Sacha Baron Cohen’s Mystery Trump Project May Be Headed To Showtime

By

-

July 6, 2018

The mystery surrounding Sacha Baron Cohen’s recent trolling of Donald Trump appears to have been solved. On July 4th Cohen teased….something, that would put Trump in his comedy crosshairs. Also in recent days Showtime has been dropping promos for a secret comedy show that they couldn’t provide any details on because the creator wouldn’t let them…

Now Variety reports the two projects are the same, with Cohen and Showtime in negotiations to air the series. It’s being described as interview-style, which is very similar to Cohen’s past stuff with Da Ali G. Show. That would be why Cohen has been showing old footage of his interview with Trump, reigniting a rivalry that has been going for a few years. Plus, there have been talks for months that Cohen interviewed O.J. Simpson for a future project, presumably this one.

The show will premiere on July 15th so we won’t have to wait long to find out the truth. Maybe it’s a show hosted by Cohen and everybody ever fired from Trump’s Cabinet? Man, those would be some long opening credits.

James Mangold Thinks Negative Fandom Will Drive Away The Best Directors

By

John Nolan

-

July 6, 2018

With big name directors including Christopher McQuarrie, Rian Johnson, and James Gunn out there talking about the negative perception caused by certain franchise’s toxic fandom, the latest to sound off is James Mangold. He’s got a dog in this fight as the director of Logan and the rumored director of the Boba Fett spinoff film, but according to him, directors of his quality may soon be turned off at the idea of working on anything with such a dangerously rabid fanbase.

At the point when work writing & directing big franchises has become the emotionally loaded equivalent of writing a new chapter of The Bible (w/ the probable danger of being stoned & called a blasphemer), then a lot of bolder minds r gonna leave these films 2 hacks & corp boards.

— Mangold (@mang0ld) July 5, 2018

One cynical tweeter replied that these movies are already going to corporate hacks, and Mangold was quick to defend not only himself but McQuarrie and Johnson…

If you feel that is the case, if u feel the film makers are just corporate tools and powerless, then why bitch at us? In the case of @rianjohnson and @chrismcquarrie, i assure you these cats are not “owned”. They actually fight your battles behind the scenes.

— Mangold (@mang0ld) July 5, 2018

Mangold wasn’t just out there on the attack. He actually shows some understanding of those who invest so much emotion into their favorite characters, but he wants them to choose a different way rather than denigrating filmmakers personally…

The fervor of some attacks has an evangelical ferocity. Now, I get it cause for many folk, including me, the SW saga holds tremendous spiritual power, similar to a religious text. But we must remember to try to handle our disappointments the way Yoda might, as opposed to Darth.

— Mangold (@mang0ld) July 5, 2018

These comments aren’t coming out of nowhere. Something tells me Mangold will think long and hard before he signs on the dotted line to direct Boba Fett or any Star Wars movie.

Doctor Strange Won’t Be Helping Out Peter Parker In ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’

By

John Nolan

-

July 6, 2018

We’ve now reached the point in film journalism when rumors are being debunked before they even reach the embryonic stage. A pre-emptive debunking. In this case, it’s in regards to Spider-Man: Far From Home, Marvel and Sony’s sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, and one character who will not be showing up in it. Not that anybody ever said he was going to. So why is this a story?

The answer is simple: Marvel.

What we know about Far From Home is still pretty slim. Tom Holland will return as Peter Parker and the story will pick up just minutes after Avengers 4. He’s expected to go on a vacation across the pond with some friends, and it’s in London where he’ll presumably battle the villain Mysterio, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Doctor Strange has one of his sanctums set up in London, and that has led some to speculate he could make an appearance. Well…no. That’s not happening. Marvel’s Kevin Feige took a cleaver to that rumor before Slashfilm’s Peter Sciretta could get it spreading around too fast…

Peter: I’m wondering ’cause London there is a sanctum there. Is Doctor Strange gonna be the one in this one?

Kevin: No.

Peter: No?

Kevin: I could be coy about it but no.

Peter: (shocked that he gave a direct response) Okay.

Kevin: I don’t wanna get people excited. But Benedict and Holland have liked the idea of working together.

Spidey was shadowed by Tony Stark all throughout Homecoming, but he’s an Avenger now and doesn’t need a mentor. I expect we’ll still see another superhero teamup with him, but it won’t be someone as obvious as Doctor Strange. If we’re lucky it’ll be someone we haven’t seen before, or a character who could use the extra screen time.

Spidey and Strange were a pretty likeable duo in Avengers: Infinity War, though, and Feige must know he has a good thing going there. Since Doctor Strange 2 is definitely going to happen at some point, don’t be surprised if a certain wallcrawler makes an appearance.

Spider-Man: Far From Home opens July 5th 2019.

Pop! Obsession: Funko’s ‘Ant-Man And The Wasp’ Figures Are Here

By

John Nolan

-

July 6, 2018

Last night Marvel continued their summer dominance with the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp! The Marvel sequel features Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly as the diminutive crime-fighting duo as they venture into the Quantum Zone. But you won’t need to go subatomic to get Funko’s Pop! Vinyls for the new movie, they’re available for order right now.

Anyway, the first wave of figures is mercifully small, no pun intended. We have two versions of Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, one helmeted and one without. Honestly they aren’t too different from earlier versions of Ant-Man’s figure. We also have two types of Wasp figures, and like Ant-Man’s the rare “Chase” version features her without a helmet. The film’s mysterious villain, the Ghost (played by Hannah John-Kamen), also gets two figures including an “invisible” Walmart variant.

These figures are expected to ship in July, but you can get them right now from our friends at Entertainment Earth. When you click on any of our below links and make a purchase we get a small commission that helps us keep the lights on, at no cost to you at all. Every little bit helps, and we thank all of you continue to support us and our sponsors. Thanks!

Order Ant-Man & The Wasp Wasp Pop! Vinyl Figure #341 from Entertainment Earth!

Order Ant-Man & The Wasp Ant-Man Pop! Vinyl Figure #340 from Entertainment Earth!

Order Ant-Man & The Wasp Ghost Pop! Vinyl Figure #342 from Entertainment Earth!

‘Star Wars Resistance’: First Look At The Animated Series’ Characters, Possible Premiere Date Revealed

By

John Nolan

-

July 6, 2018

Still suffering from Star Wars Rebels withdrawal? I feel ya, but our mutual pain may be about over. Star Wars Resistance, the new animated series from Rebels creator Dave Filoni might be closer than we knew, and today we’re getting a first look at some of its characters, including some familiar faces.

Character designs were revealed during a recent Disney France Partners Event, and while it’s not a great image you can pick out at least two recognizable faces from the current live-action trilogy. On the right you can pick out the roly-poly robot BB-8, who became so popular with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In the back to the left you can see ace fighter pilot Poe Dameron, who will be voiced by Oscar Isaac. In the center you can see the series’ central protagonist, Kazuda Xiono, a skilled pilot recruited by the Resistance to infiltrate the First Order to get a sense of their strength.

On the left where all the dark siders are gathered, the metallic form of Captain Phasma is seen, and she’ll be voiced by Gwendoline Christie. The rest of the announced voice cast includes Christopher Sean, Suzie McGrath, Scott Lawrence, Myrna Velasco, Josh Brener, Donald Faison, Bobby Moynihan, Jim Rash, and Rachel Butera.

Star Wars Resistance Character Art Revealed | https://t.co/Gox1PxSoBv https://t.co/10Bu2mu8YT #starwarsresistance #lucasfilm #RDVDisney2018 pic.twitter.com/nZk1eJYKFx

— Yakface (@yak_face) July 5, 2018

The anime-inspired series will take place prior to The Force Awakens, which opens up a wealth of possibilities in story and characters. We could see Filoni pick up some of the dangling Star Wars Rebels threads (Hey Ezra, where ya at?), or expand background of characters from the live-action movies.

A tweet from a Disney France employee says the series could premiere on Disney XD this October, which isn’t that far off. While it isn’t confirmed yet, an announcement could be around the corner.

For some pretty interesting fan theories on Star Wars Resistance, check out this vid from the folks at Star Wars Latin America.

Live-Action ‘Gundam’ Movie Is Finally Happening From The ‘Pacific Rim’ And ‘Jurassic World’ Folks

By

John Nolan

-

July 6, 2018

When it comes to sagas involving giant robots, they don’t get much bigger than Gundam. The robot, which was most recently seen in Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, is finally getting a live-action Hollywood movie from the folks behind Pacific Rim, Jurassic World, and Kong: Skull Island.

Legendary and Gundam’s Sunrise made the announcement at Anime Expo 2018. Gundam basically wrote the book on the entire mecha genre with its launch in 1979 by Yoshiyuki Tomino. The franchise has expanded to include manga, anime, video games, and novels, with its influence spread far and wide. Details on the movie are scarce, but the official press release does a good job of encapsulating the Gundam universe…

The original Gundam series is set in the Universal Century, an era in which humanity’s growing population has led people to emigrate to space colonies. Eventually, the people living in the colonies seek their autonomy, and launch a war of independence against the people living on Earth. Through the tragedies and discord arising from this human conflict, not only the maturation of the main character, but also the intentions of enemies and the surrounding people are sensitively depicted.

I have questions. This won’t go the way of the forever-teased Robotech movie, will it? When will Legendary give us the Pacific Rim/Gundam/Godzilla crossover we fans deserve? And who is the lucky chap who will play Gundam’s most awesome villain, Char Aznable?

‘Child’s Play’ TV Series And Original Franchise To Continue Despite MGM’s Reboot

By

John Nolan

-

July 5, 2018

So about that Child’s Play reboot MGM is working on…well, it’s still happening. And I guess that’s a good thing if you’re a fan and you want it to reach a new generation unfamiliar with the greatness that is Chucky. And for those who have been devoted to the original franchise since the beginning there is even better news, because the franchise is about to grow significantly, and all of the aspects you love are sticking around.

Okay, first the mildly bad news: the MGM reboot will NOT feature Brad Dourif as the voice of Chucky. He, like Child’s Play creator Don Mancini, have been there from the start but Mancini turned down any involvement in this new project. However, Mancini and Dourif will both be part of the developing TV series and future in-continuity sequels. That’s right, Mancini will continue to keep the original Chucky out there and killing, regardless of what MGM does with their film that promises a “technologically advanced” murderous doll. With a TV show and more sequels we could be on the cusp of a Chucky-naissance.

So you basically have three ways to get all of the Chucky action you can handle. I’m probably not going to break my neck to see any of them, but if I have to it’s the original recipe version that appeals most. [BloodyDisgusting]

Sacha Baron Cohen Teases New Project By Trolling Donald Trump

By

John Nolan

-

July 5, 2018

Donald Trump doesn’t like Sacha Baron Cohen. I’m guessing the feeling is mutual. In 2012 the Trumpster lashed out at Cohen, a “third rate character”, for pulling an embarrassing prank on Ryan Seacrest at the Oscars. He ended the diatribe by telling Cohen he should “go to school” because he “doesn’t know shit” about being funny, apparently. Well, Cohen finally has his diploma.

Yesterday Cohen tweeted out a teaser which is a video of everything described above, including the “go to school” bit. It ends with a caption that reads, “Sacha graduates SOON.”

A message from your President @realDonaldTrump on Independence Day pic.twitter.com/O2PwZqO0cs

— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) July 4, 2018

Sounds like Cohen, who has been keeping a low profile lately, has something Trump related in the works. It may have something to do with Trump University, the pseudo business school our con-man President opened to fleece students. Or it’s just an attack on Trump himself, and frankly I don’t care as long as it’s funny and takes him down a peg. Or two.

We haven’t seen an original work from Cohen in years, not since 2012’s The Dictator which, now that I think about it, would be a pretty good title for a movie about Trump. His most recent films, Grimsby and Alice Through the Looking Glass, were both really terrible. He spent some time attached to the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody before leaving over creative differences. Next for him is a Netflix series titled The Spy, which is expected this year.

I’m not a fan of Cohen per se, but I see the potential in what he could do to someone like Trump who is notoriously thin-skinned. Case in point, the below video which features the first encounter between Trump and Cohen’s rapper character Ali G. Trump would later lie and say he immediately left the interview, a claim Cohen refuted.

Idris Elba Will Take On Dwayne Johnson And Jason Statham In ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ Spinoff

By

John Nolan

-

July 5, 2018

As if the pairing of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham wasn’t enough reason to get hyped for Fast and the Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw, now you can add Idris Elba into the mix. That’s almost too much testosterone for one movie to control. Elba is in final talks to play the movie’s villain, meaning we can expect him to be on the receiving end of a brutal barrage of punches and one-liners.

Further details around Elba’s role aren’t available, and that’s not a surprise. We don’t actually know much about the plot franchise writer Chris Morgan is cooking up, although we do know it will involve The Crown star Vanessa Kirby as Owen Shaw’s sister who happens to be an MI-5 agent.

Elba’s obviously no stranger to blockbuster franchise movies, having played major roles in three Thor movies, Avengers: Infinity War, Star Trek Beyond, and last year’s unfortunate The Dark Tower. He was recently at Sundance with his directorial debut, Yardie, opening later this year.

Directed by David Leitch, Hobbs & Shaw opens July 26th 2019. [Variety]

John Krasinski Is America’s Best Hope In Action-Packed ‘Jack Ryan’ Trailer

By

John Nolan

-

July 5, 2018

With A Quiet Place still fresh in everyone’s minds, John Krasinski is now one of the hottest directors working today. And while we will continue to see him wield his newound power as a director and producer, his bread is buttered in front of the camera. Next up for him Amazon’s action-packed Jack Ryan series, and a new trailer for the Tom Clancy adaptation reminds us Krasinski is a long ways away from The Office.

If you have a hard time seeing Krasinski as an action hero, you might want to watch this new trailer in which he plays a more intense version of CIA analyst Jack Ryan. The character has been featured in numerous thriller novels and five movies played by four different actors: Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine. It wasn’t until recently the character began to be reimagined as less of a desk jockey/diplomat and more of a take-no-prisoners soldier. The Krasinski seen here will be familiar to those who saw him in Michael Bay’s 13 Hours.

Here’s the synopsis: When CIA analyst Jack Ryan stumbles upon a suspicious series of bank transfers his search for answers pulls him from the safety of his desk job and catapults him into a deadly game of cat and mouse throughout Europe and the Middle East, with a rising terrorist figurehead preparing for a massive attack against the US and her allies.

Jack Ryan hits Amazon Prime on August 31st.