Regardless of who your favorite live-action Spider-Man actor is, fans of the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler popped when Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker waltzed through a Marvel sparkle circle in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Seeing Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland on the silver screen simultaneously was one of the biggest movie moments of 2021, but according to Garfield, he wasn’t sure it would happen. Speaking with Esquire magazine, Garfield said he was still determining if Maguire would return to the franchise because of his limited desire to star in blockbuster films.

“I thought Tobey is not going to want to do that. He’ll act every 10 years much to my chagrin, and I’ve shared that to him,” Garfield admitted about his No Way Home role being in doubt. “When I heard that he was kind of leaning in I thought it was either going to be the greatest thing in the world or the worst thing in the world. I am so grateful because it was the most joyful thing ever. All the pressure was on Tom.”

The tremendous box office return for Spider-Man: No Way Home (1.9B+) obliterated Garfield’s doubts about the film being something fans wanted to see, and if it makes sense for the franchise, he’d like to swing as Spider-Man again.

“For sure, I would 100% come back if it was the right thing, if it’s additive to the culture, if there’s a great concept or something that hasn’t been done before that’s unique and odd and exciting and that you can sink your teeth into,” the actor told Esquire “I love that character, and it brings joy. If part of what I bring is joy, then I’m joyful in return.”

While fans wait to see if Sony launches a Spider-Man spinoff with Garfield back in the spandex or finds a way to include him in the forthcoming Spider-Man 4, you can catch him alongside Florence Pugh in the John Crowley-directed drama We Live in Time. In the tear-jerking film, an up-and-coming chef and a recent divorcée find their lives forever changed when a chance encounter brings them together in a decade-spanning, deeply moving romance.

Would you want Andrew Garfield to suit up as Spider-Man again? Is Spider-Man: No Way Home still as good as you remember, or were you caught in the moment upon its release? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Andrew Garfield says he would “100% come back as Spider-Man” if it’s “additive to the culture” while admitting he wasn’t sure Tobey Maguire would return for No Way Home appeared first on JoBlo.

Dozens of major names circled the role of Marty McFly, but only one man could get it…Well, make that two. While Eric Stoltz was originally cast in the Back to the Future role, director Robert Zemeckis would ultimately decide he wasn’t right for the part, canning him less than two months into filming. With that, Michael J. Fox would step in and help make modern movie history. But for Lea Thompson, it took quite a while to get used to her new co-star.

Appearing on the Still Here Hollywood podcast (via EW), Lea Thompson said she was initially distant to Fox, thinking his TV work on Family Ties wasn’t up to snuff with her big screen successes…“I remember specifically being really snooty because there was a big division between movie stars and TV stars at that point. I remember being like, ‘He’s just a TV star and I’m a movie star — I was in Jaws 3D.’ So I think it took me a while to warm up to him.”

Much of this came from Lea Thompson already having a working relationship with Eric Stoltz, having co-starred in the previous year’s Cameron Crowe-penned The Wild Life. The two would work together again, however, on 1987’s Some Kind of Wonderful. Eventually, Lea Thompson and Michael J. Fox did hit it off, creating a chemistry that feels both genuine and, yes, creepy…

Working with both Eric Stoltz and Michael J. Fox on Back to the Future gave Lea Thompson a unique opportunity to see how two completely different actors would handle a given scene. As she recalled, “He was so funny and fun to act with…[I’d] done some scenes with Eric already, and then I did them with Michael, so I could see how they were completely different scenes.” Obviously Fox ended up being the perfect choice for Marty McFly, but if you are curious about Stoltz’s performance, some of his discarded scenes can be found online.

What do you think the chemistry between Lea Thompson and Michael J. Fox brings to Back to the Future? Would the movie have been as much of a hit with Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly? Hop in that DeLorean and let us know below!

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Dozens of major names circled the role of Marty McFly, but only one man could get it…Well, make that two. While Eric Stoltz was originally cast in the Back to the Future role, director Robert Zemeckis would ultimately decide he wasn’t right for the part, canning him less than two months into filming. With that, Michael J. Fox would step in and help make modern movie history. But for Lea Thompson, it took quite a while to get used to her new co-star.

Appearing on the Still Here Hollywood podcast (via EW), Lea Thompson said she was initially distant to Fox, thinking his TV work on Family Ties wasn’t up to snuff with her big screen successes…“I remember specifically being really snooty because there was a big division between movie stars and TV stars at that point. I remember being like, ‘He’s just a TV star and I’m a movie star — I was in Jaws 3D.’ So I think it took me a while to warm up to him.”

Much of this came from Lea Thompson already having a working relationship with Eric Stoltz, having co-starred in the previous year’s Cameron Crowe-penned The Wild Life. The two would work together again, however, on 1987’s Some Kind of Wonderful. Eventually, Lea Thompson and Michael J. Fox did hit it off, creating a chemistry that feels both genuine and, yes, creepy…

Working with both Eric Stoltz and Michael J. Fox on Back to the Future gave Lea Thompson a unique opportunity to see how two completely different actors would handle a given scene. As she recalled, “He was so funny and fun to act with…[I’d] done some scenes with Eric already, and then I did them with Michael, so I could see how they were completely different scenes.” Obviously Fox ended up being the perfect choice for Marty McFly, but if you are curious about Stoltz’s performance, some of his discarded scenes can be found online.

What do you think the chemistry between Lea Thompson and Michael J. Fox brings to Back to the Future? Would the movie have been as much of a hit with Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly? Hop in that DeLorean and let us know below!

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Great Reptar’s scales! What year is it? Hold onto your diapers and let your imagination run wild because a live-action hybrid of the classic Nickelodeon cartoon Rugrats is waddling our way from Pitch Perfect director Jason Moore. It’s the ’90s all over again, and we’re all about it!

Created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain, the Nickelodeon series premiered in 1991 as the second of three series in the Nicktoons lineup alongside Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show. Rugrats follows a group of toddlers comprised of Tommy Pickles, his best friends Chuckie, the twins Phil and Lil, Susie, and his spoiled 3-year-old cousin Angelica. Using their cunning and the power of imagination, the group often wanders away from their caregivers to engage in grand adventures that offer a poignant life lesson.

The original Rugrats series was essential for ’90s kids, with shows like Rocko’s Modern Life, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, The Wild Thornberrys, and Hey Arnold! also a part of the mix. Rugrats got rebooted in 1996 after three seasons and lasted through the 2000s. The series inspired three animated movies, including The Rugrats Movie, Rugrats in Paris, and Rugrats Go Wild, which found Tommy and the gang embarking on a grand adventure with the Wild Thornberrys.

Jason Moore directed the musical comedy Pitch Perfect, starring Anna Kendrick as a reluctant member of the all-girls singing group The Bellas. Moore directed the dynamic comedy duo of Amy Poehler and Tina Fey in 2015’s Sisters, which is about two sisters who decide to throw one last house party before their parents sell their family home. Moore’s latest directorial effort is for the 2022 comedy Shotgun Wedding, starring Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel. In Shotgun Wedding, Darcy and Tom gather their families for the ultimate destination wedding, but when the wedding party is taken hostage, the bride and groom must save their loved ones.

I don’t know, friends. Can a live-action hybrid of Rugrats work? Will Stu and Didi Pickles be live-action while the kids are CGI? Who’s going to play Grandpa Pickles? What about Tommy’s furry friend Spike? Will Reptar make an appearance? He would have to, right? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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Ethan Berger has made his feature directorial debut with the frat house thriller The Line, which is set to reach select theatres on October 18th, with an expanded release to follow on October 25th. With those dates swiftly approaching, a red band trailer for the film has made its way online and can be seen in the embed above.

Berger wrote the screenplay with Alex Russek, crafting the following story: The Line is a campus thriller that plunges into the dangerous world of college fraternities and blind adherence to tradition. Tom, a scholarship student desperate to break free from his working-class background, is charmed by the prestigious KNA fraternity’s promises of high social status and alumni connections that open doors. But upon beginning a romance with Annabelle, a classmate outside of his social circle, and the manipulative schemes of his fraternity president unfolding during the hazing of new members, Tom finds himself ensnared in a perilous game of ambition and loyalty.

The film stars Alex Wolff (Hereditary) as Tom, with Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick) as the fraternity president and Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid) as Annabelle. Also in the cast are Austin Abrams (Dash & Lily), the late Angus Cloud (Abigail), Bo Mitchell (Cobra Kai), Cheri Oteri (Saturday Night Live), Scoot McNairy (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), Denise Richards (The World Is Not Enough), and John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich).

Alexandre Dauman, Jack Parker, Adam Paulsen, and Lije Sarki produced The Line, with Taylor Grant, Zack Purdo, Ramanan Sivalingam, Dustin Zhang, Magnus Rausing, Ryan Alexander, Stacey Grant, Jay Van Hoy, and Marc Porterfield serving as executive producers.

The Line seems like a throwback to the sort of “youths behaving badly” movies we haven’t gotten in a while – or if we have gotten them recently, they’ve been passing me by – and kind of reminds me of the 2000 campus thriller The Skulls. This one definitely has my attention, and I look forward to watching it soon. It also helps that I’ve been a fan of Lewis Pullman ever since I met him on the set of The Strangers: Prey at Night back in 2017.

What did you think of the red band trailer for The Line? Will you be watching this movie when it reaches the big screen later this month? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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PLOT: In 1930s Oklahoma amid the region’s horrific dust storms, a woman is convinced that a sinister presence is threatening her family.

REVIEW: I always love it when horror uses a real-life backdrop for horrific events. I didn’t know much about the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma in the 1930s outside of its impact on crops and farmers. So to see it recontextualized as a man-made disaster brings a modern sensibility to this period piece. The dust storms bring both isolation and insanity as the lack of food and hope starts to take hold. Hold Your Breath is a bleak look at a very difficult time in American History. But it’s also a very stereotypical horror film about a woman’s descent into madness.

Hold Your Breath follows the Bellum family as they wait for their father to get return from his job out of state. Supplies have been whittled down and they’re using a sole cow for their sustenance. Each day is like a ticking time bomb, their lives coming closer and closer to the brink of starvation. The massive dust storms and lack of food result in hallucinations among the people. Will they get any reprieve or will the dust take them out completely? In the midst of this Margaret is having visions and her family grows more unsafe with each passing day.

Sarah Paulson‘s Margaret is a masterclass on how to have a realistic descent into madness. Subtle at first with a few physical twitches and sunken eyes, she becomes easy to root against as she loses more and more touch with reality. Annaleigh Ashford is a bit underutilized as Esther Smith. She essentially is a look into Margaret’s future but they don’t go far enough with it. I wanted Margaret to constantly see herself in Esther but instead, she’s just on the outside of the story and used for jump scares.

The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach is probably the most interesting character in the film, Wallace Grady. He claims to have been sent by Margaret’s husband but there’s something off about him. Ebon has an uncanny ability to reside entirely in a morally grey area, making his performance all the more interesting. Amiah Miller continues to impress, bringing such strength to the role of Rose. All she wants to do is protect her sister Ollie (Alona Jane Robbins), all while dealing with the threat of her own mother. Miller has a wise-beyond-her-years quality to her and she holds her own across from Paulson.

Most of the horror comes from a mysterious entity that Margaret claims will come for them. In reality, this is simply the sickness taking over, with her unable to differentiate fact from fiction. Then there’s the physical force of Wallace, who isn’t what he seems and gives us a brief physical antagonist. But I’d argue, that despite his wonderful performance, Wallace isn’t really needed for the story. If anything, it feels like the filmmakers not having enough faith that Margaret’s insanity would help carry the story forward, so they had to include this external threat. Thankfully, Moss-Bachrach is fantastic that more of him can never be a bad thing.

One really distracting element in Hold Your Breath is how CGI the dust looks. I know they had real dust on set but it’s being enhanced by CGI and ends up making everything look soft. I’m sure there’s a lot of great practical work beneath it, but it feels like a digital layer that refuses to interact with the actual real world. This is the kind of movie where it’s easy to appreciate the performances, but the story being so bland makes everything surrounding it so forgettable. I even struggled a bit with this review as the movie just seems to escape your mind the moment it’s over. So if you’re hoping this movie will be anything but forgettable: don’t hold your breath.

HOLD YOUR BREATH IS STREAMING ON HULU ON OCTOBER 3RD, 2024.

Hold Your Breath

AVERAGE

6

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American Animals director Bart Layton is assembling a new Hollywood dream team as Halle Berry joins Chris Hemsworth for the filmmaker’s upcoming thriller Crime 101. Berry, also known as the Master of Dog Fu (watch John Wick 3 – Parabellum), is fresh off her buddy comedy with Mark Wahlberg, The Union, while her latest horror film, Never Let Go, is lighting up silver screens this month. The Amazon MGM Studios project takes inspiration from Don Winslow‘s short story Crime 101, with Layton planning to release the film in theaters next year.

While plot details remain mysterious, Deadline says Crime 101 contains Heat-like elements. According to the synopsis for Winslow’s novella, the story focuses on a string of high-level jewel heists up and down the Pacific Coast Highway. The crimes have gone unsolved for years, mainly because the perpetrator has lived by a strict code he calls “Crime 101”. Police attribute the thefts to the Colombian cartels. But Detective Lou Lubesnick’s gut says it’s the work of just one man. Now the lone-wolf jewel thief is looking for that fabled final last score, and Lou breaks all the rules of “Crime 101”.

In addition to helming the movie, Layton wrote the script with contributions from Peter Straughhan. Initially, Pedro Pascal landed the role now occupied by Hemsworth, but Pascal dropped the project due to scheduling conflicts. Hemsworth produces alongside his starring role with his producing partner Ben Grayson.

Halle Berry is completing one project after the next following her action-packed performance in 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. In 2020, she played the disgraced MMA fighter Jackie Justice in Bruised, a film she also directed. She followed Bruised with Roland Emmerich’s latest disasterpiece Moonfall, then boarded The Union and Never Let Go. In Never Let Go, directed by Alexandre Aja, Berry plays a mother whose family has been haunted by an evil spirit for years. Their safety and surroundings come into question when one of the children questions if the evil is real.

We’re excited to witness Halle Berry’s on-screen chemistry with Chris Hemsworth for the heist thriller Crime 101. How about you? In the comments section below, let us know if you’re interested in this movie.

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The sci-fi thriller Companion is coming our way from writer/director Drew Hancock and the team behind the 2022 horror hit Barbarian, but even though over a year has passed since the project assembled its cast and went into production, we still know very little about it. It has managed to stay shrouded in secrecy all this time. Which is a good thing, since it won’t be reaching theatres (including IMAX screens) until January 10, 2025… but now, the shroud is starting to be lifted, starting with the release of a teaser trailer. You can watch it in the embed above. The release date gives Companion a one week head-start on Blumhouse Productions and director Leigh Whannell’s reboot of the classic Universal Monsters property Wolf Man.

In addition to the teaser trailer, there’s an official synopsis that doesn’t give away anything about the characters or what they’re up to: New Line Cinema—the studio that brought you The Notebook—and the unhinged creators of Barbarian cordially invite you to experience a new kind of love story…

This was included in the press release: Hey you. Tired of swiping? Sick of getting ghosted? Are you feeling like a part of you is missing? FindYourCompanion.com is guaranteed to find you a Companion who’s made for you. Text (978) 878-5683 to Find Your Companion today. You agree 2 recurring msgs from WB’s chatbot re: Companion movie. Sent w/ autodialer. Msg/data rates apply. Consent not req’d to purch. Terms: https://bit.ly/3ZI2vMO; Privacy and contact: https://bit.ly/4gDU9fj.

New Line Cinema went all-in on a partnership with Barbarian (watch it HERE) writer/director Zach Cregger and the film’s producers at BoulderLight Pictures. New Line came out the winner in a bidding war over Cregger’s next film, a mysterious horror project called Weapons. They signed a first look deal with BoulderLight Pictures, tasking the company with developing high concept genre projects for them. And they gave the greenlight to Companion, which is being produced by BoulderLight and Cregger.

Hancock wrote the screenplay for Companion, and Cregger was so impressed by it that he considered making the film his directorial follow-up to Barbarian. Instead, Hancock makes his feature directorial debut with Companion while Cregger focuses on Weapons. The cast of Companion includes Jack Quaid (Scream 2022), Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows), Lukas Gage (You), Megan Suri (Never Have I Ever), Rupert Friend (Asteroid City), and Sophie Thatcher (The Boogeyman). The Hollywood Reporter was able to dig up the fact that Thatcher’s character is “more than meets the eye”. They’ve also heard that Friend’s character doesn’t live up to the actor’s last name.

Details on the plot are being kept completely under wraps, but The Hollywood Reporter heard that the makers of Companion are describing it as being “self-contained”. Hancock’s previous writing credits include episodes of Supah Ninjas, Blue Mountain State, Fred: The Show, Suburgatory, Faking It, Mr. Pickles, and My Dead Ex (which he co-created), as well as the movie Fred 3: Camp Fred. While he has never directed a movie before, he has directed episodes of Acceptable TV and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as well as a Tenacious D music video.

Cregger is producing Companion with Raphael Margules and J.D. Lifshitz of BoulderLight Pictures, as well as Roy Lee of Vertigo. BoulderLight’s Tracy Rosenblum and Vertigo’s Andrew Childs serve as executive producers.

The Motion Picture Association ratings board has already given Companion an R rating for strong violence, sexual content, and language throughout.

What did you think of the Companion teaser trailer? Are you looking forward to seeing this movie next year? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Do you remember the first scary movie you watched? To be fair, mine was Halloween, so I got an early taste of R-rated terror. However, for many, it was something like The Monster Squad, The Watcher in the Woods, or perhaps The Gate. And now, we have a fun ride with the good and spooky natured, Monster Summer. Featuring Mel Gibson, Lorraine Bracco, and Mason Thames. For Mason, who was terrific in The Black Phone (and will soon be seen in The Black Phone 2), the actor proves that he is one to watch. The actor brings heart to his performance and shines opposite Gibson.

Recently, I sat down with the two, and the legendary Mel Gibson (who we previously interviewed HERE), was full of praise for his younger co-star. Both actors work especially well together, and frankly, it’s not surprising that Thames is getting a ton of work on genre projects. He’s a talented young man, and he brings honesty to both this and, of course, his turn as Finney, opposite Ethan Hawke in The Black Phone. Monster Summer is certainly more in line with a family film, but the Halloween-inspired elements work. If you are in the mood, you might find Monster Summer an early holiday treat.

Here’s the official synopsis: Monster Summer follows a local boy, who after his best friend is mysteriously taken, begins to suspect that a supernatural entity may be hunting the children of Martha’s Vineyard. After seeking the help of an aging detective (Gibson), they soon discover they’re on the path of a witch who has recently retired to their island. 

Monster Summer is heading into theatres this coming Friday, October 4th.

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Once upon a time, Jonathan Majors was on the fast track to becoming one of the biggest new talents in Hollywood. With projects like Creed III and Ant-Man and the WASP: Quantumania, Majors established himself as a blockbuster draw, but a film called Magazine Dreams was set to establish Majors as a heavyweight in the drama genre as well. Majors and his image would go through many trials and tribulations after facing assault and harassment charges and Magazine Dreams would be dropped by its original studio, Searchlight Pictures.

Deadline is now reporting that Briarcliff Entertainment has given Magazine Dreams a second chance at distribution. Briarcliff Entertainment purchased the rights to distribute the Jonathan Majors film with plans to release in the first quarter of 2025. Tom Ortenberg’s company seems to not shy away from movies that are plagued with controversy as they are also famously putting out a film depicting Donald Trump’s rise in the real estate business with The Apprentice and releasing it right in the middle of election season. Briarcliff will also be making an awards push for that film as they did with another hot-button topic film — Spotlight.

Magazine Dreams stars Majors as an amateur bodybuilder who struggles with severe psychological issues while dreaming of stardom. The buzz was very positive and looked to be a possible awards contender for Majors. “Magazine Dreams is the kind of film that will likely inspire a lot of discourse,” said our own Chris Bumbray in his review, “with the buzz out of Sundance being overwhelmingly positive, although the nihilism did rub some the wrong way. It’s a tough watch, but sometimes films like this are essential.” You can check out the rest of Bumbray’s review of Magazine Dreams right here.

Majors is bouncing back with a new role in the upcoming film Merciless. The project was developed by producer Christopher Tuffin, who is working on a new global media venture that’s meant to have a disruptive nature and “refuses to let the court of public opinion and selective prosecution undermine great art and artists.” Tuffin said, “In graduate school, I had the good fortune to study screenwriting under Blacklist scribe Millard Lampell and learned from him the dangers of letting politics undermine due process and deprive artists of their careers. I consider it an honor and a privilege to be working with Jonathan who is such a great talent now that this matter has been adjudicated.“

Martin Villeneuve added, “Merciless intertwines themes of possession, revenge, and personal justice within a haunting narrative. It explores the psychological descent of John, played by Majors, and the supernatural forces challenging his sanity.“

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