Charles Bramesco
Those ‘Justice League’ Reshoots Were Done to ‘Lighten Up’ the Tone of Cyborg
Productions go into reshoots for all sorts of reasons. The tooth-gnashing crowd’s favorite is that a movie has been ruled such an unmitigated disaster that the only recourse is to go back and fix it, attempting to wallpaper over the incompetence with fresh footage. But usually, the cause is more banal — such-and-such actor needs to pick up this teapot with his right hand, character X needs to be shown moving from Point A to Point B, and other matters of logistics. There was plenty of puzzling over what factors could compel the Justice League production to bring in Joss Whedon to shoot what is called “pick-up” after he wrapped up for a grief-stricken Zack Snyder, and a new interview with a cast member has shed a little light on the situation.
‘Wonder Woman’ Home Video Release Will Include Unused Epilogue
Here in my home of New York, Wonder Woman still has multiple daily showtimes at multiple theaters around town, nearly two and a half months after its theatrical debut. And just yesterday, Warner Bros. announced that they would begin the film’s home-video rollout on August 29 with a Digital HD streaming option before releasing the Blu-ray and DVD on September 19. With theatrical screenings scheduled to continue until at least a week from today, that leaves an eleven-day window during which fans will have to live in a world where they can’t readily watch Wonder Woman at their leisure. It will be a brief dark age, but the specifics of the release suggest that devotees will find the wait worth it.
Riz Ahmed May Play a ‘Popular Marvel Character’ For ‘Venom’ — But Which?
Riz Ahmed, coming hot off his star-making appearance in Charli XCX’s “Boys” music video (oh, and he was in a Star War last year, too), has begun the process of booking another high-profile role. Though confirmation has yet to come in, Deadline reports that the actor has entered the negotiations stage of taking a part in the upcoming Venom solo film. He has not committed to anything at present, but he’s now poised to join Tom Hardy in the film that is said to be completely separate from the main Spider-Man, and most definitely not a sequel to Life. Remember Life?
‘Blade Runner 2049’ Will Be Rated R Like the Original Film
As they often do when a much-beloved film property gets revived after decades spent dormant, fans have had plenty of cause to fret while Blade Runner 2049 has neared its release. Will there be a voiceover? (No.) Will the film definitively answer the question of whether Deckard is a replicant? (Also no.) Will the soundtrack rule? (It certainly seems that way.) And yet so many questions still remain in advance of the film’s wide release. Today will resolve one big one, however, and assuage quite a few fan worries with it.
There’s an ‘It’ Haunted House in Hollywood In Case You Want to Enter Clown Hell
The corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street is a Los Angeles icon, once the heart of the city’s booming film production and now the nexus of the world-renowned Hollywood Walk of Fame. Usually, the most frightening thing a person will experience at the intersection is an encounter with improv comics attempting to strong-arm you into attending their latest show, but a new horror will soon dawn in the area. Locals now have bigger things to worry about than spending the day sad after accidentally overhearing an actor speaking to their agent on the phone.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Will Be the Last For the Current Lineup
Director James Gunn hinted that the cast list will change after the franchise’s third installment.
Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller 3D’ To Make World Premiere at Venice Film Fest
Hard to believe that eight years have already passed since Michael Jackson’s death, but time’s a goon like that. And as the King of Pop settles in the ground, the question of what shape his legacy will take must be answered. While we’d be remiss to gloss over the ethical lapses and general trainwreckishness of the man’s final years (and doubly remiss not to point out the cruel, exacting factors in his life that drove him to that mental state), the time has come for a bit of enshrinement. Next month, the Michael we prefer to remember — the virtuosic performer, the boundary-pushing titan of black art — will return for a glorious new tribute.
Christopher Nolan Wanted to Shoot ‘Dunkirk’ Without a Script
Christopher Nolan does things his own way. That’s led to some of his greatest technical coups to date; when he wanted to defy gravity for Inception, he built a giant rotating box the size of a hallway. Armed wth the biggest budgets studios can afford, he employs new technologies and puts them fully through their paces, all to bring his massively ambitious visions to life. And for his latest epic Dunkirk, Nolan wanted to blaze his own path yet again. But this time, his plans didn’t involve fancy equipment or elaborate sets.
Watch the Sweet and Simple Pro-LGBTQ Short ‘In a Heartbeat’
An animated short film titled In A Heartbeat has been circulating online this week, usually attached to captions expressing refreshed delight. See, the short revolves around a young boy at prep school whose crush on a classmate manifests as an anthropomorphic heart that bursts out of his chest and exposes his feelings. What’s made this short into a festival favorite and word-of-mouth sensation is the crucial detail that this boy’s crush [pregnant pause] is on another boy! What would have otherwise been a saccharine little wisp of an idea most likely yielding comparisons to Lava is invested with greater purpose by gaily zigging where hetero films have repeatedly zagged.
Chiwetel Ejiofor Working on His Roar as Possible Scar in Live-Action ‘Lion King’
We won’t know if the upcoming live-action Lion King remake is a ‘good movie,’ however you might define the term, until its release on July 19, 2019. But with two years to go until the big unveiling, director Jon Favreau is already off to a strong start. There‘s been a clever little edge to his casting thus far, as he’s tapped black actors for the lion roles in the film (Donald Glover will voice Simba, and James Earl Jones will lend his velvety baritone to sage father Mufasa) and white actors as the other members of the animal kingdom (Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen will voice Timon and Pumbaa; John Oliver has signed on as toucan Zazu), reinforcing the allegory of discord among the royal family and fully transposing it to its African setting.
Dave Bautista to Suit Up for Comic Book Movie ‘Eternal Warrior’
Dave Bautista, the thinking man’s musclebound movie star, is all over the place these days. He reprised his role of literal-minded team heavy Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 back in the spring, and come fall, he’ll appear in Blade Runner 2049 in an unspecified role. On top of that, he won over festival audiences for his turn as a determined survivor in post-apocalyptic Brooklyn in the upcoming Bushwick as well. And Bautista’s hot streak is showing no signs of stopping any time soon, as the mixed-martial-artist-turned-screen-star has taken another high-profile role right in his wheelhouse.
Channing Tatum‘s Daughter Doesn’t Like Channing Tatum Movies
Channing Tatum’s a delight — fleet-footed dancer, lovably lunkheaded actor, and crooner of the occasional showtune, he’s got more of a claim to the title of America’s sweetheart than just about anybody. But while I may love Channing Tatum, and you may love Channing Tatum, he’s got one critic he just can’t seem to win over: his four-year-old daughter Everly.