Andy Serkis blurred the line between acting and special effects when he gained acclaim portraying Gollum in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings series. While the character was completely computer-generated, the groundbreaking motion capture of Serkis’ performance gave the character that extra ounce of humanity that gave him a depth never seen before from a CGI character. While the studios and the actors butted heads over the use of the ever-growing AI technology, which was one of the big issues for the strike last year, projects since have dabbled in using AI in some fashion and faced controversy for it.
Serkis is one who isn’t averse to exploring more of AI’s capabilities. According to Deadline, the Venom: Let There Be Carnage director will feature AI characters in his next project. Serkis teased his next project at a panel at the UK’s Labour Party conference. He explained that his Imaginarium production outfit is currently in production on a “narrative-driven story” that begins with 2D characters created using voice actors before they “come out into the AR [augmented reality] world.” He continued, “At that point they become ‘AI characters’ authored by artists and directors. They are in a world where you can have direct relationships with these CGI characters.”
The frequent motion-capture actor would outline his fascination with AI, “It is another form of magic that is frightening people. Even the biggest VFX companies are not creating as great things as individuals in their basements. It is much misunderstood, much maligned and lumped together in the same way that people probably felt the internet was going to destroy everyone’s lives.”
Serkis is also very aware of the conflicts that lay ahead with this technology, specifically with anybody using a famous likeness for something that hasn’t been approved by the individual or their families. “It’s taken a long time for actors to even understand what it is to put on a costume or make-up but stand in a [special] suit and do essentially what you do [normally], which is act,” he added. “We need the permissions to be there so you are able in some way to monetize these artists’ [work] in a proper way.”
It can’t be said enough how difficult it is to create a successful movie. But to create one in the horror landscape that perseveres and gets theatrically re-released 10 years later? Practically unheard of. We find ourselves in a time where there’s almost too much content, requiring a bit of luck to even catch on with audiences. Yet back in 2014 (or probably more appropriately, 2015) it was hard to find anyone who wasn’t smitten with The Babadook. Having created a brand new horror icon and doing so amongst some very messed up moments, Kent created one of the greatest horror films of the last decade.
It was my absolute pleasure to talk with writer/director Jennifer Kent about her experience with the film. We touched on the film being released a decade later as well as the very controversial ending that potential financial backers wanted changed. And anyone who’s seen the film knows that the boy, Samuel, can be a bit grating. So much so that there was quite a harsh reaction to the boy upon release. We discussed that as well as the lengths Kent would go to shield the boy from the harsh subject matter.
Do you think The Babadook holds up ten years later? Let us know in the comments!
It can’t be said enough how difficult it is to create a successful movie. But to create one in the horror landscape that perseveres and gets theatrically re-released 10 years later? Practically unheard of. We find ourselves in a time where there’s almost too much content, requiring a bit of luck to even catch on with audiences. Yet back in 2014 (or probably more appropriately, 2015) it was hard to find anyone who wasn’t smitten with The Babadook. Having created a brand new horror icon and doing so amongst some very messed up moments, writer/director Jennifer Kent created one of the greatest horror films of the last decade.
It was my absolute pleasure to talk with Kent about her experience with the film. We touched on the film being released a decade later as well as the very controversial ending that potential financial backers wanted changed. And anyone who’s seen the film knows that the boy, Samuel, can be a bit grating. So much so that there was quite a harsh reaction to the boy upon release. We discussed that as well as the lengths Kent would go to shield the boy from the harsh subject matter.
Do you think The Babadook holds up ten years later? Let us know in the comments!
Considering the first two Superman movies made over $500 million at the worldwide box office, it was absolutely no surprise that a Superman III would take flight. Besides, it was promised in the closing credits of Superman II!
With the success of Superman and its sequel, superhero movies were in the earliest iteration of franchise mode. In short: strong box office numbers guaranteed another movie, no matter how bad it could possibly turn out. And Superman III is just about as bad as it could possibly turn out, generally ranking among the worst superhero sequels ever and a prime example of what happens to a series’ reputation when things go wrong with the script, cast and, hell, even the opening credits sequence!
Superman III was announced at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival, well over a year before Superman II was even scheduled to hit North American theaters. It would even later be hyped at the following year’s Cannes Film Festival, with banners on biplanes declaring the movie was “NOW IN PRODUCTION”. It was determined this was a lie: Superman III was far from ready to take flight.
The plan for Superman III was for Richard Donner – who helmed Superman and Superman II (or at least the Richard Donner Cut…) – to write the screenplay, passing the coveted directing torch to Tom Mankiewicz, a key figure in shaping the first two Superman movies and who was then known for co-writing Bond movies Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die and The Man With the Golden Gun.
By the end of 1980, Ilya Salkind – who, along with his father Alexander, was dominant in the franchise – turned in an eight-page outline. On these pages was a lot of material that would be discarded once official writers were put in place (but more on that in a moment). There was time travel and interdimensional shenanigans, with Brainiac and Mister Mxyzptlk as primary villains.
There, too, would be Supergirl, who was set up to be found by Brainiac, taking on a sort of surrogate father role. Also, on the family front, Salkind had it so Superman and Supergirl would eventually get married either at the end of Superman III or sometime in the planned Superman IV. The two would develop a romance throughout Superman III, with Salkind going out of the way to ensure fans that their canon relationship as cousins was not in play in the movie, lest there be some sort of Luke/Leia situation.
As for what Brainiac and Mister Mxyzptlk would be up to: one sequence would find Superman and Brainiac dueling it out as knights on horses, while sometime after that, Mister Mxyzptlk would betray Superman after a temporary truce and challenge him…to do a puzzle…To top it off, Mxyzptlk was designed to be played by Dudley Moore!
Ultimately, Warner Bros. thought there were too many minor characters from the Superman comics and so this script was basically gutted, although some elements do remain, like the good vs. evil Superman scene; here, Superman faces off against another version of himself in a scrapyard. Interestingly, the movie was actually originally titled Superman vs. Superman but this was ditched because it was too similar to 1979 Best Picture winner Kramer vs. Kramer.
Moving forward, script duties would fall on franchise stalwarts David and Leslie Newman, penning a script which Donner disliked and Reeve continued to find too campy, making it known that he wanted to sit this entry out. (That one subplot was later used in Office Space should tell you the tone here…) The studio reportedly considered a full replacement, with names like Jeff Bridges, John Travolta, Kurt Russell, and Tony Danza all linked at one point to the role. However, producer Pierre Spengler called the Danza rumor “bullshit.”
Moving into director duties would be Richard Lester, who famously took over from Richard Donner on Superman II – but that’s an entirely different episode of “WTF Happened to This Movie?!” Just to remind you of Lester’s style, he was really best known for lighter fare like The Beatles’ A Hard Days Night and Help!, as well as The Three and Four Musketeers.
Christopher Reeve would of course return as Clark Kent aka Superman (uh, spoiler alert?), while Jackie Cooper and Marc McClure would also reprise Daily Planet editor Perry White and photojournalist Jimmy Olsen, respectively. And there was Margot Kidder as Lois Lane…for a few minutes, anyway.
Things were so chaotic making Superman II that key cast members such as Kidder couldn’t help themselves but be outspoken about the behind-the-scenes drama. Lex Luthor himself, Gene Hackman, was also rumored to have been rather vocal but he later debunked this, which is easy enough to believe since he came back for Superman IV. But Kidder and Lois Lane would straight-up be written out other than a brief appearance, reportedly being on set for just five days. But those behind the scenes also defended her lack of screen time by saying they just didn’t have much more for Lois Lane to do…and so they shipped her off to Hong Kong, something mentioned in the very first sentence of Salkind’s outline, showing just how much they wanted Kidder out. Instead, we got Annette O’Toole as childhood friend Lana Lang, who was actually introduced in the first Superman.
We also have Robert Vaughn as Ross “Bubba” Webster, a role that Alan Alda was reportedly the top choice for, with Frank Langella also being considered. (Langella would get his spot in the franchise as Perry White in Superman Returns). Taking the lead antagonist spot from Lex Luthor, Webster is the sort of guy mixed up with supercomputers, missiles and, yes, cyborgs – you know, the usual supervillain stuff. There, too, is Annie Ross as his sister, Vera, who is turned into the aforementioned cyborg in a truly haunting scene.
But we have yet to hit on the star of Superman III. And if you’re thinking, “You already covered Christopher Reeve!”, then you’re mistaken as to who the real lead of the threequel is. Enter Richard Pryor as Gus Gorman. By this point, Pryor had a successful movie career with flicks with Stir Crazy and The Toy. Naturally, he provided much of the movie’s comedic relief – or at least the intentional kind. Already a successful presence on the stage and screen, Pryor went so far as to declare his love for Superman on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, which gave producers the idea to cast him in the crucial role. But so much attention and screen time was given to Gus that it feels less a Superman movie than a Richard Pryor comedy, one of the biggest problems with Superman III.
Oddly, though, Pryor was hardly featured on any tie-in merchandise, which some have perceived as racism on the part of the studio. Christopher Reeve fared much better despite feeling like a supporting player, landing top billing for the first time in the series, as he was previously outshined by Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando (wasn’t it bad enough he was already making $3.7 million for 12 days of work?!).
On the truly supporting role front, versed viewers will notice Aaron Smolinski – who played Baby Clark Kent in the 1978 original – in the opening sequence. Frank Oz also originally had a cameo but this was cut, only later used in the extended TV version (more on that later…).
Filming on Superman III began on June 21st, 1982, more than two years after it was first advertised at the Cannes Film Festival. Locations included London’s famed Pinewood Studios, with other various locales as diverse as Calgary and Utah. As for the coal mine sequence, that was shot at Battersea Power Station, which you might recognize from the cover of Pink Floyd’s Animals album. No, the sequence where Evil Superman is being a bit of a dick was not actually shot at the Leaning Tower of Pisa – that was merely a special effect…
Speaking of VFX, video game pioneers Atari actually did the effects for the scene in which a computer is used to shoot missiles at a flying Superman, even using a 35 mm film recorder, a major meshing of mediums for the time. And, OK, it looks lousy 40+ years later, but it still looks a hell of a lot better than that godawful Nintendo 64 game!
On the music front, Ken Thorne is credited, using part of John Williams’ iconic original score as a launching point, although he did create his own numbers from scratch. Giorgio Moroder, then known for his American Gigolo and Cat People scores, made minimal contributions on the song front but of course brought his trademark synth sounds. The bulk of his work can be heard on side B of the soundtrack.
Superman III would be released on June 17th, 1983, opening at #1 with $13.4 million, finally bumping Return of the Jedi from the top spot after three weeks. During its run, it would pull in $60 million domestically, which wasn’t quite enough to put it in the top 10 highest-grossing movies of the year, coming in at #11 just behind National Lampoon’s Vacation. It would take in another $20 million internationally, which would put it at #8 worldwide. Compare that to the first Superman– with a take of $134 million – and the first sequel – with its own $108 million – and you’re looking at a super dud.
But it wasn’t just the box office numbers that made it a disappointment: it was the quality of the movie itself. As Spengler put it: “The sequel was not as successful as the first or the second, probably because of us trying to be too smart and not delivering to the audience basically the same movie as the first two. It’s something which we’ve analysed since. If you look at a series like Rocky, you’ve got five times the same movie, basically and the audience is happy with that.”
Christopher Reeve himself disliked it, calling it “the Harvard Lampoon version” of the Superman movies. To give you an idea of what he means, the script originally had a moment where Superman mistakes Telly Savalas – as Kojak, no less – for Lex Luthor. Richard Pryor said, “For a piece of shit, it smells great,” no doubt referring to his $5 million paycheck. Pryor would also land one of the movie’s two Razzie nominations, for Worst Supporting Actor, “losing” to Jim Nabors in Stroker Ace. This other would be for Worst Score, credited to Moroder.
Like the first two Superman movies, Superman III had its own TV version, this one clocking in close to 20 minutes longer. There are a handful of cut scenes and shots, but the only true improvement was an updated opening credits sequence that mimicked the first two movies’ instead of the obtrusive version in the original which blocked portions of the onscreen action. Even still, one of the most criticized elements of the movie remained: Martha Kent’s death was still an afterthought. Believe it or not, Batman v Superman ended up having the right idea: Save Martha!
More than four decades on, Superman III holds a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, well below the original’s 94% and Superman II’s 83%…but it is at least quite a bit better than The Quest for Peace’s score, which rests at 10%…But at least Superman III had the brain to not tease the next installment like its predecessors. After all, who really wanted Superman IV? Hm…wonder WTF Happened to That Movie!
Alpha Rift director Dan Lantz’s horror film Hayride to Hell is a movie we seem to hear about once a year. Back in 2022, it had a sold out premiere screening at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania – the same theatre that served as a memorable filming location for the 1958 classic The Blob. In 2023, it received a wider theatrical release a week and a half before Halloween. Now, just in time for this year’s spooky season, Hayride to Hell is set to receive a digital and VOD release on September 24th. In anticipation of that release, a new trailer has dropped online and can be seen in the embed above.
Starring genre icons Bill Moseley (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, The Devil’s Rejects) and Kane Hodder (who played Jason Voorhees and Victor Crowley in four films each), Hayride to Hell shows what happens when Farmer Sam (Moseley) exacts his bloody revenge on unscrupulous local town-folk, including Sheriff Jubel (Hodder), who menace him and attempt to steal the farm that has been in his family for 200 years.
Moseley and Hodder’s co-stars include Graham Wolfe, Allyson Malandra, Jared Michael Delaney, Shelby Hightower, Melanie Martyn, Brooke Stacy Mills, Denise Parella, Chris James Boylan, Aaron Dalla Villa, Casey Donnelly, Davy Raphaely, Robb Stech, Peter Patrikios, and Marion Moseley, who happens to be Bill’s daughter.
The screenplay was written by Robert Lange and Kristina Chadwick, with filming taking place on the farm that has been in Lange’s family since 1896. A press release notes that the story was “inspired by the real haunted hayride executive producer and farmer Bob Lange used to have on his family’s multi-generation pumpkin farm back in the 80s and 90s“. That press release also states that “the film is a cult-horror classic in the making that dually highlights the charm and necessity of preserving Pennsylvania’s family farms.” Lange and Chadwick are hoping that the film will support the future preservation of their farmland.
What did you think of the new Hayride to Hell trailer? Will you be watching this movie now that it’s getting a digital and VOD release? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Five years ago, it was announced that Ben Wheatley would be writing, directing, and executive producing Generation Z, a “hilarious, frightening, and political” series that would consist of six hour-long episodes that would “mix flesh-eating zombies into a story that satirizes how Brexit has divided the UK.” That project didn’t make it into production when it was originally supposed to because of the pandemic shutdown… but after making Meg 2: The Trench (you can read our review at THIS LINK and check out our interview with the filmmaker HERE), Wheatley circled back around to Generation Z. The show is now ready to start airing on Channel 4 in October, and in anticipation of the premiere, Empire has unveiled two new images. One can be seen above, and the other can be found at the bottom of this article.
The show is described as “a coming-of-age parable for our very strange times – cut with a heavy dose of outlandish gore”. The story, based on a pitch by George Faber, is set in the fictional town of Dambury, the kind of place with stark opportunities and not much to do. Grey, unassuming, forgotten. It’s the last place you’d expect the apocalypse to begin… But when an army convoy overturns outside a care home, a chemical leak starts to have an adverse effect on the residents there. The OAPs, led by Cecily and Frank, escape the grasp of the army looking to contain their angry, violent, insatiable hunger for raw flesh. On the night of the outbreak, teenagers – Charlie, Kelly, Steff and Finn – are living normal teenage lives: tinnies, messy feelings, complex relationships and ignoring their A-Level prep. But the gang abruptly find themselves at the centre of the virus when Kelly’s nan Janine becomes infected and attacks her. Just because it’s the end of the world, it doesn’t mean your home life and relationship problems comes to a halt, as the gang come up against the zombie horde, battling with their parents, friendship betrayals and old family secrets rearing their ugly heads. And life is just as complicated for the zombies, with the virus fuelling single-minded desires, bringing a whole new dimension to their zombie rampage. Meanwhile, Finn worries for grandad-figure Morgan when she comes to the realisation that there might be more behind the chemical spill. Just what exactly was being transported?
Channel 4 adds that Generation Z is about “intergeneration justice and community breakdown that boldly satirizes a world where truth is stranger than fiction, exploring not just the political fault lines in our society but also the very real issues facing teenagers today.”
The series stars Sue Johnston (The Royle Family), Paul Bentall (The World’s End), Jay Lycurgo (The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself), Buket Komur (Our House), Lewis Gribben (Somewhere Boy), Viola Prettejohn (The Nevers), Anita Dobson (EastEnders), Robert Lindsay (My Family), Johnny Vegas (Benidorm), Robert James-Collier (Downton Abbey), Suzanne Ahmet (Inside Man), T’Nia Miller (Years and Years), Sophie Stone (The Chelsea Detective), Chris Reilly (The Last Post), D’Angelou Osei Kissiedu (Rocks), Ellie-Mae Siame (His Dark Materials), Robin Hill (Kill List), Gareth Tunley (Kill List), John Hollingworth (The Queen’s Gambit), Maanuv Thiara (DI Ray), Rebecca Humphries (The Crown), Ellora Torchia (The Gold), Andrew Kazamia (London’s Burning), Garrick Hagon (Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope), Mark Monero (EastEnders), and newcomer Ava Hinds-Jones.
Generation Z is produced by The Forge for Channel 4, in association with ZDF and All3media International. The series was commissioned by Channel 4’s Head of Drama, Caroline Hollick and Commissioning Editor, Rebecca Holdsworth. Alex Kazamia produces while Wheatley executive produces alongside Mark Pybus, George Faber, and Beth Willis.
Wheatley told Empire, “I was thinking a lot about my own films, because they tentatively fit together. Tonally, [Generation Z] fits within the world of Sightseers. It’s [that] same thing of taking genre situations and putting real people in them.” He added that the inspirations include “Threads and Scooby-Doo,” and that Generation Z‘s zombies are “not really zombies. It’s like a viral infection. Zombie apocalypses are normally unexplained. This is more science-based.“
Are you interested in Ben Wheatley’s Generation Z? Take a look at the images, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
A new episode of our Best Horror Party Movies video series has just been released, and with this one we’re looking back at the 2011 horror comedy The Cabin the Woods (watch it HERE). To find out how we party to this movie, check out the video embedded above!
Directed by Drew Goddard from a screenplay he wrote with producer Joss Whedon, The Cabin in the Woods has the following synopsis: When five college friends arrive at a remote forest cabin for a little vacation, little do they expect the horrors that await them. One by one, the youths fall victim to backwoods zombies, but there is another factor at play. Two scientists are manipulating the ghoulish goings-on, but even as the body count rises, there is yet more at work than meets the eye. Goddard and Whedon, who previously worked together on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel TV shows, are said to have written the initial draft of the script in just three days.
The film stars Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Brian White, Amy Acker, Sigourney Weaver, Tim de Zarn, Tom Lenk, Dan Payne, Jodelle Ferland, and Dan Shea. Although the movie had its world premiere in 2011 and it was finally given a theatrical release in 2012, it was filmed in 2009 and spend a couple of years just sitting on a shelf. So Chris Hemsworth worked on this movie before being officially cast as Thor, even though it wasn’t released until the month before The Avengers (which was directed by Whedon).
Here’s what the Best Horror Party Moviesseries is all about: Welcome to the Best Horror Party Movies where we single out the BEST horror movies to watch with a couple of drinks and some buddies in tow, even if it’s a “watch party”. Hence movies that are intentionally or unintentionally funny, that are extreme, fast paced, goofy, and raunchy – all the fun times toppings in the house! Films you can pay attention to or you can have in the back ground. We even tossed a party game in there, one tailored to each episode’s selection, including recommended “doses” for toasting (or roasting) all the sleaze, cheese, guts and gore you can stuff into your cranium. So get in here and get crazy… ‘cuz it’s a HORROR PARTY!
The The Cabin in the Woods episode of Best Horror Party Movies was Written, Narrated/Hosted, and Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
A couple of the previous episodes of Best Horror Party Movies can be seen below. To see our other shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!
Three years ago, it was announced that Wolf Creek 3 was moving forward, with Rachele Wiggins making her feature directorial debut on the film and John Jarratt, who played Australian serial killer Mick Taylor in the films Wolf Creek (watch it HERE) and Wolf Creek 2 (watch that one HERE) as well as two seasons of a Wolf Creek television series (you can see season 1 at THIS LINK and season 2 at THIS ONE) on board to reprise the role. Unfortunately, something has been holding the project back from starting production… but last month, it was announced that Wolf Creek 3, now going by the title Wolf Creek: Legacy, will start filming in Australia at the start of next year, with Wiggins having been replaced at the helm by Sean Lahiff, who was editor on Wolf Creek 2. Now, during an interview with David Clair-Bennett, Jarratt has revealed that the new film will be “dark and creepy,” more in line with the first movie than the second one.
Jarratt said (with thanks to our friends at Bloody Disgusting for the transcription), “(Wolf Creek: Legacy is) dark and creepy again. It’s more like the first one. With the second one, we had a bit of fun. Cracked a few jokes. For this one, the dark creepy thing is the ultimate when it comes to playing Mick. Just creeping up and being scary. He never runs, never yells, never dies.“
Franchise creator Greg McLean is producing the new sequel and provided the following statement: “I’ve always believed in the power of fresh perspectives, and that’s why I’m thrilled to introduce Sean Lahiff as the director of Wolf Creek: Legacy. Sean isn’t just stepping into this world; he’s been a part of it for years. This new chapter in the Wolf Creek saga is something I’m incredibly excited about: it’s a bold new story that honors the roots of the franchise while pushing it into new, uncharted territory.“
Lahiff added, “I aim to deliver the horror and suspense that fans of the Wolf Creek franchise and wider genre theatre goers expect but to add a new depth to the story. We’re exploring the psychological terror of being hunted, the fear and resilience of these young characters, and the nightmarish quality of the Outback itself. This is a story that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats, but it will also tap into something deeper – the primal fears that dark fairytales have always played on.“
When this project was first announced, it was said that Duncan Samarasinghe had written the screenplay, telling the story of an American family that takes a dream trip to the Australian outback and soon draws the attention of notorious serial killer Mick Taylor. A hellish nightmare ensues as the couple’s two children escape only to be hunted by Australia’s most infamous killer. It sounds like that story is still in place, as Deadline reported that Wolf Creek: Legacy will show us what happens when a family of American tourists who wander innocently into Taylor’s hunting grounds. When the parents sacrifice themselves to save their children, the kids find themselves alone, lost and hunted in the vast Australian wilderness. Will this fresh prey – two wily, resourceful Zoomers – prove harder for the ageing predator to consume?
Jay Ryan (It: Chapter Two) is joining Jarratt in the cast.
Producing the film with McLean are Jeremy Bolt, Kristian Moliere, and Bianca Martino. Cory Todd Hughes and Adrian Speckert serve as exec producers. Architect is handling world sales on the project.
Are you looking forward to Wolf Creek 3 / Wolf Creek: Legacy, and are you glad to hear that it’s taking the dark and creepy approach? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Today, the teaser trailer and poster for the upcoming MCU feature film Thunderbolts* debuts. Marvel Studios presents Thunderbolts*, an irreverent team-up featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits.
While the plot synopsis has yet to be officially announced, Industry scooper Daniel Richtman conveys that it reads: “Yelena, US Agent, Ghost, and Taskmaster are sent by Val to kill someone in a vault. They realize they’ve been set up and were meant to die on this mission. So they team up against their boss to take her down.“
Jake Schreier directs Thunderbolts* with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek, Jason Tamez and Scarlett Johansson serve as executive producers.
In addition to Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Thunderbolts also stars Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as US Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster. Geraldine Viswanathan will also make an appearance, replacing Ayo Edebiri, who was originally attached. Lewis Pullman is also on board as The Sentry, taking over for Steven Yeun, who was cast in the role before he had to leave. Harrison Ford will also appear as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, reprising his role from Captain America: Brave New World.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige added that the group doesn’t take its name from Ford’s character, but when asked for an explanation regarding the asterisk in the title, he would only say, “You have to see the movie.” In the trailer, we see Yelena catching up with Red Guardian. We then see the individual characters tricked into meeting up, where they realize they’ve each been set up on dangerous missions. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine says, “We’re brought up with this belief that there are good guys and bad guys. But really, there are bad guys and there are worse guys.“
Whatever is going on in this movie, David Harbour has hinted that it will have a major impact on the MCU. He told ComicBook.com, “There is a bomb drop thing we add to the universe, which will be very exciting for the movie to do at the end of this particular phase that we’re ending. … Our characters are going to interact with something that we don’t really understand, and it fundamentally changes the course of the way things expand.“
Thunderbolts* will be released in theaters on May 5, 2025, as the final installment of Phase Five.
Today, the teaser trailer and poster for the upcoming MCU feature film Thunderbolts* debuts. Marvel Studios presents Thunderbolts*, an irreverent team-up featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits.
While the plot synopsis has yet to be officially announced, Industry scooper Daniel Richtman conveys that it reads: “Yelena, US Agent, Ghost, and Taskmaster are sent by Val to kill someone in a vault. They realize they’ve been set up and were meant to die on this mission. So they team up against their boss to take her down.“
Jake Schreier directs Thunderbolts* with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek, Jason Tamez and Scarlett Johansson serve as executive producers.
In addition to Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Thunderbolts also stars Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as US Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster. Geraldine Viswanathan will also make an appearance, replacing Ayo Edebiri, who was originally attached. Lewis Pullman is also on board as The Sentry, taking over for Steven Yeun, who was cast in the role before he had to leave. Harrison Ford will also appear as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, reprising his role from Captain America: Brave New World.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige added that the group doesn’t take its name from Ford’s character, but when asked for an explanation regarding the asterisk in the title, he would only say, “You have to see the movie.” In the trailer, we see Yelena catching up with Red Guardian. We then see the individual characters tricked into meeting up, where they realize they’ve each been set up on dangerous missions. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine says, “We’re brought up with this belief that there are good guys and bad guys. But really, there are bad guys and there are worse guys.“
Whatever is going on in this movie, David Harbour has hinted that it will have a major impact on the MCU. He told ComicBook.com, “There is a bomb drop thing we add to the universe, which will be very exciting for the movie to do at the end of this particular phase that we’re ending. … Our characters are going to interact with something that we don’t really understand, and it fundamentally changes the course of the way things expand.“
Thunderbolts* will be released in theaters on May 5, 2025, as the final installment of Phase Five. What did you think of the teaser trailer? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
