Jordan Peele’s Next Film Pulled By Universal, Won’t Arrive In 2024

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December 26, 2023

If you’ve been waiting anxiously for the next genre film by Jordan Peele, there’s bad news for you this holiday. Peele’s next film, which in March was set to hit theaters on Christmas Day 2024, has been pulled from the schedule by Universal. The news isn’t a complete surprise as sister label, Focus Features, recently set Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu on that date and they’d want to stay out of each other’s way.

Another reason comes to mind: Peele doesn’t appear to have even begun shooting. No casting news has been shared, either. That last bit largely had to do with the SAG-AFTRA strike which delayed pretty much everything. But since it has been over, no confirmed casting info has been made known.

Details on the plot are a mystery, as well. Peele is known for keeping things locked away until he’s ready to share them. What we do know is that every one of his films has been a blend of horror, comedy, and social commentary, beginning with Get Out in 2017, Us in 2019, and Nope in 2022.

We may not see anything from Peele at all next year, as his Monkeypaw Productions saw the date it had set for September 27th 2024 also pulled by Universal. Lionsgate took advantage and set Saw XI for that date. It’s unknown what the Monkeypaw film would’ve been, as well as the extent of Peele’s involvement.

So what’s next for Jordan Peele? As far as we know, these films aren’t canceled and are just awaiting new dates.

‘Rebel Moon-Part Two: The Scargiver’ Teaser: Zack Snyder’s Space Saga Continues In April

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Travis Hopson

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December 26, 2023

Zack Snyder took Christmas Day as the opportunity to provide a gift to his legion of fans; the teaser trailer for Rebel Moon-Part Two: The Scargiver. Now, some may see this as a holiday lump of coal given the blistering reviews (here’s mine) for its predecessor, A Child of Fire, which hit Netflix last week.

That said, there’s still a lot of anticipation for the sequel to Snyder’s big space opera, which began life as a Star Wars-meets-Kurosawa pitch to Lucasfilm. Those elements remain the same in the finished version, and we presume in the sequel, as well.

Here’s the synopsis: REBEL MOON – PART TWO: THE SCARGIVER continues the epic saga of Kora and the surviving warriors as they prepare to sacrifice everything, fighting alongside the brave people of Veldt, to defend a once peaceful village, a newfound homeland for those who have lost their own in the fight against the Motherworld. On the eve of their battle the warriors must face the truths of their own pasts, each revealing why they fight. As the full force of the Realm bears down on the burgeoning rebellion, unbreakable bonds are forged, heroes emerge, and legends are made.

The cast is mostly the same and includes Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Anthony Hopkins, Cleopatra Coleman, and Fra Free. Not everyone survived the first movie, though, so expect some changes.

Rebel Moon- Part Two: The Scargiver hits Netflix on April 19th 2024.

Review: ‘Ferrari’
Michael Mann's Racing Drama Never Shifts Into High Gear

By
Travis Hopson
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Does the world really need two Ferrari movies in less than five years? To be fair, 2019’s critically acclaimed Ford v Ferrari wasn’t so much about the man as the racing rivalry. Michael Mann’s Ferrari, however, is considerably less interesting and intense for putting its focus on a past-his-prime, befuddled Enzo Ferrari as he juggles business woes and a corrosive love triangle that threatens to destroy everything.

Adam Driver, sporting grey hair, a bit of a ponch, and ever-present shades, plays Enzo Ferrari who is torn between his emboldened wife Laura (Penelope Cruz), who has the rights to the Ferrari business in her name; and his mistress Lina (Shailene Woodley), the mother of his son after tragedy claimed Enzo’s eldest child. It’s 1957 and Enzo is no longer a pedal-to-the-metal guy, at least not in action. While the company struggles against upstart Maserati, who hope to break Ferrari’s speed record, Enzo puts all of his energies into winning the dangerous Mille Miglia in hopes of boosting sales. It’s also a case of personal pride.

If only Ferrari were more about the deadly race, getting the racers ready to endure the most ferocious course in history, where 56 people died throughout its existence. Ferrari only truly comes alive when it steers towards the grim spectacle. Mann captures each grisly collision with macabre fascination but is less interested when Troy Kennedy Martin’s one-note screenplay goes back into cruise control. Enzo’s life just sortof keeps going on despite the horrors of the racetrack. If the point is to show how separated Enzo has become to anything outside of his domestic strife, it only serves to feel like Mann is in a sprint to the finish line.

And honestly, who can blame him for wanting to move on to the next project as quickly as possible? Ferrari, a project Mann had been exploring since 2000, arrives already beyond its expiration date.The far-superior Ford v Ferrari beat Mann to the punch, taking initial star Christian Bale with it, and this is like Mann was left with the scraps to play around with. Because the least interesting things about Enzo Ferrari, this Italian giant of the automotive industry, are his marital issues and business sense.

At least Driver comes well-prepared for the role. The House of Gucci accent remains firmly in place, and he can play stoic and stylish with the best of them. Cruz brings her typical fire to the role of Laura, with an extra dose of venom. Woodley doesn’t have much to do as the clear third leg of this triangle, though. Love is little more than a car wreck’s worth of heartbreak with this trio, but Ferrari only finds passion on the track, and even then, only when the track becomes a horror show.

Ferrari is in theaters now.

Review: ‘The Boys In The Boat’
George Clooney Steers A Workmanlike Story Of Depression Era Triumph

By
Travis Hopson
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George Clooney is often regarded as a classic movie star, and his roles tend to reflect that. But so do many of the films in his directorial career, which take on a classic, old Hollywood style such as Good Night & Good Luck, Monuments Men, and now The Boys in the Boat. The inspirational sports drama about the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that miraculously defied the odds on the way to championships and the Berlin Olympics, is handsomely made and features postcard-worthy shots of glistening water. With its old-fashioned story of Depression Era triumph it’s probably a movie that your grandpa is really looking forward to, while everyone else in the family goes to see something else with a bit more edge.

A dashing Callum Turner plays struggling University of Washington student Joe Rantz. With no family and no money, Joe is seeking a means of paying the tuition that’s due. He’s a resourceful, affable guy, though. He can fix a shoe using some wadded-up newspaper if he has to. And while he’s stubborn, Joe will eventually head to the nearby soup kitchen to eat. He’s even managed to catch the eye of Joyce (Hadley Robinson), a childhood friend who has been flirting with him for ages.

When a school chum mentions the rowing team, Joe initially has no interest. But when he hears that it offers pay and lodging, he’s in. But first he’ll have to survive the punishing tryouts by coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton), and beat out the hundreds of other poor guys looking to make the squad.

As you probably guessed, Joe does make the team, and soon he and his mates are teaching those stuffy Ivy Leaguers what working-class muscle can do. Even if you don’t know the historical aspects of the story, the screenplay by Mark L. Smith (adapted from Daniel James Brown’s book) offers few surprises. It’s a little odd that a story centered on the team aspects of rowing puts nearly all of the focus on one man, Joe, but it’s also tough to deny that Turner makes for an impressive leading man. The Green Room and Fantastic Beasts actor, a native Englishman, carries himself with poise and makes a striking figure.

Heart-swelling music by Alexandre Desplat and sun-kissed cinematography by Martin Ruhe lift Clooney’s efficient storytelling. Like the men at the heart of this film, Clooney’s effort is workmanlike, getting the job done with no fuss. Even when the team makes it to Berlin to face the Nazi crowds with Adolf Hitler himself watching, The Boys in the Boat proceeds steadily, assuredly, but with little thrill. This is the kind of movie that will be shown in classrooms but rarely will it be chosen to be the entertainment.

The Boys in the Boat is in theaters now.

‘Scream VII’ Drama Continues As Director Christopher Landon Exits “Nightmare” Job

By

Travis Hopson

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December 24, 2023

And you thought Scream VII couldn’t get be more of a mess following the departure of stars Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega within 24 hours of one another. Now it’s director Christopher Landon who has made his exit, calling the project “a dream job that turned into a nightmare.”

Landon revealed the news on social media, going further in depth with his comments…

“I guess now is as good a time as any to announce I formally exited Scream 7 weeks ago. This will disappoint some and delight others. It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare. And my heart did break for everyone involved. Everyone. But it’s time to move on. I have nothing more to add to the conversation other than I hope Wes’ legacy thrives and lifts above the din of a divided world. What he and Kevin created is something amazing and I was honored to have even the briefest moment basking in their glow.”

Last month, Barrera was fired for social media comments about the Palestine/Israel conflict that the studio deemed to be antisemitic. The next day, Ortega departed the franchise citing conflicts with her Netflix series, Wednesday.

Landon boarded the franchise to direct Scream VII, following a revitalization of the horror by directors Radio Silence with 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream VI. The match seemed to be a perfect fit, given Landon’s track record with the Paranormal Activity and Happy Death Day franchises.

It remains to be seen where Scream VII goes from here. Writer James Vanderbilt is still around, having written the last two films. He’s said to be figuring out how to move forward following the departures of Barrera and Ortega, and now the loss of his creative partner Landon is another hurdle to contend with.

‘Dr. Death’ Season 2 Interview: Luke Kirby, Ashley Madekwe, & Gustaf Hammarsten Discuss Why They Joined The Medical Drama

By

Cortland Jacoby

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December 22, 2023

Luke Kirby, Ashley Madekwe, and Gustaf Hammarsten are the heart of Dr. Death’s second season. Following the medical malpractice and human experimentation of Italian thoracic surgeon Paolo Macchiarini (played by Édgar Ramírez, the season looks at the people and systems in place that helped him succeed in the deaths of multiple people after they received stem-cell-seeded trachea transplants.

Kirby and Hammarsten play a doctor and lab scientist skeptical of Dr. Macchiarini’s success. Madekwe’s character works closely with the doctor and cannot immediately see the consequences of their actions.

I sat down with the trio to talk about why they joined the project, adding a comedic sensibility to a dark script, and facial hair.

Dr. Death season two premieres on Dec. 21. You can find out more about the series here.

Review: ‘Anyone But You’
Glenn Powell's Charm Can't Save A Miscast Sydney Sweeney From Will Gluck's Tired Shakespeare Adaptation

By
Cortland Jacoby
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Anyone But You should be good. Its director Will Gluck is no stranger to adapting classic literature into the modern romcom format. He did it with Emma Stone in 2010’s underrated Easy A and with Domnhall Gleeson in the Peter Rabbit franchise. However, this modern version of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing relies too much on the charms of Glen Powell to overshadow the miscasting of Sydney Sweeney and an awkward, clunky script.

As most romantic comedies do, Anyone But You starts with a meet-cute, where Ben (Powell) and Bea (Sweeney) meet in a coffee shop after the latter needs the bathroom. They flirt, she walks out with toilet paper on her shoe and he is smitten. They spend the rest of the day and night together before Bea leaves early out of habit, only to come back and overhear that their time together didn’t mean anything to him.

Of course, they meet again, this time through Bea’s sister, Halle (Hadley Robinson), and Ben’s family friend, Claudia (Alexandra Shipp), who are engaged. When the couple decides to get married in Australia, their friends and family scheme to get Ben and Bea together to prevent them from ruining it. Exes (Darren Barnet and Charlee Fraser), best friends (Gata), overbearing family members (Rachel Griffiths and Dermot Mulroney), and an Australian surfer’s peehole (Joe Davidson) try to bring them together without destroying themselves.

Director Will Gluck co-wrote the film with Ilana Wolpert, known for her work on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. The dialogue is clunky and pauses appear out of nowhere and do little to expand character development. Shakespeare quotes appear in the foreground to mark development in the story. At times, the script contradicts itself. Shipp’s character says at one point if the troubled couple doesn’t start to behave, her ‘something borrowed’ would be a knife. Her fiance then chimes in that it would also be “shiny and new.”

Anyone But You takes from so many other romcoms. The enemies to lovers and fake dating tropes are what love stories are built on and what many other films have done better. Certain crass moments seem to pop up out of nowhere with little transition time. Instead of being charming and funny, like in Trainwreck, they come off as jarring.

Gluck even steals from his own romcoms. Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” plays a major role in the film’s plot, much like the same singer’s “Pocketful of Sunshine” did in Easy A.

Glen Powell oozes charm. Sure, he plays the cocksure d-bag with the heart of gold that he played variations of in Set It Up and Top Gun Maverick, but here he transforms an unsteady script into something workable. He portrays the full extent of his character’s emotions

Sweeney on the other hand, fails to emote much past her doe eyes. When Bea and Ben are on good terms, she plays along with Powell quite well. But when their characters are supposed to be verbally sparring which is most of the film, she can’t keep up much past a one-note bitchy facade. It’s not that she doesn’t belong in Anyone But You, but Bea doesn’t feel like the right for her. Perhaps, she should have switched with Alexandra Shipp, who would have been able to capture the full range of a modern Shakespeare heroine.

Earlier in December, Julia Stiles made headlines by reciting her infamous poem from 10 Things I Hate About You, a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. People in the audience teared up with nostalgia. Unlike that adaption and many others like it, Anyone But You lacks the charm and smarts to bring out the best of the original text. Instead, it leaves a mess that even Powell can’t charm his way out of.

Anyone But You is now playing in theaters. Watch the trailer below.

Jason Momoa Talks “Sad” End To The DCEU, Hyped For Lobo Role If Called

By

Travis Hopson

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December 22, 2023

Jason Momoa could exit Aquaman and play Lobo instead

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom opens in theaters today, marking the end of the DCEU once and for all. It’s been a low-key build to the sequel, especially when you consider its predecessor made over $1B billion and received positive reviews. But then, this has been a bad year as multiple DC projects have tanked at the box office, as fans have seemingly checked out before the arrival of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s reboot DC Studios in 2025.

But it’s been a depressing end for star Jason Momoa, who threw himself into the role of Aquaman with gusto and is one of the main reasons for checking out the new film.

Speaking with Fandango, Momoa talked about the end of the DCEU…

“It’s going to be sad because we’re going to be the end of the DCU, and it’s a whole new, you know, what 14 years of that whole universe… It was fun playing him,” Momoa said.

So what’s next? Rumor is that Gunn wants Momoa for the role of Lobo. This is interesting because Momoa was initially thought to be playing that part years ago, only to be recruited for Aquaman. He talked about that, and reveals he wasn’t really into the whole Aquaman thing in the beginning.

“Well, I originally thought I was going to be playing Lobo because I was called in. I auditioned for Batman, and I almost didn’t do it,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘This is silly. It’s not gonna be me. Why am I auditioning for Batman?’ But it was just a run-of-the-mill audition. And then I got called in right after it was announced, and I was like, ‘ah f**k, of course, I’m gonna play the bad guy, cause I’m a big guy, I can kick the sh*t out of those two [Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill] and so I was like, ‘yeah, I’ll come in and beat ’em up and die like I do.’”

“And so, [Zack Snyder was like] do you know who you’re gonna play?” Momoa continued. “And I was like, ‘Lobo, of course, he’s the only one that can fight Batman and Superman,’ and [Zack] was like, ‘What? Lobo? He’s not in this universe,’ and I was like, ‘What? Who the hell am I supposed to play?’”

“I wish he woulda tapped it because he was like Aquaman, and I was like ‘The f*ck are you talking about?’ And I was like, ‘How?’ and he… told me his vision. ‘You’re Polynesian, it would be like this, and you’re this mix, but you live in the ice, and you go to these places, you’re this traveler, and you’ll punch Batman in the face and kiss Wonder Woman, you’re like this renegade.’… And …you gotta give it to Zack; he dreamt up something really… he built this unbelievable character.”

The Lobo thing isn’t set in stone just yet, but if Gunn wants him, Momoa is definitely down for it.

“F*ck yeah, it’s a guarantee you don’t need to worry about that. But I haven’t received that call, so I don’t want to put out any fake news, but if they ever call me to ask him to play him or audition, I’m there.”

‘Scrambled’ Trailer: Leah McKendrick’s Bridesmaid Comedy Hits Theaters In February

By

Travis Hopson

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December 22, 2023

Always a bridesmaid, never the bride. Lionsgate has released the trailer for Scrambled, the directorial debut by Leah McKendrick, who also stars in the comedy. She’s joined in the cast by Ego Nwodim, Andrew Santino, Adam Rodriguez, Laura Cerón, Yvonne Strahovski, and Clancy Brown. The film premiered at SXSW to positive reviews.

Here’s the synopsis: Quintessential eternal bridesmaid Nellie Robinson (Leah McKendrick) constantly finds herself between weddings, baby showers, and bad dates. When she begins to feel like the clock is ticking and is faced with bleak romantic prospects, Nellie decides to freeze her eggs — setting her on an empowering journey to a brave new world where she ultimately discovers “the one” she’s looking for might be herself.

McKendrick is a rising star who is currently attached to write the upcoming I Know What You Did Last Summer legacy sequel. She’s a fresh voice and we could be hearing from her for a long time to come, so this one might be worth checking out.

Obviously, Lionsgate agrees because they’ve set Scrambled for a theatrical release, and not a streaming one. The film hits theaters on February 2nd 2024.

Snyder House Rules: Talking Zack Snyder’s ‘Rebel Moon’, Snyderverse Finale ‘Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom’

By

Travis Hopson

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December 21, 2023

Zack Snyder's REBEL MOON and Snyderverse finale AQUAMAN 2

On today’s episode of Cinema Royale, the Snyder House Rules! Okay, well, that’s a bit silly but we are talking about two movies with a Zack Snyder connection, so he definitely rules THIS episode. Chris Bumbray of Joblo.com joins me to talk about Snyder’s massive space epic, Rebel Moon-Part One: A Child of Fire! Snyder’s anticipated Netflix film began life as a Star Wars pitch inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. That brings really lofty expectations, but does it measure up?

And finally, the Snyderverse officially comes to an end this week with the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Jason Momoa returns as Arthur Curry for a battle against a vengeful Black Manta. Snyder doesn’t have anything to do with this movie anymore, but it exists within the DCEU that he started in 2013 with Man of Steel.

Enjoy this bit of silly Snyder fun right before the holidays. There are a ton of good movies out this Christmas season, so get out and enjoy them!

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