A few days ago we learned of new Watchmen and Crisis On Infinite Earths animated movies coming from Warner Bros. next year. There was quite a bit of confusion surrounding the announcement, although not from us here. Some speculated that both films would be part of the new DCU launched by James Gunn and Peter Safran, although it should’ve been obvious they wouldn’t be since both predate its launch with Superman: Legacy in 2025.
Fortunately, James Gunn isn’t one to leave fans hanging for long. Once again answering questions on Threads, Gunn confirmed that both animated movies are not part of the new DCU. He also told us to look forward to DC animated movies on the big screen, which is itself pretty interesting.
It’s possible these movies could move over to the Elseworlds branding where The Batman and Joker exist.
Gunn also reaffirmed that animated movies will be part of the DCU, and that the same actors will portray their characters across all forms of media; live-action, animation, and video games.
This is actually quite a shame, because a Crisis movie would be a great way to transition from the Snyderverse into Gunn’s DCU, especially since The Flash was a bust.
We’re happy to offer our readers the chance to see MEG 2: The Trench for free in theaters! Enter now to win a pair of Admit-Two Fandango passes good for the theater of your choice. The film sees the return of Jason Statham as he goes fist-to-fin with colossal megalodons! Ben Wheatley (Free Fire) is director.
SYNOPSIS: Get ready for the ultimate adrenaline rush this summer in “Meg 2: The Trench,” a literally larger-than-life thrill ride that supersizes the 2018 blockbuster and takes the action to higher heights and even greater depths with multiple massive Megs and so much more! Dive into uncharted waters with Jason Statham and global action icon Wu Jing as they lead a daring research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Pitted against colossal Megs and relentless environmental plunderers, our heroes must outrun, outsmart, and outswim their merciless predators in a pulse-pounding race against time. Immerse yourself in the most electrifying cinematic experience of the year with “Meg 2: The Trench” – where the depths of the ocean are matched only by the heights of sheer, unstoppable excitement!
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MEG 2: The Trench opens in theaters on August 4th.
It surprise me that with all of the all-star talent in Barbie that Emma Corrin wasn’t there somewhere. The red-hot actor best known for The Crown, My Policeman, and recently Lady Chatterley’s Lover has been everywhere, and recently joined the MCU in a mysterious Deadpool 3 role. Speaking with Empire, Corrin not only confirmed a lot of the speculation about there about their role, but also that…well, they aren’t really huge followers of Marvel movies.
“I feel really excited to play a villain,” said Corrin. “I haven’t done that, and it’s an itch I want to scratch.”
Corrin also talked about going into Deadpool 3 totally blind, as they aren’t someone who eyes the MCU continuity closely.
“I’d heard about the project but, classic Marvel, they couldn’t tell me anything about it. Absolutely nothing. Zilch,” Corrin said. “So I met [Shawn Levy] being like, ‘I don’t know what this is about.’”
“Hands up, I’m not a Marvel person,” Corrin added. “I’ve watched ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘Black Panther.’ I was like, ‘Look, you’re gonna have to debrief me into this.’ It’s such an intricate world. There’s so much to it, it’s an absolute mind-fuck. All the language and the Easter eggs, and this person is related to that person who did this, and this person came back and this person’s dead… it’s amazing. I really understand why it means as much as it does to so many people. It’s a phenomenon, and I feel really lucky to be part of it. Especially ‘Deadpool,’ because I love the fact that it’s self-aware and critical of its own inner-workings.”
Corrin’s part in the film is curious, though. Is it too much for me to think they could be playing the embodiment of Death, who Deadpool is romantically obsessed with in the comics?
We’ll find out when Deadpool 3 opens on May 3rd 2024.
Titanic isn’t the only ocean liner with a scary history ripe for the big screen. There’s also the RMS Queen Mary, one of the fastest cruise ships and luxury liners beginning with its maiden voyage in 1936. But after its retirement and transformation into a hotel, museum, and attraction in Long Beach, visitors have reported sighting of ghosts and other spirits. Dracula Untold director Gary Shore’s new supernatural horror Haunting of the Queen Mary explores two stories in different eras set on the haunted ship.
The film stars Alice Eve (She’s Out of Your League), Joel Fry (Yesterday),Nell Hudson (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), William Shockley (Death In Texas), and BAFTA winner Lenny Rush (Am I Being Unreasonable?). Penned by Stephen Oliver and Tom Vaughan, the film tells “a haunting story that is unraveled between the ship’s heyday in the late 1930s and the present and tells the story of two families whose lives become violently entangled. It chronicles the mysterious and violent events surrounding one family’s voyage on Halloween night in 1938, and how their destinies link up with those of another family onboard the ocean liner into the present day.”
This is only Shore’s second feature after 2014’s Dracula Untold, which made over $200M, so he’s got a solid, if short, track record with horror. Shooting on Haunting of the Queen Mary took place aboard the actual Queen Mary, so you know there are some good stories to be told about the production. Let’s hope the strike lifts soon enough for the actors to tell them.
Haunting of the Queen Mary opens in select theaters and VOD on August 18th.
Kokomo City, directed by D. Smith (Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood, Cab Driver), made its much-anticipated world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Documentary Competition. The film quickly garnered attention and acclaim, winning the prestigious Sundance Film Festival NEXT Innovator Award and NEXT Audience Award, including the Audience Award in the Panorama Documentary section at the 2023 Berlinale. Set in the vibrant cities of Atlanta and New York, this refreshingly unfiltered documentary takes viewers on an electrifying journey into the lives of four Black transgender sex workers, Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell, and Dominique Silver, who courageously break down the walls of their profession and share their hard-earned wisdom.
In her feature directorial debut, D. Smith delivers a vital and visually striking portrait, capturing the essence of her subjects in bold black and white. As a two-time Grammy-nominated producer, singer, and songwriter, Smith brings a unique perspective to the documentary, having made history as the first trans woman cast on a primetime unscripted TV show. With executive producer Lena Waithe on board, Kokomo City dives deep into a raw and gritty world laced with absolute truth and reality.
Through intimate interviews, Kokomo City offers viewers an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ perspective, providing an exquisitely rare glimpse into the lives and livelihoods of these confident and gorgeous Black trans women. D. Smith’s directive to interviewing style balances respectful discretion with an unyielding consented desire to shed light on this beautiful yet misunderstood community. Each woman possesses a powerful personality that is instantly likable however, their wall of immediate defensive protection is comparable to wild tigers and snakes in the wild. Smith’s documentary reveals a “fuck around and find out” world of ultimate survival, where societal acceptance is scarce, and burdens are unfairly placed on their shoulders.
Kokomo City is an exquisite portrayal that addresses layered issues and challenges faced by Black transgender sex workers. The documentary presents an unbalanced and hypocritical society that ignores their struggle and takes advantage of their secrecy. Despite these hardships, the film is a compelling watch, featuring stunning visuals that complement the monologues of each woman (and other fantastic individuals interviewed) as they share their stories. The fantastic soundtrack adds an artistic element of calming fluidity to an otherwise compromising and somber exploration of their lives.
Kokomo City is a must-watch documentary that leaves a lasting impact on its audience. With its world-class direction by D. Smith and powerful storytelling, the film paints an honest and unapologetic picture of the lives of Black transgender sex workers. It celebrates their strength, resilience, and unyielding spirit, shedding light on the challenges faced while rightfully demanding justice and acceptance. Kokomo City has deservedly earned its accolades and recognition at prestigious film festivals, and it stands as a poignant and compelling work of art that will resonate with audiences for years to come.
Is there anyone who doesn’t love Timothy Olyphant? Seriously, if you need someone to play a badass, but also sensitive, lawman with a code of honor, he’s your guy. He’s having a bit of a moment right now, with his return to the role of US Marshal Raylan Givens in Justified: City Primeval, and his recurring role as Cobb Vanth in the Star Wars universe. But Olyphant was nearly part of another huge franchise. He was very nearly the face of the MCU before the role of Tony Stark went to Robert Downey Jr.
Speaking with ThePlaylist (prior to the SAG strike), Olyphant talked about his tryout for the role of Tony Stark in Iron Man, and how it led to his meeting with The Mandalorian co-creator Jon Favreau…
“I can only tell you that I remember thinking that was the first time where, because I’m a bit of a slow learner and I think I was scared to death of the things that come with success in this business, but that was the time where I remember thinking, ‘Well, I can’t get any more grounded and so this would be fun.”
Olyphant continued, “And so, if you’re going to go down that road, you’re not going to find anyone better to go down it with [than Jon Favreau], so I have fond memories of that experience, you know? I try to see things simply for what they are and not what they could be and any conversations I had with Jon about that job and about that process, I remember it very fondly. It was an enjoyable process…And, well, he’s the one who hired me for [‘The Mandalorian’], so he doesn’t owe me anything.”
Okay, so what Cobb Vanth? With The Mandalorian‘s Dave Filoni directing his own Star Wars movie set very much in the show’s universe, there’s a chance that Olyphant could be in it. Well, he ain’t spilling the beans, replying “If I had [talks with Filoni], I wouldn’t tell you” when asked by the interviewer. Oh well.
But if given the chance, Olyphant would jump at the chance to play Cobb Vanth again.
“Honestly, I can tell you that I’ve been very, very lucky with those guys. I’ve only done two episodes and to have only done those two episodes and feel like you’re part of a world and they created such a memorable character,” said the actor. “I mean, you know, I’m getting away with something here. I did two episodes and I’ve got like four toys out there. It’s ridiculous, and I know it because all of a sudden there’s people at the airport with toys. That’s new. But, it was a ball working on those things and those guys know if they call me I’d show up. I don’t care if it’s a big giant thing or just to show up for an afternoon. It’s a fun gig.”
You can watch Olyphant now on Justified: City Primeval, airing on FX.
In sad news that’ll have us flashing back to Big Adventures, bicycles, red bowties, and secret words of the day, Paul Reubens, the actor best known for creating and portraying the iconic role of Pee-wee Herman, has died at 70 after a battle with cancer. It was an illness that Reubens chose to keep private.
“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” wrote Reubens in a statement posted to Instagram posthumously. “I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.”
Reubens’ career began in the 1970s as part of the Los Angeles comedy scene. In 1980 he launched The Pee-wee Herman Show, a stage production in which he portrayed the childlike, effeminate character. After a series of sold out shows and an HBO special, Pee-wee would explode onto the big screen with 1985’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, directed by Tim Burton. Who could forget Pee-wee and his stolen red bicycle, leading him on a chaotic journey across the United States? The hit film would be followed up three years later with Big Top Pee-wee, a less successful sequel.
The success of Pee-wee on the big screen led to the launch of Pee-wee’s Playhouse on CBS Saturday mornings. The series, which also featured actors Phil Hartman and Laurence Fishburne in the cast, would run for five seasons and win 15 Emmy awards.
Pee-wee’s popularity transcended mainstream comedy and into music. Rap group Joeski Love released “Pee Wee’s Dance”, a song and video which featured Pee-wee Herman and his memorable dance move prominently. I know, because I was a kid who used to do that dance and thought it was super cool.
After a hiatus in which Reubens largely stayed out of the spotlight, the Pee-wee Herman character would reemerge with a popular Broadway stage show in 2010. In 2016, Reubens joined with Judd Apatow for Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, a Netflix film and the official third film in the trilogy.
We here at Punch Drunk Critics send our condolences to the friends and family of Paul Reubens.
A group of female friends, a haunted hotel, a mysterious grifter, deadly secrets, terrible childhood memories, and temptation. Sounds like a recipe for one Hell of a thriller, doesn’t it? Shudder might just have one with Bad Things, a film that upon viewing the trailer looks like a queer take on The Shining or Psycho.
Directed and written by Stewart Thorndike, whose film Lyle made a splash at Outfest in 2014, Bad Things stars GLOW actress Gayle Rankin, Barbie‘s Hari Nef (she was the doctor Barbie), screen legend Molly Ringwald, plus Annabelle Dexter-Jones (Succession) and Rad Pereira (Betty).
Here’s the synopsis: When a group of friends escape the city to spend the weekend in an abandoned hotel, a pervading eerie energy begins to illuminate the cracks in their little family unit. Ruthie Nodd (Gayle Rankin) inherits the hotel from her grandmother and with bad childhood memories threatening to burst to the surface, Ruthie wants to sell the hotel and never return. But her partner Cal (Hari Nef) drags her there in the hopes of returning it to its former glory. They are joined by their amiable friend Maddie (Rad Pereira) and mysterious grifter Fran (Annabelle Dexter-Jones), whose unhinged seduction threatens to drive a wedge between the couple. As the friends dance, cook, flirt, and fight up and down the halls of the hotel, they begin to find themselves indelibly entwined in the hotel’s seductive embrace and start doing bad things to each other.
“With ‘Bad Things,’ I wanted to create a world of women and non-binary people who shake off polite conditionings and finally roar,” Thorndike said in a previous statement. “Where are all the female Travis Bickles and Jack Torrances? ‘Bad Things’ answers that.”
Rankin, who was also great in Worth and hilarious in The Climb, is deserving of a spotlight role like this. And I’m a huge fan of Hari Nef and have been since Assassination Nation. This looks like a lot of fun to me.
I would say that virtually anything would’ve been better than the Star Wars sequel trilogy we got after Disney purchased Lucasfilm. At the time, Disney told us that George Lucas’ original plans would be respected. That turned out to be a lie, and they moved forward with a disjointed effort that involved two vastly different filmmakers with separate agendas. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was so bad Lucasfilm basically abandoned movies for TV.
It’s good to be reminded of what Lucas originally had in store for the Episodes VII, VIII, and IX of his Skywalker Saga. Suffice it to say, things were quite a bit different, like Darth Maul ascending to become the top villain along with his trainee, Darth Talon; Luke Skywalker’s rebuilding of the Jedi Order, and Leia becoming head of the Republic. To me, it’s miles better than what we ended up with, but you can read and judge for yourself.
Lucas’ comments were first published in The Star Wars Archives – Episode I – III, 1999 – 2005 (via SFFGazette.com). Check it out below.
A New Threat Emerges
“After the Rebels won, there were no more stormtroopers in my version of the third trilogy. I had planned for the first trilogy to be about the father, the second trilogy to be about the son, and the third trilogy to be about the daughter and the grandchildren.”
“Episodes VII, VIll, and IX would take Ideas from what happened after the Iraq War…the stormtroopers refuse to give up when the Republic win. They want to be stormtroopers forever so they go to a far corner of the galaxy, start their own country, and their own rebellion.”
Power Vacuum And Maul’s Return
“Gangsters, like the Hutts, are taking advantage of the situation, and there is chaos. The key person Is Darth Maul, who had been resurrected in the Clone Wars cartoons – he brings all the gangs together. One is with a set of cybernetic legs like a spider, and then later on he has metal legs and he was a bit bigger, more of a superhero.”
“Darth Maul trained a girl, Darth Talon, who was in the comic books, as his apprentice. She was the new Darth Vader, and most of the action was with her. So these were the two main villains of the trilogy. Maul eventually becomes the godfather of crime in the universe because, as the Empire falls, he takes over.”
Luke Skywalker’s Mission
“It starts out a few years after Return of the Jedi and we establish pretty quickly that there’s this underworld, there are these offshoot stormtroopers who started their own planets, and that Luke is trying to restart the Jedi. He puts the word out, so out of 100,000 Jedi, maybe 50 or 100 are left.”
“The Jedi have to grow again from scratch, so Luke has to find two- and three-year-olds and train them. It’ll be 20 years before you have a new generation of Jedi.”
The Chosen One
“The movies are about how Leia – I mean, who else is going to be the leader? – is trying to build the Republic. They still have the apparatus of the Republic but they have to get it under control from the gangsters. That was the main story.”
“By the end of the trilogy, Luke would have rebuilt much of the Jedi, and we would have the renewal of the New Republic, with Lela, Senator Organa, becoming the Supreme Chancellor in charge of everything. So she ended up being the Chosen One.”
Marvel just wrapped up the first and likely only season of Secret Invasion, and the response was…well, disappointing. Whether on the big or small screen, it’s been a struggle of late for Marvel and they could use an unabashed hit. The second season of Loki couldn’t arrive fast enough, as everyone loved the first one and made it the most-watched Marvel series on Disney+.
Tom Hiddleston returns as Loki, who when we last saw him it was when stuck in an alternate timeline ruled by Kang the Conqueror. His situation now appears to be that he’s time-slipping in multiple timelines. Owen Wilson returns as Mobius M. Mobius, although it’s unclear if this is the one we know and love. And Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan is who they turn to for help, as he plays an archivist for the Time Variance Authority. Renslayer, Sylvie, and Hunter B-15 seem to be off doing their own thing, while a giant Miss Minutes rampages like Godzilla through Tokyo.
Along with the trailer, Marvel has dropped a new poster that features multiple Loki variants and other members of the cast.
