Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been spending the last couple of years trying to avoid James Bond questions since it was said he was testing for the new role. The Bullet Train star stated, “I just focus on the things I can have in my hands right now. What’s in front of me right now.“ What’s in front of him is his next go at comic book movies with the Spider-man-related film, Kraven The Hunter. The Sony film, made in association with Marvel, was originally set to release last year. However, the strikes would delay the movie to late this summer on August 30, 2024.
While we wait to see what happens on the James Bond front, Taylor-Johnson has lined up a new project that will reunite him with his Outlaw King director, David Mackenzie. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Taylor-Johnson will be starring in Fuze, a bank heist movie with a bit of a twist. According to THR, the plot of the film revolves around “the discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb at a London construction site, which sparks a mass evacuation as bomb disposal experts descend to defuse it. But the distraction also provides the perfect cover for a bank heist.” Mackenzie will direct the movie from an original screenplay that was written by Ben Hopkins, who previously penned the Willem Dafoe film, Inside.
The director, Mackenzie, spoke of his excitement in developing this movie with Hopkins, “I had the idea of combining all the high stakes of an unexploded bomb with that of a bank robbery — clashing these two genres to create as much pressure as possible — in a context that feels as real as possible. Ben Hopkins took those ingredients and cooked up the compelling script that we are now taking into production.”
The European production group Anton is producing, financing and selling. UTA Independent Film Group and WME Independent will co-rep U.S. rights with Anton. Gillian Berrie, who also worked on Outlaw King and the movie, Tetris, will produce Fuze through her and Mackenzie’s production company Sigma Films along with Sebastien Raybaud and Callum Grant for Anton. Hell or High Water cinematographer Giles Nuttgens will lens the movie.
With 22 seasons and more than 400 episodes, Family Guy is one of the longest-running animated series ever. It launched Seth MacFarlane into the stratosphere of American pop culture. After a cancellation, the show’s cult status only grew, forcing the show to return to Fox, where it continues. And as far as creator McFarlane is concerned, the show will keep going.
Speaking with The Wrap, McFarlane said that Family Guy hasn’t really been given a reason to go off the air. Even after its numerous controversies — mostly concerning critics targeting the show’s supposed transphobia and misogyny, not to mention its warped “hot takes” on pop culture, at different points of its run — the show continues to have a following. “It’s still surviving and thriving. It still has a sizable audience and is a perfect example of there being an appetite for something. So we continue to feed the beast…There’s no indication that the show is going to end anytime soon.”
Family Guy has gotten by for the better part of its 25 years because of this audience, who clearly love the absurdities, off-kilter humor and, yes, even the cutaways. That it usually never turns up on “best of” lists but remains on TV does speak to this crowd. So what makes it endure? To this, MacFarlane referred to the landmark sitcom The Honeymooners. “I would never ever compare these two shows… But I always loved the answer that Jackie Gleason gave when he was asked about how that show endured with only 39 episodes. And he just said, ‘Because they were funny.’ I don’t know that our answer would be any different.”
Certainly there is a little bit of The Honeymooners going on in Quahog, but Family Guy worked best initially as a sort of hybrid of The Simpsons and All in the Family, with an alcoholic dog and a football-headed toddler bent on global domination thrown into the mix. So maybe a little bit of Pinky & the Brain – and whatever other shows featured martini-loving talking pooches – too…
Do you still watch Family Guy? Why do you think it has been on the air for nearly 25 years? Give us your take below, along with the funniest Family Guy moment.
It was reported last month that Black Panther director Ryan Coogler would be reteaming with frequent collaborator Michael B. Jordan for a secret movie. Anticipation was high, with several major studios eager to snap up the project, but Deadline has reported that Warner Bros. has walked away as the victor following a heated bidding war.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the project has been described as a period thriller involving vampires, which certainly sounds exciting. It’s also said to contain a few anime influences, which isn’t a surprise as Michael B. Jordan is known to be a big anime fan. Ryan Coogler will direct the project in addition to penning the script, and will also produce through his Proximity Media banner. Coogler has worked with Jordan on each of his movies, including Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The project is said to have a budget somewhere in the range of $90 million. Sources have said that the movie is being fast-tracked and could start shooting as early as April in New Orleans. In addition to Warner Bros., Universal and Sony were both involved in the bidding, but it wound up coming down between Warners and Universal. Sony may have dropped out after they successfully acquired Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later project.
Disney CEO Bob Iger has confirmed that The Mandalorian & Grogu will be the first movie of the new Star Wars slate, which means that it will likely hit theaters in 2026.
Disney currently has two Star Wars movies on the schedule for that year: May 22, 2026 and December 18, 2026. Bob Iger’s comments seem to indicate that The Mandalorian & Grogu will fill that first slot, but as this is Star Wars we’re talking about, anything could happen. We’ve seen more than a few release dates shuffled around.
The Mandalorian & Grogu will be directed by Jon Favreau, who will also produce alongside Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni. Production is expected to kick off later this year. “I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created,” Favreau said. “The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting.” Kathleen Kennedy added, “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.“
In addition to The Mandalorian movie, we’ve also got Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s post-Rise of Skywalker film about Rey (Daisy Ridley) rebuilding the Jedi Order. It’s likely that film will fill the Dec 18, 2024 slot. Dave Filoni is also developing a New Republic movie, which will tie together the stories featured in The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and The Book of Boba Fett.
The next project will be directed by James Mangold (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) and take place 25,000 years before the Skywalker Saga and explore the first Jedi and the discovery of the Force. “It was something that Jim [Mangold] immediately sparked to, and I think it’s a really nice compliment to what we’re doing with moving into the future with Rey, and then understanding a bit more of where this all came from,” Kennedy explained. “Because it will be at the heart of creating the new Jedi Order, so to get a real sense of where that might have began with the dawn of the Jedi could be pretty cool.“
It’s official! Director Fede Alvarez‘s new addition to the xenomorph canon is titled Alien: Romulus. The title was revealed via an updated release schedule put out by Disney following the company’s Q1 Earnings report. Originally designed to debut on Hulu, Disney has pivoted to an August 16, 2024 theatrical release date for the movie, which bodes well for its quality. But, with no trailer released (yet – that may change on Super Bowl Sunday), what else do we know about Fede Alvarez’s new Alien movie?
YOUNG CHARACTERS IN PERIL
Alvarez put young characters through the wringer in his films Evil Dead (2013) and Don’t Breathe, and it looks like he’s going to be doing exactly the same thing in Alien: Romulus. Every announced cast member in this film seems to be in their 20s (going by birthdates available online), and The Hollywood Reporter says that “as opposed to the other movies which focused on adults in corporate, militaristic and scientific roles, this now-ninth installment of the franchise will focus on a group of young people. On a distant colony, the group finds themselves in a fight for their lives with the titular alien, a creature known as a Xenomorph, whose race propagates by implanting eggs into people’s stomachs via face-huggers, with the juveniles eventually violently bursting out of the host’s chest.” Will this be the Alien equivalent of a slumber party slasher?
The cast consists of Cailee Spaeny, who’s currently riding high off the success of Priscilla, and will next be seen in Alex Garland’s Civil War, David Jonsson (Industry), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), Spike Fearn (The Batman), Aileen Wu (Away from Home), and Isabela Merced (Rosaline).
THE OTHER IDEAS
There were several directions the Alien franchise could have gone after the release of 2017’s Alien: Covenant. Although that film didn’t go over well with fans or critics, it did okay at the box office ($240 million worldwide) and Alien director Ridley Scott wanted to make a direct sequel. A chance to wrap up the Alien prequel trilogy he had begun with Prometheus and continued with Alien: Covenant. So that could have happened. Alternatively, the studio could have chosen to revive the Alien 5 project Neill Blomkamp had been developing, which would have brought Sigourney Weaver back as franchise heroine Ripley and given Michael Biehn’s Hicks character from Aliens a different fate than the one we had seen in Alien 3. Blomkamp’s ideas had a lot of fan support (and support from Weaver and Biehn), but it was put on ice because Scott wanted the focus to be on his prequel trilogy. Which ran into a dead end anyway. Another filmmaker who wanted to make an Alien sequel that would have brought Weaver back as Ripley was Walter Hill, who has been a producer on every Alien movie (and got writing credits on Aliens and Alien 3). Hill wrote a 50-page Alien 5 treatment with fellow franchise producer David Giler, who has since passed away, but somehow it didn’t gain any traction. So by getting his Alien movie into production, Alvarez has beaten competition from the likes of Ridley Scott, Neill Blomkamp, and Walter Hill.
THE PITCH STUCK WITH RIDLEY SCOTT
We may not know exactly what Alvarez’s story is, but we do know the pitch made an impact on Ridley Scott, who is producing the movie that could be called Alien: Romulus. Apparently Alvarez told Scott his idea for how to approach a new Alien movie years ago and it was stuck with him. In 2021, Scott called Alvarez and asked him if he was still willing to make that Alien movie. Obviously he was. 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell had said that they decided to move forward with the project “purely off the strength of Fede’s pitch”, as it’s “just a really good story with a bunch of characters you haven’t seen before.”
NO CONNECTION TO OTHER ALIEN FILMS
Sources say that the script Alvarez has written with his frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues doesn’t have any connection to the previous Alien movies – except, of course, for the presence of the Xenomorph. So we shouldn’t expect to see any tie-ins with the Scott prequels, the adventures of Ripley, or the Predator crossovers. However, doesn’t the story about a distant colony being stricken with a Xenomorph problem sound a lot like what happened on LV-426 before Ripley and the Colonial Marines showed up in Aliens? This is only speculation, but Alvarez could be cooking up a surprise “mid-quel” that takes place within the timeframe of Aliens. The story of the downfall of LV-426. But, maybe it really is a completely different colony. Maybe the sources aren’t trying to throw us off the trail and the movie really doesn’t have any connection to previous installments.
SET BETWEEN ALIEN AND ALIENS
Despite the alleged lack of connection to other films in the franchise, we know that the story is set between the events of the original Alien and Aliens. Cailee Spaeny told Variety the film is supposed to “slot in between” those two movies, but of course she couldn’t go into detail about how or why it fits in there. This doesn’t kill the speculation that this could be about the downfall of LV-426, but it also stirs up speculation that the movie could be a variation of what we saw in the video game Alien: Isolation, which was about Ellen Ripley’s daughter Amanda investigating her disappearance and ending up crossing paths with a Xenomorph on a space station. It’s not likely that this would be a direct adaptation of Alien: Isolation, but it could be drawing some degree of inspiration from the game.
THEATRICAL RELEASE
Unlike last year’s new Predator movie Prey, the new Alien movie is going to be released theatrically, with the Mouse House giving the film an August 16, 2024 date. This is similar to what the studio did with Barbarian, which grossed $45 million on a $4.5 million budget, and their recent The Boogeyman, which has already raked in $25 million and counting. Many think Prey would have been a blockbuster had it gotten a theatrical release, as people still prefer to see their scary movies in a dark theater. As anyone who’s ever watched an Alien film theatrically can tell you, that’s always the best way.
RIDLEY SCOTT’S REVIEW
According to Alvarez, Scott has already seen the completed version of Alien: Romulus, and praised it, calling it “f**king great.”
TV SERIES
While Alien: Romulus may be destined for theaters, we’ll still be getting some xenomorph content on Hulu, with Noah Hawley’s (Fargo) Alien TV series in production. That show is set on Earth, with FX CEO John Landgraf teasing that the series takes place about seventy years from now, and will not feature any characters from the movies. However, the infamous Weylan-Yutani corporation will still be involved. Currently, the show has no release date and likely will only premiere after the new Alien movie comes out.
Are you looking forward to watching a new Alien movie that leans into pure horror territory as Fede Alvarez sets the Xenomorph lose on a group of young colony residents? Share your thoughts on this project by leaving a comment below.
We haven’t seen the last of Percy Jackson as Disney has announced that season 2 of the fantasy series is on the way.
Disney CEO Bob Iger made the announcement of the official renewal of Percy Jackson and the Olympians during the company’s first-quarter earnings call. The second season will feature the return of Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson, Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase, and Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood. It will be based on The Sea of Monsters, the second installment of Rick Riordan’s best-selling book series.
“Rich in magic, wonder, adventure and heart, ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ captivated the imaginations of viewers of all ages everywhere,” said Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television. “We’re thrilled to embark on an exciting new quest and a season two with Rick Riordan, our fantastic partners at 20th Television, and the exceptional ensemble of cast and creative talent that bring this story to life.” Rick Riordan added, “I can’t wait to bring the next season of Percy Jackson to Disney+! Raise anchors. Hoist the mainsail. All hands on deck, demigods. We’re heading for the Sea of Monsters!“
The first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians was a big success for Disney+, with the premiere garnering 26.2 million views in its first three weeks on the streaming service. The first season now has over 110 million hours streamed to date. The series seems to have fared much better than the two feature film adaptations from over a decade ago, so I’m sure fans are grateful about that. Even the previous Percy Jackson, Logan Lerman, has sung the praises of the new series.
One question that remains is how they will handle the character of Zeus, who was portrayed by the late Lance Reddick. The season finale featured a tribute to the actor, but as Zeus remains an important part of the Percy Jackson novels, I’m sure they will have to recast the character for Percy Jackson season 2.
Disney is making its biggest push yet into video games. On February 7, the Mouse House and Fortnite creator Epic Games announced plans to create new games and an entertainment universe where consumers can “play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar…
Disney is making its biggest push yet into video games. On February 7, the Mouse House and Fortnite creator Epic Games announced plans to create new games and an entertainment universe where consumers can “play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar…
A GameStop tweet promoting a demo day when folks can come in and play some games on Xbox consoles using “Microsoft Game Pass” has injected more chaos and controversy into the ongoing, apocalyptic Xbox drama—set off by reports of exclusive games like Starfield coming to PS5—currently affecting console warriors and…
A GameStop tweet promoting a demo day when folks can come in and play some games on Xbox consoles using “Microsoft Game Pass” has injected more chaos and controversy into the ongoing, apocalyptic Xbox drama—set off by reports of exclusive games like Starfield coming to PS5—currently affecting console warriors and…
