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The next game in Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia series has been officially announced, and you may be surprised to see the studio behind it. The Rogue Prince of Persia will be developed by Dead Cells studio Evil Empire and will launch in Early Access on May 14 of this year. That makes it the second game in the series to be…
Some of our posts include links to retailers. If you buy something from clicking on one, G/O Media may earn a commission. Because editorial staff is independent of commerce, affiliate linking does not influence our editorial content.
The next game in Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia series has been officially announced, and you may be surprised to see the studio behind it. The Rogue Prince of Persia will be developed by Dead Cells studio Evil Empire and will launch in Early Access on May 14 of this year. That makes it the second game in the series to be…
Annie, are you okay? You look like you might faint after producer Graham King turned up at CinemaCon to surprise the crowd with a first look at Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic, Michael. Said to be an emotionally intense depiction of the King of Pop, Michael is positioning itself as a HUGE event film. JoBlo’s editor-in-chief, Chris Bumbray, is in the crowd and says Michael will surely be controversial.
During his presentation, Graham said he knows everyone has an opinion about Michael Jackson, for good or ill. However, he did change the world of pop music forever, and his controversy made him a fascinating subject for Fuqua’s film. Graham also said Jackson was an enigma, but behind everything was a man with a very complicated, difficult life.
Michael contains 30 songs from Jackson’s legendary catalog. Next, a trailer played for the crowd, showing Jaafar Jackson as the Gloved One. Chris says he looks incredible in the role and NAILS the voice. The trailer shows Jackson at different stages of his life and how much he’d changed throughout the years.
Additionally, Larenz Tate plays Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records and impresario. Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries, The Parent Trap) plays the legendary Diana Ross, the lead singer of the chart-topping Motown group The Supremes. Jessica Sula (Split, Malum) plays Michael’s older sister, La Toya, the fifth child and middle daughter of the Jackson family, who first gained recognition in the mid-1970s on the family’s variety TV series “The Jacksons.” She launched a solo career, releasing multiple albums in the 1980s.
Liv Symone (Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Doing It Wrong)will play Gladys Knight, whose soulful voice and electric performances alongside her family (as the Pips) produced several #1 hits for Motown, including “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”; later, her signature song, “Midnight Train to Georgia,” would bring worldwide popularity to the Empress of Soul.
Kendrick Sampson (Fashionably Yours, Insecure)plays legendary, 28-time Grammy Awards-winning songwriter, composer, and producer Quincy Jones, who first met Michael when he was just 12 years old. The pair would go on to collaborate on three of Michael’s most successful albums: “Off the Wall” (1979), “Thriller” (1982), and “Bad” (1987).
KeiLyn Durrel Jones (How to Die Alone, Fear the Night) plays Bill Bray, whom Joe Jackson originally hired in the 1970s as security for the Jackson 5. Bray went on to work exclusively with Michael for nearly three decades, becoming one of his most trusted friends.
Finally, Kevin Shinick (Robot Chicken, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?) plays Dick Clark, host of “American Bandstand,” where the Jackson 5 made a legendary early appearance in their rise to fame.
The production cooperates with the Jackson estate, which means that they’ll be able to use his music, but it remains to be seen how much of the famous singer’s troubles will be addressed.
“Michael will bring audiences a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man who became the King of Pop,” reads the official description. “The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale — from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, exemplified 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.” Michael will hit theaters on April 18, 2025.
Are you excited about Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic? Are you surprised the film showed up at CinemaCon? Let us know in the comments below.
The John Wick spin-off, Ballerina, starring Ana De Armas, has unloaded footage all over the audience at Liongate’s panel at CinemaCon. According to our own Chris Bumbray, who was in attendance, the spin-off takes place between Chapter 3 – Parabellum and Chapter 4. They also conveyed that the film was tracking so well that the studio gave director Len Wiseman and Wick series director Chad Stahelski more money in the budget to create additional massive action sequences.
The trailer that was shown showcased De Armas doing MMA and gunplay, much like Keanu Reeves in the Wick films. However, it is noted that the fight sequences in Ballerina are very different from the Wick movies. Here, they look “more feral and less polished.” The movie is also said to be “insanely violent.” Although it is known that Reeves has a cameo, the preview teases his appearance as a trailer stinger.
The spin-off had a long journey. First, it wasn’t related to the John Wick franchise at all, then it was rewritten to take place in the world of The Continental. The movie would also undergo reshoots or “new shoots” according to Wick franchise star Ian McShane. McShane revealed that Chad Stahelski was brought in to “protect the franchise.” In an interview, he stated, “You know, it’s like, they’ve gotta protect the franchise. We did it about a year ago. And they’ve looked at it and Chad’s come in. And they wanna make it better cause they have to protect [the franchise].”
Ballerina stars Ana de Armas as a young woman with killer skills who sets out to get revenge when hitmen kill her family. As the film takes place in the John Wick universe, it will feature appearances from several franchise characters, including Ian McShane as Winston, the owner of the Continental Hotel, the late Lance Reddick as Charon, the Continental’s concierge, and Anjelica Huston as the Director, the head of the Ruska Roma. The film will also include Catalina Sandino Moreno, Gabriel Bryne, and Norman Reedus in unknown roles.
Lionsgate had a whole lot of interesting projects to promote at CinemaCon today. Alexandre Aja’s Never Let Go,The Crow remake, the Margot Robbie-produced Monopoly, Guy Ritchie’s In the Grey and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Highlander, Borderlands, a Blumhouse reimagining of The Blair Witch Project, the John Wick spin-off Ballerina, the Michael Jackson biopic Michael, they all got a moment in the spotlight in one way or another. And that’s far from the complete list. Attendees also got to see trailers and previews of multiple other films, and we’ve got a bit of a round-up compiled below.
The Killer’s Game: An action comedy directed by stuntman J.J. Perry and starring Dave Bautista, Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews, Pom Klementieff, and Ben Kingsley. Based on Jay Bonansinga’s novel, The Killer’s Game follows a veteran assassin (Bautista), who is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and authorizes a hit on himself to avoid the pain that is destined to follow. But soon after, he finds out that he was misdiagnosed— and must fend off an army of former colleagues trying to kill him. A trailer for this film was shown during the panel, and JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray reports that “The person in charge of the contract is Pom Klementieff, who hates Bautista because he killed her father and she calls in all the assassins in Europe to kill him. Looks like a hardcore, R-rated action flick and might be Bautista’s John Wick.“
Flight Risk: A “very slick action thriller” directed by Mel Gibson and starring Mark Wahlberg. CinemaCon attendees got to see a trailer for this one, and Bumbray writes that it “seems commercial. Michelle Dockery is a US Marshal flying a witness (Topher Grace) to testify against the mob, but the pilot of the plane is a psychopathic hit man played by Mark Wahlberg playing WAY against type. He even shaved his head to look like he has a bald pate. Looks like a really tight kickass thriller, and Gibson REALLY makes Walhberg look crazy in this. Scored by a cover of Talking Heads’ ‘Psycho Killer.’“
Also promoted was director Joe Carnahan’s Shadow Force, which is about “an estranged couple with a bounty on their heads who must go on the run with their son to avoid their former employer, a shadow ops unit sent to kill them.” The film stars Kerry Washington and Omar Sy, and Bumbray said it’s “another cool looking action flick in the John Wick vein.“
A trailer for The Strangers: Chapter 1 was shown, but it may have been the same trailer we’ve already seen online. Directed by Renny Harlin and shot simultaneously with two sequels (Chapter 2 and Chapter 3), The Strangers: Chapter 1 centers on a character played by Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale) as she drives cross-country with her longtime boyfriend (Gutierrez) to begin a new life in the Pacific Northwest. When their car breaks down in Venus, Oregon, they’re forced to spend the night in a secluded Airbnb, where they are terrorized from dusk till dawn by three masked strangers. Lionsgate plans from there to expanding the story in new and unexpected ways with its sequels. JoBlo’s own Lance Vlcek, who attended the panel with Bumbray, reports that these films are being sold as “an origin story of how the Strangers came to be.“
Another trailer shown during the panel was for the comedy Good Fortune, which was directed by Aziz Ansari – who also stars in the film alongside Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves. Bumbray reports, “Ansari is a broke guy who goes to work for a rich asshole, played by Rogen. Reeves plays an angel! Even has wings. He’s a f*ck-up angel who wants to save Ansari from killing himself. So what he does is he swaps Ansari and Rogen’s lives. But, Reeves thinks Ansari will realize ‘wealth won’t solve his problems’ but Ansari loves being rich and won’t go back to where he was before. The idea backfires so much it costs Reeves his wings, so now the three guys, Rogen, Ansari and Reeves are all stuck together. Looks hilarious and might become a HUGE hit. Reeves is really hilarious in it.” After the trailer was shown, Ansari took the stage. He said he “hates that comedies are no longer going to theaters. So he wanted to prove you could make a big comedy with stars that will be hit. He wanted it to be in the vein of big comedies like Anchorman and 40 Year Old Virgin. Keanu – the man Chad Stahelski couldn’t break while making the John Wick movies – actually broke his knee by tripping on a run in his dressing room. He did the whole movie with a broken knee but you can’t tell. He wanted to do everything and just plowed through.“
What do you think of the Lionsgate line-up that was promoted at CinemaCon? Which of these movies are you looking forward to? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Overwatch 2 is getting some big changes in its tenth season starting April 16, with some of the biggest impacting how it handles the social elements of competitive play. Blizzard laid out its plans to make Overwatch 2 “a fun, safe, and inclusive experience” through a blog post on the shooter’s official website. While…
Overwatch 2 is getting some big changes in its tenth season starting April 16, with some of the biggest impacting how it handles the social elements of competitive play. Blizzard laid out its plans to make Overwatch 2 “a fun, safe, and inclusive experience” through a blog post on the shooter’s official website. While…
Lionsgate may have pushed the release date of The Crow remake back from June 7th to August 23rd yesterday, but they still promoted the film during their panel at CinemaCon today, showing attendees a new trailer. We don’t know when that trailer is going to be making its way online, but JoBlo’s own Lance Vlcek was in attendance and reports that the new trailer reveals more about the film’s story.
Writing from the panel, Lance said attendees were told this version of The Crow is “a complete re-imagining that is not meant to compete with the original. The Lionsgate rep made mention how the original graphic novel is different than the beloved movie and made a point that the trailer was divisive, but they want to tell this story for a new generation.” As for what was shown in the new trailer, Lance writes, “An afterlife way-station where a man (David Bowles) gives him the rules. Reminds me of the Skull Cowboy (not in look, as Bowles looks like a normal guy) but in terms of explaining the rules and what needs to be done. Shelly Draven is heading ‘down,’ hinting she’s heading to a dark place and that if Eric wants her back, he must ‘Put the wrong things right.’ It’s here he gets the power of the Crow and he assignment on how to fix things and bring Shelly back. He heals slowly, and he feels everything. It’s a pain he must bear in order to go through the ‘mission’ of taking down the crime family who killed him and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs). There is a big focus, like in the first trailer, about how Eric will be going through a lot of pain, and be a very violent and aggressive character while getting revenge. It has that new action style that John Wick and similar movies have made popular. It had a bit more focus on the love between Shelly and Eric, and it looks like maybe the first act is their story. Meeting in a corrections facility, getting out and starting a life together. We don’t get any new info on the bad guys or exactly what transpired that ended both of their lives.“
Bill Skarsgard stars in The Crow remake as the new version of goth rocker Eric Draven. He is joined in the cast by singer FKA twigs, who takes on the role of Shelly Webster, the love of Eric’s life. Danny Huston (Yellowstone) plays the lead villain. Isabella Wei (1899), Laura Birn (A Walk Among the Tombstones), Sami Bouajila (The Bouncer), and Jordan Bolger (Peaky Blinders) are also in the cast. As Lance mentioned, David Bowles (Brothers) is, too.
Here’s the synopsis: Soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgard) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.
The role of Eric Draven in the original film was, of course, played by Brandon Lee, who was killed on set in a tragic accident that was caused by a series of mistakes and oversights.
Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) directed this take on The Crow, working from a screenplay by Oscar nominee Zach Baylin (King Richard). The remake is produced by Victor Hadida, Molly Hassell, John Jencks, and Edward R. Pressman. Dan Farah serves as executive producer.
Based on the comic book series created by James O’Barr, the first version of The Crow was released in 1994. Following the production of three sequels (each about a different resurrected character), a remake was first announced in late 2008… then it had to make a long journey through development hell. Several screenwriters came and went, scripts were written and scrapped, studios went bankrupt, and directors like Stephen Norrington, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, and Francisco Javier Gutiérrez were all involved along the way. Actors up for the lead role during the long development period included Bradley Cooper, Mark Wahlberg, Tom Hiddleston, Luke Evans, and Jack Huston.
Are you looking forward to The Crow remake? What do you think of the information that came out of CinemaCon? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Bill Skarsgård in THE CROW. Photo Credit: Larry Horricks for Lionsgate
Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap production company is passing GO to collect more than $200 by partnering with Hasbro to develop and produce Monopoly, a film adaptation of the classic real estate board game. Hasbro Entertainment also produces alongside LuckyChap.
Eighty-nine years ago, Hasbro’s Monopoly began dividing families, ending friendships, and creating chaos as players argued and haggled for properties that would boost their income and drive others to bankruptcy. Monopoly is the most popular board game in history in more than 100 countries, with countless themed versions in addition to the original. During a round of Monopoly, players pick from a collection of pieces, from a Top Hat to a Scottish Terrier, a Classic Car, an Iron, the mighty Thimble, and others, to travel around a board while buying up properties. If a rival player lands on an owned space, they must pay rent or risk a verbal battle with the land owner. Hasbro has sold over half a billion copies of Monopoly since 1935. That’s a lot of hurt feelings, trips to jail, and Free Parking.
“Monopoly is a top property – pun fully intended. Like all of the best IP, this game has resonated worldwide for generations, and we are so excited to bring this game to life alongside the wonderful teams involved at Lionsgate and Hasbro.” LuckyChap said about joining the production effort for Monopoly.
“I could not imagine a better production team for this beloved and iconic brand than LuckyChap,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Adam Fogelson. “They are exceptional producers who choose their projects with great thought and care, and join Monopoly with a clear point of view. We are tremendously excited to be working with the entire LuckyChap team on what we all believe can be their next blockbuster.”
Finally, Zev Foreman, Head of Film for Hasbro Entertainment, said, “As one of the most iconic games in the world, Monopoly provides an incredible platform for storytelling opportunities. We are thrilled to have the unique vision of LuckyChap and Lionsgate alongside us to bring this historic piece of popular culture to the big screen.”
Plot details for Monopoly remain a mystery. How would you set this concept up? Who would you cast in the film? Will the Monopoly Guy play a part in the story? I hope so!
Updated: 04/10/2024, 2:10 p.m. ET: Shortly after this story was published, EA sent a comment to IGN denying that a Dead Space 2 remake was ever being developed or had been cancelled.
