One of the best Assassin’s Creed games ever released, Syndicate, has received a small but greatly appreciated update that lets the open-world action game run at 60FPS on current-gen consoles.

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The first season of Legendary’s MonsterVerse TV series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters ran on Apple TV+ from November into January (you can read our own Alex Maidy’s review of the first batch of episodes HERE), and while Godzilla was an important figure in that season, it wrapped up with an episode that indicated Kong might be taking the spotlight if there were to be a follow-up. In April, it was confirmed that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 was a sure thing – and cast member Anna Sawai said she hoped the new episodes would be in production soon. Well, now, seven months later, filming is officially underway on Monarch season 2! Apple TV made the announcement on social media:

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the latest chapter in Legendary Entertainment’s MonsterVerse series, which currently consists of Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and the Netflix animated series Skull Island.

The ten episode first season was set after “the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real” (as seen in Godzilla 2014). It tracks two siblings following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army officer Lee Shaw, taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows. The dramatic saga – spanning three generations – reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives.

The cast includes Anna Sawai, Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski. Season 2 brings the addition of Prey star Amber Midthunder.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters comes our way from Legendary Television. Matt Shakman (WandaVision) directed the first two episodes. Black, Fraction, and Shakman executive produce the series with Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell from Safehouse Pictures, as well as Andy Goddard, Brad Van Arragon, and Andrew Colville. Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita executive produce on behalf of Toho Co., Ltd., the owner of the Godzilla character.

Did you watch the first season of Monarch, and are you glad to hear that season 2 is in production? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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The creative world of Minecraft is coming to a theater near you on April 4, 2025, starring Jack Black, Jason Momoa, and more for an adventure based on the beloved game fueled by exploration and imagination. When Warner Bros. shared its first look at A Minecraft Movie, reactions were less than kind. Thankfully, today’s Behind-the-Scenes video offers a broader look at the live-action adaptation, quelling some of our concerns. Today’s Behind-the-Scenes video for A Minecraft Movie follows the cast and crew into a colorful world teeming with wonders and danger. I hope today’s unique look at the film gives fans more of what they expect from such an open-ended adaptation.

Here’s the official synopsis for A Minecraft Movie courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures:

“Welcome to the world of Minecraft, where creativity doesn’t just help you craft, it’s essential to one’s survival!  Four misfits—Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Momoa), Henry (Hansen), Natalie (Myers) and Dawn (Brooks)—find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination.  To get back home, they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Black).  Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.”

In the Behind-the-Scenes video for A Minecraft Movie, Emma Myers (Wednesday), Jack Black (Nacho Libre), Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black), Jason Momoa (Fast X), director Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite), and others emphasize that the title of the films is A Minecraft Movie, not The Minecraft Movie. In other words, the film is one interpretation of the Minecraft property and does not serve as a definitive take on the ever-expanding universe.

In the video, Jack Black explains that his character, Steve, has dreamed about exploring a world like Minecraft since childhood. Meanwhile, Jason Momoa offers more information about his character, Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, a competitive video game player from the 1980s. Garrett hasn’t moved on from when he was the “King of Kong,” but he’s about to put his skills to the test when he finds himself in the Minecraft Universe. Sebastian Eugene Hansen’s character, Eugene, is a modder who manipulates code to introduce new rules and mechanics to the game.

The Behind-the-Scenes video for A Minecraft Movie also includes detailed looks at the villains, including zombies, skeletons, and the Creepers. As the stars and crew take us around the set, we see how faithful Hess and his team are to recreating the Minecraft Universe in live-action. This video is a much better showing than the previous trailer. Speaking of trailers, a new trailer for A Minecraft Movie drops tomorrow!

How do you think A Minecraft Movie is shaping up? Has the new video swayed your opinion of the movie? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post A new Behind-the-Scenes video for A Minecraft Movie includes tons of new footage for the creative and cubic adventure film appeared first on JoBlo.

At one point in time, Steven Spielberg was set to direct the thriller Cape Fear, while Martin Scorsese was attached to direct the historical drama Schindler’s List. Then Scorsese decided to step away from Schindler’s List, a choice that coincided with Spielberg deciding that Cape Fear was too violent for him. So the directors traded movies – resulting in Scorsese directing Robert De Niro and Juliette Lewis to Oscar nominations for Cape Fear and Spielberg turning Schindler’s List into a Best Picture winner. Now, Spielberg and Scorsese are teaming up to executive produce a TV series adaptation of Cape Fear, with Nick Antosca on board as executive producer and showrunner – and Deadline reports that Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, Skyfall, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story) has signed on to play the villainous Max Cady in this new take on the story!

Coming our way from Amblin Television and UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, this version of Cape Fear is said to be “as an unconventional take on the IP” that turns the story into a tense, contemporary thriller that examines America’s obsession with true crime in the 21st century. In it, a storm is coming for happily married attorneys Amanda and Steve Bowden when Max Cady (played by Bardem), a notorious killer from their past, gets out of prison. The story will be told over the course of ten episodes. The show is set up at Apple TV+.

The Cape Fear story began with a novel called The Executioners by John D. MacDonald. First published in 1957, that book received a film adaptation in 1962 that was directed by J. Lee Thompson (who was working from storyboards devised by original director Alfred Hitchcock). Released in 1991, Scorsese’s Cape Fear was a second take on the material. It’s said that Antosca has been obsessed with the Cape Fear movies since he was a kid. His previous credits include Hannibal, The Forest, Channel Zero, Brand New Cherry Flavor, Antlers, The Act, Candy, and A Friend of the Family.

In addition to Spielberg, Scorsese, and Antosca, the Cape Fear TV series will be executive produced by Alex Hedlund of Eat the Cat and Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey of Amblin Television. Bardem will be an executive producer on the show as well.

By taking on the role of Max Cady, Bardem is following in the footsteps of Robert Mitchum, who played the character in 1962, and Robert De Niro, who played him in 1991.

What do you think of Javier Bardem being cast as Max Cady in the Cape Fear TV series? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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As Thought Bubble 2024 comes to a close, we look back at a fantastic weekend and what we saw at the convention this year.

Taylor Sheridan never stops working. We are lucky that the multi-hyphenate talent has given us everything from historical epics to contemporary melodramas while developing a roster of writers and directors he can rely on to shepherd his various ideas into popular television programming. Through his various series, Sheridan has been more hands-on with some than others, and Landman benefits from having his involvement as a writer on all ten episodes and director on the first two. Landman is not only another solid entry in Sheridan’s expanding roster of projects but also his best series since the first season of Yellowstone (READ OUR REVIEW).

Based on Christian Wallace’s podcast Boomtown, Landman follows Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton), a veteran of the oil business, as he fixes the day-to-day operational challenges for his boss, Monty Miller (Jon Hamm). These problems range from dealing with legal challenges, the death of oil engineers, and negotiating with Mexican drug lords using the West Texas land that Norris’ employers are drilling on. Tommy must also contend with his son Cooper (Jacob Lofland) working the high-risk life of an oil engineer while his daughter Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) and his ex-wife Angela (Ali Larter) complicate his home life. It is a high-stakes glimpse into the working-class world of those who get us the fuel we need daily with the risks the rich and powerful must face.

I chatted about Landman with the series stars, including Billy Bob Thornton and Ali Larter. Billy Bob Thornton talked about the unexpected humor inside the deeply dramatic world of Tommy Norris. In contrast, Ali Larter talked about Angela as more than a cliche ex-wife character. Taylor Sheridan collaborator James Jordan talked about what sets this series apart from Yellowstone, while Mark Collie talked about his Sheriff character and how he channeled the role. Jacob Lofland talked about the arduous life Cooper has chosen to lead. Kayla Wallace talked about her character Rebecca Falcone and whether she could hold her own opposite Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton. Paulina Chavez discussed the honor of playing her character of Paulina. Check out the full interviews in the embed above.

Landman is now streaming on Paramount+.

The post Interviews: Landman stars Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, and more discuss the new Taylor Sheridan drama series appeared first on JoBlo.

The nominees for The Game Awards 2024 have been revealed, and they will offer plenty for fans to fight over. The 10th anniversary of host Geoff Keighley’s Oscars-like celebration of interactive arts will choose from the following for the best game of the year: Astro Bot, Balatro, Black Myth Wukong, Elden Ring: Shadow…

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The nominees for The Game Awards 2024 have been revealed, and they will offer plenty for fans to fight over. The 10th anniversary of host Geoff Keighley’s Oscars-like celebration of interactive arts will choose from the following for the best game of the year: Astro Bot, Balatro, Black Myth Wukong, Elden Ring: Shadow…

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Netflix has just released the powerfully haunting new trailer for The Piano Lesson. Denzel Washington produces another film adaptation of August Wilson’s plays after he directed and starred in 2016’s Fences. This movie becomes even more of a family affair as Denzel’s son, John David Washington, stars in the drama and it’s directed by another of Denzel’s sons, Malcolm Washington. Malcolm Washington also wrote the script with Virgil Williams.

The cast also features Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith, Jerrika Hinton, Gail Bean, with Danielle Deadwyler and Corey Hawkins.

The official synopsis reads,
“A battle is brewing in the Charles Household. At the center stands a prized heirloom piano tearing two siblings apart. On one side, a brother (John David Washington) plans to build the family fortune by selling it. On the other, a sister (Danielle Deadwyler) will go to any lengths to hold onto the sole vestige of the family’s heritage. Their uncle (Samuel L. Jackson) tries to mediate, but even he can’t hold back the ghosts of the past.

Adapted from August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork, THE PIANO LESSON explores the intergenerational dynamics of identity, resilience and transcendence – revealing startling truths about how we perceive the past and who gets to define our legacy. The film is directed by Malcolm Washington in his feature debut. From Oscar nominated producers Denzel Washington and Todd Black, and featuring an all-star cast including Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith with Danielle Deadwyler and Corey Hawkins. Co-written for the screen by Virgil Williams & Malcolm Washington, and featuring music scored by Alexandre Desplat.”

Denzel Washington produces the film with Todd Black and the movie is executive produced by Jennifer Roth, Constanza Romero Wilson and Katia Washington.

Malcolm Washington said in a statement about The Piano Lesson, “Our first mandate was to honor and uphold the legacy of August Wilson; imbue his spirit into the work. I tried to open myself up to him and learn as much as I could. I read about his close relationship with his mother, that he grew up behind Bella’s Market — a small storefront that we honor in our film. I traveled to his neighborhood, Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District and walked the streets he grew up on, spoke to his family, all while digging deeper and deeper into his masterwork.”

The post The Piano Lesson trailer explores the extraordinary history of a family heirloom appeared first on JoBlo.

The PlayStation 5 Pro has been out in the wild for over a week now, and while it offers impressive improvements on many existing games, there are also some for which it seems to introduce new issues that make things look worse. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and the Silent Hill 2 remake are just a couple of games that new…

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