After an impressive opening lap with over $150M at the box office, Brad Pitt and Joseph Kosinski’s F1 is looking like it’ll take home the trophy. But according to Variety, that won’t be enough racing action for Apple, which is “potentially” already moving forward with a sequel.
There isn’t any further information than that, but it would make sense. F1 has not only been a hit, but it has also begun a partnership with Formula One that seems to have energized interest in the sport.
Screenwriter Ehren Kruger, who wrote Top Gun: Maverick, is currently working on the script for Top Gun 3. He would undoubtedly be the guy to write another F1 movie, just as Kosinski is likely to return.
The news comes as Koskinski has teased a possible sequel that would include Tom Cruise, just as the actor and producer Jerry Bruckheimer are developing Days of Thunder 2. On a recent episode of my podcast, we teased the possibility of Cruise and Pitt teaming up for a sequel. They were meant to star together in the racing drama Go Like Hell, but that fell through and eventually became the film Ford v Ferrari. Kosinski has a lot coming up already, with Top Gun 3, a UFO movie at Apple, and a Miami Vice reboot. For Pitt, coming up for him is David Fincher’s Cliff Booth film at Netflix.
Released in 2020, The Old Guard was part of an impressive wave of Netflix summer mockbusters (Extraction and Project Power also in that group) that soothed our desire to be in theaters during lockdown. It was also the best movie of the three, telling a fascinating Highlander-esque story of immortal warriors in conflict. Gifted with the masterful, driven direction by Gina Prince-Bythewood and the commanding presence of Charlize Theron, the film had depth, heart, and lots of action. Sequel The Old Guard 2 had a lot to live up to, and while most of the key pieces returned, it just doesn’t quite measure up to expectations.
The Old Guard 2 doesn’t have Prince-Bythewood behind the camera, but it does have another talented Black female director, Victoria Mahoney. The veteran filmmaker who has directed many episodes of Star Wars television and worked 2nd Unit on The Rise of Skywalker, takes charge of a story penned by comics scribe Greg Rucka. Once again adapting his own work, Rucka burdens himself with an overload of subplots, obscuring a central plot that lacks novelty and intrigue. In truth, most viewers will be tuning in for the promised match-up between Theron and “The Bride” herself, Uma Thurman. The showdown kicks ass just as we’d hoped, but the story building to it just isn’t that interesting.
Theron is back as Andy, who has lived thousands of years fighting the good fight to protect mortals. But at the end of the previous movie, Andy lost her immortality for mysterious reasons. Also, we learned that Andy’s former friend (lover?) Quynh (Veronica Ngo) had been released from the iron maiden prison she had been trapped in underwater for hundreds of years. But now she’s back and rightfully pissed. She’s also aligned with Discord (Thurman), the apparent “first” immortal, who wants to stop Andy from interfering in mortal business. She plans to do this, of course, by destroying everything.
There’s also the return of Kiki Layne as newbie immortal Nile, an ex-soldier who we learn is more powerful than anyone imagined. Andy has her old pals back, including gay couple Joe (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) whose passion and trust in one another across centuries was such a beautiful part of the first movie. Chiwetel Ejiofor returns as former foe James Copley, an ex-CIA officer who now assists in Andy’s fight against injustice. Finally, we see the return of Matthias Schoenaerts as Booker, who betrayed the team but was exiled for 100 years. He seems to have lasted only a few months. New to the crew is Henry Golding as the bookish Tuah, an immortal friend of Andy’s who has chosen learning over combat. Turns out he’s a pretty good fighter, too. You kind of have to be. For a bunch of immortals, they seem to worry about dying a lot.
Every one of them has something going on, too, making for a jumbled narrative. There’s Andy grappling with the return of her vengeful friend plus her own mortality; there’s Joe and Nicky’s seemingly eternal relationship, Booker’s attempt at redemption, Nile’s mystical connection to Discord, and a lot more. With so much happening, a lot of it gets the short end of the sword. Most notably, it’s Thurman’s villain, Discord, who comes across as underwhelming. A shame, because the first movie had a weak bad guy who never stood a chance, while Thurman’s is the complete opposite. She is Andy’s equal if not her better, but she’s given so little screen time that she comes across as generic.
It’s also a bit odd that Rucka’s screenplay tip-toes around Andy and Quynh’s relationship. A big part of this franchise’s draw is its ethnic and cultural diversity, so to openly show one LGBTQ relationship while teasing another just seems weird. Mahoney’s direction is technically on point, delivering clean battle sequences and one thrilling car chase. It’s lacking the muscular, raw energy that Prince-Bythewood brought, but Mahoney makes a case for genre films in only her second feature.
Problems with an overstuffed story aside, the bulk of the film is very good and the lore built around these immortal soldiers is fascinating. There’s a great moment where Andy, walking into a fateful reunion with Quynh, is surrounded by the many eras she’s walked through and the friends she’s made along the way. You assume there will be a lot more backstory surrounding Discord, the oldest of them all, but The Old Guard 2 is very much the ‘Empire Strikes Back‘ of this trilogy, and the story ends on a grim cliffhanger. Theron has long been one of the most credible female action stars of her generation, and Andy, surprisingly, is one of the best characters she’s ever played. While we won’t get to see her in this role forever, one more sequel should suffice.
Ok, I don’t know what Legendary is doing with its live-action Street Fighter movie, but the cast that’s coming together is absolutely wild. And for WWE fans it’s turning into a must-see event that could reunite WrestleMania rivals Roman Reigns…and Cody Rhodes. Yep, the OTC and the American Nightmare could be starring in the same movie as fighter from the Capcom classic video game.
It’s Nexus Point News who delivered the report, and as much as I sideye to the site on occasion, it’s come through pretty recently. They say Rhodes is in talks for a potential role as Guile, the Air Force colonel introduced with 1991’s Street Fighter II: The World Warriors video game. He’s known for his freshly-combed flattop haircut, his somersault flash kick, and his “Sonic Boom” projectile.
If things pan out and Rhodes joins the cast, he’ll be starring alongside Reigns who is eyeying the Akuma role. Also set to star are Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken, 50 Cent as Balrog, Andrew Schulz as Dan, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, Orville Peck as Vega, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, and Jason Momoa as Blanka. Like I said, wild.
The film is being directed by Kitao Sakurai (Bad Trip) from a script written by Dalan Musson (Captain America: Brave New World).
What’s next? Kairi Sane as Sakura? Oooh, I kinda like that idea, actually…
When the trailer for Prime Video’s action-comedy Heads of State first dropped, with John Cena and Idris Elba playing leaders of the free world, I said all I needed was for it to be stupid dumb fun. Director Ilya Naishuller understood the assignment. The filmmaker behind action flicks Nobody and Hardcore Henry has made politics fun again, at least for a couple of hours, giving these Suicide Squad buds the freedom to run ‘n gun and crack jokes at our celebrity-obsessed political climate, all while enduring the greatest security breach two countries have ever seen.
The story is pure ’90s-style action fodder, penned by Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol writers Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec. Cena plays United States President Will Derringer, and he’s clearly mimicking Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger, fitting of the era this film owes so much to. Derringer is a former movie star who used his popularity to become POTUS, and UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke, played by Elba, can’t be bothered with having such a dolt on the world stage. But dolt or not, Will is a pretty decent guy and a family man who the American people love. Sam, on the other hand, is a bachelor struggling to keep his approval numbers up. He could use some of Derringer’s popularity to rub off on him.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas, a Prime Video regular at this point, actually kicks things off as Noel Bisset, an MI6 agent whose team gets wiped out on a botched mission to capture an arms dealer played by Paddy Considine. She takes gunfire and is presumed dead, which devastates Sam because they used to share a romantic past. When the two world leaders are attacked aboard Air Force One in a really cool aerial action sequence, it’s Noel who ends up coming to their rescue. But not before the two world leaders touch the ground and get into a fight with a bunch of locals who don’t care about their political power. Sam, a former soldier, can hold his own in a scrap, but Will is an action hero, not a real fighter, and a lot of the humor comes from him trying to hold his own.
Heads of State doesn’t even try to take itself seriously, and that’s the beauty of it. Cena and Elba take jabs at one another throughout, moving from one ridiculously improbable scenario after another. Cena gets most of the gags while Elba plays the self-serious straight man, but both get their moments to shine in teh comedy spotlight. In one awesomely dumb sequence, Jack Quaid turns up as an agent guarding their safehouse, and while he looks like a dweeb he turns out to be this epic badass who practically fights off an entire armed squad of mercenaries by himself. It’s too small of a role for Quaid, if anything, and makes me want to see more of his character in the inevitable sequel. Chopra Jonas, no stranger to action flicks herself, holds up her end of the bargain just as well, On the other hand, Considine is sorely underused as the baddie, and what the Hell is Sharlto Copley doing in this? He’s in the movie for about two minutes and never seen again. Did he owe someone a favor?
Heads of State is a silly, breezy watch on Prime Video, but I was fortunate to catch it on the big screen. It made me sad that movies like this don’t get a theatrical release anymore, but maybe Amazon MGM will see the value in it for next time? Drop a sequel during election year and it could be a campaign sweep at the box office.
Prime Video streams Heads of State beginning on July 2nd.
Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier earned some of the best reviews of his career, including two Academy Award nominations, with The Worst Person in the World. The film was also a breakout for star Renate Reinsve. Their reunion, Sentimental Value, is on the same track, having won the Grand Prix award following its world premiere at Cannes. NEON has high hopes for it, as well, giving it a prime awards season spot in November.
Co-written by Trier and Eskil Vogt, Sentimental Value follows a pair of sisters hoping to reconnect with their distant, estranged father, a filmmaker, after a tragic death.
Also in the cast are Stellan Skarsgard, Elle Fanning, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Cory Michael Smith, Anders Danielsen Lie, and Cat Cohen.
SYNOPSIS: Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star. Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with their father — and deal with an American star dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics.
NEON will release Sentimental Value in select theaters on November 7th.
Stephen King’s The Running Man, penned under his Richard Bachman pseudonym, was adapted into a classic 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. And while that film is great fun in the classic Arnie style, it bears little resemblance to the source material. Enter Edgar Wright, an unconventional choice to direct a new version of The Running Man, albeit one that is more faithful and led by the red-hot Glen Powell.
In The Running Man, Powell plays Ben Richards, a desperate man in a dystopian America where reality TV has taken over to the point that people will risk their lives for a chance to hit the jackpot. Richards enters The Running Man competition, where he will spend a month pursued by Hunters with one goal: to find him and to kill him.
Wright has already proven that he’s more than just a comedic director, but you can see that his version of The Running Man is equal parts action and comedy. He co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Bacall, who he worked with previously on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. This looks nothing like the original, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Powell looks like he’ll be a lot of fun in the lead role, and the same goes for Colman Domingo as the game show host previously played by the late Richard Dawson.
Also in the cast are Katy O’Brian, Daniel Ezra, Karl Glusman, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Jayme Lawson, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, William H. Macy, David Zayas, and Sean Hayes.
SYNOPSIS: In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.
Paramount Pictures will release The Running Man in theaters on November 7th.
David Koepp, original writer of Jurassic Park in 1993, returns to pen the series’ seventh chapter, Jurassic World Rebirth. Just three years after Jurassic World Dominion finished the latest trilogy, Koepp is charged with reviving interest in the dino-franchise. It’s odd to say that because these movies have averaged over $1B, but nobody seems particularly enthused by any of them. It’s like audiences show up out of obligation, or because they are always hopeful to recapture that same sense of awe and wonder of the original. This idea of regaining audience interest is a theme in Jurassic World Rebirth, and one has to wonder if Koepp, recognizing the landscape himself, did that for a reason. While there’s no one to say “Life finds a way” this time, it does feel like new life has been breathed into these movies for the first time in ages.
Perhaps most importantly, Jurassic World Rebirth has a real technical wiz behind the camera: Gareth Edwards, whose career took off with the amazing low-budget visuals in Monsters, and who took those skills to blockbuster land with Legendary’s Godzilla, followed by Disney’s best Star Wars film, Rogue One, and the vastly underrated sci-fi epic The Creator. The freakish hybrid dinos crafted for the franchise’s return to its horror roots are truly astounding, ghoulish, and yes, terrifying. His style fits perfectly for an adrenaline-fueled thriller where mutated dinosaurs attack from land, sea, and air. While there are a few of graceful, majestic creatures about, many of them are gross hybrids, whale-shaped savages that kill on sight. The mix of CG and lush Thailand jungles captured in 35mm Panavision (just like the original Jurassic Park) make for a lovely combination, you might be too busy admiring it to be scared.
The story picks up story beats that have been recycled numerous times, but to be fair, they still work. And following the stale adventures of the previous trilogy, it feels good to have a movie that’s basically an action-horror sprint. Once the introductions are over, it’s basically moving from one white-knuckle sequence to the next, with Koepp splitting the narrative and covering two parallel stories equally well.
Scarlett Johansson leads the cast as Zora Bennett, a tough, but somber mercenary hired by shady Big Pharma exec Martin Krebs, played with maximum business suit oiliness by Rupert Friend. He wants her to travel to a secret InGen facility on Isle Saint-Hubert in Barbados, a tropical environment and one of the few places where dinosaurs can continue to live. With human interest in dinosaurs waning, InGen was in the business of creating new hybrid species to create genetically “engineered entertainment”. That went horribly wrong, of course, but the dinos remain and now Martin wants to extract the DNA from three of the biggest to design a heart disease treatment which can be sold for trillions. The three targets- the herbivore titanosaurus, the deep water mosasaurus and the flying quetzalcoatlus, each provide a unique challenge. Zora, grieving and eager to retire, only takes the job when she hears the number of zeroes in her pay.
Oscar winner Mahershala Ali plays Zora’s longtime friend and fellow merc, Duncan Kincaid. Now a ship captain and smuggler extraordinaire, Duncan is the Han Solo-esque scoundrel of this story. He and Zora cleverly play Martin to bump up their pay, knowing the man’s desperation and deep pockets.
The key figure in this mission is Wicked star Jonathan Bailey as Dr. Henry Loomis, a paleontologist lamenting the end of humanity’s fascination with dinosaurs, he can’t pass up a chance to actually see the creatures in the wild. “You’re just a guy in a zoo” he’s teased by Martin, and he’s basically right. Henry, a former student of Dr. Alan Grant, has his curiosity and surprising bravery under pressure, albeit in a more nerdy package. Much of the film’s comedy comes from his flirtations with the tenacious Zora, just as much of the wonderment is seen through his eyes. One breathtaking example is when the team encounters a herd of titanosauruses grazing in an open field. Henry, too stunned to do anything but yelp his astonishment, is like a kid in a candy store.
Since no Jurassic film is complete without a civilian family in trouble, the other narrative follows the Delgado clan. Patriarch Reuben Delgado (The Lincoln Lawyer‘s Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), his teen daughter Teresa (Luna Blaise), youngest daughter Isabella (Audrina Miranda), and Teresa’s lazy stoner boyfriend Xavier (David Iacono) find their boat toppled by a mosasaurus. They survive and are eventually rescued by Duncan over Martin’s objections, but end up separated again by a bunch of angry spinosauruses. The heartwarming aspect is totally on this side of the electrified fence, as Reuben learns to respect Xavier and his courage at times of dino-crisis.
In true Spielberg fashion, there’s also a cutesy CG creation that Isabella befriends. It follows her around like a puppy and seems designed to sell merch. I could’ve done without that, the same way I could do without the existence of Ewoks. Sticking with the proven formula, there’s a recreation of the infamous kitchen scene, the return of the dreaded T-Rex (turns out he’s a scamp and quite the swimmer!), and Alexandre Desplat channeling John Williams’ sublime score.
Koepp and Edwards aren’t reinventing the wheel with Jurassic World Rebirth, but they are taking the old tricks and reminding us why they were great. This is a true summer dino-spectacle and it’s great to be excited about dinosaurs again.
Jurassic World Rebirth opens in theaters on July 2nd.
We’re happy to offer you the chance to attend a free early screening of Heads of State, starring Idris Elba, John Cena, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas!
SYNOPSIS: In the action-comedy Heads of State, the UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) and U.S. President Will Derringer (John Cena) have a not-so-friendly and very public rivalry that jeopardizes their countries’ “special relationship.” But when they become the targets of a powerful and ruthless foreign adversary—who proves more than a match for the two leaders’ security forces—they are begrudgingly forced to rely on the only two people they can trust: each other. Ultimately allied with the brilliant MI6 agent Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), they must go on the run and find a way to work together long enough to thwart a global conspiracy that threatens the entire free world. The film also stars Paddy Considine, Stephen Root, Carla Gugino, Jack Quaid and Sarah Niles and is directed by Ilya Naishuller.
The screening takes place on Tuesday, July 1st at Regal Majestic at 7:00pm! If you’d like to attend, RSVP at the Amazon site here. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you’ll need to arrive early to ensure seating. Enjoy the show!
DCEU refugees Viola Davis and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are teaming up for a remake of David Mamet’s House of Games at Amazon MGM Studios. The surprising news comes from Deadline, which adds that Davis and Abdul-Mateen II will produce and star in the neo-noir thriller.
The original 1987 House of Games was written and directed by Mamet in his directorial debut. It starred Lindsay Crouse, Joe Mantegna, William H. Macy, and Mamet favorite magician Ricky Jay, telling the story of a psychiatrist who gets wrapped up in the dangerous world of gambling and con-men when she tries to help one of her patients get rid of a debt.
A writer and director still need to be found, so this project has a way to go.
Davis and Abdul-Mateen II are both alums of the defunct DCEU, her as Amana Waller in numerous films including Suicide Squad, him as Black Manta in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. He’ll be seen next as the title character in Marvel’s Wonder Man series. He also just joined David Fincher’s Cliff Booth movie with Brad Pitt. Davis returned as Amanda Waller in James Gunn’s Creature Commandos series, and was last seen in the action film G20.
I’ve been saying for well over a decade that Akira was never going to happen at Warner Bros., and now today it’s finally canceled. THR reports that Taika Waititi’s adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo’s groundbreaking manga and animated film is dead at the studio, as it has given up control of the rights.
Akira, about a Neo-Tokyo biker gang member who is experimented on the government, unleashing devastating telekinetic powers that ravage the city, will revert back to Japanese publisher Kodansha. Warner Bros., along with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way banner, have been developing a live-action film for decades. Seriously, this was one of the most written-about projects when our little blog began in 2008.
Waititi has been attached for years, but has never gotten anywhere close to shooting it. He expressed a desire to cast Japanese actors or those with Japanese backgrounds, which is better than when Keanu Reeves, Dane DeHaan, and Michael Pitt were sought to star.
Other directors who had a cup of coffee while considering Akira include Jaume Collet-Serra, Albert Hughes, Stephen Norrington, Christopher Nolan, Jordan Peele, and George Miller. On the plus side, Peele did get to use the iconic motorcycle slide scene in Nope.
So what happens now? This is unlikely to be the end of the story. Akira is a massive undertaking but is also incredibly popular, with potential for a live-action movie to be a gigantic hit. However, interpreting that very Japan-specific story for American audiences will be tough. Hopefully, it stays in the hands of Japanese filmmakers and stars who can do it the justice it deserves.
