9
Apr
Month: April 2024
9
Apr
A decade ago, Legendary Pictures secured the rights to Godzilla and other characters owned and created by the Japanese company Toho so they could launch a cinematic universe they call the MonsterVerse – and they also secured the rights to the King Kong character so he could be part of their MonsterVerse as well. Things got started with Godzilla in 2014, and since then the universe has expanded with Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong, the animated series Skull Island, and the live-action series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Director Adam Wingard‘s Godzilla vs. Kong sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is in theatres now and surpassing expectations, with its opening box office numbers being almost double what had been predicted for it. So it’s understandable that Legendary is telling The Hollywood Reporter they’re feeling good about the future of the MonsterVerse.
Legendary isn’t ready to make any sequel announcements just yet, but when The Hollywood Reporter asked what’s next, Mary Parent, the company’s chairman of worldwide production, told them, “This (box office) is certainly an exciting result. We are in a good position to continue the journey, but let’s see how Godzilla x Kong unfolds. These are early days, but we are certainly feeling good.“
Wingard previously told the trade, “There’s always the seduction of making a trilogy out of it, and I think that there’s some untapped areas to go into. There’s also ways to continue to innovate the stylized approach to the MonsterVerse, and what’s great about the MonsterVerse is that it’s allowed so many different directors to approach it with their unique style and color palette.“
Godzilla remains the top-grossing MonsterVerse film at the domestic box office, having pulled in $200.6 million during its theatrical run – but Godzilla x Kong has already passed $136 million domestically and is expected to knock Godzilla out of the top spot by the time it reaches the end of its run. When it comes to worldwide numbers, Kong: Skull Island is at #1, having made $568 million. Godzilla x Kong is closing in on $363 million worldwide, so it still has a way to go before it can catch (or surpass) that one.
What would you like to see from the MonsterVerse? Do you want a third Godzilla & Kong movie from Adam Wingard? Share your thoughts on this franchise by leaving a comment below.
The post Godzilla x Kong success has Legendary feeling good about the future of the MonsterVerse appeared first on JoBlo.
9
Apr
At long last, the first teaser trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux has been released! The Joker 2 teaser trailer features Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck standing in the rain in the Arkham Asylum exercise yard. As he laughs maniacally, we can only assume he’s thinking about flying the coup and stirring up more mayhem in Gotham City. The full trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux arrives later tonight!
Joker: Folie à Deux has some big clown shoes to fill, especially after the first movie received 11 Academy Award nominations and became the first R-rated flick to gross over $1 billion worldwide. Warner Bros. has pumped a lot of money into the sequel, with recent reports stating the budget has grown to nearly $200 million, quite the leap from the $60 million budget of the first movie.
The sequel does seem to be departing from the original in a major way in that it has some major musical elements. A recent report stated that Joker: Folie à Deux will be “mostly a jukebox musical” as it will include “at least 15 reinterpretations of very well-known songs.” In hindsight, it would have been hard to imagine Joaquin Phoenix returning for more of the same, no matter how many dump trucks full of money they drove to his house.
In addition to Phoenix and Gaga, the film also stars Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and Harry Lawtey. Zazie Beetz returned to reprise her role as Sophie Dumond from the first movie, a love interest for Arthur. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but it’s been said that much of the sequel will take place within Arkham Asylum, which is where we left Arthur in the last film. Joker: Folie à Deux will hit theaters on October 4th. Find out everything we know about the movie right here!
The post Joker: Folie à Deux teaser trailer sends in the clown before tonight’s full trailer debut appeared first on JoBlo.
9
Apr
Legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola comes from an elite group of directors who shaped the modern-day era of movies with films like The Godfather, Scorsese’s gangster epics, Spielberg’s many blockbusters and George Lucas’ pop culture phenomenon, Star Wars. Among the group, Coppola would remain at odds with the Hollywood studio system for most of his career despite being responsible for some of the most notable titles in cinema. He would also be the auteur to experiment more often and be seen as less accessible to general audiences.
Recently, Coppola would unveil his latest self-funded project, Megalopolis, which features an impressive list of actors for an all-star cast, including Adam Driver, Laurence Fishburne, Dustin Hoffman, Giancarlo Esposito and more. He premiered his film at Universal CityWalk IMAX Theater with many Hollywood stars as well as executives in attendance with the hopes of securing a buyer. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the new film from the Apocalypse Now director is looking at an “uphill battle” in finding a distributor because it has been deemed “too ‘experimental’ and ‘not good’ enough for the $100 million marketing spend envisioned by the legendary director.”
In Megalopolis, “the film follows the rebuilding of a metropolis after its accidental destruction, with two competing visions — one from an idealist architect (Adam Driver), the other from its pragmatist mayor (Giancarlo Esposito) — clashing in the process. References to ancient Rome — including Caesar haircuts on the men — abound.”
The screening was reported to be met with a standing ovation. However, a potential distributor responded after the screening, saying, “There is just no way to position this movie.” An attendee of the screening explained, “Everyone is rooting for Francis and feels nostalgic. But then there is the business side of things.” Another viewer from the screening mentioned “a conspicuous silence at the end of it,” then continued, “Does it wobble, wander, go all over the place? Yes. But it’s really imaginative and does say something about our time. I think it’s going to be a small, specialized label [that picks it up].”
While Megalopolis sounds more like the style of an A24 or NEON film, the kind of marketing budget Coppola is hoping for may be out of reach for the more modest studios. Coppola would apparently quickly sign a deal if a studio is willing to spend in the vicinity of $40 million domestically, and $80 million to $100 million globally for the prints and advertising in the marketing campaign.
The post Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis may encounter troubles in finding a distributor due to marketing challenges appeared first on JoBlo.
9
Apr
Dredge, the 2023 indie game that was part fishing sim, part cosmic horror, is getting the adaptation treatment. Developer Black Salt games will be partnering with production company Story Kitchen on a live-action film based on the game’s world. Dredge is just the latest in the ever-growing trend of video game…
9
Apr
Dredge, the 2023 indie game that was part fishing sim, part cosmic horror, is getting the adaptation treatment. Developer Black Salt games will be partnering with production company Story Kitchen on a live-action film based on the game’s world. Dredge is just the latest in the ever-growing trend of video game…
9
Apr
Several months ago, word leaked out that Maggie Gyllenhaal was set to write and direct a film called The Bride!, a new take on the concept of the 1935 classic The Bride of Frankenstein (watch it HERE). Once thought to be set up at the Netflix streaming service, this one is actually happening at Warner Bros., and the studio has set the film for a theatrical release, IMAX screens included, on October 3, 2025. Gyllenhaal has assembled a strong cast for the film that includes Penelope Cruz, Annette Bening, Peter Sarsgaard, and Julianne Hough, with Jessie Buckley as The Bride and Christian Bale as Frankenstein’s Monster. Now Deadline reports that John Magaro (Past Lives) and Jeannie Berlin (You Hurt My Feelings) are also in the cast, but no details have been revealed about the characters they’re playing.
The Bride! has the following synopsis: A lonely Frankenstein travels to 1930s Chicago to seek the aide of a Dr. Euphronius in creating a companion for himself. The two reinvigorate a murdered young woman and the Bride is born. She is beyond what either of them intended, igniting a combustible romance, the attention of the police and a wild and radical social movement.
This isn’t a Universal project, but it wouldn’t be the first Bride of Frankenstein remake to be made by a different company. In 1985, Columbia Pictures brought us another movie simply called The Bride, which starred Sting as Baron Charles Frankenstein, Jennifer Beals as Eva (the bride) and Clancy Brown as Viktor (the monster). A few years ago, it was announced that Scarlett Johansson was going to star in a similar project called Bride for A24 and Apple, but that still hasn’t made it into production.
In addition to Past Lives, John Magaro’s credits include The Brave One, Assassination of a High School President, The Box, My Soul to Take, Unbroken, Carol, The Big Short, Jack Ryan, Overlord, The Umbrella Academy, Orange Is the New Black, and The Many Saints of Newark. Beyond You Hurt My Feelings, Jeannie Berlin’s credits include Getting Straight, Portnoy’s Complaint, Bone, The Heartbreak Kid, Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York, Margaret, Inherent Vice, Café Society, The Night Of, The Fabelmans, Hunters, and Succession.
Are you interested in The Bride? What do you think of John Magaro and Jeannie Berlin joining the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
The post The Bride!: John Magaro, Jeannie Berlin join Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Bride of Frankenstein remake appeared first on JoBlo.
9
Apr
When I was in high school, kids wouldn’t shut up about Isaac Asimov, the American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. When he wasn’t molding young minds in the classroom, Asimov was busy becoming one of the “Big Three” science-fiction writers worldwide. Cerebral and scientific, Asimov’s writing teased the brain and tickled the imagination. In 1988, Asimov partnered with Michael Wagner to create the short-lived TV series Probe. Looked upon fondly by those who remember it, Probe lasted for two months before getting yanked from the ABC Network.
In today’s Gone But Not Forgotten, Parker Stevenson joins us to discuss this rare gem of science-fiction entertainment. Stevenson’s presence makes this a special episode of this series, and we thank him for his participation. If you’re a Probe fan, let us know in the comments!
Probe would air on ABC in 1988, with a two-part pilot screening on Monday night, March 7th. The premise was a spin on the Sherlock Holmes dynamic but with a scientific flair and coolness factor, thanks to a hero who knew how to use high tech to help solve the mysteries he encountered.
The series followed Austin James, a young, brilliant scientist who was a prodigy. He graduated from college before he was old enough to drive a car or get a learners permit. He’s got an eidetic memory and can calculate multiple problems at once. He’s very much like Batman because he’s wealthy to the point that he doesn’t have to think about money. He’s started the think tank business Serendip but doesn’t give it much thought. He’s got better things to do and mysteries to solve.
Austin doesn’t have friends, and his family is also fairly non-existent. This alienation can happen when someone like Austin, who is super-intelligent and advanced way beyond his years, becomes isolated. He doesn’t really know how to behave per se around people without coming across as unfeeling or, well, kind of a dick.
Austin’s group at Serendip has a new employee named Mickey Castle. Mickey, with her glorious hair and hurt arm, gets assigned as Austin’s secretary, almost like the position is a cruel joke or dare at Serendip. Once Mickey arrives at Austin’s house and solves the unanswerable limerick door code, the duo meet in Austin’s self-made isolation chamber. During the first part of the pilot episode, Mickey tries in vain to get Austin to pay his water bill, which is the reason Mickey is there. After failing to get Austin to comply, Mickey discovers she’s been pulled into an investigation regarding a rich woman who died after freezing to death, even though her body is colder than where she is found. This circumstance is a scientific impossibility. Let’s investigate!
Probe was considered “deep stuff” for television audiences, and they’re not wrong! Still, the show’s outlandishness is part of what makes it so much fun. Probe is the only TV series one of the High Lords of Science Fiction, Isaac Asimov, ever made. Many fans say Probe is way ahead of its time, and ABC canceled it because it was intimidated by the show’s heady subject matter.
We hope you enjoy this look back at Probe, a science-fiction gem that was too good for this planet.
The post Probe (1988): Gone But Not Forgotten appeared first on JoBlo.
9
Apr
Moon Studios, the developer behind the beloved Metroidvanias Ori and the Blind Forest and its sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, is working on No Rest for the Wicked. The action RPG is set to launch this month on April 19 and is a bit of a departure from the Ori series that made the studio famous. But what…
9
Apr
Moon Studios, the developer behind the beloved Metroidvanias Ori and the Blind Forest and its sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, is working on No Rest for the Wicked. The action RPG is set to launch this month on April 19 and is a bit of a departure from the Ori series that made the studio famous. But what…