Dragon’s Dogma 2 launches on most platforms on March 22, and I checked it out at a preview event in New York City. In his 2023 hands-on preview of the high-fantasy RPG, Kotaku senior reporter Ethan Gach said that it’s “shaping up to have all the tools necessary to become the widely acclaimed hit it deserves to be”—and…
Not every movie is going to cross the finish line, but studios such as Warner Bros. have come under fire for publically scrapping movies such as Batgirl, Coyote vs. ACME, and more. Per Deadline, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that his studio has done the same thing; they just haven’t been as public about it.
Bob Iger said that Disney has “killed a few projects already that we just didn’t feel were strong enough,” but didn’t elaborate on which projects those were or how far along they were. “We’re doing a lot. When we talk about improving our film slate, there are really three approaches,” Iger said. “One is you have to kill things you no longer believe. And that’s not easy in this business. Because either you’ve gotten started, you have some … costs. It’s a relationship with either your employees or with a creative community. And it’s not an easy thing. But you got to make those tough calls.“
Iger continued, “We’ve actually made those tough calls. We’ve not been that public about it. You have to look at everything you’re making, that you do believe in. And you have to take a position that good is not good enough. You have to basically strive for perfection.“
Disney has been struggling at the box office with some notable misfires over the last year, but Iger is confident that the studio will be able to return to past glories. “As a studio, that was number one at the box office for seven out of eight years, that was not an accident,” Iger said. “That’s a combination of both, obviously, the IP that we have, but also the execution — both the management execution, the execution from the creative side.” In an effort to get things back on track, Iger said that they would be “spending a lot of time with the creators, watching these films, giving detailed notes … engaging in a respectful process that results in improvement. And actually, when I talked about being relentless, it’s not letting certain things get in the way of making something great. Whether it’s more resources … or more time… You have to put into the pipeline things you really do believe in. And we know we’re working on that as well.“
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As my fearsome archer walks across a bustling sand-coated bazaar, my coin purse must be jingling, because countless town folk are vying for my attention. Nestled on a mountain top, this dust-coated medieval market city is abuzz with activity. A fully clothed, purring cat-man beckons me towards his stall, tail swaying…
As my fearsome archer walks across a bustling sand-coated bazaar, my coin purse must be jingling, because countless town folk are vying for my attention. Nestled on a mountain top, this dust-coated medieval market city is abuzz with activity. A fully clothed, purring cat-man beckons me towards his stall, tail swaying…
The Pokémon-like is a popular subgenre of game, spawning successes like Palworld and Temtem—games that have toyed with the legendary franchise’s monster-catching formula in multiplayer settings. However, though the former is fresher and seemingly built to be an ongoing service game, the latter is entering the end of…
The Pokémon-like is a popular subgenre of game, spawning successes like Palworld and Temtem—games that have toyed with the legendary franchise’s monster-catching formula in multiplayer settings. However, though the former is fresher and seemingly built to be an ongoing service game, the latter is entering the end of…
Scream (2022) and Scream VI star Melissa Barrera – who was fired from Scream 7 when comments she made about the Israel-Hamas war didn’t go over well with executives at Spyglass Media – has the lead role in the film Your Monster, a project she had previously described as a “horror rom-com musical.” JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray had the chance to see the movie at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and wrote a 6/10 review you can read at THIS LINK. We still don’t know when a wider audience is going to have the opportunity to watch the movie, but it has just taken a positive step forward: Deadline reports that Vertical has acquired the North American distribution rights.
The feature directorial debut of Caroline Lindy, who wrote the film based on her 2019 short of the same name, Your Monster centers on soft-spoken actor Laura Franco, who is dumped by her longtime boyfriend while recovering from surgery and retreats to her childhood home to recover. With her future looking bleak, insult is added to injury when Laura discovers her ex is staging a musical that she helped him develop. But out of these gut-wrenching life changes emerges a monster with whom she finds a connection, encouraging Laura to follow her dreams, open her heart and fall in love with her inner rage.
Barrera plays Laura Franco, with Tommy Dewey (Casual) as the monster. Edmund Donovan (Tell Me Lies), Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus), and Kayla Foster (The Deuce) are also in the cast.
Speaking with Digital Spy, Barrera said Your Monster is “a horror rom-com musical. My character is a musical theatre actor, so there’s a musical in the movie. There’s a lot of singing and dancing in it. And it’s like a rom-com with elements of horror. It’s scary at times, and really funny at times. And it’s everything that I love in a movie combined into one.“
Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey had this to say about the distribution deal: “We were captivated by Caroline’s film at Sundance and thrilled it has made a home here at Vertical. Marking her directorial feature debut, she has created a fantastic, fresh, genre-defying film that perfectly balances the mix of comedy, romance and horror topped off with a dash of musical theater that will captivate and delight audiences later this year.“
Lindy added, “I’m beyond thrilled to collaborate with Vertical on the release of Your Monster. Their strategies and commitment to innovative distribution aligns perfectly with our movie, and their passion for the film and desire to support my first feature means the world to me. The Sundance crowds were incredible, and I’m excited that more audiences will soon have a chance to see Your Monster in theaters and beyond.“
Lindy and Foster produced the film with Shannon Reilly of Bombo Sports and Entertainment and Kira Carstensen and Melanie Donkers from Mermade, “a division of Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountfor’s entertainment company Merman, which focuses on projects from emerging creators.” Dewey serves as an executive producer with Bombo’s Bob Potter. Jackson Sinder and Mermade’s Jack Taylor Cox are co-producers.
Are you interested in Your Monster, and are you glad to hear it has landed North American distribution? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth features an evolved form of the combat system as it appeared in Final Fantasy VII Remake. As an action RPG, Rebirth’s combat is both tactical and demanding of reaction time. There are a number of moving parts going on all at once when the blades and spells start flying.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth features an evolved form of the combat system as it appeared in Final Fantasy VII Remake. As an action RPG, Rebirth’s combat is both tactical and demanding of reaction time. There are a number of moving parts going on all at once when the blades and spells start flying.
The cast of Steven Soderbergh’s spy thriller Black Bag expands today with Regé-Jean Page joining Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett. Soderbergh directs from a script by David Koepp, with Caset Silver and Greg Jacobs producing. Focus Features is setting up Black Bag, with filming happening in London. Plot details remain a mystery. However, the film’s story is a spy thriller unfolding in the United Kingdom.
As The Hollywood Reporter pointed out in January, Soderbergh and Blanchett previously worked together on his 2006 noir thriller The Good German. Blanchett played a part in the film Ocean’s 8, as part of Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11 franchise. Soderbergh produced Ocean’s 8 but didn’t direct that one. He and Fassbender previously worked together on his 2011 action thriller Haywire. And in addition to collaborating on Presence, Soderbergh and Koepp also worked together on the 2022 thriller Kimi.
Kimi told the following story: A tech worker with agoraphobia discovers recorded evidence of a violent crime but is met with resistance when she tries to report it. Seeking justice, she must do the thing she fears the most: she must leave her apartment. Kimi stars Zoë Kravitz as the agoraphobic Angela Childs, with Byron Bowers playing Terry Hughes and Rita Wilson starring as Natalie Chowdhury.
Here’s the synopsis for Presence: A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they are not alone. A supernatural force has infiltrated the house, taking a specific interest in the couple’s daughter.
In addition to Black Bag, David Koepp is ready to walk with dinosaurs for a new entry in Universal‘s Jurassic World franchise. Initially, David Leitch was slated to direct the new Jurassic film but was replaced by The Creator filmmaker Gareth Edwards. Leitch exited the project amicably, citing creative differences for the franchise’s new direction. The studio is fast-tracking the Jurassic project, creating an all-hands-on-deck situation.
What do you think about this development for Soderbergh’s forthcoming project? Are Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, and Regé-Jean Page enough of a triple threat to excite you about the filmmaker’s Black Bag? Let us know if you want to learn more about Black Bag in the comments section below.
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