Simon Barrett Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Adam Wingard is back in theaters next weekend with “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” his sequel to 2021’s surprise hit “Godzilla vs. Kong.” And if his latest Monsterverse thrives at the box office again, it’s safe to assume Wingard will be back to make it a trilogy.

Sophia Scorziello editor The MonsterVerse returns for its fifth installment with the new trailer of “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” The film comes after Legendary Pictures’ 2021 feature “Godzilla vs. Kong” helmed by Adam Wingard, who returns to direct this upcoming monster movie. Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry and Kaylee Hottle reprise their 2021 roles as Dr.

Naman Ramachandran U.K.-based sales and distribution company Blue Finch Film Releasing has acquired international sales rights, excluding North America, to the debut feature from the Burghart Brothers, “Head Count.” The company plans to begin sales on the film during the Cannes Film Market. “Head Count” follows the story of an escaped prisoner, Kat, who finds himself facing an unknown assailant with his own revolver pointed straight at his head. To survive, he must remember what happened on the crazy ride that brought him to this point, one bullet at a time. The cast includes Ryan Kwanten (“True Blood”), Aaron Jakubenko (“Tidelands”), Melanie Zanetti (“Bluey”), Chris Bylsma (“El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie”), Addam Bramich (“Poker Face”), Polaris Banks (“Reklaw”) and Cinnamon Shultz (“Winter’s Bone”).

“Godzilla vs. Kong” series, that initially started with the 2021 feature of the same name directed by Adam Wingard (“The Guest”). We don’t get much in 35-seconds but we do get a shot of King Kong himself on his throne, surrounded by the bones of, no doubt, a legion of enemies.

Variety Staff Follow Us on Twitter The European Film Market kicks off Feb. 16 with a wide assortment of films from sellers around the world. Below is a healthy selection of what’s on offer for buyers. Director: Alex Winter Key cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Josh Gad, Anthony Carrigan Synopsis: A sister and brother, Megan and Nathan are barely hanging on and their lives are completely upended when they discover a dead body, long buried in their parent’s basement, sending them down a rabbit hole of crime and murder. Producers: Alex Winter, Scott Kroopf, Russell Hollander Sales: Rocket Science (international); CAA Media Finance (domestic)  Director: Jess Varley  Key cast: Emma Roberts, Laurence Fishburne  Producers: Brad Fuller, Eric B. Fleischman, Cameron Fuller  Synopsis: When astronaut Sam Walker (Roberts) returns from her first space mission, she’s found miraculously alive in a punctured capsule floating deep off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. General William Harris (Fishburne) arranges for her to be placed under intense NASA surveillance in a high security house for rehabilitation and medical testing. However, when disturbing occurrences begin happening around the property, she fears that something extraterrestrial has followed her back to Earth. Sales: Highland Film Group (international); CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group (domestic) 

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of the EFM, Michael Rothstein and Sam Hall’s Mossbank is launching international sales on action-horror film Azrael, starring Samara Weaving (Ready Or Not). CAA Media Finance and UTA will co-rep domestic.

EXCLUSIVE: Ready Or Not and Scream 6 actress Samara Weaving is attached to star in action-horror movie Azrael, which is being eyed by producers as a franchise.

EXCLUSIVE: Shout! Studios has acquired all North American distribution rights to the neo-Western thriller Head Count, from Continuance Pictures and Method Media. Filmmakers Jacob and Ben Burghart — together known as The Burghart Brothers — are directing in their feature debut, from their script written with Josh Doke, with Aaron Jakubenko (Tidelands), Melanie Zanetti (Raven’s Hollow) and Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) set to star. Shout! Studios and the filmmakers are planning a strategic launch of the movie next year, beginning with major film festivals and film markets in 2023.

Director Adam Wingard (“Godzilla vs Kong“) and writer Simon Barrett’s “The Guest” starring Dan Stevens is easily one of the better modern attempts to recreate the tone of a 1980s action sci-fi hybrid film. “The Guest” certainly has DNA from filmmakers like John Carpenter, James Cameron, Paul Verhoeven, and Chuck Russell (“The Blob,” “Dream Warriors“) all mixed in to create something that harkens back to an era when major studios backed high concept R-rated genre projects.

A thug who went to hospital for treatment and then threatened to 'stab people up' was found with a seven inch knife.

It’s amusing to remember that back when the original “V/H/S” was released, some resisted or dismissed it because they were tired of found footage movies. Yet here we are, nine years later, and while the format certainly isn’t as ubiquitous as it was, this franchise has proven durable; “V/H/S/2” was, if anything, better than its predecessor.

Having already written many thrilling, contemporary indie horror hits, when inventive screenwriter Simon Barrett (“You’re Next,” “The Guest,” “V/H/S”) announced he was making his feature-length directorial debut with the all-girls prep school horror, “Séance”—about high school cliques, late-night rituals, pranks and calling dead spirits— one assumed the filmmaker could channel something exceptionally spooky.

Dennis Harvey Film CriticAlong with a few fast-forgotten dogs, Simon Barrett has written some of the more enjoyable U.S. horror opuses over the last two decades, from 2004’s period ghost story “Dead Birds” through a series of Adam Wingard films that laid career path to that director’s current big-budget assignment “Godzilla vs.

Look, in the wrong hands, a film about a group of students at a prestigious all-girls school summoning a demon could be pretty lame and uninspired. But when you look at “Seance,” and see the name Simon Barrett attached, suddenly a tried-and-true premise might actually have something unique to offer.

Warner Bros. has been sitting on the film rights to cult cartoon series “ThunderCats” for over a decade and it looks like there is finally movement on their long-in-development feature film.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterThundercats are on the move, again.“Godzilla vs.

A little more than a month ago, it was reported that director Adam Wingard and his longtime collaborator, writer Simon Barrett, were teaming up for a direct sequel to the 1997 John Woo action film, “Face/Off.” At the time of the report, it seemed as if the film’s stars, Nicolas Cage and John Travolta, were not returning. And honestly, that would be a major tragedy, as 95% of what makes “Face/Off” so special are the performances by those two actors.

AMC Networks siblings RLJE Films and Shudder have teamed to acquire North American rights to Seance, the horror film written and directed by Simon Barrett, the You’re Next and The Guest scribe who is making his feature directorial debut. A theatrical, on-demand and digital bow via RJLE Films is set for May 21, with Shudder bowing it on its platform later this year. Shudder also acquired UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand rights.

Jordan Moreau Adam Wingard, director of the upcoming monster showdown “Godzilla vs. Kong,” will helm the remake of the 1997 thriller “Face/Off” for Paramount.Wingard will write the script with longtime collaborator Simon Barrett.

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Pictures has chosen You’re Next and Godzilla Vs. Kong director Adam Wingard to helm its re-imagining of Face/Off, the 1997 John Woo-directed action thriller that starred John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. Wingard will write the script with his scripting partner Simon Barrett and the studio will reboot the film, with new cast. Neal Moritz will produce and David Permut will be executive producer.

Ever since Dan Stevens starred in cult-hit “The Guest” back in 2014, fans have been dying to know if a sequel is ever going to happen.

Dan Stevens may have stolen everyone’s hearts with his show-stopping performance in “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga,” but his first big role after departing “Downton Abbey” was in the chilling thriller “The Guest.” Though the film wasn’t very successful at the box office, Stevens says hope is not lost for a “The Guest” sequel, and there have been talks about continuing the story.