The story of Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback is possibly one of the greatest in Hollywood. When he was down and out, he was a cautionary tale and a punchline, but now the Oscar contender from Oppenheimer couldn’t be any richer with an amazing legacy, legions of fans, a renewed reputation and a mountain of earnings from Marvel Studios. It was Jon Favreau’s decision to fight for Downey Jr. for the part of Tony Stark that turned out to be a Hollywood and a cultural game changer.

Ironically, while 2008’s Iron Man became a huge hit and planted the seeds for the juggernaut that is the MCU, as well as brought Downey Jr.’s career back from the dead, Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight would take over that summer. During the promotion for Oppenheimer, Nolan and Downey Jr. would show great respect for each other. Variety reports that while on Stephen Colbert, Nolan outlined what had motivated him to cast Downey Jr. in the film. Nolan explained, “I’ve always wanted to work with him. […] He has such charisma as Tony Stark. Him playing Iron Man is one of the most consequential casting decisions that’s ever been made in the history of the movie business. I wanted to give him the opportunity to lose himself in a part, lose himself in another human being the way great actors love him.”

The Academy Award-nominated filmmaker had also dug deeper by expounding, “With anybody you work with, with actors…you’re looking for some kind of connection emotionally, empathetically. You’re looking for some kind of generosity. He has this incredible generosity of spirit. It means when he’s in a scene with other people he’s making sure they are all doing their best, that they are all able to bring their best to the table. He’s helping them clarify those emotional connections.”

Although they finally found the perfect role for him, Downey Jr. once tried to pitch himself to Nolan back when he was casting for Batman Begins, and he was looking for an actor to play Dr. Jonathan Crane, aka Scarecrow. Nolan didn’t seem to be keen on him as Downey Jr. recalls, “I remember meeting [Nolan] for tea and I was like, ‘He doesn’t seem like he’s really in on this interview.’ And he was polite and all that. But you can tell when someone is kind of like, ‘It’s not going to go anywhere.’”

The post Christopher Nolan found Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man to be “one of the most consequential casting decisions” in the film industry appeared first on JoBlo.

After making the little-seen 2009 thriller Absence, the filmmaking duo of Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer went on to make the impressive 2014 horror film Starry Eyes, which led to them getting the chance to direct the 2019 remake of Pet Sematary. That movie didn’t become as popular as the original film, but it did earn over $100 million at the box office. Five years later, Kölsch and Widmyer have finally set up their next feature: the survival thriller The Swallow, which is set to star Grace Van Dien, who had a memorable role in season 4 of Stranger Things.

Kölsch and Widmyer wrote the screenplay for The Swallow, which was previously featured on the Bloodlist, a list assembled through a survey of industry professionals, who recommend their favorite unproduced thriller and horror scripts. Thanks to producers James Harris and Mark Lane of Tea Shop Productions, John Finemore of Lost City, Adam Goldworm of Aperture Entertainment, and Josh Goldbloom, The Swallow will be heading into production soon. In fact, they’re aiming to get rolling on this one in the summer. Architect is also involved with the project. The company previously worked (as executive producers) with Tea Shop on the survival thriller The Bayou, which was financed by their sister company Creativity Capital.

The story of The Swallow centers on a group of teens who are abandoned in a deadly forest. Van Dien is taking on the role of Ziggy, who, along with her four friends, journeys out on a camping trip to a picturesque remote forest. But trespassing into an off-limits area, they awaken an uncanny terror in the woods… and a ravenous hunger from within the Earth. Soon, the ground itself is trying to swallow anything and anyone it comes into contact with and Ziggy and her friends have nowhere to run as every trembling step they take could be their last.

Kölsch and Widmyer are producing the film alongside the producers mentioned above. James Hoppe of Lost City serves as an executive producer.

Kölsch and Widmyer provided Deadline with the following statement: “The Swallow is a lean, mean horror film that never lets its foot off the gas. Essentially, one extended set piece of tension and primal horror that just keeps ratcheting up. Daring audiences to endure it until the end.“

Architect’s Calum Gray added: “The Swallow is everything we want in an Architect movie: a gloriously entertaining, escapist rollercoaster with a strong high concept and super clear audience: this is a breathless and ingenious survival thriller with which to completely envelop contemporary global cinemagoers. We are furthermore blessed to have a cutting edge team of outstanding genre creatives shepherding this film into the light and just as per The Bayou, we can’t wait to partner up once again with Tea Shop.“

How does The Swallow sound to you? Are you looking forward to the next Kölsch and Widmyer movie? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post The Swallow: Starry Eyes and Pet Sematary directors take on survival thriller starring Grace Van Dien appeared first on JoBlo.

In the build-up to the release of Evil Dead Rise (read our review right HERE) last year, Evil Dead franchise rights holders Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Tapert let it be known that they were already looking forward to producing more entries in the series, with Campbell revealing they were hoping to make a new sequel / spin-off every two or three years. It looks like they’re on track to do just that, as earlier this week it was announced that Sébastien Vaniček – who just made his feature directorial debut on the French horror film Vermin, a.k.a. Infested – has been hired to direct the next Evil Dead movie. Since Vermin happens to be nominated in two categories at this year’s César Awards, the website Konbini was able to catch up with Vaniček at a nominees’ dinner, and while talking with him they learned that he has complete creative control on his Evil Dead movie, and intends to give it a French twist.

Here’s what Vaniček had to say, translated from French: “After winning awards at festivals in the United States, Vermin did quite well in the studios. So we started getting requests for meetings, in lots of boxes. I did a lot of Zoom, and at one point I started getting Warner, then New Line, and Ghost House Pictures. Well, I quickly understood what the three had in common and quickly, I had an email from the producer who told me that Warner wanted to make a new 100% original Evil Dead, not related to the rest of the saga. We talked a lot, a lot, starting in November, and in particular with Sam Raimi. I had to go see them in the United States but we managed to impose some of our conditions. I particularly wanted to work with Flo [Vermin co-writer Florent Bernard], and we did fifteen pages with drawings and writing for our meetings. Sam Raimi and his team liked it. What’s crazy is that he guaranteed and protects us to give us 100% creative freedom. That’s all that mattered to me, to not get eaten up by a big studio and get released from the project. Sam Raimi is really the only producer in the United States who has control over his franchise. So when he tells me: ‘It’s your vision that takes precedence, I’m here to ensure it is preserved’, it’s reassuring. If all goes well, it will be a film with a French twist, with a central French character. I want to do my post-production in France with my teams. It will be in English, but with one or more French characters who speak English. I told the studio that I wanted to make a nasty film, a film that hurts, from which you come away tested. I’m going to put all the horror I have inside, it will be cathartic, and if I haven’t ruined my career and I can continue to make films beyond it, I will move on to something other than horror! In any case, this film will feel like France, I will never let go of this country, I intend to bring it with me. If all goes well, we could start filming at the end of 2024-beginning of 2025, for a release that I hope for Halloween 2025.“

Sam Raimi made his feature directorial debut with the original The Evil Dead, which introduced Campbell as iconic hero Ash Williams. Ash returned for Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness, and the Ash vs. Evil Dead TV series, with Raimi directing the films and the first episode of the show. After seeing a short film directed by Fede Alvarez, the Evil Dead rights holders gave him the chance to make his feature directorial debut with the Ash-less 2013 Evil Dead. Then Lee Cronin was hired to make the Ash-less Evil Dead Rise based on the strength of his own feature debut, the 2019 film The Hole in the Ground. So Sébastien Vaniček being hired to make the next Evil Dead movie right after entering the feature world with Vermin / Infested is very on brand for this franchise… and whatever the movie turns out to be, it sounds like it will be solidly Vaniček’s vision of the Evil Dead concept. And since he’s aiming to make “a nasty film, a film that hurts, from which you come away tested”, it sounds like one that will be right in line with The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2013, and Evil Dead Rise.

Vermin / Infested shows viewers what happens when “residents of a rundown French apartment building battle against an army of deadly, rapidly reproducing spiders.” As Deadline noted, in addition to the César nominations, “the film won Best Picture and Best Director in its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest, and was also invited to the Sitges Film Festival, where it earned a nomination for Best Motion Picture and won a Special Jury Prize.” The Shudder streaming service has the distribution rights.

What do you think of what Sébastien Vaniček had to say about the Evil Dead movie he’ll be making? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

The post Evil Dead: Sébastien Vaniček has creative control on the next film, will give it a French twist appeared first on JoBlo.

One of the biggest stories in pop culture of 2023 was the fall of Jonathan Majors. After a strong rise that saw him star in The Last Black Man in San Francisco (one of the best films of 2019) and a collab with Spike Lee, he went on to have just about the most impressive start to a year that we can remember: leading Sundance sensation Magazine Dreams, landing the post-Thanos Marvel threat of Kang and stepping into the ring for Creed III. Before the year ended, Jonathan Majors was found guilty of assault and harassment, with projects being yanked and his career in Hollywood in serious question.

While Jonathan Majors would say he was “shocked” at the verdict, many weren’t, particularly the numerous women who have come forward declaring that the actor had a history with violent behavior. In a recent piece in The New York Times, the women who spoke up – some of whom chose to remain anonymous – said that Jonathan Majors would make them feel “loved” at one moment and “erased” not long after. In one instance, one of the women – former girlfriend Emma Duncan – said that Majors had “threatened to strangle and kill her” during an argument. According to statements obtained by the newspaper, Duncan approached him about his communications with another woman, resulting in Majors assaulting her and telling her, “I’m going to make sure you can’t have children.” Regarding some of his actions, Majors’ attorney said, “Looking back, he is embarrassed by some of his jealous behavior.”

But Jonathan Majors’ alleged tormenting wasn’t exclusive to hotels and taxis. Nine people have since come forward about the actor’s inappropriate and unprofessional behavior on the set of HBO’s Lovecraft Country, saying he treated women differently than men. According to accounts, he once cornered an AD to tell her she didn’t belong on the team, while he made derogatory remarks about another’s looks.

Such statements are difficult to read considering their content and details. But they do fit with other allegations made that Jonathan Majors’ behavior towards women wasn’t uncommon to see even as far back as college. They, too, will no doubt continue to cast a negative light on Jonathan Majors, who has not only been ousted from the Marvel Cinematic Universe but also from playing Dennis Rodman in 48 Hours in Vegas, which would have documented the Chicago Bulls star’s infamous trip to Las Vegas during the 1998 NBA Finals.

Jonathan Majors will officially be sentenced in April.Do you think Jonathan Majors will ever lead another project? Where could his career have gone? Give us your thoughts.

The post More women detail Jonathan Majors’ history of assault in new report; will he ever redeem himself? appeared first on JoBlo.

It sounds like a dream come true to be a working actor and then get the opportunity to be in your favorite show. Comedian Bill Burr told stories in the past about being such a big fan of Breaking Bad when he got to have a little stint on it. Rashida Jones would also share that she was a huge fan of The Office when she got the part to play Jim’s girlfriend. For Dakota Johnson, it would turn out to become a dream-turned-nightmare when she also got to appear on the popular NBC sitcom, The Office. Johnson appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers recently to promote her upcoming Sony/Marvel film, Madame Web, when she revealed that her experience on The Office was more surreal.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, on the talk show, Johnson joked, “That was honestly the worst time of my life. They were like, ‘Do you want to be in the series finale?’ And I was like, ‘Of course,’ thinking that I’d show up for like half a day. And I was there for two weeks, and I’m barely in the fucking show.” She would expound that her excitement of appearing in the finale was overtaken by the somber mood dominating the set due to the episode being the last for the cast and crew. Johnson continued, “There were weird dynamics that had been going on for the last 10 years. Some people didn’t speak to each other. And I’m coming in like, ‘So excited to be here!’ And no one wanted to talk to me. No one gave a f*ck…. I was like in the background of all of these scenes, faxing things.”

Host Seth Meyers piggybacked off her anecdote to joke, “I recently watched it, and it was some of the most believable faxing I’ve ever seen.” Meyers then revealed that he, too, had appeared on the series finale episode of The Office, which surprised Johnson. However, Meyers had a bit of a buffer from the set as he would appear in a fictional version of his Weekend Update segment from Saturday Night Live that the characters would see on TV.

Johnson is an offspring of famous actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, so she’s been around the business all her life. The actress has been refreshingly candid about certain aspects of Hollywood that aren’t as romanticized as some may think. Recently, she’s commented on the bleak nature of the industry where creative people are stilted by the business people, “The people who run streaming platforms don’t trust creative people or artists to know what’s going to work, and that is just going to make us implode. It’s really heartbreaking. It’s just f*cking so hard. It’s so hard to get anything made. All of the stuff I’m interested in making is really different, and it’s unique and it’s very forward in whatever it is.”

The post Dakota Johnson didn’t love shooting the series finale of The Office appeared first on JoBlo.

Christopher Nolan’s list of movies he has praised is expansive and filled with classics like 12 Angry Men, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Lawrence of Arabia, and Blade Runner. And now you can add one of the biggest action franchises ever to that lineup. That’s right, Christopher Nolan loves the Fast & Furious movies and has no shame over it.

Nolan – both a creator and supporter of franchise movies – expressed his love of the Fast & Furious on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, also showing complete disbelief that the host had never seen a single entry in the 11-deep series. “I have no guilt about being a fan of the Fast & Furious franchise…A tremendous action franchise…You’ve never seen any of them? I watch those movies all the time. I love them. I’m amazed you’ve never seen one of them.” Nolan even had bit of a viewing order to recommend: “It’s only the last few where a specific arc and mythology develop. I would start with Tokyo Drift and watch it as its own thing.”

It’s one thing to learn that Christopher Nolan loves him some Fast & Furious – something he has discussed before, chiefly how there’s nothing wrong with how over-the-top the series has gotten – but that he never once uses the phrase “guilty pleasure” shows that even prestige directors also find value in pure entertainment, that there’s nothing wrong with turning your brain off and just enjoying the action. Considering the level of action Nolan has brought to the biggest screens imaginable, maybe it’s not a surprise he likes these movies after all…at least not a shock on the level of Stanley Kubrick loving White Men Can’t Jump!

Colbert also pressed Nolan on the confusing elements of Tenet, to which the director responded, “You’re not meant to understand everything in Tenet…It’s not all comprehensible.” Yeah, I feel the same way about most of the Fast & Furious movies…

Fortunately for Christopher Nolan, the Fast & Furious franchise has plenty of sequels and spin-offs lined up, keeping him busy at the multiplex for years to come.

Are you as big of a fan of the Fast & Furious movies as Christopher Nolan? Which is your favorite entry in the ongoing series? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Christopher Nolan has no guilt over Fast & Furious love appeared first on JoBlo.

PLOT: A coming-of-Rage love story about a teenager and her crush, who happens to be a corpse. After a set of horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a journey to find love, happiness – and a few missing body parts.

REVIEW: It seems as though 2023’s obsession with Frankenstein is continuing into 2024 as we get yet another version of the Mary Shelley story. But this one feels decidedly more Weird Science than the more macabre tone of, say, the Kenneth Branagh version. And with Diablo Cody behind the words, I suppose that’s not exactly a surprise. Juno took over the world and pretty much-changed dialogue in teen cinema, so expectations were high for the film. And this is her return to the genre after a long absence. But, like Jennifer’s Body, Lisa Frankenstein feels more like lost potential than anything.

Lisa Frankenstein follows the title character as she obsesses over a grave and the man buried six feet deep. He’s brought back to life and they become a chaotic couple. The story progresses in a pretty basic way, and there’s not much energy to the proceedings. There’s a lull in the middle of the film where all the quirkiness gets sucked out of it and we’re just watching a standard high school romcom for a bit. Thankfully, things get back on track eventually, but it adds to the uneven storytelling. Lisa’s motivations are all over the place and feels disconnected from scene to scene.

Kathryn Newton has been impressive in everything she’s done to this point, and here is no different. Lisa is pretty much a Tim Burton character both in her demeanor and appearance and I was all for it. The movie is at its best when Newton is embracing the strangeness. Every time the script does her dirty, Newton makes the most of it. She’s absolutely wonderful. I love a good Frankenstein’s Monster and Cole Sprouse is great as The Creature. He pulls off some entertaining physical comedy that got a lot of laughs from my theater. The romance is a little iffy, but that’s less due to chemistry and more the awkward plot developments.

Liza Soberano is also really impressive as Lisa’s stepsister, Taffy. This could have easily been a more stereotypical role, yet they make her quite affable. Unfortunately, the writer feels the need to acknowledge it themselves, thus lessening the point of her character. Almost feels like Diablo Cody trying to pat herself on the back. Then there’s Carla Gugino who feels wasted in the role of Lisa’s stepmother. It’s stereotypical and doesn’t utilize her talents.

I had big expectations for Zelda Williams as she’s always come across as very intelligent, with an in-depth knowledge of film. And there was some stuff I enjoyed about this with the neon color scheme and fantastic costumes. But the look never matches the tone and there’s a lot of first-timer sloppiness. Most of the actors feel like they’re in different movies and there’s no real cohesiveness to the vision.

Now let’s get into the Diablo Cody of it all. The script is easily the worst aspect of the film and there are constantly elements introduced, that don’t amount to any plot progression. I kept waiting for the earring The Creature wears to be relevant, yet despite its prominent placement, it goes unnoticed by people who should notice it. The dialogue is stale and tired and I question how it was ever a trademark of hers. The number of PMS jokes almost made me think this was written by some dude in the 90s. And she doesn’t seem to understand the Frankenstein story, making the Creature more of a homicidal maniac versus a newly formed person, unable to control his emotions, strength, and impulses.

I can’t help but look at Lisa Frankenstein and see all of the potential. Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse are fantastic leads and this could have easily been the Edward Scissorhands of the 2020s. And I’m not just talking about the set design. Unfortunately, the filmmakers seem at odds with the kind of film they’re making. There was a desperate need for surrealism to take over but, outside of the opening and drug-induced stupor, it’s a dull affair. While I could see this achieving some kind of cult status a la Jennifer’s Body, there’s not enough campiness.

LISA FRANKENSTEIN IS IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE ON FEBRUARY 9TH, 2024.

Lisa Frankenstein

AVERAGE

6

The post Lisa Frankenstein Review appeared first on JoBlo.

It’s hard to explain exactly what inspired this list. Maybe we just wanted to rave some more about Pixar. Maybe watching Avatar again and the new sequel Avatar: The Way of Water boggled our minds. Whatever it was, it’s done, and we can’t take it back (the delete key is broken). It is kind of strange that there are so many blue movie characters. If we wanted to do, say, Best Red Characters in Movies, it would just be five pictures of Hellboy and five pictures of Darth Maul. (This is not below my work ethic, by the way, so don’t act surprised when it happens.) Travel below to see our picks for the very best blue characters in movie history!

Diva Plavalaguna – THE FIFTH ELEMENT

We usually don’t like to highlight characters that strictly sing their dialogue but there’s something about this Diva. The fact that we can’t understand anything she says helps matters. As does the way her head looks like a limp leg and how you can pump gas from her temples. We have no idea why these things work in her favor, they just do.

Genie – ALADDIN

You know what our first wish would be if we rubbed this big bitch out of a bottle? 8 billion more wishes. Why does nobody ever think of this? our second wish would be that Robin Williams was still alive. Love that guy. The third… well… we can’t print that here. UPDATE: Seems we were foiled by a “No Wishes for More Wishes” rule. Okay, change the first wish to “I wish there was no rule against wishing for more wishes.” Eat it, Genie.

Gonzo the Great – THE MUPPET MOVIES

Exactly what is Gonzo? We get the frog, the pig, the bear, etc.., but what the hell is Gonzo? It’s his mystery that intrigues us. Here’s what we know – he likes to bang chickens. That’s it. UPDATE: So he’s an alien? That sucks, we liked him way more when he was a “whatever”. He just moved down a couple spots (NOTE: I’m too lazy to actually move him down a couple spots).

Dory – FINDING NEMO

Love this film or not, Dory truly does have some of the funniest moments in Pixar history in Finding Nemo. It’s no surprise she became the central character in the follow-up, Finding Dory.

Lo’ak – AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER

The teenage son of those blue folks Jake Sully and Neytiri, Lo’ak te Suli Tsyeyk’itan (that’s why we just call him Lo’ak) made his screen debut in Avatar: The Way of Water – and turned out to be such an interesting character that he’s going to replace his dad as the narrator on Avatar 3. That’s why we have kids, right? So they can handle the chores we don’t want to do anymore.

James P. “Sully” Sullivan – MONSTERS, INC.

We sometimes wish John Goodman was Sully in real life. How awesome would it have been to see the big blue bastard stomping around on an episode of Treme, voicing his displeasure in regards to the political propaganda involved with hurricane Katrina? Real awesome, that’s how awesome.

Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler – X2

It can easily be argued that the opening sequence in X2 is the single greatest scene in the history of comic book movies. And Nightcrawler owns that shit. 

Abe Sapien – HELLBOY

It’s hard to be taken seriously as an underwater hero in modern day fantasy. You’re always being looked down upon as either a wimp (Aquaman), a gigantic douche (The Sub-Mariner), or a hottie whose hair should be shorter so we can see your boobies (any mermaid ever). Abe not only looks badass, he’s got brains and skill to back it up. And he looks tasty on a plate with some chips.

Jon Osterman/Dr. Manhattan – WATCHMEN

Dr. Manhattan (Watchmen) in one epic motherf*cker. Dude can end wars with the pass of a hand, jump over to Mars when he’s bored to build high-end tourist retreats in seconds, and work on futuristic machinery while banging his girlfriend with multiple versions of his own penis. Why isn’t he number one? He got dumped for a dude dressed as an owl, won’t kill everyone we want him to, and is in desperate need of pants. Seriously though, we don’t know, we just like Mystique better…

Raven Darkholme/Mystique – X-MEN

The thing we love about Mystique (X-Men, X-Men United) is the fact that she chooses to be blue. She could walk around in Rebecca Romijn supermodel form and actually be even more dangerous than she is now, but refuses to conform to society’s norm. It’s that kind of dedication we like to see in the #1 spot. 

Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle:

While it was far from a smash, more people have been discovering the charm of Angel Manuel Soto’s Blue Beetle since it hit MAX and VOD following it’s summer release. As far as superheroes go, it’s nice to get some blue representation out there, with him arguably being the first Blue superhero since Nightcrawler (would we count Mystique as a hero?).

Did your favorite blue characters make the list?

The post Best Blue Characters in Movies appeared first on JoBlo.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced today that they will begin presenting a new Oscar category, the first in over twenty years. The new award will recognize achievement in casting and will first be presented during the 2026 Oscar ceremony. Prior to this, the last new Oscar category was Best Animated Feature, which was announced in 2001, with Shrek taking home the inaugural award.

In a statement, current Academy president Janet Yang and CEO Bill Kramer said: “Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognize and celebrate. We congratulate our casting directors branch members on this exciting milestone and for their commitment and diligence throughout this process.“

Richard Hicks, Kim Taylor-Coleman, and Debra Zane, three governors of the Academy’s casting director branch, added, “On behalf of the members of the casting directors branch, we’d like to thank the board of governors, the awards committee and Academy leadership for their support. This award is a deserved acknowledgment of our casting directors’ exceptional talents and a testament to the dedicated efforts of our branch.” The specifics regarding eligibility and voting for the first casting Oscar will be announced in April 2025 as part of the rules for the 98th Academy Awards.

Do casting directors deserve an Oscar category for themselves? Certainly, but many have been wondering when stunt performers and stunt coordinators will be recognized as well. Those who have called for a stunt Oscar include John Wick director Chad Stahelski, who said last summer that talks with the Academy have actually been quite positive. “We’ve been meeting with members of the Academy and actually having these conversations, and, to be honest, it’s been nothing but incredibly positive, incredibly instructional,” Stahelski said. “I think, for the first time, we’ve made real movement forward to making this happen.” The director added that he could see it happening in the next three or four years at the latest.

Awards ceremonies haven’t been the ratings juggernauts they once were, with the Oscars steadily falling for the last decade. Speaking just from an audience perspective, I’d imagine that most would be much more interested in a stunt category rather than casting. Throughout the nearly four-hour telecast, most viewers simply don’t care about categories outside the major ones, but stunts might prove to be an exception.

The post The Academy announces first new Oscar category in over 20 years, but it’s still not for stunts appeared first on JoBlo.

THR reports that HBO is developing yet another Game of Thrones prequel series. This one will be a prequel to House of the Dragon and tell the story of Aegon Targaryen’s brutal conquest of Westeros.

Mattson Tomlin, who co-wrote The Batman Part II with Matt Reeves, is set to pen the Game of Thrones prequel. Aegon Targaryen, who has been mentioned frequently in the franchise, conquered Westeros with his sister wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, and three dragons. With the exception of Dorne, Aegon took control of the continent within just two years, later founding the city of King’s Landing, constructing the Red Keep, and forging the Iron Throne from the swords of his defeated enemies. His descendants would go on to rule for centuries.

THR’s sources have described the Aegon prequel series as a “back to basics” approach to the franchise, although they’re not entirely sure what that means. Since Game of Thrones concluded, HBO has been developing a variety of projects set in the same universe. The first, and so far only, spinoff series to be released is House of the Dragon. The series is set 200 years before the events of the flagship series and chronicles the war of succession known as the Dance of the Dragons. The second season is expected to debut this summer.

HBO is also moving forward with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, based on George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas. “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,” reads the synopsis. “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.” The studio hopes to start shooting the spinoff this spring.

As for the potential Aegon series, there’s no guarantee it will actually move any further, as HBO has developed many Game of Thrones projects that have been shelved.

The post More dragons, more incest as HBO develops yet another Game of Thrones prequel series appeared first on JoBlo.