We smell what The Rock is cookin’ – and that is a Ric Flair biopic, a long-awaited project about the stylin’ and profilin’ icon of the squared circle, the news of which can make us say only one thing: Woooooo! That’s right, Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions will send a Flair biopic to the ring, with Johnson himself issuing a statement on the film.
Johnson unveiled the biopic earlier this week while also paying tribute to Flair, stating, “As a kid who grew up in professional wrestling, I idolized, ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair. He was a hero to me. And once I broke into the wrestling business and began to spill my own sweat and blood – my reverence for Ric turned to respect. Because I realized just how rare and impossible it is to disrupt the wrestling business, culture and truly change the game – and that’s exactly what Ric Flair did. This project is personal, and we can’t wait to tell his unbelievable story. As always, thank you for the house, Ric.”
A Ric Flair biopic is a long time coming, as The Nature Boy has one of the most storied careers in the wrestling business. We’re talking early days in the AWA in the ‘70s, a series of incredible bouts in Japan, a career-solidifying run in the NWA/WCW, a surprisingly short initial stint in the WWE (then called the WWF), and numerous retirements and returns – with so much in between. Really, there is a lot to cover in a Ric Flair biopic. As someone who grew up watching wrestling in the ‘90s, one key moment I’d love to see is his 1992 Royal Rumble win, a feat of endurance that saw Flair enter at #3 and last over one hour to become the World Heavyweight Champion. And of course there is the infamous “Plane Ride from Hell”…Regardless of the scenes they choose or leave out, with Johnson on board, the movie will undoubtedly be a work of love and admiration.
While Ric Flair has been the subject of numerous documentaries, his persona is rare on the big screen. He was recently depicted by Aaron Dean Eisenberg in The Iron Claw (about the Von Erich wrestling clan), but that was far from being well received…
Chris Pratt and Sebastian Stan have been linked to a Ric Flair biopic at various points, but Flair himself has brought up Bradley Cooper as a potential star. Who do you think could play Ric Flair in a biopic? Should the studio go from with someone famous or a newcomer? Give us your thoughts below!
PLOT: Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed, and two siblings of the Water Tribe, Katara and Sokka, discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. And although his airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he’s ready to save anyone. Some believe Aang can save the world.”
REVIEW: If there’s one thing that’s true in the world of entertainment, it’s almost impossible to adapt a beloved property without setting the fandom on fire. With legions of fans awaiting the arrival of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, you could cut the tension with a water blade. Will the new show honor the original? Does Netflix’s version offer anything new? Is a live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender necessary? Yes, it is, and it’s a hell of a ride!
As a die-hard fan of the original animated show, I’m uniquely positioned to critique and review this anticipated series. With my guard up and affinity for The Last Airbender ready for slaughter, I was stunned by how much I loved my time with this live-action version of the story. While different from the original in several ways, the live-action Avatar series honors the themes and character depth of the original and often does things the animated series could not. We’ll get to that part later. First, let’s reflect on what Netflix’s version was up against.
When Netflix announced its plans to develop a live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender, my first thought was, “Oh no, not again. Haven’t we suffered enough at the hands of M. Night Shyamalan’s 2010 disasterpiece? I don’t know if I have the strength to do it again.” Then, The Last Airbender creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino left Netflix’s live-action adaptation for creative differences—yet another bad sign. Are we doomed to repeat the past? Should The Last Airbender remain as animated perfection only? I’m thrilled that not only is the Netflix version a spectacle of costumes, makeup, and atmosphere, but the show also breathes new life into beloved characters in ways I did not anticipate.
For reasons I don’t have to explain, the first thing to strike me about the series is how good it looks. While I always prefer on-location filming instead of CGI environments, I accept that I’m old and this is how things get done. For all of its CGI glory, the translation of the Avatar’s world from animation to live-action looks fantastic. The iconic locales, Avatar state effects, bending, and characters look like Netflix ripped them out of the Nickelodeon series. Give whoever’s in charge of the makeup department a raise because their game is on point. Zuko’s facial scarring has been meticulously recreated, while Suki’s Kyoshi warrior face paint is a sight to behold. Aang’s swirly airbender markings display a tremendous amount of detail.
The costume department is also making magic on the series. Again, loving recreations reflect the Avatar fashions we know, but now they’re given texture, ornate flare, and versatility. It’s clear to me that the team at DNEG put a lot of thought into the overall look of the world and characters, with authenticity being their primary goal. The show looks like talented fans of the Avatar series created it. I can’t ask for more than that.
Another aspect of the series that makes it unique is how it’s cast a bit more authentically given the background of the anime, something Shyamalan’s version wasn’t known for. It’s genuinely remarkable to see the characters from the animated series shown as flesh-and-blood benders of the elements and otherwise. Essentially, they’ve become mystical superheroes, able to manipulate the world’s precious resources for good or ill.
I was a little nervous the first time I met Gordon Cormier’s Aang. Generally a happy airbender before all the death and destruction, Aang is a bubbly and curious child whose world comes crashing down after learning he’s the Avatar. I worried that Cormier’s Aang was too “gee willikers and golly gosh,” but he quickly displays levels to his performance, with dramatic moments peppering the playful. Aang is powerful but still has a lot to learn. Cormier’s Aang is a torrent of emotions, with his performance reflecting the weight of a child charged with saving humanity.
Katara (Kiawentiio) and Sokka (Ian Ousley) travel alongside Aang. While it took me an episode to warm to them, I quickly found them to be fantastic additions to the cast. Kiawentiio’s Katara is kind and competitive, fiercely loyal to her people, and eager to make her mark on the world. She strives for equality and challenges what she views as archaic traditions within her tribe. Kiawentiio does an excellent job conveying Katara’s transformation from an inexperienced waterbender to a skilled Posiedon of her people.
Sokka has undergone the most change from his animated counterpart, with Ian Ousley’s version forgoing the character’s sexist nature in favor of an eagerness to learn from others and support his sister’s journey. Some say this approach robs Sokka of character development and that becoming less sexist is part of his arc. Sokka is better without his predilections for condescension, as there are a few characters throughout the story that pile the disrespect on thick. A Martinez’s Master Pakku, anyone? Ousley’s Sokka grew on me, with the actor displaying a delicate balance of humor, heart, and hormonal frustration throughout the season.
My favorite performance by the young cast is Dallas Liu’s Zuko. Positively owning the line between petulant and power-hungry, Liu plays the Fire Nation Prince with depth, lending to the character’s complexity and narratively gratifying arc from villain to something far more. With his sleek and stylish fire-bending movements, Liu’s physicality is also impressive. Liu’s chemistry with Uncle Iroh actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is a show highlight. The duo spends much time together throughout the season, elevating each other’s performances by introducing new layers and fostering an unbreakable familial bond.
Then there’s my man, General/Uncle Iroh, my favorite character in The Last Airbender series. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee brings his expertise in playing a wisened father figure to Netflix’s Avatar, portraying a jovial, peace-seeking Pai Sho enthusiast tortured by the sins of his past. As much fun as I had watching Lee bounce around while doling out fatherly advice, the moments when he and Zuko connect (or disconnect) are the character’s bread and butter. I would watch a General Iroh Avatar spinoff in a heartbeat, which tells his story in greater detail. You can have that one for free, Netflix. Make it happen.
Finally, we come to Fire Lord Ozai, played by the charismatic and commanding Daniel Dae Kim. Used sparingly throughout the first season, Ozai is more like the Wizard behind the curtain we rarely see, puppeteering his minions from a throne room, only to emerge to plot invasions or ensure his children need copious amounts of trauma therapy. Kim chews the scenery while remaining the most imposing figure in the room, never breaking his stranglehold on the Four Nations or softening his vice-like grip on Zuko and Azula’s (Elizabeth Yu) emotions
There’s only a World of the Avatar with imaginative creatures populating the forests, temples, and skies. Aang’s flying sky bison Appa and winged lemur Momo add a bit of fun to the mix. While used sparingly throughout the first season (probably because they’re expensive AF to animate), both characters look like one-to-one recreations of their animated versions. Add June’s (Arden Cho) terrifying shirshu and the face-stealing spirit Koh (George Takei) to the mix, and you’ve got a zoo of detailed creatures bringing the cryptozoological elements of the Avatar series to life.
Another season of Avatar: The Last Airbender could not come soon enough. I want more time with others featured in the series, like Elizabeth Yu’s Azula, Momona Tamada’s Ty Lee, Thalia Tran’s Mai, and cameos from James Sei’s hilarious Cabbage Merchant. Who will play Toph Beifong? How heart-breaking will it be when Amber Midthunder’s Princess Yue and Sokka need to say goodbye? What happens to Katara when she realizes she can bend more than water? Get that green light ready, Netflix!
To expect Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender to be a one-to-one recreation of the animated original is absurd. Still, I’ve found the latest live-action presentation of the Avatar’s journey to be a magnificent execution. I wanted a respectable amount of changes to the story. A carbon copy of the original does me no good. I could re-watch my Avatar Blu-rays if I wanted to. The show’s creator, Albert Kim, has quelled my fears of this show becoming another cinematic blight on Avatar‘s good name, and I hope other fans are as impressed with it as I am. I marched into Kim’s series with my hackles raised and expectations on the low end of the spectrum. Being proven wrong feels pretty good right about now.
After Truth or Dare made $95 million on a budget of $3.5 million, a follow-up felt like a no-brainer, but it never happened. However, according to Variety, a Truth or Dare sequel did almost happen before the plug was pulled at the last minute.
Truth or Dare follows a group of college students who play a game of truth or dare while on vacation in Mexico, only to realize it has deadly consequences if they don’t follow through on their obligations. The young cast bonded during production and gave director Jeff Wadlow the idea for a very meta sequel in the vein of Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.
“We actually wrote a ‘Truth or Dare’ sequel,” Wadlow said. “In the first one, there’s about nine characters and seven of them die, and I didn’t want to do a ‘Final Destination’-style sequel, or ‘Truth or Dare’ and it’s happening again to a different group of people. It just seemed kind of boring to me.”
The director continued: “[The cast] had become great friends and were going on trips together, hanging out in Big Bear. They had this idea: ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if ‘Truth or Dare’ happened to us while we were on vacation together, the actors?’ The joke became that the sequel should be called ‘Truth or Big Bear.’ I thought that was kind of a brilliant idea.“
So we wrote this script — ‘Truth or Dare IRL’ — and it begins with Markie and Olivia, Lucy and Violett’s characters. They’re in this scene, and it feels like our ‘Final Destination’ kind-of ‘Truth or Dare’ scene, and Markie starts laughing in the middle of it. You hear, ‘Cut!’ and the director walks on the set, and we do the ‘New Nightmare’ treatment where we reveal that Lucy and Violett are still friends. They’re going to go on this trip with the other actors from ‘Truth or Dare,’ with Tyler, Landon and Sam. Everyone who was in the first film, they’re all buddies, and we find out what happened is the writers of the first film had researched a real demon. Just as Calux can haunt a game in the film, he’s now decided to haunt a movie in the real world. It was scary and surreal and funny and played a lot with subjectivity.
Wadlow planned to film the sequel in a cabin on the Universal lot, but this was during the height of COVID, which meant that the cast and crew would have had to quarantine. They were prepared to do what was needed to get it done, but the risks were too much for Blumhouse and Universal to take on at the time. “There’s this one cabin on the Universal lot where they’ve shot a million things — we were going to take over that cabin,” Wadlow said. “But I think they started to realize that the health and safety risks involved at that moment, and also the cost implications of basically not letting people leave, would mean everyone was on overtime for the entire shoot, and they pulled the plug on it.“
At this point, Wadlow doesn’t think the Truth or Dare sequel will ever happen as “too much time has passed.“
If you were looking forward to seeing Ana de Armas kick some ass in the upcoming John Wick spinoff, I’ve got some bad news. Lionsgate announced today that Ballerina will be pushed back a full year, with the release date moving from June 7, 2024 to June 6, 2025.
Deadline reports that the release date push will give Ballerina the opportunity to do a few reshoots. John Wick architect Chad Stahelski will be working with director Len Wiseman on “additional action sequences for the movie, to amp it up even more than it is.“
Ballerina stars Ana de Armas as a young woman with killer skills who sets out to get revenge when hitmen kill her family. As the film takes place in the John Wick universe, it will feature appearances from several franchise characters, including Ian McShane as Winston, the owner of the Continental Hotel, the late Lance Reddick as Charon, the Continental’s concierge, and Anjelica Huston as the Director, the head of the Ruska Roma. The film will also include Catalina Sandino Moreno, Gabriel Bryne, and Norman Reedus in unknown roles.
Ballerina‘s old release date was quickly filled by Rupert Sanders’ upcoming reboot of The Crow, a movie which I still can’t believe actually got made after years of false starts and development hell, but will now be hitting theaters on June 7th. The modern reimagining of the original graphic novel by James O’Barr stars Bill Skarsgård in the title role. “Soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgård) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them,” reads the official synopsis. “Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.” The film also stars Danny Huston, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila, and Jodran Bolger.
Sylvester Stallone is an action legend, but at 77 years old, his body is paying the price for years of hard-hitting stunts. In fact, during the second season premiere of The Family Stallone (via People), the actor said that he “never recovered” from one particular stunt in the first Expendables movie, leading him to warn fellow actors not to do their own stunts.
The stunt in question involved Steve Austin body-slamming Stallone against a stone wall. “I did stupid stuff. I was directing Expendables and, like an idiot, I’m doing take 10, take whatever, and I remember one slam and I could actually feel one bang,” Stallone said. “Steve knew. I never recovered from [Expendables]. After that film, it was never physically the same. So I warn people, ‘Don’t do your own stunts.’“
The stunt left Stallone with dislocated shoulders and a fractured neck. He required a metal plate inserted into his neck and spinal fusions and has had seven back surgeries stemming from the incident. Stallone’s wife, Jennifer Flavin, said that it’s a “scary time” whenever he needs another surgery. “He doesn’t like people to know he’s had so many back surgeries,” Flavin said. “It’s very scary for our family every time Sly has to go through surgery, because you never know . . . no one knows.” Stallone’s daughter Scarlet added, “It’s really hard to see my father go through yet another painful operation. My whole childhood, he was in pain. He did everything he could to push through the pain and be present, but I couldn’t imagine every waking moment you are just hurting.”
It’s tough to think of Sylvester Stallone (and other iconic action stars) left with ongoing pain due to stunts for our entertainment, but Jennifer Flavin said that she hopes this latest surgery “is the one to help him live a more comfortable life.” I sure hope so. The second season premiere of The Family Stallone is now streaming on Paramount+.
Yakuza 8, or Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth has finally arrived on consoles and PCs, and in case you haven’t heard, this one’s a banger. Not only is it the fastest-selling game in the series so far, it’s also easy on the eyes, fun to play, and lets us spend a whole lot of time with some utterly unforgettable…
Yakuza 8, or Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth has finally arrived on consoles and PCs, and in case you haven’t heard, this one’s a banger. Not only is it the fastest-selling game in the series so far, it’s also easy on the eyes, fun to play, and lets us spend a whole lot of time with some utterly unforgettable…
Just last month, Tom Cruise entered a partnership with Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy to develop and produce original and franchise theatrical films, but what kind of movies does Cruise really want to make?
By risking life and limb with real stunts in movies such as Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning and Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise has become the biggest action star on the planet. While the actor will doubtlessly continue in the action realm, a report from Variety states that Cruise would like to return to the early days when he worked on serious, dramatic movies with directors such as Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, and Paul Thomas Anderson.
In the early days of his stardom, Cruise was a bonafide awards contender, scoring Best Actor nominations at the Academy Awards for Born on the Fourth of July and Jerry Maguire, but it’s been twenty-five years since his last Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Magnolia. Under this new Warner Bros. partnership, De Luca and Abdy hope to pair Cruise up with an auteur director who “marries box office performance and awards-season heat.” There have been rumblings that Cruise might appear in Quentin Tarantino’s The Movie Critic, but that won’t necessarily land at Warner Bros. as Sony Pictures is also in the running to distribute the director’s tenth and final movie.
“The strategy at Warner Bros. right now and the reason they made some of these big star deals is they’re basically playing with other people’s money,” one insider told Variety. “They’re shopping for Quentin or Cruise with the notion they can use it as a shiny object that is going to be additive when Zaslav sells the company.“
Although Tom Cruise is still in great shape and has a few more death-defying stunts in his future, it makes sense for him to start setting up the next stage of his career when he might not be able to dangle off the edge of a cliff or cling to the side of a cargo plane. With decades of experience under his belt, it’s exciting to think of an older Cruise giving us more movies like The Color of Money, Rain Man, A Few Good Men, Eyes Wide Shut, or Magnolia.
Vampire Survivors might not be the first auto-shoot-’em-up ever made, but it has certainly become the blueprint many clones and imitators have followed since its launch in 2021. One game in that mold, Deep Rock Galactic Survival, takes that basic formula and does something different, adding mining, guns, and…
Vampire Survivors might not be the first auto-shoot-’em-up ever made, but it has certainly become the blueprint many clones and imitators have followed since its launch in 2021. One game in that mold, Deep Rock Galactic Survival, takes that basic formula and does something different, adding mining, guns, and…
