The premiere season of the Apple TV+ series Invasion (read our review HERE) started airing in October of 2021 and wrapped up its ten episode run in December of that year. The same week the season finale aired, it was announced that a second season of the show had been ordered. Invasion season 2 finally made its way to the screen in August of 2023 and wrapped up in October. It’s taken them a while, but Apple TV+ has now officially confirmed that they’ve renewed Invasion for season 3. The new batch of episodes are expected to begin filming later this month.
Created by Simon Kinberg and David Weil, Invasion is set across multiple continents and is described as a sweeping, character-driven science fiction drama series that follows an alien invasion through different perspectives around the world. Season 2 picked up 121 days after the invasion started.
The cast includes Golshifteh Farahani, Shioli Kutsuna, Shamier Anderson, India Brown, Billy Barratt, Azhy Robertson, Paddy Holland, Tara Moayedi, Enver Gjokaj, Nedra Marie Taylor, and Naian González Norvind.
Kinberg had this to say about season 3: “I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to do with our first two seasons of the show with our partners at Apple TV+ and our cast and crew. This new season will continue to build on the scale, stakes, and propulsion of the Invasion, while keeping our characters front and center, bringing them together in ways that will hopefully surprise and most importantly move our audience, who have been so incredibly supportive and inspiring since day one.“
Invasion is produced for Apple TV+ by Boat Rocker. Kinberg and Weil serve as executive producers alongside Audrey Chon, David Witz, Alik Sakharov, Andrew Baldwin, Dan Dietz, Katie O’Connell Marsh, and Boat Rocker’s Nick Nantell. Kinberg is best known for writing and/or producing multiple X-Men films (and directing X-Men: Dark Phoenix). Weil previously created the Amazon series Hunters, which was executive produced by Jordan Peele. He also wrote an episode of Peele’s version of The Twilight Zone.
Have you been watching Invasion, and are you glad to hear there’s a season 3 on the way? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has made headlines recently by being up to his usual tricks of deleting finished films for tax write-offs. This time, it was the Looney Tunes-themed movie, Coyote vs. Acme. The family comedy that put a twist on the classic Wile E. Coyote cartoon featured stars like John Cena and Will Forte and would have the opportunity to be distributed by another studio, but Zaslav set the bid at $70-$80 million. That amount would have potential buyers leaving the floor and now the movie is in danger of being deleted.
In a new development at the company, Variety reports that Margot Robbie‘s production company, LuckyChap, has just signed a partnership deal with Zaslav and the famous water tower after the big year they both had with the Greta Gerwig film, Barbie. The partnership is a multi-film, first-look deal on future projects. Robbie’s LuckyChap would be a driving force behind her own I, Tonya, as well as films like Promising Young Woman and the recent Saltburn. The company also produced television projects like Netflix’s limited series Maid, as well as Hulu’s Dollface and Mike.
Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs and CEO Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy have expressed their excitement over this partnership, “Margot, Tom and Josey have built a unique home for storytellers at LuckyChap, where filmmakers are doing incredible work in a supportive and creatively freeing environment. We are excited to have Margot, Tom and Josey join our extended family, making movies of all sizes and genres for moviegoers the world over.” The LuckyChap team stated, “We founded LuckyChap to fight for projects and filmmakers we believe in. We are thrilled to be cementing our long-standing relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery. David [Zaslav], Mike and Pam share our commitment to storytelling and the theatrical experience. We can’t wait for what’s to come.”
Robbie has been adamant about not franchising Barbie and has been championing the development of more original projects. The actress told Variety previously, “We want to make more films that have the effect that Barbie has. Why can’t it be another big, original, bold idea where we get an amazing filmmaker, a big budget to play with, and the trust of a huge conglomerate behind them to go and really play? I want to do that.”
There is one video game series that will forever loom large in my mind, and it is SSX. With no new entry in the extreme snowboarding franchise since its 2012 installment, it seems like there is little hope for it to ever make a comeback. Which makes it all the more depressing to hear that we could have seen the series…
There is one video game series that will forever loom large in my mind, and it is SSX. With no new entry in the extreme snowboarding franchise since its 2012 installment, it seems like there is little hope for it to ever make a comeback. Which makes it all the more depressing to hear that we could have seen the series…
Antoine Fuqua’s Michael is bound to be one of the more controversial movies to come out in the next year or so. It’s currently on track for an April 18, 2025 release, but the makers have decided to release a first look still at Jaafar Jackson in character as his famous uncle – Michael Jackson.
As you can see by the pic, the resemblance is uncanny. However, one thing worth noting is that MJ’s appearance drastically changed over the years, from his early days as a solo artist circa “Off the Wall”, through his iconic look in “Thriller” and beyond. Here, he seems to be playing Michael Jackson in his “Bad” era, and looking at the image, it’s hard not to hear MJ’s iconic singing voice coming through loud and clear. With the cooperation of the Michael Jackson estate, one thing is for sure – the music will be great.
However, there was a lot more to MJ’s complicated legacy than the music, with him being accused of sexual abuse several times, leading to a very public civil court case, and a controversial documentary, Leaving Neverland, which came out many years after his death in 2009. It remains to be seen if the film will tackle that era, although according to the info released by the production today, the film will be an “honest” portrayal.
Here’s the synopsis:
Michael will bring audiences a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man who became known worldwide as the King of Pop. The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale — from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, captured by his most iconic performances. As never before, audiences will experience an inside look into one of the most influential, trailblazing artists the world has ever known.
In addition to Jaafar Jackson, the movie co-stars Nia Long as MJ’s mother, Katherine, with Colman Domingo playing his controversial father, Joe. In contrast, Miles Teller plays his long-time lawyer (and the film’s producer) John Branca.
Do you think Michael will do a good job dramatizing Michael Jackson’s life and career? Let us know in the comments.
Antoine Fuqua’s Michael is bound to be one of the more controversial movies to come out in the next year or so. It’s currently on track for an April 18, 2025 release, but the makers have decided to release a first look still at Jaafar Jackson in character as his famous uncle – Michael Jackson.
As you can see by the pic, the resemblance is uncanny. However, one thing worth noting is that MJ’s appearance drastically changed over the years, from his early days as a solo artist circa “Off the Wall”, through his iconic look in “Thriller” and beyond. Here, he seems to be playing Michael Jackson in his “Bad” era, and looking at the image, it’s hard not to hear MJ’s iconic singing voice coming through loud and clear. With the cooperation of the Michael Jackson estate, one thing is for sure – the music will be great.
However, there was a lot more to MJ’s complicated legacy than the music, with him being accused of sexual abuse several times, leading to a very public civil court case, and a controversial documentary, Leaving Neverland, which came out many years after his death in 2009. It remains to be seen if the film will tackle that era, although according to the info released by the production today, the film will be an “honest” portrayal.
Here’s the synopsis:
Michael will bring audiences a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man who became known worldwide as the King of Pop. The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale — from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, captured by his most iconic performances. As never before, audiences will experience an inside look into one of the most influential, trailblazing artists the world has ever known.
In addition to Jaafar Jackson, the movie co-stars Nia Long as MJ’s mother, Katherine, with Colman Domingo playing his controversial father, Joe. In contrast, Miles Teller plays his long-time lawyer (and the film’s producer) John Branca.
Do you think Michael will do a good job dramatizing Michael Jackson’s life and career? Let us know in the comments.
After working together on the 2021 version of Wrong Turn, director Mike P. Nelson and screenwriter Alan B. McElroy are re-teaming for the Brazil-set creature feature Titan – and Deadline reports that Kiana Madeira of the Fear Street trilogy and Jessica Rothe of the Happy Death Day movies are set to star in the film!
The story Titan is set against the backdrop of Brazil’s Curuçá River in the present day. When a team of young doctors embark on a local humanitarian mission through the Amazon rainforest, it soon becomes clear that not everyone – or everything – is happy to see them. Their arrival draws the attention of an ancient predator, the “Boiúna”. This ancient killer, dominant on land and water, clashes to reclaim the jungle. The ensuing fight for survival blurs the roles of hunter, prey, and hero.
The film is coming our way from the Resident Evil franchise makers at Constantin Film and JB Pictures. Robert Kulzer of Constantin Film is producing alongside JB Pictures’ Jeremy Bolt. Sam Hall and Michael Rothstein serve as executive producers for the sales company north.five.six, which will be presenting the project to potential buyers at the European Film Market.
In addition to the Wrong Turn reboot, Nelson has also directed The Domestics and a segment of V/H/S/85. McElroy earned his first screenwriting credit on Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, my favorite of the Halloween sequels. His credits since then include Wheels of Terror, Rapid Fire, Spawn (both the feature film and the animated series), Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, the original Wrong Turn, The Marine, Tekken, Fractured, and episodes of Star Trek: Discovery.
Fear Street and Happy Death Day made me a fan of both Kiana Madeira and Jessica Rothe, I have a major interest in the country of Brazil and stories that are set there, and I follow Alan B. McElroy’s career because I’m such a huge fan of Halloween 4, so Titan has a lot of elements that strongly appeal to me. I’ll definitely be watching this one, and look forward to seeing how it’s going to turn out.
Does Titan sound interesting to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Streaming services have spent the last year making unpopular decisions, including cracking down on passwords and introducing ad-supported tiers to their programming. Hulu recently sent out notices to all their subscribers that they would start implementing account restrictions that prevent anyone with a password from signing into an account if they do not reside in the same household. The decision originated with Netflix and, although the move seemed controversial with consumers, the streaming giant saw a massive uptick in subscriptions.
Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and Disney+ have taken to raising their prices along with offering additional tiers that limit picture quality and feature advertisements. Unfortunately for Disney+, this would result in a major subscription hit. According to Variety, “Disney+ Core subscribers (which include U.S. and Canada customers, as well as international users, excluding the India-based Disney+ Hotstar) dropped to 111.3 million from the 112.6 million reported in the previous quarter, according to Disney’s quarterly earnings results released Wednesday.”
However, the Magic Kingdom is also projecting a spike in subscribers for the first quarter of the fiscal year. Disney is predicting that they’ll be adding somewhere between 5.5 million and 6 million subscribers to the Disney+ Core by the end of the current quarter, which is spanning from January to March. Meanwhile, the India-based Disney+ Hotstar has added around 700,000 subscribers during the October-December quarter, this brings their total to 38.3 million from the 37.6 million that had been subscribed at the end of September.
The Disney-owned Hulu streaming service is also being paired up with Disney+ for an all-in-one bundle so audiences can access content featured on both platforms, which can span from family-friendly to more mature content. Bob Iger is currently making many changes to the House of Mouse in order to improve performances. One of his decisions was to crackdown on password sharing on both Disney+ and now Hulu services. The returning CEO planned out the move in August. Last year, Iger would outline at a company earning’s call, “We’re actively exploring ways to address account sharing and the best options for paying subscribers to share their accounts with friends and family. We will roll out tactics to drive monetization sometime in 2024.”
Season 2 of the HBO series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us has officially started filming in Vancouver, Canada, and a while back (before filming began) the show’s star Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie, said that one of the things she was most looking forward to about the new season was getting the chance to play out “the Dina storyline”. Last month, we learned that Isabela Merced – who can be seen in this weekend’s release Madame Web – had been cast as Dina, Ellie’s new romantic interest. While attending the world premiere of Madame Web, Merced took a moment to confirm that she has already done a day of work as Dina.
Merced told Deadline, “The stars are truly aligning. I had several of my friends that I’ve worked with in this industry for a long time join the cast. I can’t say who just joined. But he’s amazing. And he’s a future superstar and already a superstar in my eyes. We’ve had one day of shooting for me as Dina and I gotta say, we kind of ate, I’m not gonna lie. I was a huge fan of the second game. I played it in, like one weekend. And then I wondered, how is this going to translate onto TV. And (showrunner) Craig Mazin is one of the most brilliant people, actually, I think, a genius. I’m sure if they did the test, they would find out that it’s true. And he’s just has a way of bringing these characters to life that no one could ever just come up with in such a short amount of time. I love him. He’s amazing.“
Merced is of a younger generation than I am, so I had to look up what this “ate” slang means. According to a Google search, if someone “ate”, they “did a great job; pulled it off well; had a lot of success with something”.
Merced’s fellow new additions to the Last of Us cast include Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart and No One Will Save You) as Abby Anderson, a major character from the video game who is described as being “a skilled soldier whose black-and-white view of the world is challenged as she seeks vengeance for those she loved” and Young Mazino of Beef as Jesse, “a pillar of his community who puts everyone else’s needs before his own, sometimes at terrible cost.” (Jesse also happens to be Dina’s ex.) Schitt’s Creek Emmy winner Catherine O’Hara is also in there, in an unspecified role. Merced said Dever is “one of the most talented actors I’ve ever worked with.”
The story of the The Last of Us video game is set years after a fungal plague wiped out much of humanity, transforming most into vicious zombie-like monsters, the story follows Joel, who’s living in a militarized quarantine zone. He has a close relationship with Tess, who operates in the black market of this community. Together, they’ve become known by the local criminal underworld for their ruthlessness. On a mission to reclaim their stolen guns, they run into the leader of the Fireflies, a resistance group, who tasks them with smuggling a young girl named Ellie out of the zone. This mission soon becomes much more than they were prepared for.
For the HBO series, Pedro Pascal plays Joel, who is “tormented by past trauma and failure. He must trek across a pandemic-ravaged America, all the while protecting a girl who represents the last hope of humanity”. He is joined in the cast by Bella Ramsey as Ellie, “an orphan who has never known anything but a ravaged planet and who struggles to balance her instinct for anger and defiance with her need for connection and belonging… as well as the newfound reality that she may be the key to saving the world”; Anna Torv as Tess, “a smuggler and hardened survivor in a post-pandemic world”; Gabriel Luna as Joel’s brother Tommy, “a former soldier who hasn’t lost his sense of idealism and hope for a better world”; Merle Dandridge as Marlene, “the head of the Fireflies, a resistance movement struggling for freedom against an oppressive military regime”; Nico Parker as Joel’s daughter Sarah; Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, “a rebel in a quarantine zone”; Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett as Bill and Frank, “two post-pandemic survivalists living alone in their own isolated town”; and Storm Reid as Ellie’s best friend Riley.
Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, who did the motion-capture performances for Joel and Ellie in the video game, are also in the cast of the show. Baker plays James, “a senior member of a group of settlers who must fight to keep their community alive in the face of increasingly brutal odds.” Baker also hosts a podcast that serves as a companion to the TV series. Johnson’s character is Anna, “a pregnant woman, alone and on the run, who must give birth under the most terrifying of circumstances.”
Are you looking forward to The Last of Us season 2, and are you glad to hear that the cast and crew “ate” during Isabela Merced’s first day on set? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
Isabela Merced reveals she has begun shooting #TheLastOfUs Season 2 as Dina and compliments co-star Kaitlyn Dever and showrunner Craig Mazin, plus she teases a good friend of hers is joining the cast pic.twitter.com/FuCaz4wwBo
Overwatch 2 is bringing a lot of sweeping changes in its season nine balance patch, and some of them are controversial. Between giving every hero a passive self-heal and every character getting a health buff across the board, Overwatch 2 feels like it’s shifting from a team-based shooter into one that values hero…
