‘Chicken Run 2’ Trailer: Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi and Bella Ramsey Do Battle in ‘Dawn of the Nugget’

We will never be able to escape the capitalistic empires who demand that we not only see one movie, but its dozens of spin-offs as well. Yet out of all the big-budget franchises we’ve seen over the past two decades, John Wick managed to set itself apart.The action gun-fu film series started small in scope, with its 2014 eponymous film starring Keanu Reeves simply wanting revenge for his murdered dog growing into a blockbuster series, each bigger than the last, making it one of the rare original success stories not based on a comic book.Thus, we find ourselves at Peacock, for The Continental: From the World of John Wick (★☆☆☆☆), the prequel from Greg Coolidge, Kirk Ward, and Shawn Simmons about Winston Scott’s rise to power in the 1970s.

Sequels, and sequels of sequels, have trouble differentiating themselves from their brethren from time to time. But Expendables 4 (or Expend4bles, as this fourth and final entry in the mercenary-based action series has been marketed), indisputably takes the cake for recycling previously used material in a not exactly fresh context. At least the final third — and maybe more — of this jokey, fight-filled and increasingly effects-driven last hurrah is nearly a twin brother to the climactic stretch of last year’s waterlogged Jason Statham extravaganza Meg 2: The Trench, wherein the rugged Brit takes on — and once again prevails over — a sea monster that makes Moby Dick look like a backyard swimming pool pet. It really is a shameless “borrowing” that’s impossible to ignore if you’ve seen Meg 2, as the tireless former male model with perfectly maintained facial stubble once again earns his status as master of the seven seas.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic In “Expend4bles,” the action is more digitally propulsive than it was in “The Expendables” (2010), “The Expendables 2” (2012), or “The Expendables 3” (2014). Yet the preferred mode of killing is reassuringly primitive.

The Continental marks the first spin-off in the John Wick franchise.Led by showrunners Greg Coolidge and Kirk Ward, the three-part series is a prequel spin-off revolved around a young Winston Scott (Colin Woodell), who was played by Ian McShane in the mainline John Wick films.Alongside Woodell, the show’s cast includes Mel Gibson, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Jessica Allain, Mishel Prada, Ben Robson, Peter Greene and Nhung Kate.The Continental follows the story of Winston Scott and his journey to becoming the proprietor of the New York branch of the Continental hotel chain, which acts as a safe haven for assassins.The show is a prequel to John Wick set in an alternate history depiction of the 1970s, offering different spins on real-world events including the rise of the American Mafia.A synopsis reads: “The series will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins from the John Wick universe through the eyes of a young Winston Scott, as he’s dragged into the Hellscape of 1970’s New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind.“Winston charts a deadly course through the hotel’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the hotel where he will eventually take his throne.”Along with a younger version of Scott, the show features a younger version of Charon (Ayomide Adegun), who was portrayed by the late Lance Reddick in the films.The first spin-off film, titled Ballerina, is scheduled to be released on June 7, 2024.Ana de Armas will play the lead character Rooney, a ballerina who seeks revenge on those who murdered her family.

“The Continental,” subtitled somewhere in the marketing as, “From the World of John Wick,” is indeed what it advertises: a series that spins off from the kinetic assassins action-thriller franchise starring Keanu Reeves and now on its fourth installment, possibly going on a fifth. “John Wick” has its own intricate mythology filled with codes and currencies— the High Table, The Bowery King and The Bowery Boys, The Operators, Adjudicators, and of course, The Continental, the opulently noir-ish underworld assassin-friendly hotel where “No business can be conducted on the neutral premises.” Aka, you may be a contract killer, but you cannot kill within The Continental grounds, such is the strangely gallant “honor among thieves” conduct ideologies and rules the hotel and its murderous guests abide by.

Alison Herman TV Critic I’ll give “The Continental” this: of all the reasons the “John Wick” prequel frustrates, underwhelms and disappoints, the involvement of Mel Gibson barely manages to rank. That, at least, is a major accomplishment.

Keanu Reeves’ master assassin may have been left for almost dead at the end of the fourth John Wick film, but things are still alive and kicking in the franchise, at least retroactively.

EXCLUSIVE: The third and final season of Netflix animated series Hilda will launch on December 7. Episodes one and two of the Bella Ramsey-voiced show will premiere at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.

Netflix has set October 20 for the premiere of the penultimate seventh season of Emmy-winning animated series Big Mouth. The streamer also unveiled a first-look teaser and announced new Season 7 guest stars Megan Thee Stallion, Lupita Nyong’o, Stephanie Beatriz, Zazie Beetz, Padma Lakshmi, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Billy Porter, Rosie Perez, Brian Tyree Henry, Zach Galifianakis, Randall Park, Chloe Fineman, Beck Bennett, Zach Woods, Mark Duplass, Thandiwe Newton, Paul Scheer, Brandon Kyle Goodman, Jon Daly, and Andy Daly.

After twelve years, Robert Rodriguez has a new installment of his “Spy Kids” series ready to premiere on Netflix. And “Spy Kids: Armageddon” isn’t just a follow-up to 2011’s “Spy Kids: All The Time In The World.” It’s a reboot and all-new adventure for a family of secret agents who must team up to save the world.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Abacus Media Rights has pre-sold the feature documentary “The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee,” to Sky Arts, SBS Television Australia; to NonStop Entertainment for Scandinavia, Iceland and the Baltics and to Movistar for Spain. Lee is known as the Dracula character and for transitioning from 1960s Hammer horror films to a distinguished acting career that encompassed James Bond films, the “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings” franchises. Less well-known are his aristocratic Italian roots, a close family connection to James Bond novelist Ian Fleming, Lee’s wartime experiences in the British and Finnish military, post-war Nazi-hunting adventures and a side career as a heavy metal rock singer. As an actor, Lee achieved a Guinness world record for the highest number of screen appearances. Produced in association with the British Film Institute and Trigger Films by Canal Cat Films, “Life and Deaths” is an innovative documentary which uses fresh interviews, archive material and multiple forms of traditional and cutting-edge animation, including marionation, to bring one of the world’s leading actors back to life on screen.

Netflix has unveiled more cast, trailer (see below) and first-looks for its highly-anticipated Chicken Run sequel.

Scheana Shay is raising an eyebrow at the timing of Rachel Leviss’ tell-all interview!

actors and writers — have shaken up the industry, and the work stoppage has delayed some shows. Nevertheless, there’s still plenty in the pipeline, including returning classics (a “Frasier” reboot) and new shows with stars such as Matt Bomer and Brie Larson.Here’s your essential guide to the 2023 fall TV season. The latest “Walking Dead” spinoff is a limited series following Daryl (Noman Reedus) as he washes ashore in France and tries to find out how he got there, and how to get back home.

Earlier this year, “John Wick: Chapter 4” became the action franchise’s highest-grossing title, taking in $432.2 million globally off an $100 million budget. Not bad for a series once slated for a direct-to-video release.

EXCLUSIVE: LA-based Brit Stuart Ford has operated at the sharp end of international film sales and movie financing for more than two decades.

Naman Ramachandran Keenly anticipated sequel “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” will have its world premiere at the 67th BFI London Film Festival. From the Oscar and BAFTA-winning studio Aardman (“Creature Comforts,” “Wallace & Gromit,” “Shaun the Sheep”) and Oscar and BAFTA-nominated director Sam Fell (“ParaNorman,” “Flushed Away”), the film is the sequel to “Chicken Run” (2000), the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film of all time. In the film, having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm, Ginger has finally found her dream – a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock, far from the dangers of the human world.

Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget, the highly tipped animated sequel Aardman and director Sam Fell have made for Netflix, will debut at this year’s London Film Festival.

“Like it or not there is an onus on actors,” said Mank star Tom Burke of the idea of global stars taking on the Green Rider unveiled earlier today, which will empower artists to add clauses to their contracts that work towards an environmental culture shift.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Hayley Atwell, Bill Nighy, Mark Rylance and David Harewood are among a group of 100 actors supporting a new Green Rider contract intended to improve the sustainability of the U.K. film and TV industry.