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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After helming one of the best Godzilla films in recent memory, Godzilla Minus One, director Takashi Yamazaki is joining forces with Sony Pictures and Bad Robot for his next project, Grandgear. Yamazaki’s next endeavor became the subject of a heated bidding war, with Sony stomping all over the competition to land the deal. Yamazaki directs Grandgear from his original script, with the Godzilla Minus One creative also producing. J.J. Abrams’s Bad Robot joins the production effort with Glen Zipper.

Takashi Yamazaki shot Godzilla Minus One for a shocking $10-15 million. The compelling and dramatic action film roared in theaters with $113.6M+, making the return amount bigger than some of Godzilla’s Kaiju foes. Studios know Yamazaki can make a blockbuster on a modest budget, and considering how much it costs to make tentpole films nowadays, he could be the studio’s golden goose. Grandgear is Takashi Yamazaki’s first English-language film, and Sony is prepared to bring the movie to stateside markets and overseas.

Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One steadily became one of 2023’s most successful films. Bolstered by glowing reviews and enthusiastic word of mouth, audiences who don’t usually go for Kaiju fare turned up for the brilliantly crafted film. Godzilla Minus One occurs in post-war Japan when the territory is at its lowest point. Things are already tough all over, but they get worse as a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb. While Godzilla Minus One features plenty of Godzilla-stomping spectacle, the film also tells an engaging human story about regret, shame, and making up for past mistakes. A black-and-white version of the film exists, giving fans two ways to enjoy Godzilla’s latest and most outstanding display of collateral damage.

What do you think Takashi Yamazaki’s Grandgear could be about? Will lightning strike twice for the filmmaker? With a keen eye for action and the ability to seamlessly weave drama into the mix, Yamazaki’s Grandgear could become one of the most anticipated films in Sony’s schedule. We can’t wait to find out. How about you? In the comments section, let us know if you want to learn more about Grandgear.

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Back in February, it was announced that Prey director Dan Trachtenberg would become the first filmmaker to take the helm of two films in the Predator franchise, as he was moving ahead with a new Predator film titled Badlands, working from a screenplay by Prey screenwriter Patrick Aison (based on a story crafted by Trachtenberg himself), with filming expected to begin this summer. In June, it was revealed that Super 8‘s Elle Fanning had been cast in the film. Predator: Badlands has since gone into production in New Zealand – and during a conversation with Empire, Trachtenberg revealed that the Predator is the protagonist in this movie!

According to a casting call, Predator: Badlands has the following synopsis: A groundbreaking film in which one of the two main storylines delves into the intricate bond of two very different sisters, their familial ties are put to the ultimate test as they pursue divergent paths and missions. We’ve previously heard that the story is set sometime in the future.

The casting call was searching for a lead actress who could take on the dual role of twin sisters Thia and Tessa: This casting is for a dual character, and describes both characters. Character identifies as female or non-binary, open ethnicity, mid 20s – mid 40s. Thia has spent most of her life in a laboratory and is now embarking on her first big adventure in the world. She is incredibly smart, witty, enthusiastic, and unflappable. She has an innate disregard for danger, not because she’s fearless, but simply because she’s naive. Strong comedy chops required. // The other sister, Tessa, has a militant intensity when it comes to achieving her family’s goals and mission objectives. She will not let anything get in her way, not even her twin sister. These are the roles Elle Fanning is playing.

Speaking with Empire, Trachtenberg revealed, “The creature is front and center, leading the charge. He’s still badass, but there’s something there that touches you emotionally, too. Creating a character you connect with, but are also super-intimidated by, has been challenging. But exciting.” The idea for Predator: Badlands came from Trachtenberg’s desire to “find another essential piece of cinema that does what Prey did spiritually — pushing the franchise’s boundaries, letting us root for a hero we rarely get to root for — but in a different way. And that transformed into this big idea of rooting for the Predator.“

Predator: Badlands will be receiving a theatrical release sometime in 2025 – and Trachtenberg has actually made three Predator movies. Before Badlands reaches the screen, we’ll be seeing another Trachtenberg-directed Predator project that’s rumored to be an animated anthology.

Are you looking forward to finding out how Predator: Badlands will present a heroic Predator that we’ll be rooting for? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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While everyone’s enjoying the new Zombies mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Marvel Studios is ready to unleash hordes of infected and bitey superheroes onto Disney+ with Marvel Zombies. The animated mayhem shambles onto the streaming platform in October 2025, but Marvel wants to spill the beans about the anticipated project’s voice cast.

Bryan Andrews (Primal, Jackie Chan Adventures) directs Marvel Zombies from a teleplay written by Zeb Wells, based on a story by Andrews and Wells. While there’s no official plot synopsis, the title gives us all we need, more or less. I’ll bet every long box in my comic book collection that a Marvel hero gets infected by a nasty virus, becomes zombified, and then passes the disease on to others. I’m sure there are more twists and turns, but zombie stories are usually a by-the-numbers affair.

Regarding the Marvel Zombies voice cast, the studio revealed an exciting list of Marvel alums, including Awkwafina, Elizabeth Olsen, David Harbour, Simu Liu, Florence Pugh, Randall Park, Hailee Steinfeld, Dominique Thorne, Iman Vellani, and Todd Williams, who voice Rick Mason in Insomniac’s 2020 Spider-Man: Miles Morales video game.

Speaking with The Direct last year, Iman Vellani offered her impression of what fans can expect from the show, including the story focusing on Vellani’s Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel.

“We’ve done the whole thing. It was amazing. It was so much fun. And I love—there are a lot of cool characters in the Marvel Zombies show,” said Vellani. “And Kamala is kind of the center of the show. They described it to me, it’s like, ‘She’s basically the Frodo of the story.’ And I was like, ‘That’s amazing.’ And I get to interact and meet all these people along her journey. And, yes, they’re only the voices, and I don’t get to hear their voices in real-time. But just, it’s my fantasies, right? Like, knowing Kamala is going to interact with some really cool people, even if it’s just animation, is so special in a lot of ways.”

Iman Vellani’s enthusiasm for Marvel Zombies is infectious (see what I did there), and I can’t think of a better character to lead Marvel’s upcoming animated apocalypse. Vellani’s genuine love for the Marvel Cinematic Universe reminds us what it’s like for the MCU to still be a magical corner of Hollywood.

Are you excited about the Marvel Zombies voice cast? Will other actors show up to voice their respective characters? Who do you want to see battle zombie hordes or become one of the infected? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Marvel Zombies voice cast announced with Awkwafina, Elizabeth Olsen, Florence Pugh and more shambling into the MCU series appeared first on JoBlo.

Back in 1956, director Fred M. Wilcox and writers Cyril Hume, Irving Block, and Allen Adler brought the world one of the most popular science fiction films ever made, Forbidden Planet, which earned an Oscar nomination for its special effects and, in 2013, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, as the film is regarded as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Of course, there have been rumblings of a remake for a long time. Fifteen years ago, there was even some talk about James Cameron directing the remake, and Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski was working on the screenplay. That take on the concept never made it into production, but now Deadline reports that Hugo and Eisner Award-winning comic book writer and screenwriter Brian K. Vaughan, who created the comics Y: The Last Man and Runaways and worked on the TV shows Lost and Under the Dome, is writing a new screenplay for a Forbidden Planet remake.

The project is set up at Warner Bros., with Emma Watts producing. According to Deadline, Forbidden Planet remake hopes have previously been held back by rights issues, but apparently Warner Bros. and Watts have figured out how to overcome those issues.

Loosely based on Shakepeare’s The Tempest, Forbidden Planet is set in the 23rd century, where the starship C-57D arrives at the distant planet Altair IV to solve the mystery of what happened to another starship sent 20 years prior. One of that original ship’s scientists, Dr. Edward Morbius (played by Walter Pidgeon), warns them not to land for safety reasons, but C-57D does so anyway. Their rescue attempts are hampered by a creature that begins killing members of the crew. The ship’s commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen, back when he exclusively did serious roles) unravels a mystery that involves a relic from a long perished race that heightens intellect and does much worse. The film also starred Anne Francis as the wife of Morbius; a major character in the film is Robby the Robot, the first in a sci-fi film that didn’t come off like a cheap tin can, and began the trek of AI-fueled robots that became staples of major sci-fi films to follow.

Years ago, Straczynski said that his approach to the material was to make something that was “not a remake, not a reimagining, not exactly a prequel.” There might have even been trilogy plans in place. There’s no word on what sort of approach Vaughan will be taking.

Are you interested in seeing a Forbidden Planet remake? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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It’s that time of year again when Christmas movies are pulled out of boxes to revisit, and new ones debut on big screens and small screens. With Hallmark and Lifetime having cornered the market on the schmaltzy brand of Yuletide fare, it is easy to ignore or dismiss the countless other movies and shows with feel-good messages for this time of year. One such film is the new Shout Studios film A Sudden Case of Christmas, starring Danny DeVito, Lucy DeVito, Wilmer Valderrama, Andie MacDowell, and newcomer Antonella Rose.

Set in the Dolemite Mountains of Italy, A Sudden Case of Christmas is set during the summer when young Claire Randall (Antonella Rose) is heading to visit her Grandfather Lawrence (Danny DeVito), who owns and manages an exclusive hotel in the beautiful mountains. Claire is visiting with her mother, Abbie (Lucy DeVito), and father, Jacob (Wilmer Valderrama), and she has no clue that they are preparing to divorce. When Claire realizes what is happening, she demands the family convert the hotel to a Christmas theme to celebrate her favorite holiday one last time as a family. With Jacob’s parents, Rose (Andie MacDowell) and Mark (Jose Zuniga), joining them, what follows is a comedy of errors as the family copes with hijinks, arguments, and rekindled romance while getting a dose of Christmas at the same time.

I got the chance to chat with the father-daughter duo of Danny and Lucy DeVito about A Sudden Case of Christmas. We chatted about what it meant for the two to work together on screen, the talent of young Antonella Rose, and what their favorite Christmas movies are. Check out the full interview in the embed above.

A Sudden Case of Christmas opens in theaters, digitally, and on-demand on NOW. Read our review HERE!

The post Interview: Danny DeVito and Lucy DeVito talk about co-starring in A Sudden Case of Christmas appeared first on JoBlo.

It’s that time of year again when Christmas movies are pulled out of boxes to revisit, and new ones debut on big screens and small screens. With Hallmark and Lifetime having cornered the market on the schmaltzy brand of Yuletide fare, it is easy to ignore or dismiss the countless other movies and shows with feel-good messages for this time of year. One such film is the new Shout Studios film A Sudden Case of Christmas, starring Danny DeVito, Lucy DeVito, Wilmer Valderrama, Andie MacDowell, and newcomer Antonella Rose.

Set in the Dolemite Mountains of Italy, A Sudden Case of Christmas is set during the summer when young Claire Randall (Antonella Rose) is heading to visit her Grandfather Lawrence (Danny DeVito), who owns and manages an exclusive hotel in the beautiful mountains. Claire is visiting with her mother, Abbie (Lucy DeVito), and father, Jacob (Wilmer Valderrama), and she has no clue that they are preparing to divorce. When Claire realizes what is happening, she demands the family convert the hotel to a Christmas theme to celebrate her favorite holiday one last time as a family. With Jacob’s parents, Rose (Andie MacDowell) and Mark (Jose Zuniga), joining them, what follows is a comedy of errors as the family copes with hijinks, arguments, and rekindled romance while getting a dose of Christmas at the same time.

I got the chance to chat with the father-daughter duo of Danny and Lucy DeVito about A Sudden Case of Christmas. We chatted about what it meant for the two to work together on screen, the talent of young Antonella Rose, and what their favorite Christmas movies are. Check out the full interview in the embed above.

A Sudden Case of Christmas opens in theaters, digitally, and on-demand on NOW. Read our review HERE!

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