassam Tariq. Tariq was originally attached to direct Ali in Blade, but they’ll instead work together on this.

Box Office: ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Has Mammoth $318M Global Debut

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Travis Hopson

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July 7, 2025

Jurassic World Rebirth raced past F1 and 40 ACRES at the box office

Jurassic World Rebirth (review)- $147.3M

Universal’s standalone sequel Jurassic World Rebirth got off to a massive, call it a Jurassic-sized debut. The seventh movie in the dino-franchise devoured $91.5M over three days, and a whopping $147.3M over the 5-day July 4th weekend. The global number is even better with $318M, not bad considering there were no legacy characters and little connection to the earlier films. Critical reviews weren’t great at 51% on RT, although audiences were more forgiving with 72%.

2. F1: The Movie– $26M/$109.5M

Brad Pitt’s F1: The Movie fell 54% in its second lap, earning $26M and bringing the domestic total to $109M. Globally, the racer is closing in on $300M, the 12th biggest haul of his thirty-year career.

3. How to Train Your Dragon– $11M/$224M

4. Elio– $5.7M/$55M

5. 28 Years Later– $4.6M/$60.2M

6. M3GAN 2.0– $3.8M/$18.5M

7. Lilo & Stitch– $3.8M/$408.5M

8. Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning– $3.2M/$191.1M

9. Materialists– $1.3M/$33.5M

10. Ballerina– $725K/$57.2M

Also…Magnolia Pictures opened the post-apocalyptic thriller 40 Acres into 340 locations for just $475K. Danielle Deadwyler, who struck out with another horror film with The Woman in the Yard earlier this year, plays the matriarch of the descendants of slaves who settled in Canada who must defend her farm against invading cannibals. Reviews have been very good with critics giving it 91% on RT, and audience opinion at 88%. Perhaps a wider release is in order?

[BoxOfficeMojo]

‘She Rides Shotgun’ Trailer: Taron Egerton Goes On The Run To Protect His Daughter

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Travis Hopson

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July 3, 2025

Who doesn’t love a good Bonnie & Clyde-style crime movie? She Rides Shotgun is a slightly different take on the formula, as it follows a father newly released from prison who is forced to go on the run with his estranged daughter.

The film is directed by Nick Rowland (of the Barry Keoghan drama Calm with Horses) and adapted from the book by Jordan Harper. Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (The Night House, Hellraiser) wrote the screenplay, taking a detour from horror.

Egerton is joined in the cast by Ana Sophia Heger, Rob Yang, John Carroll Lynch, Odessa A’zion, and David Lyons.

SYNOPSIS: Where can you run when there’s nowhere to hide? Taron Egerton stars as newly released ex-con Nate in this gritty, explosive action-thriller. Marked for death by unrelenting enemies, Nate must now protect his estranged 11-year-old daughter, Polly (Ana Sophia Heger) at all costs. Shy, precocious, and wary of her father, Polly is swept up in Nate’s dangerous plight as they flee to evade the corrupt sheriff and brutal leader of a gang who will stop at nothing to protect his criminal interests. With scant resources and no one to trust, Nate and Polly form a bond forged under fire as he shows her how to fight and survive — and she teaches him what unconditional love truly means in this intense, moving story about loyalty, strength, and redemption.

Lionsgate will release She Rides Shotgun on August 1st.

‘Highlander’ Reboot Adds ‘Back To Black’ Star Marisa Abela

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Travis Hopson

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July 3, 2025

Marisa Abela joins Henry Cavill in HIGHLANDER

Marisa Abela’s performance as Amy Winehouse in Back to Black didn’t earn her a lot of praise last year. Personally, I thought she was solid in an incredibly challenging role. Abela proved her talents more recently in Steven Soderbergh’s spy film Black Bag, and now she’s set to take on something much larger. THR reports Abela has landed a role in David Leitch’s long-developing Highlander reboot for Amazon MGM.

Henry Cavill and Russell Crowe are already aboard Highlander, a reboot of the franchise that launched in 1986. The story follows a race of immortal warriors who battle it out until only one of them remains.

With Cavill as Connor McLeod and Crowe as his mentor, Ramirez, Abela will play a new character, an immortal and Connor’s former flame.

This will be the biggest film yet for Abela. She had a small role in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, and she won a BAFTA for her performance on HBO’s hit series, Industry.

Filming on Highlander begins in September. You can check out an earlier interview I had with Marisa Abela below.

DC Readers: Attend A Free Early Screening Of ‘Superman’!

By

Travis Hopson

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July 3, 2025

SUPERMAN hits theaters and IMAX on July 11th

We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free early screening of the biggest event of the summer, James Gunn’s Superman! Starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, the DC Studios film opens in theaters on July 11th.

SYNOPSIS: In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor, and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.

The screening takes place on Monday, July 7th at 7:00pm at Regal Majestic. If you’d like to attend, RSVP now at the Warner Bros. site here. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you’ll need to arrive early to ensure seating. Enjoy the show!

A ‘Crimson Tide’ Sequel Is In The Works And Denzel Washington Could Return

By

Travis Hopson

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July 2, 2025

Denzel Washington returning for a CRIMSON TIDE sequel?

This emerged out of nowhere! Jerry Bruckheimer has revealed that a sequel to Crimson Tide, one of the best submarine thrillers ever made, is in the works right now. Not only that, but it sounds like Denzel Washington could be returning, too.

Bruckheimer revealed the news to Rich Eisen, and said that a writer/director is already in place and doing research with the Navy right now. Of course, he didn’t want to say who that is. He also mentioned that Denzel could come back if the script holds up…

“We have a very good director-writer talking to the Navy right now about what’s going on in the water,” Bruckheimer said. “We have Denzel. If we give him a good script, I think he’d do it.”

Released in 1995, Crimson Tide was directed by the late Tony Scott and starred Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman as officers aboard a nuclear submarine, clashing over an order to launch missiles at a Russian base. The film was not only a big hit, earning $157M, but also three Oscar nominations.

So who is the director going to be? It seems like Joseph Kosinski has too much on his plate following F1, plus Top Gun 3, a UFO movie, and a possible F1 sequel. The next logical choice would be Christopher McQuarrie, but I’m going to bet it’s Joachim Rønning who Bruckheimer worked with on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Young Woman and the Sea.

‘The Bear’ Is Keeping Its Doors Open For Season 5 At FX

By

Travis Hopson

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July 2, 2025

THE BEAR is returning for a fifth season at FX

Well, The Bear isn’t closing its doors for good just yet. While it looked as if season four of Christopher Storer’s acclaimed FX series would be the last, Chairman John Landgraf has revealed (via Deadline) that a fifth season is in the works.

Landgraf issued a statement praising The Bear and recognizing the popularity it has maintained…

“The Bear continues to be a fan favorite worldwide and their response to this season — as seen through incredibly high viewership — has been as spectacular as any of its previous seasons. Year-in and year-out, Chris Storer, the producers, cast and crew make The Bear one of the best shows on television, and we are excited that they will continue to tell this magnificent story.”

The Bear has been the launching pad for a few red-hot movie careers, including star Jeremy Allen White (who has Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere coming up), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (plays Thing in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps), and Ayo Edibiri (Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt is next for her). They could have easily decided to move on but it shows they still have a lot of loyalty to the show and to one another.

‘Relay’ Trailer: Riz Ahmed Is A Fixer Protecting Lily James In David Mackenzie’s New Thriller

By

Travis Hopson

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July 2, 2025

Can a fixer who helps the corrupt arrange payoffs, do what it takes when a whistleblower’s life is in danger? That’s the premise behind Relay, the latest film from Hell or High Water director David Mackenzie, and led by stars Riz Ahmed and Lily James. This is Mackenzie’s first film since 2018’s Outlaw King. The screenplay is by Justin Piasecki.

Riz Ahmed leads the cast as the fixer, with Lily James as the endangered client he falls in love with. Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald, Jared Abrahamson, Victor Garber, and Matthew Maher co-star.

SYNOPSIS: In Relay, Riz Ahmed plays a world-class ‘fixer’ who specializes in brokering lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten their ruin. He keeps his identity a secret through meticulous planning and always follows an exacting set of rules. But when a message arrives one day from a potential client (Lily James) needing his protection just to stay alive, the rules quickly start to change.

Relay opens in August 22nd from Bleecker Street. it world premiered last year at TIFF and currently holds an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, so definitely keep this one on the radar.