AMC has been in the Walking Dead business for years, building a long-running show and multiple spin-offs out of the source material provided in the pages of Robert Kirkman’s comic book series. They’re in the Anne Rice business, building a franchise out of the books, characters, and ideas in Rice’s Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches trilogy. Now, Deadline reports that they’re getting into the Emily Carpenter business, as they’re developing a TV series based on Carpenter’s upcoming novel Gothictown, with Abby Ajayi on board serve as showrunner, writer, and executive producer.

The Gothictown adaptation ended up at AMC through their first-look deal with Stephen Love’s company Made With Love Media, as Made With Love acquired the rights to the book in a competitive situation and will be producing the show.

Carpenter’s book isn’t even expected to reach shelves until March 25, 2025. The story follows Billie Hope, a New York City restaurateur who relocates her family to the quaint town of Juliana, Georgia, drawn by an irresistible offer: a Victorian home for only $100 and a grant to open a new restaurant. The “Juliana Initiative,” designed to revitalize the town post-pandemic, seems like the perfect opportunity for a fresh start and a new business venture. However, once Billie and her family settle in, an unsettling undercurrent beneath Juliana’s Southern charm starts to creep into her life. While she tries to brush off her suspicions as mere misgivings, the town’s eerie atmosphere and hidden darkness grow impossible to ignore. Billie soon realizes that Juliana might be holding her family captive in more ways than one, and escaping might not be as simple as she thought.

Carpenter’s previous books include Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters, Until the Day I Die, Every Single Secret, The Weight of Lies, and Burying the Honeysuckle Girls. Made With Love Media was behind the Netflix sci-fi comedy They Cloned Tyrone. Ajayi’s credits include Inventing Anna, The Riches, The Plot, Bobby Meritorious, How to Get Away with Murder, The First Lady, and the Hulu version of Four Weddings and a Funeral. She also wrote the screenplay for a remake of Curtis Hanson’s The Bedroom Window, but that hasn’t gone into production yet.

Have you read any Emily Carpenter books, and does Gothictown sound interesting to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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After casting Miya Cech (Surfside Girls, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, Always Be My Maybe) as Toph Beifong, the best character in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Netflix is adding eight more to its cast to round out Earth Kingdom’s members. Anticipation for the final two seasons of the live-action series could not be higher after a thrilling February debut, with fans old and new enjoying the antics of Aang and his friends.

Joining the cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 are Chin Han as Long Feng, Justin Chien as King Kuei, Amanda Zhou as Joo Dee, Crystal Yu as Lady Beifong, Kelemete Misipeka as The Boulder, Hoa Xuande as Professor Zei, Lourdes Faberes as General Sung, and Rekha Sharma as Amita.

Netflix announced in September that Miya Cech would play Toph Beifong for the series, much to the delight of fans. 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.”

Let’s go! I loved the first season of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender and cannot wait to see more! With so many actors joining the production, we’re one step closer to enjoying another intense adventure for Season 2.

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The holidays wouldn’t be the same without a feel-good comedy to help warm your chestnuts by the fire. Thankfully, Hulu is here with a heartfelt comedy about family, frustrations in parenting, and feeling like the best gift includes stepping up to the plate for loved ones in need. Directed by David Gordon Green (Halloween Kills, The Exorcist: Believer), Nutcrackers stars Ben Stiller (Zoolander, Tropic Thunder, Night at the Museum) and Linda Cardellini (Freaks and Geeks, Scooby-Doo, The Curse of La Llorona). Today, Hulu shared a Nutcrackers trailer to make your heart grow two sizes bigger.

Nutcrackers follows strait-laced and work-obsessed Mike (Stiller) as he is suddenly thrust into being a caregiver for his rambunctious, orphaned nephews. The foursome is more than Mike can handle while finding them a new home, and he’s quickly learning that if you can’t beat them, join them. As the group gets closer, Mike discovers a part of himself he’s never known, brought on by the daily chaos and shared sensation of grief.

Edi Patterson, Tim Heidecker, and Toby Huss star, with Homer Janson, Ulysses Janson, Arlo Janson, and Atlas Janson playing the brotherly unit.

The feature-length project is a hard left turn at Albuquerque for Green, who’s spent most of his recent filmmaking career bringing Halloween’s Michael Myers and William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist back to the horror fold. Is Green leaving horror for good, or is Nutcrackers a breath of fresh air before he returns to the bloody and brutal genre?

Stiller’s involvement with Nutcrackers ends a six-year chill time for the comedic actor. You need to imagine that something special about the script called out to him, compelling him to step back into the spotlight. Rivulet Films’ Rob Paris and Mike Witherill, Red Hour Films’ Ben Stiller and John Lesher, and Rough House Pictures’ Nate Meyer are producing.

Everybody could use a story about kindness and compassion this holiday season, and a feel-good comedy could be precisely what the doctor ordered. Warming up to four kids is no easy feat, and I’m curious to see how they win Mike over. Will the boys find a new home or live with their Uncle Mike until they’re old enough to move out? What do you think about David Gordon Green’s Nutcrackers trailer? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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George Lucas and Ron Howard’s legendary fantasy epic Willow is ready to cast a spell and protect the child on 4K HD Blu-ray for the first time beginning on December 10. This glorious presentation of the beloved film arrives as a 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook, making it a fine addition to any physical media collection. If you’ve moved on from collecting discs, Willow is coming to digital platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.

Here’s the official synopsis for Willow courtesy of today’s official press release:

From legendary filmmakers George Lucas and Ron Howard comes Willow, a timeless fantasy tale where heroes come in all sizes. When Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) finds an abandoned baby girl, he learns she is destined to end the reign of wicked Queen Bavmorda. Willow teams up with a rogue swordsman (Val Kilmer) to protect the child against the darkness. It’s the ultimate story of good versus evil — with magic and danger.

The Willow 4K HD Blu-ray Steelbook has beautiful cover art featuring characters from the pure-hearted adventure with warriors, witches, and warlocks. The two-disc set also has picturesque interior art of Willow and his people toiling in a nearby field.

Willow stars Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood, Val Kilmer as the brash Madmartigan, Joanne Whalley as Sorsha, Billy Barty as High Aldwin, and Jean Marsh as the evil Queen Bavmorda.

’80s fantasy cinema fans always save a spot at the Great Table for Willow. This timeless tale stands proudly alongside films like The Dark Crystal, Legend, The Neverending Story, Labyrinth, Time Bandits, Return to Oz, The Last Unicorn, and more. If you grew up in the ’80s, Willow was a crowned jewel of your VHS collection, its presentation marred by repeat viewings.

I’ve seen Willow more times than I can count, but to prove how influential this film was at its release, I still recall it playing on TV when I was in daycare. I can see it clear as day right now; the TV with its dull color settings playing beside a plate of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a bowl of Cheddar Goldfish. Ah, memories.

Are you excited about Willow coming to 4K HD Blu-ray? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Justin Long and Kate Bosworth, who co-starred in writer/director Neil LaBute’s 2022 horror comedy House of Darkness, have been in a relationship for a few years and are at least engaged, possibly married. Now, it has been announced that not only have they chosen to spend their lives together, but they’ve also signed on to make a survival thriller together. The project is called Coyote, and it’s set to be directed by Colin Minihan (What Keeps You Alive) from a story that was crafted by Daniel Meersand (The Pyramid), Nick Simon (The Girl in the Photographs), and Tad Daggerhart (Expend4bles).

The announcement was made by by Capstone Studios’ CEO Christian Mercuri. Nathan Klingher and Ford Corbett are producing the film for Gramercy Park, along with James Harris of Teashop Productions and Jib Polhemus of Source Management. Capstone’s Roman Viaris and Ruzanna Kegeyan serve as executive producers with Long, Bosworth, Simon, Daggerhart, Jason Carpenter, Adam Mirels, Robbie Mirels, Tyler Gould, Michael Sklut, and Jijo Reed. Capstone Studios and Magnetic Labs are providing the financing. Capstone Global is handling worldwide rights. Filming began yesterday, November 11th, in Bogota, Colombia.

Coyote is a survival thriller which follows a family fighting for their lives against a pack of crazed coyotes during a raging wildfire in the Hollywood Hills.

Kegeyan provided the following statement: “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Gramercy Park on this electrifying tale of a family facing dual threats from the firestorm threatening to engulf their home and a pack of hungry coyotes caught up in the maelstrom. We know that Justin and Kate are perfectly matched to bring this riveting tale to life.“

Klingher added, “We are elated to have Capstone on board to help us bring this incredible tale to audiences worldwide. With Colin Minihan directing such sympathetic actors as Justin and Kate, and a tautly paced script from Tad and Nick, we are certain that the film will be a real nail biter experience for viewers.“

Does Coyote sound interesting to you? Are you looking forward to watching Justin Long and Kate Bosworth fight off a pack of crazed coyotes in this survival thriller? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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Is there a busier director out there than Guy Ritchie? This year saw the release of his epic The League of Ungentlemanly Warfare and his TV adaptation of The Gentlemen. He also already has two movies wrapped for 2025. There’s In The Grey, which teams Jake Gyllenhaal and Henry Cavill, and then there’s Fountain of Youth with Natalie Portman and John Krasinski. Plus, he’s shooting two more series this year – Young Sherlock for Prime Video and the all-star The Associates for Paramount Plus. Now, we can add one more movie to his slate for next year – Wife & Dog, which is set to star Benedict Cumberbatch, Rosamund Pike and Anthony Hopkins.

According to a release from BlackBear, the company financing the film, Ritchie, who is also writing, will start shooting the film in February. The film is set in the back-stabbing world of the English aristocracy, which is familiar territory for the director, having been the milieu of both the movie and TV versions of The Gentlemen. That series was one of Netflix’s biggest hits of 2024, and it will also be getting a second season, although there is no news yet on when it will film.

In many ways, Ritchie seems to be taking a page from Taylor Sheridan. He has established his own universe of content broaching both TV and film, much of it carrying a distinct flavour that sets him apart. Ritchie doesn’t seem like a guy who rests on his laurels, so it’s not a surprise he’s gotten a film going while he works on his TV projects, which at least allows him to share directing and writing duties. 

One interesting thing about Ritchie is that he seems to have found a smart way to consistently get his films financed. This usually involves slicing up territories for the eventual release, with streaming rights being a big piece of the pie. The League of Ungentlemanly Warfare was a Prime Video original in most territories outside of the U.S. 

This will be Ritchie’s first collaboration with Cumberbatch and Hopkins. Pike co-stars in his upcoming In The Grey, which comes out January 17th, 2025. 

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Stranger Things and Ghostbusters: Afterlife / Frozen Empire actor Finn Wolfhard recently made his feature directorial debut with a horror comedy called Hell of a Summer, which he directed alongside Billy Bryk, who also appeared in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray had the chance to watch the movie at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and gave it a 5/10 review than can be read at THIS LINK. Hell of a Summer has secured a U.S. distribution deal with NEON, and will receive a theatrical release sometime in 2025… and while we wait to find out the exact release date, Variety has broken the news that Sony Pictures has hired Wolfhard and Bryk to write an Idle Hands remake, which they might also direct. The Ghostbusters franchise’s Jason Reitman is on board to produce the film.

Directed by Rodman Flender – who also directed Leprechaun 2 and happens to be the uncle of Dune star Timothée Chalamet – from a screenplay by Terri Hughes and Ron Milbauer, the original Idle Hands was released in 1999 and has the following synopsis: When slacker teen Anton Tobias has his right hand possessed by a demonic force, he finds that his life gets a lot more interesting. While Anton himself is an amiable guy, his hand proves to be an appendage of death, killing his two best buddies, Pnub and Mick, who return to life as wisecracking zombies. In addition to murdering those closest to him, Anton’s evil hand significantly hinders his chances with lovely neighbor Molly.

The film stars Devon Sawa, Seth Green, Elden Henson, Jessica Alba, Vivica A. Fox, Jack Noseworthy, Steve Van Wormer, Fred Willard, Connie Ray, Katie Wright, Kelly Monaco, Sean Whalen, Nick Sadler, Randy Oglesby, Timothy Stack, Mindy Sterling, Joey Slotnick, Tom DeLonge, and Kyle Gass, with Christopher Hart as The Hand. There’s also a special appearance by the band The Offspring.

Reitman is producing the Idle Hands remake with Jennifer Todd and Suzanne Todd, under their Team Todd banner. Reitman’s Ghostbusters collaborator (and Frozen Empire director) Gil Keenan is also a producer on the project. Maia Eyre is overseeing for Sony.

What do you think of Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk, and Jason Reitman reteaming to remake Idle Hands? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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Russell Crowe is ready to get fitted for gilded armor again after signing on for The Last Druid, an upcoming action film set in his old stomping grounds, the Roman Empire. It’s been 25 years since Crowe took up his sword and shield for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. Still, that won’t keep him from exploring a time of blood, sand, and violence.

Underwater director Will Eubank will direct The Last Druid from a script by Phil Gawthorne and Carlyle Eubank. Filming will commence next year. According to Deadline, The Last Druid depicts “how an Emperor discovers a secluded Druid stronghold in the mountains of Caledonia. A peaceful Celtic elder (Crowe) must take up arms to protect his family and people from annihilation.”

Emperors, man. Why are they always looking to take what isn’t theirs? Imposing your will on innocent people and overtaking territory is a great way to end up on somebody’s s**t list. Here’s hoping Crowe’s character gives the invaders what for and teaches anyone else looking to claim their land.

“This one was exceptionally well received by the international distributors who were fired up at the idea of Russell in this role and responded enthusiastically to the screenplay’sscreenplay’s skillful marriage of action and heart,” said AGC’s Stuart Ford.

Before Russell Crowe prepares for war in The Last Druid, he stars as Nikolai Kravinoff in Sony’s Kraven the Hunter. The upcoming superhero action film explores Kraven’s (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) complex relationship with his ruthless father (Crowe), who starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the most excellent hunter in the world but also one of its most feared. Fred Hechinger also stars, with Ariana DeBose playing Calypso, Christopher Abbott as The Foreigner, and Alessandro Nivola as Aleksei Sytsevich, The Rhino.

If you have yet to see 2020’s Underwater, I highly recommend it. It’s an intense and action-packed creature feature that never stops from the moment it starts with the destruction of a facility in the murky ocean depths.

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Ben Stiller went uncredited on the 1996 comedy Happy Gilmore, where he had a small role as Hal L., a nursing home orderly who torments the elderly people in his care, dropping lines like, “You can trouble me for a warm glass of shut-the-hell-up!” Nearly thirty years later, Stiller is bringing Hal L. back to life, as he has been spotted on the set of the currently-filming Happy Gilmore 2!

Here’s what Stiller’s Hal L. is looking like these days:

While the original Happy Gilmore was directed by Dennis Dugan from a screenplay by Tim Herlihy and star Adam Sandler, for this one Dugan – who also worked with Sandler on Big Daddy, The Benchwarmers (Sandler produced that one but didn’t star in it), I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, Grown Ups, Just Go with It, Jack and Jill, and Grown Ups 2 – has passed the helm over to Kyle Newacheck, whose credits include the What We Do in the Shadows TV series and Game Over, Man! Herlihy and Sandler have written the script for the new film.

Sandler is also back in the title role of Happy Gilmore. We don’t have a synopsis for the sequel yet, so we’ll just remind you that the original Happy Gilmore focuses on Happy, a hockey player with anger management issues who, with the help of golf legend Chubbs Peterson, joins the PGA Tour to earn enough money to save his grandmother’s house. Happy isn’t precisely a conventional golfer, and his aggressive, slapshot style of play clashes with PGA favorite Shooter McGavin, a self-important asshat in desperate need of a kick in the golf balls. As Happy and Shooter prepare to face one another for the top prize, Shooter uses every dirty trick in the book to keep his title and sabotage Happy’s possible victory.

Joining Sandler in the cast of Happy Gilmore 2 are Benito Martínez Ocasio (a.k.a. rapper Bad Bunny), Nick Swardson, Benny Safdie, Margaret Qualley, AEW star Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Scott Mescudi (a.k.a. Kid Cudi), Travis Kelce, John Daly, and, as we saw above, Ben Stiller. Dennis Dugan also shows up as Doug Thompson, the pro golf tour commissioner he played in the first movie.

Sandler and Herlihy are producing the film with Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. Happy Gilmore 2 is set up at the Netflix streaming service.

Are you glad to know that Ben Stiller is back for Happy Gilmore 2? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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Who doesn’t love a fun action movie? With John Wick and The Fast Saga changing the game for what audiences have come to expect from big-budget action movies, other movies are often relegated to second-class efforts. Luc Besson, the creator of The Transporter and Taken franchises, has cemented his own brand of action movie that has been around for decades. Partnering with co-writer and director George Huang, Besson has produced the new movie Weekend in Taipei, which mines the classic style of nineties-era action movies for a fun, brisk movie experience (check out our review HERE).

Weekend in Taipei follows DEA agent John Lawlor (Luke Evans) as he returns to Taiwan after fifteen years away. The last time he was there, he had a romance with criminal transporter Joey (Gwei Lun-mei). Lawlor is in town to pick up evidence to take down drug kingpin Kwang (Sung Kang). Unbeknownst to John, Joey is not only married to Kwang, but he also has a son whom he knows nothing about. Reuniting with his former love and son, Lawlor must try to escape from Taipei with the evidence to take Kwang down.

I got the chance to speak with the cast and crew of Weekend in Taipei. Wyatt Yang, who plays young Raymond, talked about being scared of Sung Kang’s method acting and what it was like filming his first movie. Star Luke Evans talked about playing a hero with Kang as the villain, the inverse of their Fast Saga relationship, and whether he hopes this movie turns into a franchise. Sung Kang talked about why playing villains is more fun while director George Huang gives a shout out to JoBlo.com while explaining the method behind his first action movie. Check out the full interviews in the embed above.

Weekend in Taipei premieres in theaters on November 8th.

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