The time has come to pick up your weapon, polish your armor, and head to the theater for Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated sequel, Gladiator II. It’s been 24 years since audiences gave a thumbs-up to Scott’s larger-than-life spectacle of swords, politics, and vengeance, and we want to know what you think about the new film. Cinemas should overflow this weekend as Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II and Jon M. Chu’s Wicked vie for the top spot at the box office, making the lead-up to the holiday season a battle of the blockbusters!

So far, Wicked is tossing a bucket of cold water on Gladiator II with $20M in previews against the epic sequel’s $6M. However, the weekend is long, and the demographics for each film are different. Plus, moviegoers could embrace the Wickdiator effect, where, much like last year’s Barbenheimer phenomenon, they experience both movies back-to-back. If you choose the Wickdiator route, portion out your popcorn and go for a short walk between films. Your ass cheeks will thank you.

JoBlo’s Chris Bumbray reviewed Gladiator II for the site, giving the film an 8/10. In his review, Chris said, “Gladiator II doesn’t quite gain the instant classic status it aspires to, but it’s still a brilliantly made historical epic with a superb ensemble cast and some amazing action. The 150-minute running time blazes by (perhaps too quickly – I hope there’s a longer cut someday) and leaves the door open for a third film, which might do a nice job rounding out what could be a great trilogy about the fall of the Roman Empire. As it is, this is one of the most purely entertaining films of the year and a must-see for fans of the original.”

Here’s the official synopsis for Gladiator II courtesy of Paramount Pictures:

“From legendary director Ridley Scott, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.”

Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Senzel Washington, Derek Jacobi, Joseph Quinn, and more.

Did you see Gladiator II yet? If so, what do you think? Let us know in the comments section below, and if you plan to post spoilers, please give folks a heads-up.

The post Gladiator II: What Did You Think? appeared first on JoBlo.

It’s late in November, so its time for another big Black Friday sale. Sure, Black Friday used to be a day, but now it’s spread out over two weeks. And PlayStation is the latest big company to offer a bunch of discounts as we get closer to Thanksgiving.

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It’s late in November, so its time for another big Black Friday sale. Sure, Black Friday used to be a day, but now it’s spread out over two weeks. And PlayStation is the latest big company to offer a bunch of discounts as we get closer to Thanksgiving.

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It’s trendy these days to take a character from popular children’s stories and given them a horror twist. Lately we’ve been hearing about horror movies based on the likes of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Bambi, Pinocchio, Three Blind Mice, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears… and like I said the last time I wrote about this, when one set of filmmakers decides to make a horror film featuring a beloved kids’ story character, there are sometimes multiple other sets of filmmakers working on horror films that center on the same character. We’ve seen this happen with Mickey Mouse, and now the character who’ll soon be seen in more than one horror movie is Popeye the Sailor Man. Earlier this month, it was announced that Alpeke Entertainment is working on a slasher horror comedy called Shiver Me Timbers, which puts a horror twist on Popeye. Then we heard of another Popeye horror movie, Popeye from ITN Studios. And now a trailer has dropped for Popeye the Slayer Man, from director Robert Michael Ryan. You can check it out in the embed above.

Scripted by John Doolan, Popeye the Slayer Man concerns a group of friends who sneak into an abandoned spinach canning factory to film a documentary on the legend of the “Sailor Man,” who is said to haunt the factory and local docks. Ryan contributed to the story with producers Jeff Miller and Cuyle Carvin.

Miller provided the following statement: “We can’t wait for audiences to get a load of this gory and scary version of Popeye. We went old-school and focused on using real practical effects, and not relying on CG for the gore.
We’re talking with very enthusiastic and interested buyers now.“

The film stars Sean Michael Conway, Elena Juliano, Mabel Thomas, Marie-Louise Boisnier, Jeff Thomas, and Steven McCormack, along with scream queens Angela Relucio and Sarah Nicklin. Jason Stephens plays the title role.

Ryan, Miller, and Carvin produced Popeye the Slayer Man with Alexander Tucker, Nathan Todaro, and Alysa Blasetti. This is a co-production between Salem House Films, Millman Productions, Ron Lee Productions, and Otsego Media.

What did you think of the Popeye the Slayer Man trailer? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Popeye the Slayer Man trailer sends Popeye on a killing spree in an abandoned spinach canning factory appeared first on JoBlo.

When Matt Reeves unleashed The Batman in 2022, he and Robert Pattinson debuted a younger, fresh-out-the-cave Dark Knight for audiences itching to return to Gotham City. Despite trepidation about the former Twilight star slipping on the cape and cowl, The Batman exceeded expectations by offering a grittier take on Bats, complete with a serial killer-like version of The Riddler, played by Paul Dano. The Batman set the stage for Colin Farrell’s Oswald ‘Oz’ Cobb, too, leading to a successful spin-off series with Cristin Milioti stealing the show as the vindictive Sofia Falcone. With so many chess pieces in position for a checkmate, a question remains: Where is The Batman 2?

As we continue to hear updates and rumblings about James Gunn and Peter Safran’s roadmap for the DCU’s Gods and Monsters arc, a sequel to Reeves’ Elseworlds Batman film remains in the shadows. While nothing is definitive, recent reports, such as today’s post from World of Reel, indicate another delay for The Batman 2, which had scheduled a mid-2025 production start. Oddly, nothing is on the books for the next chapter of Reeves’ Bat-plan. Watercooler whispers suggest the delay is due to scripting issues, with Gunn saying in June that the screenplay isn’t ready. When asked about the script’s status on Threads earlier this week, Gunn said the script’s status remains in flux. “I think that report was well-intentioned but it was mistaken. We are very much looking forward to it.”

The Batman 2 has Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Andy Serkis, Jeffrey Wright, and Colin Farrell returning, though scheduling could delay production beyond the new year. While Reeves continues to fine-tune the sequel’s screenplay, star players in his Batman universe continue to make movies. Robert Pattinson, for example, is re-teaming with Christopher Nolan for the event film director’s next mysterious feature-length project, limiting his availability. Meanwhile, Pattinson’s next film is Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17, an off-kilter sci-fi comedy about an “expendable” who goes on a dangerous journey to colonize an ice planet.

While making movies is challenging, and everything takes time, it’s wild to think that Colin Farrell’s The Penguin series has come and gone without mention of when fans can expect the story to continue in The Batman 2. Typically, studios prefer to line projects up like a path of dominoes, each pushing the next until the big picture reveals itself. With no updates for The Batman in several months, fans could find themselves perched on the Gotham Cathedral, scanning the city for signs of the Bat for quite some time.

When do you think The Batman 2 will roll into production? Who do you want to see as the primary villain of the sequel? Scarecrow? Clayface? Poison Ivy? The Ventriloquist? Scarface? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Why hasn’t The Batman 2 been made yet? appeared first on JoBlo.

A year and a half ago, Netflix announced they had given a series order to The Boroughs, a supernatural mystery show that’s executive produced by Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers. A couple of months ago, they revealed an impressive cast had been assembled: Alfred Molina (Spider-Man: No Way Home) plays Sam, Geena Davis (Blink Twice) plays Renee, Alfre Woodard (Salem’s Lot) plays Judy, Denis O’Hare (American Horror Story) plays Wally, Clarke Peters (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) plays Art, and Bill Pullman (Independence Day) plays Jack. Now, the names of more cast members have been revealed. Variety reports that the previously announced actors have been joined by Dee Wallace (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial), Ed Begley Jr. (Better Call Saul), Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), Rafael Casal (Loki), Eric Edelstein (Twin Peaks: The Return), and Mousa Hussein Kraish (American Gods).

Details on the characters the new additions will be playing have not been revealed.

Created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance), who also serve as showrunners, The Boroughs has the following logline: In a seemingly picturesque retirement community in the New Mexico desert, a group of unlikely heroes must band together to stop an otherworldly threat from stealing the one thing they don’t have… time.

Hilary Leavitt, who works at the Duffers’ production company Upside Down Pictures, is also an executive producer on this series. Ben Taylor (Sex Education) is on board to executive produce and will be directing multiple episodes, including the pilot. The first season will consist of eight episodes.

The Duffer Brothers had this to say about The Boroughs: “We’ve been fans of Jeff and Will’s writing for a long time, and when they pitched us their idea for The Boroughs, we immediately knew they had something very special on their hands. While the heroes in The Boroughs have a few more years on them than the kids from Stranger Things, they are a similarly lovable bunch of misfits, and we can’t wait for you to join them on an adventure that is at turns scary, funny, and deeply touching.“

Addiss and Matthews added: “We’re thrilled to be back at Netflix. Working alongside the Duffer Brothers (who are pretty good at making shows) and their team has been a dream come true. They bring the perfect balance of heart and horror to our story. We can’t wait for audiences around the world to unlock the dark mystery buried beneath the sunny facade of The Boroughs.“

Does The Boroughs sound interesting to you? What do you think of the cast of the show? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post The Boroughs: Dee Wallace, Ed Begley Jr., Jane Kaczmarek, & more cast in Duffer Brothers Netflix series appeared first on JoBlo.

Apple TV+ has debuted a solid stable of dystopian and apocalyptic series over the years. Of the various shows on the streaming platform, Silo has been one of the more ambitious. Confined to a single interior location for the entire season, Silo delivered a mystery thriller within a grounded, science-fiction format. With great turns from Rebecca Ferguson, Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo, Tim Robbins, Common, and more, the first season of Silo, based on the novel Wool by Hugh Howey, was an intriguing opening chapter to an ongoing series adaptation of the trilogy of novels. Now, the second season of Silo is returning to raise the stakes.

The second season of Silo picks up where the first left off, finding Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) venturing outside of the titular location, which does not immediately spell her doom. As Juliette explores outside of the silo, tensions rage within, which requires the leadership regime to try and quell a rebellion before it results in the deaths of everyone alive inside. With war brewing and control slipping, the fate of the silo has never been more dangerous or risky. This means we get one intense run of storytelling that sets up the potential final seasons based on the final two books in the trilogy.

I got to chat with two of the stars of Silo about the new season. Tim Robbins, who plays Bernard, the newly elected leader of the silo, discussed the similarities between this season and the real politics of our world. Common, who portrays Bernard’s right-hand man, Robert Sims, talked about whether their characters are bad guys and what it actually means to be a hero or a villain in a dystopian world. Check out the full interview in the embed above.

Silo premieres is now playing on Apple TV+ – READ OUR REVIEW HERE!

The post Interviews: Silo stars Tim Robbins and Common discuss the second season of their Apple TV+ series appeared first on JoBlo.

Overwatch 2’s newest tank hero, Hazard, is officially launching next month when the shooter’s 14th season starts, but you can take him for a spin from now until November 25. Just before the test period began, Blizzard released the first footage of Hazard in action and a breakdown of the Scottish hero’s kit. In some…

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Overwatch 2’s newest tank hero, Hazard, is officially launching next month when the shooter’s 14th season starts, but you can take him for a spin from now until November 25. Just before the test period began, Blizzard released the first footage of Hazard in action and a breakdown of the Scottish hero’s kit. In some…

Read more…

We all know that making it in Hollywood takes a lot of luck. But it’s also about connections – and if that connection used to change your diaper (or hire a live-in nanny to…), all the better. And Lily-Rose Depp – the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis – is all too aware of the label of “nepo baby.” But with Nosferatu on its way to theaters and Depp earning unanimous praise for her performance, she’s doing about as well as anyone to shut the critics up.

Even though Lily-Rose Depp is likely to earn an Oscar nomination for playing the object of Count Orlok’s desire, she knows that there is still a struggle in being the daughter of one of the world’s most famous actors. Speaking with Vanity Fair, she spoke of the pressure and always being rooted against. “Somebody asked me the other day what was the hardest part of the role, and I said, ‘Getting over the imposter syndrome of, like, ‘Why am I here and why do these people think that I can do this?’’ Getting to a place where I felt confident enough within myself to be like, ‘I can do this and I am here for a reason,’ I definitely have struggled with that. Humility is incredibly important, especially in this business. In a way, I always want to feel like I’m just starting out and like I still have so much to learn—which is how I do feel.”

No doubt Nosferatu offers Lily-Rose Depp her most challenging role, something that let her sink her teeth into a character that also let her move towards showing that she was a real actress. “I feel like people have been ready to see me fail, in a way, since I was a kid. That has made me only want to work harder and prove people wrong. Not in a vindictive way at all, but just in a sense of, like, fuel to my fire. I do want to prove that I’m a hard worker and I’m not here for anything else but to work hard.” While not all “nepo babies” have proven their actual worth in their chosen industry, it looks like Lily-Rose Depp is going to be a dominant exception, at least with Nosferatu.

Will you be seeing Nosferatu on opening weekend? What do you expect to see from Lily-Rose Depp in the future?

The post Can Lily-Rose Depp escape the “nepo baby” stamp with Nosferatu? appeared first on JoBlo.