Back in February, it was announced that Prey director Dan Trachtenberg would become the first filmmaker to take the helm of two films in the Predator franchise, as he was moving ahead with a new Predator film titled Badlands, working from a screenplay by Prey screenwriter Patrick Aison (based on a story crafted by Trachtenberg himself), with filming expected to begin this summer. In June, it was revealed that Super 8‘s Elle Fanning had been cast in the film. Now, the folks at AVPGalaxy have learned that Badlands is currently in production in New Zealand, filming under the codename Backpack, and they’ve gotten their hands on a casting call that reveals some details about the project!

According to this casting call, Predator: Badlands has the following synopsis: A groundbreaking film in which one of the two main storylines delves into the intricate bond of two very different sisters, their familial ties are put to the ultimate test as they pursue divergent paths and missions. We’ve previously heard that the story is set sometime in the future.

The casting call was searching for a lead actress who could take on the dual role of twin sisters Thia and Tessa: This casting is for a dual character, and describes both characters. Character identifies as female or non-binary, open ethnicity, mid 20s – mid 40s. Thia has spent most of her life in a laboratory and is now embarking on her first big adventure in the world. She is incredibly smart, witty, enthusiastic, and unflappable. She has an innate disregard for danger, not because she’s fearless, but simply because she’s naive. Strong comedy chops required. // The other sister, Tessa, has a militant intensity when it comes to achieving her family’s goals and mission objectives. She will not let anything get in her way, not even her twin sister.

The casting call notes that filming would be taking place in New Zealand from late June through September. As for the physical requirements of the actress, “Must be comfortable training for heavy action/combat, must also be comfortable wearing prosthetics/heavy makeup, and MUST be 5’8” or shorter.” It seems likely that Elle Fanning has been cast as Thia and Tessa, even though she’s not 5’8″ or shorter. Fanning is reportedly 5’9″. Close enough?

AVPGalaxy has heard that Badlands has been filming in Rotorua and Te Kuiti, and will be heading to South Head next.

What do you think of the Predator: Badlands details revealed on the casting call? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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Sci-fi horror franchise Alien has always played with the ideas of gestation, birth, and death through a lethal extraterrestrial species that invades human bodies. The newest film in the series, Alien: Romulus, takes this theme to new heights.

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Sci-fi horror franchise Alien has always played with the ideas of gestation, birth, and death through a lethal extraterrestrial species that invades human bodies. The newest film in the series, Alien: Romulus, takes this theme to new heights.

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Pretty soon, audiences are going to be able to see Jenna Ortega encounter sandworms in a vast desert. If the trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is anything to go by, her character may find herself on Saturn, in which she may have to run from such creatures. However, the actress may have encountered some previously since it has been revealed by The Hollywood Reporter that Ortega had gone in to try out for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune.

THR reports that the star of Tim Burton’s upcoming sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice recently told BuzzFeed in a new interview that she had auditioned for the movie back when she was 15, but she isn’t exactly sure which role it was for and hypothesizes it might’ve been for Zendaya’s role, Chani. Ortega explained,

I think it was Chani, I think it was Zendaya’s. But they weren’t saying that. Everything was very secret.” 

The audition may not have worked out, but Ortega would hit big with audiences on the Netflix show Wednesday, the popular new incarnation of The Addams Family lore. While the previously seen theatrical incarnations of the property sported a very macabre humor reminiscent of Tim Burton‘s, the eccentric director would not be involved with the IP until Wednesday. Ortega and Burton hit it off on the show and would continue to work together on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Ortega says the environment differed from both productions. “On Wednesday, we were just trying to get to know each other a bit,” Ortega explained of her collaboration with Burton. “On Beetlejuice … he seemed a lot more playful and I think it actually helped our relationship a lot … it was just a very joyous, happy shoot.” She expressed her excitement to play the daughter of Winona Rider’s character, “Winona was so welcoming. I feel really, really lucky to have been able to create such a bond with her on set.”

She was also starstruck when it came to meeting Michael Keaton. “I have been such a fan of Michael Keaton for such a long time that I think actually seeing him in person I went inside myself because I weirdly got shy,” she says as she then added that when she first saw Keaton portray Beetlejuice, that it “was the first time I think I saw someone completely disappear, no bit of themselves involved, so that was pretty special.”

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After months of waiting, theory-crafting, getting hyped over casting announcements, spotting worldwide ads in the wild, and surviving off of shoe teasers, we finally have the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, complete with Keanu Reeves as the blue blur’s rival Shadow the Hedgehog.

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After months of waiting, theory-crafting, getting hyped over casting announcements, spotting worldwide ads in the wild, and surviving off of shoe teasers, we finally have the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, complete with Keanu Reeves as the blue blur’s rival Shadow the Hedgehog.

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Sid Eudy, better known as Sid Vicious, Sid Justice and Sycho Sid in the world of professional wrestling, has died at the age of 63 after a battle with cancer. One of the most intimidating big men of the squared circle, Sid was a dominating presence who served as a vital figure in the 1990s, feuding with some of the industry’s top stars during his runs in WWE and WCW.

Standing 6’9”, Sid both towered over and stood eye-to-eye with some of his biggest rivals and the WWE’s top earners, including Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. To be sure, his matches against Michaels in 1996 and 1997 were some of the most memorable work Sid did in the WWE, with Sid winning his first world championship against HBK at Survivor Series 1996. (He would lose it at the 1997 Royal Rumble in another quintessential showdown with Michaels.) His second title reign came after defeating Bret Hart on an episode of Raw, although he would lose the championship to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 13. Another noteworthy match of Sid’s in the WWE as the 1992 Royal Rumble – widely considered the best ever – where he was the last man in the ring against eventual winner Ric Flair.

Prior to his run in the WWE – where he primarily went by Sycho Sid – Eudy had a pair of runs in WCW (as Sid Vicious) where he also won two world titles and even teamed with famed faction The Four Horsemen, including in one of the greatest WarGames matches ever at WrestleWar ‘91. Sid would return to WCW later that decade following runs in ECW and on the indie circuit.

A nasty leg injury – one of the most infamous in all of wrestling – from an ill-advised move off the top rope (something rare for “big men”) led to what many consider to be Sid’s retirement, although he did return for a few matches many years later. While notoriously bad on the mic, Sid proved a force in the ring for both WWE and WCW, perfecting the power bomb finisher and standing tall in a ring of giants.

What was your favorite Sid match from WWE or WCW?

The post WWE champ Sid Eudy aka Sid Justice / Sycho Sid dies at 63 appeared first on JoBlo.

There’s no outfit in gaming with a stronger history of telling tales about picking fights with God than Square Enix. Literally or metaphorically, from Final Fantasy Legend/SaGa and Star Ocean to Xenogears and even some Final Fantasies, a foundational narrative in which our heroes push back against a cruel,…

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There’s no outfit in gaming with a stronger history of telling tales about picking fights with God than Square Enix. Literally or metaphorically, from Final Fantasy Legend/SaGa and Star Ocean to Xenogears and even some Final Fantasies, a foundational narrative in which our heroes push back against a cruel,…

Read more…

Paramount took to social media to announce that production has begun on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and no one looks more thrilled than Paul Giamatti. The Academy Award-nominated actor is a big Star Trek fan and is set to play the main villain of the series. You can catch him in the image below throwing up the double Vulcan salute with his fellow cast members outside the Star Trek Stage at Pinewood Studios in Toronto.

Taking place in the 32nd-century era of Star Trek: Discovery, Starfleet Academy will follow a new class of Starfleet cadets as they come of age in one of the most legendary places in the galaxy. The series stars Kerrice Brooks (My Old Ass), Bella Shepard (Wolf Pack), George Hawkins (Tell Me Everything), Karim Diané (One Of Us Is Lying), Zoë Steiner (Significant Others), and Sandro Rosta (Snitches Get Stitches). The cast also includes Holly Hunter (The Incredibles) as the captain and chancellor of Starfleet Academy. There will also be a few familiar faces. Tig Notaro, Oded Fehr, and Mary Wiseman will be reprising their Discovery roles of Jett Reno, Admiral Vance, and Slyvia Tilly, respectively. Additionally, Robert Picardo will be playing the Doctor, reprising the role in live-action for the first time since Star Trek: Voyager.

I’m very excited to see what Paul Giamatti will bring to Starfleet Academy, particularly as he’s such a big fan of the franchise. During the Star Trek Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con, franchise producer Alex Kurtzman spoke about how wonderful it felt to have “one of the greatest actors in the world” want to come join them. They gave Giamatti a few options for possible roles as they didn’t think he’d have much time in his schedule, but the actor wanted the full experience. “We thought it was going to be one episode because his schedule is so busy, and he was like, ‘No, I want to play the villain,’” Kurtzman said. “And we’re like, ‘That’s the whole season,” and he said, “Great, let’s do it.’“

We’ve got plenty of Star Trek to look forward to in addition to Starfleet Academy, including a third season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (with a fourth season already ordered), the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks, the Section 31 movie starring Michelle Yeoh, and a live-action comedy series in development from Justin Simien and Tawny Newsome.

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