Helldivers 2’s new Escalation of Freedom update dropped on August 6, and it’s packing a ton of changes and additions, including a bunch of new enemy types. On the Terminid front, we’ve now got the Impalers, which are returning from the first game, and love to stab you with their wildly long tentacles that they burrow…
Helldivers 2’s new Escalation of Freedom update dropped on August 6, and it’s packing a ton of changes and additions, including a bunch of new enemy types. On the Terminid front, we’ve now got the Impalers, which are returning from the first game, and love to stab you with their wildly long tentacles that they burrow…
Warner Bros. is snipping Genndy Tartakovsky‘s animated feature, Fixed, as part of a cost-cutting measure, as the studio has been doing recently. While WB is known for shelving projects fans want to see (cough, Batgirl, cough Coyote vs. Acme), the decision to scrap Tartakovsky’s Fixed is baffling. Tartakovsky is by many measures one of Cartoon Network’s premiere contributors, with hits like Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars, and Primal to his name. Tartakovsky is also one of the driving forces behind the Hotel Transylvania film series, which has done well for Sony with four films of varying success in the franchise.
Fixed‘s distribution rights will revert to Sony Pictures Animation, with the studio looking for new distribution. Fixed follows Bull, a bloodhound who embarks on a bucket list-type adventure after discovering he will be neutered. Adam Devine voices Bull, with Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn, Bobby Moynihan, Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, Michaelle Bureau, and River Gallo starring as primary cast members.
In addition to clipping Fixed for its slate, Warner Bros. Discovery shuttered the official Cartoon Network website on Thursday. The site’s contents have been scrapped, and visitors are redirected to a landing page for Max, the subscription streaming service.
“Looking for episodes of your favorite Cartoon Network shows? Check out what’s available to stream on Max (subscription required),” a pop-up message says on the new Max landing page. “Sign up for Max, where you can also create a Kids Profile with ratings restrictions and additional privacy protections to keep it fun and kid-friendly! Cable subscribers, continue to enjoy your favorite CN programming on your TV and connected apps as well!”
Speaking with Variety about the site’s closure, a Cartoon Network spokesperson said, “We are focusing on the Cartoon Network shows and social media where we find consumers are the most engaged and there is a meaningful potential for growth.”
This is why we can’t have nice things. A movie about a dog living his best life before involuntarily surrendering his biscuits sounds like wholesome family entertainment! Are you disappointed to hear that WB is dropping Fixed from its lineup? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Director George Miller decided to continue the Mad Max franchise with the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga… and while the movie got good reviews (like the 9/10 review from JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray), the worldwide box office numbers just barely passed the $168 million budget, so the Furiosa story was not something a lot of movie-goers were exceptionally eager to see on the big screen. It has been on VOD for a while now, and now we know when it’s going to start streaming: SuperHeroHype reports that Furiosa will be available to watch on the Max streaming service as of August 16th.
Directed by Miller from a screenplay he wrote with Nico Lathouris, Furiosa has the following synopsis: As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland they come across the Citadel presided over by the Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home. The story takes place over a span of fifteen years.
The title character Furiosa is played by Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch), taking over from Mad Max: Fury Road‘s Charlize Theron. Lachy Hulme (Offspring) pulls double duty, playing both Fury Road villain Immortan Joe (taking over from the late Hugh Keays-Byrne) and a character called Rizzdale Pell, who is “one of the gang members affiliated with the warlord Dementus.” Dementus is “a pretty horrible individual, and he’s played by Chris Hemsworth (Thor). Also in the cast are Tom Burke (C.B. Strike) and Quaden Bayles (Three Thousand Years of Longing), with Alyla Browne (The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart) as a younger Furiosa. Nathan Jones and Angus Sampson reprise their Fury Road roles of Rictus Erectus and The Organic Mechanic.
Did you catch Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga during its big screen run, or on VOD? Will you be streaming the movie on Max? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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It’s already the second weekend of August, and no one else has realized that time is actually speeding up. We all put it down to aging, but what if kids are experiencing it faster too? We’d never know. I’m telling you, time is out of control, and the Earth will spin off its axis any day now. So we should probably play…
It’s already the second weekend of August, and no one else has realized that time is actually speeding up. We all put it down to aging, but what if kids are experiencing it faster too? We’d never know. I’m telling you, time is out of control, and the Earth will spin off its axis any day now. So we should probably play…
Todd Haynes’ untitled romance film appears to be closing its curtain as its star, Joaquin Phoenix, exits the production. Whispers about the movie falling apart have been circulating for a while, though Phoenix apparently left the set two weeks ago. Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick, On My Block, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) co-starred in the film alongside Phoenix, but without the Beau is Afraid actor attached, Haynes’ film is all but dead in the water.
According to sources, no plans exist to recast Phoenix’s role, and crew members are owed money. Phoenix reportedly walked from the project before San Diego Comic-Con kicked into high gear, and while Ramirez was at the show, he had no idea if he’d be returning to work afterward.
Haynes’ film revolves around two men who are intense lovers and leave California for Mexico. The reason for Phoenix’s exit is unclear. Still, some have wondered if the project’s intimate and explicit content was a factor. Phoenix is known for committing deeply to any role he accepts, though Haynes’ plans could have crossed a line.
Phoenix fans can look forward to the actor giving Arkham Asylum hell when he and Lady Gaga star in Joker: Folie À Deux, the anticipated sequel to Todd Phillips’ billion-dollar blockbuster, Joker. Early reactions to Folie À Deux paint the film as a unique blend of drama, musical, and violence.
In a social media post in March, GoldDerby reveals what it can about Joker: Folie à Deux, including Lady Gaga’s “transformative” performance as Harley Quinzel, the film’s musical elements, and how Phillips’ forthcoming film toys with DC lore, taking advantage of the Elseworlds aspect of the setup.
“Parts are chaotic for a reason,” GoldDerby posted online. “Parts are surrealistic also for a reason (and at least in part shot in B&W), parts are bloody (the chaotic part). Can’t spoil how exactly. It’s also very political as you would expect from Joker franchise. The person I spoke with was mighty impressed but caution it’s just on opinion.”
The post continues, “Gaga is indeed equal to Phoenix or even more cnetral. No way to fraud her in supporting. from what I understood, he doesn’t call her Harley buyt a nickname derived from it. I guess that has created a confusion whether she plays Harley or not (she does). They both perform sonds as a duel and some are just her singing. Songs are mix of old songs and new ones. Old one are sand in one part of movie, new/original ones in another. It isn’t all a singing movie. Famous characters appear in it. Some changes to lore since these movies are standalones from certain other DC franchise.”
There’s no telling if Todd Haynes’ untitled romance film will return to production. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for updates.
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Almost forty years ago, writer/director Dan O’Bannon delivered one of the most highly entertaining zombie movies of all time with The Return of the Living Dead (watch it HERE). A company called Living Dead Media LLC claims to own the copyright to the original screenplay and the underlying script for that film, as well as other trademarks, which is why they announced last year (on their website, which is currently down) that they’re moving ahead with a reboot. But last month, a new company called ROTLD Originals LLC was formed, with Return of the Living Dead cast member Beverly Randolph, a.k.a. Beverly Dawn Hartley, signing the formation document. Judging by Randolph’s social media, it appears that some of her co-stars are involved in this company as well, their mission being to “gain back our rights of our images” and, from the looks of it, launch a website where fans will be able to buy signed images from the film directly from the actors featured in those images. Whatever ROTLD Originals LLC may be about, Living Dead Media LLC doesn’t like it, as Deadline reports that the two LLCs are now caught up in a legal dispute that will be heading to court.
Living Dead Media LLC filed a lawsuit against ROTLD Originals LLC in Los Angeles Superior Court today, arguing that “simply being an actor in a film does not grant or convey any particular rights to that character or any other character or any rights to the Original Film, any derivative works, or related intellectual property. Ms. Hartley has no rights, title, or interest in the Original Film. … Neither Ms. Hartley, ROTLD, nor any of the other purported members have any rights whatsoever in any of the characters or merchandise that is being sold by these licensees.” Deadline adds, “The suit claims that the new LLC uses Hartley’s credentials as an actor in the original film ‘to bolster the erroneous claims that Ms. Hartley and/or ROTLD have an interest in LDM’s intellectual property.’ It claims that such actions ‘are attempting to interfere with active and existing contracts between LDM and these licensees.’” The full court document can be read at THIS LINK.
Night of the Living Dead alums Rudy Ricci, John A. Russo, and Russell Streiner crafted the initial story for The Return of the Living Dead, intending for it to be a follow-up to Night. Then O’Bannon got involved and did a complete overhaul, telling the following story: When foreman Frank shows new employee Freddy a secret military experiment in a supply warehouse, the two klutzes accidentally release a gas that reanimates corpses into flesh-eating zombies. As the epidemic spreads throughout Louisville, Ky., and the creatures satisfy their hunger in gory and outlandish ways, Frank and Freddy fight to survive with the help of their boss and a mysterious mortician.
The film stars Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews, Miguel A. Nunez Jr., John Philbin, Jewel Shepard, Brian Peck, Linnea Quigley, Mark Venturini, Jonathan Terry, Allan Trautman, and, as mentioned, Beverly Randolph.
What do you think of this The Return of the Living Dead rights lawsuit? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
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It’s every movie lover’s dream to go into The Criterion Collection closet. And while the vast majority (say, 99.9%) never will, we can at least celebrate its purpose: to engage cinephiles with famous film aficionados in a way they never could anyplace else. Well it’s about to get even more intimate, as The Criterion Collection is celebrating their 40th anniversary by releasing a massive box set that also serves as an ode to those who have entered the famed closet and shared their favorite movies for us to see. Sorry, no Criterion Channel exclusives!
As per The Criterion Collection: “This monumental forty-film box set celebrates forty years of the Criterion Collection by gathering an electrifying mix of classic and contemporary films, and presenting them with all their special features and essays in a deluxe clothbound, slipcased edition. CC40’s eclectic selection includes the releases most frequently chosen by the hundreds of filmmakers, actors, writers, and other movie-loving luminaries who have visited Criterion over the years, as documented in our popular Closet Picks video series. Neither a historical survey nor a top-forty compilation, this exciting, personal, unpredictable anthology reflects the cinematic joys and inspirations of the creative community that makes the Criterion Collection possible.”
While we won’t list all 40 films The Criterion Collection is offering in their CC40 set, you should know that it is indeed a very diverse offering, including American studio classics, foreign essentials, indie sensations, and more — you know, pretty much a tasting menu of everything we love about Criterion! Really, where else are you going to get 8 ½, Night of the Living Dead, Love & Basketball, Hausu, His Girl Friday, and The Battle of Algiers on the same shelf?
Narrowing down The Criterion Collection to just 40 films is a daunting task, but by limiting it to the most popular choices from visitors to the closet gives potential buyers a pretty darn good idea of what the boutique label does and represents. And if you end up picking up this set — which is currently listed at the pre-order price of $639.96 (or about $16/film) — you’ll get an even wider education because it also features a hefty 216-page book of essays, not to mention all of the special features we’ve come to expect from Criterion. The box set arrives on November 19th.
Will you be picking up this 40th anniversary box set? Which three films do you think best represent The Criterion Collection?
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This weekend, Bethesda is hosting QuakeCon, the annual celebration of developer id Software and the Doom series. There have already been some amazing announcements out of the convention, including official modding support coming to Doom Eternal and the reveal of gameplay for 2025’s Doom: The Dark Ages. But if you…