Movie/TV News (2 Viewers)

[dragon53]

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14

SUPERMAN---trailer released for the movie starring David Corenswet.

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NOBODY 2---trailer released for the sequel starring Bob Odenkirk.

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IRONHEART---trailer released for the Marvel/Disney+ tv series starring Dominique Thorne.

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SMURFS---trailer released for the animated movie with voices by John Goodman, Rihanna and Kurt Russell.

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MADDEN---photo released from the Amazon MGM Studios biomovie shows Nicolas Cage as Oakland Raiders coach John Madden and Christian Bale as Raiders owner Al Davis.

JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH---new photos released from the sequel starring Scarlett Johansson.

ANDOR---writer Tony Gilroy explained why Andy Serkis (Kino Loy) did not return in Season 2, "Andy dropped the mic, man.... What am I going to do that’s going to be better than what we did? All it does is minimize that moment. I knew a lot of people were talking about whether we had a way of [bringing him back]. But I didn’t want to have that sort of coincidental environment.”
Gilroy also explained why Belle Swarc (Kerri) did not return, “[Kino Loy] is like the sister — people wanted to know if we’re going to resolve the sister... And the sister, in the beginning, is so much more interesting to me as a deficit. She’s much more valuable to me for Cassian as an absence. As he says in the end, ‘Maybe I should stop saving people.’ His need to return and save people and to be a savior and the compulsion to do that comes from this hole in his life, and I didn’t really didn’t want to fill that in.”

ENEMIES---Austin Butler and Jeremy Allen White will star in the movie about a police detective who pursues a deadly assassin.

PROTECTOR---photo and synopsis released for the movie starring Milla Jovovich and Matthew Modine, “Nikki (Milla Jovovich), a former war hero, thought she’d left her violent past behind for a peaceful life with her daughter, Chloe. That peace is shattered when Nikki awakens bound in an abandoned factory, only to discover that Chloe has been kidnapped. Quickly escaping, Nikki plunges into the city’s criminal underworld and in her quest to find Chloe, she draws the attention of both the police and the military, shooting her to the top of the most wanted list. But the deeper she goes, the more she uncovers a shocking truth that threatens everything she’s fighting for. In this high-stakes race against time, Nikki must find the strength she thought she left behind to restore the hero her daughter desperately needs.”

FLESH OF THE GODS---vampire movie stars Oscar Isaac, Kristen Stewart and Elizabeth Olsen as vampire Nameless. The synopsis says, “Set in the glittering ’80s L.A., the film follows a married couple who descend each evening from their luxury skyscraper condo and head into an electric nighttime realm. When they cross paths with the mysterious and enigmatic Nameless and her hard-partying cabal, Raoul and Alex are seduced into a glamorous, surrealistic world of hedonism, thrills and violence."

AMERICAN LOVE STORY---the FX anthology series will star Paul Kelly as John F. Kennedy, Jr., Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessett-Kennedy and Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy. The synopsis says, “AMERICAN LOVE STORY depicts the whirlwind courtship and marriage of Kennedy and Bessett. What started out as a beautiful union for the young couple, widely regarded as American royalty, began to fray under the stress of the relentless microscope and navel-gaze of tabloid media. The pressures of their careers and rumored family discord ended with their tragic deaths when his private plane crashed into the ocean on a hazy summer night off the coast of Massachusetts.”

TOGETHER---married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie, their agency, WME, and writer/director Michael Shanks were sued for copyright infringement by producers Jess Jacklin and Charles Beale, who produced the horror movie BETTER HALF. The lawsuit claims Franco and Brie were offered the starring roles in BETTER HALF in which a couple's bodies are fused together. After turning down the roles, Franco and Brie starred in TOGETHER which is claimed to be a "blatant rip-off" of BETTER HALF because they have the same plot, same ending, rats fused together, the couple dance to a Spice Girls LP , they are fused together at their genitals and other similarities.
WME commented on the lawsuit, “This lawsuit is frivolous and without merit. The facts in this case are clear and we plan to vigorously defend ourselves.”

DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN---Kristen Ritter will return as Jessica Jones in Season 2.

TRIVIA---in 1963, Palestinian writer Wael Zwaiter was picked out of a crowd by director Blake Edwards because of Zwaiter's charisma and was given the role of a waiter in Edwards' THE PINK PANTHER which starred David Niven, Peter Sellers and Claudia Cardinale. Zwaiter's companion of eight years, Janet Venn-Brown, said Zwaiter was so charismatic that Edwards offered him a speaking part, but every time Edwards said, "Ready! Shoot!", Zwaiter would freeze and forget his lines, so his waiter role became a non-speaking role.
In the terrorist attack on the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, 11 Israeli Olympic team members were killed by the Black September group. In retaliation, the Israeli Mossad assassinated Black September members. The first to be killed by Mossad was Zwaiter. The PLO denied Zwaiter was a member of Black September, and years later, a senior Mossad leader said Zwaiter's death, "...was a terrible mistake."
Steven Spielberg's MUNICH shows Wael Zwaiter being assassinated by Mossad agents

Palestinian writer Wael Zwaiter played a waiter in Blake Edwards' THE PINK PANTHER which starred David Niven, Peter Sellers and Claudia Cardinale.

Steven Spielberg's MUNICH shows Wael Zwaiter being assassinated by Mossad agents in retaliation for the massacre of 11 Israeli Olympic team members in the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics by Black September.

 

[dragon53]

THURSDAY, MAY 15

AMERICANA---trailer released for the comedy heist movie starring Sydney Sweeney.

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BRING HER BACK---trailer released for the horror movie starring Sally Hawkins.

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HOWARD THE DOC: HOW I LEARNED TO START QUACKING AND LOVE THE BOMB---poster and synopsis released for the theatrical documentary about George Lucas' 1986 box office bomb HOWARD THE DUCK, “Featuring exclusive new interviews with key cast members, the film reunites audiences with Lea Thompson, the beloved star of the BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy and one of the most iconic leading women of the 1980s, and Jeffrey Jones, the celebrated character actor known for unforgettable roles in pop culture staples like BEETLEJUICE and SLEEPY HOLLOW. Also featured is Ed Gale, whose physical performance as Howard made the character’s performance on-screen possible. The documentary further includes insights from legendary visual effects supervisor Phil Tippett, whose groundbreaking work includes STAR WARS, JURASSIC PARK, and INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM. These firsthand accounts offer fresh insight into the movie’s radical creative vision, on-set experiences, and enduring legacy. Together, they help paint a revealing portrait of a film that, despite early skepticism, carved out a lasting place in the canon of comic book cinema.”

HERE COMES THE FLOOD---Denzel Washington, Robert Pattinson and Daisy Edgar-Jones star in the Netflix movie in which a bank guard, a bank teller and a master thief team up for a bank heist.

STRANGE ARRIVALS---Demi Moore and Colman Domingo will star in the sci fi movie inspired by the true story of Barney and Betty Hill, an interracial couple on their honeymoon at Niagara Falls in 1961, who claimed they were abducted by aliens which became the first reported case of alien abduction.

F.A.S.T.---Taylor Sheridan/Warner Bros. movie underway whose synopsis says, “a former special forces commando is tapped by the DEA to lead a black op strike team against CIA-protected drug dealer.”

TOP GUN 3---Tom Cruise commented a possible second sequel to TOP GUN: MAVERICK, “Yeah, we’re thinking and talking about many different stories and what could we do and what’s possible. It took me 35 years to figure out TOP GUN: MAVERICK, so all of these things we’re working on, we’re discussing DAYS OF THUNDER and TOP GUN: MAVERICK.”

SHAUN OF THE DEAD 2---Simon Pegg commented on the status of the zombie sequel, "It’s lovely to be asked, and the following that film has is the best you can hope for as a filmmaker, but SHAUN is a story with a beginning, middle and end, and it’s a story that to add it— like ALIEN 3 did to ALIENS — might end up detracting from the original. So certainly when Edgar [Wright] and I make our next film, we’re gonna really disappoint everybody.”

NETFLIX---the streamer renewed THE DIPLOMAT, BRIDGERTON, THE FOUR SEASONS, FOREVER, MY LIFE WITH THE WALTER BOYS, LOVE ON THE SPECTRUM, MILLION DOLLAR STREET and SURVIVAL OF THE THICKEST (last season ).

TRIVIA---character actor Jerry Fujikawa appeared in a classic tv episode and a classic movie.
Fujikawa played the Japanese UN delegate in THE TWILIGHT ZONE episode "To Serve Man" in which giant aliens land on Earth with an ulterior motive. "To Serve Man" was ranked by TV GUIDE as "The Greatest Twist of All Time" and No. 11 on its "100 Greatest Episodes of All Time". ROLLING STONE named the episode as No. 1 on its "25 Best Twilight Zone Episodes". The episode is known for its famous line, "It's a cook book!"
Fujikawa played the gardener in CHINATOWN in which private investigator Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) investigates the murder of a top Los Angeles city official. CHINATOWN was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, and is considered by film critics as "One of the greatest films of all time".

Jerry Fujikawa played the Japanese UN delegate in THE TWILIGHT ZONE episode "To Serve Man" which is rated by TV GUIDE as "The Greatest Twist of All Time" and No. 11 on its "100 Greatest Episodes of All Time".

"To Serve Man" is known for the famous line, "It's a cook book!"

Fujikawa played the gardener in CHINATOWN which was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and is considered by film critics as "One of the greatest films of all time".

 

[dragon53]

FRIDAY, MAY 16

TASK---trailer released for the HBO miniseries starring Mark Ruffalo as the leader of an FBI task force assigned to stop a violent gang of violent burglars in Philadelphia.

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DIE, MY LOVE---film clip released from the thriller movie starring Robert Pattison and Jennifer Lawrence.

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JOHN RAMBO---Jalmari Helander (SISU) will direct the prequel movie to FIRST BLOOD, the first movie in the RAMBO franchise which starred Sylvester Stallone. Stallone is not involved with the prequel, but there might be opportunity for him to return.

GEARS OF WAR---David Leitch (JOHN WICK) is in negotiations to direct the live-action movie based on the video game.

WISEGUY---movie underway based on the CBS crime tv series that starred Ken Wahl. Wahl is not involved, but Jonathan Banks will reportedly return as FBI agent Frank McPike.

FRIDAY THE 13TH---the new Jason Voorhhees design released for the new FRIDAY THE 13TH movie/tv franchise. Greg Nicotero (THE WALKING DEAD) contributed to the new design.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER---Ryan Keira Armstrong (STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW) will play the new lead vampire slayer in the Hulu reboot tv series.

WONDER WOMAN---a fan asked DC Studios co-head James Gunn, “Do you have any updates on Wonder Woman?” and Gunn replied, “Not to be shared publicly yet but yes. Encouraging.”

AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY---Scarlett Johansson commented on Black Widow returning for DOOMSDAY, “It would be very hard for me to understand in what capacity [returning] would make sense for me, for the character that I play. I miss my buddies and really would love to be with them forever, but what works about the character is that her story is complete. I don’t want to mess with that. For fans, too – it’s important for them.”

THE GOOD FIGHT---Michael J. Fox has joined the cast for Season 3 and speculation is that his character will be connected to Harrison Ford's character who had Parkinson's disease.

OUTER DARK---Jacob Elordi and lily-Rose Depp will star in the movie based on the novel. The plot is described as, "OUTER DARK is set in Appalachia during the Great Depression and tells of a young woman who bears her brother’s baby. The brother leaves the nameless infant in the woods to die, but tells his sister that the newborn died of natural causes and had to be buried. The sister discovers this lie and sets out to find the baby for herself. But as both brother and sister separately move through the countryside, three terrifying strangers are on their tails, wreaking death and destruction wherever they appear.”

TRIVIA---character actor George Macready appeared in two 1960s movies involving a military coup to overthrow a country's leader.
In SEVEN DAYS IN MAY, a military coup plots to overthrow President Jordan Lyman, who assembles a team to thwart the coup, including Secretary of the Treasury Chris Todd (Macready).
In THE GREAT RACE, contestants in an international auto race from New York to Paris wind up the kingdom of Carpania where a military coup led by General Kuhster (Macready) plot to overthrow the country's hapless leader, Crown Prince Friedrich Hapnick (Jack Lemmon).

In SEVEN DAYS IN MAY, a military coup plots to overthrow President Jordan Lyman, who assembles a team to thwart the coup, including Secretary of the Treasury Chris Todd (Macready).

In THE GREAT RACE, contestants in an international auto race from New York to Paris wind up the kingdom of Carpania where a military coup led by General Kuhster (Macready) plot to overthrow the country's hapless leader, Crown Prince Friedrich Hapnick (Jack Lemmon).

 

[dragon53]

MONDAY, MAY 19

***Today's Movie/TV News only has three photos due to technical problems on Postimages.org---most likely due to the recent Windows 11 update which is giving me a lot of "ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR" problems.


WALKING WITH DINOSAURS---film clip released from the BBC miniseries.

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JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH---tv spot released for the sequel.

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PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS---trailer released for the Hulu animated tv series.

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DEEPER---Ana de Armas will reportedly co-star with Tom Cruise in the Doug Liman horror movie whose plot “follows an astronaut who encounters a terrifying force while on a deep dive into a never-before-explored trench.”
Also, Cruise clarified an earlier comment on when he will retire from acting, "I actually said I’m going to make movies into my 80s; actually, I’m going to make them into my 100s. I will never stop. I will never stop doing action, I will never stop doing drama, comedy films — I’m excited.”

SENTINEL---Chad Stahelski (JOHN WICK) will direct the movie whose plot is described as, “a blue-collar mechanic who finds himself on the run in an unforgiving wilderness hunted by a killer, a ruthless drone gone rogue, after he witnesses the assassination of his boss. With only an unlikely companion at his side, he has to survive a brutal and uncover the truth.”

THE HUNGER GAMES---Ralph Fiennes will play President Snow in the prequel movie.

NEAR DARK---A24 tv series underway based on the 1987 Kathryn Bigelow vampire movie that starred Adrian Pasdar, Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen. Bigelow is reportedly involved in some capacity.

S.W.A.T. EXILES---spinoff tv series underway with Hondo Harrelson coming out of retirement to lead an experimental SWAT team made up of untested recruits.

THE BONDSMAN---Amazon Prime cancelled the series.

TRIVIA---Kurt Russell and his son, Wyatt, star in MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS. Wyatt, born in 1986, was named after lawman Wyatt Earp. Ironically, in 1993, Kurt played Wyatt Earp in the classic Western movie TOMBSTONE, a movie featuring the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Kurt's father, Bing Russell, appeared in the 1957 GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL with Burt Lancaster playing Wyatt Earp.

Kurt Russell and his son, Wyatt, star in MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS.

Wyatt, born in 1986, was named after lawman Wyatt Earp. Ironically, in 1993, Kurt played Wyatt Earp in the classic Western movie TOMBSTONE, a movie featuring the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Kurt's father, Bing Russell, played the bartender in the 1957 GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL with Burt Lancaster playing Wyatt Earp.

 

[dragon53]

TUESDAY, MAY 20

JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH---new trailer released for the sequel.

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THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON---teaser trailer released for Season 3.

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HERE COMES THE FLOOD---three sources claim Denzel Washington will be paid $35 million to star in the Netflix heist movie that also stars Robert Pattinson and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Washington also was paid $35 million to star in HIGHEST 2 LOW. Dwayne Johnson holds the title for the biggest salary of $50 million for RED ONE.

RAGE---Andrew Garfield is in negotiations to star in the Paul Greengrass movie about a farmer who leads a peasant revolt in 1381 England.

STAR TREK: STARFLEET SCOUTS---an animated tv series is underway according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office which says it is a "multimedia series featuring animation distribution via various platforms." A casting website is searching for young actors for a YouTube Short Series.

MISDIRECTION---Frank Grillo and Olga Kurylenko will star in the movie whose plot is described as, "a couple driven to carry out a series of high-end heists to pay off a dangerous mob debt. When their latest break-in — targeting a prominent defense attorney— spirals out of control, the pair find themselves caught in a web of secrets, deception, and deadly consequences."

DEATH IN HER HANDS---Tilda Swinton will star in the movie based on the novel about a widow who investigates a possible murder after she finds a note in the woods which says, “Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn’t me. Here is her dead body.”

STRANGERS---Peacock series starring Leslie Mann and Gabrielle Union whose plot is described as, "...a long-neglected housewife befriends a mysterious woman who is her polar opposite, the two women find that they have far more in common than they thought. As their friendship unfolds, we soon learn that they both harbor secrets that could quickly unravel their quiet suburban lives."

7TH HEAVEN---reboot of the tv series is underway which focuses on a diverse family. Jessica Biel is returning as the executive producer, but no other original cast members will be returning.

TOY STORY 5---Conan O'Brien will provide the voice for Smarty Pants in the animated sequel.

TRIVIA---the movie poster for the James Bond movie FOR YOUR EYES ONLY was too risque and some versions were retouched by adding a black mini-skirt to cover the provocative legs. Nancy Stafford, who co-starred with Andy Griffith on MATLOCK, claimed her legs are in the poster. British model Jane Sumner also claimed the poster used her legs.
However, photographer Morgan Kane, who took the photos for the poster, said Stafford's legs were used only for the "test shot" to illustrate the concept for the poster to get approved. Kane used Sumner's arm and hand holding the crossbow, not her legs. Kane then photographed model Joyce Bartle to provide the legs for the famous poster. Bartle said, “I know the contours of my legs. They didn’t retouch a thing.” Kane supported Bartle, “I have the shoes and the bathing suit. In fact, when Joyce put on that suit it came down too low so we asked her to put it on backwards. They’re Joyce’s legs.”

The FOR YOUR EYES ONLY poster was considered too risque.

Nancy Stafford, who co-starred with Andy Griffith on MATLOCK, claimed her legs are in the poster, British model Jane Sumner also claimed the poster used her legs, but photographer Morgan Kane said the poster's legs belong to Joyce Batle, "They’re Joyce’s legs.”

 

[dragon53]

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21

CAUGHT STEALING---trailer released for the Sony Pictures comedy crime movie starring Austin Butler.

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IT: WELCOME TO DERRY---teaser trailer released for the Max horror tv series.

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FUBAR---trailer released for Season 2.

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CHIEF OF WAR---teaser trailer released for the Apple TV+ miniseries starring Jason Momoa.

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ZOOTOPIA 2---teaser trailer released for the animated sequel.

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SUPERMAN---a DC action figure revealed the movie's villain is Ultraman.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS---artwork released for Galactus.

MCU---Tony Gilroy (ANDOR) blamed the decline of Marvel movies on repetition, “Trying to get the, what do they call it? I can’t remember the name of the box. What the f--k is the name of the box in THE AVENGERS? What the f--k are they going for?”
When Gilroy was told the name of the box is Tesseract, he continued, “The Tesseract! That’s why all those Marvel movies are all — that’s why they fail. You’re just constantly … if that’s all you’re doing, then all you’re doing is just trying to get the Tesseract.”

PRISON---Cillian Murphy and Daniel Craig are in talks to star in the untitled Damien Chazelle movie set in a prison. No other details were released.

MR. SCORSESE---Apple TV+ five-part documentary about Martin Scorsese directed by Rebecca Miller, wife of Daniel-Day Lewis and daughter of playwright Arthur Miller.

THE BACKROOMS---Chiwetel Ejiofor and Cristin Miloti are in talks to star in the horror movie based on the urban legend horror video.

NARNIA---Carey Mulligan will play "the very sick mother of Digory, one of the two kids in the adventure.”

WHAC-A-MOLE---Tristar Pictures and Mattel Films are developing a movie based on the arcade game.

TRIVIA---the first Academy Awards ceremony was in 1929 and lasted only 15 minutes with WINGS winning the Best Picture Oscar. The longest Oscar ceremony was in 2002 which lasted 4 hours and 23 minutes with A BEAUTIFUL MIND winning the Best Picture Oscar.

The first Academy Awards ceremony was in 1929 and lasted only 15 minutes with WINGS winning the Best Picture Oscar.

The longest Oscar ceremony was in 2002 which lasted 4 hours and 23 minutes with A BEAUTIFUL MIND, directed by Ron Howard, winning the Best Picture Oscar.

 

[dragon53]

THURSDAY, MAY 22

TITAN: THE OCEANGATE DISASTER---trailer released for the Netflix documentary about the 2023 Titan submersible disaster while heading towards the Titanic wreckage.

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THE WATERFRONT---trailer released for the Netflix series about a prominent North Carolina fishing family.

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THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS---photo released of Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn in the reboot movie.

SUPERMAN---photo released of David Corenswet.

SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY---the sequel's villains are reportedly Scorpion, Boomerang and Tombstone.

MADDEN---an actor in the John Madden biomovie starring Nicolas Cage left the movie after he claimed director David O. Russell used the N-word and told the actor to participate in a scene with full-frontal nudity. Five cast and crew members confirm the actor's claim. Amazon Studios and inside sources denied the claims and said the actor was the one who suggested using the N-word and all actors were told before that the scene involved nudity. Amazon also claimed an intimacy coordinator was brought in and Russell told him he did not have to appear in the scene.
George Clooney said working with Russell on THREE KINGS was "the worst experience of my life" while Amy Adams and Lily Tomlin also had problems with the director. Russell reportedly also attacked Christopher Nolan at a party in Hollywood.

ANDOR---Bix reportedly might return in a future Lucasfilm project.

SCRUBS---Zach Braff signed to star in the ABC reboot series.

PRACTICAL MAGIC 2---Joey King (BULLET TRAIN) will play the daughter of one the lead characters in the witch sequel starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock.

TRIVIA---in the STAR TREK episode "Journey to Babel", Academy Award-winner Anne Baxter turned down the role of Spock's mother, Amanda Grayson. Baxter explained it to THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, "I don't do comic strips, and STAR TREK is six or seven comic strips rolled into one."
The role went to Jane Wyatt who starred on the tv series FATHER KNOWS BEST.

In the STAR TREK episode "Journey to Babel", Anne Baxter (shown with Charlton Heston in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS) turned down the role of Spock's mother, Amanda Grayson, because, "I don't do comic strips, and STAR TREK is six or seven comic strips rolled into one."

The role went to Jane Wyatt who starred on the tv series FATHER KNOWS BEST.

 

[dragon53]

FRIDAY, MAY 23

JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH---posters released for the sequel starring Scarlett Johansson.

TIN SOLDIER---Scott Eastwood, Robert De Niro and Jamie Foxx star in the movie whose synopsis says, "The Bokushi (Foxx) preaches to hundreds of veterans who have been drawn to the promise of protection and purpose under him. Surrounded by his devout, military-trained followers, he has built an impenetrable fortress and amassed an arsenal of weapons. After several failed infiltration attempts, the government — in the form of military operative Emmanuel Ashburn (De Niro) — recruits Nash Cavanaugh (Eastwood), an ex-Special Forces asset, who was once a disciple of The Bokushi. Nash agrees to use his vulnerable past and insider knowledge of the enigmatic leader to finally get revenge on the man who took everything from him, including the love of his life."

STAR WARS---Rian Johnson was asked why he has not started developing the new STAR WARS trilogy, “What happened? KNIVES OUT! I mean, I kind of went down the murder mystery rabbit hole – I’m focused on making other stuff. But that wouldn’t rule out it happening down the line. If I get back in the STAR WARS universe someday, I’d be the happiest person.”
He also commented on negative fan reaction to THE LAST JEDI, “I always want to make this clear: it’s not like I’ve gone through a living hell or something. I’ve had the kind of experience that you only dream about as a filmmaker. I was in my twenties when the prequels came out. I mean, you talk about wars between STAR WARS fans… We experienced our own. That [the prequels] was World War I, and this [THE LAST JEDI] was World War II...But, I feel like I’ve had such a wonderful, lovely, positive experience with the fans during the course of it. That’s left me a bigger STAR WARS fan than I ever was, which is really something, because I grew up with it as the bedrock of my childhood.”

ELDEN RING---Alex Garland was confirmed to be the writer/director of the movie based on the video game.

SEA MONSTER---Josh Hartnett will star in the untitled Netflix miniseries in which a fisherman must protect his family and fellow residents from a sea monster that is terrorizing a Newfoundland fishing village.

FORTUNE---Alan Ritchson will star in an Indiana Jones-type adventure movie.

SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY---Sadie Sink was asked if she would comment on rumors of her role in the sequel, "No. I see a lot of rumors, too. They’ve been really cool to read. I love the Marvel Universe. I mean they’re awesome rumors."

MOON KNIGHT---creator Jeremy Slater commented on a possible Season 2, “Talk to Kevin Feige. Talk to Oscar Isaac. I think the ball’s really in their court. It’s as much or as little MOON KNIGHT as Oscar wants to do. Kevin’s the guy with the master plan, and I think when he comes up with a way to really incorporate MOON KNIGHT into there . . . It’s my hope that we’re gonna see him again, but I’m as curious as the rest of you guys.”

TRIVIA---character actor David White is best known for appearing on BEWITCHED where he played Darrin Stephen's boss, Larry Tate. White's son, Jonathan, died as a passenger on Pan Am Flight 103 which was destroyed in a terrorist bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.

 

[dragon53]

MONDAY, MAY 26

AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY---a rumor claims Marvel Studios wants Ryan Gosling to play Ghost Rider in DOOMSDAY. Earlier, Gosling said he wanted to play Ghost Rider which led to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige saying, "Hey man, if Ryan wants to be Ghost Rider...Gosling’s unbelievable. Ryan is amazing. I'd love to find a place for him in the MCU." Gosling, replied "This was a magical moment. I told Josh I would like to play Ghost Rider. He found Kevin Feige, corners him, does an interview with him. When he says, 'I would like this,' all the lights go off." Gosling commented on the rumor, "I don't know."
Also, movie insider Daniel Richtman said The Void will "have a big role" in DOOMSDAY.

STAR WARS---Ryan Reynolds said he proposed an R-rated STAR WARS movie to Lucasfilm, “It doesn’t have to be overt, A+ characters. There’s a wide range of characters you could use, and I don’t mean R-rated to be vulgar. R-rated as a Trojan horse for emotion. I always wonder why studios don’t want to just gamble on something like that.
I’m not saying I want to be in it. That would be a bad fit. I’d want to produce and write, or be a part of behind the scenes. Those kinds of IP subsist really well on scarcity and surprise. We don’t get scarcity really with STAR WARS because of Disney+, but you can certainly still surprise people.”

SUPERMAN---Christopher McQuarrie commented on his Superman movie starring Henry Cavill that was never made, "And also, how do you do it with Superman? Henry had a take on that. I suddenly realized how these two characters had these amazing similarities, which also allowed for amazing conflict and an amazing universe-expanding resolution.
But I will tell you the first five minutes of my Superman movie, which was...imagine Pixar's UP, a sequence with no dialogue that covered that character in the first five minutes. The first five minutes of the movie was a setup after which you knew exactly what made Superman tick, and exactly what Superman was most afraid of, and why Superman made the choices that he made, and it would have been epic. It would have been epic, in five minutes, the scale of the movie would have been absolutely extraordinary. The other thing, and I hope that anybody who watches this movie, that enjoys the end of this movie [MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE--THE FINAL RECKONING] walking away, that's the feeling I would want you to walk away from, because that's really what Superman is about. It's about hope, and it's about being inspiring, and the joy that created."

DARE DEVIL: BORN AGAIN---photo from the New York film set shows Charlie Cox and Krysten Ritter.

LILO & STITCH---the animated movie earned a record-breaking $183 million for its Memorial Day weekend premiere which beat TOP GUN: MAVERICK's $160.5 million.

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH---the adventure movie starring John Krasinski and Natalie Portman is a big hit on Apple TV+, but it has a Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 37% based on 65 reviews and a fan score of 42% from over 250 reviews.

JAMES BOND---Aaron Taylor-Johnson signed a deal to be a representative for Omega watches which has been the official James Bond watch since GOLDENEYE. This led to speculation that Taylor-Johnson will be the new James Bond.

SKIBIDI TOILET---Michael Bay denied reports he is directing the movie based on the web series and said he is only producing it, “I went on the internet last night and it says stuff about me directing something, I know what I’m directing, but it’s not the thing they keep talking about. That’s a movie. These are a whole bunch of movies right now, one is in serious prep, one is in soft prep, one I’m writing, one getting ready to produce or two to produce, but there’s not one in that little pile that says Skibidi, so let’s just stop the lore right now. OK. You heard it from me.”

THE WHEEL OF TIME---Amazon Prime cancelled the series.

TRIVIA---Memorial Day movie trivia.
In 1982, ex-Green Beret Lt. Col. Bo Gritz, supposedly the inspiration for Rambo, and recipient of the Silver and Bronze Stars, led a team of three other ex-Green Berets and 15 Laotian guerillas into Laos on a mission, code-named Operation Lazarus, to rescue 120 American POWs reportedly held by the Communist government after the Vietnam War. Lazarus failed when the team was ambushed by Laotian paramilitary forces. Two of the Laotian team members were killed, and an American was captured. He was later freed after a $17,000 ransom was paid.
The mission was partially funded by Clint Eastwood, who reportedly donated $50,000, and William Shatner, who reportedly donated $10,000. Eastwood refused to comment, but Shatner said, "Through a series of mutual friends, I met a man represented as one of the most interesting I'd meet in my life. I met with him many times and I went to Paramount with whom I have a development deal. I bought the film rights to Bo Gritz's story. It is now in fact at ABC and has been there a couple months. I didn't finance an undercover operation, just the life story of a man with whom I became enthralled."
A member of the Lazarus team that remained in the US as a communications coordinator was Lynn Standerwick, the daughter of Col. Robert Standerwick, the pilot of a US Air Force F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber that crashed during a mission over Laos. The Phantom's other crewman said both men ejected out of their jet. He was in radio contact with Standerwick until he heard shots and a cry of pain. After being captured, the crewman was told by his captors that Standerwick had been killed.
The story of Operation Lazarus was told in the book HEROES WHO FELL FROM GRACE: THE TRUE STORY OF OPERATION LAZARUS, THE ATTEMPT TO FREE AMERICAN POWS FROM LAOS IN 1982.

Operation Lazarus was led by ex-Green Beret Lt. Col. Bo Gritz, supposedly the inspiration for Rambo, and recipient of the Silver and Bronze Stars.

Operation Lazarus was partially funded by Clint Eastwood, who played an ex-US Air Force fighter pilot and Vietnam War POW suffering from PTSD in FIREFOX.

Operation Lazarus was also partially funded by William Shatner, who bought the film rights to Lt. Col. Gritz's life.

One Operation Lazarus member was Lynn Standerwick, the daughter of Col. Robert Standerwick, who ejected from his US Air Force F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber on a mission over Laos and may have been killed by Laotian forces.

 

[dragon53]

TUESDAY, MAY 27

MIDNIGHT VENDETTA---Martin Scorsese movie underway written by Eric Roth (FORREST GUMP) and may star Leonardo DcCaprio. The movie is set in New Orleans and the plot is described as, “Scilian immigrants, many fleeing poverty and violence back home, settled in the city’s port neighborhoods, bringing with them old-world networks and rivalries. Tensions quickly escalated between local authorities and the growing Italian community, culminating in the infamous murder of Police Chief David Hennessy in 1890. Hennessy reportedly blamed ‘the Dagoes’ with his dying breath, triggering one of the largest lynchings in U.S. history when a mob stormed the jail and killed 11 Italian men, some with suspected Mafia ties. This event thrust the Sicilian Mafia into the national spotlight and etched New Orleans into the origin story of organized crime in America.”

SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY---a sequel rumor claims Mark Ruffalo is returning as the Hulk and Michael Mando is in talks to play Scorpion.

TOP GUN 3---Christopher McQuarrie said he and co-writer Ehren Kruger have come up with the sequel's plot, “It [the premise] is already in the bag…Yeah, I already know what it is, wasn’t hard. I thought it would be, and that’s a good place to go from…Ehren Kruger pitched something, and the framework is there, so, no, it’s not hard to crack. The truth of the matter is none of these are hard to crack. It’s not the scope or scale of action, the engineering of the action, it’s none of those things, it’s the emotion. I’ve given that absolutely no thought whatsoever.”
McQuarrie also commented on Cruise starring in a spinoff movie based on Less Grossman from TROPIC THUNDER, “The conversations we’ve had about Les Grossman are so f***ing funny. We’re talking about it now. We’re having very serious conversations about it and how best to do it and what it ultimately comes down to is what that character is.”

THE LAST OF US---the Season 2 premiere had 3.7 million US viewers which is 30% less than Season 1's premiere of 5.3 million viewers. The drop was attributed the episode being leaked a week before, the NBA finals and the Memorial Day holiday.

SUPERMAN---the movie is 122 minutes long which is the second shortest Superman movie. SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE was 90 minutes long.

PEACEMAKER---James Gunn hinted Season 2 will a major cameo, “We see a lot of different characters from Superman in the [season], [including] Isabela and Nathan and Sean, and then we see a bunch of other characters later on in the season from other parts of the DCU and from Superman. There might even be one really, really, really big cameo near the end of the show.”

VAMPIRE---Ezra Miller is reuniting with director Lynne Ramsay for an untitled vampire movie.

VISION QUEST---T'Nia Miller (THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE) will co-star in the Disney+ tv series as Jocasta, a female robot driven by revenge.

TRIVIA---May 27, 2025 is the 84th anniversary of the Royal Navy sinking the German battleship Bismarck on its maiden combat voyage after it sank the famed battle cruiser HMS Hood.
In the movie SINK THE BISMARCK!, two of the actors were Flight Direction Officers on Royal Navy aircraft carriers that were sister ships and the two actors later served together in the same office.
In SINK THE BISMARCK!, Michael Hordern played Admiral John Tovey, commander of the battleship HMS KING GEORGE V, which led the sinking of the Bismarck, and Kenneth Moore played Captain Jonathan Shepard, who coordinated the hunt for the Bismarck.
During World War II, Hordern was a Flight Direction Officer on the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, and Moore was a Flight Direction Officer on the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious, the Illustrious' sister ship, which had participated in the hunt for the Bismarck. Later in the war, Hordern served in the office of Naval Assistant to the Second Sea Lord, and Moore was in the same office.

May 27, 2025 is the 84th anniversary of the Royal Navy sinking the German battleship Bismarck on its first combat voyage after it sank the famed battle cruiser HMS Hood.

In the movie SINK THE BISMARCK!, Michael Hordern played Admiral John Tovey, commander of the battleship HMS KING GEORGE V, which led the sinking of the Bismarck.

Kenneth Moore played Captain Jonathan Shepard, who coordinated the hunt for the Bismarck.

 

[dragon53]

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28

GUARDIAN ANGEL---trailer released for the comedy movie starring Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves.

LINK:

SMOKE---trailer released for the Apple TV+ arson tv miniseries starring Taron Egerton.

LINK:

JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH---featurette released for the sequel.

LINK:

MATERIALISTS---trailer released for the movie starring Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal.

LINK:

SUPERMAN---McFarlane figure shows Metamorpho.

HARRY POTTER---the child actors starring in the HBO prequel tv series are: Dominic McLaughlin (Harry Potter), Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger) and Alistair Stout (Ron Weasley).

AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY---a rumor claims the sequel plot involves Dr. Doom controlling The Sentinels, who are fought by the X-Men, Deadpool, Gambit, Shang-Chi and the Invisible Woman.

SPIDER-MAN: BAND NEW DAY---a rumor claims Tarantula is one of the sequel's villains.

DRAGONLORD---David Sandberg (KUNG FURY) is the star/writer/director of the movie he described as," like STAR WARS, MAD MAX, LORD OF THE RINGS and HE-MAN mashed into one, where dinosaurs from the past co-exist with robots from the future — and everything in between...“It’s a really fun, really rich world with a lot of funny characters. It’s tonally similar to KING FURY“. The plot involves treasure hunter Dragonlord and his team who must rescue his best friend, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, who was kidnapped by the evil Dreadmancer.

RUSH HOUR 4---Jackie Chan commented on the status of the sequel, “I don’t know. Ask the director, ask the studio, ask the writer. Hurry up! Otherwise, Chris Tucker and me [will be] 100 years old. We’ll be old men doing RUSH HOUR.”
When asked if he still wants to do the sequel, Chan replied, “Yes! And I want to do [another] SHANGHAI KNIGHTS, SHANGHAI DAWN, SHANGHAI NOON...The script is still going on. I want to do a RUSH HOUR 4.”

HACKS---Max renewed the series for Season 5.

TRIVIA---the 1960s tv Western comedy F-TROOP was about the antics at a US Army outpost in the West and starred Forrest Tucker, Larry Storch, Ken Berry and Melody Patterson. When Patterson auditioned for the role of Melody Jane, she was only 15 years old, "I did well on the F-TROOP audition and I knew it...So when the producers asked me, 'You're eighteen, right?' I didn’t argue with them. I said, 'Right.' Then they said, 'Well, you can ride a horse, right?' I didn’t argue about that either. I thought to myself, 'If I can just get tested, then I will have some film.' Then when they offered me the role, I thought, 'Well if I can just do the pilot I'll still be ahead of the game.'"