In MultiVersus, Warner Bros. crossover fighter, there’s a feature that lets you pay real money to refill your lives during its campaign missions. That sounds scummy, right? Well after fans were rightfully annoyed by it, developer Player First Games has claimed that the feature was a “bug” and not intended as part of…
At one time, Warner Bros. was planning to give director Bong Joon-ho’s sci-fi thriller Mickey 17 a theatrical release on March 29th, 2024 – but then they bounced the movie to January of 2025 and released Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire on March 29th instead. Why the delay? According to industry scooper Daniel Richtman, it’s rumored that Joon-ho and Warner Bros. are at odds over the director’s cut. Richtman wrote, “I hear Mickey 17 is delayed because Warner Bros. won’t let Bong Joon-ho release his director’s cut. They want to release a more ‘accessible’ version.”
This may not be surprising for CinemaCon attendees to hear. A trailer for Mickey 17 was shown at Cinema Con earlier this year (we have the report HERE) and some who saw the footage felt that the movie “could either be totally amazing or a complete disaster.”
This sci-fi thriller is the first film Bong has made since his 2019 film Parasite won Best Picture and he won the Best Director and Best Original Screenplay Academy Awards. It’s based on a novel by Edward Ashton that was called Mickey7, but they changed the number for the title of the adaptation.
Here’s a plot synopsis for Mickey 17: Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it.
The film stars Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Naomi Ackie, and Mark Ruffalo.
The novel Mickey7 (which you can purchase at THIS LINK) has the following description: Dying isn’t any fun… but at least it’s a living. Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous―even suicidal―the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal… and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it. On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, surprisingly helped back by native life, Mickey7’s fate has been sealed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8, reporting for Expendable duties. The idea of duplicate Expendables is universally loathed, and if caught, they will likely be thrown into the recycler for protein. Mickey7 must keep his double a secret from the rest of the colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse. The atmosphere is unsuitable for humans, food is in short supply, and terraforming is going poorly. The native species are growing curious about their new neighbors, and that curiosity has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7. That is, if he can just keep from dying for good.
Bong wrote, directed, and produced Mickey 17 for his production company Offscreen, along with Kate Street Picture Company’s Dooho Choi and Plan B’s Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, part of the latter’s overall deal with Warner Bros.
What do you think about the rumor of trouble behind the scenes of Mickey 17? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
The post Mickey 17: Bong Joon-ho and Warner Bros. rumored to be at odds over director’s cut appeared first on JoBlo.
The Alien franchise is set to continue on the small screen with an “FX on Hulu” TV series from Fargo creator Noah Hawley, a show that began filming last year, then had to halt production after a month due to the actors strike. Filming resumed earlier this year, and continues to this day, although Hawley has already finished the episodes he directed himself. He’s doing his best to keep the details under wraps – but during a new interview on the Deadline podcast Crew Call, he revealed that Hulu is hoping to release the first two seasons of the show close together.
Hawley said, “They’re saying maybe don’t do two things at once on this show… their hope is to put a season two as close to season one as possible.” As for how involved executive producer Ridley Scott is with the series – it turns out, he’s not very involved at all. Hawley said that he and Scott had a conversation when the show was still in its conceptual stage, but Scott has taken a hands off approach since then. Hawley told Deadline, “In the four years it’s taken me to launch this show, he’s made how many movies?” In other words, Scott has been too busy to pay much attention to the Alien TV series.
Hawley added, “What I said to Ridley is ‘I’m adapting your movie.’ I had to make a decision — retro futurism or Prometheus? And I chose retro-futurism. When I close my eyes and you say Alien to me, I see that green Ascii text. You know, I hear that sound. I see that keyboard with the weird Egyptian runes on it. I see those hallways.“
One of the first things we heard about the Alien TV series – and one of the most surprising things about it – is that it will actually be set on Earth, a couple decades before the events of the first movie. FX chairman John Landgraf has said the show will take place “right near the end of this century.” According to Deadline, the setting puts it “a few years before Prometheus,” which Hawley has previously said he has chosen not to acknowledge. Hawley decided to set the show on Earth because “The alien stories are always trapped… Trapped in a prison, trapped in a space ship. I thought it would be interesting to open it up a little bit so that the stakes of ‘What happens if you can’t contain it?’ are more immediate.“
Hawley’s Alien TV series stars Sydney Chandler (Pistol) as the meta-human Wendy, who has the body of an adult, but the brain and consciousness of a child; Essie Davis (The Babadook) as Dame Silvia, Alex Lawther (The End of the F*cking World) as a soldier named CJ, Samuel Blenkin (Black Mirror) as a CEO named Boy Kavalier, Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger) as a character named Slightly, Kit Young (Shadow and Bone) as a character called Tootles, Sandra Yi Sencindiver (Foundation) as a senior member of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, and Timothy Olyphant (Justified), who is said to be playing Kirsh, a synth who acts as a mentor and trainer for Wendy.
Also in the cast are Babou Ceesay (Guerrilla), Jonathan Ajayi (Wonder Woman 1984), Erana James (The Wilds), Lily Newmark (Sex Education), Diêm Camille (Washington Black), Adrian Edmondson (The Young Ones), Moe Bar-El (The Peripheral), and David Rysdahl, who worked with Hawley on Fargo season 5.
The Alien TV series is believed to have an eight episode first season. Filming is expected to wrap in July, but there will be a lot of visual effects work to do in post-production, so the show is aiming for a 2025 premiere.
Are you looking forward to the Alien TV series, and are you glad to hear that Hulu is planning for at least two seasons? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
The post Alien TV series creator Noah Hawley says Hulu is hoping to release first two seasons close together appeared first on JoBlo.
Last year saw the Hunger Games franchise continue with the prequel, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Now, Suzanne Collins, the author of the series, is due to release a brand new novel from the title. The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Collins and the publishing company, Scholastic, have announced the new entry that will be released next year. The fifth installment will have the title Sunrise on the Reaping, which will be set for release on March 18, 2025.
Scholastic has stated that the novel will be another prequel and the story will be taking place 24 years before the events of the first book. All that is known about the plot is that it will be “starting on the morning of the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.” As with the book, a new movie would also be inevitable. However, they have not yet also announced the film rights to the new prequel despite the last movie grossing about $340 million at the box office in 2023. The four core movies in the series that starred Academy Award-winner Jennifer Lawrence would gross almost $3 billion.
In a statement, the author Collins said, “With Sunrise on the Reaping, I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few.’ The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day.”
Ellie Berger, president of Scholastic Trade, would add, “Suzanne Collins has done it again, bringing us back to the world of Panem in order to ask us important questions about our own world. Sunrise on the Reaping is a remarkable book, bringing new complexity, perspective, and revelations to a piece of the Hunger Games story that readers have longed to know more about.”
The post A new Hunger Games novel is set for release in 2025 from author Suzanne Collins appeared first on JoBlo.
Anyone who played Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League could probably guess that something went terribly wrong during development. Bloomberg now reports that the multiplayer bomb from a studio beloved for its single-player Batman: Arkham games was plagued by several issues leading up to its repeatedly delayed…
Anyone who played Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League could probably guess that something went terribly wrong during development. Bloomberg now reports that the multiplayer bomb from a studio beloved for its single-player Batman: Arkham games was plagued by several issues leading up to its repeatedly delayed…
Plot: The final leg of Gus and Jepperd’s journey finds the duo traveling to Alaska in search of answers to the origin of the Sick and the location of Sweet Tooth’s estranged mother, Birdie. As Wendy and Becky nurture their past connection, survivors guard a sacred region with mystical powers. With Helen Zhang hot on their trail, Dr. Aditya Singh desires to correct his past mistakes while fighting the urge to give in to dark voices haunting his guilty conscience. With an end to the madness in sight, sacrifices, death, and destabilization carve a path toward salvation.
Review: Before the world can heal, humankind must reckon that they’re no longer the dominant species, nor will they be ever again. The final season of Sweet Tooth is a tale of vengeance, redemption, and hope. Gus and Jepperd’s odyssey through impossible odds, hecatomb, and renewal nears its end, but not before the show’s creator, Jim Mickle, delivers a season that includes a Game of Thrones-like body count and the potential for deep conversations about humanity and whether or not we deserve to remain the dominant species.
Like any epic worth its salt, Sweet Tooth Season 3 goes to great lengths to make audiences feel the laborious trek to Alaska, where the source of the Sick, a virus that wiped out a vast majority of the human population and ceased the birth of human babies, resides. Along the path fraught with peril, pit stops, and startling revelations, Gus, Jepperd, and their friends encounter a villain to rival Neil Sandiland’s General Abbott in Helen Zhang, an opportunistic warlord hellbent on controlling a cure to the Sick and exterminating the Hybrid population worldwide. Helen believes that Gus is the key to humankind reclaiming its place as the prevailing populace, and she’s willing to strip herself of all compassion to spill his precious blood.
Among the outstanding performances is Rosalind Chao as Helen Zhang. She terrifies me. Chao manages to drain all sympathy from Helen’s cold, selfish heart, resulting in a calculating, ambitious villain you love to hate. There’s a moment when Helen wields a penetrating captive bolt gun that’s particularly chilling. I suspect this scene will remain with audiences long after the series’ final credits roll. I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. When I think of Helen, I think of that gun.
Christian Convery and Nonso Anzoie, as Gus (Sweet Tooth) and Tommy Jepperd (Big Man), respectively, anchor the Sweet Tooth experience. Their chemistry is so refined by Season 3 that it’s difficult to think they’ll separate from one another after the show is over. As a fan of Jeff Lemire’s Sweet Tooth, the Vertigo comic book series that started it all, Convery was born to play Gus. He evokes everything Gus is in the source material but adds depth and nuance to the character, elevating his contribution to the story. Mirroring the effort to bring the emotional house down is Anozie, whose Big Man has evolved by leaps and bounds since the show’s start. Resentful of his tragic past, Jepperd searches for solace in Season 3 and accepts Gus as a surrogate son. The bond shared between Gus and Jepperd drives Sweet Tooth because it’s a dynamic that never stops getting better.
Sweet Tooth Season 3 takes us away from the Preserve, transporting us to the frigid cold of Alaska. The new, picturesque landscape evokes a different post-apocalypse with breathtaking vistas, icy waters, and receding foliage. It’s the perfect venue to reflect the hearts of the show’s villains and host the mysticism tied to the origin of Gus’ species.
Beyond its powerful story, dazzling practical effects, puppetry, and dedication to the source material, Sweet Tooth spoils audiences with the series’ best performances from its supporting cast. Stefania LaVie Owen’s Bear finds her new place, becoming someone who changes the world with compassion instead of weapons and warpaint. Naledi Murray’s Wendy discovers her cunning and learns when to let go. Dr. Singh takes a villainous turn in Season 3 while haunted by voices and the sins of his past. Dr. Singh’s devolution throughout Season 3 is something to behold, with Adeel Akhtar giving the character impressive depth and malice.
Meanwhile, if you’re looking for another standout act in a show with fantastic performances, please give your full attention to Kelly Marie Tran as Rosie, Helen’s daughter, and mother to a pack of ferocious Wolf Boys. Feeling forced into a life she never wanted, Rosie sacrifices aspects of her soul for the benefit of her pack. While she detests her mother, Helen offers security in a fractured and dangerous world. Tran’s portrayal of Rosie paints a picture of a desperate and lethal woman unable to make peace with her inner demons. I would not want to meet Rosie in a dark alley or brave the apocalypse without her nearby.
Cara Gee is Siana, and Ayazhan Dalabayeva is her hybrid daughter, Nuka. New to the series, Siana and Nuka offer warmth in the Alaskan chill. They’re damn good at what they do, and if you aim to survive, you’ll want them leading the charge. When reading a room, Nuka is young but quick, stealthy, and savvy. If subterfuge is your goal, Nuka can help.
Finally, Amy Seimetz plays Birdie, Gus’s mother, and the reason for Gus and Jepperd’s odyssey. We’ve spent nearly all of Sweet Tooth searching for Birdie, and Season 3 offers a conclusion to that thread that will tug on your heartstrings and have you drying your eyes. Seimetz gets some of her best screen time in Season 3, making Birdie much more than an absentee mother for much of the series. She’s a researcher, warrior, and beacon of hope for Gus. She’s the lighthouse in the fog.
If I can offer you one piece of advice for your Season 3 journey, it’s this: Don’t get attached to anyone. The death toll for Sweet Tooth Season 3 is immense, with even some of the series’ pivotal characters taking a turn for the worse. I gasped with surprise when characters I expected to survive the tale met an untimely (or justified) end. Sweet Tooth Season 3 doesn’t pull any punches, letting the weight of every loss linger like a smash hit by The Cranberries from 1993.
Sweet Tooth is a post-apocalyptic cautionary tale with fantasy elements. It asks audiences to commune with nature, remember their place, and understand that “the natural order” of world events can change. We just lived through a global pandemic, didn’t we? It’s not impossible to think something like the Sick could come along and take 98% of the human population off the map. It’s a grim thought, but here we are. Sweet Tooth also addresses themes of prejudice, with the hybrids representing marginalized peoples othered and actively hunted by a society of frightened fools. While humans are motivated by an instinct to survive, Gus and the hybrids long for equality, wishing for peace in the face of segregation and slaughter. There’s a reason they’re better than us.
I’m not going to lie. Sweet Tooth series creator Jim Mickle had mountains to climb while adapting Jeff Lemire’s bizarre fairytale for live-action. As a diehard fan of the source material, I would have been one of the first to call the Netflix show out for misrepresentation or failed messaging. Thankfully, Netflix’s Sweet Tooth honors the original story and puts some more meat on the bone. Don’t let the adorable hybrids fool you; Sweet Tooth is a brutal bit of fiction with valuable lessons to teach us all. I never could have imagined this level of care and quality going into a live-action adaptation of Sweet Tooth, and here I stand, gobsmacked and tipping my hat. That’ll do, Gus. That’ll do.
The post Sweet Tooth Season 3 TV Review appeared first on JoBlo.
Sinbad is poised for a comeback, appearing in his first movie since his 2020 stroke. While he has been on the long road to recovery, that he is doing well enough to step before the camera shows his determination not only for entertainment but to please his fans.
The project that Sinbad has lined up is Tyler Perry’s Straws, which is set up at Netflix. The comedian will be joining Taraji P. Henson, Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor, Rockmond Dunbar, Glynn Turman, Mike Merrill, and Ashley Versher. As per Deadline, in Straws, “a single mother faces a series of unfortunate events that lead her down an unexpected path. Struggling against circumstances beyond her control, she becomes entangled in a situation she never imagined. Fueled by desperation, she finds herself at the center of suspicion in a world that seems indifferent to her existence.”
While he never really gets the full credit he deserves as a clean stand-up comedian, Sinbad undoubtedly built his legacy in the early ‘90s with albums like Brain Damaged, a namesake sitcom (a comedian’s dream at that point in time) and outlandishly vibrant outfits. Sinbad had been out of the spotlight for quite some time by the time of his stroke, but we’re glad that he is making the moves to show that he is far from giving up. He even appeared at this year’s Netflix Is a Joke Fest as part of a tribute, coming to the stage with the aid of family and a staff.
In March, Sinbad announced that he planned to be more present, telling his social media followers, “Expect to see more of me soon. And don’t freak out if you turn around and I’m standing right behind you.” He also expressed love for all of the fans who have lent their support in these trying years. “To all the people who’ve emailed me, through the website — some of you are going through what I’m going through or even worse than me. Imma try to answer as many as I can. I pray for you and understand what it’s like.” He added, “You can’t believe it? You better believe it. Miracles happen.”
While we don’t know the scope of Sinbad’s role in Tyler Perry’s new movie, we would expect it to be on the smaller side considering his health situation. Even still, we’re excited to see him back and hope for the best.
The post Sinbad making big screen return in Tyler Perry’s Straws following 2020 stroke appeared first on JoBlo.
I recently got to preview Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (with my travel and lodging furnished by Square Enix), and I’d like to share with you an anecdote from my time with the game. I think it’ll help underscore why I’m so personally excited for this expansion to a game I’ve recently fallen in love with.
I recently got to preview Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (with my travel and lodging furnished by Square Enix), and I’d like to share with you an anecdote from my time with the game. I think it’ll help underscore why I’m so personally excited for this expansion to a game I’ve recently fallen in love with.