It’s powdered wigs on parade in the new Franklin trailer, starring Michael Douglas as the calculating Newton of Electricity, Benjamin Franklin! As someone who performed miserably in history class throughout his schooling career, I was sure Apple’s upcoming limited series would not be to my liking. However, Michael Douglas transforms Benjamin Franklin into a charismatic, cryptic, and conniving figure. This portrayal is the jolt I needed to get interested in this fascinating television event.
Based upon A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America by Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff, the series will “explore the thrilling story of one of the greatest gambles of Benjamin Franklin’s career. At age 70, without any diplomatic training, Franklin convinced France – an absolute monarchy – to underwrite America’s experiment in democracy. By virtue of his fame, charisma, and ingenuity, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies, French informers, and hostile colleagues, all while engineering the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the final peace with England of l783. The eight-year French mission stands as Franklin’s most vital service to his country, without which America would not have won the Revolution.” In addition to starring as Benjamin Franklin, Michael Douglas will also executive produce the series alongside Kirk Ellis, Tim Van Patten, Richard Plepler, and Tony Krantz. Stacy Schiff is also a co-executive producer.
This limited series will be Kirk Ellis’ third time bringing Benjamin Franklin to life. He also wrote and produced HBO’s JohnAdams mini-series (in which Tom Wilkinson played Franklin) and wrote History’s Sons of Liberty (in which Dean Norris played Franklin).
Noah Jupe joins Michael Douglas in the series as William Temple Franklin, with Marc Duret playing Monsieur Brillon, Eddie Marsan as John Adams, Daniel Mays as Edward Bancroft, Ludivine Sagnier as Madame Brillon, Théodore Pellerin as Lafayette, Asaad Bouab as Beaumarchais, Jeanne Balibar as Helvetius, Murat Subasi as Ayaz.
Apple TV+‘s Franklin trailer depicts dangerous times in France during the 18th century. With several factions starved for power and brazen strategists willing to risk lives for a chance at victory, Franklin paints a dark portrait of America’s history.
What do you think about Apple TV+’s Franklin trailer? Pretty intense, no? As I’d said, I’m usually not the target audience for this sort of thing, but I find myself intrigued. Let us know if you will watch Franklin in the comments section below.
It’s powdered wigs on parade in the new Franklin trailer, starring Michael Douglas as the calculating Newton of Electricity, Benjamin Franklin! As someone who performed miserably in history class throughout his schooling career, I was sure Apple’s upcoming limited series would not be to my liking. However, Michael Douglas transforms Benjamin Franklin into a charismatic, cryptic, and conniving figure. This portrayal is the jolt I needed to get interested in this fascinating television event.
Based upon A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America by Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff, the series will “explore the thrilling story of one of the greatest gambles of Benjamin Franklin’s career. At age 70, without any diplomatic training, Franklin convinced France – an absolute monarchy – to underwrite America’s experiment in democracy. By virtue of his fame, charisma, and ingenuity, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies, French informers, and hostile colleagues, all while engineering the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the final peace with England of l783. The eight-year French mission stands as Franklin’s most vital service to his country, without which America would not have won the Revolution.” In addition to starring as Benjamin Franklin, Michael Douglas will also executive produce the series alongside Kirk Ellis, Tim Van Patten, Richard Plepler, and Tony Krantz. Stacy Schiff is also a co-executive producer.
This limited series will be Kirk Ellis’ third time bringing Benjamin Franklin to life. He also wrote and produced HBO’s JohnAdams mini-series (in which Tom Wilkinson played Franklin) and wrote History’s Sons of Liberty (in which Dean Norris played Franklin).
Noah Jupe joins Michael Douglas in the series as William Temple Franklin, with Marc Duret playing Monsieur Brillon, Eddie Marsan as John Adams, Daniel Mays as Edward Bancroft, Ludivine Sagnier as Madame Brillon, Théodore Pellerin as Lafayette, Asaad Bouab as Beaumarchais, Jeanne Balibar as Helvetius, Murat Subasi as Ayaz.
Apple TV+‘s Franklin trailer depicts dangerous times in France during the 18th century. With several factions starved for power and brazen strategists willing to risk lives for a chance at victory, Franklin paints a dark portrait of America’s history.
What do you think about Apple TV+’s Franklin trailer? Pretty intense, no? As I’d said, I’m usually not the target audience for this sort of thing, but I find myself intrigued. Let us know if you will watch Franklin in the comments section below.
What Do We Know About Dune Prophecy? More than you may think. With the second part of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel a critical and box office success, it is going to be several years before we see the next feature film in the series, Dune Messiah. Luckily, production on the small-screen prequel /spin-off was concurrent with Dune: Part Two which means before the end of the year we are going to return to the fictional realms of Arrakis, Geidi Prime, and more via Max.
While not much in the way of footage has made its way online, there have been quite a few reveals about Dune Prophecy, so let’s jump in and discuss.
Denis Villeneuve is not directing any episodes
The original plan was for Villeneuve to helm the series in addition to his big screen directorial duties. The series, originally announced as Dune: The Sisterhood, went into production in November 22 with Chernobyl director Johan Renck behind the camera. Why wouldn’t the visionary director of the feature films be making the series? It all came down to timing. With Legendary originally acquiring the rights to the Herbert novels in 2016 and announcing Villeneuve as director in 2017, he was deep into the project by the 2019 announcement of Dune: The Sisterhood. While Jon Spaihts was showrunner for the series, he departed in 2019 to focus on Dune: Part Two, something Villeneuve also opted to make his primary project. That shifted the series to Dana Calvo as showrunner alongside executive producers including novelist Kevin J. Anderson, co-writer of dozens of Dune prequels and sequels alongside Brian and Kim Herbert, the children of Frank Herbert.
What is it about?
Taking things way back, Dune Prophecy is set ten thousand years before Paul Atreides joined the Fremen to lead an uprising on Arrakis to take down House Harkonen. Using the deep mythology created by Frank Herbert and the expanded novels including Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, the series centers on sisters Valya and Tula Harkkonen, the founders of the mysterious all-female order called the Bene Gesserit. For the layperson, these are the witch-like advisors seen in the films played by Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Rampling, and Florence Pugh. In Dune Prophecy, the siblings, played by Emily Watson as Valya and Olivia Williams as Tula, combat forces that threaten the future of humankind. That leads to the next question.
What is the threat against humankind?
This is something we do not know for certain, but excuse me while I nerd out a little here. In Dune Part Two, Princess Irulan notes the time as being the year 10191 and Prophecy is set ten thousand years earlier. Fans of the Dune novels know that the lack of any computers in the world of Dune is due to an event that happened known as the Butlerian Jihad. This was a massive conflict throughout the known universe between an A.I. consciousness that enslaved humanity and the people who fought back. When humans defeated the machines, computers were outlawed, leaving the world a different place, hence the use of complex machines instead of computers. The Butlerian Jihad occurred more than 10000 years before Dune which means Prophecy will find the houses of Atreides, Harkonnen, and Corrino in a very different place than we have seen before. While I would imagine if the films keep making money for Warner Bros, we may see a Butlerian Jihad series of its own while Prophecy will focus on the early conflicts between the human families as they begin their exploration of the galaxy.
Who is starring in the series?
Prophecy has a solid cast, led by the aforementioned Watson and Williams. Shirley Henderson, originally set to play Tula Harkonnen, left the production early along with director Johan Renck. Indira Varma, who was going to play Empress Natalya, was replaced by Jodhi May. The cast also includes the great Mark Strong as Emperor Javicco Corrino with Josh Heuston as his illegitimate son, Constantine. Sarah Sofie Boussnina plays Princess Ynez a woman struggling with her pressures as heir to the throne. There are some familiar names with Vikings star Travis Fimmel playing a soldier named Desmond Hart while Chris Mason portrays Keiran Atreides, a swordsman with an unexpected connection to the royal family. Shalom Brune Franklin will play Mikaela, a Fremen servant to the royal family. There are more names sure to come out as we get closer to release, but you can already see the seeds planted similar to how House of the Dragon connects to Game of Thrones.
Who made the series?
While Villeneuve and Spaihts departed to make Dune Part Two, Prophecy underwent some shifts behind the scenes. Dana Calvo was replaced by Diane Ademu John as showrunner, who in turn was replaced by Alison Schapker. Renck left early in 2023 and was replaced as director by Anna Foerster, best known for helming the Netflix action movie Lou as well as episodes of Outlander, Carnival Row, and Westworld. Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi was set as composer but was replaced by Volker Bertelmann in October 2023. We also know that production kept going during the SAG AFTRA strike thanks to the cast and crew in Budapest being aligned with the UK based union Equity. Production began in late 2022 and wrapped December 2023. We also know that the series did not use StageCraft technology revolutionized by Disney and Lucasfilm series The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, instead opting for physical production values and practical sets.
When will we see it?
This is the ultimate question. All marketing signs point to late 2024 for Dune Prophecy to premiere on Max. I would imagine late Fall would make the most sense for special effects work to be completed as well as rebuilding the momentum for Dune Part Two’s Oscar run.
What do you expect to see in the upcoming Dune series? Let us know in the comments and click the like and subscribe to follow all of our latest original videos.
What Do We Know About Dune Prophecy? More than you may think. With the second part of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel a critical and box office success, it is going to be several years before we see the next feature film in the series, Dune Messiah. Luckily, production on the small-screen prequel /spin-off was concurrent with Dune: Part Two which means before the end of the year we are going to return to the fictional realms of Arrakis, Geidi Prime, and more via Max.
While not much in the way of footage has made its way online, there have been quite a few reveals about Dune Prophecy, so let’s jump in and discuss.
Denis Villeneuve is not directing any episodes
The original plan was for Villeneuve to helm the series in addition to his big screen directorial duties. The series, originally announced as Dune: The Sisterhood, went into production in November 22 with Chernobyl director Johan Renck behind the camera. Why wouldn’t the visionary director of the feature films be making the series? It all came down to timing. With Legendary originally acquiring the rights to the Herbert novels in 2016 and announcing Villeneuve as director in 2017, he was deep into the project by the 2019 announcement of Dune: The Sisterhood. While Jon Spaihts was showrunner for the series, he departed in 2019 to focus on Dune: Part Two, something Villeneuve also opted to make his primary project. That shifted the series to Dana Calvo as showrunner alongside executive producers including novelist Kevin J. Anderson, co-writer of dozens of Dune prequels and sequels alongside Brian and Kim Herbert, the children of Frank Herbert.
What is it about?
Taking things way back, Dune Prophecy is set ten thousand years before Paul Atreides joined the Fremen to lead an uprising on Arrakis to take down House Harkonen. Using the deep mythology created by Frank Herbert and the expanded novels including Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, the series centers on sisters Valya and Tula Harkkonen, the founders of the mysterious all-female order called the Bene Gesserit. For the layperson, these are the witch-like advisors seen in the films played by Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Rampling, and Florence Pugh. In Dune Prophecy, the siblings, played by Emily Watson as Valya and Olivia Williams as Tula, combat forces that threaten the future of humankind. That leads to the next question.
What is the threat against humankind?
This is something we do not know for certain, but excuse me while I nerd out a little here. In Dune Part Two, Princess Irulan notes the time as being the year 10191 and Prophecy is set ten thousand years earlier. Fans of the Dune novels know that the lack of any computers in the world of Dune is due to an event that happened known as the Butlerian Jihad. This was a massive conflict throughout the known universe between an A.I. consciousness that enslaved humanity and the people who fought back. When humans defeated the machines, computers were outlawed, leaving the world a different place, hence the use of complex machines instead of computers. The Butlerian Jihad occurred more than 10000 years before Dune which means Prophecy will find the houses of Atreides, Harkonnen, and Corrino in a very different place than we have seen before. While I would imagine if the films keep making money for Warner Bros, we may see a Butlerian Jihad series of its own while Prophecy will focus on the early conflicts between the human families as they begin their exploration of the galaxy.
Who is starring in the series?
Prophecy has a solid cast, led by the aforementioned Watson and Williams. Shirley Henderson, originally set to play Tula Harkonnen, left the production early along with director Johan Renck. Indira Varma, who was going to play Empress Natalya, was replaced by Jodhi May. The cast also includes the great Mark Strong as Emperor Javicco Corrino with Josh Heuston as his illegitimate son, Constantine. Sarah Sofie Boussnina plays Princess Ynez a woman struggling with her pressures as heir to the throne. There are some familiar names with Vikings star Travis Fimmel playing a soldier named Desmond Hart while Chris Mason portrays Keiran Atreides, a swordsman with an unexpected connection to the royal family. Shalom Brune Franklin will play Mikaela, a Fremen servant to the royal family. There are more names sure to come out as we get closer to release, but you can already see the seeds planted similar to how House of the Dragon connects to Game of Thrones.
Who made the series?
While Villeneuve and Spaihts departed to make Dune Part Two, Prophecy underwent some shifts behind the scenes. Dana Calvo was replaced by Diane Ademu John as showrunner, who in turn was replaced by Alison Schapker. Renck left early in 2023 and was replaced as director by Anna Foerster, best known for helming the Netflix action movie Lou as well as episodes of Outlander, Carnival Row, and Westworld. Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi was set as composer but was replaced by Volker Bertelmann in October 2023. We also know that production kept going during the SAG AFTRA strike thanks to the cast and crew in Budapest being aligned with the UK based union Equity. Production began in late 2022 and wrapped December 2023. We also know that the series did not use StageCraft technology revolutionized by Disney and Lucasfilm series The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, instead opting for physical production values and practical sets.
When will we see it?
This is the ultimate question. All marketing signs point to late 2024 for Dune Prophecy to premiere on Max. I would imagine late Fall would make the most sense for special effects work to be completed as well as rebuilding the momentum for Dune Part Two’s Oscar run.
What do you expect to see in the upcoming Dune series? Let us know in the comments and click the like and subscribe to follow all of our latest original videos.
TikTok is on the clock, as the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that could lead to a nationwide ban of the social media trend creator, prompting backlash from its American users and those who opposed the decision. This will come about if ByteDance – the company which owns TikTok – doesn’t sell the app, which the U.S. government believes is susceptible to Chinese influence.
The primary belief within the U.S. government is that China could access user data and also further use the app to spread misinformation. Notably, TikTok is largely used by and targeted towards teens. The bipartisan bill was approved by a vast majority, with the final vote being 352-65. It will next move to the Senate floor, while President Joe Biden has already said he will approve the ban should it reach his desk.
As Republic representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers put it, “We have given TikTok a clear choice: Separate from your parent company ByteDance, which is beholden to the CCP (the Chinese Communist Party), and remain operational in the United States, or side with the CCP and face the consequences. The choice is TikTok’s.” Fellow Republican Mike Gallagher, said, “What we’re after is, it’s not a ban, it’s a forced separation…The TikTok user experience can continue and improve so long as ByteDance doesn’t own the company.”
This potential ban on TikTok has been generating controversy for some time, but now that it could actually be passed into law, there is an uproar within its community of devotees, which is reported to exceed 1 billion active users. Where oh where will they find out about the latest trends? How will they build their internet clout? What will become of all of those social media influencers…and Martin Scorsese?!
One democrat who opposed the bill, representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, tweeted, “Congress needs to focus on regulating social media companies’ unchecked habit of collecting user data without their consent.” Some of the criticism has also been targeted directly at the U.S. government, who has placed their prioritization on the TikTok ban over items such as gun control and socioeconomic issues. Some have further argued that such a ban could violate First Amendment rights.
How do you feel about a potential ban on TikTok in the U.S.? How would that affect your social media habits? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
TikTok is on the clock, as the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that could lead to a nationwide ban of the social media trend creator, prompting backlash from its American users and those who opposed the decision. This will come about if ByteDance – the company which owns TikTok – doesn’t sell the app, which the U.S. government believes is susceptible to Chinese influence.
The primary belief within the U.S. government is that China could access user data and also further use the app to spread misinformation. Notably, TikTok is largely used by and targeted towards teens. The bipartisan bill was approved by a vast majority, with the final vote being 352-65. It will next move to the Senate floor, while President Joe Biden has already said he will approve the ban should it reach his desk.
As Republic representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers put it, “We have given TikTok a clear choice: Separate from your parent company ByteDance, which is beholden to the CCP (the Chinese Communist Party), and remain operational in the United States, or side with the CCP and face the consequences. The choice is TikTok’s.” Fellow Republican Mike Gallagher, said, “What we’re after is, it’s not a ban, it’s a forced separation…The TikTok user experience can continue and improve so long as ByteDance doesn’t own the company.”
This potential ban on TikTok has been generating controversy for some time, but now that it could actually be passed into law, there is an uproar within its community of devotees, which is reported to exceed 1 billion active users. Where oh where will they find out about the latest trends? How will they build their internet clout? What will become of all of those social media influencers… and Martin Scorsese?!
One democrat who opposed the bill, representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, tweeted, “Congress needs to focus on regulating social media companies’ unchecked habit of collecting user data without their consent.” Some of the criticism has also been targeted directly at the U.S. government, who has placed their prioritization on the TikTok ban over items such as gun control and socioeconomic issues. Some have further argued that such a ban could violate First Amendment rights.
How do you feel about a potential ban on TikTok in the U.S.? How would that affect your social media habits? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Steven Spielberg will put his quarters up for the Ready Player One sequel, but not in the way some fans would hope. The legendary filmmaker recently confirmed he’ll serve as a producer on Ready Player Two but has no plans to direct the anticipated sequel. Speaking with Showbiz 411, Spielberg said the project is in its “discovery phase,” and the team is “trying to figure out what’s next” for the high-concept sci-fi sequel.
It’s easy to see why Warner Bros. Discovery would want a follow-up to Spielberg’s 2018 fantasy-action film. In addition to pressing Start on $579,055,653 at the box office, the effects-driven cinematic roller coaster featured countless characters from WB’s IP library. Among the film’s many cameos, Batman, Freddy Krueger, King Kong, The Iron Giant, the twins from TheShining, Beetlejuice, and more join the extensive cast.
Here is the official synopsis for Ready Player One:
“The film is set in 2045, with the world on the brink of chaos and collapse. But the people have found salvation in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance). When Halliday dies, he leaves his immense fortune to the first person to find a digital Easter egg he has hidden somewhere in the OASIS, sparking a contest that grips the entire world. When an unlikely young hero named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) decides to join the contest, he is hurled into a breakneck, reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of mystery, discovery and danger.”
Ready Player One earned mixed reviews from fans of Ernest Cline‘s New York Times best-selling novel. While some basked in Zak Penn’s exciting screenplay, others felt the writer lost some of the magic in translation. Without Spielberg in the director’s chair, a Ready Player One sequel could be a risky gamble for a studio quick to cancel projects that might not earn money hand over fist. Does Cline’s story still resonate with audiences? Is the video game industry so fragile that it’s unwise to pour resources into Ready Player Two?
Are you upset about Steven Spielberg not getting behind the camera for a Ready Player One sequel? Who should helm the sequel in his place? Let’s see your suggestions in the comments section below.
2009 is not exactly a year that horror fans remember fondly. What came out that year? Off the top of the head, not much comes up. A quick search gives us The Unborn, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, and Drag Me to Hell. Depending on who you ask, these range from ok movies to Drag Me to Hell, but not exactly memorable overall. Something happened at the end of the 2000s and horror didn’t give us much to work with for some reason. If we dig, we get better titles like The Collector, Laid to Rest, and Paranormal Activity, but their box office ranged from amazing in the case of Paranormal Activity to almost nonexistent for the others, so it was completely hit or miss, like studios didn’t know what to push and what to keep for the home video market. Another movie that had a lot of potential and just didn’t hit right was Pandorum (watch it HERE).
Pandorum sold us a creepy, gooey, space horror odyssey from producer Paul W.S Anderson. The man had made another space horror film in 1997 and it was fantastic. Event Horizon is a fan favorite for its weirdness, its scares, and how to just pushes things almost too far. So, his name should have been a good omen here. Except, the man had since sullied his own name with Resident Evil, Alien vs. Predator, and the Death Race remake. People were not exactly waiting for his next movie with bated breath. Add to this that his name was used for marketing when he hadn’t written or directed Pandorum, so perhaps that was a mistake.
If we take a look at the people who are credited here, we get co-writers Travis Milloy and Christian Alvart with Alvart also directing. Checking their credits before Pandorum to see why they were entrusted with this movie and a budget of $33 million, it’s hard to explain how they got the money to be honest. Milloy had written 2 movies before this, Street Gun in 1996 and Just Like Mona in 2003. Neither exactly are big horror titles. Alvart on the other hand had some more horror-centric credits with Case 39 as a director, also released in 2009, and Antibodies as well as Curiosity & The Cat, released in 2005 and 1999 respectively, which were not exactly hits, but had their audience. Antibodies alone was enough to be curious about what the man would do next as it had a solid film festival run and gathered some good reviews. However, this doesn’t feel like it’s enough to give them $33 million and cut them loose on a horror sci-fi set. They were pretty green, and their work didn’t exactly call for this kind of trust. This may explain why Paul W.S. Anderson was brought on as a producer and why his name featured more prominently in the marketing for Pandorum.
The trailer had a lot of potential, showing not enough to really have an idea of what the story would be, but enough to get seriously creepy vibes. It played here and there, horror fans saw it, some paid attention, and some derided it because of Anderson’s name. It was not exactly a big hit as a trailer, but there was something there. Enough for a few people to get interested and talk about it online. Enough to get some butts in seats when the film opened. However, not enough to make the film a hit.
Once the release got closer and audiences started seeing the film, it got lambasted by both critics and fans, something that doesn’t seem to have changed since then. The percentages on Rotten Tomatoes, like them or not, are very telling. As of this writing, the critics’ consensus sits at 30%, so officially rotten, and the public’s opinion says it’s 49% fresh. It must be noted that the film was not screened for critics, leading to the reviews coming out after the film’s release, a move usually reserved for films for which studios have no real hope or no trust in them being good or good enough to get solid reviews that would help sell tickets. On the other hand, if we look at IMDb for a different take from the general public, the film has a 6.7 out of 10, so a little better. The film does seem to be finding its audience a bit more lately, but people are coming around so slowly, that it doesn’t really make a difference in the long run.
If we take a closer look at reviews of the film, the consensus was, and still is, that the film is a slog. It has some good science-fiction ideas and elements, and it makes good use of its sets, but it has not enough story to keep it moving at a decent pace. The cast is solid, doing better with the script than expected, but it’s not enough to save the film. If we take a look at comments from the public, well, it goes from people totally hating it all the way to people screaming that those who didn’t love the film are too dumb to get it, so the usual really. If we take a closer look at reviews from the public, those with more than just a few words, we can see that the total from IMDB seems to be closer to the reality for Pandorum these days.
In terms of box office, Pandorum is considered a massive flop, a failure, with a total box office of $22 million, so $11 million below its filming budget. As a reminder, this is the budget just for the film to be made, so there were more expenses for distribution and marketing, so the total loss was probably a whole lot higher. Now, of course, the reviews had something to do with this a little bit, and so did the trailer, and the marketing of course. However, the date of release should not be discounted as releasing a film at the right time is really important. Normally, a horror film should be released either in the summer, for Halloween, or around the Holidays for maximum box office reach. This was particularly true a decade and a half ago. Of course, horror fans will see horror films just about at any time, but to make a true hit, the film must connect with more than a core group of people, it must appeal to the masses. With that in mind, releasing Pandorum on September 25th was a good idea, however, it ended up competing with much better movies, but overall, it was a solid date before Halloween.
Looking at the box office for the weekend of September 25th, 2009, there were some interesting choices, but not exactly what you’d expect in terms of competition, especially for horror fans’ attention. Pandorum landed at number 6 in the top ten for the weekend, not exactly a strong opening. The top 5? Well, it’s a mixed bag with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, the Bruce Willis sci-fi staring vehicle Surrogates, the Fame remake, the Matt Damon film The Informant, and the Tyler Perry film I Can Do Bad All By Myself. Some of these are solid films, but in terms of pre-Halloween season, none of these are hitting right. So, Pandorum was really not starting off on solid footing. In the following week, Pandorum fell out of the top 10, landing at number 12, while new movies like Zombieland did much, much better. The following weeks, Pandorum fell to number 17, then number 35, and then it basically disappeared. To say the film did poorly in a period when blood and gore were wanted is an understatement. Then again, back then, Halloween belonged to Saw so a lot of studios avoided getting in its path and there was one coming out on the last weekend of October.
In terms of the film’s legacy, it was supposed to be the first in a trilogy, but following its performance at the box office, the two sequels were killed. Now, here’s an interesting bit of trivia about the budget. Originally, the film was going to be made independently with a budget of $200,000 by the same writers and director, to be shot in an abandoned mill with a cast of unknowns. Instead, it got a huge budget and a big-name case that includes Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid. The cast itself should have sold more tickets and helped the film along. With that in mind, the original script by Milloy had the film set on the prison ship with some of the characters being inmates and others being non-prisoners. Alvart had a similar story ready to go as well, his being aboard a settlers’ ship with astronauts on their way to conquer new planets. The scripts were close enough that the two of them, as well as the producers, agreed to merge them and morph them into the script for Pandorum.
As it is, it may have been better to let them make the film for that $200,000 and a few lesser-known folks. Perhaps a bit more struggles would have given the film a bit more to investigate and it may have forced story changes to make it better. As it is, the film has a decent following on social media with groups made on Facebook for it, including one that has both writers in there to try and get a sequel made. That being said, the film does not seem to be growing in popularity, its Blu-ray release being easily available for about $5 and seemingly no large re-release like a lot of other science fiction films have been getting lately on the horizon. The film has its fans, but they are not as numerous as they would like to tell the rest of the film-watching population.
On a last note, the name of the film itself, Pandorum, fits with Event Horizon just as well as it does with Pandorum. The term is used to describe a mental disease that comes from being in space for a long time and having illogical fears triggered by feelings that may or may not be based on reality.
No matter what the numbers say, the film has connected with some of its audience in a way that made them huge fans and has them fighting for a sequel, something many films cannot boast or even come near. There is a bit of a cult to Pandorum, but not quite enough to call it a cult film, at least not just yet. There was a lot of potential here, there was the opportunity of having The Descent in space or maybe another film in the vein of Event Horizon. Sadly, while the film has some strong sequences, some really creepy set-ups, and good performances, something is missing throughout, and it failed to make a connection with a larger audience. What happened to make it less than it could have been is hard to pinpoint and it most likely was a lot of wrong time, wrong script or wrong time, wrong film. There is talent here, and there is an audience who wants more, but overall, all of it was not enough to make it a hit film.
A couple of the previous episodes of WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? can be seen below. To see more, head over to our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!
Nathan Drake and Lara Croft could be Hollywood’s go-to treasure hunters until someone else comes along because, according to Nicolas Cage, a National Treasure 3 is not happening. Cage played treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates in Disney’s 2004 action-adventure romp, with National Treasure: Book of Secrets mapping a path to theaters in 2007.
Speaking with ScreenRant, Cage said, “No, there is no National Treasure 3. If you want to find treasure, don’t look at Disney, okay? It’s not there.”
Cage’s verbal mousetrap is quite telling of the actor’s tolerance for how Disney conducts its business. Cage’s comment may refer to how Disney fumbled the bag with its sequel series National Treasure: Edge of History. The adventure series starring Lisette Olivera, Zuri Reed, Jake Austin Walker, Antonio Cipriano, and Catherine Zeta-Jones was canceled after one season despite having ties to the Cage-led feature films.
There’s also a chance that Cage is no longer interested in playing Benjamin Franklin Gates in National Treasure 3 since he could retire any day now. Last year, Cage told Vanity Fair his acting career is “starting to solidify – I’m starting to cement my plan. I may have three or four more movies left in me.I do feel I’ve said what I’ve had to say with cinema. I think I took film performance as far as I could.”
[SEE MORE]
Cage says he “wants to go out on a high note,” and spending time with his 18-month-old daughter is a priority. He also has concerns regarding how long he’ll be around. Cage’s father passed away at 75, and Cage is 60. He figures he’s got 15 good years left before things take a turn and wants to take time to bask in his accomplishments and legacy. In addition to spending time with his daughter, he wants to read a book a week, which sounds like a damn fine way to spend your Golden Years.
What do you think about Cage shooting down hopes for a National Treasure 3? If he’s soon to retire, what type of movies would you like to see him make? Will Cage pull a Hayao Miyazaki and repeatedly come out of retirement for the right project? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
After spending more than a decade in development hell, a remake of The Crow (watch it HERE) has made its way through production and is set to receive a theatrical release, courtesy of Lionsgate, on June 7th. A couple weeks ago, we saw the first images of Bill Skarsgard and singer FKA twigs as the new versions of goth rocker Eric Draven and the love of his life, Shelly; images that didn’t go over well with original The Crow director Alex Proyas. Now we’ve been informed that a full trailer for the film will be released online tomorrow – and while we wait for that, a (very) short teaser has made its way online and can be seen in the embed above. In this teaser, we’re treated to the sight of Skarsgard writhing around in a thick liquid that’s presumably meant to be blood. And that’s it.
The film has the following synopsis: Soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgard) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.
The role of Eric Draven in the original film was, of course, played by Brandon Lee, who was killed on set in a tragic accident that was caused by a series of mistakes and oversights.
Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) directed this take on The Crow, working from a screenplay by Oscar nominee Zach Baylin (King Richard). The remake is produced by Victor Hadida, Molly Hassell, John Jencks, and Edward R. Pressman. Dan Farah serves as executive producer.
Danny Huston (Yellowstone) plays the lead villain. Isabella Wei (1899), Laura Birn (A Walk Among the Tombstones), Sami Bouajila (The Bouncer), and Jordan Bolger (Peaky Blinders) are also in the cast.
Are you interested in The Crow remake, and are you looking forward to seeing the full trailer tomorrow? What do you think of this short teaser? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
