In the late ’90s, producer James G. Robinson and screenwriter William Wisher Jr. started developing a prequel to the 1973 horror classic The Exorcist – and no one could have predicted just how messy this project would get. Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI director Tom McLoughlin was hired to take the helm, but then dropped out due to issues with the script. John Frankenheimer (The Manchurian Candidate) took the helm, with author Caleb Carr handling rewrites… then Frankenheimer left because his health was declining (he passed away soon after) and was replaced by Paul Schrader. Schrader was known for writing films like Taxi Driver, Rolling Thunder, Raging Bull, and The Last Temptation of Christ, and he had also directed several films: Blue Collar, Hardcore, American Gigolo, Cat People, and others. During a recent interview with MovieWeb, Schrader admitted that he shouldn’t have taken on the job of directing Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist.
When the subject came up, Schrader told MovieWeb, “I shouldn’t have done it. It was not something I was really suited for. I thought I could pull it off, but if I had that opportunity again, I would say, ‘I think I will stick to what I do best.’“
The script for Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist ended up being the cobbled together work of six different writers – and when Warner Bros. saw the first cut of Schrader’s film in 2003, they immediately called for more rewrites, reshoots, and re-edits. After butting heads with Schrader for a while, they ended up firing him and hiring Renny Harlin to direct the reshoots – resulting in the film Exorcist: The Beginning, which was given a theatrical release in 2004.
Exorcist: The Beginning underperformed at the box office and was a critical failure. The following month, Morgan Creek Productions started working with Schrader on getting a cut of his movie, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, out into the world. It received a limited theatrical release in 2005 and reached home video later that year.
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist and Exorcist: The Beginning both rank low in the Exorcist franchise, and a lot of horror fans would probably say that neither Schrader nor Harlin should have made their Exorcist movies. MovieWeb does point out that Roger Ebert was a fan of Schrader’s Dominion. He wrote that the film “does something risky and daring in this time of jaded horror movies: It takes evil seriously. There really are dark satanic forces in the Schrader version, which takes a priest forever scarred by the Holocaust and asks if he can ever again believe in the grace of God. The movie is drenched in atmosphere and dread, as we’d expect from Schrader, but it also has spiritual weight and texture, boldly confronting the possibility that Satan may be active in the world. Instead of cheap thrills, Schrader gives us a frightening vision of a good priest who fears goodness may not be enough.“
What do you think of Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist? Should Paul Schrader have passed on the chance to make an Exorcist movie? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
As winter officially settles into our bones, Disney is ready to transport audiences to the Pride Lands of Africa for the studio’s highly-anticipated prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King. The live-action animated adventure is eager to pounce on the holiday box office after several successes with Deadpool & Wolverine, Inside Out 2, and Moana 2, securing Disney’s spot as a top earner in theaters throughout the year. It’s been a rough crawl back to form for film studios and theater chains after the double threat of the pandemic and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Thankfully, smoke from the fallout is clearing, and people are excited to make cinemas a part of their extrovert activities. Today, Disney debuted four new Mufasa: The Lion King posters, featuring beloved characters from the film striking a pose in picturesque settings.
Here’s the official synopsis for Mufasa: The Lion King courtesy of Disney:
“Exploring the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands, ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick,” reads the synopsis. “Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka—the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny—their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe.”
The film boasts quite the voice cast, with Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka/Scar, Tiffany Boone as Sarabi, Kagiso Lediga as Young Rafiki, Preston Nyman as Zazu, Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, Thandiwe Newton as Eshe, Lennie James as Obasi, Anika Noni Rose as Afia, Keith David as Masego, John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Donald Glover as Simba, Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara, Braelyn Rankins as Young Mufasa, Theo Somolu as Young Taka, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala.
Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King comes to theaters on December 20, 2024.
You can check out the new posters for Mufasa: The Lion King below:
Bloodborne fans have spent years waiting for a sign of anything—a sequel, remaster, port—being done to their favorite PlayStation 4 exclusive. But as time has passed without even a whiff of a PS5 update, some have lost hope. Now, Sony has hit back with the perfect troll that can be read as a either a sign of fresh…
Bloodborne fans have spent years waiting for a sign of anything—a sequel, remaster, port—being done to their favorite PlayStation 4 exclusive. But as time has passed without even a whiff of a PS5 update, some have lost hope. Now, Sony has hit back with the perfect troll that can be read as a either a sign of fresh…
About nine years ago, a supernatural thriller script called Deeper, written by Max Landis, was the subject of a bidding war that MGM ended up winning. They forked over a seven figure amount. At the time, the project had Bradley Cooper on board to play the lead character and Kornel Mundruczo (White God) was set to direct it. In 2017, Gal Gadot entered negotiations to join Cooper in the cast. But the deal was never closed with Gadot, Cooper had to drop out due to scheduling issues, and Mundruczo followed him out the door. Baltasar Kormakur (2 Guns) was then hired to direct the film, and in 2019, Idris Elba stepped up to replace Cooper in the lead. The project was shelved in response to allegations that Landis had emotionally and/or physically abused multiple women, so Kormakur and Elba went off and made Beast together instead. But now, Deeper is being revived, with Doug Liman on board to direct the film and Tom Cruise attached to star in it.
Liman and Cruise previously worked together on Edge of Tomorrow and American Made.
There’s speculation that Landis’s script will be given a substantial rewrite so the filmmakers can downplay his contributions, as happened with his most recently produced screenplay, 2020’s Shadow in the Cloud. Since the project has been in and out of development with three different directors involved over the last decade, chances are high that it has already received several rewrites.
Deeper centers on a disgraced astronaut who embarks on a mission to reach the bottom of a newly-discovered oceanic trench, which some speculate may be the lowest point on Earth. Facing great danger, he quickly finds himself in a physical and psychological fight against mysterious forces.
Even though Cruise’s character is a disgraced astronaut, it should be noted that Deeper and the space movie that Cruise and Liman have been planning to make for years (with filming to take place in space) are separate projects.
Liman confirmed their involvement with Deeper to Showbiz411, telling the site that they plan to make this a “scary” movie. “I have never done one, and neither has Tom Cruise.” I guess they don’t consider the Cruise-starring Interview with the Vampire to be scary.
So Deeper has passed from Kornel Mundruczo and Baltasar Kormakur to Doug Liman and from Bradley Cooper and Idris Elba to Tom Cruise. What do you think of Liman and Cruise reteaming for this supernatural thriller? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
I have had a sudden surge of excitement for Marvel Rivals, NetEase’s swing at a superpowered hero shooter akin to Overwatch. Is it because the game is a few days away from launching on December 6? Could it be because it’s a game my friends and I might actually play together after almost all of them stopped playing Over…
I have had a sudden surge of excitement for Marvel Rivals, NetEase’s swing at a superpowered hero shooter akin to Overwatch. Is it because the game is a few days away from launching on December 6? Could it be because it’s a game my friends and I might actually play together after almost all of them stopped playing Over…
Intense, calculated thrillers have been a big screen staple for decades, but we rarely get them on the small screen. With rare exceptions like FX’s acclaimed The Americans, espionage dramas on television and streaming tend to lean more towards action and stuntwork. While you may be tempted by the James Bond and Ethan Hunt films, there is always room for a mature, adult-oriented drama focused on psychological thrills and intrigue. The Agency is a perfect example of those mature thrillers done right.
The Agency centers on the London station of the CIA. Run by Bosko (Richard Gere) and Henry (Jeffrey Wright), the station is the base for Martian (Michael Fassbender), who has recently been recalled after six years undercover. Martian is reluctant to be home after entering into a romantic relationship with Sami (Jodie Turner-Smith). As the series progresses, Martian becomes embroiled in an international incident involving one of the agency’s agents, who may be a double agent. Putting global security at risk, Martian must balance his romance with Sami, help his employers resolve the incident, and deal with his own psychological state.
I talked with two of The Agency‘s cast and crew members about the new series. Star Richard Gere discussed his character’s place in the large ensemble cast, including Katherine Waterston and more. The legendary actor also talked about his preference for intricate projects like this. Director and producer Joe Wright talked about the challenge and benefits of directing part of a long-form series and how he drew inspiration from classic films for the quieter, dialogue-free sequences that allow the actors to dig into the mental state of the story. Check out the full interviews in the embed above. Read our review HERE!
The Agency is streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime.
Plot: Set two years after the events of The Suicide Squad, Creature Commandos focuses on a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. With Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) as their puppetmaster, a ragtag group of monsters led by Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) travel to a foreign kingdom to protect Princess Ilana (Maria Bakalova) before learning there’s more at stake than the lives of her subjects.
Review: The age of Gods and Monsters is here with the release of James Gunn’s Creature Commandos, an animated monster mash that starts the DCU off with an explosion of blood, unexpected swings, and surprising twists as an ensemble of antiheroes shred their way through another one of Amanda Waller’s experimental missions. Kicking off with a two-episode launch, Creature Commandos takes the best elements of 2021’s The Suicide Squad and the fallout from 2022’s Peacemaker to continue laying the foundation of a new DC Universe worth investing in.
If there’s one thing James Gunn is incredibly good at, it’s mixing action, comedy, and drama into a compelling narrative with characters that present depth and complexity. He’s a filmmaker who excels at changing the mood on a dime. One moment, you’re gasping at the absurdity of his taste for hyper-violence, and the next, he’s hitting you with an emotional story beat that reduces you to near-tears. Despite a pacing issue or two at the start, Creature Commandos steadily evolves into an exciting first chapter of what I assume are great things to come.
Unsurprisingly, Creature Commandos is highly cinematic in presentation and pace. Gunn sets up pieces on the board before unleashing a gambit of ultra-violence. It was a bold move, to be certain. Launching the series with a two-episode premiere is wise, though I worry about going week-to-week with the rest. Creature Commandos has immense “extended film cut” energy despite being a television series. Your mileage could vary while waiting for significant action set pieces to pop off, but trust me when I say the forward momentum doesn’t let up after the explosive end of the second episode’s knock-down-drag-out brawl. Episode 3 sets a new pace, and episode 4 hit me like a hammer to the heart.
Creature Commandos boasts outstanding voice performances, with standouts Frank Grillo, Indira Varma, Maria Bakalova, and Zoe Chao. Each member of the Creature Commandos is more than what they appear, with Gunn taking a “villains aren’t born, they’re made” approach to the squad. Even though the Commandos are more like antiheroes, you get my drift. There are reasons these characters don’t give f**k about collateral damage, human life, or consequences. Once you arrive at the third episode of Creature Commandos, the show takes a “monster-of-the-week” approach to telling each team member’s origin story to significant effect. Gunn places a lot of emphasis on people viewing these characters as monsters. They’ve spent their entire lives as misunderstood castoffs from society, with tragedy and cruelty at the core of every milestone. You don’t walk away from that sort of treatment unscathed, and that’s part of what makes the Commandos so compelling.
For those looking for a little bit of ultra-violence, Creature Commandos delivers over-the-top action that results in deaths only animation can pull off. Gunn and the team at Warner Bros. Animation go balls-to-the-wall regarding creative and excessive deaths. Like The Suicide Squad, Creature Commandos takes a “no one is safe” approach to its body count. Be careful who you become attached to, be it a member of the team or otherwise.
If there’s an element of Gunn’s work you can count on, it’s his propensity for inspired needle drops. The soundtrack for Creature Commandos is Gunn’s most festive mix tape yet, with “Let’s start a riot” tracks from acts like Juke Baritone, Firewater, and Johnny Hollow. There’s even a too-appropriate and fun cue for “Coin-Operated Boy” by The Dresden Dolls. The collection of songs didn’t bang as hard for me as the albums for Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy or The Suicide Squad, but the Creature Commandos tracklist goes for a definite vibe. You’ll either fall into the groove or feel like the DJ left his big CD wallet in the car. Both outcomes are correct.
Characters like The Bride, Dr. Phosphurus, Nina Muzursky, G.I. Robot, and even Weasel excel at becoming more complex after learning their origins; David Harbour’s Eric Frankenstein is an outlier. Eric hit me as a slightly one-note behemoth, as he’s little more than a hulking stalker of The Bride throughout the series. It’s important to remember the limits of emotion for Frankenstein’s monster. He can feel and articulate, but he lets his loneliness define him. Upon laying eyes on The Bride, he’s unable to focus on much else, pursuing her throughout the decades, never grasping her hatred for everything he represents. David Harbour brings a tragic comedy to Eric Frankenstein. Still, more is needed to save the character from feeling like a lovelorn battering ram with little bearing on the overarching plot. I would love to see Harbour play Eric Frankenstein in live-action for the DCU, as the character has more to offer beyond what we get here.
At the end of seven episodes, Creature Commandos does everything you expect from a Gunn ensemble project and more. Gunn’s knack for exciting character chemistry shines, and the animated medium offers multiple action set pieces that would break the budget on Day 1 if filmed in live-action. It’s easy to see why Gunn presented Creature Commandos as an animated series, though I’d jump at the chance to see these characters in the flesh. Thankfully, the DCU’s new structure leaves the door open for such opportunities. Well, some of them are dead now, but there are ways around that.
James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU is off to a great start with Creature Commandos as its amuse-bouche to larger projects like Superman, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and eventually, Swamp Thing. God, give me a Swamp Thing movie in the vein of Creature Commandos right now. My body is ready. With the Snyderverse in the rearview, fans willing to give Gunn and Safran’s turn at the wheel a fair shake will likely walk away from Creature Commandos feeling optimistic about the DCU’s future. Sure, there will be those who rush to social media and Rotten Tomatoes to piss in people’s Count Chocula cereal because there’s something they don’t like, but that’s the way it goes. I’ve never been more jazzed to see what else Gunn and Safran have in store for their era of the DCU because they care about making their time with the franchise memorable and meaningful. Let’s f**king go!
This morning, PS5 owners booted up their consoles and (assuming they had auto-updates turned on) were greeted with a surprise: The original and iconic PlayStation 1 console boot-up logos and music. It’s all part of Sony’s ongoing 30 years of PlayStation celebration. And there’s more beyond the PS1 intro, though sadly,…
