Michael Mann and Edgar-winning author Meg Gardiner are at it again, folks! Mann announced today that the duo will collaborate on a new original story that fans of Mann’s signature style will lose their heads for. According to Deadline‘s exclusive report, the new novel focuses on “an intense global manhunt launched by a renegade federal agent and a stateless operator on a vendetta, in a highly authentic global arena.” A Michael Mann manhunt novel, you say? Do go on!

Mann and Gardiner’s new novel is aiming at having franchise appeal. As the first book in a new series, the project is Mann’s second novel from Michael Mann Books after signing a three-book deal with HarperCollins arm William Morrow. Jennifer Brehl, who served as the editor of Mann and Gardiner’s Heat 2, will also work her magic on the new novel.

Speaking with Deadline last year, Mann said a theatrical adaptation of Heat 2 is his next project after Ferrari. “Yes. Meg Gardiner and myself wrote the novel Heat 2, which came out right when we were shooting Ferrari. It did very well. I plan to shoot that next.” And when the outlet asked if he would also bring Driver with him to play the younger incarnation of De Niro’s Neil McCauley, “Perhaps. We don’t talk about that yet. Let me put it this way: Adam and I got along like a house on fire [on Ferrari]. We have the same work ethic – which is pretty intense. We like each other, and we had a great time working together artistically.”

Mann and Gardiner’s Heat 2 is a prequel and a sequel to the 1995 movie. You can read Amazon’s official description of Heat 2 below:

One day after the end of Heat, Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) is holed up in Koreatown, wounded, half delirious, and desperately trying to escape LA. Hunting him is LAPD detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino). Hours earlier, Hanna killed Shiherlis’s brother in arms Neil McCauley (De Niro) in a gunfight under the strobe lights at the foot of an LAX runway. Now Hanna’s determined to capture or kill Shiherlis, the last survivor of McCauley’s crew, before he ghosts out of the city.

In 1988, seven years earlier, McCauley, Shiherlis, and their highline crew are taking scores on the West Coast, the US-Mexican border, and now in Chicago. Driven, daring, they’re pulling in money and living vivid lives. And Chicago homicide detective Vincent Hanna—a man unreconciled with his history—is following his calling, the pursuit of armed and dangerous men into the dark and wild places, hunting an ultraviolent gang of home invaders.

Meanwhile, the fallout from McCauley’s scores and Hanna’s pursuit cause unexpected repercussions in a parallel narrative, driving through the years following Heat.

Mann will direct and produce the theatrical version of Heat 2, about which we expect to hear more later this year. Are you excited about Mann and Gardiner’s manhunt novel? Let us know in the comments section below!

The post Michael Mann sets a new manhunt novel which will also kick off a literary franchise appeared first on JoBlo.

The fifth film in the Legendary Monsterverse (following Godzilla, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Kong: Skull Island, and Godzilla vs. Kong), Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was once set to reach theatres and IMAX on March 15th, then it slid back to April 12th before recently being moved back up to March 29th. Hopefully they’ll stick with that date. It seems pretty certain that we’ll be seeing the movie very soon regardless, especially since it just happens to have received its rating from the Motion Picture Association ratings board. FilmRatings.com reports that Godzilla x Kong has officially been rated PG-13 for creature violence and action. Exactly what we’ve been expecting from it.

Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard is back at the helm for this one, working from a screenplay written by Simon Barrett (You’re Next) that follows up the explosive showdown of Godzilla vs. Kong with an all-new cinematic adventure, pitting the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence – and our own. The epic new film will delve further into the histories of these Titans, their origins and the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.

The story sees the legendary Titans Godzilla and Kong team up to face a world-ending threat so terrifying that neither could survive alone.

We’re previously heard that Terry Rossio (the Pirates of the Caribbean series) and Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight) were also involved in the scripting process.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire stars returning Godzilla vs. Kong stars Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry, who reprise the roles of Monarch linguist and Kong expert Dr. Ilene Andrews and Apex Cybernetics technician turned cult podcaster Bernie Hayes, as well as Kaylee Hottle, who made her screen acting debut in the previous Godzilla / Kong movie. Joining the mix are Fala Chen (Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Alex Ferns (Wrath of Man), Rachel House (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), and Wingard’s The Guest star Dan Stevens. Stevens describes his character Trapper as “a specialist in these creatures… If you’ve got a sick titan, Trapper is your guy.“

Are you glad to hear that Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has gotten a PG-13 rating for creature violence and action? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

The post Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire earns a PG-13 rating for creature violence appeared first on JoBlo.

Special effects legend Greg Nicotero is the creative supervisor on the Shudder series inspired by the George A. Romero / Stephen King anthology Creepshow, he directed more than forty episodes of The Walking Dead, and he’s now an executive producer on the Walking Dead spin-off The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Now Deadline reports that Nicotero will also be executive producing a TV series adaptation of the post-apocalyptic novel Swan Song, written by Robert McCammon. Nicotero will be directing the pilot episode of the series as well.

Coming our way from Monarch Media and Greg Nicotero and Brian Witten’s Monster Agency Productions, this action horror series has this set-up: Following the U.S. government’s nuclear showdown with an unprecedented malevolent enemy, America as it was is gone forever. Now the remaining citizens must fight to stay alive in a wasteland born of rage and fear, populated by monstrous creatures and marauding armies.

Nicotero and Witten will executive produce Swan Song through Monster Agency, while Steve Barnett, Alan Powell, and Vicky Patel executive produce through Monarch Media. McCammon will also be receiving an executive producer credit. Brandi Hagedorn is co-producing. The project is currently searching for a writer.

Nicotero provided the following statement: “Being a longtime fan of Robert’s novels, his story of survival in a world forever changed by political mistrust and international intrigue intertwined with a supernatural force has always been one of my favorites. The time is perfect to delve into this world.“

Barnett, Powell, and Patel added: “The post-apocalyptic world of McCammon’s novel is incredibly compelling, and unlike anything we have seen before in film or television. We’re very excited to bring this world to life and can’t imagine any better partners for the series than Greg and Brian, particularly with Greg’s years of experience in expanding the world of walkers in The Walking Dead.“

In addition to Nicotero working on Swan Song, James Wan is developing a series adaptation of McCammon’s Stinger for the Peacock streaming service and Patrick Brice is set to direct a film based on McCammon’s He’ll Come Knocking for Paramount Pictures and Temple Hill Entertainment. Universal Pictures picked up the rights to McCammon’s World War II werewolf story The Wolf’s Hour ten years ago, but that one still hasn’t made it into production.

Are you excited to hear that Greg Nicotero will be directing and executive producing a TV series adaptation of Swan Song? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

The post Swan Song: Greg Nicotero to direct pilot episode of TV series based on Robert McCammon novel appeared first on JoBlo.

Deadpool 3 is officially wrapping up production, and Ryan Reynolds is celebrating the occasion with a picture of his crotch! Move over, Jareth, there’s a new codpiece in town! The superhero threequel has fought an uphill battle since cameras started rolling, with unpredictable weather, Hollywood strikes, and Hugh Jackman gumming up the works. As the only Marvel Studios film releasing in 2024, a lot is riding on the Merc With a Mouth’s next round of silver-screen shenanigans.

The good news is that fans are climbing the walls for the next Deadpool movie. The sequel carries an air of mystery as Jackman’s involvement means Wade and Logan will finally lock horns on the big screen. Rumors suggest Deadpool 3 includes aspects of multiversal madness, too, leading to surprising cameos and nods to bygone eras of Marvel’s cinematic offerings. Expect the X-Men to get roasted beyond recognition, True Believers.

“The suit hides blood. Also sweat… But today, with Deadpool wrapping, it’s mostly tears. A giant and forever thanks to the cast and crew of our film who battled wind, rain, strikes and @thehughjackman… all under the stalwart leadership of @slevydirect,” Reynolds wrote in an Instagram post.

“I got to make a movie with my closest pals and that doesn’t happen very often. See ya July 26th,” he added.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds)

“Our movie is raw, audacious, very much R-rated and we went to great lengths to not shoot it on sound stages with digital environments,” Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy told Deadline at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. “We wanted something that felt, grounded, real…You put Hugh Jackman in his most iconic character alongside Ryan Reynolds in his most iconic character; it’s more of a descendant of Midnight Run, and 48 Hours, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles more than it’s a descendant of Airplane.”

The upcoming Deadpool sequel will see the return of Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio, Stefan Kapičić as the voice of Colossus, and Rob Delaney as Peter. Deadpool 3 will also star Emma Corrin, who is expected to play the villain, and Matthew Macfadyen in an undisclosed role. The film also finds Jennifer Garner returning as Elektra for a “cameo-like” appearance. In addition to Garner’s Elektra, rumors say Ben Affleck was spotted on the Deadpool 3 set, leading fans to believe he’ll cameo alongside Garner as Daredevil. That said, Affleck’s participation is not confirmed.

How excited are you about Deadpool 3? Do you think it will be the best Deadpool movie yet? Let us know in the comments section below!

The post Deadpool 3: Ryan Reynolds commemorates wrapping production despite Hugh Jackman’s involvement appeared first on JoBlo.

A year and a half ago, it was announcedthat Sydney Sweeney – whose credits include Euphoria, the recent romantic comedy release Anyone but You, and the upcoming Sony Marvel movie Madame Web – was going to re-team with Michael Mohan, who directed her in the erotic thriller The Voyeurs, for the psychological horror film Immaculate. Last month, NEON acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the film and let it be known they’re planning to give it a theatrical release. Now we know that Immaculate will be reaching theatres on March 22nd. With just two months to go until that date arrives, a poster has been unveiled, and you can check it out at the bottom of this article. The trailer will be making its way online tomorrow.

Scripted by Andrew Lobel, Immaculate sees Sweeney taking on the role of Cecilia, a woman of devout faith who is offered a fulfilling new role at an illustrious Italian convent. Her warm welcome to the picture-perfect Italian countryside is soon interrupted as it becomes clearer to Cecilia that her new home harbors some dark and horrifying secrets.

Simona Tabasco (The White Lotus), Alvaro Morte (Money Heist), Benedetta Porcaroli (Baby), and Dora Romano (The Hand of God) are also in the cast.

Sweeney produced the film through her company Fifty-Fifty Films, alongside Jonathan Davino. Also producing are Teddy Schwarzman and Michael Heimler of Black Bear and Middle Child Pictures’ David Bernad, who developed the project with Sweeney after they worked together on the Emmy-winning series The White Lotus. Will Greenfield and Black Bear’s John Friedberg and Christopher Casanova serve as executive producers. Black Bear provided the financing.

How does Immaculate sound to you? Are you a fan of Sydney Sweeney’s work, and are you glad to hear she’s working with the director of The Voyeurs again? Take a look at the poster, then share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

Other projects on the Sydney Sweeney line-up include a reboot of Barbarella, where she’ll be playing the title character; the thriller The Registration for producer Bradley Fuller and the writers of the Hellraiser reboot, Ron Howard’s survival thriller Eden, the Apple drama Echo Valley, and the Platinum Dunes production The Caretaker. 

The post Immaculate poster unveiled for Sydney Sweeney horror film, trailer coming tomorrow appeared first on JoBlo.

PLOT: An undead monster is resurrected in the remote wilderness and goes on a rampage.

REVIEW: Stop me if any of this sounds familiar: an undead monster wearing a mask, partying teens getting slashed, and creepy urban legends coming to life. Indeed, director Chris Nash’s In A Violent Nature is unabashedly a slasher film, but it’s distinguished by its unique perspective. Basically, the entire film is shown from the killer’s point of view. The camera very rarely leaves his POV from the time he is resurrected, showing him walking confusedly through the woods, finding victims, killing them grotesquely, and moving on.

Through it all, Nash mixes techniques, shooting the film in a minimalist art-house style (complete with the now pretentious 1:33:1 aspect ratio) until switching to maximalist gore for some (but not all) of the kills. That means the film often has minimal dialogue as we spend a not insignificant amount of time following the killer as he walks through the woods towards whatever noises he hears in the distance. One could imagine the intention might have been to answer a question like “What would it look like if Terrence Malick directed a horror film?” but at times, it was almost like watching a video game. The way we observe the monster (from the back) is just like in a video game, and the style occasionally grows tedious.

Another drawback to the style is that In A Violent Nature is never scary. The reason is that by putting the audience in the shoes of the killer, we know exactly when and where he’s going to strike. Nash compensates for this by making some of the kills extra gnarly, with one extreme evisceration on a clifftop being especially potent.

Like in other slasher movies, the kills lack impact due to the fact that we never really get to know the victims, as we’re never in their perspective. They’re all deliberately written thinly, with our “final girl” (Andrea Pavlovic) in a toxic relationship with the bullying Troy (Liam Leone), while her friend Colt (Cameron Love) pines for her. There’s also a park ranger (Reece Presley) who has some experience with the monster and tries to save the day – again it’s an intentionally familiar trope. But, the real star of the movie is Ry Barrett’s silent slasher, who’s hulking and, occasionally, gets some grace notes that tease a certain degree of innocence from a monster who, like many others, doesn’t understand his own bloodlust.

Through it all, Nash keeps the film stylish with excellent cinematography by DP Pierce Derks, who uses the Northern Ontario Wilderness to great effect. It has an interesting use of music, with it all being diegetic, in keeping with the vibe. It’s also proudly Canadian, which is doubly effective as many of the great slashers from the early eighties, such as Prom Night and My Bloody Valentine came from here. 

In the end, Nash has made an arthouse slasher film, which is an interesting contrast to the old-school blood and guts of the Terrifier series. It’ll be interesting to see how hardcore genre fans react once it makes its debut on Shudder, although it’s probably more effective on the big screen, given how immersive an experience Nash is aiming for. It doesn’t always work, but it’s still an interesting watch. 

Sundance

AVERAGE

6

The post In A Violent Nature (Sundance) Review appeared first on JoBlo.

If you know JoBlo, you know that we love us some 80s action. And it’s hard to even think of the genre without thinking of Mr. Dolph Lundgren. I can’t even see Dolph without having the mental image of the man saying, “I must break you,” come to the forefront of my mind. He’s an absolute legend, so it’s nice to see him get back behind the camera for Wanted Man. While the movie feels a bit familiar, I appreciated how much Dolph was willing to make his character look ugly. He’s got plenty of flaws, and that’s something that’s usually missing from the leads of these action ventures.

But we didn’t just talk Wanted Man, as I’m a huge It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia fan and, anyone who watches the show knows that Dolph is something of a legend on it. He even appeared in a brief role in Season 14. So I, of course, HAD to ask about his experience and if he was aware before appearing on the show himself. In regards to the Drago spinoff, Dolph seems rather optimistic. We went over where that project is currently at and the path he’d like to see Ivan go down. This was a great talk, so be sure to check it out!

Wanted Man plot synopsis:

Johansen (Lundgren) is an aging detective, whose outdated policing methods have given the department a recent public relations problem. To save his job, he is sent to Mexico to extradite a female witness (Villa) to the murders of two DEA agents. Once there, he finds not only his old opinions challenged, but that bad hombres on both sides of the border are now gunning for him and his witness.

WANTED MAN IS IN THEATERS AND ON DEMAND/DIGITAL ON JANUARY 19TH, 2023.

The post Interview: Dolph Lundgren talks Wanted Man + Ivan Drago Spinoff News appeared first on JoBlo.

Christopher Nolan has had the unique distinction of being an auteur who makes heady films with deep themes, but they are also big-budget films with commercial appeal. After tackling an over-the-top concept with the divisive action-thriller Tenet, Nolan has made what has been arguably his most talked-about film since The Dark Knight with Oppenheimer. While many attribute a lot of its success to being part of the Barbenheimer phenomenon, the movie has had its own merits that gave it it’s own time in the spotlight, from IMAX film showings to Cillian Murphy‘s Academy Award-nominated performance.

Nolan is one who isn’t trivializing this recognition as even someone like him tries not to jinx his chances of winning the biggest awards of the Oscars, “Don’t take it as being blase. We just didn’t want to jinx anything. Watching the nominations was more than our nerves could take so we just had a restless night and slept through.” Nolan speaks to the Associated Press about the whopping 13 nominations his latest effort has garnered. Nolan tries to deconstruct how this project blew up (pun intended) so well with audiences, “It’s always a tricky thing to try to analyze the zeitgeist or analyze success. We were really interested and excited, in particular, to see young people responding to a piece of history. I keep coming back to the unique nature of the story. I think it is one of the great American stories. It encompasses so much that’s important and dramatic about our history. That gives audiences a lot to hang to, when you get a great group of actors and incredible cast like we have, you can make this feel real and emotionally accessible. That’s as far as I can analyze its success. Beyond that, sometimes you catch a wave and it’s a wonderful and unique thing.”

As successful as Nolan has been, and with his past movies consistently receiving praise from critics and audiences, this is the first real love fest he’s gotten from industry awards factions since Dunkirk. In fact, it was the crossover appeal of The Dark Knight that a push was made for the academy to start expanding to certain genre pictures and instituted an expanded Best Picture palette. When asked if Nolan and his wife, and producing partner, Emma Thomas, feel more confident this year, Nolan replies, “I think the breadth of recognition that we woke up to this morning is something we haven’t experienced before, and it’s really thrilling for us. It’s a very unique feeling to see in academy recognizing all different aspects of the film, from the performances to the technical achievement of the film. I mean, I grew up watching the Academy Awards. It’s the pinnacle of sort of the recognition of your peers.”

The post Christopher Nolan reacts to Oppenheimer’s Academy Awards nominations appeared first on JoBlo.

The second season of Marvel’s animated series What If…? (read our review HERE) was just released through the Disney+ streaming service over the last days of December, but Marvel Studios has already started building the hype for the third season of the show, sharing the first images from What If…? season 3 on social media. You can check them out at the bottom of this article. A premiere date for season 3 has not yet been announced.

Marvel’s What If…? season 2 has the following synopsis: The Watcher continues the journey as our guide through the vast multiverse, introducing brand-new and familiar faces throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The animated anthology series questions, revisits and twists classic Marvel Cinematic moments with an incredible voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their iconic roles.

The first season of the show consisted of these episodes: What If… Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?, What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?, What If… the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?, What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?, What If… Zombies?!, What If… Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?, What If… Thor Were an Only Child?, What If… Ultron Won?, and What If… the Watcher Broke His Oath?

Here are the questions that were asked (and answered) in the second season: What If… Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?, What If… Peter Quill Attacked Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?, What If… Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?, What If… Iron Man Crashed Into the Grandmaster?, What If… Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?, What If… Kahhori Reshaped the World?, What If… Hela Found the Ten Rings?, What If… The Avengers Assembled in 1602?, and What If… Strange Supreme Intervened?

We don’t know what topics What If…? season 3 will be covering, but the images let us know the Sam Wilson Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Monica Rambeau, Ant-Man, and what looks to be a young Red Guardian will be involved. There’s also a giant mecha Captain America in there.

What do you think of the What If…? season 3 images? Are you looking forward to the next season of this show? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post What If…? season 3 first images unveiled by Marvel Studios appeared first on JoBlo.

We have a double header of director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp news to report today. Not only has their ghost story Presence (read our review HERE) secured distribution through Neon, but The Hollywood Reporter has also revealed that they’re re-teaming for a spy thriller called Black Bag, which is set to star Cate Blanchett (Nightmare Alley) and Michael Fassbender (The Killer).

Soderbergh and Koepp are currently seeking financing and distribution for Black Bag, with the project having gone out to studios and streamers last week. If one of the studios and streamers decided to pick up the project, that hasn’t been reported yet. They better move quickly, because Soderbergh is hoping to get this film into production in May.

Filming is expected to take place in London, and so far the only thing that has been revealed about the film’s story is that it “is known to be set in the UK.”

Casey Silver and Greg Jacobs are producing Black Bag.

As The Hollywood Reporter pointed out, Soderbergh and Blanchett previously worked together on his 2006 noir thriller The Good German. Blanchett also had a role in the film Ocean’s 8, which is part of Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11 franchise. Soderbergh produced Ocean’s 8, but didn’t direct that one. He and Fassbender previously worked together on his 2011 action thriller Haywire. And in addition to collaborating on Presence, Soderbergh and Koepp also worked together on the 2022 thriller Kimi.

Kimi told the following story: A tech worker with agoraphobia discovers recorded evidence of a violent crime, but is met with resistance when she tries to report it. Seeking justice, she must do the thing she fears the most: she must leave her apartment.

Here’s the synopsis for Presence: A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they are not alone. A supernatural force has infiltrated the house, and taken a specific interest in the couple’s daughter.

We’ll have to wait and see what Soderbergh and Koepp have in store for us with Black Bag. We recently learned that Koepp – who wrote Jurassic Park and the sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park back in the day – is working on a new entry in the Jurassic World franchise. Don’t expect to see Soderbergh’s name attached to that one.

What do you think of Steven Soderbergh, David Koepp, Cate Blanchett, and Michael Fassbender teaming up for Black Bag? Share your thoughts on this spy thriller project by leaving a comment below.

The post Black Bag: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender to star in Steven Soderbergh, David Koepp spy thriller appeared first on JoBlo.