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Versatile Actor Alan Arkin - Oscar Winner for Little Miss Sunshine - Passes Away at 89

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Alan Arkin, the versatile actor who finally won an Oscar — for Little Miss Sunshine — after making a career of disappearing into characters with turns that could be comic, chilling or charming, has died. He was 89.

His sons, Adam, Matthew and Anthony, announced the news in a joint statement. “Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man,” they said. “A loving husband, father, grand and great-grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed.”

He had heart trouble and died Thursday at his home in San Marcos, California.

In his first significant role in a feature, Arkin received a rare best actor Oscar nomination for work in a comedy when he played a Russian sailor whose submarine is marooned off the coast of a New England fishing village in Norman Jewison’s The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming (1966).

Two years later, he moved audiences and earned another Oscar nom for portraying the lonely deaf mute John Singer in the poignant The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968), Robert Ellis Miller’s adaptation of the Carson McCullers novel that was filmed in Selma, Alabama.

For playing the foul-mouthed, heroin-snorting grandfather Edwin Hoover in the road movie Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Arkin was rewarded with an Oscar that those in Hollywood recognized was long overdue. (At age 72, he was among the oldest to win the supporting actor trophy.)

Arkin then received a fourth Academy Award nom for his work as a jaded movie producer who makes a bogus film to save the hostages in Iran — and got bonus points for his line “Argo fuck yourself” — in the best picture winner Argo (2012).

Alan Arkin, Virtuoso Comic Actor With a Serious Side, Dies at 89
 
Greta Gerwig Attached to Direct Two CHRONICLES OF NARNIA Movies for Netflix

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From Barbie to Narnia. Greta Gerwig, who will soon be in theaters with Warner Bros.’ highly anticipated Barbie movie, is attached to direct a feature film version of The Chronicles of Narnia boos for Netflix, sources have told The Hollywood Reporter.

While no official announcement has been made, it has long been rumored that Gerwig, who worked with the streamer on the Noah Baumbach-directed White Noise, would tackle a Narnia movie. In a story about Mattel’s continuing Hollywood ambitions, the New Yorker reported that Gerwig has a deal to direct two films in author C.S. Lewis’ Narnia franchise.

In 2018, Netflix announced had acquired the film and TV rights to The Chronicles of Narnia book series. Said Ted Sarandos at the time. “Families have fallen in love with characters like Aslan and the entire world of Narnia, and we’re thrilled to be their home for years to come.” But since that 2018 acquisition, the streamer has yet to announce any projects based on the beloved book series.

Netflix has long talked about franchise ambitions and has been collecting IP to bolster those efforts, including acquiring Roald Dahl Story Company. The streamer released a movie musical adaptation of Dahl’s Matilda while Wes Anderson recently completed an adaptation of the author’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.

As for Gerwig, Narnia continues a trajectory towards bigger-budget filmmaking and a penchant for adaptation. Following her directorial break-out with Lady Bird, which netted five Oscar nominations including best director and best screenplay, Gerwig tackled Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women for Sony before jumping on the Margot Robbie-fronted Barbie.

Before Netflix acquired the rights, Disney made adaptations of the novels The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) and Prince Caspian (2008). Fox released The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 2010.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/m...narnia-movie-greta-gerwig-netflix-1235527515/
 
Full-Length Trailer for Martin Scorsese's KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

At the turn of the 20th century, oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted, and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), “Killers of the Flower Moon” is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal.

Also starring Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, and Jillian Dion, Killers of the Flower Moon is directed by Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Eric Roth and Scorsese, based on David Grann’s best-selling book.

 
Jennifer Garner Returning to Play Elektra in Marvel Studios' DEADPOOL 3

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Jennifer Garner is picking up Elektra’s sai once again. After a nearly twenty-year hiatus, the actress is returning to the role of Marvel Comics’ assassin anti-heroine for Deadpool 3, multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

The Marvel Studios’ production is currently shooting with Ryan Reynolds reprising his fan-favorite part of the fourth wall-breaking Merc with a Mouth. Hugh Jackman has come out of Marvel retirement to play Wolverine once again.

Shawn Levy is in the director’s chair with the project to be the first movie that will feature a character, or in this case, two or three or more, from the stable that once belonged to Twentieth Century Fox. Fox owned several silos of Marvel’s characters before its acquisition by Disney in 2019 brought the movie rights to the characters back into Marvel proper.

Garner first played the Marvel assassin in 20th Century Fox’s Daredevil, the 2003 feature that starred Ben Affleck as the Man Without Fear. While the film was not a hit, it did spawn a spinoff, with Garner toplining solo act Elektra two years later. That too, was not a box office success, but it was noteworthy as Garner was one of the few women to lead a studio comic book movie at the time.

Her involvement in Deadpool 3 hints at some sort of multiverse angle to the film that has long been rumored, and it is possible that other characters from Marvel films made by Fox could pop up. But this being Deadpool, one can’t rule out some meta, self-awareness either.

When she first played Elektra, Garner was in the middle of her starring turn as secret agent Sydney Bristow in ABC’s thriller Alias, which ran over 105 episodes from 2001 to 2006. Her recent movies include the 2021 Netflix hit Yes Day and made a poignant appearance opposite Reynolds in sci-fi adventure The Adam Project, which Levy directed.

Jennifer Garner Returning as Elektra for ‘Deadpool 3’ (Exclusive)
 
Official Trailer for Ridley Scott's NAPOLEON Starring Joaquin Phoenix

Directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by David Scarpa, “Napoleon” stars Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor and military leader. The film is an original and personal look at Napoleon’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby. The film captures Napoleon’s famous battles, relentless ambition and astounding strategic mind as an extraordinary military leader and war visionary. In theaters Nov. 22.

 
First Look at Hugh Jackman in Wolverine's Yellow and Blue Costume for DEADPOOL 3

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Final Trailer for MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING, PART ONE

 
Final Trailer for DC Films' BLUE BEETLE Starring Xolo Maridueña

 
SUPERMAN: LEGACY Adds Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific and Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner

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Superman Legacy, the movie that will mark the live-action rebirth of the DC Universe, has added three new actors to its cast, each of them playing a superhero with a long history in the comic books. Isabela Merced will play Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi will be Mister Terrific and Nathan Fillion will portray a Green Lantern (although not necessarily the Green Lantern.)

James Gunn, who wrote and will direct the 2025 movie, has already cast David Corenswet (The Politician) as Clark Kent and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. When it starts shooting in January 2024, it will set the course for the new DCU that the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker is building in collaboration with fellow chair and CEO of DC Studios Peter Safran.

In an exclusive to Vanity Fair, DC Studios revealed the new additions: Merced, best known for playing the besieged drug cartel daughter in Sicario: Day of the Soldado and the ever-exploring title character in Dora and the Lost City of Gold, will soar into the new universe as the winged warrior Hawkgirl. The hero's favorite battle accessories are melee weapons—swords, spears, and maces—and Merced's 5-foot-1 size will set her apart from the typical comic book brawler.

Gathegi, who played the double-dealing vampire Laurent in the Twilight films and the ever-evolving Darwin in X-Men: First Class, will take on the role of Mister Terrific, a.k.a. Michael Holt, who is not only a skilled combatant but one of the world's most brilliant inventors and tacticians, orbited by the floating T-Sphere weapons he designed. Among his superpowers is his otherworldly intellect. On the sleeve of his jacket is the phrase “Fair Play,” a tribute to the catchphrase of an earlier version of the Mister Terrific character as well as a statement of belief.

Finally, Fillion—a mainstay of Gunn's movies who starred in the director's first movie, the 2006 horror-comedy Slither, and his most recent one, Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, will join him again in Superman Legacy as a Green Lantern named Guy Gardner.

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Comic fans primarily think of two primary characters in relation to the Green Lantern mantle. Hal Jordan was the original version of the comic book hero (played by Ryan Reynolds in the 2011 movie). The next iteration of the green glowing protector was named John Stewart, notable when he was introduced in the early ‘70s for being one of DC’s earliest and most prominent Black superheroes. Gardner, the character Fillion will play in Superman Legacy, is distinct from both of them for being somewhat less than heroic when he wears the matter-manifesting ring that gives the Green Lantern his powers.

Among the rest of the aliens and humans who serve in that group of galactic peacekeepers, Gardner is known as an abrasive, sometimes obnoxious presence. The role also brings a dose of awkward comedy to Superman Legacy. The character is known for his iconic bowl cut haircut, which will be a part of Fillion's look in the film.

While there is also a Green Lantern TV series in the works as part of the rebooted DCU, that one will focus on Hal Jordan and John Stewart.

Fillion previously played a DC character in Gunn's The Suicide Squad known as T.D.K., or The Detachable Kid, whose powers consisted of the ability to separate his limbs from his body and telekinetically launch them at his enemies. T.D.K.—spoiler alert—didn't survive for very long in that movie. So there's no danger of the actor's duel roles ever crossing paths.

hat raises the enduring question of what DC movies and TV shows from the past will end, and which will be woven into the new slate of storytelling. While Superman Legacy is the first movie in the rejuvenated DCU, the first project in the new universe will be an animated series for the Max streaming service called Creature Commandos.

Some characters from Gunn's previous DC work on The Suicide Squad will be grandfathered in to the new universe, such as Viola Davis' powerbroker Amanda Waller, who is getting her own TV series, and John Cena's Peacemaker, who was introduced in that movie and went on to star in his own self-titled TV show. A second season of Peacemaker will be part of the new DCU.

Gunn and Safran are selecting elements that will carry over, mostly based on actors. For instance, Gunn has said that Cobra Kai actor Xolo Maridueña, who stars in the upcoming Blue Beetle movie, will continue playing the character in the new DCU, but that upcoming movie will stand on its own.

The new leadership of DC Studios has stated that their overall goal is accessibility that allows viewers to go into any of the future movies and shows without the need for deep binge-watching research. “The good news is, if you've seen nothing that we've done before, you can watch Superman Legacy, you can watch Creature Commandos, you can watch Peacemaker season two, and you can watch Blue Beetle. All of that," Safran tells Vanity Fair. “We are trying to minimize audience confusion and maximize their enjoyment.”

Superman Legacy Cast Adds Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi and Nathan Fillion: EXCLUSIVE
 
Official Trailer for Chocolate Factory Musical Prequel WONKA Starring Timothee Chalamet

From Paul King, writer/director of the Paddington films and David Heyman, producer of Harry Potter, comes an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor. Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible. In theaters December 15, 2023.

 
SAG-AFTRA Calls History-Making Strike as Talks With Studios Collapse

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At a moment when Hollywood’s writers remain on strike, members of performers union SAG-AFTRA will soon be mounting their own picket lines, constituting the first “double strike” involving both actors and scribes since 1960.

SAG-AFTRA’s National Board officially called a strike Thursday against major film and television companies as contract talks with studios and streamers broke down without a deal on July 12. The work stoppage will impact 160,000 union members and begin at midnight tonight. The union’s national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said that the talks left the union “with no choice” but to call a strike, while union president Fran Drescher said that the studios “plead poverty” and that the producers “stand on the wrong side of history.”

Drescher added of the studios’ offer, “there was nothing there, it was insulting,” and said the union would be rejecting “incremental changes” on its contract with film and TV producers.

“It came with great sadness that we came to this crossroads. We had no choice,” the SAG-AFTRA president said in a fiery speech. “We are the victims here. We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people we have been in business with are treating us. I cannot believe it, quite frankly, how far apart we are on so many things. How they plead poverty, that they’re losing money left and right while giving millions to CEOs. It’s disgusting, shame on them.”

Drescher also spoke about the impasse surrounding the use of artificial intelligence and portrayed the union as taking a stand for all of labor against big corporations. “The entire business model has been changed by streaming, digital, AI. This is a moment of history that is a moment of truth. If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in trouble, we are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines,” she said.

The studios, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, released a talking points memo in response, along with a statement that said it proposed a substantive offer. “The AMPTP presented a deal that offered historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shortened series option periods, and a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses for SAG-AFTRA members,” the studios said. “A strike is certainly not the outcome we hoped for as studios cannot operate without the performers that bring our TV shows and films to life.”

It will be SAG-AFTRA’s first strike against film and television companies in four decades. When actors went on a 95-day strike in July 1980, they pushed for a system of profit-sharing to get a percentage of revenue from home media releases. SAG wanted to get ahead of what it believed would be lucrative market (SAG merged with AFTRA in 2012).

SAG-AFTRA Calls History-Making Strike as Talks With Studios Collapse
 
Regardless what I think of Fran Drescher as SAG President, I thought her impassioned speech was well delivered.

 
Official Full Trailer for Gareth Edwards' Sci-Fi Thriller THE CREATOR

 
Kenneth Branagh is Back as Detective Hercule Poirot in A HAUNTING IN VENICE Trailer

The unsettling supernatural thriller based upon the novel “Hallowe’en Party” by Agatha Christie and directed by and starring Oscar® winner Kenneth Branagh as famed detective Hercule Poirot, will open in theaters nationwide September 15, 2023.

 
Official Trailer for NANDOR FODOR & THE TALKING MONGOOSE Starring Simon Pegg

When famed paranormal psychologist Dr. Nandor Fodor (Simon Pegg) investigates a family's claims of a talking animal, he uncovers a mysterious web of hidden motives. Soon, everyone becomes a suspect in Dr. Fodor's relentless pursuit of the truth. Nandor Fodor & The Talking Mongoose in theatres September 1, 2023.

 
Sleeper Hit SOUND OF FREEDOM Crosses $100 Million at the U.S. Box Office

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Sleeper hit Sound of Freedom has crossed the $100 million mark at the domestic box office in a little over two weeks. The faith-based, conservative-leaning film has made headlines since opening on the Fourth of July and beating Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny for the day with $14.2 million. Sound of Freedom continues to over-index in the middle of the country and the South.

The movie, billed as a political thriller, stars The Passion of the Christ’s Jim Caviezel as the real-life Tim Ballard, who worked as an agent for the Department of Homeland Security before embarking on his own quest to bring child traffickers to justice (Ballard founded his own anti-trafficking organization, dubbed Operation Underground Railroad). Mira Sorvino and Bill Camp also star.

Sound of Freedom is from Angel Studios, the Utah-based production and distribution venture that is also home to The Chosen, an hourlong drama series about the life of Jesus. Movies and series are crowdfunded in part by the Angel Guild, a community of over 100,000 people who vote on all eligible films submitted to Angel Studios.

The pic has stayed high up on the box office chart since its debut. It placed third over the July 7-9 weekend with an impressive $19.7 million from 2,634 theaters, while coming in second over the July 14-16 weekend with $27.3 million from 2,852 locations, an unheard-of 39 percent week-over-week jump.

The film continues to grow its theater count as cinema owners rush to carry the movie, and as other summer offerings struggle to find a foothold. Over the July 21-23 weekend — when it goes up against Barbie and OppenheimerSound of Freedom will be playing in 3,287 theaters, according to Angel Studios. As a way of comparison, this could also be the weekend when the movie surpasses The Flash, which has earned $107 million to date domestically.

Box Office Milestone: ‘Sound of Freedom’ Crosses $100M in U.S.
 
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