‘The Marvels’ Director Says Superhero Fatigue ‘Absolutely Exists,’ New MCU Film Is ‘Really Wacky and Silly’ Compared to Others

Zack Sharf Digital News Director The upcoming “Hunger Games” prequel movie “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” may not feature Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, but it does feature her longtime franchise director Francis Lawrence behind the camera. Francis Lawrences directed every “Hunger Games” sequel and is back for the Lionsgate prequel, which features “West Side Story” breakout Rachel Zegler in the lead role of Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from District 12 who is mentored by a young Snow (Tom Blyth) for the 10th annual Hunger Games. “Katniss was an introvert and a survivor,” Lawrence told Empire magazine about the big difference between Katniss and Lucy.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director During a recent “Rebel Moon” press junket (via /Film), producers Deborah Snyder and Eric Newman expressed relief over the film failing to materialize as an entry in the “Star Wars” universe. Filmmaker Zack Snyder originally conceived “Rebel Moon” as a “Seven Samurai”-inspired “Star Wars” movie that he pitched to Lucasfilm shortly after Disney acquired the studio in 2012 for $4.05 billion.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director In a Vulture oral history on the end of The CW’s “Riverdale,” cast member Lili Reinhart admitted that it’s been difficult to be the butt of so many jokes as the series has often been ridiculed on social media over the years. Reinhart starred as Betty Cooper on all seven seasons of the show, which comes to an end on Aug. 23 after 135 episodes.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Greta Gerwig revealed in an interview with Hollywood First Look during her “Barbie” press tour that Timothée Chalamet visited the film’s set in London and lamented over not being able to star in the film. Gerwig directed Chalamet in both “Lady Bird” and “Little Women.” The filmmaker previously told CinemaBlend that Chalamet and her muse Saoirse Ronan were courted for cameo appearances in “Barbie” but scheduling conflicts got in the way. “I tried to get them both in it.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Cillian Murphy’s decades-long collaboration with Christopher Nolan hit a new peak with “Oppenheimer,” his first leading role in a Nolan feature that has garnered him the best reviews of his career and Oscar buzz for best actor. “Oppenheimer” follows Murphy’s supporting turns in three Batman films, “Inception” and “Interstellar.” Recently asked by The Independent if there were any Christopher Nolan movies not featuring Cillian Murphy that he wished he could’ve starred in, Murphy selected the director’s 2014 space epic “Interstellar.” “I adore ‘Interstellar’ just because I find it so emotional,” Murphy said. “I remember seeing it in the cinema when I had little kids.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “National Lampoon’s Vacation” star Anthony Michael Hall admitted at Fan Expo Chicago (via Entertainment Weekly) that he got caught trying to sneak onto the set of the 1983 comedy classic in order to see his co-star Beverly D’Angelo film a nude shower scene. Hall joined D’Angelo and fellow cast members Christie Brinkley, Randy Quaid and Dana Barron at the event. He stars in the comedy as Rusty Griswold, the son of Clark (Chevy Case) and Ellen (D’Angelo).

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Tron 3” director Joachim Rønning took to Instagram to reveal that production on the Disney-backed sequel was supposed to start this week but has been shut down amid the WAG and SAG-AFTRA strikes. As a result, more than 150 crew members have been laid off from the movie, he revealed. The film, which is officially titled “Tron: Ares,” is set to star Jared Leto, Evan Peters, Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director In a recent interview with Rolling Stone to promote his directorial effort “Shortcomings,” actor and comedian Randall Park criticized Hollywood for taking the wrong lessons from a massive blockbuster like Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” The Margot Robbie-led comedy has earned over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, but Park said making more movies about toys should not be the industry’s takeaway. “I feel like, just in general, this industry is taking the wrong lessons,” Park said. “For example, ‘Barbie’ is this massive blockbuster, and the idea is: Make more movies about toys! No.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Michael Imperioli was recently asked by The Guardian to name the most brutal scene he’s ever had to film in his acting career, and his answer was any time his character on “The Sopranos,” Christopher Moltisanti, abused his fiancée, Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo). “The most brutal, difficult stuff for me is when Christopher had to be physically abusive with Adriana, for obvious reasons,” Imperioli said. “On a technical level, you’re trying to be really careful so you don’t hurt the person.

Nia DaCosta is the director of The Marvels and is opening up about superhero movie fatigue and why her film is different from the rest.

They’re going higher, further, faster! Brie Larson is back as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers in The Marvels, and she isn’t flying solo this time.

Are superhero films in trouble? It’s an argument that everyone’s been having in the last few years, and the pandemic hasn’t helped, given that it’s affected the bottom line of all moviegoing that’s in decline. DC doesn’t help the super narrative; they’re in freefall.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Full House” alum Jodie Sweetin expressed disappointment to People magazine over her new film, “Craft Me a Romance,” being sold to the Great American Family (GAF) network, which counts her former co-star Candace Cameron Bure as its chief creative officer. Bure ignited controversy last fall after she told The Wall Street Journal that GAF would be keeping “traditional marriage at the core” of its output, meaning it would be highly unlikely for GAF shows and films to include LGBTQ+ couples. “Sometimes, we, as actors, don’t have control over which network buys the projects we are in, nor are we a part of the process in which they get sold,” Sweetin said in a statement.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Rob Lowe said on a recent episode of the “Podcrushed” podcast (via Entertainment Weekly) that exiting “The West Thing” after four seasons was “the best thing” he ever did since his run on the show was “super unhealthy.” Lowe starred as White House communications director Sam Seaborn in Aaron Sorkin’s acclaimed NBC drama. He was written out of the show in Season 4 amid rumors of behind-the-scenes salary disputes. He said on the podcast that he felt “undervalued” during his time on the series.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Lisa Cloud, the mother of late “Euphoria” actor Angus Cloud, recently shared to Facebook a link to her son’s first casting tapes, which helped nab him a formal audition for the role of Fezco “Fez” O’Neill on the Emmy-winning HBO drama (via Rolling Stone). Angus was just 19-year-old when he was discovered on the street and offered a chance to enter the “Euphoria” audition process. “This was just sent to me by Jennifer Venditti, who scouted Angus in Brooklyn,” Lisa Cloud wrote on Facebook.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jamie Dornan admitted in a new “Wired” video interview (via Insider) that he was “quite jealous” of Robert Pattinson during the early days of their career. Dornan, Pattinson and fellow stars such as Eddie Redmayne and Andrew Garfield all came up together as aspiring young actors in England. Pattinson’s career skyrocketed way ahead of his peers when he was cast as Edward Cullen in the “Twilight” franchise.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Now that “Barbie” has officially crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office, speculation about a potential sequel has intensified tenfold. Greta Gerwig, who directed “Barbie” in addition to co-writing its script with Noah Baumbach, told The New York Times she has no ideas yet for a “Barbie 2.” However, she also told People magazine before the film joined the $1 billion club that she hoped her movie “is the launch of a world and a bunch of different Barbie movies.” “There’s a tone and a humor and a joy, and obviously the world is so beautiful,” Gerwig told the publication. “I want to go back to Barbie Land.” Margot Robbie was less assertive when asked about a “Barbie” sequel in pre-release interviews.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Adam Devine appeared on Theo Von’s “This Past Weekend” podcast during his press tour for Netflix’s “The Out-Laws” and shared his theory that Marvel movies and other superhero films killed the traditional Hollywood comedy. The “Workaholics” and “Pitch Perfect” alum noted that because Marvel movies rely so much on humor (see the “Ant-Man” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchises, for instance), they ended up becoming Hollywood’s new de facto comedy films. “You watch comedies nowadays and you’re like, this is not a fucking comedy,” Devine said.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Dwayne Jonson appeared on a new episode of Kevin Hart’s “Hart to Hart” talk show on Peacock (recorded prior to the strike, of course) and looked back at the rise and fall of “Black Adam.” His 2022 comic book tentpole was designed to launch a new chapter of storytelling within Warner Bros.’ DC Universe (the film ended with Henry Cavill’s return as Superman, and the franchise intended to build up to a face off between Johnson and Cavill), but DC Studios was overhauled soon after its release, with new leaders James Gunn and Peter Safran taking the reins. Johnson announced in December that “Black Adam 2” was not moving forward for now. “‘Black Adam’ got caught in a vortex of new leadership,” Johnson said when Hart asked how it felt for franchise to be stopped.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director When Will Smith was ready to turn down the role of Agent J in 1997’s “Men in Black,” executive producer Steven Spielberg decided to take matters into his own hands. During a recent appearance on Kevin Hart’s “Hart to Heart” talk show (via Insider), Smith told the story of Spielberg sending a helicopter to bring him in for a meeting in which Spielberg questioned Smith’s apprehension over “Men in Black.” It all started with Smith not wanting to make another alien-centric movie after 1996’s “Independence Day,” his first bonafide blockbuster. James Lassiter, Smith’s former manager, urged Smith to take the role of Agent J.