I suffer from pretty bad anxiety, and in 2024, I think I’ve hit some personal records when it comes to sudden spikes of irrational, panic-inducing, thought-clouding, anxiety that has done wonders on my mental health, work performance, familial and platonic relationships, and more. Naturally, I thought it’d be a great…
Prepare to get red on yourself again. Shaun of the Dead, the Edgar Wright horror-comedy that propelled him, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost into international stardom, is celebrating 20 bloody years of laughs and zombie mayhem. Deadline has reported that Focus Features will be commemorating the anniversary with a re-release screening in theaters this summer for U.S. audiences. Shaun of the Dead is set to show at Dolby Cinemas in AMC theaters for a special limited screening engagement starting on August 29.
Shaun of the Dead has the following synopsis: Shaun is a 30-something loser with a dull, easy existence. When he’s not working at the electronics store, he lives with his slovenly best friend, Ed, in a small flat on the outskirts of London. The only unpredictable element in his life is his girlfriend, Liz, who wishes desperately for Shaun to grow up and be a man. When the town is inexplicably overrun with zombies, Shaun must rise to the occasion and protect both Liz and his mother.
Director Edgar Wright looks back at the 20 years of his film and states, “Twenty years ago, the worldwide release of Shaun of the Dead changed my life forever. Its reception since then has continued to be incredible, largely due to the passionate fans who have championed it with cricket bats aloft. Now, as we celebrate its bloody 20th anniversary with a brand-new Dolby Atmos and Vision remastered version, I’m beyond excited for everyone to experience it once again on the big screen—the way it was always meant to be seen: large, loud, and with quite a lot of red on it.”
Focus Features has also released a new trailer and poster to celebrate the occasion. The studio has also set up a special Shaun of the Dead anniversary pop-up at Comic-Con to take place today. Simon Pegg is adamant that he and Wright will not be rebooting or making a sequel to the popular comedy, but he will always be interested in collaborating on more projects with him, “There’s something always in the works with Edgar and I. Since Shaun of the Dead, our lives have changed dramatically. We’re both busy into the distant future. The biggest challenge that we have right now is finding a moment to get together and spend six, seven weeks, to get our first draft out and come up with the idea. But we’re constantly looking for that. […] We just need the time to do it. So it really is a question of when, not if.“
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To put it mildly, this weekend’s box office race is a no-brainer. There’s no chance in the world that Deadpool & Wolverine, which teams up the two titular Marvel legends for the first time, won’t top the box office. Even though Marvel’s been on a downward spiral in terms of box office lately, the film is bending over backward to attract fans who feel alienated by the franchise’s new direction, and the early fan reviews suggest this will be the first truly beloved Marvel film since Spider-Man: No Way Home.
To note, that Marvel movie opened at the height of the pandemic, but still grossed an insane $260 million in its opening. To be sure, no one expects the R-rated Deadpool & Wolverine to open quite that big, but it should slice and dice its way through the current record for an R-rated opening weekend, which currently is held by the first two Deadpool movies, with the original opening with $132.4 million and the sequel making $125.5 million. It should also beat the year’s current champ, Inside Out 2, which made a mighty $154 million. I expect something in the $200 million range.
The question remains: How will Twisters fare on its second weekend? The film made a strong $80 million plus, and this weekend, it looks likely to make in the $40 million-ish range, which would be a great result. Third place should go to Despicable Me 4, which should make about $12 million. Inside Out 2 and Longlegs should be neck-in-neck for fourth and fifth place, with about $7 million a piece.
Here are my predictions:
How much do you think Deadpool & Wolverine will make? Let us know in the comments!
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To put it mildly, this weekend’s box office race is a no-brainer. There’s no chance in the world that Deadpool & Wolverine, which teams up the two titular Marvel legends for the first time, won’t top the box office. Even though Marvel’s been on a downward spiral in terms of box office lately, the film is bending over backward to attract fans who feel alienated by the franchise’s new direction, and the early fan reviews suggest this will be the first truly beloved Marvel film since Spider-Man: No Way Home.
To note, that Marvel movie opened at the height of the pandemic, but still grossed an insane $260 million in its opening. To be sure, no one expects the R-rated Deadpool & Wolverine to open quite that big, but it should slice and dice its way through the current record for an R-rated opening weekend, which currently is held by the first two Deadpool movies, with the original opening with $132.4 million and the sequel making $125.5 million. It should also beat the year’s current champ, Inside Out 2, which made a mighty $154 million. I expect something in the $200 million range.
The question remains: How will Twisters fare on its second weekend? The film made a strong $80 million plus, and this weekend, it looks likely to make in the $40 million-ish range, which would be a great result. Third place should go to Despicable Me 4, which should make about $12 million. Inside Out 2 and Longlegs should be neck-in-neck for fourth and fifth place, with about $7 million a piece.
Here are my predictions:
How much do you think Deadpool & Wolverine will make? Let us know in the comments!
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The Blair Witch Project producer Michael Monello says the upcoming October Blu-ray release of the movie from Second Sight will finally “represent the filmmakers complete vision for the film” after years of sub-par transfers.
“For 25 years, Artisan/Lions Gate have been content to put out a version of this film that is NOT how the filmmakers intended it to look, with broken motion and film grain over video,” Monello said. “Now that we have an actual filmmaker and producer approved version coming out, I think I’ve earned the right to dump on a release of the transfer that Artisan did without consulting us. If they want to cash grab dump it in the market I can’t stop them, but I’m not going to shut up about something I worked so hard on being released with a shoddy transfer and the same old extras.“
Monello continued, “It hasn’t been announced yet, but there is a NEW version of the original film coming out in October with exclusive new content. and for the first time ever the film will look the way it was intended to from the beginning. Back in 1999, Artisan never consulted us on the transfer and they… I believe the technical term is ‘f***ed it all up’ and neither they or Lions Gate ever fixed it. Not even for the Blu-Ray release. The version coming will stand as the only version that represents the filmmakers complete vision for the film.“
There’s another version of The Blair Witch Project set to be released in October by Imprint (which also includes the sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2), but it would appear it uses the same old transfer that’s been used for years. Here’s hoping the other release from Second Sight gets an official announcement before too long.
Monello got more technical about the new transfer on Reddit. “The film was shot on hi-8 and 16mm. The 16mm was transferred to video, taking it from 24 frames per second to 30 frames per second (the standard for video at the time). All of it was loaded into an editing machine and the final edited version was then ‘burned’ onto DigiBeta tape,” Monello explained. “That tape is technically the ‘negative’ of the movie. But in 1999, movies only had film negatives, there were hardly any mainstream distributed films shot on video. To distribute the movie, as well as screen it at Sundance, we had to make a 35mm print, as no theaters could show video at the time, and Sundance refused to screen video as well.“
Monello continued, “So the theatrical version everyone saw was hi-8 (30fps) and transferred 16mm film (24fps converted to 30fps) all converted to 35mm film at the standard frame rate of 24fps.” Monello said that while it wasn’t ideal, it was what could be done at the time, but the real trouble started when it came time to make a home video version of the movie.
Instead of using the digibeta master, they took the transferred 35mm negative, and transferred it BACK to video (30fps). The net result of all this transferring meant the home video version doesn’t look or feel like video anymore, and the motion is messed up. The film was supposed to look like raw video camera footage. We had no idea Artisan did that until we recorded the commentary track. When I saw the video transfer we wondered why it looked so terrible. The team recording the commentary had no answers because they had nothing to do with it, so we inquired and were told it’s all being handled right. Except it wasn’t. That terrible transfer is what was released. And it was released again that was for the BD. It sucked, but we played good soldiers and didn’t make a stink at the time.
So this new Blu-ray release of The Blair Witch Project isn’t some miraculously crisp 4K version of the movie (nor should it be), but it will be the most accurate version of the movie as the filmmakers originally intended.
It was announced earlier this year that a new reimagining of The Blair Witch Project was being developed by Blumhouse, which prompted a backlash from the original creative team as the leading actors of the first movie have never been properly financially compensated for the project.
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Marvel movies are typically filmed under a shroud of intense secrecy, but leaks do happen, particularly when the shooting occurs outside the safety of the studio. We saw that in a big way when Deadpool & Wolverine started shooting in London last year, and the paparazzi were responsible for plenty of leaks. This even led director Shawn Levy to drop the first photo of Deadpool and Wolverine together before the paparazzi had the chance. However, Levy told Entertainment Weekly that these leaks were worth it for the ability to film on practical sets outdoors.
“It’s been really challenging because, long before our first day of shooting, Ryan and I, with [Marvel President] Kevin Feige’s blessing, made a decision as producers to have this movie look and shoot different than most other MCU movies,” Levy said. “That meant limited sound stages, limited green screen, and way, way more practical scenes shot in real-world exterior locations.“
Levy continued, “With that decision came risk, and that risk was illustrated on day 1, shooting in a quarry where a phalanx of paparazzi was perched up above on a hillside. That’s the price we paid for wanting a movie that felt grounded and real. And I will tell you, that’s a price we’re comfortable paying when it comes to some of the secrets and surprises in the movie.“
Despite the leaks, there are still plenty of secrets left to be found in Deadpool & Wolverine. The film is poised to be a big return to form for Marvel, particularly at the box office, where the film is predicted to debut with a $360 million global opening. Our own Chris Bumbray had a lot of fun with the movie, saying the film is a “rock ‘em, sock ‘em thrill ride that delivers fans exactly the movie they wanted to see, with nary a message to be found amidst all the charred, sliced and diced corpses our heroes leave in their wake. It’s glorious fun.” You can check out the rest of Bumbray’s spoiler-free review right here before the film hits theaters on July 26th.
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Free Guy was a big hit upon its release in 2021, grossing over $300 million during the pandemic. Disney was quick to get the ball rolling on a sequel, but so far, we’ve heard very little about Free Guy 2, and director Shawn Levy isn’t optimistic it will ever happen.
While speaking with THR, Levy had this to say when asked about Free Guy 2: “We’ve worked for two years on ideas and scripts. I’m less certain now, because, like Adam Project, we’re really proud of the movie and we don’t need to make sequels. If we don’t crack a story that feels very worth making, we’d rather just make a different movie.” Although I had fun with Free Guy, it wasn’t a movie that screamed “I need a sequel” to me. As Levy said, not every movie needs a sequel, and if they can’t crack a worthwhile story, it’s best just to leave it alone.
Levy’s statement about the future of Free Guy 2 may be a little bleak, but it echoes what he said in 2022 about not rushing the project. “It’s still in development. I don’t know if it’s in the cards, but it is very much still in development. It’s something that Disney and Fox want badly,” Levy said. “I really try to not make sequels that don’t deserve to be. And it’s why I didn’t move forward with the Real Steel sequel because I didn’t feel we had a second movie that could match or top the first. I’m holding Free Guy to that same standard. We are still hearing ideas, developing ideas, expounding on ideas. But I would say that in the time that’s passed since Free Guy came out, the love for that movie has become more and more clear to Ryan and I, anecdotally, on sidewalks, in the press. So we’re not going to mess with a good thing unless we can make a great thing.“
Although Free Guy 2 may never happen, we’re mere days away from the release of Deadpool & Wolverine. The long-awaited sequel finally brings Deadpool into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he’s bringing Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine with him. Be sure to check out a spoiler-free review from our own Chris Bumbray before the movie hits theaters on July 26th.
Would you like to see Free Guy 2?
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Most people have had to live with someone after leaving home, and if you’re lucky, that person is a drama-free friend. If you’re unlucky… well, you might just find yourself on Netflix’s Worst Roommate Ever series. That unscripted series is set to become a feature film, as Paul Feig has been tapped to direct a Worst Roommate Ever movie for Blumhouse.
The movie revolves around a “newly single woman finding a seemingly perfect gentleman to sublet the spare room in her dream home, only to learn his deceit goes beyond a phony name and application. She has unwittingly invited a serial squatter into her home, and he won’t leave without a fight.”
“Worst Roommate Ever resonates so much because as the internet has connected so many of us, it also makes it easier than ever to lie about who you are. But then the story is jaw-dropping and keeps you on the edge of your seat,” said Blumhouse CEO and founder Jason Blum. “Paul is the perfect director for this because his work always manages to strike a balance between the dark and the light, and I’m very excited to see everything he will bring to this story.“
Feig added, “Jason and I have been trying to find the perfect project to collaborate on for years and this story is tailor-made to deliver the scares, thrills, emotion and comedy of dread that both he and I like to entertain audiences with. In other words, I couldn’t be happier to have Jason as the best roommate ever for this film.“
The Worst Roommate Ever TV series was inspired by William Brennan’s 2018 New York Magazine article. It has spanned two seasons, with the second premiering on the streaming service last month.
Paul Feig recently wrapped production on A Simple Favor 2, the sequel to his 2018 mystery-comedy. Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick return to reprise their roles. The sequel is said to follow Stephanie (Kendrick) and Emily (Lively) as they head to the beautiful island of Capri for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a wealthy Italian businessman. Throw in glamorous guests, betrayal, and a little murder, and we should have a fun mystery on our hands. The film doesn’t have an official release date yet but is expected to debut on Prime Video.
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Before The Penguin waddles into San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, Matt Reeves and producing partner Dylan Clark are here to reveal what could have been for the “Batman Epic Crime Saga” coming to theaters and television screens. While the plan to launch films and TV series set in the duo’s Bat-verse remains, they’ve needed to scrap plans for anticipated projects as WB continues to waffle over the Dark Knight’s focus. In addition to discussing the Penguin series, starring Colin Farrell as the up-and-coming crime kingpin Oswald Cobblepot, we’ve got a better picture of what the scrapped Gotham PD and Arkham Asylum series might have been.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc says the show is “a Scarface story.” No, not the Batman villain Scarface (I wish), but a rise-to-power narrative like Brian De Palma’s 1983 classic, which starred Al Pacino as Tony Montana. “It’s a rise-to-power story of Oz before he really makes it to the top.”
In addition to Penguin, Reeves wanted to explore the corruption in the Gotham Police Department in Gotham PD with Boardwalk Empire creator Terrance Winter. Another project that went up in flames was a show set inside Arkham Asylum, Gotham’s psychiatric center for the city’s most uniquely challenged and criminally insane individuals. “As we were writing the movie [The Batman], I was like, ‘Hey, you know what? I think there are some cool shows that we could do,” Reeves recalls. “It was actually why I wanted to make our deal at Warner Bros.”
Reeves says the WB executives offered guidance but ultimately passed on both projects in favor of developing shows focusing on marquee characters from the Batman universe. “They were like, ‘We like what you’re doing, and we want to lean harder into the marquee characters,’” Reeves notes. Thankfully, elements of what would have been Gotham PD make it into The Penguin. “What’s interesting is that, in the movie, the big red herring of the story is it seems like the person they’re looking for, that the Riddler’s pointing to must be the Penguin, some kind of informant,” Reeves explains. “This movie creates a power vacuum, and because Penguin is so underestimated, people don’t really see who he is.”
He adds, “We wanted it to be, not in a grandiose way, but in a mythic Shakespearean way, this kind of great tale.”
We already know The Penguin bridges the gap between The Batman and its sequel, but what else can fans expect as Reeves and Clark explore Batman’s rich history and rogue’s gallery?
“There’s another television exploration we’re going to do,” Clark says. “We’re looking at this entire world as it relates to who Batman is — the antagonists around them, all the crime that has to be navigated in the city — and trying to figure out where are the areas that are best to explore.”
Damn. I would have liked to see Gotham PD and whatever the Arkham Asylum show would be. I understand why WB isn’t keen on doing a show about corrupt cops, but stories set in the GCPD are some of the best Batman has to offer. Don’t believe me? Read Gotham Central and GCPD: The Blue Wall. You’ll thank me later.
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An adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Long Walk (which was, like The Running Man and Thinner, published under the pen name Richard Bachman) has been trudging through development hell for decades. At one point, the rights were in the hands of Frank Darabont, who made the King adaptations The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist. Then the rights passed over to New Line Cinema, where Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark director André Øvredal was hired to direct the film from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt, whose credits include the two most recent Scream movies. While doing the press rounds for his film The Last Voyage of the Demeter last year, Øvredal revealed that he was no longer involved with The Long Walk, and said not making that movie is one of the big regrets of his life. Last November, Francis Lawrence, whose previous credits include Constantine, I Am Legend, Water for Elephants, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Parts 1 and 2, Red Sparrow, Slumberland, and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, signed on to direct The Long Walk for Lionsgate… and now the project has finally made it into production. With filming underway, Deadline has revealed that the cast includes Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza), David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus), Garrett Wareing (Ransom Canyon), Tut Nyuot (The Witcher: Blood Origin), Charlie Plummer (National Anthem), Ben Wang (American Born Chinese), Jordan Gonzalez (Pretty Little Liars: Summer School), Joshua Odjick (Welcome to Derry), and Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit).
Strange Darling writer JT Mollner has written the screenplay for the version of The Long Walk that’s being made. The novel is set in a future dystopian America ruled over by a militaristic dictator, and the titular event is an annual contest in which 100 teenagers must keep a steady pace of at least four miles an hour under strict rules until only one of them is left alive. The winner receives “The Prize”: anything they want for the rest of their life. The story follows Raymond Garraty, a 16-year-old from Pownal, Maine, as well as a group of other teenagers with good, bad, and mysterious intentions.
Lawrence is producing the film through his company about:blank, alongside Roy Lee, Cameron MacConomy, and Steven Schneider. Meredith Wieck and Erin Jones-Wesley are overseeing for Lionsgate. Filming is taking place in rural locations throughout the province of Manitoba, and will continue through the summer.
Are you glad to hear that The Long Walk is finally in production, with Francis Lawrence at the helm? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
Excited to be able to share this news. We are officially in production on @StephenKing’s Long Walk. It’s been an honor to have the opportunity to write this to life for director Francis Lawrence and the incredible cast.
https://t.co/c779cCzy7X
— JT Mollner (@jtmollner) July 24, 2024
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