So many actors have their beginnings on the stage, doing routines that might seem cringe but are 100% part of who they are: a pre-teen Ryan Gosling with those retro dance moves and MC Hammer pants, Rodney Alcala smoothly winning over the ladies on The Dating Game and – OK, maybe that second one doesn’t quite qualify. But here’s another that does: Alan Ritchson on American Idol. That’s right, the star of Reacheronce tried to make it big by wooing Paula Abdul.
While Alan Ritchson moved onto Hollywood during the third season of American Idol, he was ultimately cut, with the eventual winner being Fantasia Barrino, who we should note is not a small screen action hero. Ritchson’s standout moment came when he stunned judge Paula Abdul just by being in the room, bringing a smile to her face. He would subsequently personally serenade her with Stevie Wonder’s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life”, prompting her to call him “totally hot.”
The video may be two decades old, but many – ourselves included – are just now getting wind of Alan Ritchson’s dreams to be an American Idol. Plus, it’s always sort of fun to track the beginnings of some of our favorite screen presences. The appearance would prove to be effective, as Alan Ritchson was soon cast as Arthur Curry aka Aquaman on Smallville. While his superheroics would be limited after that (partly due to not taking the chance to play Thor seriously), he has done quite well for himself regardless, turning up in franchise fare tied to The Hunger Games, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Fast & Furious.
Even more recently, Amazon Prime Video’s Reacher has been renewed for a third season and Alan Ritchson will co-star with none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger in Christmas action-comedy The Man with the Bag, which has the following plot: “When Santa’s magic bag is stolen, he turns to his naughty list to find Vance, a former thief, to help him get it back. Along with his daughter, Santa, and a group of misfit elves, Vance will have to pull off the greatest heist of his life to save Christmas.” Now, if we can just get Ritchson to sing Stevie Wonder’s “Someday at Christmas” in the movie, we’ll have a full circle moment.
What is your favorite pre-celebrity fame video? Drop your pick in the comments section below.
Earlier this week, Carrie Coon became ever more beloved among film fans when she told Jimmy Fallon that she and her husband Tracy Letts (writer of Killer Joe, Bug and more) have over 10,000 movies on Blu-ray, praising physical media. Recently, we sat down with Coon to discuss her role in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and couldn’t help but ask her to elaborate on her physical media comments. She took the opportunity to double down on the importance of collecting movies:
“I guess I didn’t understand what we would be losing with streaming. Tracy (Letts) really did educate me about the fact that so many of these films now are completely inaccessible if you don’t own them yourself.” She also took the opportunity to give a shout-out to boutique labels like Kino Lorber, Arrow Video, Criterion, Shout Factory and more: “And, of course, there are all these companies putting out new imprints of original films and doing beautiful work. Some of them are really small companies and need our support. Tracy is an avid supporter of all these companies, and we’ve amassed this incredible collection.”
Indeed, Coon says Letts is constantly showing her new movies from their collection. She says that one of their marriage arrangements is that if she goes into their basement to watch a movie with him, he gets to choose the film. “So every night for me is a surprise. It’s like not knowing the gender of your child.”
At this point, Paul Rudd, who was also in the interview, couldn’t help but ask her what the last movie she watched was. She’s said it was David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, pointing towards a recent tweet she put up about it:
As avid fans of physical media, we’re thrilled Carrie Coon and Tracy Letts are using their fame to advocate for the medium! Watch out for more from our interview with her and Rudd this week!
In this week’s Box Office Predictions column, I went against the grain of what box office gurus were predicting. They seemed to think Kung Fu Panda 4 would have an easy win over Dune: Part Two, but I had a feeling audiences were really starting to love Villeneuve’s film, with some returning to see it a second or third time. Thus, I predicted Dune 2 would return to first place. While it’s too early for me to brag about being right, it seems both movies are in a dead-heat battle for number 1.
According to Deadline’s early numbers, the final tally for both is too close to call, with Kung Fu Panda 4 and Dune 2 heading towards a $27-30 million weekend finish. Panda is looking to dip somewhere in the area of 48% in its second weekend, while Dune is only dropping 35% in its third weekend. Villeneuve’s movie has become the first film of 2024 to cross $200 million at the domestic box office and with the numbers holding up so well, a finish near $300 million isn’t out of the question.
As expected, the Mark Wahlberg vehicle Arthur the King (which our critic noted felt like a streaming movie) is looking at a weekend finish of under $8 million, which is low for a Walhberg movie. That’s only slightly better than Wahlberg’s controversial, R-rated faith-based movie, Father Stu. Meanwhile, Blumhouse’s Imaginary is sinking like a stone, with it on track for a second weekend in the $4 million range (for more on our problem with Blumhouse – check out this column). The Christian film Cabrini seems to be having a steeper drop than expected, with it likely only to make $2.6 million. Meanwhile, A24’s Love Lies Bleeding is having a disappointing weekend, with it on track for only $2.3 million in a semi-wide break. That’s too bad, as it’s a bit of a gem.
What are you seeing this weekend? Let us know in the comments!
Last week saw the release of a pretty terrible Blumhouse horror movie in Imaginary. This followed their other terrible outing this year, Night Swim. Both of these were PG-13 ventures which failed on nearly every conceivable level. This is the same company that produced great horror films like Get Out, The Invisible Man, and The Black Phone. Those films had such imagination and respect for the genre. So what the hell happened?
The biggest issue with Blumhouse these days is that there’s no apparent passion behind these PG-13, middle-of-the-road horror movies like what we’ve seen from them this year. They used to take unproven filmmakers, give them a chance with a low budget, and get results. Sure, those results would vary, but there was at least some kind of momentum that was more than just profit-based. Because the Blumhouse of new seems to just be chasing trends. What’s that? Paramount is making a new film about an imaginary friend? We better make our own horror version.
I don’t outright hate this idea, but there needs to be some care put behind it. Otherwise, it just ends up looking like something The Asylum would do. With Imaginary, what we got was a script that could have been AI-generated that hardly even takes advantage of its concept. Rather than a labor of love, it just felt like they were trying to beat the other film’s release date. And I get it. Films are expensive to make and market so you’ll take any advantage that pops up. But that doesn’t excuse the lack of, well…imagination.
When it comes to something like Night Swim, I can’t help but think of an old Jason Blum interview. He said that if they make a movie with teens as their leads, they want it to be PG-13 so that those same teens can see it in a theater. Essentially saying that they reserve the R rating for more mature fare that deserves it. This is where I’d like to point out that the main plot point of Night Swim is Wyatt Russell’s former pitcher character, coming to grips with the fact that, that part of his life is over. He’s a family man now. Shouldn’t that be aimed at an older audience that can relate? So why, rather than an intense character study about identity do we receive teens getting jump scared and silly ghosts? It’s almost like Blumhouse forgot their own rule.
And, even though I don’t count myself amongst them, there’s a lot of hatred around The Exorcist: Believer. So much so that its sequel is being completely retooled, with David Gordon Green having left the series. I can’t say I’m disappointed in this, as general audiences clearly didn’t jive with the take in Believer. But it’s further proof that the Blumhouse formula of throwing some legacy actor into an old franchise was no longer working.
Even the company’s most successful film Five Nights at Freddy’s was still a steaming pile of crap to a lot of us (it made Awfully Good’s Worst of the Year list). The game series has a large fanbase on the younger side, so it’s not surprising to see it succeed. But it was shocking how lazy Blumhouse was with the filmmaking side. They essentially went “We’ll just pander to game fans” versus actually making a satisfying story for first-timers. And hell, for a game series that’s known for its jump scares, having its film counterpart be near tension-free is an odd choice. But they made a ton of money, so I doubt they’ll be changing the formula on that one.
That said, I’m not going to pretend like Blumhouse is making nothing but crap. Just last year they released the underrated film The Passenger with Kyle Gallner. They gave an unproven filmmaker a chance and it makes for an extremely unique film. Yet has anyone heard of it? How could they when the film was dropped onto MGM+ without so much as a whimper? It’s tough subject matter so I’m not saying it deserved the same widespread release of an Imaginary, but it deserved more than it got. Because it’s getting to the point that when the Blumhouse logo appears, audiences groan. And if the company isn’t careful, there will be no coming back and it’ll be left with a reputation in tatters.
And the only way they’re going to do that is by stopping these soulless releases. They need to get back to giving unproven filmmakers low budgets and creative freedom. Because every time they release one of these low-effort films, the brand is tainted more and more. And the last thing we need is for them to become the new Platinum Dunes (God forbid).
That said, Blumhouse does have some promising fare coming out over the next year or so. Scott Derrickson is returning to the fold for The Black Phone 2 (find out everything we know about it here), Leigh Whannel has a highly anticipated re-imagining of The Wolf Man coming, while their Speak No Evil remake has an outstanding cast.
What do you think? Has Blumhouse lost their way? Are there any hopes of saving them? Am I overreacting? Let me know in the comments below!
Some cliche somewhere said that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ This has proven to be the case for me and especially when it comes to fan art. I have always sought out great fan art and have wanted to share it with as many people as possible. “Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net” is the outlet for that passion. In this column, I will showcase the kick-ass artwork of some great artists, with the hopes that these artists get the attention they deserve. That’s the aim. If you have any questions or comments, or even suggestions of art or other great artists, feel free to contact me at any time at theodorebond@joblo.com.
Although Wonder Woman 1984 was nowhere near as good as its predecessor, there were still plans for Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot to return for Wonder Woman 3. However, that all changed when James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios and decided not to move forward with the project. While speaking on the Talking Pictures podcast, Jenkins said that her journey with Wonder Woman is over “for the time being, easily forever.“
Jenkins added that she doesn’t believe DC Studios is “interested in doing any ‘Wonder Woman’ for the time being,” but she doesn’t hold any ill will. “It’s not an easy task, with what’s going on with DC. James Gunn and Peter Safran have to follow their own heart into their own plans,” Jenkins said. “I don’t know what they are planning on doing or why, so I have sympathy for what a big job it is and they have to follow their heart and do what they’ve got planned.“
I’m certain that Wonder Woman will have a part to play in the DC Universe, just not immediately. For the moment, the only Wonder Woman project in development is the Paradise Lost prequel series for Max. Set in Themyscira, home of the Amazons and birthplace of Wonder Woman, the series focuses on the genesis and political intrigue of an island of all women.
During the same podcast, Jenkins mentioned that she returned to the Rogue Squadron movie after Wonder Woman 3 fell apart. While nothing is official, she did say that she’s signed a new deal with Lucasfilm to direct the Star Wars movie. “When I left Star Wars to do Wonder Woman 3, I thought maybe I’ll come back to Star Wars after Wonder Woman 3,” Jenkins said. “So we did a deal for that to happen, started a deal, but I thought I was doing Wonder Woman 3. So when Wonder Woman 3 went away, Lucasfilm and I were like, ‘oh, we gotta finish this deal.’ We finished the deal right as the strike was beginning. So I now owe a draft of Star Wars and so we will see what happens there.“
It’s been eight years since the release of the last Star Trek movie, which, believe it or not, is actually the largest gap between movies since the franchise first hit the big screen in 1979. There have been several potential Star Trek movies in the works during those years, but they have either been scrapped or stuck in development hell. We still don’t know exactly what the future will bring, but Paramount apparently has “a plan” for the franchise’s return to theaters.
ScreenRant spoke with Roddenberry Entertainment COO Trevor Roth, who assured fans that there is a plan in the works. While I might be tempted to say that it feels like Paramount is just throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, I would love to see a proper Star Trek movie once again. Fingers crossed.
“I am not able to say much, but I can say that it is Paramount’s intent to figure out the Star Trek side of movies and what’s going on there,” Roth said. “There’s every intent of a new movie coming out in the very near future. There’s a lot of secrecy around what’s going to happen there. But there is a plan getting into place. And we’re very excited to see it return to the big screen.“
Roth continued: “And I will tell you that you want to do it the right way. And yet, practical things get in [the way]. People a lot of times are like, ‘Oh, why isn’t this happening or that happening?’ And sometimes those questions are really good questions. And other times, there’s a lot you don’t know that is happening behind the scenes that can make things more difficult than you would think. So all in all, we’re getting there to my understanding, and we’re excited, and plans are being put in place. And I know that from the standpoint of the studio, there is no lack of recognition of wanting and needing a Star Trek film coming out.“
At the moment, there are several Star Trek movies in development, including Star Trek 4, which will be the “final chapter” of the J.J. Abrams crew, as well as a prequel taking place decades before the 2009 movie set to be helmed by Star Wars: Andor director Toby Haynes. As it happens, the next movie to be released will actually be Star Trek: Section 31, a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery starring Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou. The film is currently in production and will be a Paramount+ exclusive.
You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts! Michael Keaton is revealing a little bit more about his quasi-return as Batman at the 96th Academy Awards, saying he could kick some Gotham butt if he’s forced to. He can also still rock an ascot, which he said he wore to “Bruce Wayne it up a little bit”, something many fans were keen to notice.
While we will never actually see Michael Keaton’s Batman square off against Danny DeVito’s Penguin again or Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze even once (that job went to George Clooney), he does think he would come out on top. “Danny is the one I’d worry about ’cause he’s sneaky. He’d creep up behind you, and he has the height advantage because he’s so [small]. You don’t know where he is. He’s always sneaking around.” Even still, Keaton did discard The Penguin in 1992’s Batman Returns, so the track record does lean in his favor. As for Arnold’s Mr. Freeze? “The other guy I would just put away. He’s too slow.” Not cool, Michael! Keaton doubled down on his verbal takedown of Arnold, saying, “You know what? You’ll be back when I tell you to come back”, a nod to Arnold’s iconic line in The Terminator.
That immediately iconic Oscars moment that found DeVito and Schwarzenegger staring down Keaton in the audience – of course channeling their Batman history – was one of the highlights of the night, even more so because we just assumed we were getting another cast reunion (here, Twins), as we did earlier when Beetlejuice’s Keaton and Catherine O’Hara presented two Oscars. We – and the cast – are still talking about it, with DeVito even saying he would reprise The Penguin provided Tim Burton would direct. Unfortunately, that is yet another movie that will never come to fruition…
2024 marks the 35th anniversary of Tim Burton’s Batman, which would be the highest-grossing film of 1989. 1992’s follow-up, Batman Returns, would also take the box office crown, while 1997’s Batman & Robin would just land on the tail end of the top 10.
Who is your favorite Tim Burton or Joel Schumacher Batman villain? Could a 72-year-old Michael Keaton still handle them?
THR reports that Warner Bros. is developing a live-action Teen Titans movie and has tapped Ana Nogueira to write the script.
Ana Nogueira is already a member of the DC Studios family as she is the writer of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the upcoming movie starring Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) in the title role.
The Teen Titans were initially introduced in 1964 as a superhero team consisting of Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad. Over the decades, the team expanded to include characters such as Wonder Girl, Speedy, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, Beast Boy, and more.
The South by Southwest festivals have been going on in Austin, Texas for over a week now – and a press release has notified us that the Strangers – the masked maniacs from the Strangers film franchise – have been seen lurking around in Austin, promoting Lionsgate’s May 17th theatrical release of their new film, The Strangers: Chapter 1. The Strangers were pictured at The Glass Coffin, the Museum of the Weird, and The Driskill, and those images can be seen at the bottom of this article.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 was directed by Renny Harlin, who shot an entire trilogy of Strangers movies at the same time. We’ve heard that Lionsgate will also be releasing The Strangers: Chapter 2 and The Strangers: Chapter 3 by the end of the year.
Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale) has the lead role in Chapter 1 and is joined in the cast of these films by Froy Gutierrez (Cruel Summer), Rachel Shenton (All Creatures Great and Small), Gabriel Basso (Hillbilly Elegy), and Ema Horvath (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power). The Strangers: Chapter 1 centers on Petsch’s character as she drives cross-country with her longtime boyfriend (Gutierrez) to begin a new life in the Pacific Northwest. When their car breaks down in Venus, Oregon, they’re forced to spend the night in a secluded Airbnb, where they are terrorized from dusk till dawn by three masked strangers. Lionsgate plans from there to expanding the story in new and unexpected ways with its sequels.
The new Strangers trilogy was filmed in Slovakia. Courtney Solomon produced them with Mark Canton, Christopher Milburn, Gary Raskin, Charlie Dombeck, and Alastair Birlingham. Andrei Boncea, Dorothy Canton, and Roy Lee serve as executive producers. Rafaella Biscayn, Frame Film SK, Johanna Harlin, Juan Garcia Peredo, and Alberto Burgueno are co-producing.
Harlin has said The Strangers:Chapter 1 “is close to the original movie in its set-up of a young couple in an isolated environment in a house and a home invasion happening for random reasons.” Then Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 “explore what happens to the victims of this kind of violence and who the perpetrators are of this kind of violence. Where are they coming from and why?“
Are you looking forward to The Strangers:Chapter 1 and its sequels? Let us know by leaving a comment below – but first, take a look at these images of the Strangers in Austin:
