Last month, 20th Century Studios unveiled a teaser trailer for Alien: Romulus, director Fede Álvarez’s contribution to the Alien franchise that is set to reach theatres on August 16th. (You can watch the teaser HERE.) With the release date still four months away, it might be a little while before we see a full trailer – but while we wait for that to come along, star Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla) is building the hype by promising that the film will deliver everything fans want to see.
Spaeny told CinePOP, “I don’t think I can say much, but I already delivered something, so I’ll just repeat it. It takes place between Alien and Aliens, in terms of plot and chronology. But we have an incredible cast, some new faces. The Facehuggers are there. You will get everything you want from the film. Fede Alvarez is an incredible director who has so much respect for this franchise and this world. He knows everything about the Alien franchise like the back of his hand. All Alien fans will have everything they want.“
When this project was announced near the start of 2022, it was said that Álvarez pitched the idea to Ridley Scott years ago and it stuck with Scott. So in late 2021, he called Álvarez and asked if he still wanted to make an Alien movie. Clearly, the answer was yes. 20th Century Studios division president Steve Asbell told The Hollywood Reporter that they picked up the project “purely off the strength of Fede’s pitch. It was just a really good story with a bunch of characters you haven’t seen before.“
It has also been said that the story Álvarez and his frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues crafted for Alien: Romulus is not connected to the other films in the Alien franchise – but it’s not ignoring any of the other entries, either. Álvarez has been clear about the fact that his story takes place within the established franchise continuity. As Spaeny said, it slots in between the events of Alien and Aliens. It has the following official logline: The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
Spaeny is joined in the cast by David Jonsson (Industry), Isabela Merced (Madame Web), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), Spike Fearn (The Batman), and Aileen Wu (Away from Home). Merced has said there’s a scene in the film that’s so disgusting that a lot of viewers will have to look away, so that goes along with the “graphic and gruesome” description. “Graphic and gruesome” is what we expected from this movie as soon as it was announced that it was being made by the director of Evil Dead 2013 and Don’t Breathe.
This new Alien movie is coming to us from Momentum and 20th Century Studios, with Ridley Scott producing through his Scott Free banner.
Are you a fan of the Alien franchise? If so, what are you looking forward to seeing in Alien: Romulus? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Deadpool & Wolverine is bringing Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s iconic X-Men superhero characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe through a bunch of multiverse mumbo jumbo. But really, the most exciting thing about it is that it’s a second chance for both these actors to star as their respective characters…
Deadpool & Wolverine is bringing Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s iconic X-Men superhero characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe through a bunch of multiverse mumbo jumbo. But really, the most exciting thing about it is that it’s a second chance for both these actors to star as their respective characters…
The year 1990 was a pretty decent time for a trip to the movies, especially if you’re a self confessed gore-hound, like yours truly. There’s nothing better than sitting down in a packed movie theater, or even at home with the pet cat or a similarly cherished human, to watch some carnage on the screen. Tom Savini’s Night of the Living Deadwas a fun remake of the 1968 classic, while we also got the likes of IT, Tremors, Child’s Play 2, Gremlins 2, Predator 2 (there’s a theme forming here…) Killer Crocodile 2. OK, maybe not that last one. Also, if you’re a fan of Stephen King adaptations, the year also brought the ankle smashing Misery with Cathy Bates in full on psycho mode, plus the outlandishly bad, in a good way, Frankenhooker, replete with all of its soft-core pornography and grisly images. Which brings us nicely to a sci-fi / horror movie with a stellar cast, a cool premise and a director with a penchant for coming of age dramas and blood sucking vampires, Joel Schumacher, 1990s Flatliners (watch it HERE). In some ways, it’s hard to think of another movie that is so quintessentially 90s; with a cast consisting of great actors like Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, William Baldwin and directed by the versatile, hugely talented, and greatly missed Joel Schumacher. I remember thinking how original and compelling the movie’s concept was when I first saw it, where our protagonists experiment with life and death, all in the name of science and a fascination with the afterlife. However, thirty four years later, does the film still hold up as a classic piece of sci-fi / horror filmmaking or should it never be revived from its deathly slumber? Stay tuned to find out, here on WTF happened to Flatliners, 1990.
The success of Flatliners isn’t solely down to one person, naturally, however Joel Schumacher’s imprint on the film as director can not be diminished. Looking back on his career, he ultimately became a hugely successful Hollywood player, who the studios would turn to on numerous occasions as he had a great track record of turning in great looking movies that brought substantial profits for the studios. He was a master of the 80s brat pack movies just when they were massively popular, and he nurtured the careers of actors like Colin Farell, with a shrewd eye for talent and an uncanny knack for casting the perfect role. Unfortunately, Schumacher never won any of the big awards that some directors crave for, and when he produced a movie the critics actually liked, you got a sense that their praise was somewhat begrudging. He wasn’t a Hollywood darling, so to speak, and some of his movies got the attention of the Razzies more than that of the Oscars. The thing is though, he made movies his way and for the most part, they were original, highly entertaining and brought original concepts to light.
As I mentioned earlier in the video, his most notable projects pre-Flatliners, were St Elmo’s Fire from 1985 and The Lost Boysfrom 1987. The former helped to introduce the world to ridiculously good looking guys and gals such as Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore and Ally Sheedy. While the latter is still regarded as a classic piece of horror cinema; a blackly-comic look into youth and heroism that could easily sit alongside some of Spielberg’s mid eighties classics, albeit with more of a darkly gothic spin. Flatliners was very similar to The Lost Boys in this regard; it features a cast of beautiful people who were synonymous with the era and either just rising to the very top of their game, or almost there already. Schumacher managed to recapture the spirit of the The Lost Boys and instead of blood suckong vampires, he investigates what lies beyond death when his characters give themselves near-death experiences.
Flatliners marked the big screen debut of screenwriter Peter Filardi, whose previous work as a writer was on the hilarious TV series MacGyver. I know, it’s not a comedy but come on, that series was funny as fuck. His idea for Flatliners was inspired by a friend’s near-death experiences on the operating table, and far removed from the usual fantasy of bright lights and angels voices welcoming him to the pearly gates. Other notable additions to the production team were the legendary Michael Douglas as one of the movie’s producer, alongside Rick Bieber who has a different pedigree to Hank Pym himself and has won awards as a director, writer and producer. Alongside the main cast members we also have Kimberley Scott, Benjamin Mouton, Hope Davis and Patricia Belcher as just an example of the movie’s wider ensemble.
The story follows Kiefer Sutherland’s Nelson Wright, a medical student with a potentially lethal fascination for discovering what lies beyond death. He convinces his classmates, Rachel Manus (played by Julia Roberts), David Labraccio (played by Kevin Bacon), Joe Hurley (played by William Baldwin), and Randy Steckle (played by Oliver Platt), to help him conduct a daring experiment. Or, to put it simply; ending their lives in the name of science, not just for shits and giggles. Together, they take turns stopping their hearts for brief periods of time, then reviving each other to share their experiences. Initially, they’re exhilarated by the euphoric sensations of the afterlife, but as they continue the experiments, they start to experience terrifying visions from their pasts. Guilt-ridden secrets and unresolved traumas manifest as haunting apparitions, haunting them in their waking lives. Like I said earlier, the premise is great, but does it still hold up?
Well, the answer to that is largely, a heart reviving yes. While the plot doesn’t quite match the awesome premise, director Schumacher and his hugely talented DOP Jan De Bont go nuts on the movie’s set pieces; creating visuals that are a feast for the eyeballs. What let’s the movie down slightly is that the characters are a touch too thinly written. The characterization doesn’t go beyond what the protagonists face as part of their quest to discover what awaits in the afterlife. Their plan begins with tales of people who die, but are brought back to life. In the middle of this they experience an almost euphoric state where loved ones welcome them to the other side, accompanied by peaceful music and a tunnel of light. The medical students are desperate to experience this for themselves, but their attempts to one-up their colleagues doesn’t exactly go to plan.
The tension and suspense of seeing this happen for the first time is highly entertaining, so is the second time to be fair; however, once we see it re-occur in the narrative time after time, it loses its grip and becomes a little tiresome. The cast all do a great job of bringing the talented medical students to life amongst the gloomy backdrop of gargoyles and shadows that surround the dangerous experiments. Despite the premise of the movie being so cool, there was a danger that the execution of the resulting action could look slightly ridiculous, but all involve pull it off regardless, and with some panache. It’s a well directed, intelligent and original movie, with some great visuals thanks to Jan De Bont and Joel Schumacher. If only the plot had been re-tooled slightly and the cast given more to work with, Flatliners would be more than simply a highly entertaining genre flick with a gorgeous cast.
Flatliners was released theatrically by Columbia Pictures on August 10th, 1990 and went straight in at number one at the US box office. It grossed $10 million dollars over its opening weekend domestically and made $61.5 million dollars in the US alone. The movie also had a European release in the UK on November 9th, 1990 where it grossed £1.4 million pounds to add to its total gross. No data is readily available for any other territories. The movie had competition from the Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore romantic pottery epic Ghost, which was in its fifth week, with only the likes of Air America and Presumed Innocent as any real threat.
Critically, the movie was met fairly well, with review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reporting that 50% of of critics give the film a positive review based upon fifty four reviews. The New York Times wrote that, “when taken on its own stylish terms, Flatliners is greatly entertaining. Viewers are likely to go along with this film instantly or else ridicule it to death. Its atmospheric approach doesn’t admit much middle ground.” Roger Ebert also praised the film as, “an original, intelligent thriller, well-directed by Joel Schumacher” and called the cast “talented young actors, who inhabit the shadows with the right mixture of intensity, fear and cockiness”. Less enthusiastic about the movie were Entertainment Weekly who said, “Flatliners is camp, but of a very low order. Schumacher is too intent on pandering to the youth market to take the mad risks and plunges that make for a scintillating bad movie.”
Ultimately then, Flatliners is, for this reviewer at least, an original, fun, often highly entertaining but flawed throwback to when Hollywood was obsessed with good looking lads and lasses cheating death. 2017 brought a stand-alone sequel / remake of the original movie starring Elliot Page and Diego Luna. Our next video may even take a deep dive into the merits of that movie. More importantly though, as always YOUR opinion is what matters to us here at JoBlo so let us know your thoughts of Flatliners in the comments section. Does it hold up all these years later or should it remain firmly stuck in the afterlife? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this one, you wonderful gore-hounds. Thanks for watching!
A couple of the previous episodes of WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? can be seen below. To see more, head over to our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!
Joe Manganiello recently said that he’s always “on the lookout for a good werewolf script” because he feels he has some unfinished business from his days of playing a werewolf on HBO series True Blood – but while we wait to see if and when he’s going to end up making a werewolf movie, Deadline reports that he has signed on to star in and produce a zombie thriller called Mountain Man.
Mountain Man is based on a series of novels written by Keith C. Blackmore. There are currently three books in that series, so if the movie is well-received there is some franchise potential here.
John Lee, whose previous credits include False Positive and Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, is set to direct the film from a screenplay by Matt Deller. Mountain Man will tell the story of Gus, a lonely post-apocalyptic survivor facing isolation and the ever-present specter of a zombie attack, who struggles with alcohol abuse and suicidal thoughts until he discovers another survivor, a captivating woman who poses another threat altogether.
The first Mountain Man book had the following description: Boomstick. Samurai bat. Motorcycle leather. And the will to live amongst the unliving. Augustus Berry lives a day-to-day existence comprised of waking up, getting drunk, and preparing for the inevitable day when “they” will come up the side of his mountain and penetrate his fortress. Living on the outskirts of a city and scavenging for whatever supplies remain after civilization died two years ago, Gus knows that every time he goes down into undead suburbia could be his last.
Joe Manganiello and Nick Manganiello will be producing through their company 3:59, alongside Danny Chan. The Manganiellos provided the following statement: “John is a brilliant creative mind. We’ve been looking for the right thing to do together since we filmed Pee-wee’s Big Holiday and it’s finally here. Very excited to get to work on such weird, wild project with him.” Joe Manganiello played an exaggerated version of himself in the Pee-wee movie.
Film Bridge International will be presenting the project to potential buyers at the Cannes Film Market. The filmmakers are aiming to get Mountain Man into production later this year.
Are you interested in Mountain Man? Does a zombie thriller starring Joe Manganiello sound like something you’d want to check out? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
While we giddily behold the new trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine, Tom Holland addresses the anticipated follow-up to his last outing as the web crawler in Spider-Man: No Way Home. It has obviously been a dream run for the young actor ever since he made his appearance in Captain America: Civil War as his big debut as Peter Parker. His entrance in the 2016 film was a special one as Marvel Studios themselves would be creatively behind the character for the first time since the universe started. After No Way Home, Holland would portray Spider-Man in six MCU movies. He would take a much needed break from the character and after doing AppleTV+’s The Crowded Room, he would take a break from acting altogether.
Now that he’s ready to get back into the swing of things (pun intended), Holland talks with Deadline about being involved in the planning for the upcoming chapter in his Spider-Man franchise. “The simple answer is that I’ll always want to do Spider-Man films. I owe my life and career to Spider-Man. So the simple answer is yes. I’ll always want to do more,” Holland tells Deadline. However, he understands that doing a Spider-Man 4 should be speacial in its own right and cannot retread any of the past themes. He explains, “We have the best in the business working toward whatever the story might be. But until we’ve cracked it, we have a legacy to protect. The third movie was so special in so many ways that we need to make sure we do the right thing.”
Holland adds that he is also partly overseeing the story process from conception, “This is the first time in this process that I’ve been part of the creative so early. It’s just a process where I’m watching and learning. It’s just a really fun stage for me. Like I said, everyone wants it to happen. But we want to make sure we’re not overdoing the same things.” He now wears a producing cap for projects in the rest of his career and Holland is now participating in the development of many non-Spider-Man related material, “We’re figuring it out. We’re at that stage where it’s post-strike, so we’re waiting for those scripts to come in. We’re giving the writers the time they need to hit the ground running. But I’ve got a few projects that I’m really excited about and scripts are coming in now and they’re great. I read something the other day that absolutely blew my mind.”
Of all the movies I saw teased at this year’s CinemaCon, the one that had distributors the most psyched was no doubt Deadpool and Wolverine. Many are thinking this will be Marvel’s first big hit since Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, and last week, when I polled readers about which CinemaCon film they were most excited about, it was the clear winner. By a landslide actually, as it earned 40% of the vote compared to the runner-up, Alien: Romulus, which earned 13.47%.
And now, with the film only a few months away from hitting theatres, Disney has finally released a brand-new trailer which gives fans their first look at the yellow-suited Wolverine in action. This is actually a different trailer than the one I saw at CinemaCon (along with ten minutes of the movie which you can read about here), and it’s pretty awesome. It gives us a little insight into how Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine turns up in this version of the MCU, and sports plenty of F-bombs, action, and even Madonna’s “Like a Prayer”.
Apparently, the film is jampacked with cameos. Still, I must admit that the CinemaCon footage we saw was very carefully assembled so that it wouldn’t allow us journalists to spoil the cameos (which many of us would have no doubt done). Wild speculation has suggested Henry Cavill showing up as another Wolverine or Ben Affleck as Daredevil. I honestly have no idea, but, as the trailer reveals – Deadpool and Wolverine IS NOT watered down and will be HARD-R. Hurrah!
Of course, we also know that the film stars Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, returning to the role seven years after Logan was presented as his retirement from playing the character.
We all know Trey Parker and Matt Stone from South Park, but what about all that came before it? Sure, some of us may have checked out Orgazmo to get an idea of what the boys were up to and maybe you even tracked down Cannibal! The Musical. But only the true die hard Parker and Stone fans have seen Your Studio and You. Styled after industrial movies of the 1950s – which would guide viewers through the process of any given corporation – Your Studio and You gives us a glimpse inside of Universal Studios…with exactly the sort of humor that fans would expect from Parker and Stone.
Released in 1995, Your Studio and You was a commissioned piece from David Zucker, who would go on to direct Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s BASEketball. Meant for internal studio use only, the 14-minute short begins by poking fun at “classic talking pictures” and “timeless masterpieces” like Howard the Duck, Ghost Dad and Major Payne, in addition to some of the studio’s other offerings, like their theme park.
It’s here that the wealth of cameos really goes into high gear, with none other than Steven Spielberg playing the skipper of the Jaws ride, practically begging riders to be terrified of the fake shark. Another great one comes from James Cameron, who is trying to maintain the grounds of the studio. Later on we even see Angela Lansbury giving the house from Psycho a fresh paint job. Oh, and who’s that? Why, that’s John Singleton on the set of his upcoming film Shut Your Honkey-Ass Mouth, Cracker Boy. Other famous faces that turn up include Michael J. Fox, Demi Moore, the Zucker brothers, Traci Lords, and Sylvester Stallone, who promotes the studio’s welcoming environment by telling viewers, “You know, it’s good to be open to new talent ‘cause that way you’re open to new talent and stuff.” Thanks, Sly!
If you’re a fan of the team of Trey Parker and Matt Stone and have yet to check out Your Studio and You, we highly recommend you take the time to do so, as it hits every intended note and sticks the landing. And if you didn’t like this news article, maybe I’ll just add a porcelain deer!
2024 MARVEL.
