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Elle Fanning to Star in New PREDATOR Movie BADLANDS from Prey Filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg

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Elle Fanning is going from great to bad. The actor known for The Great is in talks to star in Badlands, a new movie set in The Predator universe, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Badlands is directed by Dan Trachtenberg, the filmmaker who revamped the franchise with the 20th Century and Hulu feature Prey, which was set in 1719 and starred breakout Amber Midthunder as a young Comanche woman pitted against an alien hunter. The film was a critical success and broke viewing records for Hulu.

Trachtenberg reteamed with Prey scribe Patrick Aison for the Badlands story, with Aison penning the script. THR reported in February that in addition to Badlands, 20th Century has a number of Predator projects in development, with Trachtenberg at the center of a growing universe.

Predator originated with the 1987 movie starring Schwarzenegger. It was followed by the Danny Glover starrer Predator 2, the 2010 ensemble The Predator and 2018’s Predators. There have also been multiple crossover movies pitting the Predator against the antagonists of the Alien frnachise.

The premise for Badlands is unknown, but sources indicate that it will not be set in the past like Prey but instead be set sometime in the future. It is also unknown if like Prey, this would go straight to streaming.

While Prey featured a cast of relative unknowns and rising stars like Amber Midthunder, execs and Trachtenberg wanted to try and land an established star for this new standalone pic and began taking meetings with talent. Insiders close to the project say Fanning is a fan of the franchise and once execs got wind of her interest moved to set a meeting with her and Trachtenberg. Following that meeting between the two, Fanning was on board and once a deal closes momentum is expected to pick up with the hope to shoot later this year.

As for a sequel to Prey, sources say while it is still in early development, a Prey 2 is still in the works that would return to the films original setting and with Prey star, Amber Midthunder, potentially returning. Sources stress no talent is attached to that film but the interesting element is that even though there has been seven films featuring the infamous alien, there has never been an instance where the star of a previous film has returned to reprise their role.

Fanning earned an Emmy nomination and three Golden Globe noms for her work in The Great, which ended last year after three seasons. She is known for starring in a pair of Maleficent features for Disney, as well as J.J. Abrams 2011 movie Super 8.


 
Official Full Trailer for Fede Alvarez's ALIEN: ROMULUS

“Alien: Romulus” takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

 
This is not really movie news but it made me laugh out loud and Lopez has another successful Netflix movie out right now so....

Lopez recently cancelled a planned summer concert tour, purportedly to spend time with her "children, family and close friends," though there were also reports of disappointing ticket sales.

Translation: I thought that I could do a Swift / Beyonce type arena tour but nobody bought tickets.
 
This is not really movie news but it made me laugh out loud and Lopez has another successful Netflix movie out right now so....

Lopez recently cancelled a planned summer concert tour, purportedly to spend time with her "children, family and close friends," though there were also reports of disappointing ticket sales.

Translation: I thought that I could do a Swift / Beyonce type arena tour but nobody bought tickets.
I read all concert ticket sales are down this year
 
Will Smith has had a rough last few years.

And they were a well-deserved rough last few years.

But I don't have the same level of vitriol for Will Smith as I have for Jon Jones. Although we all wouldn't feel bad if Will Smith asked Jon to give 'the wife treatment' to Jada. It'd be very well deserved.

All that said, this was good to see.

 
First Official Images from LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF ROHIRRIM Animated Movie; New Details Revealed

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The very first film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings were animated, and now the next one will be as well. The recently announced live-action projects are still a long way off, but Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is coming this year. Directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Blade Runner: Black Lotus), the new anime film tells the story of Helm Hammerhand, the ancient king of Rohan, after whom the fortress of Helm’s Deep is named.

Of course, The War of the Rohirrim will look very different from Ralph Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings (released in 1978). This is anime, and producer Philippa Boyens (who, along with Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, co-wrote the screenplays for Jackson’s live-action Lord of the Rings films) immediately saw the potential of putting this story in that format.

“When they suggested anime, that's when my brain really started whirring,” Boyens tells Entertainment Weekly. “Immediately, the idea of telling this story came to me. They had a number of different ones they were going to pitch me, but I was quite bossy, and I was like, ‘No, I know exactly what this needs.’”

She explains, “I immediately felt that it would work for anime because it's so character-based and also contained within its own world. It speaks to certain things that work really well with Japanese storytelling.”

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The story of Helm Hammerhand (the king of Rohan voiced by Brian Cox in the film) is told briefly in J.R.R. Tolkien’s appendices to The Lord of the Rings, and the epic details excited Kamiyama to take on the challenge of adapting it into a feature-length film.

“This is the story of the most powerful king in Rohan's history, someone who defeated his enemies with his bare fists,” Kamiyama tells EW. “Why did his lineage have to end with him? I think there is a lesson in hubris there and also for a need for responsibility and awareness in their power. We live in an age where, all over the world, we face the reality of war again. What, then, is power? What is the responsibility of those who possess it? It is something they need to think about by thinking together with those who don’t.”

Boyens and screenwriter Phoebe Gittins expanded on Tolkien’s original story. In particular, they wanted to give a certain character her own name.

“In the appendices where the story is drawn from, we get these quite interestingly drawn male characters, and then we get this young female character who is never named — and that was really interesting to me,” Boyens says. “We know Helm has a daughter, and we know that she was central to the conflict that happened. But myself, and especially screenwriter Phoebe Gittins, were drawn to her. We could feel the weight of being that unnamed daughter, which immediately piqued our interest: Who was she? How did she live?”

In The War of the Rohirrim, Helm’s daughter is named Hèra, and she’s voiced by Gaia Wise. The actress says her character bears a stronger resemblance to the heroines of Hayao Miyazaki films like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind than to classic Lord of the Rings heroines like Arwen and Eowyn.

“She would lay down her life for her people,” Wise says. “Comparing her to Arwen and Eowyn, they’re already fully formed women. What I loved about Hèra is she’s fierce, she’s complex, she’s rebellious.”


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Hèra might have her match, though, in the film’s antagonist. Wulf, voiced by Luke Pasqualino, is leading the armies of Dunlendings against Helm’s kingdom.

“We have an exceptionally great antagonist in this story,” Boyens says. “He's been one of my favorite antagonists to have written across all of the films I've worked on.”

Wulf’s strength as a character, according to Boyens, is precisely the fact that he’s not an evil wizard or a dark lord like the more famous villains of The Lord of the Rings. He’s just human, and in some ways, that makes him even more dangerous.

“He speaks so directly to a lot of the crises that we're facing today,” Boyens says. “He’s a really fascinating character and exciting too. You don't know what he's going to do, and some of the choices that he makes are just breathtaking in a good way.”

Get ready to see how it all plays out when The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim hits theaters on Dec. 13.

 
Official Trailer for PADDINGTON IN PERU; In Theaters November 8th

Paddington in Peru brings Paddington's story to Peru as he returns to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.

 
2nd Official Trailer for DreamWorks Animation's THE WILD ROBOT

From DreamWorks Animation comes a new adaptation of a literary sensation, Peter Brown’s beloved, award-winning, #1 New York Times bestseller, The Wild Robot. The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot—ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.

 
Official Trailer for MY SPY THE ETERNAL CITY Starring Dave Bautista

The follow-up to 2020’s action comedy, My Spy The Eternal City reunites a beloved cast led by Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman in a feel-good family adventure set in some of Europe’s most storied destinations.

 
Newcomer Catherine Laga'aia to Play the Lead in the Live-Action MOANA Movie Starring Dwayne Johnson

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After an extensive search, Disney has found the next Moana. Newcomer Catherine Laga‘aia will star as the titular character in the remake of the 2016 hit animated film. The 17-year-old actor hails from Sydney, Australia, and joins Dwayne Johnson in the feature, reprising his role as demigod Maui.

“I’m really excited to embrace this character because Moana is one of my favorites,” said Laga‘aia in a statement. “My grandfather comes from Fa‘aala, Palauli, in Savai‘i. And my grandmother is from Leulumoega Tuai on the main island of ‘Upolu in Samoa. I’m honored to have an opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all Pacific Island peoples, and to represent young girls who look like me.”

Laga‘aia picks up the role from Auli‘i Cravalho, who voice starred in the 2016 original and will executive produce the remake. She is said to be mentoring the younger actor in the role.

She’s also joining the family business. Her father is actor and singer Jay Laga’aia, who played Captain Typho in the Star Wars prequel movies.

Other cast for the Moana remake include Auckland, New Zealander actor John Tui as Moana’s father, Chief Tui; Samoan-New Zealand actor Frankie Adams as Moana’s mother, Sina; and Rena Owen, who hails from Bay of Islands, NZ, as Gramma Tala.

Thomas Kail, director of Broadway’s Hamilton, is at the helm of the feature, which bows July 10, 2026. He also recently directed episodes of the Hulu limited series We Were the Lucky Ones.

Said the filmmaker: “I am thrilled to have met Catherine, Rena, Frankie and John through this casting process. I am humbled by this opportunity, and I cannot wait to all be on set together. And there’s no better pair to be in a canoe with than Catherine and Dwayne—actually, trio: Heihei is ready, too.”

Moana is a cornerstone movie for Disney, as the 2016 feature has been among top of the most streamed films in the U.S. for several years. According to Nielsen, it was the most viewed streaming movie of 2023 in the U.S. (It was No. 4 in 2022, and No. 2 in 2021 and 2020). Disney also has a separate, animated sequel to Moana due out Nov. 27.

Johnson, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia are producing via their Seven Bucks Productions. Beau Flynn is producing via FlynnPictureCo. Moana songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda is also producing after landing an Oscar nomination for the song “How Far I’ll Go.”

 
Official Trailer for Studio Ponoc's THE IMAGINARY; Premieres July 5th on Netflix

Studio Ponoc's The Imaginary portrays the depths of humanity and creativity through the eyes of young Amanda and her imaginary companion, Rudger. Their fantastical adventures launched from her attic, lead them to discover a magical world of creatures and places never before seen until a sinister force threatens to destroy their imaginary world and the friendship within it. Directed by renowned animator Yoshiyuki Momose (Spirited Away), The Imaginary is an unforgettable adventure of love, loss, and the healing power of imagination.

 


Winning an Oscar and being cast as an iconic comic book role is becoming a curse.



IMO This Blade reboot isn't going to happen.

Mahershala Ali threatened to quit when they were going to sideline Blade in his own movie, and other people who were attached keep dropping out after the latest versions of the scripts have been written.

I also don't think that the studio will back down on shoehorning Blade's daughter into the lead role because Marvel and Disney are hellbent on trying to introduce those characters from the newer comics into the MCU.

 
IMO This Blade reboot isn't going to happen.

Mahershala Ali threatened to quit when they were going to sideline Blade in his own movie, and other people who were attached keep dropping out after the latest versions of the scripts have been written.

I also don't think that the studio will back down on shoehorning Blade's daughter into the lead role because Marvel and Disney are hellbent on trying to introduce those characters from the newer comics into the MCU.



Wholeheartedly agree, and that's probably the best for Ali's career, just ask Jared Letto, and Halie Berry.

They all won an Oscar, and accepted the first big-paycheck comic-movie role.

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Wesley Snipes getting his shots in.
But keep in mind one of the biggest reasons why his Blade movies ended after the 3rd was because he was a nightmare to work with to the point he no-showed on some filming days.... and his entire career basically died with a few exceptions.

And I think Jenna Jameson's book was released around that time and it mentioned Wesley Snipes came up to her at a club and used the iconic pick-up line....

"You like to be fucked in the ass?"

...its guaranteed to work every time, except on Jenna Jameson.
 
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Official Teaser Trailer for SMILE 2 Starring Naomi Scott and Lukas Gage

About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control. Only in theatres October 18.

 


This is the #1 reason why boxoffice numbers are low.

I remember in the 90s if you don't see movies in the theater it'd be 7-12 months before they're released on VHS to buy/rent.

There'd even be smaller theaters that sell tickets for $1 for movies released 2 to 3 months before, but still many months before being released on VHS.

Streaming platforms are killing theaters.
 
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