Month: February 2024

Three years have gone by since Simu Liu made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as Shang-Chi in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and while we’re still waiting to hear when exactly we’re going to see his character again, Liu has been keeping busy outside of the MCU. He recently had roles in Simulant, One True Loves, Barbie, and Arthur the King, he has been making music videos, and now Deadline reports that he’s set to star in an untitled espionage techno-thriller series for the Peacock streaming service and producer James Wan. Jennifer Yale, who has worked as a writer and executive producer on the Apple+ series See and Netflix’s Chambers, just came on board the project to serve as co-showrunner alongside creator/writer/executive producer Thomas Brandon, who was a writer on Legacies.

Said to be set “five minutes in the future”, the series begins with first-generation American intelligence analyst Alexander Hale (Liu) realizing his brain has been hacked, giving the perpetrators access to everything he sees and hears. Caught between his shadowy agency and the unknown hackers, he must maintain a performance 24/7 to flush out who’s responsible and prove where his allegiance lies.

Peacock has given the espionage techno-thriller a straight-to-series order, so it can skip over the usual pilot process. Liu is executive producing the show alongside Brandon, while Wan is executive producing with Michael Clear and Rob Hackett for his company Atomic Monster. Danielle Bozzone is overseeing the project for Atomic Monster. The show is coming our way from UCP, which is a division of Universal Studio Group.

Peacock has also given a straight-to-series order to the Wan-produced horror series Teacup, which is based on the 1988 bestseller Stinger, written by Robert R. McCammon (pick up a copy HERE).

While I’m anxious to see Shang-Chi show up in another MCU project, I’m glad to see Simu Liu doing other interesting projects in the meantime. This untitled espionage techno-thriller show sounds promising to me, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s going to turn out.

Are you interested in watching an espionage techno-thriller Peacock series that’s executive produced by James Wan and has Simu Liu in the lead? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Simu Liu, Shang-chi, Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings, comics, marvel

The post Simu Liu stars in Peacock espionage techno-thriller produced by James Wan appeared first on JoBlo.

The Friend, Bill Murray, Naomi Watts

Bill Murray (Ghostbusters: Frozen EmpireGroundhog Day) and Naomi Watts (Mulholland Dr.King Kong) are ready to activate their Wonder Twin powers again for The Friend, a new dramatic comedy from director/writer duo Scott McGehee and David Siegel (Montana Story). Murray and Watts lead the project inspired by Sigrid Nunez’s New York Times bestselling novel, with Sarah Pidgeon (Tiny Beautiful ThingsGothamThe Wilds), Constance Wu (Crazy Rich AsiansThe Terminal List), Ann Dowd (Garden StateHereditary), and Noma Dumezweni (The Little MermaidDirty Pretty Things) filling out the primary cast.

According to Deadline’s exclusive reportThe Friend “follows a New York writer in the aftermath of her lifelong friend and mentor’s unexpected death. Thereafter, she’s left to deal with his complicated literary legacy, three eccentric ex-wives — and a massive, brokenhearted Great Dane named Apollo.”

For a more detailed description, check out the book’s synopsis:

When a woman unexpectedly loses her lifelong best friend and mentor, she finds herself burdened with the unwanted dog he has left behind. Her own battle against grief is intensified by the mute suffering of the dog, a huge Great Dane traumatized by the inexplicable disappearance of its master, and by the threat of eviction: dogs are prohibited in her apartment building.

While others worry that grief has made her a victim of magical thinking, the woman refuses to be separated from the dog except for brief periods of time. Isolated from the rest of the world, increasingly obsessed with the dog’s care, determined to read its mind and fathom its heart, she comes dangerously close to unraveling. But while troubles abound, rich and surprising rewards lie in store for both of them.

Production for The Friend is happening in New York, with Siegel and McGehee producing via their Big Creek Projects studio. Watts is also a part of the producing effort through her 3dot Productions label.

McGehee and Siegel’s Montana Story focuses on two estranged siblings who return home to the sprawling ranch they once knew and loved, confronting a deep and bitter family legacy against a mythic American backdrop. The gripping drama stars Haley Lu Richardson (Five Feet ApartUnpegnantThe White Lotus) and Owen Teague (ItBlack MirrorBloodline).

Bill Murray returns to the Ghostbusters franchise for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, haunting theaters on March 22. Meanwhile, Naomi Watts features in Audrey Diwan’s Emmanuelle, which follows a woman and the series of erotic fantasies that she entertains. Jamie Campbell Bower and Will Sharpe also star.

Have you read Sigrid Nunez’s novel? Could you handle being in charge of someone’s belongings and legacy after they pass away? The Friend asks many poignant questions about life, death, and moving on. With Murray and Watts in the lead, this film could be an emotional powerhouse in the making.

The post Bill Murray and Naomi Watts to lead dramatic comedy The Friend about mentorship, legacy, and unexpected death appeared first on JoBlo.

Last February, filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan secured a multi-year deal with Warner Bros., and soon after that deal was made, we heard that his first movie for Warner Bros. would be Trap, a “psychological thriller set at a concert”. That project made its way through production toward the end of last year, with lead roles going to Josh Hartnett, fresh off his appearance in Oppenheimer (pictured below), and Shyamalan’s daughter Saleka. Now Hartnett has talked to IndieWire about Trap, describing the thriller as bizarre, dark, and wild.

IndieWire caught up with Harnett at the SAG Awards, and when they asked him about his role in Trap, he replied, “It’s a pivot, but I try to make all of my roles pivots. If you’re playing the same thing again and again, it gets boring to the audience. Working with M. Night was one of the best experiences of my career. I think he’s a true Artist in the capital-A sense of the word. And I think people are gonna be really surprised and excited about the movie we make. It’s very bizarre, very dark, and it’s wild.

We previously heard (via FilmUpdates) that Saleka – who is an R&B singer/songwriter – plays “a popstar whose concert is at the heart of the story.” Hartnett’s character is “a father who takes his child to a concert, and unwittingly gets caught up in the surrounding events.” Whatever those events may be. Saleka has recorded songs for her father’s previous projects Old and Servant, but this marks her acting debut.

Since Shyamalan produces and finances his own movies, he was able to get a SAG interim agreement for Trap (which filmed under the codename Good Grades) that allowed the project to go into production before the Screen Actors Guild strike wrapped up. His daughter Ishana was also able to get a SAG Interim deal for her feature directorial debut, the gothic fairy tale The Watchers. That film is set up at Warner Bros. as well and has a June 7, 2024 theatrical release date.

While we wait to learn more about the new Shyamalan project, here’s an excerpt from an interview he did with NME: “I have a new idea that I’ve started writing. It’s out in 2024 and it’s very, very exciting. It’s a thriller. It’s very unusual and very new compared to what I’ve been trying to do [recently], but I’m feeling very excited about the story, so much so that I can’t wait to tell it to you guys. I love that feeling, that electricity of ‘wow, I can’t wait for you to see it’. I will say this, the angle into the story is why it’s so exciting. The story might be something that you’ve seen before but the angle is very, very unique – the point of view.

Are you interested in Trap? Does Josh Hartnett describing the film as bizarre, dark, and wild have any impact on your hype for this one? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Josh Hartnett Oppenheimer

The post Trap: Josh Hartnett describes the next M. Night Shyamalan movie as bizarre, dark, and wild appeared first on JoBlo.

Hayden Panettiere of Heroes, Scream 4, and Scream VI shares the screen with Tyler James Williams of Everybody Hates Chris, Abbott Elementary, and The Walking Dead in the thriller Amber Alert. Deadline reports that Lionsgate has acquired the worldwide rights to the film, which flew under the radar as it made its way through production and is now in post-production.

Amber Alert was directed by Kerry Bellessa, who also wrote the screenplay with Joshua Oram. Bellessa’s previous credits include the 2022 horror film Immanence and a 2012 thriller that was also called Amber Alert… so apparently this is a reimagining of Bellessa’s previous film. The new take on Amber Alert will show us what happens when an ordinary ride share becomes a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. The story follows Jaq (Hayden Panettiere) who is eager to get to her first day at a new job, and her driver, Shane (Tyler James Williams), who is just trying to earn a little extra at his side hustle. An alert of a child abduction on their phones will change all that when they discover they are behind a car that matches the description of the kidnapper’s. Unable to let a possible child trafficker escape, they begin a pursuit that will put their own lives at risk.

The 2012 version of Amber Alert, also written by Bellessa and Oram, had the following synopsis: When a group of friends decides to follow a car they’ve seen posted on an Amber Alert, things start to go very wrong.

The new Amber Alert is being produced by Joseph Restaino and Tony Stopperan of Hungry Bull Productions, which is best known for bringing us Michael Sarnoski’s Pig, starring Nicolas Cage and Alex Wolff. Kerry Bellessa is also producing, alongside Summer Bellessa (who starred in the original film) for Bluefields Entertainment. Leal Naim is a producer on the project as well. The film is being co-financed by Hungry Bull Productions and Three Point Capital. Panettiere and Williams serve as executive producers. Lionsgate will be handling the domestic distribution.

Are you interested in seeing Hayden Panettiere and Tyler James Williams in the new Amber Alert? Have you seen the original film? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Tyler James Williams Abbott Elementary

The post Amber Alert: Hayden Panettiere, Tyler James Williams star in thriller appeared first on JoBlo.

Rust, Alec Baldwin, trial

Alec Baldwin heads to court this summer after Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer set a date for the 30 Rock actor’s involuntary manslaughter case focusing on the fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. If he’s found guilty, Baldwin could face 18 months to three years in prison with $5000 in fines for his part in Hutchins’ death.

“Jury selection is scheduled for July 9, 2024,” wrote Judge Sommer in an order made public Monday morning. With Baldwin present in the Santa Fe courtroom, the trial is expected to run from “July 10 to July 19, 2024.”

Baldwin shot Hutchins on October 21, 2021, on Rust’s Bonanza Creek Ranch set just outside Santa Fe after a gun he was holding during a rehearsal discharged a live round. Baldwin says he never pulled the trigger. A jury will investigate his claim in a court of law and decide his fate. Rust director Joel Souza was also injured in the incident.

Alec Baldwin was originally charged last year, but the charges were dropped just a few months later. However, they were dropped “without prejudice,” meaning the prosecutors could still refile charges as the investigation continued. Baldwin was again charged with involuntary manslaughter earlier this month, with the actor’s lawyers saying, “We look forward to our day in court.”

While Alec Baldwin is free without bail, the actor does have to adhere to several conditions passed down by New Mexico judge T. Glenn Ellington, including not possessing a firearm, drinking alcohol, or having contact with any witnesses involved in the case, except for business matters related to the movie. He’s also not allowed to leave the U.S. without the court’s permission.

“Defendant is permitted to have contact with potential witnesses only in the capacity laid out herein: In connection with the ‘Rust’ movie and other related and unrelated business matters: provided, however, that Defendant is not permitted to discuss the accident at issue, or the substance of his or the witness’s potential testimony in this case,” reads the conditions. 

“‘Related business matters’ is designed to capture promoting the movie and other similar activities. ‘Unrelated business matters’ is designed to capture other business relationships between Baldwin and any of the witnesses. The Defendant is permitted to continue to utilize Matthew DelPiano as his agent. Discussion about the incident is permitted with the witnesses who are named as civil co­defendants only so long as such conversations are held exclusively in the presence of attorneys for civil litigation purposes. The Defendant will not directly or indirectly solicit witnesses or members of the cast and crew to participate in the documentary with Moxie films or to obtain statements regarding safety on the “Rust’ set outside of standard investigative procedures.”

The post Alec Baldwin’s Involuntary Manslaughter trial for the Rust shooting incident begins in July appeared first on JoBlo.