Just last month, Quentin Tarantino shared a few hot takes on recent movies, including his refusal to watch Denis Villeneuve’s Dune because he’s already seen David Lynch’s version. “I saw [David Lynch’s] Dune a couple of times,” Tarantino said. “I don’t need to see that story again. I don’t need to see spice worms. I don’t need to see a movie that says the word ‘spice’ so dramatically.“

Villeneuve recently took part in a Q&A at Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in Montreal, where he had a simple response to Tarantino’s refusal to watch Dune. “I don’t care,” Villeneuve said, which prompted the audience to erupt in laughter. However, he did agree with Tarantino in one area. “I agree with him that I don’t like this idea of recycling and bringing back old ideas,” he said. “But where I disagree is that what I did was not a remake. It’s an adaptation of the book. I see this as an original.” Villeneuve then added, “But we are very different human beings.“

I would say Tarantino is missing out. While Lynch’s movie and Villeneuve’s movies do share the same source in Frank Herbert’s novel, they are very different animals.

“It’s one after another of this remake and that remake,” Tarantino said. “People ask have you seen ‘Dune’? Have you seen ‘Ripley?’ Have you seen ‘Shōgun’?” And I’m like no, no, no, no. There’s six or seven Ripley books. If you do one again, why are you doing the same one that they’ve done twice already? I’ve seen that story twice before, and I didn’t really like it in either version, so I’m not really interested in seeing it a third time. If you did another story, that would be interesting enough to give it a shot anyway.“

As for Dune, Villeneuve is set to return to Arrakis for a third installment of the franchise. However, he’s said that he doesn’t view Dune 3 as the completion of a trilogy. “First, it’s important that people understand that for me, it was really a diptych,” Villeneuve said. “It was really a pair of movies that will be the adaptation of the first book. That’s done and that’s finished. If I do a third one, which is in the writing process, it’s not like a trilogy. It’s strange to say that, but if I go back there, it’s to do something that feels different and has its own identity.“

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It’s been nearly a decade since the last Ice Age movie, but Manny, Diego, Ellie, Sid, Scrat, and Baby Scrat are coming back for more. It was announced at D23 Brazil that Ice Age 6 is officially in production. Will Scrat finally get his acorn?

The audience at D23 Brazil was treated to a short video announcing Ice Age 6, with cast members Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, and Simon Pegg returning for the sequel. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but fans of the franchise will doubtlessly be thrilled at its return.

Ice Age was Blue Sky Studios’ first movie. It was cheap to produce and became a massive hit upon its release in 2002, grossing $383 million worldwide. It was followed by Ice Age: The Meltdown in 2006, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in 2009, Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012, and Ice Age: Collision Course in 2016. Blue Sky Studios was a subsidiary of 20th Century Animation until its acquisition by Disney in 2019. There had been talk of a sixth sequel at the time, but the studio was closed down by Disney in 2021 due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Given the current economic realities, after much consideration and evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to close filmmaking operations at Blue Sky Studios,” said a studio spokesperson at the time. A short video was later released on YouTube, which featured Scrat finally getting his acorn and eating it.

In addition to the movies, the Ice Age franchise also spawned several shorts, TV specials, and a short series for Disney+. There was also The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, a spinoff movie featuring Simon Pegg’s character, a one-eyed weasel and dinosaur hunter. While the Ice Age franchise hasn’t always been a critical darling, it has always been a consistent performer at the box office and has legions of passionate fans.

Are you looking forward to Ice Age 6?

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Director Barry Jenkins shared a brand-new trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King at D23 Brazil. The upcoming prequel tells the origin of Mufasa, the lion who will one day become king of the Pride Lands.

“Exploring the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands, ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick,” reads the synopsis. “Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka—the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny—their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe.“

The film boasts quite the voice cast, with Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka/Scar, Tiffany Boone as Sarabi, Kagiso Lediga as Young Rafiki, Preston Nyman as Zazu, Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, Thandiwe Newton as Eshe, Lennie James as Obasi, Anika Noni Rose as Afia, Keith David as Masego, John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Donald Glover as Simba, Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara, Braelyn Rankins as Young Mufasa, Theo Somolu as Young Taka, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala.

Jenkins appeared at CinemaCon in Las Vegas earlier this year to promote Mufasa, explaining that he had seen the original Disney animated movie over 200 times and knew he had to take the job. “When the script came to me I was fascinated by watching these complex people dealing with complex emotions…this film explores Mufasa rise to become the heroic king that we know,” Jenkins said. However, some have targeted Jenkins for taking the gig, saying he’s “too good and talented for [Bob] Iger’s soulless machine.” In response, Jenkins said, “There is nothing soulless about The Lion King. For decades children have sat in theaters all over the world experiencing collective grief for the first time, engaging Shakespeare for the first time, across aisles in myriad languages. A most potent vessel for communal empathy.“

What did you think of the new trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King? Will you be watching when it hits theaters on December 20th?

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Last month, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell confirmed that a sequel to director Fede Alvarez’s recently released Alien: Romulus is in the works – so when The Hollywood Reporter mentioned in an article that producer Ridley Scott “revealed he’s developing a new Alien movie for 20th in the wake of Romulus’ success,” they’re probably talking about that Romulus sequel… even though Scott thinks a better choice would be to make a follow-up to his 2017 film Alien: Covenant.

Scott told THR, “Covenant is the best one [for a sequel] because it leaves the girl in the [cryo pod] and [Michael Fassbender’s killer android] David has alien eggs and 2,000 colonists hanging around. It’s a perfect beginning.” Interviewer James Hibberd suggested that the next film could be a sequel to both Covenant and Romulus, since “both films ended with ships headed to a planet we’ve never been to; there’s no reason those characters couldn’t end up in the same place.”

Scott started the Alien franchise when he directed the 1979 film, then left the series behind for several years. Now, he has made it clear that he’s trying to take ownership of this franchise (and the Blade Runner franchise as well). He said, “I made Alien and Blade Runner, but then I moved on. I should have locked them up — as Spielberg would have with Jurassic Park, and everything he does, and Cameron has done. Studios paid for them, but there’s a way of locking yourself into [ownership] during the negotiation. I watched Alien 2, 3 and 4 and realized, ‘Oh, you just ran that firmly into the ground.’ Then I went back to [former 20th Century Fox chief Tom Rothman] and said, ‘Listen, there’s a way out. We should resurrect Alien with Prometheus.’ They made half a billion dollars — by now probably a billion with all the resales. It’s not what happens at the box office, it’s what happens after the box office. Then I went back with Alien: Covenant, and that was big and ambitious and maybe too intellectual to play as well. It still did $250 million, and I still stupidly didn’t lock it up. I don’t blame me, because I’m busy. I blame a couple other people, which is why we parted company.” Scott admitted that Aliens was fun, “and then three and four just evaporated.“

Justin Alvarado Brown, president and COO of Scott’s production company Scott Free, and the rest of the team at Scott Free now work to make sure that the company will stay involved with any continuations of Scott’s legacy titles, which is why Scott was a producer on Alien: Romulus and is producing the upcoming TV series Alien: Earth. Brown said, “It would make no sense that another (Alien or Blade Runner) movie is made without Ridley and us.” On the Blade Runner side of things, Scott Free is producing the Prime Video series Blade Runner 2099.

What do you think of Scott Free being involved with every Alien and Blade Runner project going forward, and do you agree with Ridley Scott that Alien: Covenant is the Alien film that should get a sequel? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Anytime Christopher Nolan announces a new project, you know it will become one of Hollywood’s most anticipated events. After blowing minds with last year’s Oppenheimer, Nolan shows no signs of slowing down as he barrels toward his next feature with an impressive cast of greats along for the ride. According to Deadline, Zendaya (Challengers, Dune: Part Two) and Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises, Alice in Wonderland) are joining Matt Damon and Tom Holland for Christopher Nolan’s next epic, releasing in theaters on July 17, 2026. Cameras should roll in early 2025, though plot details remain a mystery.

There have been plenty of rumors about this project, but only a few details. According to new reports, whispers of it being a “father-and-son” story are false. It will almost certainly be a big production, as the director has previously stated that he has no intention of returning to small-scale movies, not while he can still convince studios to give him whatever he wants.

“I’m drawn to working at a large scale because I know how fragile the opportunity to marshal those resources is,” Nolan said. “I know that there are so many filmmakers out there in the world who would give their eye teeth to have the resources I put together, and I feel I have the responsibility to use them in the most productive and interesting way.”

Nolan’s next film will be Anne Hathaway’s third collaboration with the enigmatic director after 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises and 2014’s Interstellar. Meanwhile, Zendaya’s star continues to rise after stealing hearts in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers and adding extra spice to Dune: Part Two. Starring in one of Nolan’s films alongside her partner Tom Holland gives the young couple another chance to shine on the silver screen after leading Sony’s recent run of Spider-Man films.

What do you think Christopher Nolan’s next film is about? Are you excited for Anne Hathaway and Zendaya to join the cast? We’ll keep a close eye on this project as it develops. In the meantime, let’s see your hopes and theories about the movie in the comments section below.

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After being delayed several months by the writers strike and the actors strike, season 5 of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things (which is also the last season of the show) finally went into production at the start of the year and is now deep into its twelve month shooting schedule… and while a premiere date for the last batch of episodes hasn’t yet been announced, it’s drawing near, as evidenced by the recent teaser reveal of every episode’s title. As for what we can expect from the final season of Stranger Things, cast member Finn Wolfhard has let it be known that “a lot of action sequences” is on the list.

Stranger Things has the following synopsis: A love letter to the ‘80s classic genre films that captivated a generation, Stranger Things is a thrilling drama set in the seemingly normal Midwestern town of Hawkins, Indiana. After a boy vanishes into thin air, his close-knit group of friends and family search for answers and are pulled into a high-stakes and deadly series of events. Beneath the surface of their ordinary town lurks an extraordinary supernatural mystery, along with top-secret government experiments and a dangerous gateway that connects our world to a powerful yet sinister realm. Friendships will be tested and lives will be altered as what they discover will change Hawkins and possibly the world — forever.

Wolfhard told Us Weekly that while working on season 5, “[I’m] really trying to be present with the character. I’ve just been very deliberate in the way that I treat coming onto set, just having as good of a time as we can since we know it’s the last season.” He couldn’t reveal much about the episodes, but he did say there’s “a lot of action sequences,” while also describing season 5 as “a really intimate season, but at the same time, a huge season, just in the scale of it.“

During this interview, Wolfhard also talked about the horror genre: “It’s a genre that I love as a viewer, because to me, if it’s a really good horror movie, it’s the perfect movie because it really gets a reaction out of you and makes you feel something, always. The way I feel after watching a good horror movie is different from the way I feel after watching a really good drama or anything else. It’s very visceral.“

Here’s the list of the cast members and the characters they played in season 4: Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Brett Gelman (Murray), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), Matthew Modine (Dr. Brenner), Paul Reiser (Dr. Owens), Jamie Campbell Bower (Peter Ballard), Joseph Quinn (Eddie Munson), Eduardo Franco (Argyle), Sherman Augustus (Lt. Colonel Sullivan), Mason Dye (Jason Carver), Nikola Djuricko (Yuri), Tom Wlaschiha (Dmitri), Myles Truitt (Patrick), Regina Ting Chen (Ms. Kelly), Grace Van Dien (Chrissy), Logan Riley Bruner (Fred Benson), Logan Allen (Jake), Elodie Grace Orkin (Angela), John Reynolds (Officer Callahan), Rob Morgan (Chief Powell), Amybeth McNulty (Vickie), and Freddy Krueger himself Robert Englund (Victor Creel).

Stranger Things is produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment. Series creators The Duffer Brothers serve as executive producers alongside Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps Entertainment, Iain Paterson, and Curtis Gwinn.

10 Cloverfield Lane and Prey director Dan Trachtenberg directed an episode of the final season before heading off to make the new Predator movie Badlands, starring Elle Fanning. The Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont also ended an 11 year break from directing to take the helm of an episode. New to the cast for Stranger Things season 5 are Linda Hamilton (The Terminator), Nell Fisher (Evil Dead Rise), newcomer Jake Connelly, and Alex Breaux (Joe Pickett).

Are you looking forward to the last season of Stranger Things, and to seeing these action sequences that were mentioned by Wolfhard? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Here’s some news that’s sure to put a smile on your face. According to Devin Faraci’s Marvelvision podcast, a spinoff series tied to Matt Reeves’ The Batman, starring Barry Keoghan’s Joker, is reportedly in development. The rumor has been picked up by industry insider Jeff Sneider, who says the show is positioned between The Batman Part II and The Batman Part III. Keoghan’s Joker would star as the main villain of the series after playing a “Hannibal Lecter-like role” in The Batman universe, only appearing as a phantom of Arkham Asylum with deep ties to the Dark Knight.

Keoghan’s Joker appears a deleted scene from 2022’s The Batman, in which Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader visits the Jester of Genocide in Arkham Asylum to get his unique take on Gotham’s latest villain, Riddler. Reeves cut the scene from The Batman’s final version, though the intense scene arrived online shortly after the film’s release. The scene gives audiences a taste of Keoghan’s Joker, a scarred madman who enjoys toying with the Dark Knight’s emotions while offering a cryptic analysis of Gotham’s rogues. The scene gives audiences a taste of the madness and manipulation to come from Keoghan’s Clown Prince of Crime.

While DC’s The Penguin is a crowd-pleaser and ratings darling, a Joker-centric spinoff could be a risky move. Keoghan’s Joker is a fascinating figure. However, fans could be Jokered-out after Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux bombed at the box office and on PVOD. It remains unclear if the Joker spinoff series would land at HBO or Max, though who could tell the difference between the two these days? Keoghan also says his Joker could have a limited appearance in The Batman Part II, possibly setting up a scenario to launch the series.

What do you think about Barry Keoghan’s Joker possibly getting his own spinoff series? Is there another Batman villain you’d like to see get their own show? Personally, I’m dying for a Clayface movie or television series, but he’s not exactly a “grounded” villain. I suppose we’ll need to wait and see if anything comes from this rumor. Feel free to share 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 the movie we shared this week is a genre-bender (or blender) that’s described as a sci-fi horror comedy!

The movie in question is called Alien Party Crashers, and that sounds like a good time to me.

Written and directed by Peter Stray, Alien Party Crashers has the following synopsis: A London DJ returns to his home in Wales to host a New Year’s Eve party. When a wave of time travelling aliens descend on the party, he and his friends must protect their rural valley from the invaders. The film stars Robert Pugh, Hannah Daniel, Sophie Melville, Kai Owen, Robert Boulter, Aled Pugh, Craig Russell, Steve Meo, Richard Mylan, Sheena Bhattessa, Richard Corgan, Dominique Dauwe, Tsilala Brock, Scott Barrow, Kevin McCurdy, Marc Rhys, Le Hong Lien, and Oliver Morgan-Thomas.

The movie is also known as Canaries, but I think we can all agree than Alien Party Crashers is a much more appealing title than Canaries. This movie was Stray’s feature directorial debut, and he’s now in post-production on the comedy Friends Not Food. Most of Stray’s credits have come as an actor, as he has appeared in such movies and TV shows as The Tomorrow Job, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, New Amsterdam, Lost, The Retreat, Monstrous, Viking Siege, and Deadly Honeymoon, among other things. He has also directed and/or written several short films.

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. 

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After conquering the arena with the highly-anticipated sequel Gladiator II, Ridley Scott and Paul Mescal are re-teaming for an adaptation of the Peter Heller novel The Dog Stars. Mescal is in advanced negotiations to star in the feature-length project, which hails from 20th Century Studios. Scott’s been weighing options for his next endeavor, including Paramount’s Bee Gees biopic, which is likely on hold while The Dog Stars takes priority. After examining their schedules, Scott and Mescal could shoot The Dog Stars next Spring after Mescal’s starring role in a Broadway presentation of A Streetcar Named Desire, in which the Gladiator II star plays Stanley Kowalski. Twisters scribe Mark L. Smith adapted Heller’s novel for Scott’s film.

Here’s a synopsis for Heller’s novel courtesy of Amazon:

Hig’s wife is gone, his friends are dead, and he lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, Jasper, and a mercurial, gun-toting misanthrope named Bangley.

But when a random transmission beams through the radio of his 1956 Cessna, the voice ignites a hope deep inside him that a better life exists outside their tightly controlled perimeter. Risking everything, he flies past his point of no return and follows its static-broken trail, only to find something that is both better and worse than anything he could ever hope for.

Before The Dog Stars rolls cameras, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II opens in theaters on November 22. The budget-breaking sequel “continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.”

Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Senzel Washington, Derek Jacobi, Joseph Quinn, and more.

A special behind-the-scenes Gladiator II presentation comes to CBS at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on Monday, Nov. 18, and also streaming on Paramount+. Produced by Paramount Pictures, this in-depth presentation of Scott’s return to the ring gives viewers unprecedented access to the film’s elaborate production, larger-than-life sets, including a reconstruction of Ancient Rome, to characters, combat training, costumes, historical accuracy, scoring, and more! The Making of Gladiator II allows you to shadow Ridley Scott as he works to create one of his most ambitious films.
Are you excited about Paul Mescal reuniting with Ridley Scott for an adaptation of Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars? Is the book any good? Are you looking forward to Scott’s Bee Gees movie? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Nearly four years have gone by since we heard that Orwo Studios and Black Hanger Studios, the folks behind Jeepers Creepers: Reborn, were going to be making a reboot of the classic Christmas slasher movie Silent Night, Deadly Night (watch it HERE), which happens to be celebrating its 40th anniversary this year… and if you’ve been wondering what was going on with that reboot, we finally have an update! For one thing, Orwo Studios and Black Hanger Studios are no longer involved. Instead, the new version of Silent Night, Deadly Night will be coming our way from Cineverse, the company behind the Terrifier franchise, and Deadline reports that it’s expected to start filming soon with writer/director Mike P. Nelson at the helm! The project is aiming for a late 2025 theatrical release – so it sounds like we’ll be getting it just in time for Christmas!

Nelson already has some reboot experience, having directed the 2021 version of Wrong Turn. His credits also include The Domestics and a segment of the anthology film V/H/S/85.

Directed by Charles E. Sellier Jr. from a screenplay by Michael Hickey (with Paul Caimi receiving story credit), the original Silent Night, Deadly Night has the following synopsis: Bearing the emotional scars of a young boy who has seen his mother and father brutally murdered by a savage killer in a Santa Claus costume, 18-year-old Billy explodes into a lethal frenzy – he’s asked to put on a Santa Claus suit himself to entertain the customers of the department store where he works. Reminded of the tragic events that have marked his life, Billy embarks on a killing rampage that is as ghastly – and controversial – as anything ever seen on film. Robert Brian Wilson, Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, Britt Leach, Nancy Borgenicht, Linnea Quigley, and Leo Geter star.

The reimagining is being produced by Scott Schneid and Dennis Whitehead, executive producers of the original film, alongside Jamie R. Thompson. Brandon Hill and Brad Miska are overseeing the project for Cineverse and serve as executive producers with Erick Opeka and Yolanda Macias.

Hill provided the following statement: “I have always been a huge fan of Silent Night, Deadly Night and can’t wait to bring Mike’s vision to fellow fans of iconic slashers. As we have seen this year, there continues to be incredible demand for independent horror films with bite, and we believe this can deliver strong audiences from theatrical to home entertainment and streaming.“

Nelson added, “The opportunity to work with producers involved with the original Silent Night, Deadly Night and to partner with the Terrifier 3 team is an honor. I’ll never forget walking into the video store at the mini mall when I was 5 and seeing that poster for the original film. I was in awe and started imagining what horrifying things would happen. To be a part of the film’s legacy many years later is insane! I’m looking forward to getting production underway, and unleashing my new take on this compelling story. Billy is back!” No details on Nelson’s approach to the concept have been revealed, but the fact that he said “Billy is back” is promising.

Are you glad to hear that Cineverse and Mike P. Nelson are behind the Silent Night, Deadly Night reimagining? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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