The A24 horror film Heretic, from the writing and directing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, received a wide theatrical release last week, and so far has made about $16 million at the global box office. The budget came in under $10 million, so it’s doing okay – and Beck and Woods have ideas for follow-up films that wouldn’t be direct sequels, but “spiritual sequels.”
Hugh Grant – whose credits include Notting Hill, Love Actually, Wonka, and Unfrosted – stars in Heretic, which has the following synopsis: Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. Grant is joined in the cast of Heretic by Chloe East (The Fabelmans) and Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets) as the missionaries. (You can watch our interviews with them HERE.) Grant hasn’t done much horror in his career, but he did have a role in Ken Russell’s Bram Stoker-inspired supernatural horror comedy The Lair of the White Worm back in 1988.
Speaking with Variety, Beck said, “There are some things on deck that we’ve talked out specifically that feel like spiritual sequels. They delve into religion, cults or other hot-button items that we want to see on the screen that go to uncomfortable places. What was exciting about Heretic was we’ve seen many movies that might be religious in nature, but aren’t necessarily providing a foundation of a conversation that you can walk away with. If you want to keep engaging with it by having conversations about the ideas with your friends, family or loved ones, you can have that there. We find ourselves in such a divisive, polarizing world at times that there’s so much discourse we’re still very captivated by. We want to feed that into a couple of the upcoming projects.“
Beck and Woods’ previous credits include A Quiet Place (they wrote the original script), Haunt (as writers/directors), Nightlight (writers/directors), Spread (writers/directors), the “Adam Driver vs. dinosaurs” movie 65 (writers/directors), and an episode of 50 States of Fright (writers/directors). They also (alongside Mark Heyman) received writing credits on the Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman – which happened to star Sophie Thatcher, who turned in a great performance in a movie I thought was just okay overall.
JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray gave Heretic a 7/10 review that can be read at THIS LINK. He said Grant “radiates fiendishly clever intelligence, and he’s given a sadistic streak I didn’t see coming, which feels bold for a mainstream horror flick.”
Have you seen Heretic? What do you think of the idea that Scott Beck and Bryan Woods might make some “spiritual sequels” to the film? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Gladiator 2 arrives in theaters this weekend, and if you were hoping to see Denzel Washington’s character kiss a man, well I’ve got bad news for you. While that scene was apparently filmed, it was cut because, according to Washington, the people in charged chickened out.
Gladiator 2 arrives in theaters this weekend, and if you were hoping to see Denzel Washington’s character kiss a man, well I’ve got bad news for you. While that scene was apparently filmed, it was cut because, according to Washington, the people in charged chickened out.
It took everything I had not to raise my hands in the air as if riding the front car of a rollercoaster as our shuttle bobbed and weaved through the winding stretch of Lucas Valley Road. With each farmhouse and animal enclosure we passed, I felt more and more lightheaded. It could have been the increase in altitude, but likely, we were on our way to one of the most historic retreats in Hollywood, Skywalker Ranch. I could not think of a better place to learn about Ultraman: Rising, an animated film honoring its title character’s legacy and cinematic history.
What is Ultraman: Rising about before we get into the nitty-gritty? The story centers on baseball star Ken Sato, who reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of Ultraman. But the titanic superhero meets his match when he is forced to adopt a 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby Kaiju, Emi. Throughout the emotional and action-packed adventure, Sato must rise above his ego to balance work and parenthood while protecting the baby from forces bent on exploiting her for their own dark plans.
Press events are always a gamble. The studio buys the ticket, and you take the ride, gaining a unique perspective as you experience the passion and artistry behind what you’re there to see. Netflix spared no expense in presenting Ultraman: Rising in a blinding light of visual spectacle and sound as we entered the Stag Theater, aka the “Vatican of Movie-watching,” for a viewing experience as epic as the sight of Ultraman battling Kaiju in the bustling metropolis of Tokyo, Japan.
To fully enjoy the Stag Theater experience, I chose optimal seating at the room’s center. The Stag is outfitted with THX-certified M&K Sound, producing a volume and clarity that would make any audiophile weep joyfully. The film’s director, Shannon Tindle, led the presentation alongside co-director John Aoshima, Composer Scott Stafford, Sound Editor Leff Lefferts, and Sound Engineer Gary Rizzo. Stafford was the first to dazzle the crowd with details about composing the film’s score.
While the music in Ultraman: Rising consists of everything from larger-than-life battle anthems to emotional laments, Stafford says the harp is the heart and soul of the auditory experience. As lights dimmed and the theater filled with sound, I could hear an orchestra seeding the air for a soundscape tended by droning strings and a siren-like choir. The pained moans of a massive Kaiju on the verge of death ripped through the Stag as helicopter blades echoed across lazy ocean waters. Stafford shared that he composed multiple pieces of the score before the animation process began, providing a unique atmosphere and feeling to the project’s early processes. Giving a storyboard presentation or screening a vertical slice of a scene with the music already implemented provides the demonstration with an extra level of oomph.
Next, Leff Lefferts and Dave Rizzo occupied the podium, ready to present the inner workings and process of sound mixing. Choosing scenes that highlight some of their best work, I could hear every blaring car horn, thunderous punch, ear-splitting roar, and the disastrous results of collateral damage brought on by Ultraman’s fight with a colossal creature. Rizzo emphasized that he and Lefferts took full advantage of Industrial Light & Magic’s tools to create the mix for Ultraman: Rising.
When I asked the duo how they decide what sounds to prioritize when creating a mix, Lefferts said there’s a hierarchy in place that helps determine a scene’s flow. It’s more of a feeling you develop after years of experience than a set of complex rules. To get the right mix, you must listen to the audio repeatedly to discover what’s important and eliminate overlap. If a car horn interrupts the dialogue, it’s time for a do-over. If too many sounds crowd the scene, it becomes a process of elimination. The right mix requires trained ears and mastery of the audio tools available. There’s no room for error if you want the audience to become submerged in your world.
If you listen carefully, you’ll hear samples and echoes of Kaiju from Ultraman’s past in Ultraman: Rising. The creativeteam wanted to honor the hero’s legacy and pantheon of skyscraper-sized beasts in multitudes, and one way to do that was by including sounds that mimic the Kaijus from previous eras. Another way to ensure authenticity was by asking James Scott to help recreate unique sounds found only in Japan, such as the chimes of the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, Japan (a sound removed for the final version), crosswalk audio prompts, and police sirens.
On the topic of influence, Shannon Tindle revealed that director Robert Benton’s 1979 drama Kramer vs. Kramer helped inspire Ultraman: Rising. At first, I thought he was kidding, but then Tindle pointed out that, at its core, Ultraman: Rising is a story about parents warring over a child. While that could sound strange, given the giant robot-battling nature of the franchise, Ken Sato’s journey from a self-centered showboat celebrity to a concerned and proactive parent makes for one of the year’s best-animated films.
The next stop on our tour was a presentation hosted by VFX Supervisor Hayden Jones. In his youth, Hayden watched Doctor Who, an arena of science fiction wholly removed from the larger-than-life heroics of Ultraman. While in the running, Industrial Light & Magic did not agree to create the effects for Ultraman: Rising right away. First, Jones binged the character’s entire history before taking the next step, evaluating art assets, including drawings, animatics, and intended design.
As Jones guided us through building effects, he emphasized the amount of work and detail poured into every aspect of what we see on screen. There isn’t a single part of Ultraman: Rising that doesn’t take advantage of ILM’s expertise and accessibility to state-of-the-art programs that determine the look and feel of the film. Everything from the character designs to animation, shading, cloth mapping, lighting, rigging, and polishing flows through the VFX department.
When watching Ultraman: Rising, pay close attention to the water, with inspiration for its design rooted in manga, anime, Cowboy Beebop, and Studio Ghibli films, such as Porco Rosso and Ponyo. The water contains speed lines, giving the liquid mass a sense of motion even when all is still. As the element froths and churns, you can see the lines stretch and recede as if the water is breathing in tandem with Ken’s labored respirations or Gigantor’s final gasps before death takes hold. The finished product is a site to behold. However, seeing the steps taken to bring the water to life offers a new perspective.
Another creative force who helped inspire the art and animation of Ultraman: Rising is Akira and Steamboy writer Katsuhiro Otomo. You can feel his presence throughout the movie, particularly during Emi’s birth sequence. Otomo’s work is famous for depicting speed, extreme emotionality, and a lived-in feel. While Ultraman: Risings‘ Tokyo is perhaps cleaner than Otomo’s, the city’s population density, grid structure, towering complexes, and propensity to incur collateral damage are similar. Ultraman: Rising wears its influences proudly, though it manages to iterate on them with added style and originality.
Despite having access to every art tool under the sun, ILM often looks for excuses to invent new systems to push the boundaries of animation and effects. ILM created a new face-rigging program for Ultraman: Rising, granting the studio access to an array of emotions, looks, and intuitiveness. Using a complex range of dials, sliders, and switches, animators can manipulate a character’s face for a broader scope of articulation. The more access to a character you have, the better because many film elements change the overall look of every adjustment. Lighting, particle effects, shading. It all augments the art, sometimes in unpredictable ways.
Toward the end of the day, ILM showed us a series of character action tests in which animators act out motions and dialogue in front of a camera as reference material. While watching the performances side-by-side, seeing how much of the artist remains a part of the final product was remarkable. Some artists go above and beyond to bring the characters to life before trying to build an animation to match their efforts. Additionally, not all actions are sweeping and exaggerated. Often, it’s more difficult to animate a character’s subtle movements than when they’re dramatically flailing about. Animating a character listening, thinking, and considering their next move can present unique challenges to even the most seasoned artists.
Furthermore, only some things are created from the ground up. Some assets, such as walk cycles, can be reused, though they often serve as the foundation for animations that change depending on the environment and other factors. You can drop a character’s walk into a scene, but adjustments to the animation are made within frames, creating an entirely new movement sequence. It’s a delicate dance between animator, character, and action.
In a year boasting several animated films that go above and beyond to entertain, such as The Wild Robot, Inside Out 2, and Flow, Netflix’s Ultraman: Rising explodes with emotion, personality, and jaw-dropping visuals and sound. Its story is not what I would have expected from an Ultraman film in 2024, yet I am in awe of its outstanding blend of giant robot spectacle and tenderness. Witnessing the delicate process of how Tindle, Aoshima, and their talented team at Lucasfilm created Ultraman: Rising is something I’ll never forget, and I consider myself privileged for the opportunity. I’ve loved animation for as long as I can recall, and exploring the magic of making memorable characters and stories come to life at places like Skywalker Ranch and ILM is a dream come true.
Earlier this year, an adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Long Walk (which was, like The Running Man and Thinner, published under the pen name Richard Bachman) went into production, with director Francis Lawrence, whose previous credits include Constantine, I Am Legend, Water for Elephants, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Parts 1 and 2, Red Sparrow, Slumberland, and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, at the helm. Now, cast member Judy Greer (the Halloween and Ant-Man franchises) has said that the film Lawrence has made out of King’s story is beautiful and dark.
An adaptation of The Long Walk has been trudging through development hell for decades. At one point, the rights were in the hands of Frank Darabont, who made the King adaptations The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist. Then the rights passed over to New Line Cinema, where Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark director André Øvredal was hired to direct the film from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt, whose credits include the two most recent Scream movies. While doing the press rounds for his film The Last Voyage of the Demeter last year, Øvredal revealed that he was no longer involved with The Long Walk, and said not making that movie is one of the big regrets of his life.
Strange Darling writer JT Mollner has written the screenplay for the version of The Long Walk that’s being made. The novel is set in a future dystopian America ruled over by a militaristic dictator, and the titular event is an annual contest in which 100 teenagers must keep a steady pace of at least four miles an hour under strict rules until only one of them is left alive. The winner receives “The Prize”: anything they want for the rest of their life. The story follows Raymond Garraty, a 16-year-old from Pownal, Maine, as well as a group of other teenagers with good, bad, and mysterious intentions.
Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza), David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus), Garrett Wareing (Ransom Canyon), Tut Nyuot (The Witcher: Blood Origin), Charlie Plummer (National Anthem), Ben Wang (American Born Chinese), Jordan Gonzalez (Pretty Little Liars: Summer School), Joshua Odjick (Welcome to Derry), and Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit) star in the film alongside Greer and Star Wars legend Mark Hamill, who just recently finished working on another King adaptation called The Life of Chuck.
Lawrence is producing the film through his company about:blank, alongside Roy Lee, Cameron MacConomy, and Steven Schneider. Meredith Wieck and Erin Jones-Wesley are overseeing for Lionsgate. Filming took place in rural locations throughout the province of Manitoba.
Speaking with Collider, Greer said, “The Long Walk is based on a novel Stephen King wrote in 1979. It was in response to the Vietnam War. Our movie kind of takes place again in sort of like a timeless place. Like there’s some technology, but then there’s a lot of throwback elements to the script. Francis Lawrence directed it, and Cooper Hoffman is the star. There are so many great young actors in this movie. I’m excited for all the talent that’s going to emerge. It’s a really, really, really dark story, and it’ll probably be perfect for when it comes out. My husband just read the book, and every night in bed, he’d be just turning a page going like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God.’ I’m like, ‘I know. I was telling you every day when I was shooting.’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, but it’s really dark!’ It’s a dark story about a competition show. But it’s beautiful, and the performances that I got to watch when I was on set were stunning.“
Are you looking forward to Francis Lawrence’s beautiful and dark take on The Long Walk? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
Paramount+ today announced that Paramount Animation and Hasbro Entertainment’s TRANSFORMERS ONE, the first fully CG-animated TRANSFORMERS film, will stream exclusively on the service beginning Friday, November 15, in the U.S. and Canada. The film’s availability in additional international Paramount+ markets will be announced at a later date. Paramount+ subscribers can also access the expansive TRANSFORMERS universe collection featuring all seven live-action films and Paramount+ original animated series TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK seasons 1-3 streaming now. Check out the collection here.
The latest addition to the globally recognized cinematic franchisedelves into the untold origin story of how the legendary OPTIMUS PRIME and MEGATRON, the respective leaders of the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS, went from brothers-in-arms to sworn enemies. Voiced by global superstars Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry, the iconic adversaries are joined by long-running franchise familiars ELITA-1 (Scarlett Johansson), BUMBLEBEE (Keegan-Michael Key), STARSCREAM (Steve Buscemi), ALPHA TRION (Laurence Fishburne) and SENTINEL PRIME (Jon Hamm) in the war for CYBERTRON.
The film received widespread acclaim upon its release, becoming Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an 89% critics score and receiving an A on Cinemascore. MovieWeb championed the film as, “a mesmerizing CGI adventure chock-full of thrilling action scenes, great humor and a thoughtful script with powerful themes,” while Screen Rant hailed it as, “the best TRANSFORMERS movie yet.”
Paramount Animation and Hasbro Entertainment present, in association with New Republic Pictures, TRANSFORMERS ONE, a Don Murphy / Tom DeSanto, di Bonaventura Pictures and Bay Films production directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Josh Cooley, with a story by Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari and a screenplay by Eric Pearson and Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari, based on Hasbro’s TRANSFORMERS Action Figures. The film is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, p.g.a., Tom DeSanto & Don Murphy, Michael Bay, Mark Vahradian, p.g.a., and Aaron Dem, p.g.a., and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Zev Foreman, Olivier Dumont, Bradley J. Fischer, B.J. Farmer and Matt Quigg.
TRANSFORMERS ONE is rated PG for sci-fi violence and animated action throughout, and language.
The trailer and key art for Beatles ’64, an all-new documentary from producer Martin Scorsese and director David Tedeschi, is available now. Beatles ’64 will stream exclusively on Disney+ beginning November 29, 2024. The film captures the electrifying moment of The Beatles’ first visit to America. Featuring never-before-seen footage, the film gives a rare glimpse into when The Beatles became the most influential and beloved band of all time.
On February 7, 1964, The Beatles arrived in New York City to unprecedented excitement and hysteria. From the instant they landed at Kennedy Airport, met by thousands of fans, Beatlemania swept New York and the entire country. Their thrilling debut performance on The Ed Sullivan Show captivated more than 73 million viewers, the most watched television event of its time. Beatles ’64 presents the spectacle, but also tells a more intimate behind the scenes story, capturing the camaraderie of John, Paul, George, and Ringo as they experienced unimaginable fame.
The film includes rare footage filmed by pioneering documentarians Albert and David Maysles, beautifully restored in 4K by Park Road Post in New Zealand. The live performances from The Beatles’ first American concert at the Washington, DC Coliseum and their Ed Sullivan appearances were demixed by WingNut Films and remixed by Giles Martin. Spotlighting this singular cultural moment and its continued resonance today, the music and footage are augmented by newly filmed interviews with Paul and Ringo, as well as fans whose lives were transformed by The Beatles.
Beatles ’64 is directed by David Tedeschi and produced by Martin Scorsese, Margaret Bodde, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia Harrison, Sean Ono Lennon, Jonathan Clyde, and Mikaela Beardsley, with Jeff Jones and Rick Yorn serving as executive producers.
Coinciding with the film’s Disney+ release, seven American Beatles albums have been analog cut for 180-gram audiophile vinyl from their original mono master tapes for global release on November 22 by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. Originally compiled for U.S. release between January 1964 and March 1965 by Capitol Records and United Artists, these mono albums have been out of print on vinyl since 1995. Meet The Beatles!; The Beatles’ Second Album; A Hard Day’s Night (Original Motion Picture Sound Track); Something New; The Beatles’ Story (2LP); Beatles ’65; and The Early Beatles are available now for preorder in a new vinyl box set titled The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums In Mono, with six of the titles also available individually.
The box office doldrums seem set to continue this weekend, with Dwayne Johnson’s mega-budget Christmas comedy, Red One, on track to deliver one of the star’s worst opening weekends ever. When the movie was announced, it certainly seemed like a no-brainer. After all, The Rock and director Jake Kasdan had a pair of mega-hits under their belts with their Jumanji movies, and the idea for this movie seemed to be that it would marry that formula to the holidays and possibly kick off a new franchise.
So what happened?
Initially, Red One was meant to be a streaming play for Prime Video, and had it been kept in that lane, it likely would have proven to be a hit for the streamer in the same vein as Johnson’s previous Red Notice, which still ranks as Netflix’s biggest movie ever. Yet, somewhere along the way, the decision was made to give Red One a wide theatrical release, but that seems to have been a poor choice. Like other streaming movies that were given theatrical bows, such as Fly Me To The Moon and Argylle, audiences seem like they’re going to be staying away in droves. I expect Red One to have a poor opening in the $25 million range.
Why is it going to do so badly? One reason may be that audiences are hip to streaming trends. If Red One is a holiday film, does anyone really think Prime Video won’t be streaming the movie within a few weeks to take advantage of the season? Audiences curious to see The Rock and Chris Evans in this action-comedy will simply wait a couple of weeks until it inevitably premieres on Prime Video. Why bother seeing it in theatres?
There’s also the fact that The Rock’s star power seems to be waning. Johnson’s made too many movies that seem cyclically targeted to be four-quadrant smash hits that will print money, and they’re starting to feel awfully familiar. Is there a big difference between Jungle Cruise, Jumanji and Red One? Have any of those films actually been really good? In the wake of Black Adam underperforming, Johnson’s appeal might be waning to a certain extent. However, the good news for him is that Moana 2, which comes out in just a few weeks, will likely be a smash hit, while his upcoming film with Benny Safdie, The Smashing Machine, might help him get his mojo back as an actor.
Venom: The Last Dance should be able to take the number two spot with a $10 million weekend. Expect last week’s number two champ, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, to move down to third place with a $7 million weekend, while A24’s horror flick Heretic should make about $5 million. The Wild Robot should come in fifth with about $4 million.
Here are our predictions:
Red One: $25 million
Venom: The Last Dance: $10 million
Best Christmas Pageant Ever: $7million
Heretic: $5 million
The Wild Robot: $4 million
Do you think Red One will be a box office bust? Let us know in the comments!
In recent months, we’ve learned that Silver Linings Playbook Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, The Batman star Robert Pattinson, and The Book of Clarence‘s LaKeith Stanfield have the lead roles in the thriller Die, My Love, which is coming our way from We Need to Talk About Kevin and You Were Never Really Here director Lynne Ramsay. Now, Deadline and World of Reel have unveiled the first images from the film, and they give us a look at the characters played by Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. One of the images can be seen above, and the other two can be found at the bottom of this article.
Scripted by Ramsay and Enda Walsh, Die, My Love is said to be “set in a remote forgotten rural area,” with the story centering on a mother who struggles to maintain her sanity as she battles with psychosis. The story is based on a novel by Ariana Harwicz. Lawrence takes on the role of the mother, with Pattinson as her husband and Stanfield as her lover. Also in the cast are Sissy Spacek (Carrie) and Nick Nolte (48 Hrs).
Jennifer Lawrence and Justine Ciarrocchi are producing the film through their Excellent Cadaver banner, alongside Martin Scorsese, Andrea Calderwood, and Black Label Media. Black Label Media is also financing the project. Excellent Cadaver provided the following statement: “It’s impossible to convey what it’s like to witness Lynne Ramsay make art. She’s one of one.” With Ramsay at the helm, Scorsese producing, and a strong cast in place, Die, My Love is shaping up to be quite promising.
In addition to We Need to Talk About Kevin and You Were Never Really Here, Ramsay has previously directed Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar, and multiple short films. Deadline notes that other upcoming projects for Stanfield, who earned an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in Judas and the Black Messiah, include sharing the screen with Mark Wahlberg, Dermot Mulroney, Tony Shalhoub, and Rosa Salazar in the Shane Black crime thriller Play Dirty, starring in an adaptation of the vampire hunter video game El Paso, Elsewhere, and lending his voice to the documentary Ernest Cole: Lost and Found. Meanwhile, Pattinson has Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17, Parker Finn’s remake of Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession, and a sequel to The Batman coming our way, and Lawrence is working with A24 on a murder mystery called The Wives and an adaptation of the graphic novel Why Don’t You Love Me?
Are you interested in Die, My Love? Take a look at the images of the characters played by Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
Fans have been patiently waiting for word of what Naughty Dog’s next big single-player game will be following The Last of Us Part II and multiple remasters. While studio head Neil Druckmann didn’t hint at what that project might be, he reportedly confirmed during a recent roundtable discussion that he’s been working…
