When Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater launched back in 2004, fans quickly realized that Eva’s voice actress in the credits—Suzetta Minet—was a fake name. But for 20 years Konami kept the real identity of the person secret. Now, as part of the marketing push for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater remake,…
Lil Rel Howery has starred in comedies like Vacation Friends and Reunion, and he has also dealt with darker material in the likes of Get Out and The Mill. Now he’ll be pulling from both his comedy and horror experiences to direct the horror comedy Haunted Heist, which he’ll also be starring in – and Deadline reports that he’s being joined in the cast by Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip, The Afterparty, Haunted Mansion).
Howery will be making his directorial debut on this film, working from a screenplay by Carl Reid, writer of the recent Hulu horror movie Mr. Crocket. The story Reid crafted for this one begins when four estranged friends reunite at what appears to be a typical house. But one friend has ulterior motives; he plans to rob the place and needs their help to find an antique worth a fortune. But the house is straight up haunted, and the group must squash their differences to survive the night and an insane pack of ghosts.
The Coven will be launching world distribution sales at the American Film Market, which is happening this week in Las Vegas. Haunted Heist is expected to go into production in January. Howery is producing Haunted Heist with Death Ground’s Josh Feldman and Sean King O’Grady (the team behind The Mill and Mr. Crocket) and Robinwood7’s Feras Majid Shammami and Jesse Ford. Priscilla Ross Smith and Kendall Anlian serve as executive producers.
Howery provided the following statement: “I’m so excited to be working on this project in front and behind the camera. It’s going to be so much fun.“
The Coven’s Priscilla Ross Smith added, “We are always looking for something fun and fresh. The best Saturday night movie that an audience could hope for. Haddish and Howery will knock this out of the park.” Haunted Heist will be the second film to be produced by The Coven; the first was the upcoming exorcism horror movie Shadow of God.
Does Haunted Heist sound like an interesting project to you? Share your thoughts on this Lil Rel Howery / Tiffany Haddish horror comedy by leaving a comment below.
The post Lil Rel Howery to direct and star in horror comedy Haunted Heist, Tiffany Haddish co-stars appeared first on JoBlo.
A24 isn’t done scaring up dollars at the box office as the studio’s horror thriller, Heretic, looks to convert $10M during the film’s box-office launch. Analysts see the chilling feature starring Hugh Grant at $8-10M from 3,200 cinemas, especially if audiences still feel spooky after the Halloween holiday. In contrast, Lionsgate’s faith-based family film The Best Christmas Pageant Ever could pull a cheerful $6 million to $8 million during its debut from 3,000 theaters.
While new films are typically the cat’s pajamas at the box office, analysts predict Sony’s Venom: The Last Dance will take another bite out of the top spot. The symbiotic sequel could drop 40% to 50% from the weekend before, resulting in $13 million to $15 million in upcoming ticket sales. Venom: The Last Dance is holding onto screens after earning $318M worldwide, compared to 2018’s Venom ($856M) and 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage ($506M). The third (and final) Venom film only cost $120M to produce, so it’s not a total loss.
If positive word of mouth spreads, there’s a chance Heretic and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever could exceed expectations. Election cycles are always emotionally taxing on all sides, and audiences could look to theaters for a respite from the tension. Thankfully, cinemas are always waiting with comfy seats, booming sound systems, and snacks to bring good vibes.
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods directed Heretic from their script. In the film, two religious women are drawn into a cat-and-mouse game in a strange man’s house. Hugh Grant leads the film alongside Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East. Topher Grace and Elle Young also star as primary cast members.
As for Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo is forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie’s last dance.
Are you planning to check out Heretic this weekend? How about Venom 3? Let us know in the comments section below.
The post A24’s Heretic could convert $10M into a box office debut as Venom: The Last Dance looks to top the charts again appeared first on JoBlo.
Hey, everything sucks right now. There’s no getting around it, and we’re going to have to live with the consequences of this shit for the rest of our lives. So, if you’re feeling angry about things, like say, the rise of fascism in America, why not grab the Wolfenstein games and kill some Nazis?
Hey, everything sucks right now. There’s no getting around it, and we’re going to have to live with the consequences of this shit for the rest of our lives. So, if you’re feeling angry about things, like say, the rise of fascism in America, why not grab the Wolfenstein games and kill some Nazis?
Ernie Hudson seems to have a love-hate relationship with the entire Ghostbusters series, acknowledging its significance in his career but also recognizing that the studio crossed the streams when it came to promoting the movies. But one aspect that shines above the rest is his admiration for Peter Venkman himself, Bill Murray, who he recognizes helped him star onboard for the 1989 sequel.
Appearing at the Rhode Island Comic Con over the weekend (via People), Ernie Hudson remembered that his casting in Ghostbusters II wasn’t exactly a guarantee. “Bill Murray is the only actor I think I’ve ever worked with who when they tried to get him to do another [Ghostbusters] — remember it was about 20 years before we came back with another movie after the second movie. But Bill just basically said, ‘If Ernie Hudson’s not in it, I’m not doing it.’ There are not many people who sort of stand up for you. And that was just very, very special. So I love all the guys. They’re very, very supportive.”
Considering the issues Ernie Hudson had with the first Ghostbusters – which found Columbia only boasting Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis on the poster instead of also featuring Hudson – it’s nice that he recognizes the people would still go to bat for him for the sequel. It also paints Bill Murray in a solid light and shows him as one of the most loyal guys in the business (provided you’re not on his bad side). Hudson, too, would go on to praise his other castmates, saying, “I had been acting for, I don’t know, a lot of years before I even did Ghostbusters. The studio was really not as welcoming, but the guys were. When we do a scene, the guys would say, ‘Wait a minute, Ernie’s not saying anything. So let’s make sure he’s included.’ So a lot of those lines probably could have gone to somebody else, but they were kind enough to make sure that I was always included.”
Even though Winston Zeddemore was a late addition to the original Ghostbusters gang, his – and those of Ernie Hudson – contributions can’t go unnoticed. Not only would he be needed for the first sequel, but he was absolutely essential for both Afterlife and Frozen Empire to help the passing of the proton packs be successful…2016’s version, not so much.
Ernie Hudson definitely has some choice words for certain elements of the Ghostbusters series, but it’s entirely impossible to imagine them taking on the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man or Vigo the Carpatian without the help of Winston. And hey, for a steady paycheck, that’s not too bad of a reputation.
What is your favorite Winston line or scene from the Ghostbusters franchise? Share your pick with us below!
The post Ernie Hudson thanks Bill Murray for getting him cast in Ghostbusters II appeared first on JoBlo.
Josh Trujillo, John Harris Dunning and Greg Lockard shared how they helped increase awareness of untold LGBTQIA+ stories in comics.
It’s a rough Wednesday, but you probably don’t need me to tell you that. If, somehow, you’re learning this through Kotaku and not anywhere else, convicted felon Donald J. Trump is projected to win the 2024 presidential election over Vice President Kamala Harris. As a queer person in America, it’s pretty hard to write…
It’s a rough Wednesday, but you probably don’t need me to tell you that. If, somehow, you’re learning this through Kotaku and not anywhere else, convicted felon Donald J. Trump is projected to win the 2024 presidential election over Vice President Kamala Harris. As a queer person in America, it’s pretty hard to write…
Last week, it was announced that Theo James of The Gentlemen, the Divergent films, and the upcoming Osgood Perkins / Stephen King movie The Monkey is set to star in a film called The Hole, which is coming our way from South Korean director Kim Jee-woon. Now, the name of James’ first co-star has been revealed, and that co-star is Emmy-nominated Korean actress and model Hoyeon, who made her screen debut in the hit Netflix series Squid Game.
James is taking on the role of Owen, a successful professor living abroad in South Korea, who is bedridden after a devastating car accident that killed his wife, Sandy. He is left under the care of Yuna, his Korean mother-in-law — but when she starts to unravel the devastating truth behind Owen and Sandy’s marriage, and Owen himself, his road to recovery is threatened. Hoyeon will be playing Sandy.
Scripted by Christopher Chen, The Hole is based on the 2017 Shirley Jackson Award winning novel of the same name by Hye-young Pyun. This adaptation is being produced by Esmail Corp, K Period Media, and Anthology Studios. The Veterans will be representing international distribution rights at the American Film Market next week. CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group are representing the US rights. Individual producers are Sam Esmail, Chad Hamilton, and Nick Krishnamurthy of Esmail Corp; Kimberly Steward and Alex Foster of K Period Media, and Andy Sorgie of Paisan. Jee-woon is also producing, as is Jay Choi. Soon Ho Song who will serve as a co-producer for Anthology Studios.
Press release note that the story will be told in a combination of English and Korean, as it takes place in both the United States and South Korea. Filming will take place in both countries, with production expected to start in the first or second quarter of 2025.
The novel had the following description: Oghi has woken from a coma after causing a devastating car accident that took his wife’s life and left him paralyzed and badly disfigured. His caretaker is his mother-in-law, a widow grieving the loss of her only child. Oghi is neglected and left alone in his bed. His world shrinks to the room he lies in and his memories of his troubled relationship with his wife, a sensitive, intelligent woman who found all of her life goals thwarted except for one: cultivating the garden in front of their house. But soon Oghi notices his mother-in-law in the abandoned garden, uprooting what his wife had worked so hard to plant and obsessively digging larger and larger holes. When asked, she answers only that she is finishing what her daughter started. A bestseller in Korea, award-winning author Hye-young Pyun’s The Hole is a superbly crafted and deeply unnerving novel about the horrors of isolation and neglect in all of its banal and brutal forms. As Oghi desperately searches for a way to escape, he discovers the difficult truth about his wife and the toll their life together took on her.
Kim Jee-woon’s previous directing credits include The Quiet Family, The Foul King, A Tale of Two Sisters, A Bittersweet Life, The Good the Bad the Weird, I Saw the Devil, the Arnold Schwarzenegger film The Last Stand, The Age of Shadows, Ilang: The Wolf Brigade, Untact, and Cobweb (the South Korean movie, not the horror film produced by Seth Rogen).
Does The Hole sound interesting to you? What do you think of Hoyeon joining the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
The post The Hole: Squid Game’s Hoyeon joins film from I Saw the Devil director Kim Jee-woon appeared first on JoBlo.