One of the biggest complaints about last year’s Game Awards was that the show did not let winners talk. Even when folks from Larian Studios got on the stage to accept the Game of the Year award for Baldur’s Gate 3, they were told to “wrap it up” and weren’t even able to make the announcement that the game was out on…
Nearly nine months after a judge dismissed a case involving the stars of 1968’s Romeo and Juliet — who claimed they were sexually exploited by Paramount and the film’s director — both Leonard Whiting (Romeo) and Olivia Hussey (Juliet) are again suing the studio, this time alongside boutique label The Criterion Collection, who released the Shakespeare adaptation last year.
The lawsuit (via EW), like the failed one, seeks to stop exploitation and distribution of images of the actors in Romeo and Juliet, as it contains footage of both — who were teenagers at the time of filming — in partial nudity. They, too, maintain that profits are being made off of their images in a modern format, something they could not consent to due to their age and technology at the time. According to the claim, “Among other things, the digital photos rendered, in extremely high-definition detail, the contents of several analog color photographs taken in the private studio in the presence only of key photography personnel while Hussey and Whiting were minors during the production of the original project, depicting Hussey’s complete naked breasts and Whiting’s complete naked buttocks.”
One of the reasons the initial lawsuit surrounding Romeo and Juliet failed had to do with a lapsed statute of limitations. However, both Whiting and Hussey appear to believe that Criterion’s February 2023 release (spine #1,171) does not fall under this due to when it hit shelves, thus reigniting their interest in legal action. While Criterion’s inclusion in the lawsuit will absolutely be a significant and unique moment in their history, both Whiting and Hussey have primarily targeted Paramount. They also stated, “We and our new lawyers extended the olive branch to Paramount in hopes that they would settle this legal matter, but unfortunately, it appears that they do not want to take responsibility for their participation in the digital enhancement, production, and distribution of the 1968 film,” a reference to Criterion’s DVD and Blu-ray release.
For the most part, despite the nudity in the film, Romeo and Juliet is without damning enough controversy to “cancel” it, and it is available to stream or rent on numerous services. Criterion’s release has also earned strong reviews for its transfer.
Romeo and Juliet would be nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and stands as one of the finest Shakespeare adaptations to ever be put on screen.
Whose side are you on in the latest Romeo and Juliet lawsuit? Do you think Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey have a case this time? Give us your take below.
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Netflix’s The Night Agent is ready to welcome four new actors to the intense action thriller’s sophomore season. Excited to go behind enemy lines for one of the streamer’s chart-topping series are Michael Malarkey (The Vampire Diaries, The Oath, Project Blue Book) and Keon Alexander (The Expanse, Impulse, Circumstance) as series regulars, with Navid Negahban (Aladdin, Homeland, 12 Strong) and Rob Heaps (Imposters, Station 19, And Then There Were None) as recurring guest stars.
The following character descriptions hail from Variety‘s exclusive report:
Michael Markalay plays Markus, a military chief and loyal nephew to a dictator newly convicted of war crimes by the Hague. In contrast, Keon Alexander plays Javad, who oversees security for the Iranian Mission to the United Nations and monitors the loyalty of its employees.
Navid Negahban portrays Abbas, the venerable U.N. ambassador for Iran. Finally, Rob Heaps plays Tomas, the elitist son of the aforementioned deposed dictator, who is keen on restoring his family to power.
After an extended wait for new episodes of Netflix’s hit thriller series to kick into high gear, fans can start their anticipation engines for a follow-up to the first season’s stunning cliffhanger. Cameras are rolling in New York City, with additional filming happening in Thailand and Washington D.C. The Night Agent, starring Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan, Hong Chau, and Eve Harlow, is a smash-hit Netflix series with an astounding 168,710,000 hours in viewership.
In addition to the stars mentioned above, Fola Evans-Akinbola, Sarah Desjardins, D.B. Woodside, Phoenix Raei, and Enrique Murchiano also star as primary characters, with Amanda Warren, Arienne Mandi, Louis Herthum, Berto Colon, Brittany Snow, and Teddy Sears joining the sophomore season.
Based on the novel by Matthew Quirk, The Night Agent is “a sophisticated, character-based, action-thriller centering on a low level FBI Agent who works in the basement of the White House, manning a phone that never rings — until the night that it does, propelling him into a fast moving and dangerous conspiracy that ultimately leads all the way to the Oval Office.”
Netflix gave a Season 2 renewal to The Night Agent almost immediately after the success of the first installment. The green light started shining in March last year, but then the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes happened, and Netflix delayed production for The Night Agent Season 2. Cameras will roll with the strikes in Hollywood’s rearview, and fans can start getting excited about the next thrilling chapter of the intense thriller.
Fans are champing at the bit to discover what happens next to Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) and Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan). The first season ended on a hell of a cliffhanger, with significant reveals, dangling plot points, and lives hanging in the balance. If The Night Agent Season 2 is as good as the first, we’re in for a great time!
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Greetings, fellow solitary gamer. If you’re thinking of giving the third-person co-op shooter Helldivers 2 a shot on your own, well, you’ll have your work cut out for you. Helldivers 2 is not only typically more fun with friends, much of the game’s challenges and mission structures are designed with multiple players…
Greetings, fellow solitary gamer. If you’re thinking of giving the third-person co-op shooter Helldivers 2 a shot on your own, well, you’ll have your work cut out for you. Helldivers 2 is not only typically more fun with friends, much of the game’s challenges and mission structures are designed with multiple players…
A trailer for Prey has just arrived online – and no, we’re not talking about that Predator movie that was just released a while back. This is a new movie called Prey, which Vertical will be giving a theatrical and VOD release on March 15th. It seems kind of soon to be sending another movie called Prey out into the world, but clearly Vertical disagrees. Ryan Phillippe (Shooter), Emile Hirsch (The Autopsy of Jane Doe), and Mena Suvari (American Beauty) star in this “nature run amok” survival thriller, and you can check out the trailer in the embed above. A poster for the film can be seen at the bottom of this article.
Written and directed by Mukunda Michael Dewil, who previously worked with Phillippe on the 2022 thriller Collide and with Hirsch on the 2022 thriller The Immaculate Room, Prey has the following synopsis: After an extremist militant group threatens their lives, a young couple (Ryan Phillippe and Mena Suvari) is forced to flee their Christian missionary post in the Kalahari Desert. After being granted passage aboard a rickety plane, piloted by a corrupt smuggler (Emile Hirsch), their escape to safety is nearly in reach. But when their aircraft loses power and crash lands, they discover a bigger threat awaits them as they find themselves stranded in the middle of an animal preserve populated by maneaters — lions, leopards, and hyenas. Injured, frightened, and being tracked by the extremists, this ragtag group of passengers must fight for survival from both man and beast where only the strong will survive.
Dylan Flashner (Bandit), Tristan Thompson (The Tutor), Michaela Sasner (Aftermath), and Jeremy Tardy (Dear White People) are also in the cast.
Dewil produced Prey alongside Robert Ogden Barnum, Lucas Jarach, and Christian Ackerman. Phillippe and Hirsch serve as executive producers with Nicolas Chartier, Jonathan Deckter, Peter Jarowey, Kristin Harris, Rich Goldberg, Rick Sasner, Luke Daniels, Alan Pao, Andrew Davies Gans, and Gary King.
What did you think of the Prey trailer? Will you be watching this movie when it’s released in March? Let us know by leaving a comment below – and take a look at this poster while you’re scrolling down:
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Update: Following Marvel’s official announcement of the cast for its Fantastic Four movie, a new report from veteran entertainment reporter Jeff Sneider says rumors about Javier Bardem playing the world-eating villain Galactus are real. Sneider told the world about Bardem’s involvement with the project in November. He’s re-upping his claim today, saying Marvel is courting Bardem for the role, with the plot inspired by “The Galactus Trilogy,” a series of comics depicting the FF’s first run-in with the cosmic titan.
Additionally, Sneider says Marvel continues to search for an actor to play the Silver Surfer, who acts as Galactus’ herald when the villain gets introduced. Previous rumors said Anya Taylor-Joy would play Juno, a female version of the Silver Surfer. Sneider also claims that Doctor Doom will appear in Marvel’s Fantastic Four. However, he’ll likely debut near the film’s end or in a post-credits stinger. Sneider’s source for Javier Bardem’s casting is the same person who told him about Pedro Pascal playing Reed Richards months before Pascal was confirmed. According to Sneider, Bardem’s schedule keeps him from signing on the dotted line. If that aspect of the deal can be ironed out, he’ll likely climb aboard.
Original Article: Would you look at that gorgeous Galactus art from Christian Ward? Marvelous! One day after learning that Pedro Pascal is in talks to join the cast of Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four as the stretchy omega-genius Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), a new rumor suggests Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men, Skyfall, Biutiful) could play the world-eating villain Galactus in the anticipated superhero epic.
The tip hails from industry insider Jeff Sneider, who says the same source that alerted him to Pascal’s possible involvement with the film says Marvel is eyeing Bardem for the classic larger-than-life villain. Sneider says Bardem could be out of the running because of a scheduling conflict with Apple and Joseph Kosinski’s F1 movie starring Brad Pitt, but that doesn’t mean he’s out. Bringing Galactus to the silver screen likely means voice-over and motion capture work for Bardem. Still, elements of the production could require him to be on set.
While Bardem is not a lock (at least not yet), other casting rumors continue circulating. Vanessa Kirby (Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, The Crown, Pieces of a Woman) is wildly rumored to play Susan Storm (Invisible Woman). Meanwhile, whispers imply Joesph Quinn (Stranger Things) is playing Johnny Storm (Human Torch), with Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear, The Punisher, John Adams) playing Ben Grimm (The Thing).
You’re killing me, Marvel! I need confirmation on the casting for Fantastic Four before my head explodes. The FF is an outstanding Marvel property brimming with potential. Here, I’ll give you the formula right now: Lost in Space with Indiana Jones-style action and exploration of the cosmos. You’re welcome. Have your people contact my people for where to send the check.
What are our chances that Javier Bardem joins the cast of Fantastic Four? Where does this leave Doctor Doom? What about the Silver Surfer? Galactus needs a herald to announce his oncoming arrival. Is this when Keanu Reeves enters the MCU? I have so many questions that only an official announcement from Marvel Studios can answer. What are your fantasy castings for Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four? Let us know in the comments section below.
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In the spirit of the season of love we asked you, dear readers, to share with us your biggest video game crushes. The answers are in, and they are varied. Turns out there are a lot of characters to love across countless video games. Heroes, villains, sidekicks, you name it, somebody is crushing on them. While there…
In the spirit of the season of love we asked you, dear readers, to share with us your biggest video game crushes. The answers are in, and they are varied. Turns out there are a lot of characters to love across countless video games. Heroes, villains, sidekicks, you name it, somebody is crushing on them. While there…
Last month, it was announced that Melissa Moore’s autobiography Shattered Silence, which previously inspired the podcast Happy Face, is getting a Paramount+ streaming series adaptation that’s also titled Happy Face. Annaleigh Ashford – whose credits include B Positive, American Crime Story, and Masters of Sex – had already signed on to star in the series at that time, and now The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Dennis Quaid, whose long lists of credits includes the likes of The Day After Tomorrow, Innerspace, Frequency, and Jaws 3D, will be playing a serial killer on the show.
Happy Face will see Ashford taking on the role of Melissa, who at age 15, discovered that her beloved father was the prolific serial killer known as “Happy Face.” As an adult, she has changed her name and guarded her secret while her father has been serving life in prison. Melissa is drawn back into her father’s world after decades of not having contact with him. Happy Face, in prison for his crimes, finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. Melissa must find out if an innocent man is going to be put to death for a crime her father committed, while also discovering the impact her father had on his victims’ families and facing a reckoning with her own identity.
Quaid’s character is the homicidal father known as Happy Face.
This series is coming our way from executive producers Robert and Michelle King, who are also behind shows like The Good Fight and Evil (both of which Ashford has appeared on). We just learned yesterday that Paramount+ has decided to end Evil with the show’s fourth season. Jennifer Cacicio serves as showrunner. Michael Showalter (The Eyes of Tammy Faye) is on board to direct the first episode.
This series has been in development for more than three years and was formally ordered to series way back in November of 2021. The Kings, Moore, and Showalter are executive producing alongside Liz Glotzer, Conal Byrne, Will Pearson, Jordana Mollick, and showrunner Jennifer Cacicio. The production companies involved are CBS Studios, King Size Productions, iHeartPodcasts and Simi-Formal Productions.
The first season of Happy Face will consist of eight episodes and is expected to premiere sometime in 2025. Are you interested in seeing Dennis Quaid play a serial killer on this show? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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