theplaylist.net - 16 318 Showbiz News and Updates

Following the massive success of “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame,” there was a time when the Russo Brothers were the biggest filmmakers on the planet, and most fans presumed, don’t worry, they’ll be back to direct “Avengers: Secret Wars.” But much has changed in the ensuing years. The Russos, via their AGBO company, have delivered two films in that time that they themselves have directed, the drama “Cherry” with Tom Holland for Apple and the would-be Netflix franchise “The Gray Man” with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, an expensive affair that never took off with critics.

As an actress and executive producer, Zendaya is already a multi-hyphenate, but she’s not quite ready to climb into a director’s chair.  IndieWire reports (via The New York Times) that the “Challengers” star needs more time before she directs her first project. But when that day comes, Luca Guadagnino will say, “I told you so.” READ MORE: ‘Challengers’ Review: Zendaya Rules This Love Triangle “I’m overly conscious of everything else around me,” Zendaya told the publication in an interview for Guada’s new tennis drama, in theaters today.

2024 may end up a banner year in horror thanks to “Nosferatu,” “MaXXXine,” “Cuckoo,” “I Saw The TV Glow,” and “In A Violent Nature.”  But Paramount is banking one of its premier genre entries will find an audience on its streamer, Paramount+.  That’s right, the “Rosemary’s Baby” prequel “Apartment 7A” will premiere on the streamer instead of a theatrical release.   Continue reading ‘Apartment 7A’: ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ Prequel Starring Julia Garner To Premiere On Paramount+ This Fall at The Playlist.

Earlier this month, as you’ve likely heard, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, and Harvey Keitel reunited at the TCM Classic Film Festival to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Quentin Tarantino’s classic 1994 film “Pulp Fiction.” The filmmaker himself was sadly not in attendance, presumably busy with his reportedly endless writing on the now scrapped tenth and supposedly final film, “The Movie Critic.” TCM Host Ben Mankiewicz interviewed the cast in a fascinating and enlightening conversation about the interconnected, talky gangster movie set in Los Angeles.

Sam Raimi has handpicked another heir apparent to the “Evil Dead” franchise. Deadline reports that “The Last Stop In Yuma County” director Francis Galluppi follows in the footsteps of Fede Álvarez and Lee Cronin as the next up-and-comer to take the reins on the long-running horror series.

Keeping a television series fresh and engaging after its first few seasons is always a difficult task. It often separates the classic TV shows from the also-rans.

If The Marvel Cinematic Universe wobbled in 2023 because of the poorly received ‘Ant-Man 3’ “The Marvels,” and “Secret Invasion” series, many might argue part of that is the loss of its big stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johannsson in the post “Avengers: Endgame” universe. All three of their characters, Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow, respectively, either died or were essentially taken off the battlefield (Captain America came back from his time travel exploits as an old man).

What’s Aaron Sorkin‘s next project? THR reports it may be a sequel to “The Social Network.”  The legendary screenwriter turned actor talked about a script he’s toying with on a new live edition of “The Town” podcast this week. And Sorkin plans to tackle Facebook’s dark legacy since he wrote the script for David Fincher‘s 2010 smash hit, namely the social media company’s influence on American politics.

Another day, another buzzy project to hit the Cannes Market. Deadline reports that Adam Scott will have a package for his feature directorial debut for sale on the Croisette next month: “Double Booked,” a revenge thriller set to star Sterling K.

It’s often unfair to compare a director’s child with their parent’s work. Outsized expectations and a tendency to reduce every narrative and aesthetic choice to a type of juxtaposition often flattens the discourse surrounding a particular voice.

Emily Blunt isn’t a fan of algorithm-driven cinema. Variety reports (via Vanity Fair Italy) that the actress and her “The Fall Guy” co-star Ryan Gosling are against studios letting data-crunching drive their creative choices.

The movie industry is arguably waiting around for “Deadpool & Wolverine” to hit theaters, Marvel Studios’ only film of 2024, though hopefully someone enlivens the box office before then. Originally scheduled to be a May 3 release at the top of the summer, the film was delayed because of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike of 2023, moving the film into July (before that, there were two previous fall dates in 2023 that the film also had to push off from).

A ’90s romantic comedy classic that launched the career of one of, arguably, the greatest filmmakers of the past 30 years is getting a remake. Today, Bleecker Street announced they had secured the rights to a new version of Ang Lee’s “The Wedding Banquet,” a 1993 worldwide art-house hit and Foreign Language Oscar nominee in 1994.

The Cannes Film Festival may still be a few weeks away, but that doesn’t mean its film market can’t start heating up.  Deadline reports that a package for one of the buzzier titles to hit the Croisette ready to go. And while it’s a Chris Pratt vehicle, not exactly an actor who comes to mind when thinking of Cannes, it’ll likely be a success for whomever snatches it up.

In this week’s episode of The Discourse, host Mike DeAngelo goes undercover to discuss “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” with star Cary Elwes (“The Princess Bride,” “Stranger Things,” “Saw”). The movie is based on real events and dives into the origin of the Special Operations Executive, a small group of highly skilled men recruited by the British military to strike German forces behind enemy lines.

When one thinks of auteur-driven Peak TV in the streaming age, the first shows that generally come to mind are “House Of Cards” (2013) with David Fincher at the helm (at least for the first few eps), “True Detective” (2014) by director Cary Fukunaga, and Steven Soderbergh’s “The Knick” (2014). Crucial to the mix, but sometimes missing in that conversation, is Jane Campion’s “Top Of The Lake” starring Elisabeth Moss, which debuted in 2013, right at the beginning of this new second golden age of TV.

The Peabody Board of Jurors released the rest of the 2024 Peabody Awards nominees today and the results were somewhat surprising. Comprising the Arts, Children’s/Youth, Entertainment, Interactive, and Immersive categories, the list of honorees included anticipated programs such as “The Last of Us,” “The Bear” and “Bluey.” What was something of a shock was a snub of the critically acclaimed and awards favorite, “Beef.” READ MORE: “20 Days in Mariupol” and “The Eternal Memory” among early 2024 Peabody Awards nominees Beyond “Last of Us” and “The Bear,” other Entertainment category nominees include “Poker Face,” “Lupin,” “Blue Eyed Samurai,” “Somebody Somewhere,” “Dead Ringers,” “Reservation Dogs,” “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Israel-Hamas War,” “Reality,” and “Jury Duty.” Surprising nominees included “Fellow Travelers” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” On the Children/Youth front, “Bluey” was joined by fellow Disney+ series “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,” and “Summer Camp Island.” The Arts category features “Can You Bring It: Bill T.

It’s wild to think that Jeremy Renner was facing life-threatening injuries in January 2023 following his snowplow accident. Yet, about a year later, he was on the set of his crime and prison industrial complex series, “Mayor Of Kingstown,” shooting a third season.

Another year, another exorcism horror movie for Russell Crowe, who may have found a new go-to role in this stage of his career. But “The Exorcism” isn’t in the same vein as “The Pope’s Exorcist” from last year.

One of the most bizarre TV series to ever air since David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks: The Return,” and certainly one of the oddest shows of this decade, is Showtime’s “The Curse,” which could potentially have more in store. Created by deadpan comedian Nathan Fielder (“Nathan For You,” “The Rehearsal”) and filmmaker Benny Safdie (“Uncut Gems”) and starring Fielder and Emma Stone (both of them also executive producers along with Safdie), “The Curse,” which premiered last fall on Showtime, is a satirical black comedy thriller.

While Ben Stiller has seemingly shifted into filmmaking full-time, he directed most of the hit sci-fi psychological thriller series, “Severance,” for Apple TV+; he’s obviously known for a celebrated comedy career. Directing and starring in hit comedies like “Zoolander,” “Tropic Thunder” and “The Cable Guy” (though only a tiny part in the latter), the comedian has reflected on the failure of “Zoolander 2” in a new interview with Fail Better podcast.

Two decades after British filmmaker Danny Boyle resurrected the then-ailing zombie genre with his post-apocalyptic rage-virus movie (technically, not zombies, but close enough), the long-belated sequel to “28 Days Later” is finally taking shape. Titled “28 Years Later,” and reuniting Boyle with his original screenwriter Alex Garland, late yesterday, the main cast was revealed.

Thanks to a breakout role in Max‘s “Hacks,” and a couple of roles in indies like “Problemista” and “Sometimes I Think About Dying,” Meg Stalter is on the brink of stardom. Let’s see if her first star vehicle pushes her beyond that point, as “Cora Bora” hits theaters this summer.

Julia Garner already has two upcoming horror roles, so how about one more for good measure? THR reports that Garner is the latest actor to join Zach Cregger‘s “Barbarian” follow-up “Weapons” at New Line. Garner will star opposite the previously announced Josh Brolin, with shooting starting in Atlanta next month.

Moviegoers may not remember, but back in February 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic took over the globe, Leigh Whannell‘s “The Invisible Man” raked at the box office. The horror remake was a mega-hit for Blumhouse and Universal, making over 20x its budget at the box office before movie theaters shuttered their doors for months just a few weeks later.

Of all the famously unmade and never materialized film projects, an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s bleak and brutal Western, “Blood Meridian,” has to be near the top of the list. But as you likely know by now, if you’re a fan of this supposedly “unadaptable” book, a new film version is already in the works.

Oscar-nominated actress Amy Adams was everywhere over the last decade, but the actress seemingly took a beat after a busy 2021. Since 2022’s “Disenchanted,” the actress hasn’t appeared in anything, not one film or TV project.

How did Jim Henson inspire generations of dreamers? Director Ron Howard chronicles the life and legacy of this master puppeteer in “Jim Henson Idea Man.” The documentary follows Henson’s life from working on local television to crafting a highly regarded filmography. Along the way, he would see The Muppets become pop culture icons in their own right with a TV series and several box office hits.

“Dune” filmmaker Denis Villeneuve has a lot of options for what he could make next, and one of them could be his long-gestating “Cleopatra” movie based on the Stacy Schiff novel “Cleopatra: A Life” for Sony Pictures (he has a couple of options, one of them being a third “Dune” movie too). Before that, however, some may remember the era when filmmaker David Fincher had a version of the movie set up at Paramount, circa 2012, that would have starred Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie  (long before the competing Gal Gadot incarnation with Patty Jenkins and Kari Skogland).

There’s an intriguing show somewhere buried within the mysterious shrouds of “The Veil,” the new FX international spy drama from creator/writer Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders”), that’s just a little too slippery for its own good. Truthfully, it’s there front and center from the start, a series about shapeshifting spies that lose their sense of identity and self because of all the surreptitious double lives they are leading, a strong concept.

Visionary filmmaker George Miller returns to his gasoline-fueled wasteland fantasy action universe this summer “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” The latest installment of his post-apocalypse saga is a prequel centering on a young Furiosa (this time played by Anya Taylor-Joy instead of Charlize Theron), but it apparently almost went in a totally different direction, using a totally different medium In a new interview with Total Film (via Games Radar), producer Doug Mitchell recently revealed how the prequel came about and how it was actually ready 15 years ago story-wise, with the original intention of becoming an anime project, not the live-action thriller that arrives in May.

It’s kind of been a minute since we’ve heard from Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur. Starting his career with acclaimed Icelandic films and thrillers like “101 Reykjavík,” “The Sea,” and “A Little Trip to Heaven,” he then graduated to Hollywood filmmaking, taking on commercial action and thriller efforts like “Contraband,” “2 Guns,” and the mountain climbing film “Everest” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and an ensemble American cast.

Projects centered around the left-wing revolutionary group, the Black Panther Party, continue to fascinate popular culture. In 2022, Daniel Kaluuya won an Oscar for portraying the betrayed deputy chairman, Fred Hampton, in the bio-crime drama, “Judas and the Black Messiah.” Now, a new limited series, “The Big Cigar,” based on a Playboy Article by Joshuah Bearman (known for the Wired Article that inspired “Argo”), tells the too-good-to-be-true story of Black Panther co-founder Huey Percy Newton’s escape to Cuba with the assistance of a famous film producer.

Back in 2016, writer/director Shane Black (“Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”) released “The Nice Guys,” a comedic two-hander that starred Ryan Gosling (“Blade Runner 2029”) and Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”) in an unlikely team-up an odd-couple pair of private eyes investigating a missing girl and the mysterious death of a porn star. However, while the film was considered a solid effort, it didn’t do gangbusters at the box office, only earning $71.2 million globally against a budget of $50 million.

One of the most talked about series of 2024 is FX’s feudal Japan series, “Shōgun,” which just ended its ten-episode run on Hulu. The acclaimed series centers on the collision of two ambitious men, an English sailor (Cosmo Jarvis), who is shipwrecked in Japan, and Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), a shrewd, powerful Japanese feudal lord, at odds with his own dangerous, political rivals.

Between shows like “Halston,” “The New Look,” “The Collection,” and Ridley Scott’s movie “House Of Gucci,” stories about the fashion empire seem to be on the neverending rise. And in the era of Peak TV—which hasn’t really subsided despite reports to the contrary—it seems like almost anyone is worthy of their own mini-series.