As an RPG, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a number of character stats that influence various aspects of a battle. Luck is perhaps one of the less understood ones. Not only is it an attribute worth raising, but certain characters, like Cait Sith in particular, can benefit from a high Luck stat in some dramatic ways.
I finally caved. After years of being petitioned by my friends and spurred on by the new TV show, I spent this past weekend largely playing Fallout 76, Bethesda’s survival MMO based on the open-world RPGs. When it first launched in 2018, Fallout 76 couldn’t have had more working against it. Not many seemed to want it…
I finally caved. After years of being petitioned by my friends and spurred on by the new TV show, I spent this past weekend largely playing Fallout 76, Bethesda’s survival MMO based on the open-world RPGs. When it first launched in 2018, Fallout 76 couldn’t have had more working against it. Not many seemed to want it…
Brian Helgeland’s Game of Thrones spinoff, Ten Thousand Ships, is getting docked as HBO shelves the project before it can set sail. Helgeland, the director behind films like L.A. Confidential and A Knight’s Tale and screenwriter for the Tony Scott-directed crime drama Man on Fire, spoke with Inverse about the defunct project, saying it would have focused on Queen Nymeria, the warrior-queen who led the Rhoynar refugees to Dorne.
Helgeland speaks with Inverse and makes Ten Thousand Ships sound biblical in scope and story. He likens Queen Nymeria’s tale to the story of Moses, with survivors from a ravaged country setting sail for a new home.
“It came out great, but I think they felt the period of my show was too far removed from the pillars of the original,” Helgeland explained to Inverse about his spinoff. “That’s why it hasn’t been picked up yet, but nothing is ever dead. My script was based on Queen Nymeria and this little blurb about her that was in a Westeros encyclopedia.”
“Essentially, it was the story of Moses but swapping him out for Nymeria,” he continued. “Her country gets ruined and her people are forced to live on the water, which is why the show was called ‘Ten Thousand Ships.’ They end up having to leave and find a new home like the Israelites leaving Egypt. She’s leading all these people, trying to hold everyone together but things are always in danger of falling apart as they travel around a fictionalized version of the Mediterranean, looking for a new home to settle in.”
News about Helgeland leading the charge for another Game of Thrones spinoff began in 2017. In May 2021, screenwriter Amanda Segel joined the project, and things were looking up. However, HBO never officially greenlighted the series, anchoring the concept to Limbo. Helgeland insists the project isn’t dead, and something could happen down the line.
“Their life was nomadic. Living in a raft city that was bound together, this big floating city,” Helgeland explained to Inverse about Queen Nymeria, her lofty mission, and displaced people. “Sometimes, the characters would come ashore, but they ultimately get driven off the land as they search for a home, their version of the promised land.”
“I met with George R.R. Martin to pitch him the idea, which he signed off on. Sadly, I didn’t work with him closer, but I would have done if the show was picked up,” Helgeland said about his missed opportunity to work alongside Martin. “It was kind of like Ray Harryhausen’s Sinbad films mixed with ‘The Odyssey.’ In a way, Nymeria is Odysseus, but instead of a 12-person crew, she’s responsible for every citizen in this floating city-state. My work is still there if HBO wants to pick it up. I enjoyed my time developing it, and you just never know.”
While Helgeland’s Ten Thousand Ships isn’t dead in the water, HBO appears to be skittish about oversaturating its network with Game of Thrones content. The network already has House of the Dragon, which is doing gangbusters for the brand, and another spinoff titled The Hedge Knight is forthcoming. Meanwhile, HBO recently scrapped Kit Harrington’s Jon Snow spinoff, citing story issues for canceling the project. Thankfully, plenty of books in the Game of Thrones series keep fans engaged until House of the Dragon returns and The Hedge Knight is ready to venture out onto Max.
What do you think about Helgeland’s idea for Ten Thousand Ships? Are you hoping it gets made? Let us know in the comments section below.
Additionally, check out Inverse‘s in-depth interview with Helgeland for more details about Ten Thousand Ships and other projects.
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A few months ago, Amazon MGM announced that they will be giving the thriller Pussy Island a global theatrical release on August 23rd – but, to the shock and surprise of no one, they also changed the title, dropping the Pussy and renaming the film Blink Twice. With the release date now exactly four months away, a trailer for Blink Twice has arrived online, and you can check it out in the embed above.
The feature directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz, who played Catwoman in The Batman, the film will follow Frida, a young, clever, Los Angeles cocktail waitress who has her eyes set on the prize: philanthropist and tech mogul Slater King. When she skillfully maneuvers her way into King’s inner circle and ultimately an intimate gathering on his private island, she is ready for a journey of a lifetime. Despite the epic setting, beautiful people, ever-flowing champagne and late-night dance parties, Frida can sense that there’s more to this island than meets the eye. Something she can’t quite put her finger on. Something terrifying. Kravitz wrote the screenplay with E.T. Feigenbaum.
Channing Tatum (Magic Mike), Naomi Ackie (Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody), and Simon Rex (Red Rocket) star alongside Christian Slater (Heathers), Alia Shawkat (Search Party), Geena Davis (The Long Kiss Goodnight), Adria Arjona (Morbius), Haley Joel Osment (Tusk), Liz Caribel Sierra (God’s Time), Levon Hawke (The Crowded Room), Trew Mullen (Sunny Family Cult), Saul Williams (Akilla’s Escape), Chris Costa (People You Know), and Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks). Ackie plays Frida, with Tatum as Slater King and Rex as Slater’s chef, trainer, and oldest friend, Cody.
Blink Twice (don’t call it Pussy Island, even though that’s how I’ll always think of it) has been produced by Kravitz, Bruce Cohen, Tiffany Persons, and Tatum’s company Free Association. Garret Levitz oversaw the project for Free Association. The movie was made in conjunction with Free Association, this is important, and Bold Choices.
What did you think of the Blink Twice trailer? Will you be catching this movie on the big screen in August? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
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Having spent many years as a fan of Jackass, I’ve always gravitated to the career of Johnny Knoxville. The actor has a new feature currently available for streaming or purchase on Prime, and frankly, he’s excellent in it. Sweet Dreams tells the story of Morris, a man who has found himself at a sober living facility. The film, written and directed by Lije Sparks, is a sweet, funny, and heartfelt tale, one that is utterly inspiring. The sports aspect is fun, as the group put together a ragtag softball team to save their place, but it’s also a serious work. Also starring Kate Upton, Bobby Lee, Jay Mohr, and Gata, it’s an inspiring film with a huge heart.
I’ve always enjoyed chatting with Mr. Knoxville, and this was no exception. Both Johnny and Mr. Sarki opened up about bringing a bit of positivity to those struggling with addiction. And yes, the performances are terrific all around. Yet it was the reason for Lije to make this film that truly tugged at my heartstrings during the interview. As well, we spoke with both Bobby Lee and GaTa, and it was a pleasure. The two discussed working with this group of actors, and building the relationships with them on-screen. It’s great to see a film that deals with addiction with hope and heart. If you are looking for a special flick, you may want to give this one a try.
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Open-world zombie survival game 7 Days to Die launched in Early Access on Steam in 2013. Three years later, the game arrived on consoles. And now, over a decade after its initial launch, 7 Days to Die is finally leaving Early Access with its 1.0 update. However, console players will have to re-buy the game to see the…
Open-world zombie survival game 7 Days to Die launched in Early Access on Steam in 2013. Three years later, the game arrived on consoles. And now, over a decade after its initial launch, 7 Days to Die is finally leaving Early Access with its 1.0 update. However, console players will have to re-buy the game to see the…
Al Pacino has played the Devil before (in the 1997 film The Devil’s Advocate), now he’s set to play an enemy of the Devil, as he has signed on to play a troubled priest in the exorcism horror film The Ritual. Pacino will star in the film alongside Dan Stevens of Abigail and Godzilla x Kong, who will also be playing a troubled priest.
Variety reports that XYZ Films has acquired the worldwide rights to The Ritual and are planning to give the movie a theatrical release sometime in 2025. They’ll be setting up international distribution deals at the upcoming Cannes Film Market. David Midell will be directing the film from a screenplay he wrote with Enrico Natale. He previously directed the 2014 drama NightLights and the 2019 thriller The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain.
Based on a true story, The Ritual will center on two priests — one questioning his faith (Stevens) and one reckoning with a troubled past (Pacino) — who must put aside their differences to save a possessed young woman through a difficult and dangerous series of exorcisms. The film is an authentic portrayal of Emma Schmidt, an American woman whose demonic possession culminated in harrowing exorcisms. Her case remains the most thoroughly documented exorcism in American history. Wikipedia confirms that Emma Schmidt (March 23, 1882 – July 23, 1941) was “an American woman whose alleged demonic possession and exorcism occurred over several decades, culminating in an extensive exorcism that lasted from August 18 to December 23, 1928, in Earling, Iowa. Ecklund was said to have exhibited symptoms akin to possession beginning at age fourteen, and was forty-six years old during her final exorcism by Father Theophilus Riesinger, a Roman Catholic priest.”
Ashley Greene (Twilight) and Abigail Cowen (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) join Pacino and Stevens in the cast.
Natale is producing The Ritual with Andrew Stevens and Mitchell Welch.
How does The Ritual sound to you? Are you interested in watching a movie that has Al Pacino and Dan Stevens as priests trying to save a woman from demonic possession? Do you think they should ditch the generic title? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
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Before AI started growing as a concern in the entertainment industry in many aspects, there was and still is a struggle with the way streamers promote works to certain viewers, with their algorithms spotlighting some content while leaving others in the dark. The technology is in almost every facet of the internet to customize exposure and availability to consumers. Studios seemingly make creative decisions based on what is trending or what spikes in activity. However, rarely do you hear of movie pitches getting turned down due to the unfavorable results of an algorithm.
That’s exactly what director Brian Helgeland claims happened with Netflix after he was pitching to them an idea to do a sequel to his 2001 period film A Knight’s Tale. The first movie starred the late Heath Ledger, and while his absence alone would play a big factor in working against a sequel, Helgeland says Netflix lost interest after they measured its success through their technology. According to The Wrap, the director told Inverse, “I pitched it to Sony because they own the rights, and it seemed like they were interested in making it with Netflix and releasing it as a Netflix movie. My understanding is that Netflix tested this sequel idea through their algorithms, which indicated that it would not be successful.” This was to his surprise as he said, “A Knight’s Tale seems to get more popular with every passing year; it’s the strangest thing.”
Helgeland had an idea for a pirate sequel right after wrapping on the first film and said, “The plot revolved around Count Adhemar [Rufus Sewell] kidnapping Jocelyn [Shannyn Sossamon] and taking her to Constantinople. They end up as galley slaves after their boat is captured by pirates. There’s a prisoner on the boat who has a treasure map tattooed on his back, but he keeps getting flogged for indiscipline. The guys volunteer to take turns getting flogged in this prisoner’s place, so the map isn’t erased.” Helgeland explained that Sony was not interested at the time.
The stars of the first film, Paul Bettany and Alan Tudyk, also conceived of a sequel idea to work around Ledger’s character, which involved killing him off and following his daughter. Helgeland explained that their idea was, “William has a teenage daughter who wants to joust, but she’s not allowed to because she’s a woman. She tracks down the gang and they agree to teach her how to joust, but she has to hide who she is. They cut her hair short and she speaks with a deep voice, et cetera.”
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