Author: Z-rowe

25-year-old freelance writer. Zachary writes. He's a writer. He is writing this right now. I don't like him. You shouldn't either.
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‘Euphoria’ Star Jacob Elordi Will Team Up With Barry Keoghan And Rosamund Pike In ‘Saltburn’

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A hot package is hitting the Cannes market next week. According to a report from Deadline, Jacob Elordi, Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike will star in Emerald Fennell’s upcoming film, Saltburn.

For those who don’t know, Fennell is an award-winning filmmaker. She most recently wrote/directed Promising Young Woman, which was released in 2020 to rave reviews. The movie actually won Best Original Screenplay at the 93rd Academy Awards.

And now, Fennell will follow up that masterpiece with this upcoming ‘Saltburn’ flick. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources say it deals with obsession. So perhaps either Elordi or Keoghan are obsessing over Pike? Some sort of thriller?

MRC will take the package to the Cannes market next week, and it is expected to be one of the hotter properties on the market. The pic will be produced by Fennell and LuckyChap Entertainment’s Josey McNamara, Tom Ackerley and Margot Robbie.

Filming is expected to begin this summer in the UK, which means a 2023 release date is likely. It should be a film to watch. No doubt about it.

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The Reviews For ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Are In, And They Are Pretty Damn Great!

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We have been waiting decades for this ‘Top Gun‘ sequel, and now finally, the wait is almost over. ‘Top Gun: Maverick‘ is scheduled to hit a theater near you on May 24, which is just two weeks away.

Critics were able to catch early screenings of the film, and let’s just say, most of them are going crazy over it. The movie currently sits at a comfortable 81 score on Metacritic, which is enough to earn the “universal acclaim” badge.

A number of critics have given the film a perfect rating, including Empire’s Ian Freer, who wrote:

Avoiding the danger zone of mere retread, Kosinski and co deliver all the Top Gun feels and then some: slick visuals, crew camaraderie, thrilling aerial action, a surprising emotional wallop and, in Tom Cruise, a magnetic movie-star performance as comforting as an old leather jacket. Punching the air is mandatory.

Another top critic, Tomris Laffly, from RogerEbert.com gave the film a perfect rating. Laffly wrote:

As the jets cut through the atmosphere and brush their target soils in close-shave movements—all coherently edited by Eddie Hamilton—the sensation they generate feels miraculous and worthy of the biggest screen one can possibly find. Equally worthy of that big screen is the emotional strokes of ‘Maverick’ that pack an unexpected punch. 

Some critics are even calling Cruise’s performance one of the best of his career, which is saying a lot because the dude has starred in a lot of great films.

I have no shame in admitting my love for the original ‘Top Gun’ flick, so I can’t wait to check out the sequel. CRITICS GOT ME PUMPED!

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A Sequel To ‘A Simple Favor’ Is Happening, With Blake Lively And Anna Kendrick Returning

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Back in September of 2018, filmmaker Paul Feig released the super cool comedy thriller, A Simple Favor, starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively.

The movie was released by Lionsgate and was praised by critics and the general audience, bringing in a worldwide total close to $100 million against a $20 million budget. It also found a lot of love after releasing inside theaters via streaming platforms.

And now, because of the success, the studio is ready for a sequel. Lionsgate and Amazon Studios are teaming up for the sequel, with both Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively returning. Feig will also return to direct, so the band is officially getting back together.

The first film followed a single mother with a parenting vlog who befriends a secretive upper-class woman who has a child at the same elementary school. When Emily goes missing, Stephanie takes it upon herself to investigate.

It was a clever film in the sense that it played into the “at home detective” trend. People love to investigate disappearances and murders. True crime is super hot right now, which is a weird thing to say.

It’s not exactly clear what the sequel will focus on, but you can bet there will be lots of twists and turns once again.

We’ll keep you posted as more information becomes available.

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lily James And Himesh Patel Set To Star In Upcoming Crime-Comedy

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Looking for the next hot crime-comedy? We got it! Lily James, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Himesh Patel are all set to star in Providence.

Potsy Ponciroli, known for his hat fashion, will direct the feature film, based on a script from Michael Vukadinovich, who worked as a writer/producer on Showtime’s Kidding. He’s also had two features land on the annual Black List, so he’s obviously got some talent.

Providence follows the eclectic residents of a small, picturesque island town who must navigate a sensational murder and the discovery of a million dollars as a series of increasingly bad decisions upends the once-peaceful community.

Filming is scheduled to begin this week in North Carolina, which means the project will likely be released sometime in 2023.

We’re sure more casting news will be released soon now that filming is starting, so we’ll keep you posted if any big names are added.

But as is? I’m excited. Crime-comedy can be a super fun genre. Sounds like it has potential!

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Jodie Comer Set To Star In Upcoming Apocalyptic Thriller ‘The End We Start From’

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Jodie Comer is hot right now. She recently starred in the hit series ‘Killing Eve‘ as well as the British drama ‘Help‘ and she was the only good thing about the 2021 film, The Last Duel.

And now she’s ready to take on an apocalyptic thriller titled, The End We Start From. Insiders say it’s expected to be a hot package during next week’s Cannes market.

Set amid an environmental crisis that sees London submerged by flood waters, the feminist survival story focuses on a young family torn apart in the chaos. Comer will play a mother who with her newborn child tries to find a way home, navigating the most challenging and apocalyptic start to motherhood.

As with most projects these days, this movie is adapted from an already acclaimed novel. Novelist Megan Hunter wrote the book back in 2017, and it received rave reviews from critics.

Benedict Cumberbatch will be serving as an executive producer, but we do not believe he’ll have any sort of starring role. It sounds like this story will be pretty contained, with Comer doing most of the heavy lifting, which she is more than capable of.

No word on a potential release date, but it’s scheduled to start production in August,, so potentially we’ll see it hit theaters in 2023.

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‘Dirty Dancing’ Sequel Is Happening, Studio Has Locked In On A Director

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We all are gonna be dirty dancing again. It’s looking like this much talked about ‘Dirty Dancing‘ sequel is actually going to happen.

It’s being reported this week that Lionsgate has hired Jonathan Levine to direct the project. He’s the filmmaker behind ‘Long Shot‘ and the Seth Rogen dramedy, 50/50.

The studio has locked him in to direct a sequel to the 1987 hit film. According to the reports, Jennifer Grey has already signed a deal to reprise her classic role as Frances “Baby” Houseman.

Levine was already scheduled to be a producer on this film, and he co-wrote the screenplay with Elizabeth Chomko, so it sorta makes sense for him to also be the director. This sequel flick, which will also be titled Dirty Dancing, is set to hit theaters in 2024.

International sales will be launching later this month in Cannes, and you can bet this will be a hot project.

Little is known about the next chapter, but Levine has hinted the sequel will include music from the original movie, as well as ’90s hip-hop. Patrick Swayze, who co-starred in the original as Grey’s love interest, died in 2009. However, the filmmakers are in conversations with Swayze’s estate to incorporate the actor’s presence in some way. Additional cast members have yet to be announced.

We’ll keep you posted.

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James Franco Is Back? Actor Set To Star In Action-Thriller Film ‘Mace’

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It’s been a minute since we’ve had any James Franco news to report, at least good news. The 44-year-old actor was forced to take a couple years off after being accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. Basically, there were several young women from his short-lived acting class who accused him of taking advantage of them.

But now, it looks like he’s ready to make a return? According to a new report from Deadline, Franco is set to star in the upcoming action-thriller ‘Mace’ from director Jon Amiel.

It follows the story of two very different kinds of cops. Mace (Franco) is a veteran officer, corrupt and dangerously unhinged, while Virgin Woods is a young rookie who believes that he can change the system that fosters cops like Mace from within. Inspired by the racial injustice on the streets of America, Woods refuses to be bullied and pits his principles against the amoral Mace, risking everything he believes in to stop Mace from destroying the city when Mace unleashes a gang war to cover up his crimes.

This thriller is set to be the first production from Meyers Media Group. As mentioned above, Amiel has been hired to direct the project based on a script by David Chisholm.

‘Mace’ is currently in pre-production. Filming is scheduled to begin later this year in New Jersey.

It’ll be interesting to see the reaction to this movie. Are people ready to accept Franco again? It’s a huge gamble for everyone involved, but we’re assuming they did some testing/market research beforehand… at least you’d think.

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‘Doctor Strange 2’ Makes A Very Impressive $185 Million At The Box Office

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Well, Marvel continues to dominate the box office. ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ opened to an impressive $185 million this past weekend, which is around $15 to $20 million more than the experts predicted.

It’s huge news for Marvel, especially when you remember that this film didn’t perform as highly with critics. Some people thought the “meh” reaction would hurt the movie, but obviously nothing can stop Marvel at the box office.

Doctor Strange’s $185 million opening is by far the best opening weekend of 2022. ‘The Batman’ was in first place, with a solid $134 million opening, but now it sits in a distant second place.

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home‘ still ranks as the pandemic’s biggest opening weekend with $260 million. That was actually good enough for the second biggest opening weekend EVER!

So yeah, there’s just no stopping Marvel. As much as I like to hate on the movies, they are keeping movie theaters alive, and for that, I’m grateful.

In total, Doctor Strange 2 has already made over $450 million across the globe, which means it has a decent chance of beating the $677 million worldwide total the first film earned back in 2016.

Later this month, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is expected to bring in big numbers at the box office.

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Warner Bros Lands Upcoming Action Murder Mystery ‘The Executioner’ Starring Jason Momoa

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According to the reports, there was a fairly intense bidding war in Hollywood recently for Jason Momoa’s upcoming murder mystery film, The Executioner.

We don’t know how high the bidding war got, but we are hearing that Warner Bros won the project by offering a lucrative deal.

The script for the film was written by Kaz and Ryan Firpo, the writing duo behind Eternals, the 2021 superhero film starring Kumail Nanjiani, Gemma Chan, Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek.

Not much is known about The Executioner, but it’s being described as a “fun action murder mystery” that is in the spirit of Knives Out meets The Lord of the Rings, which sounds pretty silly, but that’s Hollywood for you.

No director has been attached yet, but we’re assuming that will be the next step for the studio. And then they’ll likely build out the cast around Momoa.

Murder mystery films are hot right now, thanks in large part to the success of Knives Out. Hollywood is trying to ride the wave before it washes out.

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‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Earns Over $35 Million In Thursday Previews

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We told you earlier this week that the box office experts were predicting a pretty substantial $170 million opening weekend for the latest film in the Doctor Strange franchise, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

And it looks like the film is on its way to that total with an impressive $36 million Thursday night preview. It’s the second-best preview opening during the pandemic, only behind ‘Spider-Man: No Way’, which brought in a ridiculous $50 million back in December.

The Sam Raimi-directed movie debuts in 4,534 theaters, making it the seventh-widest opening footprint ever. As is typical with any Marvel movie, the question is how frontloaded Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is. Industry expectations are at least $160M. 

The movie should make a lot of money this weekend, for the simple fact that it’s a Marvel flick, and for some reason, people are addicted to those things.

But we should note, this film hasn’t been receiving the same amount of love from critics as the first Doctor Strange film.

This sequel currently sits at a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which isn’t terrible, but it’s well below the nearly 90% rating the first film has.

We’ll see if the lukewarm reviews hurt the movie at all.