A year and a half ago, it was announced that Neill Blomkamp, the director of District 9, Elysium, Chappie, Demonic, and Gran Turismo, was preparing to go into production on an alien abduction thriller called They Found Us, which had Joel Kinnaman of TheSuicide Squad and the RoboCop remake attached to star. At first, the plan was to film in Australia, but then the decision was made to film in Saudia Arabia instead. About seven months after the first announcement, pre-production shut down so the project could rework its financial structure while hostility in the region where filming was going to take place increased due to the Israel-Gaza conflict. Now, Deadline reports that They Found Us is moving forward again, with the filming location shifting back over to Australia and Julius Avery of Overlord and The Pope’s Exorcist replacing Blomkamp as director.
When Blomkamp was at the helm, we heard that They Found Us had a screenplay by Moon Knight‘s Jeremy Slater and would see Kinnaman taking on the role of a father who takes his daughter Kaylee on a camping trip in the Utah wilderness, in an effort to heal their broken relationship. When they are attacked by a hostile extraterrestrial lifeform, they are forced to fight for their lives against a humanoid beast determined to kidnap them and take them to an unknown and terrifying alien world. Avery is going to have to find a different actor to take on the father role, as Kinnaman has also dropped out of the project.
It’s not clear if filming in the actual Utah wilderness was ever considered. Filming is expected to begin in Australia sometime in the first half of 2025.
They Found Us is being produced by Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen of Temple Hill Entertainment. Temple Hill’s John Fischer serves as executive producer alongside Stuart Ford, whose company AGC Studios is providing the financing.
What do you think of Julius Avery replacing Neill Blomkamp as the director of They Found Us? Who would you like to see replace Joel Kinnaman in the lead role? Share your thoughts on this alien abduction thriller by leaving a comment below.
When Gladiator hit the big screen in 2000, it created quite the cinematic buzz. The film earned a ton of praise from both critics and fans alike, earning Academy Awards for Crowe and the coveted “Best Picture” – among other nominations and wins. While Ridley Scott did not win for his nomination, he more importantly had a bonafied hit on his hands. And this weekend, the director is bringing audiences back into the world of battles to the death in the long awaited sequel, Gladiator 2. Replacing Russell Crowe this time around is Paul Mescal. Returning from the original film is Connie Nielsen. And rounding out the cast, you have Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Derek Jacobi, and more.
Recently, I had the great honor of speaking with several cast members, as well as the legendary director himself. First up, Paul Mescal and Ridley Scott discussed returning to the brutal time of the Gladiator. As well, Scott discussed the casting of Mescal, and where he discovered him. And like him, it’s the first performance I was introduced to Mescal as well, and I’ve enjoyed his career ever since. And this sequel was no exception. It’s quite the entertaining flick. Having spoken to Ridley before, it is always a thrill to hear what the man has to say. As well, it was a pleasure speaking to both of these fine fellows.
We also spoke one one-on-one with Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington, and Fred Hirchinger. Nielsen, who is excellent in the role, is an incredibly charming interview. She talked about returning, and the impact on the film and the character. The great Mr. Washington discussed his characters relationship to the role played by Mescal. And of course, working with Ridley Scott, who he has worked with quite often. And finally, one of my my new favorite actors, Fred Hechinger was happy to talk about playing the spoiled and deeply wounded Emperor Caracalla. If you haven’t seen him in Thelma, I highly recommend that as well.
For as long as I can remember, fairy tales have been an integral part of storytelling in animation. In my youth, I remember Disney princesses and nightmarish monsters bringing new twists on the stories of Grimm, Andersen, Aesop, Carroll, and more to life with vibrant colors, engaging characters, and endless amounts of imagination. As Grandfather Time traversed the timeline, the tradition of reimagining cautionary tales endured, bringing characters like Alice, Aurora, Pinocchio, Rapunzel, and Saoirse to screens. Today, fairy tales feel as if they’re few and far between. So, it’s fitting to see Vicky Jensen, the director of Shrek, a film that invites many characters to join the adventure, bringing the genre back to form with Skydance Animation‘s enchanting new film Spellbound.
JoBlo recently attended a sneak peek at Spellbound, where several of the project’s filmmakers shared their insight and passion for Skydance Animation’s latest foray into a fairytale kingdom. On deck to give us a guided tour around the film’s enchanted land, Lumbria, were Vicky Jenson (Director), Susan Fitzer (Editor), Brian Pimental (Head of Story), Brett Nystul (Production Designer), Guillermo Ramirez (Character Art Director), with entertainment journalist Scott Mantz moderating.
Before we dive into what we’ve learned, I want you to have all the background. Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, the tenacious princess who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents, the King and Queen of Lumbria, into monsters.
Work on Spellbound began seven years ago when Skydance Animation approached Vicky Jenson to direct the project. Jenson, who’s no stranger to fairytale filmmaking thanks to Shrek, says Spellbound is a “fairytale take on a modern story.” The creative team behind the film used classic elements like a kingdom, king, queen, and princess to share a new allegory focusing on family. Concerning the world of Spellbound, Jenson wanted the project to reflect her Latin roots, so instead of taking inspiration from Anglo motifs, the team studied Ancient Spain and Moorish influences to complete Lumbria’s look and surrounding territories.
Creating the kingdom of Lumbria was a labor of love between artists from Skydance Animation and Madrid. Instead of presenting the forests as a dark, foreboding labyrinth of twisted trees and briar patches, the team added pops of color to the environment to give it a more magical feel. Lumbrians built the royal castle atop a spiraling tree containing several layers as the wood curls toward the sky. Like Tool’s 2001 studio album “Lateralus,” Spellbound emphasizes spirals at every opportunity, weaving the shape into architecture, swirling waterways, and other masses of natural splendor.
While Spellbound strives to touch on many colors of the electromagnetic spectrum, the artists kept the palette simple while designing Castle Lumbria and its neighboring edifices. However, the fortress’s surrounding area contains interconnected islands bordering a circular waterfall that holds the secret entrance to the kingdom. Lush green hills and flower fields envelop the watery entrance on all sides, much like the vast poppy field in TheWizard of Oz, but with less asbestos raining from the sky.
Rachel Zegler, who voices Princess Ellian, signed onto the film early in its production cycle. Vicky Jenson says they found her online before she started shooting Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. The team at Skydance Animation was so impressed with her early performances that many of them made it into Spellbound‘s final cut. Ellian is athletic, playful, goofy, a little clumsy, and unspoiled by the effects of social media. Princess Ellian wears various outfits throughout the film to help her feel like an actual person instead of a static character. Despite her wardrobe variety, Ellian’s outfits have a certain cohesion, and many include spirals to keep with Lumbria’s overall design.
If you study the character designs for King Solon (Javier Bardem) and Queen Ellsemere (Nicole Kidman), you’ll notice their monster forms reflect their human counterparts. The royal couple are already in their monster forms when the story begins, with their human forms presented in flashbacks and later in the narrative. When King Solon is a monster, he curls up into a ball to reflect his protective nature, while Queen Ellsemere’s monster disposition is quieter and more reserved. You could even say she’s cat-like. Initially, Spellbound focused more on magic, with neighboring kingdoms at war, wielding spells and incantations to overcome others. However, Jenson and her team felt the magic overshadowed character growth and focus. Instead, the team scaled back the magical elements and concentrated on the royal family dynamics.
Many animated movies introduce outstanding sidekick characters, like Archimedes (The Sword in the Stone), Pascal (Tangled), Cri-Kee (Mulan), and Ray (The Princess and the Frog). Spellbound includes Ellian’s traveling partner, Flink, a mute hamster, weasel, raccoon, and munchkin-like creature who unwaveringly supports the princess in any scenario. Netflix’s sneak peek at Spellbound included a drawing session with the film’s Character Art Director, Guillermo Ramirez, who took us through a step-by-step tutorial on drawing Flink. You can check out the results of my drawing below. My art chops are rusty, and I always draw with Crayola crayons, so erasing lines to clean up the sketch isn’t possible. Still, I like the way my drawing of Flink turned out.
Other characters in Spellbound include the Oracles, played by Nathan Lane (Luno – Oracle on the Moon) and Tituss Burgess (Sunny – Oracle of the Sun). Despite his decades of excellence on the stage and screens, Lane believed he was unfit for the part and suggested getting Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) instead. Once Lane realized the team was serious about him being perfect for the part of Luno, he joined the film enthusiastically. While in the recording booth, Lane improved a lot of dialogue, and many of his clever, off-the-cuff bits made it into the film’s final cut.
While many contemporary animated films tend to avoid musical numbers, favoring fast-paced action sequences and villainous monologues, Spellbound embraces its musical roots. The songs play an integral part in telling Ellian’s story and help bring the kingdom of Lumbria to life. Not only do the lyrics bring nuance to the characters and their emotions, but they also reveal aspects of the plot. Brian Pimental cleverly incorporates the music into environments and character actions throughout the film. There’s a moment in the movie when Ellian reflects on her parents’ situation while walking the remnants of a ruined castle. As her song begins, droplets of water fall from the ceiling, landing on the strings of an open piano, the notes serving as the opening for her tune. It’s tiny flourishes like this when the music in Spellbound elevates beyond a straightforward narrative number.
During a Q&A session, I asked Vicky if she had a favorite fairytale and if any story in particular helped lay the foundation for Spellbound. She says she likes “dark” fairytales, like The Little Mermaid. She enjoys it when characters have challenges to overcome or when they have a deep wish, and a spell makes it possible. Instead of taking inspiration from one fairytale, Jenson says Spellbound takes cues from various stories. One tale that comes to mind is The Twelve Dancing Princesses by the Brothers Grimm, featuring a spell cast over an entire kingdom. Other stories that come to mind when thinking about Spellbound are Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, and The Unknown World.
Like many fairytales from generations past, Spellbound hopes to explore the subconscious and tap into metaphorical storytelling. When they’re upset, young people often see their parents as monsters. In Spellbound, Ellian’s parents are monsters, bringing the metaphor to life with sharp teeth, armored scales, and unpredictability. There’s still so much we’ve yet to see regarding Spellbound, though it will resonate with young audiences who see themselves in Ellian and the challenge before her. Dark forests hold more than glowing eyes, gnashing teeth, and sharp claws. As you traverse the shadowy wood, you meet your nightmares head-on and emerge stronger on the other side. Spellbound wants to hold your hand as you cross the thicket and sing you a song to light the way.
Spellbound director Vicky Jenson spoke with me about her latest film to add more insight to our coverage.
At the start of our conversation, I asked Vicky about dedicating seven years of her time and effort to Spellbound. I wanted to know what stood out about the film to warrant that level of commitment. “It had a lot to say, which I really appreciated,” Vicky said. “It’s the story of a family going through a really difficult time and finding their way back to each other by the end. It’s about having a happy ending, but not the one you’d expect. I adored that. I thought it was a story that needed to be told, that hadn’t been told.”
Perhaps not so surprisingly, Vicky then mentioned how aspects of Spellbound are reminiscent of the classic Robin Williams comedy Mrs. Doubtfire, saying, “Families like Eilian’s hadn’t really been explored like this in an animated film. The closest thing I could think of is Mrs. Doubtfire. It’s super fun but very real and honest about facing the hard stuff. At the same time, with a lovely ending that makes you feel good.”
Next, I asked Vicky where she would go in the kingdom of Lumbria to relax, somewhere she could curl up with a good book. She said, “Wow, that’s so cool,” in response to the question. Yeah, I’m bragging. What? Anyway, she continued, “Some of the rooms around the castle are so beautiful. I love the trees. You never know what might have grown or been carved by the gardener’s hands throughout the kingdom. I wish we could have done more down by the water. The market square is really wonderful, but we have these waterways throughout, with beautiful boats on them, but we just soar past them.” Vicky continued, “We surrounded the whole castle with a Niagara Falls-like waterway, like a moat in reverse.
Lastly, I asked Vicky if there’s a moral or message she hopes audiences take away from Spellbound. She said, “I’ll try not to get too preachy, but if there’s love, there’s family. It doesn’t matter what the family looks like. If parents can extend themselves and really listen to their kids and make them feel loved, that goes miles.” She added, “It goes the other way, too. Kids need to understand that parents are people, they’re not just monsters. People make mistakes, but making each other feel loved, that’s family.”
Spellbound arrives on Netflix this Friday, November 22, 2024.
As a wise man once said, “If you can be one thing, you should be efficient.” Take that to heart when getting started in Disney Dreamlight Valley’s new expansion The Storybook Vale. There’s a staggering amount of fresh content to see, characters to meet, and materials to collect and you should absolutely take your time…
As a wise man once said, “If you can be one thing, you should be efficient.” Take that to heart when getting started in Disney Dreamlight Valley’s new expansion The Storybook Vale. There’s a staggering amount of fresh content to see, characters to meet, and materials to collect and you should absolutely take your time…
This past summer, it was announced that NBC has given an official series order to Suits: LA, a spinoff of the USA Network series which unexpectedly became the hottest TV series of last summer, despite coming to an end over four years ago. Suits: LA comes from original creator Aaron Korsh and stars Stephen Amell as Ted Black. In addition to Amell, the new series also stars Josh McDermitt, Lex Scott Davis, and Bryan Greenberg. Victoria Mahoney directed the pilot and also serves as an executive producer alongside Aaron Korsh, David Bartis, Doug Liman, and Gene Klein.
Deadline has now reported that the original show’s star, Gabriel Macht, is set to return as Harvey Spencer for a recurring role in Suits: LA. It is being said that Macht will have a guest arc on the show, which means this will not merely be a cameo. The actor would even tease his return via Instagram as he posts a video of him suiting up in fashionable threads and the post would read, “When an old friend is in need…it’s time to take care of things and make those very ‘things’ right.”
The plot for Suits: LA will revolve around “Ted Black (Amell), a former federal prosecutor from New York who has reinvented himself by representing the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. His firm is at a crisis point, and to survive, he must embrace a role he held in contempt his entire career. Ted is surrounded by a group of characters who test their loyalties to both Ted and each other and they can’t help but mix their personal and professional lives. All this happens while the show slowly unravels the events that years ago led Ted to leave behind everything and everyone he loved to start all over.”
The original Suits series takes place in a fictional New York City corporate law firm and follows Mike (Patrick J. Adams), a college dropout who never attended law school but is able to talk his way into getting a job working for attorney Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) thanks to his impressive photographic memory. The series also stars Rick Hoffman, Sarah Rafferty, Gina Torres, and Meghan Markle. The series spanned nine seasons and 134 episodes. We’ve already seen one Suits spinoff, with Pearson following Gina Torres’ character as she entered the dirty world of Chicago politics, but the series was cancelled after just one season
Although the pilot for Suits: LA isn’t expected to include any members of the original cast, the door is open for them to appear. Patrick J. Adams has expressed a willingness to return if asked. “If I got the phone call, I’m ready to suit up again,” said Adams earlier this year. “I love the show, I love the character and I loved working with all these people.“
The next addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America: Brave New World, is set to reach theatres on February 14, 2025 – and this Captain America adventure sees Anthony Mackie’s character Sam Wilson, formerly known as Falcon, carrying the shield now that his pal Steve Rogers is retired. But he’s not the only hero who’s taking on the mantle of a fellow hero in this film. With a new Captain America comes a new Falcon, as Wilson has passed his old set of wings (as seen in the TV series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) over to United States Air Force intelligence officer Joaquín Torres, played by Danny Ramirez – and director Julius Onah told Empire that the brotherhood between Sam and Joaquín is a key emotional center in the film.
Here’s the official information on Captain America: Brave New World, straight from Marvel: Anthony Mackie returns as the high-flying hero, who’s officially taken up the mantle of Captain America. Harrison Ford makes his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as newly-elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, a role originated by the late William Hurt. Ross and Sam have a bit of a history: In his previous role as Secretary of State, Ross was responsible for arresting Sam and his fellow Avengers during the events of Captain America: Civil War. Now as president, Ross is eager to work with Sam, hoping to make Captain America an official military position. But that tentative alliance is jeopardized when Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident, with friend and retired super-soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) as the prime suspect. Sam’s investigation send him on a dangerous chase, and (leading to) a deadly showdown and a tease of the menacing Red Hulk. Danny Ramirez returns as former Air Force lieutenant Joaquin Torres, who’s picked up Sam’s old wings and taken on the role of Falcon. Tim Blake Nelson is also back as Samuel Sterns, AKA The Leader, appearing in the MCU for the first time since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. New to the cast is Shira Haas, who joins as Ruth Bat-Seraph. A former Black Widow, Ruth is now a high-ranking U.S. government official who has the trust of President Ross. Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, and Xosha Roquemore also star. The film is directed by Julius Onah and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore. Louis D’Esposito and Charles Newirth serve as executive producers.
During his Empire interview, Onah said, “There’s this incredible big brother/little brother dynamic between them (Sam Wilson’s Captain America and Joaquín Torres’ Falcon). It’s going to be one of the key emotional centers of the film. These guys are incredible fighters. And Sam has been there and back. He’s got some tricks up his sleeve, and over the course of the film there are things he comes to learn that become other tools in his arsenal, when he’s facing even the most impossible of threats.“
Are you looking forward to seeing the new Captain America and the new Falcon interact in Captain America: Brave New World? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
Denzel Washington is about to grace us with his new villain character in Gladiator II, where he looks to be having the time of his life. He’s currently doing the promotional blitz as the Ridley Scott sequel hits theaters soon. Washington would whet everyone’s appetites with some of his planned projects after Gladiator II. Black Panther 3 is something interesting that he revealed is on his radar when he explained, “I played Othello at 22, I’m now going to play it at 70. After that, I’m playing Hannibal. After that, I’ve been talking with Steve McQueen about a film. After that, Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next Black Panther.”
Esquire recently did a profile piece on Washington as he promotes Gladiator II and the iconic actor gets very candid and honest about certain struggles he faced during his career. A revelation included how he his escalated drinking of wine slowly influenced his behavior, especially when he became bitter about not winning the Oscar for his performance in 1999’s The Hurricane. Washington said, “I think I had won the Golden Globe for Hurricane—see, I barely remember now, ain’t that crazy? But then at the Oscars, they called Kevin Spacey’s name for American Beauty. I have a memory of turning around and looking at him, and nobody was standing but the people around him. And everyone else was looking at me. Not that it was this way. Maybe that’s the way I perceived it. Maybe I felt like everybody was looking at me. Because why would everybody be looking at me? Thinking about it now, I don’t think they were.”
He continued, “I’m sure I went home and drank that night. I had to. I don’t want to sound like, Oh, he won my Oscar, or anything like that. It wasn’t like that. And you know, there was talk in the town about what was going on over there on that side of the street [with Spacey], and that’s between him and God. I ain’t got nothing to do with that. I pray for him. That’s between him and his maker.”
Washington also admitted to turning his back on the Academy at that time, “I went through a time then when [his wife] Pauletta would watch all the Oscar movies—I told her, I don’t care about that. Hey: They don’t care about me? I don’t care. You vote. You watch them. I ain’t watching that. I gave up. I got bitter. My pity party. So I’ll tell you, for about fifteen years, from 1999 to 2014 when I put the beverage down, I was bitter. I don’t even know offhand what movies I made then—I guess John Q, Manchurian Candidate. But I didn’t know I was bitter.”
Disney Dreamlight Valley has an incredible amount of content available in its base game, and it receives new free updates for its core experience on a regular basis. But if you want to get the most out of this cozy game, you should know it’s all about the expansions. The Storybook Vale is the game’s second and latest…
Baldur’s Gate 3 was a huge success for both Larian Studios and Dungeons & Dragons, which is owned by Wizards of the Coast and its parent company, the massive toy conglomerate Hasbro. The two sides ended up splitting instead of pursuing Baldur’s Gate 4 together, but Hasbro’s CEO says the company is doubling down on…
