It’s time to try and make fetch happen one more time! Mean Girls is back, this time based on the hit Broadway musical which itself was inspired by the 2004 classic high school comedy from Tina Fey that introduced us to the coolest clique in class, the Plastics!
The Nice Guys‘ Angourie Rice stars as Cady Heron, taking on the role made famous by Lindsay Lohan. After Cady arrives in suburban Illinois from Africa, she’s thrown for a loop by the social heirarchy at her new school. She falls into the orbit of the bullying clique known as The Plastics, led by Regina George (Renee Rapp, who played the role on Broadway) who drops the infamous “Get in, loser” line in this trailer. Tough to compete with Rachel McAdams who owned that role previously.
Also in the cast are Bebe Wood and Avantika Vandanapu as fellow Plastics sidekicks Gretchen Weiners and Karen Smith (originally played by Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried), as well as Auli’i Cravalho’s as Janis Ian and Jaquel Spivey’s wise-cracking Damian Hubbard.
Fey reprises her role as pathetic teacher Ms. Norbury, along with Tim Meadows who returns as Principal Duval. We also see Jenna Fischer as Cady’s mother, and Jon Hamm as sex ed teacher Coach Carr. Ashley Park, who played Gretchen on the stage version, also has a role as a schoolteacher.
The film is directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., with SNL creator Lorne Michael as a producer.
Mean Girls opens in theaters on January 12th 2024.
Following Nintendo’s billion-dollar success with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it was inevitable that more of their iconic video games would be hitting the big screen. Most of the rumors have centered on The Legend of Zelda being next, and now Deadline reports Nintendo will team up with Sony Pictures on a live-action film based on the hit adventure franchise.
The Maze Runner and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball is attached to direct this new Zelda film. Jurassic World and Safety Not Guaranteed writer Derek Connolly will pen the screenplay.
Launched in 1986, The Legend of Zelda focused on Link, an elf-like warrior in the land of Hyrule who goes on a quest to find pieces of the powerful Triforce in order to save Princess Zelda from the clutches of the evil Ganon.
There have been 19 total games in the Zelda series, along with an animated TV series that aired briefly in 1989 as part of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! The most recent game, the critically-acclaimed Tears of the Kingdom, was released earlier this year for the Nintendo Switch.
So who do you think would be a good choice to play Link? Or Zelda? And will we get an Epona sighting? Link needs to have his horse, right?
In 2019, Fox/Disney released The Personal History of David Copperfield, a fresh, funny, diverse reimagining of the Charles Dickens classic. Well, Disney is building out their Dickensverse once again with the upcoming Hulu series The Artful Dodger, starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster as the skillful thief from Dickens’ Oliver Twist.
As seen in the new trailer, The Artful Dodger catches up with Jack Dawkins as he’s living his best life as a surgeon in Australia. But the Prince of Thieves’ former life as a pickpocket soon catches up with him, threatening to expose who he truly is.
The series also stars David Thewlis, Maia Mitchell, Damon Herriman, Tim Minchin, Miranda Tapsell, Susie Porter, Damien Garvey, Kym Gyngell, Vivienne Awosoga, and Albert Latailakepa. James McNamara, David Maher, and David Taylor are creators and exec-producers.
Here’s the synopsis: “The Artful Dodger” explores the adult double life of Charles Dickens’ famous prince of thieves, Jack Dawkins aka The Artful Dodger, whose fast pickpocketing fingers have turned into the skilled hands of a surgeon. Set in 1850s Australia, in the lively colony of Port Victory, Dodger’s past returns to haunt him with the arrival of Fagin, luring him back into a world of crime. A greater threat – to Dodger’s heart – is Lady Belle, the Governor’s daughter, determined to become the colony’s first female surgeon. From heists to life-and-death surgeries to the harsh realities of the criminal world mingling with the middle ground and gentry, this is a tale of reinvention, betrayal, redemption, and love with a twist.
The Artful Dodger hits Hulu on November 29th with all episodes available.
We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free early screening of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes! The prequel stars Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, and Viola Davis.
SYNOPSIS: Experience the story of THE HUNGER GAMES — 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem. THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.
The screening takes place on Tuesday, November 14th at 7:00pm at Regal Majestic. If you’d like to attend, RSVP at the Lionsgate site here. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you’ll need to arrive early to ensure seating. May the odds be ever in your favor!
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes opens in theaters November 17th.
Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and the Peanuts gang are getting back together! Deadline reports Apple is planning a new original Peanuts animated feature film, the first since 2015’s amazing The Peanuts Movie from Fox and Sky Studios. The new feature will see Apple teaming with Wildbrain and Peanuts Worldwide.
The new untitled film will find Charlie Brown and his friends “on an epic adventure to the Big City, learning the true meaning of friendship while meeting some surprising new friends along the way.”
Karey Kirkpatrick will co-write the screenplay from an original story by co-writers Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz and Cornelius Uliano, writers on The Peanuts Movie. That film’s director, Steve Martino, will return for this one, as well. Considering it made an impressive $246M worldwide it’s easy to see why Apple would want to keep the team together.
“It is so special to carry on my father’s legacy with an original story from me, my son Bryan, and his writing partner Neil,” said Craig Schulz. “We are excited to be partnering with Apple TV+ and working with WildBrain Studios to bring audiences a brand-new Peanuts adventure, along with the talented Bonnie Arnold as producer and Steve Martino as director. Peanuts fans have been clamoring for another feature for years, and this film will bring joy to our millions of fans around the world.”
Production is set to begin in fall 2024. As a die-hard Peanuts fanatic, I can’t wait for this and am happy to see Apple expand their use of the brand. They’ve already released a handful of projects, such as The Snoopy Show, Snoopy in Space, and classic Peanuts.Last summer they debuted One-of-a-Kind Marciewhich put a spotlight on Peppermint Patty’s eternal sidekick.
Much like the Lee Child book series and the pair of movies starring Tom Cruise, the Reacher TV series on Prime Video is old school. While it takes place in the modern day, the quiet, stoic hero at its core reminds of the best action heroes of the ’80s. And the show’s powerhouse of a star, Alan Ritchson (who recently had a role in Fast X), is straight out of the mold of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and others. There’s a reason why us fans (and yes, I am definitely one) have been eager to see this show return for season two, and now a new trailer lets us know it’s right around the corner.
As seen in the new trailer, Ritchson returns as Jack Reacher, an ex-military guy with his own personal code of ethics who keeps getting pulled into one sticky situation after the other. It seems that trouble follows Reacher wherever he goes, even though he just wants to keep to himself and lead a quiet, peaceful life.
But then, what a boring show that would be! Instead, Reacher kicks a lot of ass using his size, strength, and military skills.
While fans will be disappointed to know that much of the season one cast won’t be rejoining Ritchson, they’ll be happy to know that Maria Sten does return as Reacher’s longtime associate, Frances Neagley, who helps get him out of jams. New additions to the cast include Serinda Swan, Rory Cochrane, Dominick Lombardozzi, Ferdinand Kingsley, and Al Sapienza.
Here’s the season two synopsis: Reacher is pulled from his vagabond life by a coded message informing him that a member of the 110th – his elite group of Army Special Investigators – has been murdered. He and some of his former military cohorts reunite to investigate and soon realize the case is bigger than they ever could have imagined.
Reacher season two hits Prime Video for eight new episodes beginning December 15th.
It used to be that I didn’t care what a movie’s runtime was. But as I got older, and movies got longer, it’s become more of an issue for me, and I can understand why runtime has become such a major topic of discussion. Marvel films tend to run long, with the lengthiest being Avengers: Endgame at 182 minutes, while Eternals got trashed recently for going 156 minutes. But the shortest, well, that distinction now goes to this weekend’s The Marvels, which clocks in at just 105 minutes. Some fans are now concerned about that, too, but director Nia DaCosta explained to Digital Spy why she wanted it to be that way…
“I really wanted it to be under two hours,” DaCosta confirms. “I always think about the runtime actually, when I go into a film. I just feel like there’s no need to have it long if you don’t need to, because 1 hour 45 minutes is pretty average for a movie, so we were all really excited.”
“I just think you do what’s right for the movie. I didn’t even know about this runtime thing until I think it was reported on. You have to do what’s right for the movie.”
DaCosta has a point. Nobody cares about runtime if the story’s goals are accomplished. The problem comes when a movie is too short and it feels as if crucial parts are left out, or if a movie is unnaturally bloated to extend the runtime. The latter happens quite a lot when you get into awards season when some filmmakers believe a movie’s length is a sign of quality. Nothing could be further from the truth.
That said, there is a lot of story to fit into one movie. Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Photon (Teyonah Parris), and Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) all need there share of screen time, plus you’ve got a popular character like Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), and hopefully a decent villain (Zawe Ashton).
We’ll find out where The Marvels lands when it opens on November 10th.
The latest trailer for The Marvels is a bit odd, and smacks of desperation. Released just a handful of days before the film opens in theaters, which makes the timing weird, the tone is also a far cry from the fun, body-swapping superheroics of previous trailers. Instead, we get one that takes a serious tone, flashing back to the original Avengers as if there’s a chance in Hell any of them will show up in this movie.
It doesn’t look good that Marvel felt the need to do this, but then the early projections for The Marvels are very weak, hovering between $50M-$80M opening weekend. For context, Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania, which underperformed earlier this year, earned $104M in its opening days. Captain Marvel, this film’s predecessor, earned over $1.1B in 2019. So this ain’t good, and you can see why Marvel is perhaps hoping to hook fans who may have become disenchanted following the departure of big stars such as Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans.
A shame because The Marvelslooks like light and breezy fun. Brie Larson returns as Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel, with Teyonah Parris as her estranged niece and SABER astronaut, Monica Rambeau, with Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani joining them. Their powers get all jumbled up due to the actions of Kree revolutionary Darr-Benn (Zawe Ashton), and the trio of heroes must team up to solve the problem and save the universe.
Also seen in this trailer are Samuel L. Jackson who returns as Nick Fury, plus Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, who has some sage advice for Danvers to hear.
Directed by Nia DaCosta, The Marvels opens on November 10th.
If you’ve ever sat and watched ABC’s seven o’clock hour, you know that it is dedicated to the televised art of intellectual competition and knowledge. Shows like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune have not only been a regular part of Americans’ routines in the last 40 years but also a pivotal part of pop culture. Hulu’s Quiz Lady explores that idea through the eyes of a dowdy and by-the-book accountant and looks at how TV can guide and protect our relationships.
Directed by Jessica Yu, Quiz Lady opens with a brief history of Anne (Awkwafina) and Jenny’s (Sandra Oh) relationship, two sisters with a significant age gap living in a dysfunctional family. Every night, no matter if her parents were fighting or if Jenny was freaking out over boys or money, Anne would turn on “Can’t Stop The Quiz” and be comforted by the sounds of a jeopardy-like trivia game.
After an issue at their mother’s retirement home, the down-on-her-luck aimless Jenny decides to temporarily stay the night, much to the chagrin of Anne and her grumpy neighbor (Holland Taylor). When she discovers her sister’s talent and passion for the quiz never waivered, she records and posts a video of Anne answering every question correctly. With her sister’s newfound fame, Jenny tries to get Anne out of her shell and onto the show.
Quiz Lady feels like Tommy Boyand the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler vehicle Sisters had a baby. It’s charming and surprisingly sweet. The chemistry between Awkwafina and Sandra Oh is electric and fun. While this role feels right in the former’s wheelhouse, the latter steps into the goofy carefree sister role with some missteps. However, Oh is brilliant at bringing out the nuance and emotional beats of the character. Her often biting delivery provides laughs and commentary as the veteran actress can switch between the two on a dime.
As host Terry McTeer, Will Ferrell continues a trend he started on Barbie. Like the blockbuster hit, Quiz Lady features the comedian in a supporting role. It’s just enough Ferrell that he doesn’t distract from the protagonists’ journey. He’s there for a few laughs but not enough to steal the show. It helps that his host seems to be modeled after the best, combining the fatherly and witty nature of Alex Trebek (who he famously played a version of on SNL), the spine of Pat Sajak, and the showmanship of Allen Lidden. It is worth noting that his production company, Gloria Sanchez, made the film, but if it means Ferrell uses his comedy genius to promote female voices and stories, he’s doing something right.
When Quiz Lady slips into broader comedy strokes, it doesn’t work as well. There’s a whole poop scene and a stolen dog subplot that aren’t so much annoying as they take away from the film’s pathos. But when Sandra Oh and Awkwafina are bickering back and forth or Will Ferrell is channeling the quiz show hosts we know and love, it’s hard to turn away from it. Quiz Lady is about the personal and parasocial relationships that ground us and give us a purpose and though not executed perfectly, the film is a real winner.
Believe it or not, there’s some actual good news about Marvel’s Blade movie. Yes, the one we first heard about four years ago when Mahershala Ali was announced to play the Daywalker. While writers and directors have come and gone, causing many delays, fans have held on to one simple expectation for the film: it damn well better be R-rated. Well, current director Yann Demange wants fans to know their wish has been granted.
“I come out of [his new short film, Dammi] wanting to be more open, more vulnerable and bring a more personal aspect to my work. But for Blade, we are going to have fun because Mahershala is such a deep actor.”
Let the blood flow! Seriously, you gotta go all out with a movie like Blade, and it’s good to know that Demange won’t be forced to make an all-ages, family-friendly bloodsucker flick.
“I’m excited to show a kind of ruthlessness, a roughness he has, that allows him to walk the earth in a particular way. I love him for that,” Demange continued.
“He’s got a dignity and integrity, but there is a ferocity there that he usually keeps under the surface. I want to unleash that and put it on the screen.”
Demange mentions Ali, and it’s good to know yet again that the Oscar-winning actor is sticking around. There have been recent reports that Ali nearly left because of a script that reduced his role. But things have gotten back on track with Logan writer Michael Green and the aim is now to produce Blade for under $100M to arrive in theaters February 2025.
