Paul Walter Hauser has been on a tear as of late, landing roles for Marvel and in the upcoming Naked Gun movie. He has also been cast as two real-life figures: Chris Farley and Michael Larson, the man at the center of the infamous Press Your Luck scandal. But there’s at least one more actual person Hauser would like to play soon: legendary wrestler Mick Foley. So could we see the Three Faces of Hauser?
Paul Walter Hauser has such an appreciation for pro wrestling that he recently took up working in the Major League Wrestling promotion. Now, he’s ready to combine the two loves of the silver screen and the squared circle by portraying one of the all-time great hardcore legends. “I’m literally talking to Mick Foley right now about the potential of playing him in a movie or limited series. I don’t know which and I don’t know how, but he and I have become friendly. And I think he knows that that could be a really great stroke of genius in casting me to play him.”
Hauser mentioned that working within the wrestling community has found a number of faces and heels propositioning him to portray them on the big screen. “A couple of people have approached me to potentially play different wrestlers in different projects, and for me, I just have to make sure that there’s a real story there and I’m not just doing it because I’m a fan.” With that, he knows someone like Foley or Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart are more up his alley as far as body type goes. Not that he’s deserving of it, but Hauser would make a terrific Kevin Owens. And who wouldn’t want to see Paul Walter Hauser tack on a few more pounds for the much-desired Bastion Booger biopic?
With wrestling biopics gaining some steam and the WWE on the upswing, it might be time for a Mick Foley movie to move forward. And he’s absolutely deserving of one, with a passion going back to his days of backyard wrestling before hitting the indie circuit, building his fanbase in WCW, honing his hardcore chops in Japan and ECW, and hitting his peak in the WWF/WWE. That’s not to mention the countless championships, broken bones and some of the greatest matches ever (who, as The Undertaker, would throw him off the top of the hell in a cell?). And with Paul Walter Hauser proving quite adept at portraying real-life figures so far (check him out in Richard Jewell) and clearly wanting to develop this aspect of his career, we’d love to see him bring Mick Foley to the big screen.
Could you see Paul Walter Hauser playing Mick Foley? Which biopic would he best nail? Give us your take in the comments section below.
As we predicted earlier this week, the industry box office forecasts suggesting John Krasinski’s IF was going to open in the $40 million range were way off base. In my report, I figured the movie would be lucky to open with $30 million, and indeed, Deadline is reporting that’s the exact figure the movie is looking after a softer-than-expected Friday. The poor reviews (including one from me) aren’t doing Krasinski’s ambitious family film any favours. While it’s packed with stars, including Ryan Reynolds and Krasinski himself in front of the camera, and people like Steve Carell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Emily Blunt and more doing voices, the movie just isn’t connecting with the family audience. It’s looking to open only marginally better than The Fall Guy, which is already being consigned by Universal to VOD.
However, Renny Harlin’s The Strangers: Chapter 1, the first film in his already-shot trilogy, is opening much better than expected. It’s on track to make $12 million, which is a great result for a film with a budget in the high single digit range. The CinemaScore is C, which is average for a horror film, but the reviews have been brutal (although our own Tyler Nichols defended it vigorously in his horror live stream last night).
Finally, last weekend’s champ, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will likely drop in the 60% range for a weekend between $23-25 million, which isn’t bad considering the mediocre B CinemaScore. On the plus side for IF, so far, it’s nabbed an excellent A score, meaning the people turning out to see it love it, so word of mouth could potentially be strong on this one. Focus Features’s Amy Winehouse biopic, Back To Back, is performing poorly, with it only on track for an opening in the $3 million range.
We’ll be back with a full box office report tomorrow. In the meantime, what are you seeing this weekend?
What Do We Know About Stranger Things‘s upcoming fifth and final season, or simply Stranger Things 5 (as Netflix is calling it). More than you may think. The Netflix series was an instant hit when it debuted in 2016 and has since become a pop culture mainstay. After the two-part fourth season set the stakes for the series’s end, fans have been waiting for years to see how it all ends. Let’s dive in and look at what is coming from The Duffer Brothers for the end of their iconic streaming series.
The final season was planned out before the fourth began shooting
Thanks to COVID-19. The Duffer Brothers began planning the fifth season of Stranger Things before they started the extended production of the fourth season, marking the first time in the series that they wrote this far in advance. The Duffers did go back and adjust their outline based on feedback on the fourth season including changing the series final episodes. The Duffers have confirmed that the majority of the outline for the final season remained unchanged. Still, we will probably have to wait until after the final run debuts to learn what was actually adjusted.
There will only be one batch of episodes released
The final season will comprise eight episodes, the same as the first and third seasons and one less than the second and fourth. While the fourth season split the release of the nine episodes by reserving the final two chapters for a month after the first seven, it remains to be seen if the same will be done for what is expected to be one of the most-watched series finales of all time.
The final season will be epic
The writing staff of the final season have described the ending of Stranger Things as “if seasons 1 and 4 had a baby” and that the narrative feels like it was “injected with steroids”. Fan response to the fourth season has been exceptionally positive. Still, with the characters split between multiple locations across the season and only coming together in the final episodes, audiences hope this season will keep the cast together as they confront Vecna and his minions from the Upside Down as they invade our world.
Who is joining the cast?
The main cast is all set to reprise their roles, including Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Brett Gelman, and Cara Buono. Jamie Campbell Bower is set to return as the evil Vecna, while Amybeth McNulty has been upped to a regular after playing Vickie in the fourth season. The lone new addition to the cast we know of is Linda Hamilton, who is joining in an undisclosed role that some online theorists think may be a grown-up version of Eleven.
Who is directing?
The Duffers Brothers will direct multiple episodes, with the premiere episode already credited to them. I imagine they will also helm the series finale. We also know that Shawn Levy and Dan Trachtenberg will direct at least one episode each. Who could be behind the camera for the remaining four chapters remains to be seen, although a persistent rumor states Frank Darabont may be directing one or two episodes.
What is it about?
With production underway since January 2024, we know very little about the finals season. The Duffers have unveiled tidbits here and there, but the only concrete details we know are that the first episode of the season is titled “The Crawl” and that the script opening lines of the first scene read “The sound of COLD WIND, GROANING TREES. And… A CHILD’S VOICE. Singing a familiar song!”. The Duffers wrote a twenty-five-page mythology back during Season One to explain to Netflix executives what was happening in the Upside Down, and they state these final episodes will answer any lingering questions as yet unanswered. The Duffers have also stated that Will will be a substantial part of the final season as he comes into his own.
When is Stranger Things’s fifth season taking place?
This is a tough one to answer. The season gap due to COVID and the 2023 strikes has been challenging as the preteen cast have all entered their early twenties. The fourth season finale showed the shadow of the Upside Down literally invading the real world, making it difficult to jump too far ahead without missing some immediate plot threads due to that presence. The Duffers have said that ideally, the fourth and fifth seasons would have been shot back to back, so a time jump cannot be completely ruled out.
First Images and Trailer
While a trailer for the next season is probably months away, the Duffer Bros did share a handful of images from behind the scenes, including a shot of Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) looking worried while sitting in the backseat of Steve Harrington’s (Joe Keery) car. Check them out:
With the stage play The First Shadow a hit in London and a secret spin-off in development since 2022, the end of the main stories of Stranger Things is certainly not the end of the franchise. It seems very likely that the main characters will be retired from the focus of any shows or films that come next, but Netflix will be mining this IP for animated projects, novels, games, and, yes, more series for years to come.
When will we see it?
Stranger Things 5 is slated to premiere in 2025, three years after the fourth season. The longest previous gap between seasons was the three years between three and four caused by COVID, but there is a chance this new season could trump that wait if post-production takes longer than expected after the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes pushed back all of Hollywood for six months. As of March 2024, Millie Bobby Brown has stated that nine months remain in production and that she has read the script for six of the eight episodes. That would say we are unlikely to see Stranger Things 5 until late summer or likely Halloween of 2025.
Stay tuned to JoBlo.com as we learn more about the final season of Stranger Things and all your other favorite shows. What do you expect to see in the upcoming Stranger Things 5? Let us know in the comments and click the like and subscribe to follow all our latest original videos.
Buyers at the Cannes Market were going bananas for Stephen King adaptation The Monkey, with the bidding war eventually being won out by Neon. While no financial details were made available, Deadline reports that the studio is aiming for a 2025 release.
Filming on The Monkey – which was first published in 1980 and subsequently reprinted in the essential King short story collection Skeleton Crew – wrapped in March. Directed by Oz Perkins (son of Anthony and whose Longlegs is also being distributed by Neon), the movie is notably produced by James Wan and features a cast of Theo James, Elijah Wood, Tatiana Maslany, Sarah Levy, Rohan Campbell, Christian Convery, and Colin O’Brien.
For those unfamiliar with Stephen King’s short story, The Monkey has the following plot: “When twin brothers Hal and Bill discover their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths starts occurring all around them. The brothers decide to throw the monkey away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years. But when the mysterious deaths begin again, the brothers must reunite to find a way to destroy the monkey for good before it takes the lives of everyone close to them.” James plays the older version of Hal and Bill, while teenager Convery plays the twins at a younger age.
The Monkey is the latest of a selection of big screen adaptations from King’s 1985 Skeleton Crew collection and certainly one of the more catching (the titular toy is even on the cover of most printings). First came “The Raft” as part of anthology horror sequel Creepshow 2, followed much later by 2007’s The Mist. Television has also been host to a number of adaptations, including on series like The Twilight Zone (1985) and Tales from the Darkside.
As far as evil toy/doll stories go, Stephen King’s The Monkey might not be the most original story out there but it does have some elements to it that, if handled correctly, could lend to a lot of fun at the movies.
Are you looking forward to The Monkey? What is your favorite Stephen King short story adaptation? Let us know in the comments section below.
Plot: The incredible true story of Hollywood revolution meeting social revolution: it’s a wild caper of Black Panther founder Huey Newton escaping from the FBI to Cuba with the help of famed producer Bert Schneider in an impossibly elaborate plan – involving a fake movie production — that goes wrong every way it possibly can. And somehow, it’s all true. Mostly.
Review: The stories of revolutionary political figures and social reformers have been popular for big and small screen adaptations for decades. There seems to be more focus on the 1960s and 1970s than any other period in American history. The 2021 film Judas and the Black Messiah looked at controversial figure Fred Hampton, while this year’s Shirley chronicled Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s run for United States President. While these and the stories of Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X have made for acclaimed productions, the story of Black Panther founder Huey P. Newton has barely been adapted. Despite a brief appearance in Shirley, Newton’s life and impact on society have never been adequately told. The new limited series The Big Cigar tries to rectify that with a cleaned-up look at Newton and his escape to Cuba after a bogus murder charge sent him on the run. The series is interesting but not nearly as incendiary as it deserves to be.
The Big Cigar gets its name from the fake feature film project developed as a cover for Huey P. Newton’s escape from American authorities. If that sounds similar to the setup of Argo, you are not wrong. This series and Ben Affleck’s Academy Award-winning film are based on articles by Joshua Bearman, who serves as executive producer on The Big Cigar. The difference between that film and this series, besides the extended episodic format of The Big Cigar, is the tone. Argo was played as a thriller, whereas The Big Cigar floats between the formula of a biopic and a drama with comedic overtones. The life of Huey P. Newton was fraught with controversy and drugs, something this series glosses over in favor of a cat-and-mouse chase narrative reminiscent of Catch Me If You Can. Despite the best efforts of those involved in front of and behind the camera, The Big Cigar is woefully forgettable.
With voice-over narration from Andre Holland as Newton, The Big Cigar condenses the first years of the Black Panther Party founder into the opening episode. With six episodes to unfurl his story, this series crams the creation of the BPP from 1966 through his 1970 incarceration into thirty minutes before expanding his 1974 escape to Cuba into the bulk of the narrative. Along the way, the series shows how Newton met Hollywood producer Bert Schneider (Alessandro Nivola) and his partner Stephen Blauner (P.J. Clarke) and how their fundraising for the Black Panthers eventually led to the fake movie that facilitated Newton’s escape from the United States. The series also puts a hippie FBI agent named Sydney Clark (Mark Menchaca) on the trail, consistently one step away from catching Newton and bringing him to justice.
Some intriguing moments early on in the series feature famous faces connected to Schneider’s film Easy Rider, including Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper, as well as actors portraying Candice Bergen and Richard Pryor. The film also gives background on Schneider’s father, Abe (John Dornan), a studio executive, and his uncle Stanley (Noah Emmerich), as well as screenwriter Arthur A. Ross, who gets embroiled in The Big Cigar project. The series also includes famous Black Panther members Bobby Seale (Jordane Christie) and Teressa Dixon (Moses Ingram), as well as Eldridge Cleaver (Brenton Allen). We also see the contentious relationship between Huey and his father, Walter (Glynn Turman). The bulk of the screen time is held by Andre Holland, who does a solid job like Huey P. Newton despite this not being remotely close to the actor’s best work. Holland works well opposite Tiffany Boone, who portrays Newton’s future wife, Gwen Fontaine.
Showrunner Jim Hecht, creator of HBO’s short-lived Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, had the opportunity to turn this story into something electric. There is certainly a message to convey about the lasting impact of the community initiatives started by the Black Panther Party. Still, much of this is condensed to some end title cards in the final episode. The six episodes had more than enough time to drive this story’s message through, but it instead feels like a glorified portrait of Huey P. Newton that skips some vital details. The writing staff, which includes Ameer Hasan, Laurence Andries, Janine Sherman Barrois, Gwendolyn M. Parker, Valerie Woods, and Joshuah Bearman, fails to make this story feel immediate. Director Don Cheadle, who helms the first two episodes, echoes his similarly disjointed biopic Miles Ahead and tries to bring in some period flairs in transitions and camera angles, but it never comes together. The other four episodes, helmed by Tiffany Johnson and Damon Thomas, need more material to fill the hour-long chapters.
After finishing The Big Cigar, I was left underwhelmed by how much wasted potential this series had. Huey P. Newton is such a massive and important historical figure and one who suffered a great deal of persecution, paranoia, and drug addiction during a life full of positive impacts. Not much of that comes through in this series that strives to look and feel cool but instead comes across as distant and heavy-handed. As good as Andre Holland, Tiffany Boone, and Alessandro Nivola are as actors, they never have enough material to elevate The Big Cigar from feeling like a half-baked project in the vein of the one that inspired its namesake. The setup for The Big Cigar is more intriguing than the finished product, which is a disservice to Newton and the Black Panther Party’s story.
Confession time: despite being a serious film buff, and preaching the gospel of physical media, I only recently upgraded to a 4K Blu-ray player. While I’ve been watching 4K for years on my Apple TV, I also upgraded my 4K TV to one with Dolby Vision built-in, and some of the results I’ve been seeing on restorations of my favourite movies have been blowing my mind. For those of you who maybe haven’t taken the plunge, here’s a list of five that have really knocked my socks off:
The Crow (1994)
Our man Tyler Nichols was so impressed with the transfer on the recent 4K disc that he devoted an entire column to it last week. For me, this was one of the first movies I opted to pick up, as it’s never really looked all that great on DVD or Blu-ray. I’ve been lucky enough to see this in revivals in 35mm, and I never found home viewing did the movie justice – until now. The 4K transfer, which was painstakingly restored by Paramount, is sumptuous, with it doing justice (at last) to Dariusz Wolski’s noirish, largely Color-drained palate. It looks like it does in 35mm for the first time in its home video history.
True Romance (1994)
This one comes from Arrow Video, who’ve done a terrific job with their catalogue releases of vintage titles on 4K, many of which come packed with thoughtful extras and gorgeous transfers. Tony Scott’s True Romance is a revelation in the format, with it carrying over all the good special features from the old DVD set (including scene-specific commentary by everyone from Dennis Hopper to Val Kilmer and writer Quentin Tarantino). Notably, the disc also contains the film’s original theatrical cut, which has been MIA for many years. While I prefer the more violent director’s cut, many purists want to replicate the original theatrical experience, so if you watch the theatrical in 4K with the Dolby 2.0 mix, you’ll get pretty close.
Jaws (1975)
So here’s a bit of a more controversial one. Jaws looks amazing in 4K, with the Dolby Vision transfer a sight to behold, but some might say it looks “too good” while it is meticulously restored frame-by-frame. Having seen a print of this on 35mm not too long ago, to me, this transfer is in the acceptable range of a restoration, as it looks like you’re watching a deluxe, 70mm version cut from the original negative.
True Lies (1994)
The True Lies transfer has been controversial among home video aficionados. Some love it, while some think James Cameron has lost his mind. Whatever the case, it can’t be denied that even if this movie looks a lot different than it did in 1994, but for me, the effect is pleasing to the eye. The same can’t be said for the Terminator 2: Judgement Day transfer though, which seems overly polished.
Flash Gordon (1980)
Another Arrow Video release, Mike Hodges’s Fellini-esque sci-fi epic is eye-popping in 4K. The film was notoriously shot in the most opulent way possible, and the production design and lensing have never looked anything like they do on this disc. The Queen soundtrack also sounds killer whatever mix you choose. One of the things I like is that Arrow always includes the original mixes, which, as a purist, is often how I prefer to watch a movie (one movie with a weird recent remix is Tim Burton’s original Batman, which replaced the sound effects).
Which classics do you think look amazing in 4K? Let us know in the comments!
A game doesn’t have to be newly released for it to require some guidance to get through, as this week’s batch of tips will prove. From the OG Final Fantasy 7 to Metal Gear Solid 2, there’s some older games that people have been recently dipping into that may require some support to get through. Thats’ what we’re here…
A game doesn’t have to be newly released for it to require some guidance to get through, as this week’s batch of tips will prove. From the OG Final Fantasy 7 to Metal Gear Solid 2, there’s some older games that people have been recently dipping into that may require some support to get through. Thats’ what we’re here…
Some cliche somewhere said that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ This has proven to be the case for me and especially when it comes to fan art. I have always sought out great fan art and have wanted to share it with as many people as possible. “Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net” is the outlet for that passion. In this column, I will showcase the kick-ass artwork of some great artists, with the hopes that these artists get the attention they deserve. That’s the aim. If you have any questions or comments, or even suggestions of art or other great artists, feel free to contact me at any time at theodorebond@joblo.com.
The Fall Guy stands as probably the greatest love letter to movie stuntmen ever. But it might have accidentally brought more attention to another aspect of the film world: the ever-decreasing theater-to-VOD release window. As reported by numerous sources, The Fall Guy is looking to make its video-on-demand debut on Tuesday, May 21st – less than three weeks after it hit theaters.
Leading into opening weekend, it was apparent that The Fall Guy would have a tough time recovering its reported budget, pegged around $130 million or so. While it opened at #1, the real number Universal was looking at that Sunday was $27.7 million, not even a tenth of the budget. To date, The Fall Guy has taken in around $110 million, with a nearly even split between domestic and international tallies. But that just isn’t enough for Universal, who are reportedly looking to cut their losses and drop The Fall Guy on web services next week.
All of this underlines a growing trend in the movie industry, which, admittedly, has been going on for quite some time: if it’s not performing, yank it. Long gone are the days of letting a movie breathe and develop and find an audience while still in theaters. Now, the window between day one of a theatrical run and day one of a streaming debut is minimal. And if that’s the case, what reason are studios going to give people to spend money on a ticket? Why wouldn’t they just wait 30 days and virtually get it for free?
During Covid, a number of studios made deals with theater chains over just how long movies had to run before hitting VOD. And it can get tight if a movie underperforms; thus, The Fall Guy being up for download and streaming just a couple of weeks after its premiere. This tactic feels like a permanent fail-safe for studios, but it also demonstrates their lack of trust in their movie. Sure, The Fall Guy probably wouldn’t have recouped its budget domestically, but it’s the precise sort of movie you’d want to see on the big screen and not on your phone.
How do you feel about The Fall Guy hitting VOD next week? Did you see it coming or do limited theatrical windows still shock you?
