Made on a budget of less than $100,000, director Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (watch it HERE) earned more than $6 million during its global release earlier this year – so of course we’re getting a sequel, which is going by the title Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, very soon. A specific release date hasn’t been announced yet, but today a batch of character posters have arrived online, and you can check those out at the bottom of this article. The posters feature Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Owl, and Tigger.

A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book Winnie-the-Pooh and the characters in it lapsed into the public domain at the start of last year, and that’s how Frake-Waterfield was able to make these movies happen, no permission required. In the build-up to the release of the first movie, the filmmaker explained to Variety that Pooh and Piglet (go) on a rampage after being abandoned by a college-bound Christopher Robin. “Christopher Robin is pulled away from them, and he’s not [given] them food, it’s made Pooh and Piglet’s life quite difficult. Because they’ve had to fend for themselves so much, they’ve essentially become feral. So they’ve gone back to their animal roots. They’re no longer tame: they’re like a vicious bear and pig who want to go around and try and find prey.”

Matt Leslie, writer/producer of Summer of 84, wrote the screenplay for the sequel, working from a story he crafted with Frake-Waterfield. Here’s the synopsis for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2: Deep within the 100-Acre-Wood, a destructive rage grows as Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Owl, and Tigger find their home and their lives endangered after Christopher Robin revealed their existence. Not wanting to live in the shadows any longer, the group decides to take the fight to the town of Ashdown, home of Christopher Robin, leaving a bloody trail of death and mayhem in their wake. Winnie and his savage friends will show everyone that they are deadlier, stronger, and smarter than anyone could ever imagine and get their revenge on Christopher Robin, once and for all.

The film stars Scott Chambers, Eddy Mackenzie, Marcus Massey, Tallulah Evans, Kelly Rian Sanson, Simon Callow, Alec Newman, Nicola Wright, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Lewis Santer, Tade Adebaio, and Nichaela Farrel.

Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey are planning to create a cinematic universe with the Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey films and other horror movies inspired by children’s stories, like Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare and Bambi: The Reckoning.

Are you looking forward to Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2? Let us know by leaving a comment below – and check out these character posters while you’re scrolling down:

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Let’s hope Destin Daniel Cretton is keeping up with his cardio routine because he’s about to Naruto run into a live-action adaptation based on the mega-popular manga series by Masashi Kishimoto. Lionsgate announced today that Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, American Born Chinese) would direct and write a Naruto film for the studio. Adam Fogelson, chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, made the announcement today.

“It was a true honor to meet Kishimoto-san in Tokyo and hear his expansive vision for his creation,” stated filmmaker Cretton. “We are very excited to collaborate and bring NARUTO to the big screen.”

For the uninitiated, Naruto focuses on Naruto Uzumaki, a mischievous adolescent ninja struggling for recognition while dreaming of becoming the Hokage, the village’s leader and strongest ninja.

Naruto has printed over 250 million copies in over 60 countries and territories. The series features an eclectic cast of characters, including Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, Hinata Hyuga, and more.

Masashi Kishimoto said, “When I heard of Destin’s attachment, it happened to be right after watching a blockbuster action film of his, and I thought he would be the perfect director for NARUTO. After enjoying his other films and understanding that his forte is in creating solid dramas about people, I became convinced that there is no other director for NARUTO. In actually meeting Destin, I also found him to be an open-minded director who was willing to embrace my input, and felt strongly that we would be able to cooperate together in the production process. To put it simply, the live-action NARUTO is bound to be a film with spectacular action and profound drama. I can’t help but be excited for it.”

Fogelson said, “This manga classic is beloved by millions of fans all around the world, and Destin has delivered a vision for the movie that we believe will excite that massive fan base as well as those who are new to it. Avi and I have had the pleasure of working together before and I know that as we collaborate with Destin and the team on NARUTO, we are in extraordinary hands.”

Thanks to Netflix‘s live-action adaptations, beloved properties like One Piece and Avatar: The Last Airbender are enjoying tremendous success. Now feels like the perfect time to establish a live-action version of Naruto, with fans worldwide loving the manga, animated series, spin-offs, and more!

Are you excited about Destin Daniel Cretton directing and writing a live-action Nauro movie? Will the plot focus on the manga or tell an entirely new story? Which characters do you hope to see in the film? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Writer/director Damien Leone had a budget of around $55,000 to work with on the first Terrifier movie, and a budget of “a little over” $250,000 for Terrifier 2, which was a massive hit when it was released last year, earning $15.1 million at the box office. Since the second film did so well, Terrifier 3 (which is scheduled to reach theatres on October 25, 2024) has a substantially higher budget. A “couple million” is going into this one, which started filming earlier this month – and Leone has celebrated being back in production by sharing a couple images of Art the Clown! You can check them out at the bottom of this article.

Terrifier 3 has the following synopsis: Art the Clown is set to unleash chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve.

David Howard Thornton is reprising the role of Art the Clown, while Lauren LaVera is back as Terrifier 2 heroine Sienna and Elliot Fullam returns as Sienna’s brother Jonathan. Samantha Scaffidi is returning as Terrifier and Terrifier 2 character Victoria. Chris Jericho, who had a cameo in Terrifier 2, is also back in Terrifier 3 – but he has let everyone know that his appearance in the film won’t last very long.

Leone has said that this new sequel will be going back to the tone of the first movie, as he’s aiming to make the third film the scariest, goriest, and most depraved of the bunch. He’ll be pulling back on the mystical/fantasy element that was so prevalent in the second film, and is also aiming to make sure this one will be less than two hours long, since the second one surpassed the two hour mark. If you’re worried that Terrifier 3 might wrap the franchise up as a trilogy, have no fear. Leone knows that horror franchises always continue, and anything’s possible once the supernatural gets involved. So even if he brings a sequel to a satisfying conclusion for himself as the creator of the franchise, the door can always be opened to more sequels.

Are you looking forward to Terrifier 3, and are you glad to see Art the Clown back in action? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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A post shared by Damien Leone (@damien_leone)

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A post shared by Damien Leone (@damien_leone)

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Paramount could throw Ridley Scott to the lions if Gladiator 2 fails to perform like gangbusters at the box office. A new report from The Hollywood Reporter reveals the ballooning cost of production on the anticipated sequel, with insiders close to the project saying the film budgeted at $165 million is closer to $310 million. Let that amount sink in for a moment.

Per THR’s sources, the net cost of the 49-day shoot was under $250 million. “It’s a runaway,” says one source. “It’s not being managed.” How did this happen? The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes did not help. Production for Gladiator 2 shut down in July because of the negotiations, costing the studio $600,000 a week, roughly $10 million. Scott resumed filming in December, though some say he continued to capture footage using extras during the strikes.

Some wonder if the Gladiator 2 set was cursed. In June, six crewmembers sustained non-life-threatening burn injuries. Additionally, PETA wrote Scott an open letter about how a “whistleblower” informed them about the mistreatment of horses and monkeys. However, crewmembers insist the Humane Society was always on-site, overseeing the treatment and care of the animals.

“While filming a planned stunt sequence on the set of the Gladiator sequel, an accident occurred during which several crew members experienced non-life-threatening injuries,” a Paramount spokesperson said in a statement last year. “The safety and full medical services teams on-site were able to act quickly so that those who were impacted immediately received necessary care. They are all in stable condition and continue to receive treatment. The well-being of the cast and crew is of the utmost importance to us, and we have strict health and safety procedures in place on all our productions. We will continue monitoring the situation and taking all necessary precautions as we resume production.”

Mescal leads the sequel to Ridley Scott’s action-drama, taking over the lead from Russell Crowe’s Maximus from the first film. Mescal plays Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), who is fully grown in the sequel. The story takes place several years after Maximus’ death in the original. Before he died, Maximus rescued Lucius and his mother from the clutches of the young man’s uncle, Commodus (Phoenix). The event left an impression on Lucius, who aspires to be as formidable as Maximus as he braves a harsh world.

Ridley Scott directs the Gladiator sequel from a script by David Scarpa (All The Money In the World). The film stars Paul Mescal (Aftersun) as Lucius, the young boy who idolized Maximus (Russell Crowe) in the original movie. The cast also includes Denzel Washington (The Equalizer 3), Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things), Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman), May Calamawy (Moon Knight), Lior Raz (The Crowded Room), Peter Mensah (Spartacus), Matt Lucas (Wonka), Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus), and Derek Jacobi (Murder on the Orient Express). Russell Crowe isn’t involved in the new Gladiator movie, but he did express a slight amount of jealousy about the experience Mescal has ahead of him.

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Freaky and Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon was supposed to be heading into production on Scream 7 soon – but that project has turned out to be so troubled, he had to activate his ejector seat and get out of there. Things are looking good for him now that he has escaped from that mess, as he recently signed on to direct the werewolf thriller Big Bad, and now Deadline reports that he’ll be directing the “fast-paced thriller” Drop for Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes, the production company team that has previously brought us the Purge franchise. Drop has even found its lead already: Meghann Fahy, who was recently seen on season 2 of The White Lotus.

Details on the story Drop will be telling have not been revealed. All we know is the “fast-paced thriller” description and the fact that the screenplay has been written by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach, a writing duo that has previously worked with Blumhouse on the horror projects Truth or Dare and Fantasy Island.

Blumhouse founder Jason Blum is producing the film alongside Platinum Dunes’ Michael Bay, Bradley Fuller, and Cameron Fuller, with Cameron being acknowledged as the person who brought the Jacobs / Roach script to Platinum Dunes in the first place. Sam Lerner serves as executive producer. Drop is set up at Universal.

In addition to The White Lotus, Fahy’s credits include The Bold Type, Just Add Romance, Miss Sloane, and the upcoming film Your Monster – which happens to star Scream (2022) and Scream VI‘s Melissa Barrera, who was fired by Scream 7 while Landon was still attached; not by Landon, but by executives at Spyglass Media.

Landon has a lot of experience working with Blumhouse, as the company was not only behind his films Freaky, Happy Death Day, and Happy Death Day 2U, but he wrote and directed Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones for them and wrote Paranormal Activity 2, Paranormal Activity 3, Paranormal Activity 4, and Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin for the company.

I’m a fan of Landon’s non-Paranormal Activity movies, so I’m looking forward to seeing how Drop is going to turn out.

Does Drop sound interesting to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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A movie that warned us about robots taking over, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, is also one of the first to be recreated entirely with artificial intelligence. If that’s not apropos, I don’t know what is. Our T2 Remake is an upcoming feature crafted by 50 of the industry’s top artists, premiering in Los Angeles on March 6.

Per the project’s official press release:

“Our T2 Remake marks a new era in cinema where entire movies can now be generated with the help of machines. The film puts a spin on the beloved 1991 classic with commentary and satire about modern-day A.l. technology and its effect on humanity.”

“This film was inspired by Our Robocop Remake, is dedicated to the Al community, and celebrates this innovative space. Our T2 Remake re-envisions a classic narrative often cited negatively in A.I. discourse, challenging the ‘Doomsday’ perspective.”

Our T2 Remake began production during the writer’s strike, with Nem Perez (a film director in Los Angeles) and Sway Molina (an actor in Miami) leading the charge. The duo arranged 50 artists from around the globe, giving each of them a segment of the film to create. Each segment of James Cameron’s science-fiction classic is reimagined by a different artist using various AI tools and styles.

“Organized entirely through Discord & Zoom by a global group of artists, this collaborative project enabled everyone involved to offer feedback and contribute ideas, resulting in a unique mixed-media experience,” reads the official press release. “Every 2-3 minutes, the film transitions to a new interpretation, maintaining a cohesive storyline.”

In the Our T2 Remake trailer, AI-generated tools recreate one of cinema’s most influential action films in various styles. Everything from glitchy t-pose models to Funko Pop figures, a robot teddy bear, and memes contributes to this bold presentation. The film is bound to stir up some discourse while also showing off the power of AI in a fast-moving industry of experimentation.

If imitation is the highest form of flattery, setting 50 artists loose on a science-fiction masterpiece feels like a gauntlet being thrown. What do you think about Our T2 Remake? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Back in 2021, Keanu Reeves teamed up with BOOM! Studios to bring us the comic book series BRZRKR, which Reeves wrote alongside Matt Kindt, working off of Reeves’ original idea. Netflix secured the rights to bring a live-action film adaptation of the comic book to their streaming service – and to follow that up with an anime spin-off series that will “expand the BRZRKR universe by exploring different elements of the story”. So far, there have been twelve issues of BRZRKR, as well as a couple one-shots called Poetry of Madness (which pit the comic’s lead character, an immortal called B., against a Lovecraftian nightmare) and Fallen Empire (which told of B.’s distant past). Reeves is also writing a book called Elsewhere with China Miéville that is “set in the world of BRZRKR“. While all of these stories play out on the page, the Netflix movie remains in development. Now it has been announced that we have another BRZRKR project to look forward to: a one-shot comic book called A Faceful of Bullets, which shows us a B. story set in the Old West.

Written by Jason Aaron and featuring art by Francesco Manna, BRZRKR: A Faceful of Bullets digs into an unexplored chapter in B.’s history, telling the following story: When B. finds himself in the middle of a grudge match between a greedy land baron and his runaway daughter, he must decide if he will play the role of a guardian angel, or succumb to his violent tendencies. And when the runaway prays for the vengeance she so obsessively clings to, God’s answer might be more than she bargained for…

BRZRKR follows an immortal warrior’s 80,000-year fight through the ages. The man known only as “B” is half-mortal and half-god, cursed and compelled to violence… even at the sacrifice of his sanity. But after wandering the earth for centuries, B may have finally found a refuge – working for the U.S. government to fight the battles too violent and too dangerous for anyone else. In exchange, B will be granted the one thing he desires – the truth about his endless blood-soaked existence… and how to end it.

According to BOOM! Studios, this one-shot kicks off “the second volume of BRZRKR: Bloodlines – a series of standalone extra-length comic specials starring franchise protagonist B.” Reeves provided this statement: “Having new writers and artists explore B.’s history in these Bloodlines Specials is something that is so exciting to me. Jason and Francesco teaming up for a brutal, tragic Western was a perfect match for BRZRKR and the types of stories we want to tell in this universe.“

Aaron added: “The world of BRZRKR is so visceral and action-packed that I’ve been a fan from the very beginning. “So it’s super exciting to get to craft the first Wild West chapter of this epic saga, in the grim and gritty spirit of Leone, Corbucci, and Peckinpah.“

Manna had this to say: “When I was a child I used to watch so many Western movies with my dad. I was in love with Leone, Corbucci, and Ford. I didn’t understand why or how, I just felt like there was some kind of magic that kept me hooked, watching and watching again and again. It’s very inspiring to let BRZRKR play with that magic and create a fresh and bloody vision of those old fashioned vibes.“

BRZRKR: A Faceful of Bullets will be reaching the shelves of comic shops sometime in June. Dan Mora’s character designs for the Old West version of B. can be seen below. To see a few of the covers that have been created for the one-shot comic, click over to SuperHeroHype.

Are you interested in BRZRKR, and will you be picking up a copy of A Faceful of Bullets? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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If you are waiting for more Game of Thrones-related drama, have no fear; David Zaslav is ready to give an update about The Hedge Knight, a spin-off set in George R. R. Martin‘s land of dragons, treachery, and alarming orgies. The show’s full title is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, though I’m sure they’ll shorten it before the spin-off hits the airwaves.

“[Creator and executive producer] George R.R. Martin is in pre production for the new spin off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which will premiere in late 2025 on Max,” said Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and subject of many memes, David Zaslav.

The 2025 timeline is curious, considering the sophomore season of House of the Dragon arrives this summer. If House of the Dragon is this year, and The Hedge Knight drops in 2025, does HBO plan to alternate years between series? That’s a lot of Game of Thrones.

“Looking ahead, we’ve got one of the best lineups in the history of HBO,” Zaslav added. “This next quarter, we’ll have Hacks and House of the Dragon, followed by DC’s The Penguin and the new Dune series. Then in 2025, we’ll kick off the year with the new season of The White Lotus, followed by The Last of Us and Euphoria, just to name a few.”

The Hedge Knight prequel series will be based on the collection of fantasy novellas by the “favorite character killer” himself, George R. R. Martin. Here’s the official description for the series:

“A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros … a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.”

Martin has published three novels in the “Tales of Dunk and Egg” series so far: “The Hedge Knight” (1998), “The Sworn Sword” (2003), and “The Mystery Knight” (2010). In 2015, all three installments were combined and published under the title “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

What do you think about getting a new Game of Thrones series yearly? Have you read the books associated with The Hedge Knight? If so, what do you think? Let us know in the comments section below. 

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Pamela Salem, who portrayed Miss Moneypenny in the non-Eon James Bond movie Never Say Never Again, has passed away at the age of 80.

While Pamela Salem’s turn as Moneypenny was a one-off – and in a film that is widely not considered part of the 007 canon – her go at the beloved character can’t be ignored. Interestingly, despite how frequently the character appears in the Bond universe, she has only been played by a small selection of actresses: Lois Maxwell, Caroline Bliss, Samantha Bond, and Naomie Harris. But only Salem has the distinction of playing Miss Moneypenny just one time.

But not once was there any strange bad blood between Pamela Salem or her predecessors, particularly Maxwell. As per a 1984 interview (via The Hollywood Reporter), Salem said, “I had seen Moneypenny before, of course, in the earlier films played by Lois Maxwell…At first [the media] tried to stir things up between us — it was all absolute nonsense, and Lois Maxwell wrote a very nice letter to me, and I contacted her, and they had to drop it eventually because they realized we were friends….I owe the part to Lois in fact because she established the role so beautifully in everyone’s minds. As soon as you mention the name Moneypenny, people automatically think of Lois.”

But Pamela Salem’s career was not strictly Miss Moneypenny, making her debut five years prior (alongside, coincidentally enough, Sean Connery) in The First Great Train Robbery. While Salem made sporadic appearances on the big screen throughout the ‘80s, ‘90s and ‘00s, she had a much more prolific career on television. Most notably, she played multiple characters on Doctor Who in the ‘70s and ‘80s, co-starred in the BBC series Buccaneer, played the primary villain on children’s show Into the Labyrinth, and had a lengthy arc on British soap opera Eastenders. She would also appear on prominent American series such as ER, Party of Five and The West Wing.

Salem was married to Michael O’Hagan until his 2017 death.

Leave your condolences for – and favorite performances of – the late Pamela Salem in the comments section below.

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28 Days Later director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland are finally reuniting to make a sequel to their zombie (or, if you prefer, infected people) movie classic. As we reporter earlier this year, this sequel is set up at Sony, is going to be called 28 Years Later – and it may even launch a whole trilogy of 28 Days Later sequels. Last year, 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy said he’d gladly be in a sequel if it was made by Boyle and Garland, and when this project was announced, it was confirmed that Murphy is on board as an executive producer… we just don’t know if he’s going to be in the movie or not. While talking to Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Murphy still didn’t reveal if he’ll be in the movie, he simply said, “Watch this space.”

Here’s Murphy’s full quote on 28 Years Later, with thanks to Coming Soon for the transcription. When asked if he could say anything about the sequel, he said, “It’s for (Danny Boyle and Alex Garland) to speak about, I suppose, but I think it’s been brewing for a while. The first movie was so important for me, as an actor. I love working with those guys. Alex has an idea. And Danny directing is just huge. Watch this space.” That “Watch this space” does sound promising…

In the original film, Murphy played bicycle courier Jim, who wakes up from a coma to find himself in an apocalyptic England that’s overrun by people who have been infected by a rage virus. Boyle and Garland went through several endings for 28 Days Later before landing on the one movie-goers saw in theatres – and that ending was the only one where Jim survived. So he’s still out there, ready to live through another rage virus nightmare 28 years later. If Boyle and Garland decide to put him in the story. As The Hollywood Reporter previously noted, “The 2002 film grossed $82.7 million globally and spawned a sequel, 2007’s 28 Weeks Later, though Boyle and Garland were only nominally involved as executive producers.”

Garland is already writing the screenplay for the sequel that will come after 28 Years Later. Of the two 28 Years Later projects currently in the works, Boyle is only planning to direct the first one. For the follow-up, he’ll be passing the helm over to someone else. Thanks to the deal with Sony, each of these new films will be receiving a theatrical release and will have budgets in the $60 million range.

Boyle and Garland are producing 28 Years Later with Bernie Bellew, original producer Andrew Macdonald, and Peter Rice, who was the head of Fox Searchlight Pictures when that company backed 28 Days Later. As mentioned, Murphy is executive producing.

Are you looking forward to 28 Years Later, and would you like to see Cillian Murphy reprise the role of Jim in the film? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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