With its 50th season currently airing, Saturday Night Live has seen its share of ups, downs and humiliations. It, too, has seen well over 150 cast members take the stage throughout its history, and that includes plenty that you either forgot about or had no idea were even on SNL. We’re talking people like Gilbert Gottfried, Laurie Metcalf, Joan Cusack, Julia Louis-Dreyfus – you probably could have guessed these were all in the ‘80s…Far removed from her brutal days on SNL in the mid-’80s, Louis-Dreyfus remembers where it all started – and not in a good way.

Appearing on the Wiser Than Me podcast, Julia Louis-Dreyfus recalled being spotted at a Chicago-based theater and being invited, along with what she called fellow “complete and total unknowns”, to perform part of the show in New York. Unfortunately, the setting and circumstances didn’t lend to the environment Louis-Dreyfus and company were used to – and neither did the New York state of mind. As Louis-Dreyfus recalled, they were “under fluorescent lights in the middle of the day in front of 20 very cynical, unfriendly SNL cast members and writers who already hated us because a bunch of their best friends had just been fired to make room for us.”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus would – along with Gary Kroeger and future husband Brad Hall – join SNL for its eighth season in 1982, with Louis-Dreyfus sticking on for three seasons. But that moment under those awful lights cast a shadow over her entire SNL stint. “We never had a chance. Sketches that had killed in Chicago died a terrible, terrible death that day. It was excruciating. I think that humiliation influenced our whole SNL experience for the next couple of years, to tell you the truth…I’ve learned a lot since that cringy day in a carpeted office on the 17th floor of 30 Rock.”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus would have her final SNL episode as a cast member in 1985, leaving the show alongside the likes of Martin Short, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Jim Belushi. The host of that final episode was sports announcer Howard Cosell, just to give you an idea of where Saturday Night Live was at the time. Despite her rough go in Studio 8H, Louis-Dreyfus would return to host SNL a total of three times. And she’s done fine elsewhere, too…

Have you seen any episodes of SNL that Julia Louis-Dreyfus was on? If so, how do you think she did, considering?

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Are you not entertained? You will be when CBS debuts a special presentation for Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated sequel, Gladiator II. On Thursday, the network announced The Making of Gladiator II, premiering on CBS at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on Monday, Nov. 18, and also streaming on Paramount+.

Produced by Paramount Pictures, this in-depth presentation of Scott’s return to the ring gives viewers unprecedented access to the film’s elaborate production, larger-than-life sets, including a reconstruction of Ancient Rome, to characters, combat training, costumes, historical accuracy, scoring, and more! The Making of Gladiator II allows you to shadow Ridley Scott as he works to create one of his most ambitious films.

Considering Gladiator II cost an estimated $310 million to produce, juicing audiences up for the sequel is a fantastic move. The Making of Gladiator II brings potential viewers closer to the action, revealing Scott’s tricks of the trade, movie magic on a grand scale, and the hard work of the film’s cast and crew. There’s something special about seeing how the cinematic sausage gets made. As someone who’s attended his fair share of set visits, I know there’s nothing like seeing how the cinematic sausage is made. Getting a behind-the-scenes look at a film can paint the project in a completely different light as you witness the artistry first-hand and hear stories from the cast and crew.

Here’s the official synopsis for Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures, who are releasing the film on November 22, 2024:

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.

Will you watch The Making of Gladiator II on CBS before the November release? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is the first entry in the annual blockbuster to be announced and released since Microsoft acquired it along with the rest of Activision Blizzard last October. And, by all accounts, it’s giving Xbox the boost it needed during a rough year. On an earnings call this week, Microsoft CEO Satya…

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Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is the first entry in the annual blockbuster to be announced and released since Microsoft acquired it along with the rest of Activision Blizzard last October. And, by all accounts, it’s giving Xbox the boost it needed during a rough year. On an earnings call this week, Microsoft CEO Satya…

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Writer/director Kevin S. Tenney’s 1986 horror classic Witchboard (watch it HERE) is getting the remake treatment couresty of director Chuck Russell, who was bringing us the likes of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and the remake of The Blob back in the days when Witchboard was gathering its earliest fans. The Witchboard remake doesn’t have a release date yet, but JoBlo’s own Tyler Nichols was able to watch it earlier this year (you can read his review at THIS LINK) and talk to Russell and star Madison Iseman about it (you can watch the interview HERE), so hopefully it won’t be much longer before more of us have the chance to see the movie. Highland Film Group has just come on board to handle the international distribution rights – and while they prepare to launch sales at the American Film Market, a new image from the film has been unveiled. You can check it out at the bottom of this article.

According to Deadline, Russell intends to go beyond the original Witchboard IP “with a deeper storyline, high intensity scares and imaginative visuals”. As such, the screenplay he has written with Greg McKay sounds quite different from the original film. Here’s the synopsis: Emily, her fiancé Christian and a group of their friends open an organic café, refurbishing an old carriage house in New Orleans’ French Quarter. But a darkness descends over Emily when she discovers an ancient pendulum board, once used to summon spirits. Christian seeks help for Emily from occult expert Alexander Babtiste, but Babtiste has secrets of his own, knowing the fateful bloodlines that binds them all to the Witchboard. A modern coven of White Witches, a masked ball at Babtiste’s mansion, and the legacy of Naga Soth, the Queen of Witches, are all part of a dangerous game that puts Emily’s very soul at risk.

The film stars Madison Iseman of the short-lived I Know What You Did Last Summer TV series, Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), Antonia Desplat (Shantaram), Charlie Tahan (Ozark), and Jamie Campbell Bower, who caught a lot of attention last year for playing the villainous Vecna in season 4 of Stranger Things.

The Witchboard remake is an A-Nation Media production, and Russell and McKay are producing the film with Kade Vu and Bernie Gewissler. Eric Schiermeyer, Sarah Buxton, John Paul Isham, and Walter Josten serve as executive producers. Although the film is set in New Orleans, it was shot in Montreal.

The original Witchboard, which is one of my all-time favorites, had two sequels that followed different characters and featured different evil spirits. The main connection between the films was the presence of a Ouija board. Russell’s Witchboard seems separate enough from the original that it might as well be considered Witchboard 4, even if it switches out a Ouija board for a pendulum board. And I’m definitely interested in seeing a Witchboard 4 that’s directed by Chuck Russell.

Highland Film Group CEO Arianne Fraser had this to say about the movie: “Witchboard is a chilling new take on a beloved horror classic. With slick looks, it’s a nod to the practical effects driven horror movies of the late ’90 and beyond.” Highland Film Group COO Delphine Perrier added, “Chuck Russell has expertly crafted a gripping and tense horror thriller that pulls its audience into the intoxicating dangers of the supernatural.“

Are you interested in the Witchboard remake? Take a look at the new image, then let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is, understandably, a pretty big deal. The franchise has been in a bit of a lull lately, despite routinely setting new sales records, and this game especially needed to be a slam dunk given its unique position. As the first Call of Duty game to release on Game Pass following Microsoft’s…

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is, understandably, a pretty big deal. The franchise has been in a bit of a lull lately, despite routinely setting new sales records, and this game especially needed to be a slam dunk given its unique position. As the first Call of Duty game to release on Game Pass following Microsoft’s…

Read more…

After teaming up for 2018’s Stan & Ollie, a biographical comedy focusing on the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, John C. Reilly (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Step Brothers, Ralph Breaks the Internet) and Steve Coogan (Despicable Me 4, Philomena, Alan Patridge: Alpha Papa) are reuniting for The Players, an upcoming comedy about competing Shakespearian actors.

The Full Monty’s Peter Cattaneo directs The Players from a script by Jeff Pope (Stan & Ollie, Philomena). The Players is an 1800s period comedy revolving around two thespians, Edwin Forrest and William MacCready. According to Deadline‘s exclusive report, The Players “is set in 1847 New York, where Edwin Forrest (Reilly) holds the undisputed title as the country’s top Shakespearian actor. Playing magnificently to a sold out, raucous crowd every night, Edwin is “The Star”. But when critically celebrated English thespian William MacCready (Coogan) arrives from London to perform his sophisticated Hamlet, Edwin’s title is thrown into jeopardy. Each man wants what the other has, and the rivalry between them starts a hilarious and unforgettable battle of egos.”

Production for The Players is expected to start early next year in Europe, with Ben Pugh, Ben Cavey, Tim Cole, and Josh Horsfield for 42. Executive producers include Pope, Coogan, Protagonist Pictures’ Dave Bishop, George Hamilton, James Pugh, and 42’s Josh Varney.

“The multi-talented Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly have reunited for this wildly funny, bigger than life battle of egos,” Bishop said of The Players. “Their chemistry is undeniable and, with the wit and comedy bursting from every page of Jeff’s script, and Peter’s artful direction behind the camera, this is set up to be a tremendous crowd pleaser.”

You can catch Steve Coogan as Paddy Meyers in Todd Phillips’ divisive Joker: Folie À Deux or as Tom Michel in Peter Cattaneo’s The Penguin Lessons, in which an Englishman experiences a personal and political awakening after he adopts a penguin during a cataclysmic period in Argentine history.

As for John C. Reilly, he stars alongside Elizabeth Banks, Sofia Boutella, Kathryn Newton, and Juliette Lewis in Alex Prager’s upcoming thriller Dreamquil. The film focuses on a woman embarking on a virtual wellness retreat to get her life back on track – but with nightmarish consequences.

Are you excited about Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly getting the band back together for The Players? Let us know in the comments section below.

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The upcoming TV series It: Welcome to Derry, which will serve as a prequel to Warner Bros’ two-part adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel It (pick up a copy HERE), was originally meant to be for the Max streaming service, but we recently learned that it will be airing on HBO as well. The show went into production in Port Hope, Ontario at the end of last year, aiming for a 2025 premiere, and wrapped in August after 237 shooting days. Now, a batch of first look images have made their way online, and you can check those out in this article.

Brad Caleb Kane (Tokyo Vice) and Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman), who was a co-producer on It: Chapter Two, are the showrunners on It: Welcome to Derry (and Kane recently signed on to be showrunner on the Friday the 13th series Crystal Lake as well.) The show is being executive produced by Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti, the sibling director/producer duo that was behind the two It movies, through their production company Double Dream. Kane and Fuchs are also executive producing, as are Shelley Meals, Roy Lee, and Dan Lin. The series is produced by HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television.

Fuchs wrote the script for the first episode, working from a story he crafted with the Muschiettis. Andy Muschietti has directed four episodes of the nine-episode series.

Stephen King had this to say about the series: “I’m excited that the story of Derry, Maine’s most haunted city, is continuing, and I’m glad Andy Muschietti is going to be overseeing the frightening festivities, along with a brain trust including his talented sister, Barbara. Red balloons all around!“ The Muschiettis added, “As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King’s It until the thick paperback fell to pieces. It is an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could explore in our It movies. We can’t wait to share the depths of Steve’s novel, in all its heart, humor, humanity, and horror.“

The cast of Welcome to Derry includes Taylour Paige (Zola), Jovan Adepo (Watchmen), Chris Chalk (Perry Mason), James Remar (Dexter), Madeleine Stowe (Revenge), Stephen Rider (Daredevil), Alixandra Fuchs (Hatfields & McCoys), Kimberly Guerrero (The English), Dorian Grey (Star Trek: Discovery), Thomas Mitchell (Gangland Undercover), BJ Harrison (Family Law), Peter Outerbridge (Saw VI), Shane Marriott (Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent), Chad Rook (Billy the Kid), Joshua Odjick (Little Bird), Rudy Mancuso (Música), and Morningstar Angeline (Westworld). We don’t know anything about the characters they’ll be playing, either. In fact, the only character we know anything about is Pennywise, the evil clown. Bill Skarsgård is on board to reprise that role.

Are you looking forward to It: Welcome to Derry? Check out the first look images, then let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post It: Welcome to Derry images offer the first look at upcoming Stephen King series appeared first on JoBlo.

Principal photography for Jaume Collet-Serra’s Cliffhanger reboot is officially underway in Austria, where Lily James defies gravity while pushing herself to the limit. Today, Rocket Science, in partnership with Thank You Pictures and Supernix, unveiled two first-look images from the film’s shoot in Austria’s East Tyrol region of the Lienz Dolomites. I hope you don’t get vertigo because the reboot of Sylvester Stallone’s 1993 thriller, starring Lily James (Cinderella, Baby Driver, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) and Pierce Brosnan (Mrs. Doubtfire, Goldeneye, Die Another Day), looks like it’s off to an exciting start.

“In this reboot of Cliffhanger, seasoned mountaineer Ray Cooper (Pierce Brosnan) and his daughter Sydney run a mountain chalet in the Dolomites. During a weekend trip with a billionaire’s son, they are targeted by a gang of kidnappers. Ray’s older daughter Naomi (Lily James), still haunted by a past climbing accident, witnesses the attack and escapes. To save her family, she must confront her fears and fight for survival in the Italian Dolomites.”

Additional cast members include Nell Tiger Free (The First Omen, Servant), Franz Rogowski (Passages, Great Freedom), Shubham Saraf (Shantaram and Criminal), Assaad Bouab (Franklin, Bad Sisters), Suzy Bemba (Poor Things, Homecoming) and Bruno Gouery (The White Lotus, Emily in Paris, Modi).

Filming locations for Cliffhanger expand beyond Austria’s East Tyrol region to include the Carinthia regions of the Lienz Dolomites, which recently moved to Germany’s Penzing Studios near Munich, Bavaria, and will wrap in Italy.

Speaking about the complexity of filming his Cliffhanger reboot, Jaume Collet-Serra commented on Lily James’ tenacity and strength for the role, as well as the challenge of capturing the grandeur of the pulse-pounding action film, saying, “Shooting our movie on location in the Dolomites using large format cameras was imperative for us to show the scope and scale of the story we’re telling. We’re going to bring the audience a truly thrilling and visceral, premium theatrical experience. Lily in particular has gone above and beyond for the role, putting in real training and learning to climb. Her dedication has allowed us to capture some incredible shots we couldn’t have achieved otherwise, and the whole crew is blown away by her commitment.”

Unsurprisingly, Stallone’s Cliffhanger holds up incredibly well after all these years. During my most recent rewatch, the movie still packs an intense punch to your senses as its characters dangle from danger and dodge bullets while trudging through the snow. Cliffhanger also gives us the gift of John Lithgow’s hilarious British accent, which I could not ignore, and entertains throughout the caper. We’re excited to find out if Lily James has what it takes to honor the original film’s legacy. If today’s first-look images are any indication, she’s up to the task.

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