Glen Powell is quickly becoming one of the biggest names in Hollywood. The actor started to make a name for himself when appearing in big projects like Scream Queens, Hidden Figures, Everybody Wants Some, and Set It Up; but it was his role as Lt. Jake "Hangman" Seresin in Top Gun: Maverick that helped the actor rise to stardom. He recently made headlines for starring alongside Sydney Sweeney in the box office hit, Anyone But You, and he's about to have a big 2024. Not only is the actor reteaming with Everybody Wants Some director Richard Linklater for Hit Man, but he's also starring in the highly-anticipated Twisters, which is heading to theaters in July. However, there's one duo who's making sure Powell doesn't get too cocky about his fame: his parents.

Powell attended an Austin, Texas screening of Hit Man last night, and his parents were in attendance with a hilarious message. They hit the press line donning signs that read, "Stop trying to make Glen Powell happen" and "It's never gonna happen." The official Instagram account for Netflix shared a photo of Cyndy Powell and Glen Powell Sr. on the red carpet for Hit Man, which you can check out below:

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Glenn Powell Co-Wrote Hit Man:

Hit Man is based on the true story of a hitman who enters into a romantic entanglement with a potential client, (played by Andor's Adria Arjona), only to find out that the romance could be more dangerous than any job he's ever taken on.

In addition to starring in Hit Man, Powell co-wrote the film with Linklater. The script is based on the article in the Texas Monthly by writer Skip Hollandsworth (Bernie). The movie also co-stars Retta (Parks and Rec), Austin Amelio (The Walking Dead), Molly Bernard (The Blacklist), and more.

Powell's previous writing credits include the short film, J.A.W. from 2011. The upcoming TV show, Chad Powers, is currently in production and will see Powell starring in the project in addition to co-writing. It was also previously reported that Powell would be co-writing a Captain Planet movie.

Hit Man is scheduled to premiere in select theaters on May 24th before arriving on Netflix on June 7th. Twisters is heading to theaters on July 19th. Stay tuned for more updates about Powell's upcoming projects.

John Krasinski's IF is now playing in theaters, and the new movie features a star-studded voice cast. Many famous names showed up to play the movie's various IFs AKA imaginary friends, including Krasinski's former The Office co-star, Steve Carell. Krasinski and IF star, Ryan Reynolds, recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly, and they compared Carell to his IF, Blue.

"I think Steve Carell," Reynolds said when asked which IF voice actor is most like their character. "He is so close to Blue. Everyone kind of equates him with funny, but the man has also done some dark, deep, beautiful, emotional work. I think he's so, I don't know, just even sitting next to him in interviews, I feel lucky. I just adore this guy."

"It's true," Krasinski agreed. "When I was writing Blue, I was writing it for Steve as Steve, and Steve had no idea if he was going to say yes. And I wrote it because, yes, he's very funny, but it is true, he's so heartfelt and sweet and very vulnerable. He's willing to open himself up, and that's why I think the whole Blue scene might be my favorite scene in the movie."

"For a character that is so large and so purple, he has so much humanity," Reynolds explained of Blue. "I mean, it's so much humanity. And also, Steve is genuinely - I don't think voice acting gets enough credit because he's creating micro facial expressions with his voice and it's pretty amazing. It's a pretty wild sight to see."

"[Carell] was laughing, and he just kept laughing as Blue, and he was like, 'Yeah, lemme do another one,' and he just started laughing [again]," Krasinski recalled. "And I was crying laughing, having him just laugh on a microphone."

"Well, I haven't started working on the film with him yet, but I can't wait," Carell told ET Online before IF went into production. "I'm anticipating just joy and fun. I mean, he's the best, and he's a great director." Carell joked, "I'll put him through his paces, you know? I'll make him work for it. I might be one of those persnickety actors that doesn't always agree, or won't come out of my trailer ... You think you hired somebody that is a friend, but you got that wrong!"

Who Stars in IF?

In IF, Krasinski directs a cast that includes Reynolds, Cailey Fleming, Fiona Shaw, and himself as the film's human characters. In addition to Carell, the star-studded ensemble of IFs features the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr., Emily Blunt, Blake Lively, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Maya Rudolph, Bradley Cooper, Jon Stewart, Sam Rockwell, Sebastian Maniscalco, Awkwafina, Richard Jenkins, Keegan Michael Key, Matthew Rhys, and Christopher Meloni.

IF is now playing in theaters.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is now playing in theaters, and the new film is having a successful first week at the box office in addition to getting praise from critics and audiences alike. Directed by Wes Ball, the project is currently up on Rotten Tomatoes with an 81% critics score and a 78% audience score. ComicBook's Spencer Perry gave the film a 4 out of 5, and called it "a grand time, and a worthy follow-up." The recent Apes films have become known for their impressive VFX, which was done by the W?t? FX team. Out of the 1,521 shots in the film, only 38 did not feature VFX. However, that doesn't mean there wasn't some great practical work being done behind the scenes. In fact, production designer Daniel T. Dorrance recently spoke with Variety about building a "massive scale set" for the film.

"I built all the elements they interact with so that they come out of the side of the ship," Dorrance explained of Proximus Caesar's kingdom, revealing the ship was the size of a football field by length and width. "I built 80 feet of the ship with the portal and big ramp coming down, so you could pan around and see the exterior of the bunker. I built the doorway and the concrete elements as you make your way around."

"It was a massive scale set," he added, revealing it took 20 weeks to build.

"The ship had sharp ends, shards, and rusty metals. You even see it on the rusty metals, the costumes, and the armor. The idea was the apes took the ship apart and are using it for weapons, and built the levee from that metal ... There was nothing soft about it. Wes likes to say, 'This is the Bronze age.'"

What Is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes About?

You can read a description of the film here: "Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar's reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike."

The cast for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is anchored by Owen Teague (IT) as Noa, a young chimpanzee. He's joined in the film by Kevin Duran (Locke & Key) as Proximus Caesar, a powerful chieftain that has appropriated human technology; Travis Jeffery as Anaya; Lydia Peckham as Soona, a female chimpanzee and a friend of Noa. Neil Sandilands as Koro; Peter Macon as Raka; and Freya Allan (The Witcher) as Mae, one of the few human characters to appear in the movie

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is now playing in theaters.

Dabney Coleman, a prolific character actor known for a decades-spanning career in movies and television, has passed away at the age of 92. The news was confirmed on Friday afternoon by a statement from Coleman's daughter, Quincy Coleman. The actor died on Thursday, May 16th, at his home in Santa Monica, CA. Coleman's career, which began in 1964 and lasted up until his death, included such hits as 9 to 5, Tootsie, The Muppets Take Manhattan, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, WarGames, Inspector Gadget, Recess, Boardwalk Empire, and The Guardian.

"My father crafted his time here on Earth with a curious mind, a generous heart and a soul on fire with passion, desire and humor that tickled the funny bone of humanity," Quincy's statement reads. "As he lived, he moved through this final act of his life with elegance, excellence and mastery. A teacher, a hero and a king, Dabney Coleman is a gift and blessing in life and in death as his spirit will shine through his work, his loved ones and his legacy ... eternally."

Born on January 3, 1932 in Austin, Texas, Coleman got his start in the New York theater scene, before making his onscreen debut in a 1961 episode of Naked City. After appearing across movies and television in projects like Bright Promise, Bonanza, The Flying Nun, and The Trouble With Girls, he became something of a household names thanks to his 148 appearances on the soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

One of Coleman's most well-known roles arrived in 1980, when he portrayed the boss Franklin M. Hart, Jr. alongside Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin in 9 to 5. Two years later, he had another major appearance as Ron Carlisle in 1982's Tootsie.

"That opened up the movies for me," Coleman told Vulture about 9 to 5. "The girls [Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton] were so supportive of me, and included me in everything. They were on a whole different level than I was at the time, but they were very sensitive about that, and made sure that I was included in every publicity shot and tour. All three of them insisted, "Where's Dabney? Get him in here!" They're all three unique and wonderful ladies, all three of them."

Coleman reached a whole new generation through voicing Principal Peter Prickly in the Disney Channel series Recess, as well as its subsequent television movies. In the 2000s, his roles also included playing the President in My Date with the President's Daughter, and starring as Burton Fallin in CBS' The Guardian. More recently, Coleman appeared in episodes of Ray Donovan and NCIS, as well as movies like Domino and Rules Don't Apply. He also had a recurring role as Commodore Louis Kaestner in Boardwalk Empire. His final onscreen roles included playing John Dutton Jr. in a 2019 episode of Yellowstone, and appearing as himself in the Aly & AJ music video "Star Maps."

Outside of being an actor, Coleman worked alongside actor Bronson Pinchot to help promote forest preservation, and competed in celebrity and charity tennis tournaments. He was married twice, to Ann Courtney Harrell and then to actress Jean Hale, and has four children.

Our thoughts are with Coleman's family, friends, and fans at this time.

The Star Wars galaxy is headed into some interesting territory in the next few years, with a slate of movies and Disney+ exclusive shows on the horizon. Among these is a new movie set to be directed and co-written by James Mangold, which will explore the very early days of the Jedi in the Star Wars franchise. While there is a lot that remains unknown about Mangold's take on the franchise, there's a chance that a new interview just revealed the film's subtitle. In new comments to SFX Magazine (via r/StarWarsLeaks), producer Simon Emanuel, who worked with Mangold on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, referred to the upcoming Star Wars movie as Jedi Prime. It remains to be seen if this, or the previously-said subtitle of Dawn of the Jedi, will end up being the movie's final title.

"James Mangold's Jedi Prime is set thousands and thousands of years before [the original trilogy], and I'm really excited to see what happens there," Emanuel revealed.

What Is James Mangold's Star Wars Movie About?

Plot details surrounding Mangold's movie currently remain under wraps, outside of the fact that the film will be set 25,000 years before any of the events covered by the Star Wars franchise thus far. Mangold has teased that his aspirations for the film are to tell a story that can stand on its own from the established canon.

"When I talk to some of the Star Wars clerics who keep track of all these timelines, I was like, 'So when would this have happened?' and they were like, '25,000 years before Episode I.' And I was like, 'Oh, I was looking for some distance, but that's distance,'" Mangold joked in an interview last year. "The reality, for me, was that feeling of space, pun not intended but apropos, was something that I felt was really important. Not to get away from -- again, fan service or the intricacies of what George [Lucas] has set up and dreamed of, but to just have the space to tell a story and not be instantly encumbered by the bases you have to hit. Which, honestly, there's no way to explain it to folks other than to say it's like that game we played as kids, Twister, that at a certain point, you're in a tangle because you just are trying to find a way to tell a story with so many constraints that you can't."

What Is the Next Star Wars Movie?

Directed by Jon Favreau and produced by Favreau, Filoni, and Kathleen Kennedy, The Mandalorian and Grogu will follow the ongoing adventures of Din Djarin / The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and his pint-sized ward, Grogu. The film is confirmed to have a release date of May 22, 2026.

"I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created," Favreau shared in a statement. "The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting."

"Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have ushered into Star Wars two new and beloved characters, and this new story is a perfect fit for the big screen," Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, added.

The ComicBook Nation crew breaks down the X-Men '97 Season 1 Finale and discusses all the reveals about the Season 2 storyline. We also review the new movie IF (2024).

PLUS: Geek News includes some big renewal news for some of streaming's hottest shows; a breakdown of Amazon's The Rings of Power Season 2 Trailer, and the Spider-Verse expands with Nic Cage's Spider-Man Noir TV show - even as Amazon's Silk: Spider Society series dies in development.

IF (2024) Review

ComicBook critic Jamie Jirak's IF movie review gives the film 3.5 out of 5 stars:

The film does a good job of reminding its audience that there's a kid in all of us, and that time can never truly take away your imagination. It's been a while since I looked around in a theater and saw multiple grown men shedding a tear. Krasinski knows how to appeal to parents, especially dads. While IF may not be a perfectly pieced-together movie, there's enough heart embedded in its core to make it a worthy trip to the cinema for families. The cast is delightful, the IFs are magical, and the warmth is undeniable.

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Christopher Lee is one of the most beloved actors of all time, and throughout his 92 years, he had nearly 300 acting credits to his name. The actor was known for playing Dracula in various projects, Saruman in Peter Jackson's The Lord of The Rings trilogy, Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequels, and much more. In addition to his acting career, Lee had a very interesting life, which is now being turned into an epic documentary.

According to BBC, The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee is a new film that features interviews with Lee's friends, family, and collaborators. Director Jon Spira had access to Lee's scrapbooks in addition to 100 interviews from the British Film Institute's library, telling BBC that Lee's life is an "incredible story." In addition to his vast acting career, the movie will also touch on Lee's military career during World War II. That part of Lee's life has always been "shrouded in mystery," but it's known that the actor helped track down Nazi war criminals.

"Because he could speak fluently a range of different languages he got pulled into the secret service doing missions of which the facts have never fully come out," Spira shared." His cousin was Ian Fleming, and a lot of people think the character of James Bond was based on him ... He certainly didn't do anything to disavow people of that."

"You could almost do this as two films," he continued." That's why we called it The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee, because his life is one story and his career is another."

The film will feature interviews with directors such as Joe Dante, John Landis, and Peter Jackson.

"Peter Jackson was very prepared to talk about the emotional side," Spira revealed. "About how amazed he was as a film fan, in awe of Christopher Lee, and couldn't believe he got to work with him. He discovered his unique insecurities, like many actors have ... He was a really complex person who was very emotional, and had this austere image. He had a lot of frustrations in his life - we explore that."

Spira is also crowdfunding for the film's Blu-ray release.

"There's a whole market of people who are being forgotten that really love film, want to own it, and maybe don't trust that these things will always be streaming."

Stay tuned for more updates about upcoming films.

Last year, Nintendo announced that the long-rumored live-action film adaptation of The Legend of Zelda was finally in the works with Sony Pictures. The movie is being helmed by Wes Ball, the director of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which is currently doing well at the box office. Deadline recently spoke with the Chairperson of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Tom Rothman, and they brought up how Ball managed to revive the Apes franchise after the previous trilogy's success. They mentioned how Ball brought a "freshness" to the franchise, and asked about applying that same viewpoint to Zelda.

"Because the movie is being developed and made in the closest possible collaboration with [Nintendo video game designer] Shigeru Miyamoto," Rothman explained. "He's a true genius in that world, and it's really his strong vision that is motivating it. He created it and understands it thoroughly. You only to look at the results of Super Mario Brothers to see. The larger point I'm making is that I think a healthy slate going forward is not going to be one side of the divide or the other."

"It's going to have a balance of big IP solid sequels," he continued. "Let me tell you when the last of the Spider-Verse movies comes with Phil Lord and Chris Miller, it's going to be a significant event, as will the next Tom Holland Spider-Man film. And when all the Karate Kid storylines come together with Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan and a new young karate kid. For those fans, that's going to be a significant moment. We have those. The third and last Venom is going to be huge."

Wes Ball Teases "Awesome Idea" For Zelda Movie:

"I have this awesome idea," Ball shared with Total Film. "I've been thinking about it for a long freakin' time, of how cool a Zelda movie would be... I want to fulfill people's greatest desires. I know it's important, this [Zelda] franchise, to people and I want it to be a serious movie. A real movie that can give people an escape."

"I want to live in that world," he added. "That's the thing I want to try to create - it's got to feel like something real. Something serious and cool, but fun and whimsical."

"I've always said, I would love to see a live-action Miyazaki. That wonder and whimsy that he brings to things, I would love to see something like that," Ball said in an interview late last year. "It's going to be awesome. My whole life has led up to this moment. I grew up on Zelda and it is the most important property, I think, that's untapped IP, if you will. So we very much are working hard to do something. We're not just trying to do it because we can. We want to make something really special."

"I have been working on the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda for many years now with Avi Arad-san, who has produced many mega hit films," Nintendo game director Shigeru Miyamoto said in a statement when the project was announced. "I have asked Avi-san to produce this film with me, and we have now officially started the development of the film with Nintendo itself heavily involved in the production. It will take time until its completion, but I hope you look forward to seeing it."

Stay tuned for more updates about the live-action The Legend of Zelda movie.

Ryan Gosling is low-key one of the best in show business when it comes to handling the press. Gosling has mastered a public persona schtick that uses his wit and charm as bait for hungry journalists to bit on, as he dodges their question. But, sometimes dodging a question is still a kind of answer to that question - especially when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A new interview with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt (who star in the new film The Fall Guy) and Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz ventured into MCU territory. See, Gosling's name has been associated with a potential MCU reboot of the Ghost Rider movie franchise ever since Horowitz single-handedly got that ball rolling.

Back in 2022, Gosling did the Happy Sad Confused Podcast with Horowitz and they discussed rumors that he was in the running to play the MCU character of Nova. Even though he shot down the Nova rumors, Gosling did admit to wanting to play Ghost Rider in the MCU.

That wishful thinking became something else entirely after Horowitz approached Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. Horowitz asked Feige if a Ryan Gosling MCU Ghost Rider role was possible, and Feige didn't shoot down the idea:

"If Ryan wants to be Ghost Rider, Ryan's amazing. I'd love to find him a place in the MCU," Feige told MTV News, jokingly adding that "He dresses up as Ken on Venice Beach and gets more press than any major movie coming out."

Ryan Gosling Dodges Question about Ghost Rider MCU Role

As you can see in the video above, Ryan Gosling (with an assist from Emily Blunt) dodges any kind of answer on the MCU Ghost Rider subject in his latest interview with Horowitz.

That's more significant than the usual celebrity question dodging because it's hard to read it as anything but a doge. If there was nothing to it, Gosling would almost certainly have waved it off and killed any possible online chatter; if there is something in the works that hasn't been announced or finalized yet, then Gosling wouldn't be able to talk about it - and outright saying "I can't talk about it," would be the next best thing to confirmation for fans, pundits and news outlets.

Instead, Gosling and Blunt ran a bit that had Blunt veering into an anecdote about publicly stating that Gosling would never do a superhero flick (which Gosling denies ever saying). It's hard to believe that the two skilled performers wouldn't have known before going into an interview with Horowitz that the MCU Ghost Rider subject wouldn't come up. They call it "media training" for a reason.

While we can't take away anything concrete from this exchange, we do know that the MCU is in the process of retooling and rebranding after some recent years of stumble. Our eyes are already turning toward Comic-Con 2024, where Marvel Studios may have some big reveals to announce as Deadpool & Wolverine hits hteaters. Could Ryan Gosling's Ghost Rider be one of them?

MCU Movies and TV shows are streaming on Disney+.

The sad news broke yesterday that Tony McFarr, the stuntman best known for doubling Chris Pratt, had passed away at age 47. The cause of McFarr's death is currently unknown, but it was revealed that he died on May 13th at his home outside of Orlando, Florida. McFarr had 60 stunt credits to his name and doubled Pratt on Passengers, Jurassic World, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Yesterday, Pratt took to his Instagram stories to pay tribute to McFarr and share photos of them together on set.

"Devastated to hear about the loss of my friend and former stunt double Tony McFarr," Pratt wrote. "We did several movies together. We golfed, drank whiskey, smoked cigars, and spent endless hours on set. I'll never forget his toughness. I remember he took a nasty shot to the head (in the title sequence of 'Guardians 2') and got several staples in his head came right back to work ready to go again. He was an absolute stud."

"He was always a gentleman and professional," Pratt continued. "He'll be missed. My prayers go out to his friends and family, especially his daughter." You can view an image Pratt posted below, and see more of his stories here.

Tony McFarr's Stunt Credits:

McFarr's first stunt roles were back in 2011 in Bones and Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon. His television credits included Teen Wolf, Burn Notice, Homeland, The Originals, Halt and Catch Fire, The Walking Dead, MacGyver, The Gifted, and more. His film credits included Rock of Ages, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, Furious 7, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, Captain America: Civil War, Logan Lucky, Pitch Perfect 3, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Ant-Man and the Wasp, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and more.

His final credit was for the short film, Grobb, in 2022. He also had a few acting credits to his name, including episodes of Burn Notice, One Tree Hill, and MacGyver. During his career, he was nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Awards for "Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture" for Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, Jurassic World, and Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Our thoughts are with McFarr's family and friends, including Chris Pratt, at this difficult time.

The Safe Man has been realized into a fully fleshed out story. Nearly two decades after it was published anonymously in The Secret Society of Demolition Writers, Michael Connelly expanded his short story into a feature-length audiobook on Audible. The Lincoln Lawyer author reunited with longtime collaborator Titus Welliver (Bosch) and Jack Quaid (The Boys, Oppenheimer) to bring The Safe Man to listenable life. While the story, one which interweaves Connelly's familiar mystery and suspense flavors while dabbling into some supernatural elements, is currently exclusive to the audio format, there are aspirations to bring it to live-action.

"That's the hope," Connelly told ComicBook when asked if there are plans to turn The Safe Man into a film or television series. "The pyramid gets skinnier and skinnier at the top, so it's a tough thing to go the distance. But yes, we're definitely in discussions about that. Now that this is out, we'll definitely move forward with that."

Connelly is no stranger to turning his works into motion-pictures, as The Lincoln Lawyer has been made into both a feature film and Netflix series while his recurring leading character detective Harry Bosch is the centerpiece of the Bosch television program.

With The Safe Man existing under the umbrella of Audible, an Amazon company, there is a direct pipeline to Prime Video.

"Audible has a branch that is kind of like a way of delivering this to Prime, and hopefully they'll be interested in it," Connelly continued. "We'll see how it does on Audible first, and then we'll go from there."

The Safe Man also has the luxury of already existing with a stacked cast. Should a live-action adaptation move forward, Connelly noted it would be "amazing" to bring the likes of Welliver and Quaid back to portray their characters on camera.

"If we could get all these people, it would be pretty amazing," Connelly said. "They're all extremely talented and they're all in-demand people. I kind of scratched my head a little bit at how we got them. I think that was the power of Titus, to tell you the truth, to get some of the people that we got. It was kind of a case of, 'Well, if Titus is doing it, then yeah, I want to be part of that.' That worked for us on this level, and hopefully it would work again on live-action."

The Safe Man is available now on Audible.

While reports seem fairly confident that Cillian Murphy will return to reprise his role as Jim from 28 Days Later in at least one of the upcoming three 28 Years Later sequels, there are few other details about those movies out there so far. The first of them, titled simply 28 Years Later, will reunite Murphy with screenwriter Alex Garland and director Danny Boyle, but we don't know much more about it aside from a handful of cast members and the fact that it will be in theaters in June of next year.

Executive producer Tom Rothman spoke about the project this week, confirming that Murphy will return, and praising the plans for the movie as well as another prestige movie he's producing, Darren Aronofsky's Caught Stealing. He did have a kind of curious way of framing the Murphy return.

Rothman told Deadline that Murphy will return "in a surprising way and in a way that grows," adding, "This is Danny at his best, combined with a very commercial genre, like we had with Edgar Wright and Baby Driver. Sometimes when you put a real signature director into a commercial arena, it elevates it. So we have that Darren Aronofsky's next film with Austin Butler, which is Darren's most commercial entry ever. And he and Austin are very, very fired up about it. It's called Caught Stealing, based on a cool book, an action thriller with a signature director to elevate it."

28 Years Later is set to star Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes. Currently, details about the plot of the film have not been revealed, though the film is described by Sony as a sequel to 28 Days Later.

That film followed Jim (Murphy), a bicycle courier who wakes up from a coma only to find that the accidental release of a highly contagious and aggression-inducing virus has caused a total breakdown of society. The film also starred Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, and Brendan Gleeson. Well received by both audiences and critics, the film was credited for revitalizing the zombie horror genre and numerous zombie-themed films followed.

28 Days Later got a sequel in 2007 with 28 Weeks Later, following efforts to create a safe zone in London after two young siblings break protocol to find a photograph of their mother and end up reintroducing the Rage Virus to the safe zone in the process. That film starred Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Imogen Poots, Idris Elba, and others. It was fairly positively received, but not quite the massive success that the first one was.

28 Years Later is set to open in theaters on June 20, 2025.

As the live-action Spider-Man franchise is leased to Marvel Studios, Sony Pictures has built its own spider-based cinematic universe centered around one of Peter Parker's greatest adversaries: Venom. The multi-decade idea eventually came to fruition in 2018 with Tom Hardy in the titular role. Venom (2018) crushed at the box office, bringing in $856 million on a $100 million budget. This was enough to fast track a sequel, as Venom: Let There Be Carnage commenced production roughly one year after the first film was released. Despite some pandemic obstacles, Venom: Let There Be Carnage released in Fall 2021 and raked in half a billion dollars.

With back to back hits on its hands, Sony Pictures gave the green light for a third Venom film. Hardy was confirmed to be back in the leading role while Juno Temple (Ted Lasso) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange) joined the cast in undisclosed roles. Filming began in June 2023 and wrapped earlier this spring, as the SAG-AFTRA strike last summer delayed planned production in the remaining 2023 months.

Venom: The Last Dance Ends Tom Hardy's Franchise

Eddie Brock is riding off into the sunset this October.

Speaking to Deadline, Sony Motion Pictures Group chairman Tom Rothman confirmed that Venom: The Last Dance is the franchise's "third and last" installment.

"[It] is going to be huge," Rothman teased.

All involved in Venom: The Last Dance are looking to go out with a bang. The threequel has Kelly Marcel in the director's chair, making her feature film directorial debut. While this role is new to Marcel, the Venom franchise is not. She previously worked on the scripts for Venom (2018) as well as Venom: Let There Be Carnage and is also penning The Last Dance's screenplay.

"Tom and I have had a long collaborative history with each other. We love each other and love working with each other. Both of us are passionate about the Venom franchise," Marcel said in a prior interview. "It's just really a joy for us to be able to get to do this third one together. I can't really tease you anything about it other than it's going to be amazing. Tom and I genuinely just have a blast with each other whenever we get to work together. There's a lot of laughing that happens."

Venom: The Last Dance hits theaters on October 25th.

Young Woman and the Sea had its premiere last night, and the new film sees Daisy Ridley playing accomplished swimmer, Gertrude Ederle. Naturally, Ridley couldn't walk the red carpet without getting some questions about her upcoming return to Star Wars. It was announced last year that she would be getting her own solo film as Rey, the character she first played in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ridley was asked if she'd like to reunite with her Star Wars sequels co-star, John Boyega, who played Finn.

"Absolutely, of course," Ridley said when asked if she'd like Boyega to be a part of her upcoming Star Wars project. "It feels like we should, yeah."

Earlier this year, Ridley addressed other sequel stars popping up in the Rey movie during an interview with Variety.

"No, because I don't know what is what or who is who [in the new movie]," Ridley explained when asked if it will be weird to make a Star Wars without Boyega, Adam Driver (Ben Solo/Kylo Ren), or Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron). "So much has happened for me [since the Skywalker saga]. I feel like a grown-up now. When I first started, I was, like, 20. I was the youngest on set. It took me the first two Star Wars films to feel worthy of being there. Now I'm in my 30s. The whole thing feels quite different. I've been able to work with other filmmakers, and hopefully, I've got better as a performer."

What Is Young Woman and the Sea About?

You can read a descirption of the film here: "Young Woman and the Sea tells the story of Gertrude Ederle, the accomplished swimmer who was born to immigrant parents in New York City in 1905. Through the steadfast support of her older sister and supportive trainers, she overcame adversity and the animosity of a patriarchal society to rise through the ranks of the Olympic swimming team and complete the staggering achievement - a 21-mile trek from France to England."

"Young Woman and the Sea is directed by Joachim R?nning, with a script from Jeff Nathanson. The film is produced by Top Gun producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who acquired the rights to Stout's book back in 2015. In addition to Ridley, the cast of Young Woman and the Sea includes Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Stephen Graham, Kim Bodnia, Christopher Eccleston, and Glenn Fleshler."

Young Woman and the Sea will receive a limited theatrical release by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures starting May 31st.

After delivering three massively successful Spider-Man films, director Sam Raimi returned to his horror roots in 2009 for Drag Me to Hell, an intense and unrelenting experience that includes a grim final scene. Star of the movie Alison Lohman has largely left Hollywood behind in the years since the film's release, and despite not being particularly active on social media, she recently responded to a post on Twitter from last November in which Netflix claimed that the movie, which ends with her character's death, had the "perfect ending." While many users were happy to support such a claim, she was one of the detractors.

While resharing the Twitter post, Lohman hilariously added, "Strongly disagree."

In the film, Lohman's character Christine finds herself tasked with making a difficult decision of either approving a loan for an elderly woman to keep her house or reject her for the loan, which could result in her getting a promotion at work. The old woman lashes out and curses Christine, claiming she will be dragged down to Hell in three days. Even though Christine believes she resolved the curse, the final moments show her first falling onto a set of train tracks before the ground opens up and sucks her into Hell.

Raimi made a name for himself with his Evil Dead horror movies, which proved his storytelling capabilities despite working with minuscule budgets. After bringing Peter Parker to life with resounding success, Drag Me to Hell allowed him to offer up his signature style in the realm of horror while also having the financial support to fully realize his vision with minimal restrictions.

Despite not being a major financial success when it was released, the movie has earned a passionate following over the years, leading fans to wonder if we could ever get a sequel.

"The team at Ghost House Pictures: Romel Adam and Jose Canas, are trying to come up with a story that would work and I'm anxious to hear if they do!" Raimi shared last year during a Q&A.

Lohman's costar Justin Long, whose character is left watching Christine die, also addressed a possible sequel previously.

"It's funny you say that because I remember leaving the screening when I first saw the movie and my manager, who was kind of like Jeremy Piven's character in Entourage a little bit, he had that energy, he was like, beaming, and I thought it was maybe just because the movie, because I was excited because I was like, 'Holy sh-t, this movie's so good,' and he goes, 'Sequel, baby! Gonna be a sequel!'" Long joked with ComicBook back in 2019. "I think he was seeing the potential for, I don't know what, dollar signs maybe, so it was the first and really only time I thought about [a sequel]. And I think maybe Sam, I think we talked about it, like, setting you up for it. And I wonder, I always wonder if the movie had performed better would that have happened. But I never paid it that much more thought than that. So I certainly didn't think about what the character, I never gave it that much thought aside from obviously it would be cool to do."

Stay tuned for possible updates on a Drag Me to Hell sequel.

What do you think of Lohman's remarks? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

My Hero Academia's anime and manga might be in the throes of the franchise's final arc, but the shonen series is planning to hit the silver screen once again. Arriving this August, My Hero Academia: You're Next will see the students of Class 1-A taking on a new threat that has an eerily similar appearance. The fourth film of the franchise is touting its big villain, Dark Might, as a sinister doppelganger to the former Symbol of Peace and the new movie has a handful of images to share.

In 2020, rumors were circulating that My Hero Academia could have as many as ten films to its name. Of course, during that year, the end of the franchise seemed so far away that this number of movies seemed possible. As Kohei Horikoshi is neck deep in the final battle in the pages of My Hero Academia's manga, the anime is playing catch-up at a rapid pace with the arrival of its seventh season. Thanks to the events of the source material, the eighth anime season is most likely the show's last, which places a giant question mark on how many more movies the shonen franchise will have in the tank.

My Hero Academia: You're Next Preview Images

The next film in the shonen series will hit Japan on August 2nd this summer, though a North American release date has yet to be revealed. In the past, the previous three My Hero Academia films, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising, and My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission, arrived in the West, which gives the upcoming film a good chance of doing the same.

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As of the writing of this article, little is known about the mysterious "Dark Might" outside of looking like the spitting image of All Might. What is also not known is when this movie will take place in My Hero Academia's timeline, as it might just come out when the fight against Shigaraki and All For One has ended. As the end approaches for the franchise, many UA Academy enthusiasts are wondering if the movies might act as a way for the story of the young superheroes to continue past the manga's grand finale.

Want to see if My Hero Academia ends up netting ten movies when all is said and done? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for all the latest updates and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of UA Academy.

Between the rise of attention being paid to streaming platforms and the coronavirus pandemic taking a major toll on movie theaters, the past few years have been full of unexpected developments when it comes to how movies are both made and also released. The Strangers: Chapter 1, for example, was originally developed as an experience that would likely have been released directly to the streaming market, though producer Courtney Solomon confirmed that the excitement from studio Lionsgate allowed the project to pivot to earn a theatrical release. In addition to the creative components of the project, the studio was also confident in that filming three slasher films in a sprawling production would be vastly different from attempting to film three major blockbusters. The Strangers: Chapter 1 is in theaters now.

"On the filming side of it, [Lionsgate said], 'Okay, make the giant movie, we understand that they'll be three parts.' When we went into it, we didn't know the first one was gonna be a theatrical movie," Solomon confirmed to ComicBook. "That's not how we went into it, because in the world we live in, so many places where you can put a movie out, streaming, everything else, nobody was really worried. And it wasn't like we were spending $800 million a movie, so that wasn't the biggest concern, either. So all the business and the numbers of everything, whichever way it might have gone, worked out."

He continued, "We were fortunate that once they liked the creative and we presented them a pretty detailed treatment, they let us go ahead and make the movie and they were very supportive, and that was great. As they saw the first cut of the first movie and then we went on further, they were like, 'Okay, this is a theatrical movie, we're good.' And we're like, 'Yay! That's good.'"

Understandably, Solomon, the rest of the filmmakers, and audiences would prefer if the upcoming second and third chapters also earned theatrical releases, with the producer confirming the fate of those films will likely be dependent on how this first chapter performs financially.

"So now, I guess, obviously, it depends on how we do, they're business people," the producer pointed out. "The hope is that they'd love to bring out these next two movies at the same size that they brought out this movie ... Thankfully, we don't have the most giant mountain to climb like a lot of these movies do these days, on that side of it. We feel confident and they feel very good, but you never know which way it's gonna go, right? That's life."

He added, "It was a smart way of doing it, in so much as, we just looked at it from a fan satisfaction point of view. We want to tell this story, the only way we can tell it is as this giant thing, it will, in fact, be three parts. 'Let's figure out economically, for you guys, how that works, great, you're covered.' Now, we'll do our job and hopefully the audience will get to see it in the best possible way."

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is in theaters now. Stay tuned for updates on The Strangers: Chapter 1 and The Strangers: Chapter 2.

Are you hoping the rest of the trilogy is released theatrically? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

One element about 2008's The Strangers that set it apart from its peers is that our main characters are going through a tense time in the wake of a rejected marriage proposal, putting the audience in an uncomfortable situation right from the start. With The Strangers: Chapter 1, however, the script called for a different type of dynamic between Maya and Ryan, played by Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez, respectively. Rather than merely being an arbitrary change, the cast addressed what made this spin on the familiar formula so compelling to them as performers. The Strangers: Chapter 1 is in theaters now.

"I watched the 2008 version when it first came out, and I was 14, so I didn't really understand adult relationships, but I was always a little frustrated by, 'Why are they fighting in the middle of this chaos?'" Petsch shared with ComicBook. "And so when I got the ability to jump into this, I was like, 'How cool would it be if they are just genuinely so in love and happy?' There were still obvious miscommunication issues, as every couple has, but that was very important to me and I was very excited to see that on the page."

While this first chapter makes some tweaks to the original concept, the upcoming The Strangers: Chapter 2 and The Strangers: Chapter 3 won't entirely deviate from expectations, with Petsch also addressing the balance of shedding more insight into the antagonists while also keeping their origins shrouded in secrecy.

"It's really integral to the original story that you don't know why they're doing it or who they are, that's what makes it so scary, so I think we dance a fine line of never really giving you all of it, but giving you a small taste of it," the actor expressed. "Because, otherwise, it's not as bone-chilling anymore if you know exactly what's going on and why and who they are."

The movie is described, "From master director Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2, The Exorcist: The Beginning) comes a new trilogy of terror. In Chapter I, Madelaine Petsch (TV's Riverdale) stars as a young woman starting a new life with her fianc?. Suddenly, during a road trip stop in a remote vacation rental in the woods, they become the prey of a mysterious gang of masked strangers who attack without warning or reason. What begins as a fight to stay alive becomes one woman's journey of courage and cunning in this horror series bridging three compelling films."

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is in theaters now.

What did you think of this change to the original story? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

George Miller has some thoughts on which shot was his favorite from Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The movie set in the Mad Max Universe is a prequel, featuring the origin story of Charlize Theron's Furiosa. Anya Taylor-Joy takes on the role of a young Furiosa in the flick, where she's joined by Chris Hemsworth's villainous Dr. Dementus. Prolific filmmaker George Miller is behind the camera on Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and while he admits it's hard to decide on which of his shots is his favorite, he does note one that sticks out to him.

ComicBook spoke to George Miller about Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, where he was asked if there were any shots that he held in high regard. "My response to that is not so much one shot.... it's a little bit like asking me, or a composer or songwriter, what's your favorite note or favorite chord?" Miller said. "It's in conjunction with the others around them. That the experience is offered to the audience. As you're making the film, there's a little competition and you say to yourself, 'Oh that's my favorite shot. Oh no, it's been replaced by this one."

He added, "There's one that when I saw it, even when we were shooting... when Dementus is on foot, running away towards the end, and he's running into the mist. And then you hear a rumble, and you're not sure if it's score or what. Then you realize it's the vehicle that Furiosa's in. Just as it creeps into frame, he disappears into the mist and then reappears again. That's the shot where I saw it, I thought, 'That works elegantly. That tells the story very well."

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga's Rotten Tomatoes score revealed

The Rotten Tomatoes score for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga came out two days ago, and at that time, the movie had a Rotten Tomatoes score of 87% critics rating after 30 reviews. You can check out what some of the critics are saying below:

"Furiosa is a fine prelude to that mighty arc. Its initial rattling gradually gives way to the robust and satisfying purr of Miller, despite everything, making it work," Richard Lawson (Vanity Fair) shared.

"Furiosa is such a thrilling ride, packed with set pieces that are a masterclass in staging action, that it's a little sad when the plot veers towards the events of the previous movie - because we know that's where the ride ends," Liz Shannon Miller (Consequence) explained.

"You soon reach the point where you're sick of sand, sick of explosions, sick of off-puttingly sadistic violence, and sick of thunderous drums bashing away on the soundtrack, and yet the film keeps piling on more and more and more of them," Nicholas Barber (BBC.com) wrote.

Set more than a decade before the events of Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga explores how Furiosa was kidnapped from her home in the Green Place of Many Mothers by the treacherous Warlord Dementus and his Biker Horde. As Dementus and Immortan Joe vie for control of the wasteland, Furiosa must survive every challenge in front of her as she seeks vengeance against her kidnappers on her way to return home.

Mad Max creator George Miller returns to direct Furiosa, which stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Nathan Jones, Angus Sampson, and Quaden Bayles. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga releases in theaters on May 24th.

The new trailer for Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga reveals even more of the grand epic western that Costner has made, set in the era of the American Civil War.

As you can see in the trailer below, the footage that Costner has captured is pretty great. Pretty pictures don't necessarily promise that this lengthy, two-part cinematic story will hold together as a sweeping narrative - or that Costner can capture and maintain tone, style, and rhythm as a director, but he certainly has a stacked cast of performers to help him get there.

The cast of Horizon: An American Saga includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Tim Guinee, Danny Huston, Colin Cunningham, Scott Haze, Tom Payne, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Will Patton, Georgia MacPhail, Douglas Smith, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jamie Campbell Bower, Alejandro Edda, Was? Winyan Chief, Michael Anganaro, Angus Macfadyen, Jon Beavers, Alex Nibley, Kathleen Quinlan, Etienne Kellici, Amos Jason Charging Cloud, Bodhi Okuma Linton, Gregory Cruz, James Russo, Jeff Fahey, David O'Hara, Chris Conner, Leroy M. Silva, Bernardo Velasco, Tom Everett, Glynn Turman, Giovanni Ribisi and more.

What Is Horizon: An American Saga About?

As per the synopsis from Warner Bros and New Line:

Academy Award-winning visionary filmmaker Kevin Costner directs New Line Cinema's vast "Horizon: An American Saga" Chapters One and Two, a multi-faceted chronicle covering the Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West. A story of America too big for one film, this true cinematic event also stars Costner, who co-writes with Jon Baird ("The Explorers Guild") and produces through his Territory Pictures.

In the great tradition of Warner Bros. Pictures' iconic Westerns, "Horizon: An American Saga" explores the lure of the Old West and how it was won-and lost-through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, Costner's ambitious cinematic adventure will take audiences on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.

Horizon: An American Saga - Part 1 will be released in theaters on June 28th. Part 2 has a release date of August 16th.

The Insidious franchise isn't ending after all. The fifth installment in James Wan's horror series hit theaters last year and turned a substantial profit, earning more than $189 million at the box office. Blumhouse was already working on a spinoff film from filmmaker Jeremy Slater, and now Insidious 6 is also being added to the upcoming slate.

On Thursday, Sony officially set a date for Insidious 6, with its addition to the release calendar being the first mention of the movie's development. The new Insidious release has been set for August 29, 2025, putting it in theaters in a little over one year's time. That likely means we'll be hearing more about the film fairly soon, as it'll need to at least begin pre-production before too long. At this time, there have been no word on the movie's cast or creative team.

According to Deadline, this new Insidious movie is not the Jeremy Slater spinoff, but rather another film following the main story of the previous franchise entries. Slater's film, Thread: An Insidious Tale, was reported last year before the release of Insidious: The Red Door. The movie is supposed to star Mandy Moore and Kumail Nanjiani, but there has been no update on its status since the news broke.

Insidious: The Red Door marked the fifth film in the series, as well as the first directorial outing for franchise star Patrick Wilson. The actor opened up about why he decided to step behind the camera for Insidious during an interview with Collider last year.

"I think, like everything, like all of us, you look at the opportunities you're presented with, the opportunities that are in front of you, your goals shift as your career shifts," Wilson said. "Most of my career, any actor's career, is you're just kind of a gun for hire, right? That's just the nature of the beast. I think with this movie it was a great fit and an incredible opportunity because nobody makes these movies better than Blumhouse, and I've done several movies with these guys and I knew I'd be taken care of."

Wilson's other James Wan horror franchise, The Conjuring, has evolved into a sprawling property with multiple spinoffs and sequels. It appears as though Insidious could be following a similar path.

John Krasinski's latest feature, IF, is heading into previews tonight, and the new film follows a young girl named Bea (Cailey Fleming) who encounters a group of imaginary friends (aka IFs) that have been forgotten by their now grown-up companions. If you're heading to the theater to check out the film, which also stars Deadpool & Wolverine's Ryan Reynolds, you may be wondering if there are any scenes in the mid or post-credits. While the text scroll does have a funny joke you may want to stick around for, there is no extra scene after the movie. However, there is a special tribute after the credits roll...

The film features a star-studded lineup of actors playing the IFs, including Louis Gossett Jr. The iconic Academy Award-winning actor known for An Officer and a Gentleman and Watchmen voices Lewis the Bear in the new film. Sadly, Gossett Jr. passed away in March, making IF one of his final films. After the credits, you can see moments of Lewis the Bear from the movie with an In Memorium dedicated to Gossett Jr.

"So getting to work with him was incredible," Kransinski said of Gossett Jr. when speaking to AP. "The fact that we're one of his last movies is incredibly gut-wrenching and emotional. And yet, at the same time, I can't believe one of his last movies will be about the things we love. 'Nothing is forgotten.' His character actually says that which is wild."

"But the crazier part is, our first conversation I ever had with him, when he said he would do the part, I told him that the IFs live under Coney Island and he's the head of the IFs and blah, blah, blah. And he said, 'Yeah, that's great.' And he said something about the boardwalk," Krasinski continued. "And again, he had not read the script, and I said, 'Yeah, it's beautiful.' And he said, 'No, that's where I grew up.' And I said, 'What?' And he said, 'I grew up in Coney Island.' And then he started telling me stories about how his dad would take him to the boardwalk, how he would listen to jazz, how he would smell the foods. And I was like, 'Oh my God, your scene that I wrote is exactly the conversation we're having right now.' So I'm having goosebumps just talking about it. But it's not only emotional to have him in the movie, but to have him have that connection, it almost just felt meant to be."

Who Stars in IF?

In IF, Krasinski directs a cast that includes Reynolds, Fleming, himself, and Fiona Shaw in addition to Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) and late Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. (An Officer and a Gentleman) as IFs Blossom and Lewis. The star-studded ensemble also features the voices of Emily Blunt, Blake Lively, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Maya Rudolph, Bradley Cooper, Jon Stewart, Sam Rockwell, Sebastian Maniscalco, Awkwafina, Richard Jenkins, Keegan Michael Key, Matthew Rhys, and Christopher Meloni as "the most unique imaginary friends ever dreamed up in a movie."

IF is now playing in theaters.

Dune: Part Two has become something of a phenomenon over the past few months, with the film earning rave reviews, a hearty box office haul, and plenty of online chatter. The film, which continues Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's iconic books, is chock-full of moments that stuck with audiences -- and apparently, with some of its crew as well. While speaking to ComicBook about the recent home release of Dune: Part Two, cinematographer Greig Fraser shared the scenes from the film that he himself is the most fond of.

"I love the sandworm riding sequence, to be frank with you," Fraser explained in our interview, which you can check out above. "It changes on a week to week basis. I love that sequence. Love, love, love that sequence. But I think, at the moment, the sequence that I'm loving is the end of the film. I'm loving Chani's journey. At the end of the film, I'm loving her silent walk to the sand dune, her thumper. I love her journey at the end. That's a beautiful little moment. And the other thing I love as well -- you asked for one, but I'm giving you three -- is Jessica's journey, while she's talking to Alia. There's a time she's walking in the sietch where she's kind of talking to Alia, and she's kind of talking to herself. [She] really sounds, a little bit, like a crazy person. She's talking about converting the weak minds, and she comes across a family who are a little bit scared of her. And the push in on Rebecca is one of my favorite shots in the film, too. I mean, as far as acting goes, it is supreme acting that her eyes shift at a certain point in the film. So I love that."

Will There Be a Dune 3?

As fans of Herbert's books know, the grand narrative of Dune extends far beyond the events of the first book, which has led to a lot of speculation about whether or not Dune: Messiah could become the franchise's next film. Villeneuve has teased that a script for Dune: Messiah exists, and that he is focusing on telling the best possible distillation of the source material.

"I'm working on four different screenplays -- I know that Dune: Messiah will be one of them, I don't know if it will be the next or the second next," Villeneuve shared in an interview earlier this year. "My job was to try to keep the spirit of Frank Herbert alive as much as possible -- the whole meaning of Dune becomes clear with Dune: Messiah."

What Is Dune: Part Two About?

Dune: Part Two explores the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

The big-screen epic Dune: Part Two includes Timoth?e Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and L?a Seydoux, with Stellan Skarsg?rd, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem. Denis Villeneuve directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts based on Frank Herbert's iconic novel.

Dune: Part Two is available now on Digital and on 4K UHD.

Ryan Reynolds fans are eagerly awaiting the actor to return to the role of Deadpool in Deadpool & Wolverine this summer, but if you want to catch the star on the big screen a little sooner, he can currently be seen in John Krasinski's IF. The new movie opened in theaters tonight and follows a young girl named Bea (Cailey Fleming) who encounters a group of imaginary friends (aka IFs) that have been forgotten by their now grown-up companions. The IFs come in all shapes and sizes, including an invisible IF named Keith. Reynolds constantly trips over the character in the film, who is never seen or heard. However, he has a pretty hilarious credit in the end credits, and his casting is a nod to Deadpool 2.

There are many big stars who voice IFs in the new film, and the crew behind the project decided to have a little fun by adding an, "Introducing Brad Pitt as Keith" in the credits. In addition to being a funny bit, this isn't the first time Pitt has "played" an invisible character in a Reynolds movie. In Deadpool 2, the Oscar-winning actor is briefly seen as Vanisher, an invisible member of the X-Force who is only seen for a split second when he's electrocuted to death.

During an interview with BBC Radio 1 in 2022, Pitt reflected on his Deadpool 2 cameo.

"Pretty much the easiest thing I've ever done," Pitt said with a laugh. "[Director David Leitch] is an old friend of mine. We met when he was my stunt double starting with Fight Club and all the way up until about '04. Then he went off and became a good director, which is rare!"

"He and Ryan called, and like, 'Why not?'" Pitt added.

Who Stars in IF?

In IF, Krasinski directs a cast that includes Reynolds, Fleming, himself, and Fiona Shaw in addition to Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) and late Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. (An Officer and a Gentleman) as IFs Blossom and Lewis. The star-studded ensemble also features the voices of Emily Blunt, Blake Lively, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Maya Rudolph, Bradley Cooper, Jon Stewart, Sam Rockwell, Sebastian Maniscalco, Awkwafina, Richard Jenkins, Keegan Michael Key, Matthew Rhys, and Christopher Meloni as "the most unique imaginary friends ever dreamed up in a movie."

IF is now playing in theaters.

"Because you were home" was shocking justification for a deadly home invasion in 2008's The Strangers -- but it sounds like critics can't justify a less-scary retread. Critics have published their reviews for The Strangers: Chapter 1, the first in a simultaneously-shot Strangers prequel trilogy slashed into three parts. The horror-thriller, from filmmaker Renny Harlin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Exorcist: The Beginning), debuted Thursday at 21% "rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes -- lower than the original (49%) and its decade-later standalone sequel, The Strangers: Prey at Night (40%).

In the new movie, a young couple (Riverdale's Madelaine Petsch and Cruel Summer's Froy Gutierrez) is forced to spend the night in a remote cabin after their car breaks down in an eerie small town. Panic ensues as they're terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive, beginning a cat-and-mouse game that will unfold over an entire trilogy.

Chapter 1 "serves as little more than a rehash of the original movie that not only fails to replicate what made that film work, but also actively made decisions that resulted in a distinct step backward for the series," ComicBook's Patrick Cavanaugh writes in a 2/5 review, calling the slasher "redundant" and a "rudimentary rehash of plot points from the original movie."

"We had to keep in mind that this is one story arc. It is one 4.5 hour movie, and the first movie is a first act," Harlin told ComicBook. "It sets up the characters, and the terror, and the killers, and our main character, who will survive the first movie, but then go on a journey for the next two."

But is The Strangers: Chapter 1 all set up and no payoff? Here's what critics are saying:

Deadline: "The Strangers: Chapter 1 is everything wrong in the horror genre. The film suffers from zero build-up, a lack of atmospheric tension, and an overreliance on cheap jump scares. The characters make a series of poor decisions, a hallmark of lazy writing that propels the plot forward with little regard for logic or audience engagement ... a reboot must offer something compelling. The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a film that should not exist, as the original already achieved what was necessary to be entertaining and memorable."

TheWrap: "While we wait for the Strangers to show up, nothing happens. Oh sure, there are incidents. The car breaks down and they have to find an Airbnb in a small town. He loses his inhaler. She has trouble finding vegan food, because there are no vegans in [checks notes] Oregon. But that's not drama and it's not even conflict. It's tedious filler. Maya and Ryan are some of the lousiest horror protagonists in recent memory ... Nothing matters until the killers attack, and they don't attack for a very long time. And when they do, their victims aren't allowed to act like human beings. And somehow it gets worse because the killers are just going through the motions. It's a pat retread of all the violence from the original film, with no emotional investment and no creativity in the mayhem department."

Variety: "Given that, at its core, this new installment has almost the exact same plot as its predecessors, one could make a convincing argument that such a tale doesn't need to be stretched across three movies ? la The Hobbit. Time will tell, but for now there's enough reason for devotees of the series to be cautiously optimistic -- and even a little curious -- about the next two chapters."

Inverse: "Harlin's film thinks it's 'improving' on the original by filling in blanks that are blank for a reason, scrubbing away what The Strangers fans hold dear about Bertino's remarkably revolting mirror to humanity. Instead, The Strangers: Chapter 1 mimics Bertino's home invasion beats with far more rigidity than any ornamental homage. It's a remake, and quite a flimsy remake. Writers Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland seek more than inspiration from The Strangers, which is a shame because they carelessly misunderstand what makes Bertino's unquestionably superior post-9/11 horror flick a malicious powerhouse. The Strangers: Chapter 1 overexposes, underdelivers, and replaces despicable bleakness with formulaic predictability akin to The Strangers 2.0 (but worse)."

New York Times: "The hapless script -- written by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland and based on the original -- offers nothing fresh in a tiring 91 minutes, and nothing daring to justify a new Strangers film, let alone a new series."

Chicago Sun-Times: "The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a well-paced, 91-minute thrill ride that provides a steady helping of jump scares while ending on a note that has us eagerly anticipating the next chapters in the saga."

IndieWire: "Yes, the masks are great. And yes, home invasions will always be scary. But when it comes to messing with genre classics, your answer to 'Why remake a near-perfect film?' can't be 'It was here.' ... This good-but-not-great spinoff has the dusty aftertaste of a studio-driven double-dip. It's the same thing you've seen before only less mournful and more business motivated. Think Stranger Danger Lite: all the silent mocking and bursts of violence, now with half the emotional investment."

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is in theaters Friday.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 marks the first installment of the ambitious experiment of reviving 2008's The Strangers as an entire trilogy, with Chapter 1 hitting theaters this weekend. Not only was the project conceived of as a trilogy, but it was also filmed during an extended production period, ensuring continuity across all three films. While it's not a question of whether or not the narrative will continue with another film, some fans have wondered if we would get a tease of what's to come when checking out the new horror film and we're here to confirm that The Strangers: Chapter 1 does have a mid-credits scene.

WARNING: Spoilers below for The Strangers: Chapter 1

This first chapter of the trilogy takes the core story beats from the original 2008 movie and makes some slight changes to them. Couple Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) run into car trouble on their drive from Chicago to Portland, forcing them to stay in a nearby, remote cabin for the night. They find themselves the target of masked murderers, who audiences recognize as "The Strangers," with the trio of characters terrorizing the couple for seemingly no reason.

Much like in the original movie, the film concludes with The Strangers tying up the couple and stabbing them, leaving them for dead. While Ryan seemingly succumbs to his fatal injuries, the film ends with Maya in the hospital having somehow survived her wounds.

As the audience sees Maya in her hospital bed, leaving us to wonder if she's alone, the credits start to roll. In a mid-credits scene, however, we reunite with Maya and see that she isn't alone after all, as the Stranger with the Scarecrow mask is in the room with her.

Given that we know there are two more movies on the way, which have already been filmed, we knew that the terror wouldn't be over quite yet, with this brief tease implying that the next chapter could pick up right where this film leaves off. Fans will also have to wait to find out if Ryan is really dead.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is in theaters now. The Strangers: Chapter 2 is expected to be released later in 2024.

Are you looking forward to the next chapter? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

Dune: Part Two is the biggest movie of 2024 so far, and it will soon be heading to Max. ComicBook has gotten the chance to chat with many folks who worked on the film, which is currently up on Rotten Tomatoes with a 92% critics' score and a 95% audience score. In honor of the movie's upcoming 4K release, ComicBook spoke with editor Joe Walker about the film. One big moment from the project that came up was the duel between Paul Atreides (Timoth?e Chalamet) and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler).

"Roger [Yuan], the stunt coordinator, and the actors sort of developed a really - there's a lot of meaning that goes into those fights," Walker explained. "They aren't just scraps. They have the energy of scraps, but there's continuity. In fact, the moment where he looks down and sees the knife in his guts, that's kind of a reference, isn't it? I think to Gurney, one of the initial scenes of Dune 1. There's always a kind of - the character is baked in - the sort of different fighting styles in opposition. And you know, the adeptness of Paul to adapt as a person, which is his survival. He adapts to the desert, and so does his fighting style."

"In the case of that [scene], they shot it, I think, over about four or five days, and I think two cameras at a time with the kind of dawn lighting going on. And, of course, the entire cast save the Baron are there, so there's a lot to cut to that sort of amplifies and ramps up the drama of the story, and not least Paul and Chani and the kind of access between them that Feyd tramples upon," he continued.

"[Director Denis Villeneuve] always kind of pays me the most enormous compliment that an editor can get, which is if something works perfectly, he doesn't change it. We change things that aren't working a lot until they work. But in the case of Paul and Feyd's fight, that was pretty much what I showed him in Hungary, a week after he shot it. We were jumping up and down saying ... 'We've got a great ending'"

Dune: Part Two is now available on Digital and on 4K UHD. Stay tuned for more from our interview with Joe Walker.

Francis Ford Coppola's long-gestating epic Megalopolis has prompted quite a lot of chatter lately, between its recent premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and the surprise release of its first trailer. The film, which was self-financed by Coppola himself, has been on the hunt for distributors for several weeks now, and has (at the time of this writing) yet to find a domestic distributor. Nonetheless, the U.S. debut of Megalopolis just got a major update, as it was announced on Thursday that the film will get a global run on IMAX screens.

According to reporting, Coppola personally secured an IMAX run for Megalopolis in "at least twenty U.S. cities in late September", potentially hinting at when the film could make its debut. An official release date still has yet to be set.

What Is Megalopolis About?

Megalopolis is a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina, a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero, the mayor's daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.

"Somewhere down the line, way after I'm gone, all I want is for them to discuss [Megalopolis] and, is the society we're living in the only one available to us?" Coppola said in a 2022 interview. "How can we make it better? Education, mental health? What the movie really is proposing is that utopia is not a place. It's how can we make everything better? Every year, come up with two, three or four ideas that make it better."

"I would be smiling in my grave if I thought something like that happened, because people talk about what movies really mean if you give them something," Coppola continued. "If you encouraged people to discuss marriage and education and health and justice and opportunities and freedom and all these wonderful things that human beings have conceived of. And ask the question, how can we make it even better? That would be great. Because I bet you they would make it better if they had that conversation."

Who Is in the Cast of Megalopolis?

The ensemble cast for Megalopolis includes Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina, Giancarlo Esposito as Mayor Franklyn Cicero, Nathalie Emmanuel as Julia Cicero, Aubrey Plaza as Wow Platinum, Shia LaBeouf as Clodio Pulcher, Jon Voight as Hamilton Crassus III, Jason Schwartzman as Jason Zanderz, Talia Shire as Constance Crassus Catilina, Grace VanderWaal as Vesta Sweetwater, Laurence Fishburne as Fundi Romaine, Kathryn Hunter as Teresa Cicero, and Dustin Hoffman as Nush "The Fixer" Berman.

"It's kind of undefinable, which feels very general until you watch the movie," Driver revealed in an interview earlier this year. "Then my answer will be perfect. There's not a lot of precedent for it and it's wild on a big scale, which is what's really unique about it."

The reboot of I Know What You DId Last Summer has an official release date of July 18, 2025.

Last year theI Know What You DId Last Summer reboot was revealed to be a legacy sequel (or "requel") that will bring back members of the original films' surviving cast, including Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freeeide Prinze Jr.

When asked by Entertainment Tonight about her potential return, Hewitt admitted, "I can't confirm but I won't deny, how about that?" She then expressed that, were her Julie James to be involved in the sequel, she would be "a lot older than she was but still kick ass."

"Here's the truth, I don't actually know what they have planned, I have not seen [the script] yet," Hewitt added. "But I'm assuming that it'll be lots of screaming and running around."

The franchise's resurgence made Freddie Prinze Jr. achieve a major personal milestone: finally watching I Know What You DId Last Summer:

"When Jon and I watched I Know What You Did Last Summer for the podcast, it was the first time I'd ever seen it. Sarah [Michelle Gellar] actually ended up watching it with us, too," Prinze Jr. revealed to Fangoria. "It brought back some memories that I was able to share on our first episode. Some of the stories you'll hear are ones that I'm telling for the very first time."

Hewitt and Prinze Jr. starred in the 1997 film based on the 1973 Lois Duncan novel of the same name, which also starred Ryan Phillippe, and Sarah Michelle Gellar (who married Prinze after they became a romantic couple after the film). The story focused on four friends who accidentally killed a man and attempted to cover it up; a year later, threats emerge that could reveal the secrets they have been hiding.

Hewitt and Prinze both returned for the sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and managed to have their characters survive (Gellar and Phillippe's characters died in the first film). The third entry, I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, pivoted away from the core characters of the first movies - while a TV series adaptation on Prime Video in 2021 totally re-imagined the story. That series only last for one season.

The I Know What You DId Last Summer reboot/sequel will be released in theaters on July 18, 2025.

Will Smith is shedding light on his I Am Legend sequel he's developing with Michael B. Jordan.

"We had a couple weeks together about a month ago. I think it's looking good," the Bad Boys: Ride or Die star told Entertainment Tonight. "[We have some] really solid ideas... I think we're going to make it on screen together." Jordan is "the truth," Smith added of the Black Panther and Creed star, "so I would love to do that."

Based on Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, the 2007 post-apocalyptic thriller starred Smith as virologist Robert Neville, seemingly the last man on Earth. The sole survivor of a man-made plague and immune to the virus that turned the infected into the vampire-like Darkseekers, Neville successfully developed a cure, but died in the film's theatrical ending. However, the as-yet-untitled I Am Legend sequel will continue from the scrapped original ending included as an alternate ending on the DVD release. (In that ending, Smith's character survived and became legend among the Darkseekers for his experiments on the living-infected.)

"You have to be a real I Am Legend buff to know this, but in the first, theatrical version, my character dies, but on the DVD there was an alternate version of the ending where my character lived," Smith explained in December. "We are going with the mythology of the DVD version. I can't tell you anything more, but Michael B. Jordan is in."

Writer Akiva Goldsman, who penned the 2007 movie and the upcoming sequel for Warner Bros., said that I Am Legend 2 takes place "a few decades" post-outbreak in 2009 and the events of the first film in 2012.

"I'm obsessed with The Last of Us, where we see the world just post-apocalypse but also after a 20-30-year lapse," Goldsman said in a 2023 interview. " You see how the earth reclaims the world, and there's something beautiful in the question of, as man steps away from being the primary tenant, what happens? That will be especially visual in New York. I don't know if they'll climb up to the Empire State Building, but the possibilities are endless."

He continued: "We trace back to the original Matheson book, and the alternate ending as opposed to the released ending in the original film. What Matheson was talking about was that man's time on the planet as the dominant species had come to an end. That's a really interesting thing we're going to get to explore. There will be a little more fidelity to the original text."

Is Paramount's IF (2024) movie too scary or sad for kids? A lot of parents are asking that question as IF (2024) opens in theaters - and we have the spoiler-free answer to share!

What Is IF (2024) About?

From writer and director John Krasinski, IF is about a young girl named Bea, who has been going through a troubling experience in her life, unexpectedly gains the ability to see people's imaginary friends (referred to as "IFs" for short) who have been abandoned by the kids they helped. Bea then discovers that her neighbor, Cal, has the same ability. Together they join forces to reunite the IFs with their former kids.

That's a nice, whimsical, synopsis - but it doesn't necessarily let parents in on the fact that IF tackles serious subject matter that may be too intense for younger children. Although the film has a PG rating, it's in the details of that rating that the devil lies: "Rated PG for thematic elements and mild language."

Is IF (2024) Too Scary or Sad For Kids?

Those "thematic elements" warned about in the PG rating for IF have to do with the premise of the story. The young protagonist, Bea (Cailey Fleming), is a girl going through the unthinkable trauma of having lost a parent while having the other parent facing a perilous health scare. It's the stress of that situation that makes Bea seek comfort and purpose in the plight of the Imaginary Friends.

When IF takes that detour into the coping and healing power of fanciful imagination through its menagerie of Imaginary Friends, the film is great for kids. However, it is admittedly a hard entryway into the film, with director John Krasinski giving viewers a UP-style montage of happy family experiences that end in deep tragedy. If that isn't a portion of the film that's too emotionally stressful for young kids (6 or younger), then it is arguably too "adult" and dramatic to really grab their attention - until the colorful IF characters start showing up. Similarly, the ending of IF requires that viewers once again leave all the imaginative fun behind and deal with the real-world stakes that Bea has to deal with.

There's nothing in these bookending portions of IF that is inherently bad or disturbing for kids; however, parents of young ones may want to be aware of these elements in the film BEFORE determining whether or not it's suitable for the family.

Ironically enough, all of the aforementioned content in IF's story is arguably more upsetting for parents, who may find concepts like untimely deaths, leaving a child orphaned, or anxiety about health concerns, stressful in a family film experience.

IF (2024) is now showing in theaters.

Thelma the Unicorn is coming to the streaming screen. Based on Aaron Blabey's fan-favorite children's book series, Thelma the Unicorn tells the tale of the titular pony's (Brittany Howard) efforts to become a world-famous singer, which accelerate dramatically after she accidentally disguises herself as a unicorn. Netflix wasted no time in adding top talent to the animated adaptation, bringing in Jared and Jerusha Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre) to pen the script. Jared also occupied one-half of the director's chair, sharing that title with Lynn Wang.

"They were working with Netflix for about a year, I believe, before I came on, just working on script and working on story and writing and stuff like that," Wang recalled to ComicBook when asked about her production timeline on Thelma the Unicorn. "Once they got to a place where they felt like it was in a pretty solid form where we could kind of take it and start putting visuals to it, that's when I came in. I had just come off of show running for Unikitty! at Warner Brothers, which is another unicorn property. I was primed for this one."

Thelma the Unicorn represents Wang's feature film directorial debut. Prior to this project, Wang had worked on numerous animated television installments in a variety of different roles, from character designing on Spongebob Squarepants to guest directing an episode of Teen Titans Go!. While this movie was a bit of new territory for Wang, she praised the Hesses for welcoming her in with open arms.

"I think it is always hard to have someone come in and who has opinions and thoughts of their own on something that they've already been working on, but they've been so great at welcoming me in," Wang mentioned. "I mostly worked with Jared on the day to day, and then Jerusha would come in at crucial moments to help write and give notes during specific times in the pipeline. Those two people are so nice and so sweet and they're just ready to hear any idea and throw spaghetti against the wall."

Some of those ideas are inspired by the some of the most cherished films in both the animated and live-action space.

"I love Chris and Phil Lord's movies. I think they are really high energy and super funny. And also when they hit emotionally, they really hit emotionally. Stuff like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was my general influence," Wang detailed. "For Thelma specifically, we had musical biopic influences from A Star is Born. We also had Sing Street, which is really fun and also high energy and also big emotions. Then of course, I think Jared's own library of work. His movies like Nacho Libre and Napoleon Dynamite really showcase how silly and funny he can be, but then are also grounded in human emotions and human wants. I think all of that went into Thelma."

Wang also had the luxury of a stacked vocal cast behind Thelma the Unicorn. Beyond Brittany Howard in the titular spot, the ensemble features iconic comedic voices like Zach Galifianakis, Fred Armisen, Will Forte, and Jon Heder.

"They're such pros at what they do, and this is a comedy of course, and so they're like comedy geniuses," Wang applauded the ensemble. "Jared's really good friends with a lot of them, which I think also really helps to make the recording room feel casual, which I think is always really conducive to comedy."

It might not be long before that ensemble is back in the booth either. Blabey has multiple Thelma the Unicorn stories in his archive, meaning there is framework for sequels should Netflix pursue it.

"I hope so," Wang said of a possible Thelma the Unicorn 2. "That would be amazing to get the team back together."

Thelma the Unicorn hits Netflix on May 17th.

Universal Pictures revealed multiple release dates for a few of its highly anticipated Blumhouse titles as well as new dates for sequels M3GAN 2.0 and The Black Phone 2. M3GAN shattered box-office predictions in early 2023 earning over $181 million worldwide on a $12 million budget. The film, which earned high praise for bridging the gap between campy and horror, takes a deeper look into artificial intelligence through a life-like doll that's programmed to be a child's greatest companion, M3GAN. After Gemma, a roboticist, gifts her niece a prototype of M3GAN, it produces deadly consequences. The sequel is shifting from May 16, 2025 to a little over a month later at June 27, 2025. It was previously moved from January to May of 2025.

As for The Black Phone 2, the sequel will release four years after the original film. In the first film, which released in the summer of 2021, Finley, a 13-year-old boy, was kidnapped by a masked killer and locked in the basement. A phone that's on the wall begins ringing and when Finley picks up, he comes to realize the voices on the other end are from the killer's previous victims who will stop at nothing to make sure what happened to them doesn't happen to Finley too. The sequel was originally slated to debut in theaters three days after the four-year anniversary of the original. It will now move from June 27, 2025 to October 17, 2025.

The other three films on the slate -- Five Nights at Freddy's 2, The Woman in the Yard, and Drop -- are also set to debut in 2025. Five Nights at Freddy's 2 follows the first film, adapted from the highly popularized video game series. Starring Josh Hutcherson as Mike, fans will have to wait until the holiday season next year to return to the iconic Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria where Mike works as night security to support himself and his sister. Five Nights at Freddy's landed in theaters and on Peacock last October where it became Blumhouse's highest-grossing film of all time, earning $291 million worldwide. The sequel hits theaters December 5, 2025.

As for The Woman in the Yard and Drop, the plots of both films are being kept under wraps at the moment. The Woman in the Yard comes from Black Adam director Jaume Collet-Serra from a script by Sam Stefanak. Danielle Deadwyler who stars in the film as well as acts as an EP, will be joined by Russell Horsby, Okwui Okpokwasili, Peyton Jackson, and Estella Kahiha. Jason Blum produced alongside Stephanie Allain. Collet-Serra, Gabrielle Ebron, Scott Greenberg, and James Moran also serve as EPs. The Woman in the Yard is tentatively set to release on March 28, 2025.

Drop, from Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes, stars Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus, The Bold Type), Violett Beane (Hulu's Death and Other Details) and Jacob Robinson. It will release in theaters April 11, 2025.

Summer is off to a Bad start. Sony Pictures released the final Bad Boys: Ride or Die trailer and announced that tickets are on sale for the "total blast" buddy cop comedy, which kickstarts summer with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence back in action as detective duo Mike and Marcus.

In the fourth installment of the franchise from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Miami's finest become Miami's most wanted when their captain (Joe Pantoliano) is posthumously accused of corruption. "Boys, if you're seeing this, I'm probably dead," Captain Howard warns in a video message. "Whoever gave the order to kill me is in the department. They're coming after you next."

On the run from a US Marshall (Rhea Seehorn) and the target of a dead-or-alive bounty by the Banker (Eric Dane), the fugitives will "have it coming from cops, cartel, and every gang in the city," Dane's villain says in the action-packed red band trailer. Along with weapons expert Kelly (Vanessa Hudgens) and techie Dorn (Alexander Ludwig), it's Bad Boys versus everybody when Ride or Die hits theaters June 7.

Directed by Bad Boys for Life's Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who took the reigns from Bad Boys and Bad Boys II director Michael Bay, the fourquel is "what a summer movie is supposed to be," Smith told Entertainment Weekly. "I'm very excited about this one. We want it to feel nostalgic, but we also want the characters to be experiencing things that are age-appropriate and experience-appropriate. It's a challenge to keep it fun and keep it exciting and make sure that the popcorn part is enjoyable, but also letting it be gourmet popcorn. It is popcorn, but it's definitely got some special sauce on it."

"That's the thing that is important [in making] another one: It has to have an emotional base that is interesting and riveting, not just trying to blow some stuff up. At this point in my life, I need the movies to be about something," Smith added. "Part of why Bad Boys works for people is at the heart of it is friendship. At the heart of it is love. At the heart of it is a relationship, and it's the kind of relationship that we all wish we had, somebody that will ride or die with us and for us."

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is only in theaters June 7. Tickets are now on sale.

Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* is currently in production and the upcoming MCU film will see the return of many fan-favorite actors in addition to some franchise newcomers. One such MCU newcomer is rumored to be Lewis Pullman, who was said to be the top choice to play Sentry in the film. It was teased earlier this year that the Top Gun: Maverick actor was likely taking over the role from Steven Yeun. However, he's being tight-lipped about the upcoming project. During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Josh Horowitz asked Pullman about Sentry, but the actor dodged the question.

"You know, I think the MCU is always something that I've watched and felt like is a beautiful world that is kind of untouchable," Pullman explained. "I think there is something about joining that world which is similar to joining television in that whenever somebody joins in, you want it to be as a character you can live in for a long time and an aspect of the world you want to be in."

Horowitz continued trying to get more information out of Pullman and even showed him a photo of Sentry from the comics, which got a big laugh from Pullman. "What a beautiful costume. Look at those locks, my God," he replied. Pullman attempted to change the subject by talking about what kind of superpower he'd want, choosing the ability to shapeshift. Horowitz jokingly took that as "confirmation" Sentry would have shapeshifting powers.

"I haven't looked into Sentry," Pullman replied. "First time I've heard this name. The Sentry sounds like a snakey, shapeshifter kind of vibe, if you read the comics."

Who Stars in Thunderbolts*?

Thunderbolts* features an ensemble of returning MCU stars, including Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova/Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Beef) is directing from a script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow), Lee Sung Jin (Beef), and Joanna Calo (Bojack Horseman). Producer Kevin Feige confirmed the official title as Thunderbolts* -- complete with an asterisk -- at CinemaCon this year. "We won't talk more about that until after the movie comes out," Feige said of the title change.

Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* is dated for May 5, 2025. The upcoming Marvel Studios slate includes Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26), Captain America: Brave New World (February 14, 2025), The Fantastic Four (July 25, 2025), Blade (November 7, 2025), Avengers 5 (n?e The Kang Dynasty, May 1, 2026), and Avengers: Secret Wars (May 7, 2027).

Fist of The North Star and the Mad Max saga have a lot in common. The two universes focus on post-apocalyptic worlds where the desert seems endless and surviving every day is a radical struggle. In a surprising twist, the creator of the anime franchise, Tetsuo Hara has taken a crack at the character of Furiosa before the prequel movie focusing on the beloved character hits theaters via Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

Fist of The North Star is planning to return to the anime world via a television series to celebrate the franchise's fortieth anniversary. Fist of The North Star: Hokuto No Ken has yet to receive a release date, but here's how Warner Bros. Japan describes the next chapter in Kenshiro's life, "In 199x, world was engulfed in the blaze of nuclear war. With the Ocean drying up and Earth torn asunder, all life seems to be lost but humans survived stubbornly. However, what dominated the post-apocalyptic world was a seer violence. The remaining humanity was split in two groups: those who kill and take whatever they can and those who are exploited. When all hope seemed lost for the weak, a man in ragged cloth appears. He is Kenshiro, the rightful successor of the Hokuto Shinken martial arts with seven studs-like scars in a shape of the Big Dipper. His journey to becoming a legendary savior begins!"

Furiosa of The North Star

The Official Warner Bros Social Media Account shared the new art from Tetsuo Hara which imagines what Furiosa might have looked like had she been a part of Kenshiro's universe.

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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is set to take North American theaters by storm on May 24th. Here's how Warner Bros describes the prequel story focusing on Furiosa's life before she came into contact with the Road Warrior, "As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home."

What do you think of this desert wasteland crossover? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for all the latest updates on Furiosa and Fist of The North Star.

Friday the 13th is becoming an entire franchise universe. The "Jason Universe" has been announced by Horror, Inc. There will reportedly be "new activations" for Friday the 13th content, which will span multiple platforms including entertainment (TV/movies), games, "immersive experiences," merchandise offerings, and more. Announcements about these various activations are teased to be happening "throughout 2024."

You can also throw a bookmark up on the official Jason Universe website. Right now, the site is just a landing page requesting sign-up info, with the promise of news updates and more reveals to come.

"For decades, Jason shocked and thrilled audiences who kept coming back for more. We're excited to work with Victor Miller and Marc Toberoff on new projects we'll announce in the coming months," said Robert Barsamian, President of Horror, Inc., in a statement provided exclusively to IGN.

Robbie Barsamian, VP of Horror, Inc. added that, "We're focused on honoring the legacy while elevating the fan experience and appealing to today's horror audiences as we develop new ways to watch, interact. and engage with the Jason Universe."

"With the unique ability to remain at the forefront of pop culture for 44 years, Jason continues to top charts as one of the scariest villains of all time with strong global awareness across multiple generations thanks to billions of TikTok views plus millions and millions of gamers and movie fans," Sheri Conn, Global GM of Horror, Inc. said in her own statement, "We can't wait to introduce new Jason Universe activations to these amazing fans."

What New Friday the 13th Movies & TV Shows Are Coming?

A Friday the 13th prequel TV series called Crystal Lake is getting a joint production from Peacock and A24. Hannibal TV series creator Bryan Fuller was attached as showrunner, writer, director, and executive producer at one point - but he's now no longer attached. As of right now, the project is still on the A24 production slate, although it doesn't seem to be making any forward progress.

Scream movies veteran Kevin Williamson was also attached to Crystal Lake, and shared a pretty awesome example of what we could be in for.

"So sorry I won't be a part of what would have been an epic Bryan Fuller show. Your pilot was so beautifully realized," Williamson shared on Twitter. "A gorgeous [portrait] of a mother unraveling in her grief. Not to mention bloody horrific! I was so looking forward to our hour-long chase episode!"

In 2022, Fuller had the following tease for fans about Crystal Lake:

"We're going to have roughly five times the per-episode budget that we had on Hannibal..." Fuller explained. "It will absolutely be recognizable for the hardcore Friday the 13th fans, but will also have an appeal to people who are simply interested in top-shelf TV storytelling."

Blumhouse studio head Jason Blum has made it clear that he's interested in getting more Jason movies into theaters. However, the rights to the character were tied up in litigation (between original director Sean S. Cunningham and original writer Victor Miller), making the pathway to get there very murky.

"Friday the 13th is what I would do," Blum shared with Collider when asked about the next horror property he wants to revive. "It's not a Blumhouse project, but I'm trying to will it into being one. It's just a piece of IP I've always loved."

Suddenly, all of the murkiness seems to be clearing away. The Jason Universe site touts the tagline being "a new era from the original owners of the Friday the 13th franchise," suggesting the legalities may finally be settled.

We'll keep you updated on official announcements from the Jason Universe.

Anya Taylor-Joy is fast and furious in an extended sneak peek from Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Released by ODEON Cinemas, the six-minute preview (below) showcases Imperator Furiosa's epic, action-packed trek across the Wastelands in the Fury Road prequel. The new footage is split into three acts -- Act I, "Her Odyssey Begins," Act II, "A Warrior Awakens," and Act III, "Ride Into Vengeance" -- and chronicles how a young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and thrust into the clutches of a deadly Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus (Thor's Chris Hemsworth).

Watch the Furiosa sneak peek below before the movie speeds into theaters May 24.

?Furiosa Exclusive! - Watch brand new film footage from #FURIOSA?

A chronicle fuelled by vengeance. See where it all started on May 24. FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA - only in Cinemas, book now at ODEON?? https://t.co/17fRl80Whb pic.twitter.com/PA5rB6M8Pf

-- ODEON (@ODEONCinemas) May 16, 2024

In a story sweeping through the Wasteland and spanning nearly 20 years, the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel pits Dementus in a war for dominance with The Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme, replacing the late Hugh Keays-Byrne). Meanwhile, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home -- including a high-octane, 15-minute set piece that was filmed over 78 days.

"[Director George Miller] and I would have these big conversations about why this particular set-piece was so long," Taylor-Joy said in a recent interview. "It's because you see an accumulation of skills over the course of a battle, and that's very important for understanding how resourceful Furiosa is, but also her grit. It's the longest sequence any of us have ever shot."

Returning to the iconic dystopian world he created more than 30 years ago with the Mad Max movies, Miller directs from a screenplay he wrote with Nico Lathouris (Mad Max: Fury Road). The cast includes Tom Burke (Mank), Nathan Jones (Conan the Barbarian), John Howard (Fury Road), Angus Sampson (The Lincoln Lawyer), Charlee Fraser (Anyone But You), and Daniel Webber (Billy the Kid). Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is only in theaters May 24.

Today, Airbnb announced the launch of a new Icons experience based on The Incredibles. Fans of Pixar's family superhero classic can sign up starting next week to step into the world of the movie, with its retro-futiristic look, its superhero fashion, and a look inside Edna Mode's lab. The Incredibles announcement follows on the heels of last week's announcement of the first 11 Icons, including the immersive X-Men '97 X-mansion, which ComicBook had an opportunity to visit recently.

Airbnb describes Icons as "a groundbreaking new category featuring extraordinary experiences hosted by the world's greatest icons across music, film, art, sports, and beyond," which "offer fans the unique opportunity to step into worlds that have only existed inside their imaginations."

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Incredibles, Airbnb today launches the ultimate fusion of fashion and heroism with an experience hosted by The Incredibles' own icon, Edna Mode. Here's how they describe the experience:

Nestled in a sleek, minimalist haven, Edna's home is a modern masterpiece that has witnessed the footsteps of generations of Supers. Now, lucky guests will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring their own creative superpowers to life, by designing their very own customized supersuit.

As the experience host, Edna herself will guide you through a day of pure inspiration and innovation:

• Step into Style: Upon arrival, you will be immersed in the chic ambiance of Edna's abode. From her captivating artwork to her curated collection of the finest supersuits, every corner exudes creativity and sophistication.
• Craft Your Identity: Venture into Edna's lab, where a team of expert designers awaits to bring guests' Super vision to life. With their guidance, embark on the journey of creating a supersuit tailored specifically to your unique powers and personality.
• Channel your Inner Edna: step inside Edna's closet to explore her monochromatic wardrobe and try her accessories on for size.

Following the visit, bookings will open Friday, May 24 at 9:00 a.m. PT for 15 total experiences for up to 4 guests each, occurring in early June at $0.

Airbnb Icons

If you want to get a sense for the Icons series of experiences, you can check out our walk through the X-Mansion here. Here's what Brandon Davis had to say about it: "Overall, the X-Mansion by Airbnb was a remarkable experience. It's such an immersive location that one can only hope more fans get to experience it and full advantage of its existence is taken. Perhaps ahead of Season 2, the cast and crew can do their interviews out of such an incredible locations, though this particular property may not be standing until that day."

Bryan Bertino's The Strangers wasn't the first home-invasion horror movie, but it arguably set the mold for any contemporary filmmaker who wanted to enter that storytelling realm. Whether it be the ominous masks, the characters' relationships, or the mysterious motivations for our killers, nearly every subsequent movie featuring murderers stalking a home borrows an element from the 2008 film. In an ambitious effort from filmmaker Renny Harlin, the concept is being revived not only as one picture, but as a sprawling trilogy that will allow audiences to spend more time with both the killers and the victims. Unfortunately, based solely on the introductory installment The Strangers: Chapter 1, we're not sure anyone would want to spend any more time in this world, as the movie serves as little more than a rehash of the original movie that not only fails to replicate what made that film work, but also actively made decisions that resulted in a distinct step backward for the series.

On a road trip from Chicago to Portland, couple Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) run into some car trouble in a remote Oregon town, resulting in them having to make an overnight stop in a wooded cabin. What could initially be seen as an impromptu yet romantic evening quickly turns to terror, as a group of masked assailants begin playing a deadly game of cat and mouse, entering the home and evading the couple while also managing to taunt and torment them.

Part of what made the original The Strangers so effective is how it focuses on a couple understandably going through a tumultuous evening, as a rejected marriage proposal has the pair suffering through one tense exchange after the other. The late 2000s and 2010s were saturated with remakes of familiar titles and gore-focused outings like Hostel or the Saw series, while The Strangers focused on layered and complex characters trying to push through an experience, immediately evoking empathy in audiences. Chapter 1, on the other hand, takes the exhausted cliche of "young couple faces car trouble in a small town" that we've seen in dozens if not hundreds of horror movies, which will immediately ignite frustration with any horror fan.

This complete lack of invention is what holds back Chapter 1 at every level. Petsch and Gutierrez are both likable enough and there isn't anything inherently poor with either their performances or on-screen chemistry, but there's also not anything particularly unique or interesting enough that sets them apart from countless other horror archetypes to pique an audience's interest. Once the first Stranger arrives and asks the familiar question, "Is Tamara home?" every decision these characters make is the most obvious, well-trodden path to possible survival. (Also worth noting is that the specifics of the story mean Maya and Ryan are staying in a stranger's house, so technically they are the strangers in someone else's home and recontextualizes everything they endure, which is never addressed in a reimagined reveal and comes across as storytelling laziness.)

While the merits of the film itself shouldn't be impacted by any marketing materials, it's worth noting that trailers for the film have promised, "Witness how the Strangers became the Strangers." Viewers who are familiar with the original movie might head into the project anticipating a prequel or origin story (which, admittedly, would rob the antagonists of much of their appeal), though the actual narrative follows all of the core beats of the source material. Where The Strangers featured a masked man silently standing behind Liv Tyler's Kirsten, Chapter 1 has this figure silently observing Maya while she's in the shower. When The Strangers frightens the couple with messages scrawled on a window, Chapter 1 features those messages scrawled on a bedroom wall. Not only is Chapter 1 not a prequel or origin story and instead an almost complete remake of the core concept, but every alternate decision feels entirely arbitrary and, with this lack of invention, comes across as a straight-to-video ripoff of the source material.

The failures of The Strangers: Chapter 1 seem to start at the source, which is the script by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland. Browsing through their writing career, you'll find many more sitcoms in their past than any substantial genre work. This isn't to say that you must have a minimum number of horror credits to your name before venturing into a beloved franchise, but retroactively reading through their credits sheds more insight into why Chapter 1 stuck with storytelling basics as opposed to getting more experimental.

The film isn't entirely without scares, as the masks of the intruders still manage to evoke visceral terror, and Harlin does his best to inject some fright into the experience, with a handful of scenes set in fog-covered woods being the only real standouts. There are a handful of jump scares, yet none that are particularly notable. Novices to the horror genre will likely be more willing to overlook Chapter 1's lack of originality, though more devout horror fans are given little to surprise them.

Even with The Strangers: Chapter 1 being a rudimentary rehash of the plot points from the original movie, we are still holding out some hope that these were storytelling necessities that had to be established before heading into The Strangers: Chapter 2. While the original The Strangers did earn a sequel of sorts with 2018's The Strangers: Prey at Night, the only connective tissue between the projects were the masks worn by the murderers. While its predecessors were both standalone experiences, this trilogy confirms that we'll be spending more time with the heroes, villains, or both in two more movies, which will mark a new experience for the franchise. In this sense, The Strangers: Chapter 1 could become a necessary evil that had to lay a foundation for Chapters 2 and 3 to get more ambitious and inventive, as it's merely the first act in a three-act structure. As proven with The Devil's Rejects or 2021's Wrong Turn, it also wouldn't be the first series to have sequels that far surpass the accomplishments of their predecessors. Also worth noting, however, is that David Gordon Green's Halloween trilogy similarly had a three-act approach that was expanded into three films yet that trilogy both had a stronger debut entry and also wasn't afraid to go experimental with sequels, even if the sequels fell short of expectations.

We're not ready to rule out this entire The Strangers reboot trilogy quite yet, as the nature of having a continuous narrative unfolding over three feature films marks new territory for the concept. Taking this first entry on its own, though, and it feels far more like one of the many derivative The Strangers knockoffs we've been given over the past decade than being a worthy entry into the proper series and doesn't live up to its pedigree. Featuring a predictable plot, generic characters, and wholly unoriginal scares, there's a lot of room for improvement for this trilogy, with the limitless potential of the premise at least leaving us with some hope for the franchise's frightening future.

Rating: 2 out of 5

The Strangers: Chapter 1 lands in theaters on May 17th.

The survival thriller Fall landed in theaters in the summer of 2022, going head to head with a number of franchise blockbusters, and while its initial release might not have been a major success, its arrival on various streaming platforms grew its audience, all of whom were captivated by the dizzying experience. Its modest budget and growing popularity resulted in the announcement that it would be getting two sequels, with Michael and Peter Spierig being announced today as the directors of the next entry. Director and co-writer of the first film Scott Mann has scripted Fall 2 and is set to write and direct Fall 3.

"We're extremely excited to helm the second installment of this franchise and bring to life another nail-biting, vertigo-inducing thrill ride," the Spierig Brothers shared in a statement.

Mann added, "I am so proud to hand over the reins to the Spierigs, two highly respected genre directors whose addition will undoubtedly make this follow-up even more of a must-see experience than we already knew it would be. I can't wait for Flawless to work alongside them, and the rest of our fantastic filmmaking team, to take the Fall franchise to epic new heights."

Per press release, "Acclaimed aficionados in the genre space, Michael and Peter Spierig are best known for Lionsgate's Winchester starring Helen Mirren and Sarah Snook and Jigsaw, the eighth film in the Saw series, one of the most successful franchises ever produced. Additional credits include Daybreakers starring Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe, Predestination starring Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook, and the award-winning zombie film Undead."

"Fall 2 and Fall 3 will bring back original characters from the first film, while also leaving room for new ones to be introduced. The first Fall followed two best friends who climb 2,000 feet to the top of an abandoned radio tower and find themselves stranded with no way down. Their expert climbing skills are put to the test as they desperately fight to survive the elements, a lack of supplies, and vertigo-inducing heights.

"The original film was a surprise runaway critical and commercial success. Certified Fresh, and hitting number one in several countries around the world, the movie drew over $20 million in box office from its original modest $3 million budget and was a major hit overseas, including China where it was nominated as best foreign film for a Golden Rooster, China's version of the Academy Awards. The original film also leveraged the TrueSync technology from Flawless, the leading film technology company pioneering the next generation of entertainment, of which Mann is Co-CEO. TrueSync, a TIME Best Inventions honoree, was used to change expletives spoken in the film by star Virginia Gardner to family-friendly language, which was crucial in securing the film's successful global release."

Stay tuned for updates on Fall 2 and Fall 3.

Are you excited for the new sequel? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

Warner Bros. has shared a new theatrical poster for filmmaker Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 and 2, an epic Western set in the years during the U.S. Civil War. The project is part one of a planned four-part series from the filmmaker, with two movies already filmed and scheduled and then two more in the wings. It's also the first big project from the Oscar-winning Man of Steel star since announcing his departure from the megahit Yellowstone. The first two movies are coming out so close together that they're apparently sharing a theatrical poster, likely a model that we might see with the upcoming quartet of Beatles biopics.

The poster doesn't tell you much about the movie, centering on Costner in a cowboy outfit for the hundredth time in his career. The tagline, "A Nation Unsettled," is similarly kind of stating the obvious given when it's set.

"When no one wanted to make the first one, I got the bright idea to make four," Costner joked when the trailer dropped earlier this year. "So I don't know what's wrong with me. But I wanted it to step away from what we usually see in Westerns where there's a town that's already there. No one knows how [the town] came to be. There's a guy comes in off the horizon, if you will. We don't know much about him, except that he has some skills he'd like to put behind him and this town ends up needing those stills desperately ... Too often, it's just a convenience for the hero guy to knock down a dumb guy."

You can see it below.

You can check out the synopsis for the movie below.

Academy Award-winning visionary filmmaker Kevin Costner directs New Line Cinema's vast Horizon: An American Saga Chapters One and Two, a multi-faceted chronicle covering the Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West. A story of America too big for one film, this true cinematic event also stars Costner, who co-writes with Jon Baird ("The Explorers Guild") and produces through his Territory Pictures.

In the great tradition of Warner Bros. Pictures' iconic Westerns, "Horizon: An American Saga" explores the lure of the Old West and how it was won-and lost-through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, Costner's ambitious cinematic adventure will take audiences on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.

Costner stars alongside an impressive ensemble cast that includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Tim Guinee, Danny Huston, Colin Cunningham, Scott Haze, Tom Payne, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Will Patton, Georgia MacPhail, Douglas Smith, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jamie Campbell Bower, Alejandro Edda, Was? Winyan Chief, Michael Anganaro, Angus Macfadyen, Jon Beavers, Alex Nibley, Kathleen Quinlan, Etienne Kellici, Amos Jason Charging Cloud, Bodhi Okuma Linton, Gregory Cruz, James Russo, Jeff Fahey, David O'Hara, Chris Conner, Leroy M. Silva, Bernardo Velasco, Tom Everett, Glynn Turman, Giovanni Ribisi and more.

Costner returns to directing for the first time since his 2003 critically acclaimed hit Open Range, and revisits Civil War-era America, the setting for his 1990 blockbuster and directorial debut, Dances with Wolves, which won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. He produces alongside Howard Kaplan and Mark Gillard, with Danny Peykoff, Robert Scannell, Armyan Bernstein, Charlie Lyons, Barry Berg and Rod Lake executive producing.

Costner is joined behind the camera by director of photography J. Michael Muro ("Billionaire Boys Club," "Parker"), production designer Derek R. Hill ("Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan," "The Magnificent Seven"), editor Miklos Wright ("For All Mankind," "Open Range") and costume designer Lisa Lovaas ("Ambulance," "Transformers: The Last Knight"). The music is by Oscar nominee John Debney ("The Passion of the Christ," "The Greatest Showman").

A New Line Cinema presentation of a Territory Pictures production, "Horizon: An American Saga" will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The films will be released in theaters nationwide, the first on June 28, 2024, the second on August 16, 2024.

Halle Berry is returning to horror. Dating to August 2020, a script penned by Kevin Coughlin (The King Tide) and Ryan Grassby (Mean Dreams) was shopped to 21 Laps Entertainment, the production company owned by Shawn Levy (Stranger Things, Deadpool & Wolverine). Berry joined the cast seven months later at the same time that director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes) replaced original filmmaker Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo). Momentum on the project stalled for a couple of years but picked up in June 2022, when distributor Lionsgate sold the international rights to a number of companies at the Cannes Film Festival. By April 2023, the cast had been rounded out for the newly-titled Never Let Go and the feature film held a six-week production shoot that summer.

Lionsgate Unveils First Trailer For Never Let Go

One touch without a rope on is all it takes.

Lionsgate has debuted the first trailer for Never Let Go, a new horror film from director Alexandre Aja. The fresh footage features Halle Berry's unnamed mother instructing her twin sons (Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins) on the rules of this post-apocalyptic world, which boils down to everyone needing to stay tethered to their house via a rope in order to avoid the evil that lies beyond.

Things take a dark turn when one of her sons is confronted by the mysterious force while being untethered, leading him to question the legitimacy of his mother's instructions. Throughout it all, the mother's command is that they "never let go."

You can watch the full trailer below...

"From visionary director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Crawl) and the creative minds behind Stranger Things and Arrival comes NEVER LET GO," the synopsis reads. "In this new psychological thriller/horror, as an Evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother, played by Academy Award winner Halle Berry (Actress in a Leading Role, 2001 -Monster's Ball), and her twin sons is their house and their family's protective bond. Needing to stay connected at all times - even tethering themselves with ropes - they cling to one another, urging each other to never let go. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real, the ties that bind them together are severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival."

Never Let Go hits theaters on September 27th.

Hulu's The Contestant follows one of the most bizarre and notorious cases in reality show history, giving a mainstream Western audience its first real deep dive into the story of Tomoaki Hamatsu (better known as Nasubi), who in 1998 was forced to live exclusively on what he could win from the contests in the back of magazines, with every moment of his life being streamed online and the highlights being aired as a TV show. It was the early days of reality television, and by the end of his months-long ordeal, Nasubi had lost weight, appeared to be suffering from extreme depression, and had been unwittingly shown naked to the world for more hours than maybe anyone in history.

If there's one thing to be said for The Contestant, it's that the clinical detachment of the documentary format doesn't quite sell the insanity of the experience, leaving audiences a little less traumatized than they might have been with a little more emotional intimacy. That said, it was important to the filmmakers that they avoided getting too deep and re-traumatizing Nasubi himself.

"Consent has been quite an important part of this whole process," director Clair Titley told ComicBook. "One of the things that I really didn't want to do was re-traumatize Nasubi; that was really important. While Nasubi didn't have editorial control, and we discussed this a lot, it was important that we did represent his story fairly and accurately, so I checked in with Nasubi often. I told him what we were doing and why we were doing it. We went back to him and asked him for ideas, who we should contact, even visual ideas occasionally. It was an ongoing, collaborative process, from the very start, from development, until towards the end of post-production."

Here's an official synopsis for The Contestant, taken from the Toronto International Film Festival website:

The Contestant traces the experience of aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, nicknamed Nasubi, who unwittingly became an extreme case study. In 1998, Nasubi thought he was attending an audition when a successful Japanese TV producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, enlisted him to take part in a challenge. Tsuchiya led Nasubi into a room, ordered him to strip naked and left him with a stack of magazines. Nasubi's task was to fill out contest coupons in order to win what he needed to survive -- food, clothing, appliances, etc. -- until he reached the prize goal of one million yen.

Although Nasubi could have left at any time, he stayed for months with a fierce determination to complete his mission. He was cut off from all contact with his family and the world except for occasional interactions with Tsuchiya. What Nasubi didn't realize was that his experiences were being broadcast to over 15 million people in a TV show called Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes. Without his knowledge or consent, Nasubi became the most famous television personality in Japan.

We're just a few weeks away from the launch of Bad Boys For Life, the latest installment in the long-running buddy cop movie series. The film once again reunites Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) in another high-octane adventure -- and apparently, Smith has high praise for it. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Smith previewed Bad Boys For Life, and argued that the finish product is "what a summer movie is supposed to be."

"I'm very excited about this one," Smith revealed. "We want it to feel nostalgic, but we also want the characters to be experiencing things that are age-appropriate and experience-appropriate. It's a challenge to keep it fun and keep it exciting and make sure that the popcorn part is enjoyable, but also letting it be gourmet popcorn. It is popcorn, but it's definitely got some special sauce on it."

"That's the thing that is important [in making] another one: It has to have an emotional base that is interesting and riveting, not just trying to blow some stuff up," Smith explained. "At this point in my life, I need the movies to be about something. Part of why Bad Boys works for people is at the heart of it is friendship. At the heart of it is love. At the heart of it is a relationship, and it's the kind of relationship that we all wish we had, somebody that will ride or die with us and for us."

What Is Bad Boys: Ride or Die About?

In Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett investigate corruption within the Miami PD when their late Captain Conrad Howard is posthumously accused of being involved with drug cartels, but a setup turns them into fugitives, forcing them to work outside the law in order to solve the case.

The ensemble cast will also include Vanessa Hudgens as Kelly, Alexander Ludwig as Dorn, Joe Pantoliano as Captain Conrad Howard, Paola N??ez as Captain Rita Secada, John Salley as Fletcher, and Tasha Smith as a recast Theresa Burnett. New cast members include Eric Dane as Banker, Ioan Gruffudd as Lockwood, Rhea Seehorn as a US Marshall Agent, and Joyner Lucas and Tiffany Haddish in currently-unknown roles.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die will be released exclusively in theaters on Friday, June 7th.