Netflix has cast Miya Cech (Surfside Girls, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, Always Be My Maybe) as the best character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, the earth bender Toph Beifong. What? I said what I said. Production for Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 is underway, with the show already renewed for a third and final season. Netflix revealed Cech’s casting on Thursday as part of Netflix’s Geeked Week live event with a teaser featuring Cech as the beloved badass.
As the classic Avatar theme swells, the camera slowly pans along the ground in the Avatar: The Last Airbender production teaser. When the song’s intensity increases, we see Toph’s signature green-colored wrapping around Cech’s bare feet. Before the teaser ends, Cech draws a line in the dirt, daring enemies to cross it before stomping the earth, sending debris flying into the air. After that, the hairs on my arms stood on end, and I might have let out a little squeal of delight. I don’t know. Who can say? You can’t prove anything.
In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Toph Beifong is a blind teenager who (eventually) agrees to train Aang in the ancient art of earth-bending. According to the Casting Call: “She is sassy, confident and unfiltered. For most of her life her strength and formidable earthbending skills have been suppressed, but now on the run as the Avatar’s earthbending master she is uninhibited to become the fierce warrior she believes she is inside.”
“Water. Earth. Fire. Air. The four nations once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, master of all four elements, keeping peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads, the first step taken by the firebenders towards conquering the world,” reads the official description. “With the current incarnation of the Avatar yet to emerge, the world has lost hope. But like a light in the darkness, hope springs forth when Aang, a young Air Nomad — and the last of his kind — reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar. Alongside his newfound friends Sokka and Katara, siblings and members of the Southern Water Tribe, Aang embarks on a fantastical, action-packed quest to save the world and fight back against the fearsome onslaught of Fire Lord Ozai. But with a driven Crown Prince Zuko determined to capture them, it won’t be an easy task. They’ll need the help of the many allies and colorful characters they meet along the way.”
Miya Cech’s casting for Avatar: The Last Airbender is giving me life this Friday afternoon. Not only is Toph my favorite character in the series, but Miya Cech is a brilliant actress who will undoubtedly crush the role. Let’s go!
Five years ago, genre regular Samara Weaving starred in a very cool horror comedy called Ready or Not, which was directed by Radio Silence members Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who went on to make the two most recent Scream sequels and the “Dracula’s daughter” movie Abigail. Earlier this year, it was announced that a sequel is now moving forward, with Escape Room director Adam Robitel taking the helm of a Ready or Not 2 that Radio Silence, still on board as producers, has promised will be “an absolute banger.” Now, during an interview with ComicBook.com, Weaving has confirmed that she is “all in” on the sequel.
When the subject of Ready or Not 2 came up, Weaving told ComicBook.com, “I’m all in. I think we’re all in, I don’t know. I think we’re all in. I don’t know if we’ve had our blood handshake, but pretty much. We’ve done the spit handshake, but we haven’t cut each other’s hands and rubbed our blood together.“
Ready or Not was written by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy. Weaving took on the role of a young woman who is invited on the night of her wedding by her new husband’s rich, eccentric family to participate in a time-honored tradition that turns into a lethal game with everyone fighting for their survival.
She was joined in the cast by Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien, Elyse Levesque, Henry Czerny, Melanie Scrofano, Kristian Bruun, Nicky Guadagni, John Ralston, Liam McDonald, Ethan Tavares, Hanneke Talbot, Celine Tsai, Daniela Barbosa, Andrew Anthony, and Andie MacDowell.
In addition to Escape Room and Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, Robitel directed The Taking of Deborah Logan and Insidious: The Last Key, and wrote Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension. Weaving is doing the press rounds to promote her action horror film Azrael, which is set to reach theatres on September 27th, and has recently been in Kentucky filming the romantic thriller Carolina Caroline.
Are you interested in Ready or Not 2, and are you glad to hear that Samara Weaving is “all in” on coming back to star in the sequel? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
28 Days Later director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland have finally reunited to make a sequel to their zombie (or, if you prefer, infected people) movie classic. As we reporter earlier this year, this sequel is set up at Sony, is going to be called 28 Years Later – and it’s meant to launch a whole trilogy of 28 Days Later sequels. Filming on the first installment in this trilogy wrapped last month, and the folks at Wired have learned that the movie was shot using “a bunch of adapted iPhone 15s.” iPhone 15 Pro Maxes, to be exact. The fact that 28 Years Later was shot with smartphones, despite having a budget of $75 million (and thus becoming the biggest movie to date filmed with smartphones), seems quite fitting, given that 28 Days Later was one of the first major feature films to be shot with the Canon XL-1, a $4000 MiniDV prosumer camera. As for why the iPhone info didn’t leak out until a month after 28 Years Later wrapped filming, it’s because those who worked on the film had to sign NDAs about that detail.
The cast of 28 Years Later includes Jodie Comer (The Bikeriders), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (The Fall Guy), Erin Kellyman (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), and Ralph Fiennes (Conclave). It has also been said that 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy returns “in a surprising way.”
In the original film, Murphy played bicycle courier Jim, who wakes up from a coma to find himself in an apocalyptic England that’s overrun by people who have been infected by a rage virus. Boyle and Garland went through several endings for 28 Days Later before landing on the one movie-goers saw in theatres – and that ending was the only one where Jim survived. So he’s still out there, ready to live through another rage virus nightmare 28 years later. As The Hollywood Reporter previously noted, “The 2002 film grossed $82.7 million globally and spawned a sequel, 2007’s 28 Weeks Later, though Boyle and Garland were only nominally involved as executive producers.”
Garland is already writing the screenplay for the sequel that will come after 28 Years Later. Of the two 28 Years Later projects currently in the works, Boyle is only planning to direct the first one. For the second film, he’s passing the helm over to Candyman and The Marvels director Nia DaCosta. Thanks to their deal with Sony, each of these new films will be receiving a theatrical release and will have budgets in the $60 million range. As mentioned, 28 Years Later has a budget of $75 million.
Boyle and Garland are producing 28 Years Later with Bernie Bellew, original producer Andrew Macdonald, and Peter Rice, who was the head of Fox Searchlight Pictures when that company backed 28 Days Later. Murphy is executive producing. The film is scheduled to reach theatres on June 20th, 2025.
What do you think of 28 Days Later being shot with iPhone 15s? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
Form up, Transformers fans! The first animated film in the franchise in almost 40 years, Transformers One, is rolling out in theaters, and we want to know what you think about Paramount and Hasbro Entertainment’s latest adventure featuring the Robots in Disguise!
Doesn’t it feel good to see the Transformers on the silver screen in an animated format? I still recall when The Transformers: The Movie screened in theaters in 1986. Peter Cullen and Frank Welker owned as the voices of Optimus Prime and Megatron, respectively, with the great Leonard Nimoy as Galvitron, Susan Blu as Arcee, and Orson Wells as Unicron. The 1986 animation even included profanity! If you know, you know. After so much time has passed, we’re ready to hit the road with a new Transformers film that delves into Optimus and Megatron’s origins and sees how two inseparable friends became sworn enemies.
The official synopsis for Transformers One reads:
“TRANSFORMERS ONE is the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever. In the first-ever fully CG-animated Transformers movie, TRANSFORMERS ONE features a star-studded voice cast, including Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi with Laurence Fishburne and Jon Hamm.“
JoBlo’s Editor-in-Chief, Chris Bumbray, reviewedTransformers One, saying it’s the best Transformers movie to date. In his review, Chris said, “One thing worth noting is that the audience I saw this with REALLY seemed to love the movie. They laughed and cheered throughout, and when it was over, the audience gave it a huge round of applause, which is something you really never get at free screenings in my neck of the woods. There’s a reason why Paramount’s been doing so many word-of-mouth screenings, as this has the potential to be a major hit, and, again, it’s the best Transformers movie ever made by a wide margin.”
But enough about us. We want to know what you think about Transformers One! Sound off in the comments section below and share your thoughts about what some say is the “best Transformers movie” ever made! If you must divulge spoilers, please warn readers before dropping any knowledge bombs. Additionally, let us know who your favorite Transformer is when you share your thoughts.
The new Texas Chainsaw Massacre video game from Gun Interactive was just released for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One last year, and the developers have been keeping a steady flow of updates coming ever since. Last month, we learned that a new game mode called Rush Week would be part of a Content Pass will go on sale for the price of $19.99 on September 26th – and now a trailer for that game mode has been unveiled! You can check it out in the embed above.
The game’s developers provided the following information on the new game mode: Rush Week takes its inspiration from the late 70’s Giallo-inspired Slasher films. The love for that subgenre of cinema gives you a clearer vision for the horror film that you can cast yourself in with this 1v6 multiplayer mode. Taking place after the events of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Johnny is off wreaking havoc to unsuspecting Victims. Landing at the Omega Sigma Theta Sorority House, we set our scene with Johnny attempting to break in. The goal for the Sorority Girls? Survive and make it out alive.
Johnny and six new playable Sorority Girls will be randomly assigned at the start of the match. This two-story Sorority House features multiple spots to run and hide in, including a locked basement that can be explored. Traversal is similar to the original game, with multiple windows that can be jumped out of, ladders to climb, and even an attic area with its own unique escape option. While the Sorority Girls will not have any perks, there are key items scattered throughout the house to help them escape. A pair of car keys can be found to unlock a car where you can radio to the police to get help. Secondarily, players can also complete a fuse objective to use a phone in the house to call the police, as well. If the police have been called successfully, players have a limited amount of time to survive in the Sorority House with Johnny. There is an Attic Pole that can be used to make your final escape via an attic hatch, but be warned, at most only two Sorority Girls can escape through that exit. Johnny players can also break the ladder to prevent their escapes. The Sorority Girls can buy themselves time by using various weapons and distractions like the wrench, the knife, and the pepper spray, as well as an all new mechanic using perfume that can be thrown at him to reveal his location.
Johnny’s objective is to Hunt. With each execution, he will get stronger, making him more lethal the longer a match goes. Within Rush Week there will be a Fear system in place where if a Sorority Girl has a high level of Fear, Johnny can smell that fear and find them easier. So, it’s important for the Sorority Girls to complete objectives in order to lower their amount of fear or Johnny is going to get them.
Rush Week kicks off our new era of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. With the blessing of (franchise co-creator) Kim Henkel himself, we are exploring and creating within the world of Texas while still adhering to the authenticity of our game.
The usual matches of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre video game pit 4 victim characters against 3 killer characters. The story of the game has the following set-up: When Maria Flores went missing, and local law enforcement seemed to stall out in their search, her younger sister Ana teamed up with some of Maria’s friends from college to pick up the trail. The game takes place before the events of director Tobe Hooper’s 1974 classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (watch it HERE).
Kane Hodder (who also worked on Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III) did the motion-capture performance for Leatherface in the game, as well as the Grandpa character. Other motion-capture performers include Sean Whalen (The People Under the Stairs) as The Hitch-hiker; Troy Burgess (Swedish Dicks) as The Cook; Kristina Klebe (Don’t Kill It) as new killer character Sissy; and Dove Meir (Dig) as new killer character Johnny. Scout Taylor-Compton (Rob Zombie’s Halloween) did the mo-cap for all of the female victim characters while Hunter C. Smith (Lucky) did the mo-cap for all of the male victim characters. Although Whalen did the mo-cap for the Hitch-hiker, Edwin Neal, who played the character in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, provided his voice for the game. Damian Maffei (The Strangers: Prey atNight) provided the voice of Johnny, and Michael Johnston of Teen Wolf did the same for Danny. BAFTA winner Cissy Jones did the mo-cap and vocal performance for Nancy. Robert Mukes (House of 1000 Corpses) brought Hands to life. Barbara Crampton provided the voice and likeness of a character named Virginia. You can find out more about the killer characters at THIS LINK and the victim characters HERE. To learn more about the voice cast, head over HERE.
Ronnie Hobbs, Creative Director, Gun Interactive, had this to say about Rush Week: “Being able to explore our own canon in Rush Week let me answer the question, why isn’t Johnny in the first Texas Chain Saw Massacre or any of the other films? Being able to create a new time frame for Johnny to exist lets us play around with that idea. This new game mode takes place five years later and gives you a clue as to what Johnny is up to in his new life on the run.“
Wes Keltner, CEO and President, Gun Interactive, added: “The goal with Rush Week was to create a unique, and new way to play Texas, while also exploring one of the new family members. Internally we asked the question ‘If Johnny is in our game, why does he not appear in the ‘74 film? Where did he go?’ This game mode allows us to explore that storyline a bit. At the same time it allows me to selfishly incorporate a film genre I love; Giallo. If you haven’t watched a 70s era Italian horror film, please do. There’s really nothing else like it, and honestly Giallos crawled so western slashers could walk. It was fun to be inspired by that film genre, while also looking at other very early slashers and figure out a way to make it work within the world of Texas. I can’t wait for players to check it out!“
Rush Week looks and sounds very cool to me. That trailer makes me want to play it right now – or, if it was a movie, I would be wanting to watch it right now. Do you play The Texas Chainsaw Massacre video game, and will you be trying the Rush Week game mode? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Paramount and Hasbro Entertainment’s TransformersOne is shifting into high gear at the box office with $3.3M in Thursday preview screenings. The “More Than Meets the Eye” premiere began on Wednesday, with fan screenings at 7 pm and Thursday previews starting at 5 pm. The first Transformers animated film in nearly 40 years (God, I feel so old) is performing better than other family-oriented films this year, including Paramount’s IF ($1.75M), The Garfield Movie ($2.3M), and Trolls Band Together. Transformers One even drove past Travis Knight’s live-action Bumblebee film, which bowed to $2.15M.
With Transformers One rolling out to 3,978 domestic theaters, including IMAX and PLF screens, the animated origin story could burn enough rubber to reach $34M over its opening weekend. According to analysts, if positive word of mouth spreads and parents want to beat what remains of the heat in some areas, Transformers One could collect $40M or more. It’s worth noting that reviews for Transformers One are impressively positive, with an 87% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes after 98 reviews.
Our Editor-in-Chief, Chris Bumbray, gave Transformers One an 8/10 in his review. He said his audience laughed and cheered throughout the adventure. There was a massive round of applause at the end, which you don’t typically get at free screenings. Chris says the film is “goregous to look at,” while the animation feels fresh and distinctive.
On the horror end of the film spectrum, Demi Moore’s body horror film The Substance earned $512K in previews, comprised of Wednesday 7 p.m. showtimes in 785 theaters and another $327K in previews from 1,455 theaters last night from 4 p.m. showtimes.
We raved about The Substance during TIFF, saying the satiric and disturbing thriller would become highly controversial. There’s a chance it won’t play with older audiences, but younger genre audiences will eat it up. Some critics left the screening toward the end as the film’s contents became even more extreme.
Are you going to the movies this weekend? I’ve tickets for a 9:30 showing of The Substance tonight and hope to catch Transformers One on Saturday or Sunday. We’ll see. Let us know what your plans are in the comments section below.
Last week, we launched a new page at JoBloYouTubeNetwork.com, where you can access all of our YouTube channels from one place. Now we have some very cool news to share about our YouTube network, as JoBlo Media and Octane Multimedia are partnering on a new channel named JoBlo TV, which will host feature films to watch for free every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! The channel launches TODAY, and the genres we’ll be focusing on are Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Thrillers.
The first free-to-watch movie to be featured on JoBlo TV will be the Russian sci-fi action film A Rough Draft. Check it out:
Directed by Sergey Mokritskiy, who also crafted the screenplay with Maksim Budarin, Denis Kuryshev, and Olga Sobenina (based on a novel by Night Watch author Sergey Lukyanenko), A Rough Draft has the following synopsis: A video game designer is stripped of his identity and recruited by a mysterious force to be the gatekeeper of a multi-dimensional portal.
The film stars Nikita Volkov, Severija Janusauskaite, Vilen Babichev, Olga Borovskaya, Irina Demidkina, Oleg Feoktistov, Sergei Kapkov, Irina Khakamada, Andrey Merzlikin, Mikhail Parygin, Anna Peresild, Yuliya Peresild, Aleksandr Plyushchev, Yola Sanko, Nikita Tarasov, Evgeniy Tkachuk, Evgeniy Tsyganov, and Matvey Yakubov.
Here’s some information on our JoBlo TV partner: Octane Multimedia brings you an exciting world of movies and TV shows, offering a diverse selection of entertainment across multiple genres. We focus on delivering high-quality, engaging content that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. From action-packed blockbusters to mind-bending sci-fi adventures, and thrilling series, Octane Multimedia curates a unique viewing experience for film and TV lovers alike.
We’re looking forward to presenting you guys will all kinds of cool movies over the next few months (stay tuned for a full month of HORROR in October!) so please check ‘em out if you get the chance and be sure to share with any other movie fans that you think might enjoy the films as well. We appreciate your support!
Loose lips sink ships, but Frank Grillo still sails the superhero seas after hitting rough waters with Marvel Studios on multiple occasions. Speaking with Comicbook.com for his upcoming film Long Gone Heroes, Grillo spoke about joining DC’s Creature Commandos, where he plays Rick Flag Sr. The animated monster mash launches DC Studios‘ new direction for the DCU, and the studio is serious about keeping spoilers under wraps. Grillo, who plays Brock Rumlow (Crossbones) in the MCU, has an unfortunate habit of unintentionally breaking the rules and was almost fired by Marvel 36 times for opening his mouth too wide. With Creature Commandos rising from the grave in December, DC wants to ensure Grillo doesn’t spill any beans before sharing the series with fans.
When asked if he could share any details about Creature Commandos, Grillo paused before carefully wording his response, saying, “You know, unfortunately, there’s nothing I can really say that wouldn’t get me in trouble. So I kind of have to step back and go, ‘I take the fifth,’” Grillo told Comicbook.com. “I am so bad at this. Like, Marvel almost fired me 36 f—ing times because I don’t know. I never want to lie. And so, I do that a little too much. But I’ve been warned.”
It’s understandable why Grillo wants to remain mum about Creature Commandos after angering the mouse multiple times. You want to keep that relationship clean once you’re “in like Flint” with blockbuster outfits like Marvel and DC.
Speaking of Marvel, Comicbook.com asked Grillo if he would reprise his Crossbones role if the opportunity arose. In so many words, Grillo said he’s thankful for his time at Marvel and would be ready to get back in front of the camera if there’s a place for him.
Premiering December 5 on Max, the first entry in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s “Gods and Monsters” arc, Creature Commandos, finds Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) with her hands tied, operationally, meaning that she’s no longer able to get away with putting human lives on the line to carry out her clandestine morally questionable missions. Instead, she recruits a ragtag band of misfits, not unlike the Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. Her new team is a collective of literal monsters, bringing tooth and claw to the DCU with unpredictable tempers and tantrums that could change how Waller wins the day.
The cast of Creatures Commandos includes Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein, Indira Varma as The Bride, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, and Steve Agee as John Economos, and Sean Gunn as Weasel.
Can you keep a secret? Are you excited for Frank Grillo to play Rick Flag Sr. in DC’s Creature Commandos? Let us know in the comments section below.
Focus Features is celebrating Pharrell Williams’ Piece By Piece‘s arrival with a fun Lego Minifigure Generator! Piece By Piece is a musically-charged Lego movie delving into the extraordinary life and career of cultural icon Pharell Williams. Focus’ Lego Minifigure Generator invites fans to embark on their own creative journey, allowing them to build and customize their very own digital LEGO minifigures to resemble whoever they want to be—piece by piece. With a commitment to inclusivity, the generator boasts an impressive array of options, including seven skin tones, over 60 hairstyles, and more than 90 outfit choices, including exclusive pieces from Pharrell’s renowned fashion brand, Billionaire Boys Club.
I made a Lego Minifigure of myself with the generator (pictured above) as part of a preview for the mix-and-match event. While I can never quite find my hairstyle with generators, I was pleased to see the beard option included in the package. My beard is far more lustrous, but what can you do? I keep my face fur burly and tight, like a stoner lumberjack with a bit of salt steadily creeping into the mix.
Piece by Piece is produced by Morgan Neville and Caitrin Rogers (Tremolo Productions) alongside producers Pharrell Williams, Mimi Valdés, and Shani Saxon (i am OTHER). Jill Wilfert and Keith Malone are executive producing for the LEGO Group.
Speaking with Deadline in January, Peter Kujawski, the chairman of Focus Features, shared his excitement about the project, saying, “Pharrell Williams is a true trailblazer whose influence across music, art and fashion continually reshapes global culture with an undeniable sense of joy. In partnering with the inimitable Morgan Neville and the limitless creativity of the LEGO brand his visionary spirit comes to life in a wholly unique and uplifting way that will inspire everyone to dance, to sing, and to use their voice to build the world they want to see, brick by brick, and piece by piece.”
Neville would add, “Five years ago, Pharrell Williams approached me with the idea of helping him tell his story through LEGO animation. It was one of those rare moments where I knew in a second that this was a journey I wanted to go on. I’m grateful to our partners at Focus Features and at the LEGO Group for their belief in our crazy mission. We assembled an incredible team of creative collaborators to help make a new type of film. I can’t wait for people to see it.”
Colin Farrell‘s reign as the famous Gotham gangster is about to begin with HBO’s The Penguin, which spun off from Matt Reeves’ film The Batman. The latest interpretation of the DC iconic superhero was praised by many, and one fan in particular now gets to helm The Penguin. The Hollywood Reporter has shared that Craig Zobel, who directs episodes of The Penguin, was so impressed with the 2022 Dark Knight movie that he sent Matt Reeves a letter, thanking him.
Zobel told THR, “I happened to have his email. So I reached out to say, ‘Hey, not for nothing, [The Batman] was the superhero movie I wanted to see right now. You killed it.’ That was my first time saying anything to Matt at all.” When it came to emulating Reeves’ style for the show, Zobel explained, “We talked with Matt and [The Batman DP] Greig Fraser a good bit before starting the show, and we asked them questions just on a very technical level. So we used all of the same camera gear and lenses that are in the movie, and as far as lighting styles and stuff like that, I would say that we carried that through, even if the scenarios were slightly different.”
Recently, Colin Farrell spoke candidly about the revealing bodysuit he had to display on the upcoming spin-off. While speaking with People, Farrell explained that one scene in the series called for his character to appear naked. “Marino is so twisted and brilliant. He was like, ‘I made you a penguin penis,’” Farrell said. “I said, ‘Really? They’re not even going to see it. I don’t know if I want to walk on set with a penguin penis.’ And he was like, ‘No, no, no, dude. It’s detachable, it’s Velcro. It’s got a beak at the end of it.’ So I had a penguin penis.“
Farrell went on to credit Marino for making the whole thing work. “If it wasn’t for Mike’s design, I’m telling you now, if it was just me with a f—ing cigarette and a top hat and a bit of a limp and an umbrella that was a machine gun, we wouldn’t have had the HBO show.” The complete transformation covers just about every part of Farrell’s body. “Only things that were me were my hands and feet,” he said. “Everything else, including ears, were pieces. Everything was covered.“
