‘The Batman’ Director Always Wanted to Push PG-13 Limits: No R-Rated Cut Ever Existed

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaFlorence Pugh may soon be touching down in Arrakis.The Oscar-nominated star of “Little Women” and “Black Widow” is in negotiations to join the cast of “Dune: Part 2,” Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros.’ follow-up to the critically acclaimed, commercially successful (for a pandemic) “Dune.” If the deal closes, Pugh will play Princess Irulan Corrino, a royal who becomes romantically entangled with Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides. It’s a critical role, one with the potential to grow if “Dune” stretches deeper into novelist Frank Herbert’s literary canon.Production on the sequel is expected to start this summer, and the film is slated to hit theaters on Oct.

Florence Pugh is in early talks to join the cast of “Dune: Part Two,” according to an individual with knowledge of the project.Denis Villeneuve will return to direct the sequel, which is set for release in October 2023.As implied by the final scene of the film, “Dune: Part Two” will see Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) continue to train his powers of foresight and mind control under the aid of his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and the Fremen on Arrakis. Chani (Zendaya) becomes both a lover and a guide to Paul as he slowly grows in power among the Fremen as their prophesized messiah; and considering how Jessica’s role was expanded by Denis Villeneuve to give her more emotional depth, it wouldn’t be surprising for “Part Two” to make Chani into a hero in her own right.The foresight scenes Paul experiences throughout “Dune” foreshadow much of what is to come in the sequel, including a bloody war with the evil House Harkonnen over control of Arrakis.

Though Part One is in the home stretch of its award season campaign, Warner Bros. and Legendary’s Dune Part Two is ramping up its pre-production efforts as sources tell Deadline Florence Pugh is in negotiations to join the cast. While not confirmed, sources say she will play Princess Irulan Corrino, the eldest daughter to Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV. She will join returning cast members that include Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Josh Brolin with director, producer and co-screenwriter Denis Villeneuve also returning.

EXCLUSIVE: Guy Burnet (Counterpart) and Danny Deferrari (Shiva Baby) are the latest additions to the cast of Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer for Universal.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film CriticFor years I’ve said that “The Dark Knight” is the one great comic-book movie. The films you might consider to be runners-up — “Spider-Man 2,” “Superman II,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” — are splendid entertainments, but none of them earn the G-word. Not really.

The Batman” offers a new take on the Caped Crusader a decade after Christopher Nolan wrapped up his Dark Knight Trilogy and a few years after Ben Affleck’s take on the character somewhat petered out. This new film comes from “War for the Planet of the Apes” and “Let Me In” filmmaker Matt Reeves, who draws from gritty crime procedurals like “Seven” and “Zodiac” to craft a nearly three-hour detective story with a man dressed as a bat following clues left behind by a serial killer calling himself The Riddler. It’s a dark, moody and wildly compelling twist on the Batman character that somehow manages to feel fresh.

Zack Sharf With “The Batman” opening in theaters nationwide, many comic book movie fans want to know whether or not Matt Reeves’ film noir-inspired vision has what it takes to match or surpass Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” as the high point of Batman cinema. Beating “The Dark Knight” was on the mind of “The Batman” producer Dylan Clark, and he went as far to ignite some friendly competition by telling Nolan as much.

EXCLUSIVE: James D’Arcy (The Hot Zone: Anthrax) and Michael Angarano (This Is Us) have signed on for roles in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.

Preview in new tab“The Batman” cometh! As one of the most anticipated films to release in 2022, the DC Comics movie will be soaring into theaters on Friday, March 4. With decades of previous adaptations in film and television, many actors have donned the cape and cowl — most recently portrayed by Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton and Christian Bale.

EXCLUSIVE: Louise Lombard (After franchise) has signed on to a role in Christopher Nolan’s Universal Pictures thriller Oppenheimer.

EXCLUSIVE: Even with his highly-anticipated HBO series Winning Time set to bow on Sunday, Jason Clarke is already lining up his next major project as he is the latest top talent to join Christopher Nolan’s next film Oppenheimer. The A-list ensemble already includes Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Josh Hartnett, Kenneth Branagh and Cillian Murphy, who is set to star in the title role as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist who ran the Manhattan Project that led to the invention of the atomic bomb. The film will bow on July 21, 2023, a slot typically saved for Nolan films in the past. It’s also roughly two weeks before the anniversary of the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima. Details behind who Clarke will be playing are unknown at this time.

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticWhere do you go after “The Dark Knight”? Ben Affleck blew it, and even Christopher Nolan, who brought unprecedented levels of realism and gravitas to that franchise-best Batman saga, couldn’t improve on what he’d created in his 2012 sequel. So what is “Cloverfield” director Matt Reeves’ strategy? Answer: Go darker than “The Dark Knight,” deadlier than “No Time to Die” and longer than “Dune” with a serious-minded Batman stand-alone of his own.

SATURDAY AM: Refresh for more analysis and chart  Before a big tentpole comes into the marketplace, there’s typically a lull at the box office, but it’s an even bigger lull when the major studios don’t have any new wide entries. Everyone is waiting for Warner Bros. The Batman and many sources tell me it’s bound easily for a $100M+ opening, in fact $115M+, and the advance ticket sales are there to prove that. This despite the 3-hour running time, and from what I hear (I haven’t seen it yet) is a more noir, detective story by Matt Reeves than all the action set pieces in a Christopher Nolan movie. iSpot shows Warner Bros. having spent already $28M+ in U.S. TV spots (that’s even a big number from that data agency’s POV) across such shows as the Winter Olympics, NFL, Good Morning America, NBA games and Big Brother: Celebrity Edition. Note, Warners’ hasn’t weighed in on these industry projections at the time of writing, but note, they’ll safely lowball. That said, no one sees it below $100M.

a new Batman film on the horizon debuting Robert Pattinson’s take on the character, what better time to revisit past iterations of the character. Below is where you’ll find every Batman movie currently streaming, and where you can stream the original TV series.Hulu has the original live action iterations of the character for the moment, from Keaton’s monumental films to Clooney’s overly campy adaptation.

Outside of what Zack Snyder tried to do with his “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League” films, we never get to see a film version of Batman interact with a bunch of different superheroes in his solo films.

Jen Psaki proved she’s unphased by Ted Cruz’s attempt to rouse her as she clapped back at his “Peppermint Patty” diss. During a White House briefing, a reporter asked Joe Biden’s press secretary how she feels about referring to as the Charlie Brown character. “Don’t tell him I like Peppermint Patty. So I’m not gonna take it too offensively,” she said, then turned directly to the cameras. “Senator Cruz, I like Peppermint Patty. I’m a little tougher than that. But there you go.”

The Batman is set to premiere in cinemas on March 4 around the world. The red carpet for the movie is well underway and the director, Matt Reeves, has been letting slip new information about his burgeoning Bat-verse. It may not be part of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), but it looks set to become a new one.

Universal has released the first official photo for Christopher Nolan‘s upcoming Oppenheimer movie.

Cillian Murphy has been pictured in a first look photo of Christopher Nolan’s forthcoming Oppenheimer biopic.The Peaky Blinders star, who plays the lead role of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in the movie, is pictured staring intently while smoking a cigarette in a black and white shot shared by Universal Pictures.