Month: February 2024

Bassem Youssef, Superman Legacy, james Gunn

There’s some confusion flying circles around James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy, with Egyptian-born entertainer Bassem Youseff saying he was fired from the project after showing support for Palestine during a Piers Morgan interview. According to Youseff, DC Studios offered him a role as a villain in the upcoming superhero spectacle. The official reason given for Youseff getting pulled from the cast list is a script change, but “the Jon Stewart of the Middle East” says the missed opportunity aligns with him showing support for Palestine in an interview.

However, a source close to the production says Youseff’s timeline of events needs to be corrected. The source says the decision to pass on Youseff’s involvement happened before the Piers Morgan interview.

“You’ve been very outspoken on behalf of Palestinian humanity and you lost a role in the new Superman movie and some other projects,” Dean Obeidallah of Salon said while speaking with Youseff.

“In the United States of America,” Youssef says, “you can talk about Joe Biden, you can talk about Donald Trump, but you cannot criticize a foreign government which is kind of, like, very sad, you know? And then because of that, I was cast in the movie Superman, and then they told me, ‘We changed the script’ after this Piers Morgan interview, and I want to assume good faith.”

“I understand maybe the people who are, you know, in charge, they took the decision, looked at me and didn’t want to have me and maybe I understand,” he goes on. “If I’m Arab Muslim, I was the head of Warner Bros.; I wouldn’t like a pro-zionist or pro-Isreal to be in my movie if he attacked my people.”

As today’s story went viral, James Gunn took to X/Twitter to say reports about Youseff being stripped from Superman: Legacy happened before the comedian’s Piers Morgan interview. IGN dug into the matter, with a source confirming that Gunn was in talks with Youseff to play the character Rumaan Harjavti. The character no longer appears in Superman: Legacy, with changes to the script happening in September. Sources say Youseff was never offered the role, and plans to cut the character occurred before he voiced his support for Palestine.

David Corenswet (Pearl) will star in Superman: Legacy as Clark Kent alongside Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Ms. Maisel) as Lois Lane. We’ll also see Nathan Fillion (The Rookie) as Guy Gardner, a charismatic and slightly obnoxious member of the Green Lantern Corps; Isabela Merced (Dora and the Lost City of Gold) as Hawkgirl; Edi Gathegi (X-Men: First Class) as Mister Terrific; and Anthony Carrigan (Barry) as Metamorpho. It was also recently announced that María Gabriela de Faría (Deadly Class) would be playing The Engineer, a member of The Authority.

Superman: Legacy arrives faster than a speeding bullet in theaters on July 11, 2025.

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PLOT: When an Army ODA team is ambushed, their only hope lies with an Air Force JTAC (Liam Hemsworth) and a drone pilot (Russell Crowe) to guide them through a brutal 48-hour battle for survival.

REVIEW: No matter the small changes, it’s incredible how much war movies tend to be the same. The tale of a battalion going into a warzone, only for everything to go wrong, could be described as the plot of several films. So if you’re well-versed in the genre, Land of Bad will feel like going on a familiar ride. It can even be a bit frustrating with how stereotypical the story beats get. But if you’re going into this hoping for some intense action, there are several scenes to satiate that need.

Land of Bad follows a military team as they’re ambushed during a mission. Kinney (Hemsworth), who is lovingly referred to as Playboy throughout, must survive the incoming assault while he tries to escape hostile territory. Thankfully, he has the help of drone pilot Reaper, played by the wonderful Russell Crowe. Even just from that brief description, I’m sure any savvy viewer will see the direction the story is heading in. I always argue that it doesn’t matter if a story is generic so long as the execution is stellar. But outside of a few choice action beats, this is mostly just a slog to get through.

Liam Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth in Land of Bad (2024).

The problems mostly lie with the extremely generic screenplay, which always follows the exact path you expect it to. The only shocking moment comes from the beheading of an innocent person. Otherwise, this could have practically been written by ChatGPT with how Frankensteined together it feels. A big part of the problem is how disjointed the combat is with the scenes back at base. They’re entirely different tones and tend to clash. I get it; they don’t want Milo Ventimiglia and Hemsworth yuckin’ it up while being shot at. But a little levity would have gone a long way. They should have just stayed serious throughout. And the jokes that it does have clearly have an agenda; I mean, come on, an “I hate vegan food” subplot in 2024? It felt straight out of the early 2000s.

I enjoyed Liam Hemsworth as Kinney, and I’ve always felt that he’s a very believable action lead. But his roles always tend to be very generic, and this is no exception. I couldn’t tell you a single personality trait of his other than the fact that he’s from Ohio. This can be said of all of the military types, who lack anything that would help distinguish them from the next. Milo Ventimiglia is a phenomenal actor, yet he has little to nothing to work with here. He just comes and goes from the story without much impact. Since there’s not much to connect with in regard to these characters, their deaths have little meaning.

Russell Crowe in Land of Bad (2024).

Russell Crowe has been in a bit of a career resurgence lately, and here is no different. His obsession with his coffee pod maintenance, hatred of vegan food, and chair placement make him stand out. Even more so since he’s acting up against so many characters devoid of personality. But what’s most interesting about Reaper is that the filmmakers can put him in a bit more of an active position in the story. Sure, he’s still back at the military base and is more of a talking head. But by piloting a drone, they’re able to keep him engaged with the story. It’s a great way to utilize an actor of Crowe’s calibre while keeping him an active participant in the story. It also means we get a lot of missiles and explosions.

Director William Eubank is able to bring some energy to the action but there’s a long time waiting for it. Very little happens before the 30-minute mark, and it feels like when there is a burst of action, there needs to be at least 15 minutes to cool down. Then, during the big finale, we cut between tense scenes of torture and Crowe buying groceries. I think my favourite moment is when one of the bad guys charges to get in close despite literally having a gun on him. This is one of many colossally stupid moments that happen in the final 30 minutes. But when the action does happen, it’s well-shot and kinetic.

I can’t believe I’ve made it so far into this review without putting a spotlight on the name Land of Bad. You have to be incredibly confident in the quality of your film even to entertain this title. Unfortunately, the film is a slog to get through, with very few characters to connect with. Crowe’s Reaper is awesome and a massive highlight, but I also question the relevance of his scenes. They could have easily accomplished their goal by showing the tail end of his grocery trip versus the whole thing. It feels like the filmmakers acknowledging Crowe is the only thing working about the film, which is sadly true.


Land of Bad

BELOW AVERAGE

5

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Romeo and Juliet

Nearly nine months after a judge dismissed a case involving the stars of 1968’s Romeo and Juliet — who claimed they were sexually exploited by Paramount and the film’s director — both Leonard Whiting (Romeo) and Olivia Hussey (Juliet) are again suing the studio, this time alongside boutique label The Criterion Collection, who released the Shakespeare adaptation last year.

The lawsuit (via EW), like the failed one, seeks to stop exploitation and distribution of images of the actors in Romeo and Juliet, as it contains footage of both — who were teenagers at the time of filming — in partial nudity. They, too, maintain that profits are being made off of their images in a modern format, something they could not consent to due to their age and technology at the time. According to the claim, “Among other things, the digital photos rendered, in extremely high-definition detail, the contents of several analog color photographs taken in the private studio in the presence only of key photography personnel while Hussey and Whiting were minors during the production of the original project, depicting Hussey’s complete naked breasts and Whiting’s complete naked buttocks.”

One of the reasons the initial lawsuit surrounding Romeo and Juliet failed had to do with a lapsed statute of limitations. However, both Whiting and Hussey appear to believe that Criterion’s February 2023 release (spine #1,171) does not fall under this due to when it hit shelves, thus reigniting their interest in legal action. While Criterion’s inclusion in the lawsuit will absolutely be a significant and unique moment in their history, both Whiting and Hussey have primarily targeted Paramount. They also stated, “We and our new lawyers extended the olive branch to Paramount in hopes that they would settle this legal matter, but unfortunately, it appears that they do not want to take responsibility for their participation in the digital enhancement, production, and distribution of the 1968 film,” a reference to Criterion’s DVD and Blu-ray release.

For the most part, despite the nudity in the film, Romeo and Juliet is without damning enough controversy to “cancel” it, and it is available to stream or rent on numerous services. Criterion’s release has also earned strong reviews for its transfer.

Romeo and Juliet would be nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and stands as one of the finest Shakespeare adaptations to ever be put on screen.

Whose side are you on in the latest Romeo and Juliet lawsuit? Do you think Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey have a case this time? Give us your take below.

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The Night Agent, Netflix, Gabriel Basso

Netflix’s The Night Agent is ready to welcome four new actors to the intense action thriller’s sophomore season. Excited to go behind enemy lines for one of the streamer’s chart-topping series are Michael Malarkey (The Vampire DiariesThe OathProject Blue Book) and Keon Alexander (The ExpanseImpulseCircumstance) as series regulars, with Navid Negahban (Aladdin, Homeland12 Strong) and Rob Heaps (ImpostersStation 19And Then There Were None) as recurring guest stars.

The following character descriptions hail from Variety‘s exclusive report:

Michael Markalay plays Markus, a military chief and loyal nephew to a dictator newly convicted of war crimes by the Hague. In contrast, Keon Alexander plays Javad, who oversees security for the Iranian Mission to the United Nations and monitors the loyalty of its employees.

Navid Negahban portrays Abbas, the venerable U.N. ambassador for Iran. Finally, Rob Heaps plays Tomas, the elitist son of the aforementioned deposed dictator, who is keen on restoring his family to power.

After an extended wait for new episodes of Netflix’s hit thriller series to kick into high gear, fans can start their anticipation engines for a follow-up to the first season’s stunning cliffhanger. Cameras are rolling in New York City, with additional filming happening in Thailand and Washington D.C. The Night Agent, starring Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan, Hong Chau, and Eve Harlow, is a smash-hit Netflix series with an astounding 168,710,000 hours in viewership.

In addition to the stars mentioned above, Fola Evans-Akinbola, Sarah Desjardins, D.B. Woodside, Phoenix Raei, and Enrique Murchiano also star as primary characters, with Amanda Warren, Arienne Mandi, Louis Herthum, Berto Colon, Brittany Snow, and Teddy Sears joining the sophomore season.

Based on the novel by Matthew Quirk, The Night Agent is “a sophisticated, character-based, action-thriller centering on a low level FBI Agent who works in the basement of the White House, manning a phone that never rings — until the night that it does, propelling him into a fast moving and dangerous conspiracy that ultimately leads all the way to the Oval Office.”

Netflix gave a Season 2 renewal to The Night Agent almost immediately after the success of the first installment. The green light started shining in March last year, but then the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes happened, and Netflix delayed production for The Night Agent Season 2. Cameras will roll with the strikes in Hollywood’s rearview, and fans can start getting excited about the next thrilling chapter of the intense thriller.

Fans are champing at the bit to discover what happens next to Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) and Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan). The first season ended on a hell of a cliffhanger, with significant reveals, dangling plot points, and lives hanging in the balance. If The Night Agent Season 2 is as good as the first, we’re in for a great time!

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