Month: August 2024

Uma Thurman, Ballerina Overdrive

Are ballerina dancers Hollywood’s new hotness? With the John Wick spinoff Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, pirouetting into theaters next year and the latest indie action film Ballerina Overdrive coming from 87North and Gulfstream Pictures, it could be time for me to slip into a tutu and show my sweet moves to some studios heads. While I will likely keep stretching along a long bar, Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Red, White & Royal Blue) is joining the cast of Ballerina Overdrive, an upcoming survivalist action film.

Uma Thurman joins Lana Condor (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, X-Men: Apocalypse), Iris Apatow (Funny People, This is 40), Millicent Simmonds (A Quiet Place, Wonderstruck), Maddie Ziegler (West Side Story, The Fallout), and Avantika (Senior Year, Spin). Previously, Lena Headey, Yara Shahidi, and Isabela Merced were supposed to star in Ballerina Overdrive but have since stepped away.

Vicky Jewson directs Ballerina Overdrive from a script by Kate Freund (Creepshow, Wyrm). The plot revolves around a troupe of ballerinas who find themselves fighting for survival as they attempt to escape from a remote inn after their bus breaks down on the way to a dance competition.

Uma Thurman has two films in post-production, one of which is the highly anticipated sequel The Old Guard 2, which stars Charlize Theron as the immortal warrior Andy. The plot for The Old Guard 2 remains unknown, though the cast includes Theron, Thurman, Henry Golding, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthias Schoenaerts, Kiki Layne, and more. Victoria Mahoney directs The Old Guard 2 from a script by the comic series creator Greg Rucka. In 2020’s The Old Guard, a covert team of immortal mercenaries is suddenly exposed and must fight to keep their identity a secret just as an unexpected new member is discovered.

Thurman’s other project is the Deong-ho Jang-directed biblical drama The King of Kings. The animated film stars Pierce Brosnan as Pontius Pilate, Oscar Isaac as Jesus Christ, Thurman as Catherine Dickens, Kenneth Branagh as Charles Dickens, Mark Hamill as King Herod, Forest Whitaker as Peter, Sir Ben Kingsley as the High Priest Caiaphas, Roman Griffin Davis as Walter Dickens, and Ava Sanger as Mary Dickens. The King of Kings tells the story of Jesus Christ as told by Charles Dickens and seen through the innocent eyes of a child.

What do you think about Uma Thurman joining the Ballerina Overdrive cast? Is this a Yellowjackets or slasher situation? We’re excited to learn more. How about you?

The post Uma Thurman jetés into a fight for survival for 87North and Gulfstream Pictures’ indie action film Ballerina Overdrive appeared first on JoBlo.

Marty Supreme, Josh Safdie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Timothée Chalamet

After answering the call to defeat Thanos in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, Gwyneth Paltrow stepped away from the Hollywood spotlight to appear in shorts, Netflix’s The Politician series, a voice-acting role in She Said, and a guest voice role in American Horror Stories. While in big screen hibernation, she nurtured Goop, her wellness and lifestyle program. Now, Gwyneth Paltrow is ready to return to cinemas as a featured player in Josh Safdie’s mysterious new film project, Marty Supreme.

The forthcoming film hails from Josh Safdie (Uncut Gems), with the project based on a script he co-wrote with Ronald Bronstein. Initially, watercooler whispers pegged Marty Supreme as a film loosely revolving around a pro ping pong player. However, the latest gossip says it’s a fictionalized original film. Is the project still making moves to tell the story of ping-pong professional Marty Reisman? Your guess is as good as ours.

Reisman passed away in 2012, but not before leaving behind a legacy of mythical proportions in the ping-pong community. Variety reports that the table tennis star began his career by hustling others in the lightning-fast game of paddle warfare. He won 22 significant ping pong titles from 1946 to 2002 and five bronze medals at the World Table Tennis Championships. Variety also notes that at 67, Reisman played in the United States National Hardbat Championship and became the oldest player to win an open national competition in a racket sport. People loved to watch Reisman play, and he was fearless in hamming his skills up for audiences by performing trick shots to wow the crowd.

Reisman wrote and published his autobiography “The Money Player: The Confessions of America’s Greatest Table Tennis Champion and Hustler” in 1974, followed by a 2014 documentary called “Fact or Fiction: The Life and Times of a Ping Pong Hustler.”

While Marty Supreme is poised to become Gwyneth Paltrow’s return to cinemas, the project marks Josh Safdie’s first solo directorial feature since 2008’s The Pleasure of Being Robbed. Marty Supreme stars Timothée Chalamet as the ping-pong hustler, with Paltrow’s role remaining a mystery.

After playing Pepper Potts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Paltrow could rise like a mighty phoenix by working alongside Safdie and the glowingly popular Timothée Chalamet. In addition to Marty Supreme, Paltrow features alongside Christine Taylor, Drew Barrymore, David Krumholtz, and Jason Biggs in the upcoming comedy Miracle on 74th Street. Miracle revolves around renowned influencer Dzanielle, who navigates fake friends among the Black card-swiping, Ozempic-sharting, workout-addicted Upper East Siders. In her comedic quest for a million followers, she finds her first real new friend and her true self.

Are you excited for Gwyneth Paltrow to join Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme cast? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Gwyneth Paltrow plots a return to the silver screen to star alongside Timothée Chalamet in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme appeared first on JoBlo.