If it seems like Baldur’s Gate 3 can’t stop winning Game of the Year awards, you aren’t wrong. Just this week, Larian’s ambitious 2023 Dungeons & Dragons RPG took home yet another prize during the video game portion of the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs). While it is impressive alone to take home a single GOTY…
Alan Rickman could be an intimidating presence; by all accounts, though, he was one of the most gracious and encouraging actors in the business. But try telling that to a pre-teen who was about to star in his first movie. Yes, Daniel Radcliffe was scared stiff of Severus Snapes himself, Alan Rickman, during the making of Harry Potter.
As Radcliffe revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (via Variety), “I was so intimidated by Alan Rickman [while making Harry Potter]. How can you not be by that voice? Even hearing that voice you forget quite how low it was until it echoes through you. I was so intimidated by him for the first three movies. I was terrified by him and was like, ‘This guy hates me.’” However, Radcliffe kept at his task, showing nothing but dedication to playing Harry Potter that “somewhere along the lines he saw that I really wanted to do this and work at it.”
Rickman would go on to be a major supporter of Radcliffe’s not just on the screen but on stage as well. “He cut short a vacation in Canada to come and see me in Equus. He saw every piece of stage work I did when he was alive. He would take me out afterwards and we would talk about it. He was one of the first people to say like, ‘You should look at voice coaching and investigate all this stuff.’ I am so lucky.”
It’s pretty awesome that Alan Rickman didn’t just speak or write about his thoughts on the Harry Potter cast and production – as he did diaries released years after his 2016 death – but also showed it, something that goes so far, especially with a young cast who is trying to figure out how the business works.
Daniel Radcliffe wasn’t the only one who was petrified of Alan Rickman during the early Harry Potter outings. Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy throughout the series, remembered Rickman – in costume as Snape – telling him on the set of Half-Blood Prince to not “step on my f*cking cloak.” Felton was an adult by that point but that is the last thing you would want to hear from Severus Snape – that and “Sectumsempra”…
In which Harry Potter movie do you think Alan Rickman gave his best performance? Drop your pick below!
The post Alan Rickman terrified Daniel Radcliffe in early Harry Potter days appeared first on JoBlo.
The past year has been a major one for Christopher Nolan. The popularity of the director’s historical epic, Oppenheimer, blew up in a major way (pun intended). Not only did it have the strength of Nolan’s reputation, but the seemingly unintentional scheduling that paired its release with another anticipated summer film, Barbie, created a whole other level of recognition for it. Then, the film would achieve an amazing feat for Nolan where it would sweep a number of categories at this year’s Academy Awards.
Deadline now reveals that one of Nolan’s past blockbusters will be returning to theaters in celebration of its 10-year anniversary. At Paramount’s panel during this year’s CinemaCon, the studio revealed as part of their upcoming slate that Interstellar will be traveling back into cinemas along with IMAX and 70MM prints. The Dark Knight director has been a champion of IMAX film for years and special showings in a limited number of movie houses would present Oppenheimer in the grand medium. The actual IMAX film format is not too common a practice, and with the lengthy runtime, many theaters would either have faulty preparation of Oppenheimer‘s screenings or the projectors would break down altogether.
Recently, actress Anne Hathaway had stated how grateful she was for Nolan to cast her in both The Dark Knight Rises as Selina Kyle and in Interstellar as it would come at a time when her public perception was not very favorable. In a new Vanity Fair profile, Anne Hathaway said of her time on the outs with Hollywood, “A lot of people wouldn’t give me roles because they were so concerned about how toxic my identity had become online. I had an angel in Christopher Nolan, who did not care about that and gave me one of the most beautiful roles I’ve had in one of the best films that I’ve been a part of.” She added, “I don’t know if he knew that he was backing me at the time, but it had that effect. And my career did not lose momentum the way it could have if he hadn’t backed me.”
Interstellar arrives in theaters on September 27.
The post Interstellar gets an IMAX and 70MM re-release to commemorate its 10th anniversary appeared first on JoBlo.
If you’re paying for access to Nintendo’s Switch Online package, you too are probably perennially wondering whether you’re actually getting anything out of it, but then remembering it’s only $20 a year and it stores all your saves in the cloud. Thankfully, every so often a few more prehistoric games get added to…
If you’re paying for access to Nintendo’s Switch Online package, you too are probably perennially wondering whether you’re actually getting anything out of it, but then remembering it’s only $20 a year and it stores all your saves in the cloud. Thankfully, every so often a few more prehistoric games get added to…
While fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender receive two more seasons of the new Netflix live-action version of the popular 2005 animated series from Nickelodeon, Paramount has unveiled new details of the animated trilogy that was announced years ago. These new details come as the Netflix show proved to be a big success for the streamer. However, news also recently broke that the live-action show will be getting new showrunners for the next two seasons after Albert Kim steps down. Kim remains a part of the series as an executive producer for seasons two and three. Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani will lead the show as executive producers in the future.
As for the upcoming animated trilogy of Avatar: The Last Airbender, according to Entertainment Weekly, the Paramount panel at CinemaCon has announced some further information. The working title for the trilogy is currently Aang: The Last Airbender. Eric Nam has been cast as the voice of Aang, and the start of the trilogy will focus on an adult Aang. Dave Bautista, who was also featured at Lionsgate’s CinemaCon panel for The Killer’s Game, has been attached to voice a villain in the series. Nam and Bautista will be joined by Dionne Quan, Jessica Matten, and Roman Zaragoza in the cast.
Avatar veteran Lauren Montgomery is attached to direct the first film. Avatar co-creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino will produce the first film in the series, along with longtime producing partner Eric Coleman. Avatar Studios will produce with Coleman executive producing. Coleman was the executive producer and production manager of The Last Airbender series.
Ramsey Naito, President of Animation & Development at Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, had shared, “As original creators, Mike and Bryan expand the Avatar universe with us, we’re keeping it all in the family with Lauren bringing the same kind of expert, beautiful work she did on the original series to her new directing duties on the forthcoming theatrical.”
The first film in the trilogy is set to hit theaters on October 10, 2025.
The post Aang: The Last Airbender: The first movie in the Avatar animated trilogy will feature an adult Aang appeared first on JoBlo.
The name’s Fleming, Ian Fleming. And boy did he have some problems with how his James Bond character was being adapted for the big screen. As we all know, Sean Connery was cinema’s first 007, but Fleming himself hated the idea, concerned that he didn’t have the right voice.
As revealed in Nicholas Shakespeare’s new book, Ian Fleming: The Complete Man (via IndieWire), the process to find the perfect James Bond was an arduous one. Per Fleming’s agent Robert Fenn, “We tried twenty or thirty [potential prospects]. No major actor would play the part for more than one picture, and we couldn’t set up a deal with a distributor without commitment from a main actor.” Of course, Bond would go to Connery, who Fleming didn’t care for because “he couldn’t speak the Queen’s English…He’s not my idea of Bond at all, I just want an elegant man, not this roughneck.”
To many, that “roughneck” would go on to be the quintessential Bond. But it could have been quite different, with Shakespeare noting that Ian Fleming “had entertained several possibilities, from Richard Burton (‘I think that Richard Burton would be by far the best James Bond’), to James Stewart (‘I wouldn’t at all mind him as Bond if he can slightly anglicise his accent’), to James Mason (‘We might have to settle for him’).” Let it be known that Mason in particular would have been a terrible Bond, more than likely butchering the suaveness, action and iconic lines. And Jimmy Stewart? Just try to imagine him seducing Pussy Galore!
At one point, George Ratoff – one of the men who tried getting the Bond franchise off the ground back in the 1950s – even considered having Oscar winner Susan Hayward step into the role, a progressive move that is still being shut down even today.
We could wonder “What if?” all day but the vast majority would agree that Sean Connery is the James Bond. Really, would Ian Fleming’s world have taken off like it did had anybody else – especially the named stars – if Connery hadn’t led it off?
If Sean Connery hadn’t been cast as the first Bond, who do you think would have been the best fit? Do you like any of Ian Fleming’s picks? Give us your dream back-up pick in the comments section below!
The post Ian Fleming thought Sean Connery was too rough to play Bond appeared first on JoBlo.
Disney’s presentation at CinemaCon made sure to carve out some time to focus on their upcoming animated movies. We’ve already covered Inside Out 2, but CinemaCon audiences were also treated to teasers for Mufasa: The Lion King and Moana 2.
Director Barry Jenkins took the stage to promote the Lion King prequel, adding that he had seen the original Disney animated movie over 200 times and knew he had to take the gig. “When the script came to me I was fascinated by watching these complex people dealing with complex emotions…this film explores Mufasa rise to become the heroic king that we know,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins wanted to make a movie that tackled the same issues as the first, hoping that it would help a new generation of children become who they really are. The teaser trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King then began with those iconic notes from Circle of Life before zipping around many different parts of Africa as a young Mufasa runs free and gets into trouble, just like his future offspring. In a voiceover, Rifiki says, “This is the story of a lion who is born without a drop of nobility in his blood.” According to our own Chris Bumbray, the animation is even more impressive than Jon Favreau’s movie with some huge set pieces.
Next up was Moana 2, which was introduced by none other than Dwayne Johnson, flanked by a group of Polynesian dancers. “It’s so much deeper of a movie to me, and it’s so much deeper of a movie to Disney as well,” Johnson said. “We are so excited to welcome back audiences all over the world to a new adventure.” Johnson then played a clip from the sequel, which finds Moana returning to her home island and the debut of a brand-new song, “We’re Back.” At least one character isn’t big on belting out the tune, as they ask “Do we have to sing?” To which everyone responds, “Yes, we have to sing!“
“Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical Moana 2 takes audiences on an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers,” reads the official description. “After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.“
Moana 2 will hit theaters on November 27th, followed by Mufasa: The Lion King on December 20th.
The post Mufasa: The Lion King & Moana 2 bring magic to Disney’s animation presentation at CinemaCon appeared first on JoBlo.
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 just four months away, Alien: Romulus received some love during the Disney panel at CinemaCon.
An exclusive extended scene from Alien: Romulus was screened a CinemaCon which followed Cailee Spaeny’s character wandering through a broken-down spaceship corridor with Aileen Wu’s character. They see a ripped-apart android among the debris. David Jonsson’s character, who is an android himself, is rebooting with an interesting effect in his eyes, but at that moment, a swarm of face-huggers burst into the room, chasing the characters out. We saw a bit of this scene in the teaser.
One character turns out to have been impregnated by a face-hugger, with a baby xenomorph bursting through their ribcage in an extremely bloody scene. The face-hugger and baby xeno are quite close to their appearances in the original movie, and best of all, they’re done with beautiful practical effects. The tone is said to be very similar to Álvarez’s Evil Dead movie, although not quite as bloody but still far more visceral than either Prometheus or Alien: Covenant.
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, slotting 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.
The cast of Alien: Romulus includes Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla) and David Jonsson (Industry), as well as 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.
In addition to Alien: Romulus, the CinemaCon crowd also got a look at The Amateur, starring Rami Malek as a computer tech for the CIA. When his wife dies during a terrorist attack, he uses his unique set of skills to find who did it and blackmails the CIA into training him to kill all the people responsible. His trainers are Laurence Fishburne and Jon Bernthal.
Are you looking forward to Alien: Romulus? What do you think of the footage description that came out of CinemaCon? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
The post Alien: Romulus brings plenty of blood & practical effects in footage screened at CinemaCon appeared first on JoBlo.
Disney is bringing more than emotional teenagers to CinemaCon 2024, with Marvel Studios ready to unleash superheroes on an already riled-up crowd. In addition to teasing the audience with footage from Deadpool and Wolverine, an F-bomb-dropping Kevin Feige introduced Anthony Mackie to give CinemaCon a taste of Captain America: Brave New World.
Before covering the CinemaCon stage with stars and stripes (metaphorically), Feige added that production on Fantastic Four will start in a few months and confirms that the title of Thunderbolts* does include an asterisk. As for why that is, Feige isn’t about to spill the beans. “We don’t tell you any more about that until the film comes out,” he said. What the hell does that mean? We’ll need to wait to find out.
Anthony Mackie then took the stage to show off the first footage from Captain America: Brave New World, which Feige says will be more “grounded” similar to The Winter Soldier. The footage finds Mackie’s Captain America meeting up with Harrison Ford’s President Ross, who thanks him for everything he’s done and asks him to help rebuild the Avengers. The President later honors Captain America at an event which is interrupted by Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), who attempts to kill the President along with an army of sleeper agents. Sam Wilson takes care of the sleeper agents in a very cool action scene, which ends with President Ross telling Sam, “You’re not Steve Rogers.” Sam responds defiantly, “You’re right, I’m not.” You tell ’em, Sam!
Directed by Julius Onah, Captain America: Brave New World opens in theaters on February 14, 2025. The highly-anticipated superhero sequel stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America, Harrison Ford as Thaddeus’ Thunderbolt’ Ross, Live Tyler as Betty Ross, Rosa Salazar, Shira Haas as Sabra, Time Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns/The Leader, Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, and Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres.
What do you make of Isaiah Bradley trying to assassinate the President? That seems uncharacteristic. Then again, maybe he’s got a damn good reason. After all, where was the government when Isaiah was being experimented on and tossed aside like a failed test subject? I’m excited to find out.
Does Marvel’s CinemaCon presentation for Captain America: Brave New World have you excited about the movie? Should Marvel slow its role by reducing the output it releases yearly? Let us know in the comments section below.
The post Captain America: Brave New World brings stars, stripes, and action to Marvel’s CinemaCon panel appeared first on JoBlo.