Massive creatures with scales have become the focus of Empire‘s 2025 Preview as the entertainment magazine debuts new looks at Jurassic World Rebirth and Dean DeBlois’ live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon. DeBlois, who directed all three of Dreamworks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon films, is partnering with co-director Chris Sanders for the anticipated project. Bringing Hiccup and Toothless’ tale to live-action gives DeBlois a chance to share the fantasy epic with audiences with a new dimension, emotionality, and action. “It’s so dialled-up in terms of stakes — having a fully credible, photo-real dragon stomping around trying to kill him,” DeBlois told Empire regarding the film’s central dragon, Toothless, interacting with Hiccup, played by Mason Thames (The Black Phone).

In How to Train Your Dragon, Hiccup discovers dragons aren’t as terrifying as the stories would have him believe. Hiccup is an outsider, so people will likely brush his opinions aside. Still, when he proves to them that dragons are misunderstood and potentially friendly, he ushers in a new era where Vikings and dragons work together to build a shared society. “There was a bit of awkwardness, but also a vulnerability to him which [came] with the fact that he was 15 when we were auditioning him,” says DeBlois about Thames landing the role.

In the new photo for How to Train Your Dragon, we find Thames’s Hiccup in an arena and battle-ready. As the eager crowd looks down from above, Hiccup braces himself for a questionable outcome to the confrontation.

In contrast, Empire debuted a new image of Scarlett Johansson in Gareth Edwards’s Jurassic World Rebirth, a dinosaur action-adventure film set five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion. In Jurassic World Rebirth, an expedition into isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three prehistoric creatures goes awry. Are you remotely surprised? This sort of nonsense happens every time. When will humans learn and leave the dinosaurs alone? Probably never.

Scarlett Johansson’s Zora Bennett carries a massive gun through thick foliage in the new Jurassic World Rebirth photo. The weapon appears to have a giant needle at its tip, seemingly to extract the DNA. I don’t know about you, but you wouldn’t catch my slow-moving ass trying to poke a dinosaur with a giant syringe. Miracle cure or not, humanity can fend for itself.

What do you think about today’s new looks at How to Train Your Dragon and Jurassic World Rebirth? Would you stab a dinosaur’s scaly exterior with that needle gun? Let us know in the comments section below, and be honest.

The post New looks at Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth and Mason Thames as Hiccup for How to Train Your Dragon finally arrive appeared first on JoBlo.

Best known for playing the character Chris Alonso on 106 episodes of the CBS TV series S.W.A.T., Lina Esco has now become the latest actor to sign on for a role in RIP, a crime thriller that’s written and directed by Joe Carnahan and is set up at the Netflix streaming service. According to Variety, Esco will be taking on the role of Captain Jackie Velez.

RIP will follow a group of Miami cops whose trust begins to fray after they discover millions in cash in a derelict stash house. As outside forces learn about the size of the seizure, everything is called into question — including who they can rely on.

Esco joins a cast that includes Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, as well as Kyle Chandler of Super 8, Sasha Calle, who played Supergirl in The Flash, singer/songwriter Teyana Taylor, who starred in the drama A Thousand and One, Catalina Sandino Moreno of the MGM+ series From, actor star Scott Adkins (John Wick: Chapter 4), and Néstor Carbonell, who was recently seen on the FX / Hulu series Shōgun. Details on the specific characters being played by Damon, Affleck, Calle, and Taylor have not been revealed, but The Hollywood Reporter was able to learn that Moreno and Carbonell are playing members of the police force, while Chandler will be playing a DEA agent. Deadline reported that Adkins’ character and Affleck’s character are brothers.

Damon and Affleck are producing the film alongside Luciana Damon and Dani Bernfeld for Artists Equity. Michael Joe and Kevin Halloran of Artists Equity serve as executive producers. Filming is expected to begin later this month and will take place in Miami and Los Angeles.

Joe Carnahan has previously directed Blood, Guts, Bullets & Octane; Narc, Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team, The Grey, Stretch, Boss Level, and Copshop. He also worked on the screenplays for Pride and Glory, the Death Wish remake, El Chicano, and Bad Boys for Life. He was also attached to direct the Death Wish remake and Bad Boys for Life during the development of those films, but dropped out over creative differences – which is something he also did when he was attached to direct Mission: Impossible 3.

The other movies that have both Damon and Affleck in the cast are School Ties, Glory Daze, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, The Last Duel (which they wrote with Nicole Holofcener), Air, and Good Will Hunting (which they won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for writing). They were also extras on the set of Field of Dreams.

Are you interested in RIP? What do you think of Lina Esco joining the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Lina Esco from S.W.A.T. joins Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in Joe Carnahan’s RIP appeared first on JoBlo.

It’s a common refrain that Call of Duty simply needs to cut out the middleman and just turn into a full fledged multiplayer-only game, but there are some absolute sickos out there who just keep egging Activision on to keep giving us 3 or 4 hours of absolute military-industrial nonsense, and god bless ‘em that they…

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It’s a common refrain that Call of Duty simply needs to cut out the middleman and just turn into a full fledged multiplayer-only game, but there are some absolute sickos out there who just keep egging Activision on to keep giving us 3 or 4 hours of absolute military-industrial nonsense, and god bless ‘em that they…

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Fresh off of playing the character Francis Cobb on the hit HBO series The Penguin, Deirdre O’Connell has signed on to join Claire Danes (Homeland), Matthew Rhys (Perry Mason), Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect), Natalie Morales (No Hard Feelings), David Lyons (Truth Be Told), and Tim Guinee (Horizon: An American Saga) in the cast of the the mystery thriller limited series The Beast in Me for Netflix – and Variety reports that O’Connell is just one of nine new additions to the cast! The other eight new additions are Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad), Hettienne Park (The Last of Us), Aleyse Shannon (Leverage: Redemption), Will Brill (The OA), Kate Burton (Grey’s Anatomy), Bill Irwin (The Dropout), Amir Arison (The Blacklist), and Julie Ann Emery (Better Call Saul).

Created, written, and executive produced by Gabe Rotter, who previously worked on The X-Files, The Beast in Me has the following synopsis: Since the tragic death of her young son, acclaimed author Aggie Wiggs (Danes) has receded from public life, unable to write, a ghost of her former self. But she finds an unlikely subject for a new book when the house next door is bought by Nile Jarvis (Rhys), a famed and formidable real estate mogul who was once the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance. At once horrified and fascinated by this man, Aggie finds herself compulsively hunting for the truth – chasing his demons while fleeing her own – in a game of cat and mouse that might turn deadly.

Snow will be playing Nina, Nile’s spouse; Morales is Shelley, Aggie’s ex-wife; Lyons’ character is FBI agent Brian Abbot; and Guinee will play Wrecking Ball, an intimidating presence in Nile’s life. It’s not surprising to hear that the guy is intimidating, given that he’s called Wrecking Ball. As for the new additions, Park will be playing Agent Erika Breton, an FBI agent who works with Abbott (Lyons); Banks’ character is Martin Jarvis, Nile’s (Rhys) father; Shannon will play Olivia Benitez, a city council member who opposes Nile’s business plans; Brill is Chris Ingram, Nile’s missing wife’s brother; Burton is Mariah Ingram, Nile’s missing wife’s mother; Irwin is James Ingram, Nile’s missing wife’s father; Emery is Lila Jarvis, Martin Jarvis’ wife; Arison plays Frank Breton, FBI Agent Erika Breton’s ex-husband; and O’Connell is taking on the role of Carol McGiddish, Aggies’ (Danes) literary agent and trusted friend.

Rotter and Danes serve as executive producers on the show alongside Conaco’s Conan O’Brien, Jeff Ross, and David Kissinger, director Antonio Campos, writer Daniel Pearle (American Crime Story), Jodie Foster and Caroline Baron, and showrunner Howard Gordon, whose previous credits include Homeland, 24, and The X-Files. Gordon is executive producing through his company Teakwood Lane Productions. 20th Television is the studio behind the project.

Does The Beast in Me sound interesting to you? What do you think of the cast that has been assembled for this show? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post The Beast in Me thriller series adds Deirdre O’Connell from The Penguin and 8 others appeared first on JoBlo.

According to Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg, the upcoming installment in the sci-fi franchise is going to shake things up and make the alien hunter himself the protagonist.

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According to Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg, the upcoming installment in the sci-fi franchise is going to shake things up and make the alien hunter himself the protagonist.

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If you hear sirens, it could be because Zack Snyder is ready to unveil his new LAPD-focused film project at Netflix. Word hit the beat this afternoon that Snyder will direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with Kurt Johnstad. The untitled action-oriented project revolves around the Los Angeles Police Department. Johnstad and Snyder teamed up for 300, the live-action adaptation of Frank Miller’s comic that helped polish Snyder’s star after the success of his Dawn of the Dead remake.

Through their Stone Quarry studio, Snyder produces the untitled LAPD action film with his wife, Deborah Snyder, and Wesley Coller. Details about the project are scarce, but The Hollywood Reporter says it is Snyder’s “most grounded” project, though it will still be over-the-top, action-packed, and highly stylized. What does a Zack Snyder movie look like without zombies, pigtailed warrior women, laser swords (not lightsabers, how dare you), and aliens running wild? We’ll find out when more details about the filmmaker’s untitled LAPD project emerge from lockup.

While details remain elusive, THR did manage to snag a vague description: “The action thriller is being described as being set in the high-stakes world of life and death and centered on an elite LAPD unit that is relentlessly confronted with the unforgiving collision of law and morality.”

“Years ago, Dan [Lin, Netflix’s head of film] and I had a conversation about our shared interest in telling a compelling and visceral character-driven story set within the intense, complex and captivating landscape of the LAPD,” Snyder told THR. “It’s a conversation that has stuck with me,” Snyder recalled. “So, as you would expect, I’m very excited to now have the opportunity to partner with Dan, along with the rest of my amazing partners at Netflix, in developing this story.”

Does Zack Snyder possess the restraint to keep his LAPD film grounded and horror fantasy-free? What kind of story do you think he’ll tell? Who would you cast in this mysterious project? We’ll closely monitor this and let you know when new details arise. Feel free to sound-off with your thoughts in the comments section below.

The post Zack Snyder flashes a badge as he prepares to direct and co-write an untitled LAPD-focused action thriller appeared first on JoBlo.

At the end of September, JoBlo Media and Octane Multimedia teamed up to launch a new YouTube channel named JoBlo TV, which hosts multiple feature films to watch for free throughout the week. The genres we’ll be focusing on at JoBlo TV are Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Thrillers – and this week has been all about the action!

The free movies we shared this week were the sci-fi action film Immortal Combat: The Code, the action thriller Assassin’s Target, and the martial arts action movie Rusty Blade. Here’s some information on each one of them:

Directed by Johnny Wu and scripted by Andras Zold from a story by Wu, with Linda Robertson as a writing consultant, Immortal Combat: The Code has the following synopsis: In our future, one simple breath could mean life or death. As we search for a solution, pollution engulfs our world. If we don’t find an answer fast, all living things shall perish. We are the Five Elements, we strive to protect humanity… Years ago, many warriors came to us seeking change, joined our way of life. Right after, A Code was discovered that could save the world and was injected into one of us. We even lost one of our clan’s mate. Now we must fight for our lives to bring the code – to the world…or die trying. With the MediCan Research Corporation and The FOUR 11 gang on our tails… We must protect the code… AT ALL COSTS. Wu stars in the film alongside  Ben Zgorecki, Crystle Paynther Collins, Keith Collins II, Matt Kane, Jerry Sur, Ben Garton, Y. Chan, Leland Leger, Lisa Y. Wong, Wayne Wong, Siu Yan Scott, Kyle Znamenak, Mike Trivisonno, Vernard Adams, George Tutie, David Spencer, Lyle Shelley, Gideon Lorete, Angel Matos, John Riddlebaugh, Andrew Santin, Thomas H.F. Gassaway, and many more.

Also known as The Vibe and Impossible Mission, Assassin’s Target was written and directed by Gilles Gambino and tells the following story: Rosa is a unassuming woman who is also a master assassin with a knack for poisons wants out of her line of work. Given the opportunity for one last big job before being “allowed” to leave her organisation, she sets out on a search and destroy mission against a spiritual leader who hacks TV signals to preach his word and threaten the world, but conflicts within her own organisation may spell disaster for her long before she ever closes in on her target. Jimena Gala, Ben Vinnicombe, James Giblin, Karina Matas Piper, Maarten Swaan, Gilles Gambino, Alika Del Sol, and Mat Cruz star.

Boasting high production value and great sword fighting action, Rusty Blade centers on Lin, a former prisoner who returns to his village after being released from jail only to find that a criminal acquaintance has formed a partnership with smugglers and is terrorizing the village. He is reluctantly forced to take up his old weapon and fight against the crime ring to protect the innocent villagers. Zhenhua Su, Chuxuan Liu, Cong Xiao, Mohetaer, and Lixiao Yang star in this one, which was directed by Xiaobai Song and Huyi Sun from a script by Huyi Sun.

To follow our JoBlo TV releases, click over to the YouTube channel and subscribe! We also recently launched a new page at JoBloYouTubeNetwork.com, where you can access all of our YouTube channels from one place. 

The post JoBlo TV roundup: Immortal Combat, Assassin’s Target, and Rusty Blade were this week’s free movies! appeared first on JoBlo.

It wouldn’t feel like a proper entry in the series if Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 didn’t present a fun single-player campaign alongside the compelling grind to Prestige. Not only is the narrative exciting, but the missions vary quite a lot and give you plenty of options for how to accomplish objectives. There are a lot…

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