The Purge franchise creator James DeMonaco directed the first three movies in that series, then when he decided to pass the helm over to another director for the fourth film, a prequel called The First Purge, the person chosen for the job was Gerard McMurray, who made his feature directorial debut with the 2017 Netflix drama Burning Sands. Now, The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that McMurray is currently in production on his first movie since The First Purge was released six years ago: the horror film Goons, which has The Exorcism‘s Chloe Bailey and Power‘s Michael Rainey Jr. in the lead roles.

Filming on Goons is taking place in New Orleans and nearby areas, and the story is said to be set amid the eerie backdrop of the state’s cane fields and plantations. McMurray wrote the script with Hodge K. Johnson, but details on the plot are being kept under wraps.

Tommy Oliver is producing the film through the New Fear Unlocked Productions genre label of his company Confluential Films, which is dedicated to making “bold, elevated, culturally specific horror films from creators of color.” Confluential Films is also fully funding the project.

Oliver provided the following statement: “I can’t wait for audiences to see what Gerard and I are cooking up with the kick-ass squad we’ve assembled. I also couldn’t be more excited to kick off New Fear Unlocked with this film from such a talented director.“

McMurray added: “I’m beyond excited to direct a film in the horror genre. Goons is a love letter to my hometown of New Orleans, and a deeply personal story for me. Producing this film along with Confluential/New Fear Unlocked shows the power of Black storytellers with a collaborative spirit.“

This isn’t the first McMurray project we’ve heard about since the release of The First Purge, as it has previously been reported that he was working on an adaptation of the Black Mask Studios comic book Black, which “takes place in a universe in which only Black people possess superpowers,” for Studio 8 and Warner Bros., and an adaptation of Vault Comics’ post-apocalyptic Resonant for CBS Studios, Scott Free Productions, and BET+.

Does Goons sound interesting to you? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

The post Goons: Chloe Bailey, Michael Rainey Jr. star in horror film from The First Purge director Gerard McMurray appeared first on JoBlo.

We won’t blow smoke in your ear by telling you that Buzzy Bee is the best Deviant in Once Human. It’s not. But it may be the most adorable, which counts for something, right?

Read more…

We won’t blow smoke in your ear by telling you that Buzzy Bee is the best Deviant in Once Human. It’s not. But it may be the most adorable, which counts for something, right?

Read more…

When you break a platformer down to its very basics, the key to success is great-feeling movement. Running, jumping, double jumping, whatever it is you do in the game, it has to feel perfect. Thanks to its inventive drilling mechanic that lets you zip around stages, this year’s charming indie Pepper Grinder is a great…

Read more…

When you break a platformer down to its very basics, the key to success is great-feeling movement. Running, jumping, double jumping, whatever it is you do in the game, it has to feel perfect. Thanks to its inventive drilling mechanic that lets you zip around stages, this year’s charming indie Pepper Grinder is a great…

Read more…

Everyone fantasizes about winning the lottery. Who would you tell about your life-changing windfall? What’s the first thing you’d spend your winnings on? Would you still try your luck if winning means you’ll need to survive until sundown to claim your prize? That’s how the Grand Lottery in Jackpot! works. For some, it’s a blessing. For others, it means everyone with a spinning moral compass is trying to kill you. Thankfully, Jackpot! star John Cena and the film’s director, Paul Feig, are here to give us some inside tips about surviving America’s deadliest game.

During our chat with John Cena, we compare Jackpot! ‘s slapstick action to Mr. Money in the Bank’s wrestling feats, uncover comedic influences, and learn about the synchronized choreography of Feig’s madcap film. Speaking with Paul Feig, we discover how he’s bringing action to the next level with his latest feature, including how to direct hundreds of people through a non-stop roller coaster of fists, gunfire, and deception.

The official synopsis for Jackpot! reads:

“In the near future, a ‘Grand Lottery’ has been newly established in California – the catch: kill the winner before sundown to legally claim their multi-billion dollar jackpot. When Katie Kim (Awkwafina) moves to Los Angeles, she mistakenly finds herself with the winning ticket. Desperate to survive the hordes of jackpot hunters, she reluctantly joins forces with amateur lottery protection agent Noel Cassidy (John Cena) who will do everything in his power to get her to sundown in exchange for a piece of her prize. However, Noel must face off with his slick rival Louis Lewis (Simu Liu), who also seeks to collect Katie’s commission at all costs. JACKPOT! is directed by Paul Feig and written by Rob Yescombe.”

The film stars Awkwafina, John Cena, Ayden Mayeri, Donald Elise Watkins, Sam Asghari, Murray Hill, and Simu Liu. JACKPOT! is produced by Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Paul Feig, and Laura Fischer. John Cena, Michelle Morrissey, Rob Yescombe, and Zack Roth are the executive producers.

Who would you hire to help protect you until sundown in Jackpot!‘s life-and-death lottery game? Let us know in the comments section below.

Jackpot! enters a contest of survival on Prime Video on August 15.

The post Interview: John Cena and Paul Feig discuss surviving an absurd lottery in a dystopian California in Jackpot! appeared first on JoBlo.

One of the longest-gestating would-be blockbusters in recent memory has to be Eli Roth’s Borderlands. An adaptation of the hit video game franchise, it initially seemed like a promising property to adapt, and Roth’s movies – while often hit and miss – are never boring. What made it particularly interesting was that Roth was able to enlist Cate Blanchett to take on her first action heroine role as the film’s leading badass, Lilith. At the same time, Kevin Hart was also cast against type as the heroic Roland. Add to that Jamie Lee Curtis, fresh from her Oscar win, a big budget, and some colourful production design and it seemed like the movie couldn’t lose.

Alas, the movie has been hit with delay after delay, with it initially shooting in 2021, before a lengthy series of reshoots which Deadpool’s Tim Miller apparently directed, while Roth went on to make Thanksgiving. With a budget in the $120 million-ish range, Borderlands is now seen as one of the summer’s biggest gambles. Indeed, the buzz surrounding its release has gotten quite grim, with many thinking the trailers are trying too hard to position this as a Guardians of the Galaxy-clone (complete with a seventies rock soundtrack). Now, Box Office Pro is predicting that the movie will only open in the $10-20 million range.

Granted, that’s an unusually large spread for them, and on our end, I think a $15 million finish seems more likely. However, that will be a pretty poor opening for a would-be franchise starter, and its going down as a box office flop seems to be inevitable at this point.

As for the rest of the weekend, Deadpool & Wolverine will have no trouble at all holding on to the top spot with a $40 million weekend. Number two should go to the Blake Lively adaptation, It Ends With Us, which should nab about $35 million (the book is very popular, and this likely is another Where the Crawdads Sing-sized hit). 

Here are my (early) predictions:

1. Deadpool & Wolverine: $40 million
2. It Ends With Us: $35 million
3. Borderlands: $15 million
4. Twisters: $12 million
5. Trap: $7 million

Do you think Borderlands could potentially do better than we expect at the box office? Let us know in the comments!

The post Box Office Predictions: Will Borderlands be a box office flop? appeared first on JoBlo.

The Paddington films are some of the most acclaimed family films with high audience ratings and nearly 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with 97% for the first film and an astounding 99% for Paddington 2. The third film, Paddington in Peru, has secured a release date for November 8, 2024, in the UK and will fly on over to the United States on Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, January 17, 2025. StudioCanal and Sony have just released the new official trailer for the film. In the intro, the beloved bear is preparing for his travels in a photo booth in order to take a picture for his passport. Unfortunately, the instructions are a little too confusing for him.

The synopsis for Paddington in Peru reads,
“In the Dougal Wilson directed picture, Paddington heads to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and to the mountain peaks of Peru.”

Paddington in Peru stars an ensemble that includes Hugh Bonneville, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman, Julie Walters, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Jim Broadbent and Carla Tous with both Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton returning as the respective voices of Paddington and Aunt Lucy. However, Sally Hawkins would not be able to return for this entry, and Emily Mortimer steps in as Mary Brown.

The film is a StudioCanal and Heyday Films production, but Sony has picked up the charming bear for distribution in the US and Canada.

Paul King, the director of the first two films, would opt to do Wonka over this installment, with Dougal Wilson taking over directing duties this time around. King explained why he chose to do the chocolate maker’s origins instead, “It was really difficult, because I’d spent eight years with the bear and I felt such incredible love for him,” King said. “He’s an animated character, and the design and the love that went into every single follicle was labor intensive and done with such heart. So it’s kind of like sending your kid off to school and going, ‘I hope you’ll be okay!’ But I also know it was the right thing to do.“

Paul King added that “because there’s so much Paddington source material, you could make 50 Paddington movies. I’d be a hundred years old and still doing Paddington.” If there was only enough source material to make two or three films, King said that things might have been different, but he was “really pleased” with were they left Paddington after the second movie and that it was “time to let go and give somebody else a shot.“

The post Prepare for a trip in the new teaser trailer of Paddington in Peru appeared first on JoBlo.

When sci-fi comedy shooter High On Life launched on Game Pass in 2022, it quickly became one of the service’s biggest hits. And now, following all that success, one of the game’s actors, J.B. Smoove, is using his newly-formed production studio to help create an animated TV show based on the FPS.

Read more…

When sci-fi comedy shooter High On Life launched on Game Pass in 2022, it quickly became one of the service’s biggest hits. And now, following all that success, one of the game’s actors, J.B. Smoove, is using his newly-formed production studio to help create an animated TV show based on the FPS.

Read more…