THR reports that Dan Stevens is set to reunite with Adam Wingard on the director’s upcoming action thriller, Onslaught. Stevens starred in The Guest and also appeared in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Adria Arjona is starring in Onslaught, which is being described as a “gonzo action horror thriller.” Plot details have been kept tightly under wraps, but previous reports have stated that Arjona will play “a mother who falls back on a particular set of skills in order to protect her loved ones after she runs afoul of a threat that has escaped a secret military base.” Stevens will have more of a supporting role in the film as a German scientist who is working on the experiments that escape.
It was announced last week that UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex “Poatan” Pereira would be playing a character known as The Butcher, who is said to be the villain of the movie. Production is slated to kick off in New Mexico next month.
Onslaught will be something of a return to his roots for Wingard, as the director has spent the last few years playing with his pals Godzilla and King Kong. He helmed Godzilla v Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and although the studio had been keen on getting him back for another sequel, there was no deal in place for him to do so. He had been open to returning, previously saying, “There’s always the seduction of making a trilogy out of it, and I think that there’s some untapped areas to go into. There’s also ways to continue to innovate the stylized approach to the MonsterVerse, and what’s great about the MonsterVerse is that it’s allowed so many different directors to approach it with their unique style and color palette.”
Wingard officially stepped down to focus on Onslaught, and the studio tapped Grant Sputore, the director of Hilary Swank’s sci-fi thriller I Am Mother, to helm the new installment. Dave Callaham (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) is writing the script. The MonsterVerse film is slated for a March 26, 2027release.
In an interview celebrating the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, concept and storyboard artist Iain McCaig revealed that George Lucas almost made a major change to the mythology of the Jedi.
In The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is the apprentice of Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), but during the development of the film, Lucas had those names switched around. Neeson’s character was named Obi-Wan, and McGregor’s was named Qui-Gon. When Obi-Wan was killed by Darth Maul, Qui-Gon would have taken his name as a tribute.
“It’s interesting how things evolve,” McCaig said. “For a time, the older Jedi was named Obi-Wan and the younger Jedi was named Qui-Gon. It was very poignant that at the end, as Obi-Wan dies and Qui-Gon defeats Darth Maul and stays with his Master as he passes away, he not only takes on his Master’s quest, but he takes on his name. Qui-Gon becomes Obi-Wan. That’s why when you see Alec Guinness in A New Hope, he puts his hood down and goes, ‘Obi-Wan? Now that’s a name I’ve not heard….’ Because he’s not Obi-Wan, he’s Qui-Gon. And right at the end, George changed it.“
It’s a very interesting concept, and part of me almost wishes Lucas had kept it in. It’s not clear if this is something all Jedi would have done or if it was unique to Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. Imagine if it had carried on. Would Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) have taken on the name of Obi-Wan… or Yoda?
The Phantom Menace was re-released in theaters earlier this year to celebrate its 25th anniversary (I can’t believe the film is already that old), and it’s been interesting to see how people’s opinions of it have changed. The original release was met with disappointment from some fans, but over the years, a new generation has embraced the movie. Although it’s certainly not the best in the franchise, there’s a lot to like in The Phantom Menace, including the thrilling pod race sequence and the climatic lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Darth Maul.
Could a Game of Thrones movie be in our future? THR has heard that Warner Bros. is “quietly developing at least one film set in George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy universe.” The project is still in the very early stages, with no director, writer, or cast attached. So we may still be a ways off from seeing Westeros on the big screen, provided it doesn’t get shelved like so many other Game of Thrones projects.
When Game of Thrones was still in the midst of its run, there were rumours that creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss wanted to end the series with three theatrical movies. The pair confirmed the plan earlier this year but said HBO executives shot it down, reminding them that they worked for “Home Box Office” and not “Away Box Office.”
George R.R. Martin also once spoke about a possible Game of Thrones movie (or movies) as the show was entering its fourth season. “It all depends on how long the main series runs,” he said. “Do we run for seven years? Do we run for eight? Do we run for 10? The books get bigger and bigger (in scope). It might need a feature to tie things up, something with a feature budget, like $100 million for two hours. Those dragons get real big, you know.“
The second season of House of the Dragon, the first Game of Thrones spinoff series, debuted this summer, and a third season is on the way. Another spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is set to debut on HBO in 2025. There have been a number of Game of Thrones projects which have been scrapped, including a Jon Snow series which Kit Harington has said is now on the shelf. “Currently, it’s off the table, because we all couldn’t find the right story to tell that we were all excited about enough,” Harington said. “So, we decided to lay down tools with it for the time being. There may be a time in the future where we return to it, but at the moment, no. It’s firmly on the shelf.“
Milly Alcock will be starring in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, with the film set to be scripted by Ana Nogueira and based on the comic series of the same name written by Tom King and illustrated by Bilquis Evely. After her father is murdered and the one responsible is still out there, Ruthye Marye Knoll seeks out Supergirl to help her on a vicious mission. She wants revenge, and if Supergirl doesn’t help her, she’ll do it herself, whatever the cost. Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone) will play Krem of the Yellow Hill, the villain who kills Knoll’s father.
Craig Gillespie (Cruella) will direct the movie, but DC Studios co-chief James Gunn has teased that this version of Supergirl will be different. “In our series we see the difference between Superman who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he was an infant, versus Supergirl who was raised on a rock, a chip off Krypton, and watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life, and then came to Earth when she was a young girl,” Gunn said. “She’s much more hardcore, she’s not exactly the Supergirl we’re use to seeing.” Production will begin early next year, with the film slated to be released on June 26, 2026.
The Supergirl movie will be the second theatrical installment of the new DC Universe, following Gunn’s Superman movie, which will hit theaters on July 11, 2025. It has been teased that Supergirl might appear in another DC project before her solo movie.
However, the first project to emerge from the new DC Universe will be Creature Commandos, an animated series featuring the voices of Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein, Indira Varma as The Bride, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Alan Tudyk as Doctor Phosphorus, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, and Steve Agee as John Economos, and Sean Gunn as Weasel. The series will debut on Max on December 5th.
Milly Alcock will be starring in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, with the film set to be scripted by Ana Nogueira and based on the comic series of the same name written by Tom King and illustrated by Bilquis Evely. After her father is murdered and the one responsible is still out there, Ruthye Marye Knoll seeks out Supergirl to help her on a vicious mission. She wants revenge, and if Supergirl doesn’t help her, she’ll do it herself, whatever the cost. Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone) will play Krem of the Yellow Hill, the villain who kills Knoll’s father.
Craig Gillespie (Cruella) will direct the movie, but DC Studios co-chief James Gunn has teased that this version of Supergirl will be different. “In our series we see the difference between Superman who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he was an infant, versus Supergirl who was raised on a rock, a chip off Krypton, and watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life, and then came to Earth when she was a young girl,” Gunn said. “She’s much more hardcore, she’s not exactly the Supergirl we’re use to seeing.” Production will begin early next year, with the film slated to be released on June 26, 2026.
The Supergirl movie will be the second theatrical installment of the new DC Universe, following Gunn’s Superman movie, which will hit theaters on July 11, 2025. It has been teased that Supergirl might appear in another DC project before her solo movie.
However, the first project to emerge from the new DC Universe will be Creature Commandos, an animated series featuring the voices of Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein, Indira Varma as The Bride, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Alan Tudyk as Doctor Phosphorus, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, and Steve Agee as John Economos, and Sean Gunn as Weasel. The series will debut on Max on December 5th.
Lego has proven it can deliver when it comes to animated fare, but what about live-action? Deadline reports that The Lego Group is developing three live-action movies with Universal Pictures and has tapped some major directors to help. Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), Jake Kasdan (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle), and Joe Cornish (Attack the Block) will each direct a Lego movie.
As for the plot of these three movies, they’re under wraps, but I’ll admit that I’m intrigued by what Lego has planned for these live-action projects. Jenkins will direct her project, which she also co-wrote with former DC Entertainment President Geoff Johns and will produce through her Wicious Pictures banner. As for Kasdan, he will direct from a script by Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul based on an original idea and a previous draft by Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows. He will also produce with Melvin Mar through their Detective Agency production company. Cornish will also direct and is currently rewriting the script from a draft by Heather Anne Campbell, which was based on a treatment by Simon Rich.
The Lego movies have been quite successful, starting with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s The Lego Movie in 2014. That film was followed by The Lego Batman Movie, The Lego Ninjago Movie, and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, in addition to a handful of short films and a Unikitty! TV series.
The most recent Lego project is a little unusual: Piece by Piece tells the story of American musician Pharrell Williams’s life and career through Lego animation. Our own Chris Bumbray did enjoy the film for what it was, but found that the novelty soon wore off. “While I found Piece by Piece mostly entertaining, I did find myself wondering who exactly the film was for. Hip-hop fans will maybe be annoyed by the fact that it’s so family-friendly that many of the best songs from Pharrell’s discography, such as N.E.R.D’s ‘Lapdance,’ are way too controversial to be included in a movie animated by LEGO. Also, don’t expect to see P. Diddy show up as a talking Lego head in this – for obvious reasons,” Bumbray wrote in his review. “In the end, Piece by Piece is most suitable for younger audiences, but even if a more unvarnished music doc would have been welcome, the movie still does a good job evoking the fact that Pharrell’s had an outsized influence on modern pop music. Yet, given the animation style, it can’t help but feel a little too much like a novelty.“
Lego has proven it can deliver when it comes to animated fare, but what about live-action? Deadline reports that The Lego Group is developing three live-action movies with Universal Pictures and has tapped some major directors to help. Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), Jake Kasdan (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle), and Joe Cornish (Attack the Block) will each direct a Lego movie.
As for the plot of these three movies, they’re under wraps, but I’ll admit that I’m intrigued by what Lego has planned for these live-action projects. Jenkins will direct her project, which she also co-wrote with former DC Entertainment President Geoff Johns and will produce through her Wicious Pictures banner. As for Kasdan, he will direct from a script by Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul based on an original idea and a previous draft by Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows. He will also produce with Melvin Mar through their Detective Agency production company. Cornish will also direct and is currently rewriting the script from a draft by Heather Anne Campbell, which was based on a treatment by Simon Rich.
The Lego movies have been quite successful, starting with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s The Lego Movie in 2014. That film was followed by The Lego Batman Movie, The Lego Ninjago Movie, and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, in addition to a handful of short films and a Unikitty! TV series.
The most recent Lego project is a little unusual: Piece by Piece tells the story of American musician Pharrell Williams’s life and career through Lego animation. Our own Chris Bumbray did enjoy the film for what it was, but found that the novelty soon wore off. “While I found Piece by Piece mostly entertaining, I did find myself wondering who exactly the film was for. Hip-hop fans will maybe be annoyed by the fact that it’s so family-friendly that many of the best songs from Pharrell’s discography, such as N.E.R.D’s ‘Lapdance,’ are way too controversial to be included in a movie animated by LEGO. Also, don’t expect to see P. Diddy show up as a talking Lego head in this – for obvious reasons,” Bumbray wrote in his review. “In the end, Piece by Piece is most suitable for younger audiences, but even if a more unvarnished music doc would have been welcome, the movie still does a good job evoking the fact that Pharrell’s had an outsized influence on modern pop music. Yet, given the animation style, it can’t help but feel a little too much like a novelty.“
Pokémon TCG Pocket arrived this week on iPhone and Android, and it’s a surprisingly crisp and streamlined version of the card game after years of really bad alternatives. Pokémon is pretty much a license to print money, but TCG Pocket does a great job of spotlighting what people love about about the game—the cards…
Pokémon TCG Pocket arrived this week on iPhone and Android, and it’s a surprisingly crisp and streamlined version of the card game after years of really bad alternatives. Pokémon is pretty much a license to print money, but TCG Pocket does a great job of spotlighting what people love about about the game—the cards…
Plot: An aging gangster attempts to reconnect with his children and rectify the mistakes in his past, but the criminal underworld won’t loosen their grip willingly.
Review: Over the last sixteen years, Liam Neeson has consistently delivered a string of variations on his 2008 hit Taken. Outside of a handful of exceptions, the Oscar-nominated actor has made movie after movie about cops and soldiers using their particular sets of skills to take down bad guys who underestimate the elderly protagonist. As those projects have begun to blur together, Neeson has had some tricks up his sleeve with voice work in The Lego Movie, comedic turns in A Million Ways To Die In The West, and the occasional big-budget offering. The ones that utilize Neeson’s gravitas and everyman demeanor have stood out from the over fifty projects he has acted on or voiced during that span. You can add Absolution to that shortlist. A powerful drama about criminals and the ramifications of aging, Absolution is easily one of Liam Neeson’s best performances and one that elevates what could have been a B-movie into something more.
Absolution stars Neeson as a nameless enforcer referred to in the credits as Thug. Thug has worked for three decades for a gangster named Charlie Connor (Ron Perlman) and is mentoring his son Kyle(Daniel Diemer) to take over the family business. Thug begins to notice memory lapses that range from forgetting his address to his son’s name. A former boxer, Thug learns his memory loss is advanced and irreversible. As he tries to reconnect with his daughter Daisy (Frankie Shaw) and his grandson Tre, Thug questions his life and the relationships he ignored in favor of dedicating his life to criminal work. He also begins a casual romance with a nameless Woman (Yolonda Ross) who accepts Thug as he is despite his line of work and his diminishing mental capacity. Thug also reflects on the impact of his work when he gets involved with a sex trafficking ring. None of it is glamorous, and all of it has repercussions.
Liam Neeson has often played over-the-hill characters, but none are quite like Thug. There is a rueful and sad quality as we see Neeson putter around his half-empty home, hitting himself in the head for not remembering things. He has a notepad full of addresses and names he keeps forgetting, most of which have not happened in the line of duty. Thug visits a doctor, a priest, and his family as he thinks about what to do next. Absolution captures the depression of losing your mind in several somber moments but goes a bit too on-the-nose when Thug dreams of himself in a boat with his dead father, pondering his fate. There is a mix of voice-over, poignant monologues, and emotionally brutal honesty mixed in with a couple of moments of violence. Absolution avoids the action movie tropes in favor of more dramatic ones, but the few bursts of violence are intense without trying to emulate prior Neeson vehicles. Neeson spends more time gruffly questioning himself rather than kicking ass.
What is most striking about Absolution is the balance between the criminal elements and the personal impacts on Thug’s life. Liam Neeson has to vacillate between being a hard customer who can kill with abandon while trying to reconcile with his daughter before he loses control of himself. Neeson is soft when talking to Frankie Shaw, and she pushes back on the absentee father in her life. As much as Yolonda Ross’ character tries to forge a relationship with Neeson’s Thug, he cannot bring himself to open up to someone, knowing it has an unknown end date. There are some uneven elements, such as Thug’s mental state leading to a rift in his personal life and, in turn, generating the key part of the conflict that serves as the film’s closing act. This segue allows Thug to tie up loose ends but at the cost of leaving some tangents and subplots built over the preceding acts off-screen. It is a minor issue that could have used a stronger conclusion.
Writer Tony Gayton has some solid credits, including the underappreciated The Salton Sea starring Val Kilmer and AMC’s western series Hell on Wheels. Gayton knows how to write criminals and their world well with solid dialogue and monologues that never sound rote or out of place. Absolution marks the second collaboration between Liam Neeson and director Hans Petter Moland. The duo’s 2019 action movie Cold Pursuit is firmly ensconced in the formula of a Neeson Season feature. Cold Pursuit does stand out from some of Neeson’s other action projects as more fun and entertaining than most but is starkly different than the elegiac tone of Absolution. Moland’s Norwegian films share more in common with this movie, notably his dark comedy A Somewhat Gentle Man starring Stellan Skarsgard, which deals with an older protagonist dealing with the hurdles of aging. Neeson and Moland have a solid working relationship that crosses genres, and I would like to see what they do next.
Absolution will not please fans of Liam Neeson’s action-heavy projects but does earn a spot alongside the actor’s better recent films, including In The Land of Saints and Sinners. Neeson’s film Memory treads some similar territory but with a different tone and style. Memory and Absolution make an interesting double feature, with one being a decidedly by-the-numbers action vehicle and the other a dramatic crime film with an emotional center. Absolution surprised me as the trailers do not do it justice. It does show that no matter how many similar movies he makes each year, Liam Neeson is still a masterful actor when given the right material. It also shows how the lead actor can single-handedly elevate a decent movie to a very good one.
