The Until Dawn movie is an adaptation of the 2015 horror game with different characters, a different story, and an entirely different premise. So what’s the point exactly? That’s what fans are wondering and the first teaser trailer doesn’t do much to address that question.
The Until Dawn movie is an adaptation of the 2015 horror game with different characters, a different story, and an entirely different premise. So what’s the point exactly? That’s what fans are wondering and the first teaser trailer doesn’t do much to address that question.
Back in 1984, writers Stephen King and Peter Straub collaborated on the fantasy novel The Talisman, in which a 12-year-old boy named Jack Sawyer goes on a cross-country journey to save the life of his ailing mother – a journey that takes him not just through the American heartland but also through a parallel universe called The Territories. In 2001, King and Straub reteamed for the sequel Black House, which found an adult Jack Sawyer working for the LAPD and travelling to Wisconsin to bring down a serial killer called The Fisherman. There have been rumblings of a third book in the series for a decade now… and even though Straub passed away in 2022, King is sticking with the plan to finish the Jack Sawyer trilogy. Back in October, he wrote on social media, “I’m back in Mid-World…and the Territories. Don’t know if it will develop into anything–I never know–but it’s good to be back.” Now, he has written on Threads, “Beavering away on Talisman 3.“
King went on to add, “Peter Straub had a terrific idea (for The Talisman 3) before passing away. Dual credit, as on The Talisman and Black House. But as always, I can never be sure a book will be done until it is. This one has a long way to go.” When a fan asked if he’s going to be channeling his “inner Straub” while writing this book, King said, “Absolutely.“
Several years ago, it was said that Straub and King knew exactly what the third book in the Talisman series was going to be, and the idea was something related to a famous real world story that both authors kept scrapbooks about when they were young. The specifics have never been revealed, and it’s not clear if that’s the same idea King is pushing forward now.
The adaptation rights to The Talisman have been in the hands of Steven Spielberg for more than forty years, ever since Spielberg got a look at the manuscript when it was still a work-in-progress and talked Universal Pictures into buying him the rights forever, not just an adaptation option that would eventually expire. At one point, Spielberg was planning to direct the adaptation himself, but he eventually decided he would just produce it. In the early 2000s, the project was set up as a six-hour TNT miniseries with Ehren Kruger (Reindeer Games) writing the scripts… but TNT wasn’t comfortable with the high budget. At another point, Josh Boone (the recent The Stand miniseries) was attached to write and direct. Then Chris Sparling (Buried) was writing the screenplay for a feature film adaptation, with Mike Barker (The Handmaid’s Tale) on board to direct. For the last few years, Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers have been developing a series adaptation of The Talisman for the Netflix streaming service.
King has previously said that if he did write The Talisman 3, it would be “a long book”. Which makes sense, because its predecessors The Talisman and Black House were both over 600 pages. Since he’s in the early stages of it now, it might be a while before we hear anything more about the book… although, with King tending to write 6 pages / 2000 words a day, it might not take him as long to knock this one out as you might expect.
Are you glad to hear that Stephen King is writing The Talisman 3? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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The Pokémon trading card game (PTCG) is in a really big mess. And once again, it’s because it has become too popular for its own good. If you were hoping to pick up some product from the forthcoming Prismatic Evolutions special sets, well, good luck to you. And March’s just-announced Journey Together set? Pre-orders…
The Pokémon trading card game (PTCG) is in a really big mess. And once again, it’s because it has become too popular for its own good. Because if you were hoping to pick up some product from the forthcoming Prismatic Evolutions special sets, well, good luck to you. And March’s just-announced Journey Together set?…
The comedy improv game show Whose Line is it Anyway? became a big hit in the States in the late 90s. So much so that ABC was confident enough to put up against the sitcom juggernaut Friends at one point. The show continued on with a revival on The CW, but some audiences may remember its origin in the UK that was shown on the BBC, which also played on Comedy Central before it was remade on this side of the pond. One of the standout comedians in the UK version was British comedian Tony Slattery. Deadline is now reporting that Slattery has died at the age of 65 due to a heart attack.
His passing would be confirmed by his family to the BBC. His partner, Mark Michael Hutchinson, would release a statement that reads, “It is with great sadness we must announce actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65, has passed away today, Tuesday morning, following a heart attack on Sunday evening.” Slattery is survived by Hutchinson, who was his partner for more than three decades.
American audiences may be familiar with the Whose Line cast, which includes Ryan Stiles, Colin Mocherie, Brad Sherwood and Greg Proops. These cast members would also appear in the original Whose Line incarnation, which was hosted by English chat show host Clive Anderson. For those who are familiar with the performers’ talent at improv, Slattery was a comedian who could match his wits with them in every chaotic scenario in any given game. He was a frequent “host” of the Party Quirks segment, where his confusion from the other performers’ prompts would elicit large laughs from the audience. Slattery had appeared on Britain’s version of Whose Line is it Anyway? for seven seasons.
Slattery was on a path to success as he joined the comedy Footlights group when he attended Cambridge University and eventually became the president. He would work with notable names in that group, which included Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson. Slattery would break into TV work on shows like O.T.T., Saturday Stayback and also went on to appear on a number of panel shows before becoming a regular performer on Whose Line is it Anyway? He also made appearances in films like The Crying Game, To Die For, Peter’s Friends, The Wedding Tackle and How to Get Ahead in Advertising.
The comedian had also garnered an Olivier Award nomination for Best Comedy Performance, thanks to his role as Gordon in Tim Firth’s Neville’s Island. Slattery had recently been touring with a comedy show and hosting a podcast, Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club.
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On January 1, 2024, the earliest versions of Mickey Mouse – seen in the animated shorts Plane Crazy, The Gallopin’ Gaucho, and most famously Steamboat Willie – became public domain… which, of course, means we’re now going to get multiple horror movies that feature characters inspired by Mickey Mouse. Within the first three days of the year, we saw the short film The Vanishing of S.S. Willie, a trailer for the slasher movie Mickey’s Mouse Trap, and an announcement that Terrifier 2 producers Steven Della Salla and Michael Leavy and director Steven LaMorte, who previously made the Grinch-inspired horror movie The Mean One, were teaming up for a Steamboat Willie-inspired horror flick that we now know is titled Screamboat. The film had been aiming for a January 2025 release, but now Iconic Events Releasing has announced (through Variety) that they’ll be releasing it sometime in April – and while doing so, they revealed an image of the killer Steamboat Willie / Mickey Mouse! You can check it out at the bottom of this article.
David Howard Thornton, who plays Art the Clown in the Terrifier films and brought the horror version of the Grinch to life in The Mean One, is playing the horror version of Steamboat Willie in Screamboat. Thornton is joined in the cast by Allison Pittel (Stream), Amy Schumacher (The Mean One), Jesse Posey (Teen Wolf), Jesse Kove (Cobra Kai), Rumi C Jean-Louis (Hightown), Jarlath Conroy (George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead), and Charles Edwin Powell (The Exorcist III). Filming is set to take place this summer, and the press release promises the movie will “feature a number of yet-to-be-announced cameo appearances.”
Screamboat will tell the story of a mischievous mouse that stalks a group of New Yorkers on a late night ferry ride, unleashing murderous mayhem on a relaxing commute. Can the ship’s motley crew of travelers find a way to stop a killer creature who has developed a taste for tourists? A previous press release told us LaMorte and the producers are “promising buckets of blood and unhinged chaos as their miniature mouse attacks a group of ferry commuters against the unmistakable backdrop of New York City’s iconic skyline. Screamboat will feature a mix of practical creature effects, miniatures, and cutting edge virtual production to showcase its very mischievous monster slashing his way through a ferry of fear.”
LaMorte is producing Screamboat with Amy Schumacher, Martine Melloul, and the previously mentioned Steven Della Salla and Michael Leavy. Kali Pictures, Sleight of Hand Productions, Reckless Content, and Julien Didon serve as executive producers. The director provided the following statement: “I’m thrilled to be working on Screamboat with such a killer cast from horror legends to comedy icons. David Howard Thornton is bringing our mischievous and murderous take on Steamboat Willie to life like never before. I can’t wait for audiences to laugh and scream with us onboard Screamboat!“ Thornton added: “I’m beyond excited to join this incredible cast and bring Steamboat Willie to life with a horror twist. Screamboat is going to be a horrific and hilarious big screen thrill ride that fans won’t want to miss.“
Speaking with Variety, LaMorte said, “I’m so excited to share our mischievous monster mouse with the world. Screamboat is my way of paying homage to Disney while putting a sinister, yet comedic twist on the classic. Watching David Howard Thornton bring Steamboat Willie to life with the magicians at Quantum Creation FX has been nothing short of amazing — he’s hilarious and murderously entertaining. I can’t wait for audiences to meet Willie and experience the chaos we’ve created.” Variety notes that the practical effects used to transform Thornton into the murderous mouse were designed by Christian Cordella and built by Quantum Creation.
While we wait for Iconic Events Releasing to confirm the specific release date for Screamboat, Variety has been able to learn that several pre-screening events will take place across the U.S. before we reach the April release date, and the movie will also be promoted at various horror conventions.
Are you looking forward to Screamboat? Take a look at the image of the killer mouse, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
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“Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” The iconic line has been said by countless people, but not once has Michael Shannon delivered it on SNL. That would seem just about right, but as it turns out, Shannon isn’t against the idea of hosting should Lorne Michaels ever actually ask.
Michael Shannon recently sat down for Interview alongside Austin Butler (who hosted SNL in 2022), with the latter saying that Jeff Nichols (a frequent Shannon collaborator who recently directed both men in The Bikeriders) told him he was an excellent improviser, thus making him a good fit for Saturday Night Live. But as Shannon pointed out, “They have never asked me…They’ve never asked me once…I mean, at this point, I’m like, there’s a statute of limitations, man. If I did do it, I’d have to bitch about how long it took for them to ask me to do it. But yeah, I’d do it.” For what it’s worth, Shannon has no relation to former SNL cast member Molly Shannon, so so much for that in.
Michael Shannon also noted that his Chicago ties (he grew up around the ‘burbs) might lend to an SNL gig. “I mean, I know so many people that have been on that show, and I came up acting in Chicago. My theater that I’m a member of is a block away from Second City, and we all used to go to the same bar, all them improv folks.” Remember, Shannon made his big screen debut in Groundhog Day alongside SNL alum Bill Murray…but we see him more excited for WrestleMania tickets than hosting Saturday Night Live. If he did get the job, Shannon could even double up his duties and also serve as musical guest, as he plays in an R.E.M. cover band.
You might not immediately think of comedy — let alone SNL — when you think of Michael Shannon (maybe it’s the face or menacing voice?) but the guy has popped up in movies like The Night Before and They Came Together and you get a pretty good idea that he’s got the chops. He could definitely play off of his trademark style in some sketches, too.
Do you think Michael Shannon would make a good SNL host?
The post Michael Shannon of all people would host SNL if he was asked appeared first on JoBlo.
Last year, we learned that Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation director David F. Sandberg would be re-teaming with Annabelle: Creation screenwriter Gary Dauberman for a movie based on the horror video game Until Dawn. Production began in August, wrapping in October, and the film is aiming for an April 25, 2025 theatrical release. A trailer is expected to make its way online soon – but in the meantime, a teaser video has been released that mixes footage from the film with interview clips where Sandberg and Dauberman explain their approach to the material. You can check it out in the embed above.
As The Hollywood Reporter previously noted, first released in 2015, Until Dawn is an interactive horror video game that follows eight friends and frenemies who are brought together a remote mountain retreat. With live or die scenarios featuring a mysterious killer, cannibalistic wendigos, a cable car, and a long-ago mining cave-in that reverberates into the present day, the members of the group must fight through their fear if they all hope to make it through the night in one piece. The game proved to be a surprise hit with critics and received numerous gaming awards nominations.
Sandberg and Dauberman haven’t revealed what exactly will be going on in their movie version of Until Dawn, but the project is described as being an “R-rated love letter to the horror genre, centering on an ensemble cast.” Dauberman’s script is a rewrite of a previous draft by Blair Butler, who wrote the vampire movie The Invitation.
Until Dawn is set up at Sony’s Screen Gems, where Dauberman has a first-look deal as part of the plan to “rebuild Screen Gems, Sony’s division focused on lower-budgeted fare, into a more productive label, with horror being a top focus.” Dauberman is producing the film through his company Coin Operated while Sandberg and Lotta Losten produce through their Mångata shingle. Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment and PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan are also producing. Ashley Brucks and Michael Bitar are overseeing the project for Screen Gems.
The film’s cast includes Ella Rubin of The Idea of You and the upcoming Fear Street: Prom Queen, Odessa A’zion of the recent Hellraiser reboot and the sitcom Fam, Michael Cimino of Love, Victor and Annabelle Comes Home, and Ji-young Yoo of Expats and Smoking Tigers. His fellow new additions are Belmont Cameli of Along for the Ride and Saved by the Bell and Maia Mitchell of The Fosters and Good Trouble. Peter Stormare (Fargo, John Wick: Chapter 2) is also in there, presumably reprising his role from the video game.
Are you looking forward to the Until Dawn movie? Take a look at the teaser video, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
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Jonathon Rees, better known by his stage name, Greg Ellis, was the voice behind Dragon Age’s fan-favorite templar knight and romanceable NPC companion, Cullen Rutherford. He was arrested last week on multiple charges of coercion, unlawful surveillance, and harassment stemming from a 2022 breakup after which he…