Movie/TV News (6 Viewers)

[dragon53]

FRIDAY, MARCH 20

WE SUMMON THE DARKNESS---trailer released for the comedy horror movie.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGOCLeC2MNA



BILLIONS---trailer released for Season 5.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh1sTYIJoyQ



WONDER WOMAN 1984---new photos released from the sequel.

THE MANDALORIAN---Rosario Dawson will play Ahsoka Tano in season 2.

GAME OF THRONES---Emilia Clarke said she agrees with fans that Daenerys Targaryen deserved a better ending, "I felt for her. I really felt for her. And yeah, was I annoyed that Jon Snow didn’t have to deal with something? He got away with murder – literally. I knew how I felt [about the ending] when I first read it, and I tried, at every turn, not to consider too much what other people might say.
But I did always consider what the fans might think – because we did it for them, and they were the ones who made us successful, so it’s just polite, isn’t it?. It was all about the set pieces. I think the sensational nature of the show was, possibly, given a huge amount of airtime because that’s what makes sense.”

GRAVEL---a rumor claims Jason Statham is a candidate to star in the movie based on the comic book about SAS commando William Gravel who rents out his dark magic powers to battle supernatural villains.

CATS---VANITY FAIR asked Universal Pictures to comment on the "Butthole Cut" of the much-criticized movie musical. A Universal representative quipped, “Hopefully that will add to the magic and mythical nature of the cinematic treasure.”
A VFX member clarified reports of the "Butthole Cut", "There were never shots of cats with butt holes. Or at least by design, none that I saw anyway. However, there were a dozen or so shots where the skin and fur sim was groomed or just folded in a way that really REALLY looked like very furry lady genitals and buttholes by accident. The task (as typical with heavy CG shows) fell on 2D to paint out the offending articles where it was brought up and spotted. Daily reviews were constant awkward discussions of people plucking up the courage to point things like this out; ‘does that look like a fanny to you?’"

TRIVIA---in JERRY MAGUIRE, when Jerry quits his sports agent job at Sports Management International, his boss, Scully, is played by Jann Wenner, the publisher of ROLLING STONE.

 

[OzDigger]

CATS---VANITY FAIR asked Universal Pictures to comment on the "Butthole Cut" of the much-criticized movie musical. A Universal representative quipped, “Hopefully that will add to the magic and mythical nature of the cinematic treasure.”
A VFX member clarified reports of the "Butthole Cut", "There were never shots of cats with butt holes. Or at least by design, none that I saw anyway. However, there were a dozen or so shots where the skin and fur sim was groomed or just folded in a way that really REALLY looked like very furry lady genitals and buttholes by accident. The task (as typical with heavy CG shows) fell on 2D to paint out the offending articles where it was brought up and spotted. Daily reviews were constant awkward discussions of people plucking up the courage to point things like this out; ‘does that look like a fanny to you?’"

I always enjoy reading this thread, usually something of interest. Just wondering why they use the term Fanny here, I guess Pussy would be more confusing.

 

[dragon53]

MONDAY, MARCH 22

THE WALKING DEAD---trailer released for the next episode.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEahwFc0NSM


WESTWORLD---trailer released for the next episode.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLDAPpDfhZE


MRS. AMERICA---trailer released for the FX miniseries about Phyllis Schlafly.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ9NQG6LVFc



PENINSULA---photo released from the zombie sequel to TRAIN TO BUSAN which is set four years after the original movie in which an ex-soldier leads a team to retrieve something and discovers more survivors of the zombie plague.

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER---Sally Guinness, the granddaughter of Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi), had a cameo as a First Order officer in THE RISE OF SKYWALKER.
Also, Greg Grunberg, a friend of JJ Abrams, denied there is a "J.J. Cut" of THE RISE OF SKYWALKER which includes a supposed deleted scene of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker's Force ghost, '"Yeah, I never understood that. I talked to J.J. as friends throughout the entire process. Every night, I'd be like, "How's it going?" Every time, he was so positive. I'm being completely honest here, but not once did he ever tell me that there was any pressure on him to cut things out. It's part of the creative process, obviously. Kathy Kennedy is brilliant; the people at Disney are brilliant. They give notes, but ultimately, it's up to J.J., the director, who they really trust. Personally, I don't think there's any truth to that, and I would be surprised if there's a "J.J. cut." Every movie goes through a series of cuts; it's just the nature of it. You see what works, what you need more of and where you need clarity. So, I think that's all a part of the creative process. I don't buy into it at all."'

THE MANDALORIAN---it was confirmed that Robert Rodriguez directed an episode for Season 2. Also, Lucasfilm is considering a Disney+ spinoff tv series about Ahsoka Tano starring Rosario Dawson.

THE BATMAN---Eiza Gonzalez (BABY DRIVER) said she was very disappointed in losing the Catwoman role to Zoe Kravitz, "It’s part of why you’re so far down the line, because you’re living and dreaming the character. It is heartbreaking; it is always hard. You have to envision yourself in the role in order to see the role. You can’t have one foot in and one foot out. When I started my career, I was more like that, and I wouldn’t get that far. So now I do, and I just go through the heartbreak afterwards.”

AQUAMAN 2---writer David Leslie Johnson-Goldrick commented on the sequel, “We’re not taking any one particular comic book story and adapting it, but if you want to know the vibe we’re going for, pick up pretty much any Silver Age story featuring Black Manta. It [the script] is going good! I’m texting with [James Wan] about the draft of the script right now — I think you’re gonna dig it.”

THE LOST BOYS---director Joel Schumacher wanted to do a female spinoff movie with Drew Barrymore and Rosanna Arquette, “There’s always been a desire at Warner Bros to do a sequel, and I always felt there was no sequel to Lost Boys because, of course, the Lost Boys are all dead, and unlike FRIDAY THE 13TH and HALLOWEEN and Freddy Krueger, we’re not going to bring them all back from the dead.
So what I suggested to them was that they do [THE] LOST GIRLS, because I thought girl vampires on motorcycles would be sexy and funny and something that I’d like to see.”

TRIVIA---more James Bond movie trivia.
The poster for FOR YOUR EYES ONLY showing a pair of provocative female legs is considered one of the best posters in the James Bond franchise---and three different women claimed the legs belong to them.
Model Nancy Stafford (some sources say Stafford is the Nancy Stafford who starred on MATLOCK) said, “I arrived on the set with my own bathing suit, and they handed me a crossbow and some silver shoes. The funny thing is, I’ve always had a battle with skinny legs and worked real hard at building them up. But I guess it turned out okay—although I’m certain they did some retouching.”
However, photographer Morgan Kane, who took the poster photo, said Stafford's legs were used only for, “a rough ad. But once the concept was approved, we went to London to reshoot" with British model Jane Sumner. Sumner claims the poster shows her hand with a plain gold band and another with three diamonds. But Kane said, “She has good reason to believe that. That’s her arm and her hand, that’s all. Jane had very nice legs, but we decided they were too heavy. Because Jane had the right crossbow—one with a scope on it—we attached her arm to the final version.”
New York model Joyce Bartle said the legs in the poster are her legs,“I’ve been looking at my legs since I was 4 years old, and I can tell they’re mine...I know the contours of my legs. They didn’t retouch a thing.” Kane supports 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.”

 

[dragon53]

TUESDAY, MARCH 24

SURVIVE THE NIGHT---trailer released for the home invader movie starring Bruce Willis.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klwXp-t2o50



MOST DANGEROUS GAME---trailer released for the Quibi series starring Liam Hemsworth and Christoph Waltz.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icv7FGqZCuA



THE WALKING DEAD---showrunner Angela Kang said Michonne's final episode leads up to the Rick Grimes theatrical movie, "One thing that emerged early on as feeling critically important to all of us on the writing side as well as Danai was the idea of concrete evidence of Rick's presence and a direction to go in. The boots are an iconic part of Rick's costume, would've been on his person at the time of the bridge explosion, and would be immediately recognizable to Michonne, so that's how we came to have this first clue."
Scott R. Gimple commented on Michonne appearing in the Rick Grimes movie, “Is it fair to assume? It’s definitely fair to assume that. There might even be her own story along the way. Some of it has to do with the way we’re playing around with the story right now. There’s this whole new story strand opened up with her departure.
We look at these stories as, ‘What was the point of her story?’. At the end of her journey where she has these unbelievable hints about Rick and a direction to go in, she still stops to help someone. That’s who she is and who she’s become. In some ways, even though she has a whole lot of story ahead of her, that completes her journey on THE WALKING DEAD.”

COSMIC SIN---Bruce Willis, Frank Grillo, Luke Wilson and Adelaide Kane will star in this sci fi movie in which the military and scientists team up to battle alien invaders who use mankind as host bodies.

A QUIET PLACE PART II---John Krasinski said the sequel will be scarier than the original movie, "I think you’re gonna be really scared. I mean the truth is, I think again organically you’re more scared because you care about these characters. In the first movie you were getting to know them. Now you know them, you don’t want anything to happen to them. The sound’s much more intense because you know the rules of sound. And so my point was to make the audience part of the movie."

JOAQUIN PHOENIX---director Werner Herzog commented on how he may have saved Joaquin Phoenix's life after Phoenix wrecked his car which flipped over in Los Angeles in 2006, “Yes, although he was upside down in this car, squished between airbags that had deployed and wildly trying to light a cigarette. I knew he must not light his cigarette, because there was gasoline dripping and he would have perished in a fireball.
So I tried to be clearly commandeering to him and tell him not to. But I was worried that if you gave him a command, he would strike his lighter even harder. So I managed to snatch the cigarette lighter from his hand. Then it became completely clear that it was Joaquin. But I didn’t want to speak to him after. I saw he wanted to come over and thank me. I just drove off.”

WESTWORLD---co-creator Jonathan Nolan said the GAME OF THRONES crossover with David Benioff and DB Weiss came from George R Martin, "'We’re also friendly with George R.R. Martin, and George had consistently since the first season said, “We’ve got to do a tie-in with ‘Game of Thrones.'” People forget that George was originally a TV writer and he came up in the TV world in which you’d occasionally have these crossover shows, which the fans would f—ing freak out over. So George had always been pitching the crossover show."'
Also, in the Benioff/Weiss scene, Costa Rica is mentioned which led to some speculation that there might be a JURASSIC PARK crossover with WESTWORLD because Jurassic Park is located on Isla Nublar, Costa Rica and both novels were written by Michael Crichton. The other possibility is that the Costa Rica comments was simply an inside joke about the Crichton connection between the two sci fi franchises.

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE---Finn Wolfhard assured fans about the reboot movie, “Older GHOSTBUSTERS fans will find it’s a really, really faithful approach to the series.”

TRIVIA---decorated Vietnam veteran Dale Dye is well known for his association with Steven Spielberg as a technical adviser and actor on SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, BAND OF BROTHERS, THE PACIFIC and other projects. But Dye's first association with Spielberg was in CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THE THIRD KIND where he played the Special Forces radioman who blows his whistle while soldiers search Devil's Tower for Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) and his companions.

Dale Dye was the technical adviser and actor on Steven Spielberg's SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.

Dye was the technical adviser and actor in the Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg miniseries BAND OF BROTHERS.

Dye was the technical adviser on the Hanks/Spielberg miniseries THE PACIFIC.

Dye's first association with Spielberg was in CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THE THIRD KIND where he played the Special Forces radioman who blows his whistle while soldiers search Devil's Tower for Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) and his companions.

 

[dragon53]

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25

PENNY DREADFUL: CITY OF ANGELS---featurette released for the Showtime horror spinoff series.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7n2SSJWvpk&t=11s



THE MANDALORIAN---Michael Biehn (THE TERMINATOR, ALIENS) has joined the cast in an undisclosed role for Season 2, although it is rumored that Biehn will play a rival bounty hunter with ties to The Mandalorian.
Also, Ashley Eckstein, who voiced Ahasoka Tano in STAR WARS: CLONE WARS and REBELS, expressed disappointment in not getting the live-action role in THE MANDALORIAN, “It has been my dream for 14 years to continue to play Ahsoka Tano in all forms...continue to be grateful for opportunities to help create stories for Ahsoka Tano and I am always happy to see her legacy continued. I am only one member of a tremendously talented team of people that it takes to bring Ahsoka Tano to life. The final decisions for Ahsoka are not mine to make and I cannot comment on something that I truly know nothing about.” Rosario Dawson got the role.

THE WALKING DEAD---AMC announced the season finale has been cancelled due to the coronavirus and will be shown as a special episode later in the year, “Current events have unfortunately made it impossible to complete post-production on The Walking Dead Season 10 finale, so the current season will end with its 15th episode on April 5th. The planned finale will appear as a special episode later in the year.”
Also, Michonne's final episode drew 3.66 million viewers, which makes it the second most-watched Season 10 episode and just below the Season 10 premiere which drew 4.0 million viewers.

STAR TREK: PICARD---Patrick Stewart posted an offer for a free month of streaming CBS All Access, "Our #StarTrekPicard season finale is Thursday, and starting today until 4/23, you can watch for free on @CBSAllAccess in the US with the code: GIFT. Link in bio to sign up. I can’t wait to reunite with our cast and crew for Season 2."
BLACK WIDOW---Ray Winstone will reportedly play Dreykov, head of the Red Room, the Black Widow Program, that trains young women to be assassins.

THE JOHNNY CARSON SHOW---Shout Factory TV will start streaming episodes of THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON in April. It will be followed by THE BEST OF CARNAC THE MAGICIAN, THE BEST OF GEORGE CARLIN and ANIMAL ANTICS with Joan Embery and Jim Fowler.

PORNHUB---Pornhub vice president Corey Price announced free Pornhub Premium upgrades, “With nearly one billion people in lockdown across the world because of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important that we lend a hand and provide them with an enjoyable way to pass the time. We hope by expanding our offer of free Pornhub Premium worldwide, people have an extra incentive to stay home and flatten the curve.”

NATIONAL ANTHEM---AMC/Scott Z. Burns tv series about a middle class family that bursts into songs as it struggles along.

NETFLIX---Netflix renewed LOVE IS BLIND, THE CIRCLE and RHYTHM + FLOW.

TRIVIA---buxom actress Lorali Hart was groped by Leslie Nielsen in two NAKED GUN movies. In THE NAKED GUN, Nielsen (Lt. Frank Drebin) groped Hart ("woman on ledge"). In THE NAKED GUN 33 1/3: THE FINAL INSULT, Nielsen again groped Hart ("melon lady") in a supermarket.
In Ed Wood's ORGY OF THE DEAD, Hart played the topless Cat Dance (Texas Starr).

In THE NAKED GUN, Leslie Nielsen (Lt. Frank Drebin) groped buxom Lorali Hart ("woman on ledge").

In THE NAKED GUN 33 1/3: THE FINAL INSULT, Nielsen once again groped Hart ("melon lady") in a supermarket.

In Ed Wood's ORGY OF THE DEAD, Hart played topless Cat Dance (Texas Starr).

 

[dragon53]

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

THE MANDALORIAN---Bill Burr is returning as mercenary Mayfield in Season 2.

CASSIAN ANDOR---VFX artist Neal Scanlan said the untitled Disney+ prequel series to ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY might introduce new characters, “It certainly doesn’t feel like we are making any compromises. It’s the same creative conditions in every department to do what we can do. We also have this backlog of characters. A lot of the characters that we built for all of the films either didn’t make it to the final cut, because that’s just the way that the film process happens, or that they are seen so momentarily that there is this wonderful second opportunity to bring back some of the characters that we’ve made and bring them to this new storyline in a more, shall we say, integrated way. I think it’s going to be tremendous. I find that it’s a second opportunity for everything that we’ve made, plus the opportunity of moving TV along, in a sense, at what will not at all be diminished as far as the level of quality, the level of things that we are going to try and achieve.”

STAR TREK: PICARD---Patrick Stewart commented on the Season 1 finale and its connection to STAR TREK: NEMESIS, “The content of this scene was so serious, and so important to the characters — and the affection and mutual respect — was so clear and so strong. Picard knew that this would probably be the last time that he was ever with [Data] and we — we had to address that. The guilt Picard felt over Data’s loss at the beginning of the season, that the two characters never had a proper goodbye, or resolution, in [NEMESIS] … We took almost the entire day, not quite, as I recall, [to shoot the scene], but it was a very, very intense experience.”

BRIAN DE PALMA---director Brian De Palma commented on his career, “In my mid-50s doing CARLITO'S WAY and then MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE. It doesn’t get much better than that. You have all the power and tools at your disposal. When you have the Hollywood system working for you, you can do some remarkable things. But as your movies become less successful, it gets harder to hold on to the power and you have to start making compromises. I don’t know if you even realize you’re making them… I tend to be very hard-nosed about this. If you have a couple of good decades, that’s good, that’s great.”
He added, “Stories, they keep making them longer and longer only for economic reasons. After I made MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, Tom [Cruise] asked me to start working on the next one. I said: ‘Are you kidding?’ One of these is enough. Why would anybody want to make another one? Of course, the reason they make another one is to make money. I was never a movie director to make money, which is the big problem of Hollywood. That’s the corruption of Hollywood.”
De Palma talked about cinematography, “The things that they’re doing now have nothing to do with what we were doing making movies in the ’70s, ‘80s and ’90s. The first thing that drives me crazy is the way they look. Because they’re shooting digitally they’re just lit terribly. I can’t stand the darkness, the bounced light. They all look the same. I believe in beauty in cinema. Susan and I were looking at GONE WITH THE WIND the other day and you’re just struck at how beautiful the whole movie is. The sets, how Vivien Leigh is lit, it’s just extraordinary. If you look at the stuff that’s streaming all the time, it’s all muck. Visual storytelling has gone out the window.”

THOR: DARK WORLD---director Patty Jenkins commented on why she left the movie, “I did not believe that I could make a good movie out of the script that they were planning on doing. I think it would have been a huge deal – it would have looked like it was my fault. It would’ve looked like, ‘Oh my God, this woman directed it and she missed all these things.’
That was the one time in my career where I really felt like, ‘Do this with [another director] and it’s not going to be a big deal and maybe they’ll understand it and love it more than I do.’ You can’t do movies you don’t believe in. The only reason to do it would be to prove to people that I could. But it wouldn’t have proved anything if I didn’t succeed. I don’t think that I would have gotten another chance. And so, I’m super grateful."

A RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK---in his memoir APROPOS OF NOTHING, Woody Allen commented on star Timothee Chalamet, who criticized Allen over his sexual accusations and then donated his salary to charities connected to the #MeToo movement, “All the three leads in ‘Rainy Day’ were excellent and a pleasure to work with. Timothee afterwards publicly stated he regretted working with me and was giving the money to charity, but he swore to my sister he needed to do that as he was up for an Oscar for ‘Call Me by Your Name,’ and he and his agent felt he had a better chance of winning if he denounced me, so he did. Anyhow, I didn’t regret working with him and I’m not giving any of my money back.”

ANGRY BIRDS: SUMMER MADNESS---Netflix animated tv series underway based on the video game and movies. The tv series will be 40 11-minute episodes which focus on Red, Chuck and Bomb.

TRIVIA---in ARRIVAL, Gen. Shang tells linguist Louise Banks his wife's dying words, which later prevent a Chinese attack on the alien spaceship. The English translation for her dying words is, "In war there are no winners, only widows."

 

[dragon53]

SATURDAY, MARCH 28

DOCTOR WHO---Russell T. Davies short story sequel titled "Revenge of the Nestene" to the Season 1 premiere released.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpFoOkSDgnc



BAD EDUCATION---trailer released for the HBO movie starring Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVffM3OZkH8



MAD MAX---Anya Taylor-Joy is reportedly a candidate to play the young Furiosa in the prequel movie.

MORBIUS---Sony Pictures released the poster for the Jared Leto vampire movie.

IRON MAN 3---Rebecca Hall commented on the original version of her character, Maya Hansen, “Yeah! She was meant to be a sort of – oh god, I can’t even remember probably now. In the first script that I read she was in it to the end and she created whatever that serum-y thing was and then she sort of saved it by doing an act of martyrdom at the end and there was a whole like, she was evil but then she tries to be good at the end situation. It was a better part.” Director Shane Black said, “There was an early draft of Iron Man 3 where we had an inkling of a problem. Which is that we had a female character who was the villain in the draft.”
Speculation is that the original Maya Hansen was changed because Marvel Entertainment head Ike Perimutter thought the evil Maya Hansen toy would not sell very well.

ADAM SANDLER---an old quote from Sandler resurfaced recently about Sandler's inconsistent movies, “Man, I don’t know what the downs have been. I mean, maybe in some people, when they write about me, they talk about my downs. But I don’t have any downs. I love every movie I’ve made. I’ve never in my entire career phoned one thing in.”

LOKI---creator Michael Waldron commented on the Disney+ series starring Tom Hiddleston, “I think it’s the struggle with identity. Who you are, who you want to be. I’m really drawn to characters who are fighting for control. Certainly, you see that with Loki over the first 10 years of movies. He’s out of control at pivotal parts of his life. He was adopted and everything and that manifests itself through anger and spite towards his family.”

MESSIAH---Netflix cancelled the series.

TRIVIA---an urban legend claims that at the GREEN ACRES series finale farewell party, the cast and crew barbequed and ate the pig that played Arnold Ziffel. In reality, a crew member told the pork tale because they were tired of answering questions about Arnold.

 

[dragon53]

MONDAY, MARCH 30

WESTWORLD---trailer released for the next episode.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCO2lWqmNt8



HAIL MARY---Ryan Gosling will star in this sci fi movie based on the upcoming novel by Andy Weir (THE MARTIAN) in which a lone astronaut must save Earth.

DRAGON'S LAIR---Ryan Reynolds is in talks to star in this Netflix live-action movie based on the 1980s arcade game about knight Dirk the Daring who must rescue Princess Daphne from the evil wizard Murdroc and the dragon Singe.

THE MANDALORIAN---artist concept shows Michael Biehn's bounty hunter character.

POSSESSOR---Brandon Cronenberg, son of David Cronenberg, is the writer/director of this sci fi movie about a secret organization that uses brain implant technology which allows people to inhabit other people's bodies and become highly-paid assassins. Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott star.

HOBBS & SHAW 2---Dwayne Johnson confirmed the sequel is underway, "We are developing now the next film, the next movie, and I'm pretty excited about it...Just gotta figure out the creative right now, and the direction we’re going to go."

STAR TREK: PICARD---Brent Spiner said he will not be returning as Data, “I mean, there was just a finite amount of time that I can actually play Data, no matter what anyone says. So many people were like, ‘Oh, you can do it. You’re not too old,’ and then I do it and they go, ‘You’re too old. Why’d you do it?’ I think we did it in such brief sequences that it was fine to do it, and I felt good about it. But I wouldn’t really entertain the idea of doing it again because I just don’t think it would be realistic. So it seemed right to me to give him this more gentle sendoff, and it seemed right to me in the context of the entire season of Picard and what Picard himself had been experiencing because of the loss of Data. I think it allows him to feel okay about it too. So it seemed like the right thing to do.”

THE BATMAN---John Turturro commented on playing villain Carmine Falcone, “I’m playing the bad guy. I loved Batman growing up, but I’m really a Zorro fan [Laughs]. So there’s no Batman without Zorro. When I was 5 years old, I thought I was Zorro with a sword. I had a stick that I hit my father with all the time. Then, when Batman came on TV, it was a big thrill. I read some of the comics. My sons always read DC comics. So I played with those for years. I like Matt Reeves, the director. It’s an interesting cast.”

HELLBOY---David Harbour blamed the reboot movie's failure on fans who are loyal to Guillermo del Toro, “I think it failed before we began shooting because I think that people didn’t want us to make the movie and for some reason there was like a big… Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman created this iconic thing that we thought could be reinvented and then they certainly – the loudness of the internet was like, ‘We do not want you to touch this.’ And then we made a movie that I think is fun and I think had its problems but was a fun movie and then people were just very very against it and that’s people’s right but I learned my lesson in a lot of different way.”

NETFLIX---Netflix renewed CASTLEVANIA for Season 4 and LOCKE & KEY for Season 2.

TRIVIA---more James Bond movie trivia.
THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN, the fourth in the movie series, was a James Bond movie parody. Writer/director Blake Edwards wanted a British secret agent named James to attempt to assassinate the bumbling Chief Inspector Clouseau and hoped to get Sean Connery or Roger Moore for the role. When that was unsuccessful, Edwards got Omar Sharif to play the Egyptian assassin in an uncredited cameo.

THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN was originally supposed to be a James Bond movie parody with Sean Connery or Roger Moore playing a British secret agent named James, who is assigned to kill bumbling Chief Inspector Clouseau.

After efforts to get Connery and Moore were unsuccessful, Omar Sharif played the Egyptian assassin in an uncredited cameo.

The Egyptian assassin failed to kill Clouseau, but he did have sex with Soviet assassin Olga Bariosova (Lesley-Anne Down).

 

[dragon53]

TUESDAY, MARCH 31

OUTER BANKS---Netflix trailer for the murder mystery and treasure hunt series set on the Outer Banks, North Carolina.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC68w9tvv6I



THE MANDALORIAN---sources say Jamie Lee Curtis was spotted on the film set "multiple times" and may be “there for a set visit” or perhaps she will “have a role in the series”.

EXTRACTION--poster released for the Netflix movie starring Chris Hemsworth as a mercenary who must rescue a boy being used as a pawn by two drug lords.

BARRY SONNENFELD---in his memoir, BARRY SONNENFELD, CALL YOUR MOTHER: MEMOIRS OF A NEUROTIC FILMMAKER, director Barry Sonnenfeld (MEN IN BLACK) talked about what he learned from making porn movies after graduating from film school, "It taught me that you should never release a movie with Smell-O-Vision because if anyone ever smelled a porn it would destroy the entire porn industry."

APROPOS OF NOTHING---in his memoir, Woody Allen commented on diversity in his movies, “I’ve taken some criticism over the years that I didn’t use African-Americans in my movies, and while affirmative action can be a fine solution in many instances, it does not work when it comes to casting. I always cast the person who fits the part most believably in my mind’s eye.
When it comes to the politics of race, I have always been a typical liberal and sometimes maybe even radical. I marched in Washington with Martin Luther King, donated heavily to the ACLU when they needed extra to push the Voting Rights Act, named my children after my African-American heroes and said publicly in the 1960s that I was in favor of African-Americans achieving their goals by any means necessary. Anyhow, when it comes to casting, I do not go by politics but by what feels dramatically correct to me.”

ENCHANTED---Amy Adams said she is receptive to returning as Giselle in the sequel DISENCHANTED, "I absolutely loved playing Giselle, and I recently watched it again. I hadn't watched it in years. I don't typically watch the films that I'm in very often, so it was nice to get to revisit it with some perspective. I'd be thrilled to do a sequel. If it were the right time and the right story, it would be a lot of fun. I could lose that levity right now."

NETFLIX---Netflix cancelled V WARS and OCTOBER FACTION.

TRIVIA---Susan Backlinie appeared in the January, 1973 PENTHOUSE photospread "The Lady and the Lion". Backlinie submitted her nude photos to a production assistant with Steven Spielberg's JAWS which got her the classic role of Chrissie Watkins, the giant shark's first victim. Backlinie and Spielberg reunited for the JAWS spoof in the opening scene of 1941 where she is caught on the periscope of a surfacing Japanese submarine.

Susan Backlinie appeared in the January, 1973 PENTHOUSE photospread "The Lady and the Lion"

Backlinie submitted her nude photos to a production assistant with Steven Spielberg's JAWS which got her the classic role of Chrissie Watkins, the giant shark's first victim.

Backlinie and Spielberg reunited for the JAWS spoof in the opening scene of 1941 where she is caught on the periscope of a surfacing Japanese submarine.

Backlinie in 2017.

 

[dragon53]

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1

INDIANA JONES AND THE BEASTS OF THE CONGO---Harrison Ford announced the plot for the fifth movie will have Indiana Jones and a beautiful paleontologist searching for the legendary Mokele-Mbembe and other dinosaurs that inhabit the Congo River Basin. They must save the dinosaurs from a billionaire who plans to put them on exhibit in his amusement park off the coast of Costa Rica.
Gal Gadot will play the beautiful paleontologist, and David Koepp will write the script.

SAVING MR. VADER---Sony Pictures is developing the sequel to SAVING MR. BANKS in which Tom Hanks stars as the ghost of Walt Disney, who persuades George Lucas to sell Lucasfilm to the Walt Disney Company for $4.05 billion. The Walt Disney Company then cranks out STAR WARS movies that many fans love to hate, while refusing to listen to his suggestions. Lucas spends the rest of his life regretting he sold his legendary movie franchise to the real evil Empire, the Walt Disney Company.

MR. LOBOT---new Disney+ STAR WARS spinoff tv series starring Patrick Stewart as Lobot, Lando Calrissian's assistant. Lobot pilots the Millennium Falcon with a diverse team of Rebel commandos to find and rescue Lando, who has been frozen in carbonite by the evil Empire, somewhere in the galaxy.
The Rebel commandos will be played by Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn and Gates McFadden.

STAR TREK: KILL BILL SHATNER, VOLUME 1---Quentin Tarantino announced William Shatner will star in his R-rated STAR TREK movie which will be a reboot of STAR TREK: GENERATIONS, the sequel which featured the much-maligned killing off of Capt. James T. Kirk.
Tarantino said, "STAR TREK: KILL BILL SHATNER, VOLUME 1 will give Capt. Kirk the dignified and heroic death he deserves, unlike that stinking piece of ***** STAR TREK: GENERATIONS."
The reboot movie will use de-aging CGI to make Shatner appear younger as was done with Carrie Fisher in recent STAR WARS movies.

STAR TREK: MUDD'S WIFE---Sarah Paulson will star in the latest CBS All Access STAR TREK spinoff tv series about Harry Mudd's wife, Stella, who divorced her husband. She and her all-female crew then embark on an intergalactic journey where no woman has gone before to liberate and empower females of all species.

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN---the cast of the all-female remake of the classic 1960 John Sturges Western was announced. The plot involves a poor Mexican village that hires seven female gunslingers to protect it from a drug lord who is trying to take over the village and turn it into a base for smuggling drugs into the US.The original movie starred Yul Bryner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Horst Bucholz, Brad Dexter and Eli Wallach. Patty Jenkins is the director.

Christine "Chris" Adams---Charlize Theron
Vanessa "Vin" Tanner---Gal Gadot
Britt---Sandra Bullock
Kate Lee---Emily Blunt
Bernardette "Bernardo" O'Reilly---Lupita Nyong'o
Harriet "Harry" Luck---Bryce Dallas Howard
Chico---Penelope Cruz
Calvera---Javier Bardem
Wise Old Woman---Judi Dench

THE GREAT ESCAPE---Christian Bale, who is well known for losing large amounts of weight to play various movie roles, had his biggest weight-loss ever when he lost 89 pounds to play a POW in the Steven Spielberg remake of the classic 1963 John Sturges World War II movie. The plot involves Allied POWs trying to escape from an escape-proof German POW camp. The original movie starred Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, James Garner, Richard Attenborough and Donald Pleasence.

AIRPLANE! 2020: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON---Kim Kardashian has joined the cast of the official sequel to the classic 1980 disaster movie spoof. Kardashian will play the adult version of the girl passenger with the coffee who said, "I take it black----like my men."

DOCTOR WHO---in response to the avalanche of fan criticism about a female Doctor Who and excessive political correctness, showrunner Chris Chibnall announced the tv series will return to a male star and named RuPaul as the new Doctor Who.

TRIVIA---in 2005, Adam Sandler turned down the starring role in BATMAN BEGINS because he did not think the audience would believe he was really Batman. Instead, Sandler took the starring role of ex-Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Paul Crewe in the THE LONGEST YARD remake.

 

[dragon53]

THURSDAY, APRIL 2

TRAIN TO BUSAN PRESENTS: PENINSULA---trailer released for the South Korean zombie sequel.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbP8_9iNwdA



THE WALKING DEAD---trailer released for the next episode

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpRWp9F3SQM



SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY---co-writer Jon Kasdan commented on a possible sequel to the young Han Solo movie, “Don’t think anyone’s pursuing a SOLO sequel at the moment. I think a feature, at this point, would be a tough sell & the D+ Star Wars slate is really…pretty packed, all shows I’m looking forward to. My work on Indy 5 is long over but I’m excited there’s forward movement.”

DON'T GO IN THE WATER---Stephen Williams (WATCHMEN) will direct the Universal Pictures monster movie described as, "a suspenseful monster movie". Speculation is the movie is the long-gestating Universal remake of its THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON.

TORCHWOOD---the BBC announced the DOCTOR WHO spinoff series is returning starring Bradley Walsh, "Over the last 15 years, Doctor Who has become one of the BBC's most successful TV shows, as well as our biggest export to international audiences. Given this success, we're delighted to announce that the Doctor Who universe is about to expand, with the relaunch of the spinoff Torchwood series. While there will be some familiar faces, this time the starring role will go to none other than Bradley Walsh, as Graham moves from Team TARDIS to Team Torchwood."

SET MY HEART TO FIRE---Edgar Wright (BABY DRIVER) will direct this sci fi movie based on the novel about an android who writes a movie script based on movies from the 1980s and 1990s which will persuade mankind to allow androids to have feelings.

LAW & ORDER---Chris Meloni (LAW & ORDER: SVU) will return as NYPD detective Elliot Stabler in an untitled NBC spinoff series about the NYPD organized crime unit.

PRETTY THINGS---Nicole Kidman will star in this Amazon tv movie based on the upcoming novel about two women who get involved with a grifter and con game in Lake Tahoe.

TRIVIA---In MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN, Peg Bundy's maiden name is Wanker, which is the British slang for a person who masturbates.

 

[dragon53]

FRIDAY, APRIL 3

FREE HBO---HBO is now offering free programming.

LINK: https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/hbo-free-streaming-500-hours-sopranos-veep-wire-1234569585/



50 STATES OF FRIGHT---trailer released for the Sam Raimi/Quiibi horror series.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvSnlU6O6N0&t=10s



THE WALKING DEAD---trailer released for the next episode.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gp4YqmAhO0



SNOWPIERCER---trailer released for the TNT series based on the movie.


LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVMF7tz-20c



LAST MOMENT OF CLARITY---trailer released for the thriller movie starring Samara Weaving.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNP3IjNrePE



SHADOWED---short horror film by David F. Sandberg (SHAZAM!)

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yu5ymbIjaY



OBI-WAN KENOBI---Joby Harold (ARMY OF THE DEAD) will write the script for the Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries starring Ewan McGregor.

RAVAGE--poster and synopsis released for the movie starring Annabelle Dexter-Jones and Bruce Dern, “Harper, a young nature photographer on assignment in the woods of the Watchatoomy valley, captures a disturbing event of a man being brutally whipped and beaten in the woods. After reporting the incident to the local sheriff, she is quickly captured by the culprits and taken to an abandoned farm in the woods to be tortured. Due to Harper’s experience as a survivalist, she is able to escape but is on the run and has to quickly outsmart captures.”

SUPERMAN & LOIS---Dylan Walsh will play Lois Lane's father, "a workaholic no-nonsense Army general determined to keep the world safe from all threats – from this world or beyond" in the CW tv series.

CORONAVIRUS COMEDY---THE OFFICE executive producers Ben Silverman and Paul Lieberstein are developing a tv comedy series inspired by the coronavirus in which a boss who wants his employees to work from home during a health crisis.

TRIVIA---Kevin Nealon's first movie role was one of the two drunks who accosted Steve Martin in ROXANNE.

 

[dragon53]

MONDAY, APRIL 6

THE WALKING DEAD---trailer released for the return of Lauren Cohan.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhh1xXfJ9G4



WESTWORLD---trailer released for the next episode.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnsT5k8cV_0



FREE GUY---trailer released for the comedy movie starring Ryan Reynolds.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2m-08cOAbc



INDIANA JONES 5---James Mangold (FORD v FERRARI) is in negotiations to direct the sequel. The premiere has been changed from July 9, 2021 to July 29, 2022.

ANT-MAN 3---Jeff Loveness (RICK AND MORTY) will write the sequel.

BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)---director Cathy Yan commented on the box office disappointment, “That was an extra burden that, as a woman-of-color director, I already had on me anyway. So, yes, I think there were certainly different ways you could interpret the success or lack of success of the movie, and everyone has a right to do that. But, I definitely do feel that everyone was pretty quick to jump on a certain angle."
Yan said if there is a sequel, she wants it to include a lesbian relationship between Harley and Poison Ivy, "I would love to see Poison Ivy and I would certainly love to see the relationship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.”

BATMAN BEGINS---Michael Caine talked first meeting Christopher Nolan for BATMAN BEGINS which began his long association with Nolan, “He came to the front door of my house in the country with a script. I could see him through the glass but I couldn’t recognize him. The moment he introduced himself, I knew exactly who he was because I was a great fan of his three small films.
I told him, ‘I am too old for Batman. Do you want me to play the butler? What would my dialogues be? Would you like another beverage or more custard?’ So, I did the movie and it was one of the greatest things I have done in my life."

TRIVIA---More James Bond movie trivia.
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS was Timothy Dalton's first movie playing James Bond. Walter Gotell returned as retired KGB Gen. Gogol.
Dalton and Gotell also appeared in the TALES FROM THE CRYPT episode "Werewolf Concerto" with Dalton playing Lokai, and Gotell playing Mr. Hertz.

THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS was Timothy Dalton's first movie playing James Bond. Walter Gotell returned as retired KGB Gen. Gogol.

Dalton and Gotell also appeared in the TALES FROM THE CRYPT episode "Werewolf Concerto" with Dalton playing Lokai, and Gotell playing Mr. Hertz.

 

[dragon53]

TUESDAY, APRIL 7

EXTRACTION---trailer released for the Netflix movie starring Chris Hemsworth.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6P3nI6VnlY



FEAR THE WALKING DEAD---trailer released for Season 6.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXxlykJQBVo



BLACK WIDOW---photo released showing Scarlett Johansson.

DOCTOR WHO---former showrunner/producer Steven Moffat has written an episode, "The Terror of the Umpty Ums" for Season 13. An excerpt from the script was released.

"“The reeking flesh mass was silent for a moment before twisting and stretching its upper, frontal skin lumps into a new configuration. Karpagnon’s visual circuits processed and pattern-matched the configuration within two nano-seconds: apparently the human was smiling. Karpagnon considered for a moment and elected not to retaliate.
“Did you hear me?” emitted the Human from its flapped aperture. “Did you understand? Do you understand what I’m saying?” The encoded sound stream was accompanied by a fresh flow of smells also emanating from the aperture. Karpagnon’s sensory filter began processing the new odours, while his tactical monitor noted that they were unlikely to be directly significant to the Human’s communication. The light spray of moisture was similarly dismissed. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning. Dr. Johnson and Dr. Ahmed will be here too. Do you remember them?”"


TOMBSTONE---Val Kilmer writes in his new memoir, I'M YOUR HUCKLEBERRY, about not having a girlfriend, “I haven’t had a girlfriend in 20 years. The truth is I am lonely part of every day."

TIGER KING: MURDER, MAYHEM AND MADNESS---Investigation Discovery follow-up series is underway titled INVESTIGATING THE STRANGE WORLD OF JOE EXOTIC. The new series will focus on Carole Baskin's missing millionaire husband, Don Lewis, and the possibility that she fed him to her tigers or buried him under the septic tank. The series will also investigate Joe Exotic's many secrets including Jeff Lowe's real identity and the secrets hidden in Don Antle's walls.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN---Ron Perlman commented on urinating on his hand before he shook producer/sex predator Harvey Weinstein's hand at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, “I never really had a relationship with Harvey but I wanted to show up to one of his charity events. When I got on the phone with him to request a ticket, he just acted like a f*ckin’ piece-of-***** pig, like, ‘Who are you to ask me? Do you know who I am?’ He thought I was returning the Revlon guy’s phone call [Ron Perelman], which is why he returned my phone call in the first place, and when he realized I was just the actor he just went off on me.”
He added, “I said to him, ‘Well, it’s OK, Harvey, I managed to get a ticket between the time I called you and now, so I’ll be there tonight.’ And he said, ‘Oh, you’ll be there? Well, make sure you shake my hand out of respect.’ And I said, ‘Oh yeah, Harvey, I sure will.’ And that’s the genesis of that story.”
When asked if Weinstein noticed Perlman's hand was tainted, Perlman replied, "Well, he knew it was clammy. I’m hoping he read the tweet where I finally outed myself. That was a one-off. There aren’t many people that deserve that move like Harvey Weinstein did.”

ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL---Christoph Waltz said he is interested in returning if a sequel is made, “I haven’t heard anything and I’m a little disappointed and surprised that I haven’t heard a thing so far, because I know that it has followers. I know that people liked it and aside from what others said, I loved it and I liked working on it and I liked the result. You know, it was Fox and Fox doesn’t exist anymore. Now it’s Disney. Maybe it doesn’t fit into the Disneyfication, but I have no clue. I have no clue. Maybe they’re working on something and I wouldn’t be the first person to hear, but meanwhile, I haven’t heard anything.”

CRAVE---Universal Pictures vampire movie underway based on the novel about a human girl who falls in love with a vampire prince amidst a war between vampire factions.

BLACK MAFIA FAMILY---Starz series underway about the Flenory crime family in 1980s Detroit.

DUNCANVILLE---Fox renewed the series for Season 2.

TRIVIA---Fox originally wanted to lure Pamela Anderson away from BAYWATCH to play FBI agent Dana Scully in THE X-FILES. However, creator Chris Carter wanted novice Gillian Anderson for the role, and Fox relented.

 

[The Military Workshop]

Enjoy the thread although sci fi / zombies / superhero type movies or TV not high on my list of things to watch. Looking forward to Extraction.

Not a comic guy but did enjoy Suicide Squad and the characters in it. Margot Robbie is a good actress and dare I say it "hot". Plus she is an Aussie girl. Enjoyed her Harley Quinn character but had no interest to watch Birds of Prey (likewise I have had no interest to watch the female versions of Ghostbusters or Oceans 11). Quite a mystery as to why Birds of Prey was a flop (not).

BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)---director Cathy Yan commented on the box office disappointment, “That was an extra burden that, as a woman-of-color director, I already had on me anyway. So, yes, I think there were certainly different ways you could interpret the success or lack of success of the movie, and everyone has a right to do that. But, I definitely do feel that everyone was pretty quick to jump on a certain angle."
Yan said if there is a sequel, she wants it to include a lesbian relationship between Harley and Poison Ivy, "I would love to see Poison Ivy and I would certainly love to see the relationship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.”

 

[dragon53]

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8

THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND--trailer released for the spinoff series.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRWWUoPY0mk



THE LOST HUSBAND---trailer released for the movie based on the novel.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkfzi1PBS2s



OBI-WAN KENOBI---Ahmed Best denied rumors Jar Jar Binks will return for the Disney+ miniseries, "Not as far as I know, no. I haven't been asked. I just don't know, to be completely honest I think Jar Jar is something Lucasfilm are trying to move away from, I'm not going to hold my breath for a Jar Jar cameo in Obi-Wan but you know, who knows..."

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3---James Gunn hinted about Rocket's role in VOL. 3, "I’ll just say Rocket is a big part of what’s happening in the future – and a lot of this stuff (like the scars we’re about to see on his back) sets up what I’ve been planning for Rocket all along."

SPACE FORCE---photos released from the Netflix comedy series starring Steve Carell and Lisa Kudrow.

THE OTHERS---remake underway of the 2001 horror movie that starred Nicole Kidman.

NIGHT OF THE HUNTER---Universal Pictures remake underway of the 1955 Robert Mitchum movie. Matt Orton (OPERATION FINALE) is the writer.

CBS SUNDAY MOVIE---CBS is reviving for May its CBS Sunday Movie with RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, FORREST GUMP, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE TITANIC and INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE.

SUPERMAN & LOIS---Emmanuelle Chriqui will play Lana Lang in the CW series.

SYFY---Syfy will feature BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS marathons in April.

TRIVIA---character actor Harry Lauter appeared in two classic sci fi movies about aliens landing in Washington, DC: EARTH VS. FLYING SAUCERS and THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. In EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS, Lauter played the generator technician who is vaporized by the invading aliens. In THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, Lauter played the platoon leader who greets the benevolent alien Klaatu who is then shot by a trigger-happy soldier.

In EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS, Lauter played the generator technician who is vaporized by the invading aliens.

In THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, Lauter played the platoon leader when the benevolent alien Klaatu emerges from his spaceship and is then shot by a trigger-happy soldier.

 

[dragon53]

THURSDAY, APRIL 9

TIME WARP VOL. 1: MIDNIGHT MADNESS---trailer released for the first of a three-part documentary on cult classic movies. The other parts are HORROR AND SCI-FI and COMEDY CAMP.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIHRTJSyJV0



STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI---long-time film editors for JJ Abrams commented on THE LAST JEDI. Mary Jo Markey, a co-editor of THE FORCE AWAKENS and THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, is not a fan of THE LAST JEDI, “It’s very strange to have the second film so consciously undo the storytelling of the first one. I’m sorry that’s what it felt like. I don’t even feel that’s true about the third film. It took where the second film ended and just tried to tell a story. I didn’t feel like it was consciously trying to undo — it just didn’t feel that way to me.”
Maryann Brandon had a somewhat different view, "It's a completely different take on the Star Wars saga. To Rian’s credit, he stuck to what he wanted to do. He wanted to deconstruct the saga and open it up to go in a different direction. That is the film he made. I know it’s controversial. Isn’t that kind of good in a way? You bring in new elements. That’s why I say I feel very much in hindsight that the trilogy, the last part of the trilogy, needed one vision.” Markey claimed Brandon was not telling the truth about how she really feels about THE LAST JEDI.

DOOGIE KEALOHA, M.D.----female-led Disney+ reboot of DOOGIE HOWSER, M.D. will focus on a 16 year-old half-Asian, half-white girl physician in Hawaii. The producers are Dayna and Jesse Bochco, the wife and son of Steven Bochco, the co-creator of the original tv series.

THE BATMAN---Matt Reeves commented on the reboot movie, “I wanted to do not an origin tale, but a tale that would still acknowledge his origins, in that it formed who he is. Like this guy, he’s majorly struggling, and this is how he’s trying to rise above that struggle. But that doesn’t mean that he even fully understands, you know. It’s that whole idea of the shadow self and what’s driving you, and how much of that you can incorporate, and how much of it you’re doing that you’re unaware of."

TIGER KING: MURDER, MAYHEM AND MADNESS---the Netflix series had an impressive 34.3 million viewers in its first 10 days which tops STRANGER THINGS Season 2 with 31.2 million viewers.
Another documentary is underway with TMZ INVESTIGATES: TIGER KING--WHAT REALLY WENT DOWN which will focus on the Tiger King and the rumor about Carole Baskin's missing first husband.
Also, Rob Lowe said he is involved in a project with him playing Joe Exotic, "Ryan Murphy and I will be developing our version of this insane story. Stay tuned." This is a different project than the one with Kate McKinnon playing Carole Baskin.
20th Century is reportedly developing a movie with Orlando Bloom as Joe Exotic.

HELTER SKELTER---Epix six-part docuseries on serial killer Charles Manson and the Manson Family. It features never-before-accessed with interviews of the Manson Family, courtroom scenes and journalists.

MODERN FAMILY---co-creator Chris Lloyd said there are talks to create a spinoff series, "It's something that were we to do it, it can't just be more MODERN FAMILY; it's got to be some of our show but with new characters mixed in, perhaps."

STOLEN TIME---movie underway about Sonia Jacobs and her husband who were falsely imprisoned for the murder of two police officers.

TRIVIA---legendary stunt driver/actor Bill Hickman is known for the car chase scenes in BULLITT and THE FRENCH CONNECTION. In PATTON, Hickman played Gen. George S. Patton's driver. Ironically, Patton was killed seven months after Germany surrendered when his staff car had a low-speed collision with an Army truck even though the others in the car only suffered minor injuries.

Legendary stunt driver/actor Bill Hickman played hitman Phil in BULLITT (Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset).

Hickman played federal agent Bill Mulderig in THE FRENCH CONNECTION (Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider).

Hickman played Gen. George S. Patton's driver in PATTON (George C. Scott, Karl Malden).

Ironically, Patton was killed seven months after Germany surrendered when his staff car had a low-speed collision with an Army truck even though the others in the car only suffered minor injuries.

 

[dragon53]

FRIDAY, APRIL 10

DOCUMENTARY FOR THE RECENTLY DECEASED: THE MAKING OF BEETLEJUICE---new trailer released for the documentary.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhE1v9rOALU



WALLY'S WONDERLAND---photo released of Nicholas Cage starring in the horror movie about a janitor trapped in an amusement park where the animatronics are possessed by demons.

16 STATES---Fede Alvarez (EVIL DEAD, DON'T BREATHE) will direct this Lionsgate zombie movie about a mother trying to get to her family during a zombie pandemic.

THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER---director Taika Waititi talked about the sequel, “It’s so over the top now in the very best way. It makes RAGNAROK seem like a really run of the mill, very safe film… this new film feels like we asked a bunch of 10 year olds what should be in a movie and just said yes to everything.” He did not comment on Loki returning, but he did say that Silver Surfer is not in the sequel.

TINSELTOWN---tv miniseries underway based on the novel about the true unsolved 1922 murder of director William Desmond Taylor, head of the Motion Pictures Directors Association, and four pioneering women filmmakers, whose careers are threatened.

23 HOURS TO KILL---the Jerry Seinfeld stand-up special will premiere on Netflix on May 5.

MacGRUBER---Will Forte commented on the status of the Peacock tv series based on the 2010 movie, “Right now we are finishing the last scripts of an eight-episode series of MacGRUBER, which fingers crossed will be shot in the fall. We don’t officially know that we’re greenlit yet, but we’re very excited about the stuff we’ve written so far, and so far we’re going ahead as if it’s still going on. But who knows, with the current situation in the world, who knows if it gets pushed back. And everything could always just go kaput as per MacGruber, but it’s something we’re hoping to do and moving towards.”

RENO 911!---the Quibi revival series will premiere on May 4.

TRIVIA---although Elizabeth Taylor is known for her many marriages (eight), Lana Turner (PEYTON PLACE) and Jennifer O'Neill (SUMMER of '42) are tied for being the most-married actresses with nine each.

Elizabeth Taylor is known for her many marriages (eight)---two with Richard Burton.

Lana Turner (PEYTON PLACE) was married nine times---two with Steve Crane.

Jennifer O'Neill (SUMMER OF '42) was also married nine times---two with Richard Alan Brown.

 

[dragon53]

MONDAY, APRIL 13

WESTWORLD---trailer released for the next episode.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lQSPMPEFx0



DUNE---photo shows Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) as he leaves Caladan for Arrakis in the Denis Villeneuve remake movie. Chalamet said, “The immediately appealing thing about Paul was the fact that in a story of such detail and scale and world-building, the protagonist is on an anti-hero’s-journey of sorts. He thinks he’s going to be sort of a young general studying his father and his leadership of a fighting force before he comes of age, hopefully a decade later, or something like that.”

WONDER WOMAN 1984---new photos released from the sequel.

THE BATMAN---a reliable source claims THE BATMAN, the first of a movie trilogy, will have a romance between Batman and Catwoman. The sequels will have Batman and Catwoman married with a child. The main villain will be The Joker(s).

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER---Daisy Ridley commented on growing fan criticism of the sequel after it's original warm reception, “[Reaction has] changed film by film honestly, like 98% it’s so amazing, this last film it was really tricky. January was not that nice. It was weird, I felt like all of this love that we’d sort of been shown the first time around, I was like, ‘Where’s the love gone?’"
She added, “I watched the documentary, the making-of THE SKYWALKER LEGACY, this week and it’s so filled with love; and I think it’s that tricky thing of when you’re part of something that is so filled with love and then people [don’t like it]...You know, everyone’s entitled to not like something but it feels like it’s changed slightly. I think in general that’s because [of] social media and what have you.”

HOME ALONE---a British tabloid claims Macaulay Culkin will be paid $3.1 million for a walk-on cameo in the Disney+ reboot. An inside source said, "No Home Alone is complete without the star of the show, Macaulay. Disney bosses were desperate to get him on board and they've opened their wallets in a big way to do so. His cameo is being planned and they're working out the details - but it'll cost them nearly £2.5 million for the privilege."

SALEM'S LOT---Gary Dauberman (ANNABELLE COMES HOME) is the writer/director of the New Line/James Wan vampire movie based on the Stephen King novel. The 1979 miniseries starred David Soul and James Mason.

HELLRAISER---David Bruckner (THE RITUAL) will direct the reboot of the 1987 Clive Barker horror movie.

ALL OF US ARE DEAD---Netflix/South Korean zombie series about high school students trapped in their school during a zombie plague.

ATOMIC BLONDE---Netflix is reportedly developing a sequel with Charlize Theron returning.

ROBIN HOOD---Disney+ live-action/CGI remake movie underway based on the 1973 Walt Disney animated movie. Carlos Lopez Estrada (BLINDSPOTTING) is the director.

TRIVIA---more James Bond movie trivia.
In THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, one of the 1976 Lotus Esprit submarine cars, one known as "Wet Nellie" because it was used only in the underwater scenes, was put in a Long Island, New York storage unit ---and then was forgotten. In 1989, the unclaimed storage unit was auctioned off by RM Sotheby's to a building contractor for only $100. When he opened the container, he found "Wet Nellie" under a layer of blankets. He restored the car and put it on display.
In 2013, Elon Musk bought it at a Sotheby's auction for $997,000.
Musk said, “It was amazing as a little kid in South Africa to watch James Bond in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME drive his Lotus Esprit off a pier, press a button and have it transform into a submarine underwater. I was disappointed to learn that it can’t actually transform. What I’m going to do is upgrade it with a Tesla electric powertrain and try to make it transform for real."

 

[dragon53]

TUESDAY, APRIL 14

DUNE---director Denis Villeneuve said he would not direct 5he remake movie unless Warner Bros. agreed to make it a two-part series, “I would not agree to make this adaptation of the book with one single movie. The world is too complex. It’s a world that takes its power in details… It’s a book that tackles politics, religion, ecology, spirituality—and with a lot of characters. I think that’s why it’s so difficult. Honestly, it’s by far the most difficult thing I’ve done in my life.”
He added, “No matter what you believe, Earth is changing, and we will have to adapt. That’s why I think that DUNE, this book, was written in the 20th century. It was a distant portrait of the reality of the oil and the capitalism and the exploitation – the overexploitation – of Earth. Today, things are just worse. It’s a coming-of-age story, but also a call for action for the youth.”
Also, new photos released from the remake movie show Timothee Chalamet, Jason Momoa and Josh Brolin.

THE MANDALORIAN---Ming-Na Wen is returning as mercenary Fennec Shand in Season 2.

ALIVE DAY---Philip Noyce (PATRIOT GAMES) will direct this movie based on the novel SIX DAYS TO ZEUS: ALIVE DAY in which seven Special Forces commandos on a secret surveillance mission in Iraq in 2003 in which only one member survived.

SPLASH---the Disney+ airing of the 1984 movie that starred Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah used poor CGI to hide Hannah's naked butt as she runs back into the ocean.

TRON: LEGACY---director Joseph Kosinski (TOP GUN: MAVERICK) commented on a possible sequel, "I was in China a few years ago and saw them building the TRON ride in Shanghai, which, apparently, is pretty amazing, I would love to experience that at some point. I think it’s still a nice jewel in the crown of Disney IP and I think there are fans and people petitioning and pushing to continue it inside the halls of Disney. So I think it could happen. Like anything, it just needs the right confluence of … it’s all about timing and the right elements and everything’s got to come together for a movie to happen.”
He added, I think it’s possible and I think it’s worthy of it. I think there’s enough ideas in the franchise, and the fact that it is so unique and nothing else looks or sounds like it, that TRON story. There is, I think, a future for the franchise and I hope they keep making them.”

COMMUNITY---Joel McHale commented on a movie based on the tv series, “There’s way more rumblings than there used to be. Alison [Brie] tweeted that she got a phone call from Sony. They still haven’t called me, maybe Matthew Lillard will take over. But I would say there’s a better chance than there’s ever been… For a long time I was like, ‘never gonna happen.’ And now I think with the renewed interest, and I know the cast is interested, that it could happen.”

FOX---Fox renewed 9-1-1 and LONE STAR.

TRIVIA---in the Elvis Presley movie IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR, crop duster pilot Presley tells his co-pilot Gary Lockwood that he is leaving the crop dusting business to join the space program. Lockwood sarcastically replies, "Space! Beautiful. You'd be perfect for it---you got a headful of it."
Ironically, Lockwood would be in the space program himself when he appeared in the STAR TREK episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and Stanley Kubrick's classic 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY as astronaut Dr. Frank Poole.

In the Elvis Presley movie IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR, crop duster pilot Presley tells his co-pilot Gary Lockwood that he is leaving the crop dusting business to join the space program. Lockwood sarcastically replies, "Space! Beautiful. You'd be perfect for it---you got a headful of it."

Ironically, Lockwood would be in the space program himself when he appeared in the STAR TREK episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before" as Enterprise helmsman Lt. Cdr. Gary Mitchell.

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" is the first filmed episode in which William Shatner, James Doohan and George Takei appeared.

Lockwood also appeared in Stanley Kubrick's classic 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY as astronaut Dr. Frank Poole.