Movie/TV News (2 Viewers)

[dragon53]

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25

LUCKY HANK---trailer released for the AMC+ series starring Bob Odenkirk based on the novel STRAIGHT MAN.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPG42f2bxxc



COCAINE BEAR---tv spot released for the comedy movie.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rilKqBjO5pg



STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS---Anson Mount commented on Season 2 and the live-action LOWER DECKS crossover with Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome, “That [the crossover] is not even the craziest thing that we did. There’s one episode I’m thinking of towards the end of the season – and you’ll know when you see it – where it required us to work many weekends. But we were so excited about it, it was not laborious. We were excited to show up for Sunday rehearsals and all the things we’re having to do to pull together this one episode. We’re really excited about it.”
He commented on Carol Kane joining the cast, "She is lovely. I love working with her. Obviously, I’ve been a fan of hers my entire life. So when I saw her I was like, ‘What! That’s crazy.’ And I was so excited and it’s so out of left field. But she is so much fun to work with because she has this quality about her where – she’s been doing this for decades – and she has this thing where she never assumes she knows how it’s done, and I don’t know how she manages to retain that sense of purity in any given scene… She’s consistently happy and funny and makes the most interesting choices. We’ve been so lucky to have her.”
Also, Jonathan Frakes is pessimistic about the movie future of STAR TREK, “Movies are tough! Even JJ [Abrams] can’t get this fourth movie off the ground. All those wonderful rumors? Noah Hawley was attached to a STAR TREK movie, and Quentin was toying with people’s emotions about doing a movie. If those two names can’t get a f*cking movie made, I don’t know. TV is the future, it seems to me.”

AMERICAN PRIMEVAL---the cast for the Netflix six-part Western miniseries includes Taylor Kitsch, Jai Courtney, Dane DeHaan and Betty Gilpin. The synopsis says the miniseries is, “a raw, adventurous exploration of the birth of the American West. The violent collisions of cultures, religions and communities as men and women fight and die for control of this untamed wilderness – for a land they truly believe is their destiny.”

RICK AND MORTY---Adult Swim announced it has fired co-creator Justin Roiland after he was charged with felony domestic abuse and felony false imprisonment by his then-girlfriend. His voice roles will be recast.

SUPERMAN & LOS---Michael Cudlitz (THE WALKING DEAD) will play Lex Luthor in Season 3.

INVINCIBLE---Robert Kirkman commented on the status of the live-action movie based on the Amazon animated tv series,“We’re very much still working on that. Sometimes movies take a little bit longer. I think it’s safe to say, if anything, the show has just helped that immensely. People are very excited about that movie potential at Universal. So we’re riding that excitement and trying to push things forward as quickly as possible.”

CONFESS, FLETCH---Greg Mottola said he is writing a sequel based on the novel FLETCH'S FORTUNE, “It may never get made, but I’m gonna try my best.”

MADONNA---Universal Pictures cancelled the Madonna biomovie in which she was the director/co-writer.

TRIVIA---character actor John Quade was known for his sinister-looking face and was a friend of Clint Eastwood's which led to him playing villains in four Eastwood movies. In HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, Quade played the freight wagon driver who tried to stab Eastwood's The Stranger in the back, but he stopped when The Stranger said, "You're gonna look awfully silly with that knife stuck up your ***." In THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, Quade played the leader of the Comanchero gang who tried to rape Laura Lee (Sandra Locke). In EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE and ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN, he played Cholla, the leader of the Black Widows biker gang. Contrary to his menacing appearance, Quade was known as a nice guy and his wife, Gwen, said, "He was one of the nicest men you'd ever want to know, but he looked mean and nasty. He looked like he could do murder and mayhem at any moment, but he was a big teddy bear." Quade ran for Congress unsuccessfully with his tongue-in-cheek campaign slogan, "Not just another pretty face."
Before he became an actor, Quade was a high-tech designer/worker at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and some of the NASA spacecraft he worked on are still on the Moon.

In HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, Quade played the freight wagon driver who tried to stab Eastwood's The Stranger in the back, but he stopped when The Stranger said, "You're gonna look awfully silly with that knife stuck up your ***."

In THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, Quade played the leader of the Comanchero gang who tried to rape Laura Lee (Sandra Locke).

In EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE and ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN, he played Cholla, the leader of the Black Widows biker gang.

 

[dragon53]

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26

65---new trailer released for the sci fi movie starring Adam Driver.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc-G04srXmc



PAMELA: A LOVE STORY----Pamela Anderson, in her upcoming Netflix documentary, claims Sylvester Stallone propositioned her in exchange for a Porsche and a condominium, “He offered me a condo and a Porsche to be his ‘number one girl.’ And I was like, ‘Does that mean there’s No. 2? Uh-uh."
“He goes, ‘That’s the best offer you’re gonna get, honey. You’re in Hollywood now,.'"
Anderson claims she rejected Stallone's proposition, “I wanted to be in love. I didn’t want anything less than that."
Stallone's press representative denied the accusation “The statement from Pamela Anderson attributed to my client is false and fabricated. Mr. Stallone confirms that he never made any portion of that statement.”
Anderson, in her new memoir, LOVE, PAMELA, also recently accused Tim Allen of exposing himself to her on the set of HOME IMPROVEMENT. Allen also denied the accusation.
Ryan White, the documentary's director, said, "[I’m] not surprised people are denying things. . . . What I will say is: Pamela is honest. She lives her life in the most honest way I've ever seen. Her North Star is honesty — to a fault. I think she just cannot be dishonest... So I would put my money behind anything Pamela Anderson ever says."
The documentary and memoir will be released on January 31.

RAZZES---Razzie Award founder John Wilson issued an apology due to criticism after the Razzies nominated 12 year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong for Worst Actress in the FIRESTARTER remake. One of the those critical of the Razzie nomination was Julian Hilliard, 11, (THE BOYS), who said, “The Razzies are already mean-spirited & classless, but to nominate a kid is just repulsive & wrong. Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better.”
Wilson said, "Sometimes, you do things without thinking, Then you are called out for it. Then you get it. It’s why the Razzies were created in the first place. The recent valid criticism of the choice of 12-year-old Armstrong as a nominee for one of our awards brought our attention to how insensitive we’ve been in this instance.
Having learned from this lesson, we would also like to announce that, from this point forward, we are adopting a Voting Guideline precluding any performer or film-maker under 18 years of age from being considered for our awards.
We have never intended to bury anyone’s career. It is why our Redeemer Award was created. We all make mistakes, very much us included. Since our motto is ‘Own Your Bad,’ we realize that we ourselves must also live up to it.”

JUSTIN ROILAND---Hulu fired co-creator Justin Roiland from SOLAR OPPOSITES and from KOALA MAN, where he is executive producer and a voice actor, after he was charged with felony domestic abuse and felony false imprisonment by his ex-girlfriend. Roliand was also fired by Adult Swim from RICK AND MORTY. Roiland's attorney, T. Ward Welbourn, said, “To be clear, not only is Justin innocent, but we also have every expectation that this matter is on course to be dismissed once the district attorney’s office has completed its methodical review of the evidence.”

FRASIER---the reboot series cast additions include Anders Keith as Frasier's nephew, David, and Jess Salgueiro as Eve, Frasier's son's roommate.

THE ORVILLE---Hulu head Craig Erwich commented on the possibility of a Season 4, "We don’t have anything to share right now. It’s a great show and I know that the fans loved having it back in their lives. And Seth [MacFarlane] did a great job, uniquely as he can, in front of and behind the camera. But we don’t have anything to share right now."

ATTACK THE BLOCK 2---Joe Cornish commented on the status of the sequel, "We have a very detailed treatment and a storyline we’re very, very excited about – and when I say ‘we,’ I mean me and John Boyega, who [I’m co-producing the film with] and consulting very closely with – and we’re doing all the research to make sure we get it right…
We’re very, very quietly confident and excited about what we’ve got. We think about ALIEN and ALIENS and TERMINATOR and TERMINATOR 2, and we wanna take a shot at doing our version of what people did for [those movies].”

AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE---Adult Swim renewed the series for Season 12.

TRIVIA---in 1995, Irvin Kershner (THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK) assembled a team of top artists in an attempt to remake the classic 1956 sci fi movie FORBIDDEN PLANET. The team consisted of Stan Winston (JURASSIC PARK), Ralph McQuarrie (STAR WARS), John Eaves (STAR TEK), Syd Mead (BLADE RUNNER) and Mark McCreery (JURASSIC PARK). The remake never got beyond the script stage with Eaves saying. "The film went no where as time went on and thank goodness because the script was awful and would have been a travesty no matter who was working on it!"

Ralph McQuarrie concept art.

Syd Mead concept art.

 

[The Military Workshop]

Have seen three of the best picture nominees. I would like Top Gun to win just to upset the woke but would have to go for Avatar for the underwater filming effects.
Best Picture:

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
TOP GUN: MAVERICK

Not seen or likely to see any of the following but happy if Brendan Fraser gets it and Michelle Yeoh.

Best Actor:

Austin Butler (ELVIS)
Colin Farrell (THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN)
Brendan Fraser (THE WHALE)
Paul Mescal (AFTERSUN)
Bill Nighy (LIVING)


Best Actress:

Cate Blanchett (TAR)
Ana de Armas (BLONDE)
Andrea Riseborough (TO LESLIE)
Michelle Williams (THE FABELMANS)
Michelle Yeoh (EVERYTHING EVEYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)

 

[dragon53]

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27

SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS---trailer released for the sequel.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIc671o9yCI



WE HAVE A GHOST---trailer released for the comedy horror movie starring David Harbour and Anthony Mackie.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvaM55K30m4



THE LAST OF US---HBO renewed the series for Season 2.

GLADIATOR 2---Russell Crowe said he is not involved with the Ridley Scott sequel, but he commented on it, “So, I know roughly how [Scott]’s shaping the story. But yeah, you remember, there was a young kid who wanted to beat the Gladiator? Which leads to the ‘My name is’ speech. So that young kid has grown up, and he’s now the Emperor … I don’t know what else happens at that point, but that’s the idea.”

SPIDER-MAN---Tobey Maguire commented on possibly returning to the franchise, “I love these films and I love all of the different series. If these guys called me and said, ‘Would you show up tonight to hang out and goof around?’ or ‘Would you show up to do this movie or read a scene or do a Spider-Man thing?’ it would be a ‘yes!’ Because why wouldn’t I want to do that?”

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS---Disney+ released character profiles for Toby Stephens and Lance Reddick, who will guest star with main star Walker Scobell.

"Stephen’s Poseidon — The god of the sea who’s also the titular demigod’s father. Although seemingly absent in Percy’s life, many of Poseidon’s qualities live in Percy; stubbornness, impulsiveness and loyalty. Though he has stayed away throughout Percy’s life, his deep feelings for his son (and Percy’s mother, Sally) are evident.
Reddick’s Zeus – The all-powerful god of the sky and leader of Mount Olympus, Zeus is tempestuous and mistrustful. He’s promised to wage a war if his stolen thunderbolt is not returned."

BLADE---Stephen Dorff, who starred in Steve Norrington's 1998 movie, was critical of Marvel Studios' remake starring Mahershala Ali, "Marvel is used to me trashing them anyway. How’s that PG BLADE movie going for you, that can’t get a director? [laughs] Because anybody who goes there is going to be laughed at by everyone, because we already did it and made it the best. There’s no Steve Norrington out there."

DOCTOR WHO---showrunner Russell T. Davies confirmed that a spinoff is underway, "I thought — with no criticism whatsoever towards the people who were running it at the time, because they were running it within the BBC's measures — it was time for the next stage for Doctor Who. I thought the streaming platforms are ready, the spin-offs are ready. I always believed in spin-offs when I was there. I did TORCHWOOD as a spin-off, THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES as a spin-off. Those spin-offs declined when I left, and I can see why. And I very much left after 2008, when the money became scarce, I think that's fair enough for the public service broadcaster that the money is spent on other things."

NOSFERATU---Willem Dafoe will co-star in the remake vampire movie in an undisclosed role. Bill Skarsgard and Lily-Rose Depp also star.

FOX---renewed THE SIMPSONS, FAMILY GUY and BOB'S BURGERS.

TRIVIA---in 1949, special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen wanted to make a movie based on H.G. Wells's classic sci fi novel THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. Harryhausen filmed a demonstration reel showing a tentacled Martian emerging from the cylinder. Unfortunately, the movie was never made, “I actually built a Martian based on H.G. Wells description. He described the creature that came from the space ship a sort of an octopus-like type of creature. I took it all around Hollywood...We couldn’t raise money. People weren’t that interested in science fiction at that time.” However, in 1953 Harryhausen's friend, George Pal, filmed his modern day version of the Wells novel starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson which was a big hit.
Although Harryhausen's THE WAR OF THE WORLDS never made it to the movies, his Martian did---he resurrected modified versions of it for the Venusian Ymir in 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH and the Kraken in CLASH OF THE TITANS, his last movie.

Ray Harryhausen's THE WAR OF THE WORLDS demonstration reel showed a tentacled Martian emerging from the cylinder.

Harryhausen used modified versions of the Martian for the Venusian Ymir in 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (two top photos) and the Kraken in CLASH OF THE TITANS (two bottom photos).

 

[Combat]

Sad to hear about the passing of Lisa Loring who played "Wednesday" in the original Addams Family. She was great in that role. Lance Kerwin who starred in a number of TVs shows and movies also passed. Both only in their 60s.

 

[dragon53]

MONDAY, JANUARY 30

MURDER MYSTERY 2---trailer released for the Netflix sequel starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM2F56uK0fs



STAR TREK: PICARD---trailer released for Season 3.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw0pg11OzCQ



THE BOOGEYMAN---trailer released for the movie based on the Stephen King short story.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-9n99DArRc



ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA---trailer released for the sequel.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfOX_3JK2Fc



CREED III---trailer released for the sequel.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUmMQ5q58Io



AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER---the James Cameron sequel has earned $2.1 billion which makes it the fourth highest-grossing movie in history. Cameron also accounts for two of the top three: AVATAR ($2.9 billion), AVENGERS: ENDGAME ($2.7 billion) and TITANIC ($2.1 billion).

THE PERFECT NANNY---Nicole Kidman will star in this HBO miniseries based on the murder 0f Lucia, 6, and Leo, 2, Krim, who were murdered by their nanny, Yoselyn Ortega, in 2012. Maya Erskine is the co-star/writer.

THE BURIED GIANT---Guillermo del Toro commented on his next stop-motion movie, “The next stop-motion film I’m making is an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s THE BURIED GIANT, which I’m currently co-writing with Dennis Kelly [MATILDA: THE MUSICAL], and we start the design process in two months. I’m shooting a live-action feature first. But in the meantime, we’re developing a look-book, and in about two years if everything goes well, we’ll start production.”

ANT-MAN---writer Joe Cornish explained why Edgar Wright left the Marvel Studios movie in 2014, "When Edgar and I first met Marvel, they were in offices above a BMW showroom in Beverly Hills. It was around the time of Ang Lee’s HULK, and [Jon] Favreau hadn’t even started working on the first 'IRON MAN. Superhero movies were not a thing... I guess because VFX hadn’t evolved to the point where they could put what was on page on the screen. So, they always felt like they were reaching for something they couldn’t achieve.
We worked on [ANT-MAN] for something like eight years, on and off. And in that time, the landscape changed completely. The technology changed completely. Audiences fell in love with superhero movies. All the stuff that people loved in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s in comic books were suddenly translated on screen in a really direct way that had never happened before.
That kind of overtook us in the sense that Marvel didn’t necessarily want the authored movie that Edgar and I wanted to make because, at that point, they had this behemoth on their hands. They had this universe where the movies had to integrate. Edgar is an auteur. Edgar Wright makes Edgar Wright movies. In the end, that’s why it didn’t happen, I guess.”

BARBARELLA---Jane Fonda commented on the remake movie starring Sydney Sweeney, “I try not to [think about it], because I worry about what it’s going to be.” Fonda said she wanted to do a remake at one time, “I had an idea of how to do it that [original producer] Dino De Laurentiis, when he was still alive, wouldn’t listen to. But it could have been a truly feminist movie.”

THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY---Disney+ cancelled the series.

TRIVIA---more James Bond movie trivia.
Clint Eastwood commented on turning down the offer tp replace Sean Connery as James Bond, “I was also offered pretty good money to do James Bond if I would take on the role. This was after Sean Connery left. My lawyer represented the Broccolis [James Bond producers], and he came and said, ‘They would love to have you.’ But to me, well, that was somebody else’s gig. That’s Sean’s deal. It didn’t feel right for me to be doing it.”
He added, “I always liked characters that were more grounded in reality. Maybe they do super things or more-than-human things – like Dirty Harry, he has a knack for doing crazy things, or the western guys – but, still, they’re not caped crusaders.”

 

[dragon53]

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31

GAMERA-REBIRTH!---trailer released for the Netflix animated tv series.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN06AFa2jBA



DC STUDIOS---DC Studios announced ten upcoming movies and tv series.
Also, DC Studios co-head James Gunn commented on the plight of the DC movie franchise, "I wanted to take care of these characters. We all know it's been a f-cked up road for many of them, for the past few years...and I really thought it is a challenge, but I think it's a possibility to create something really wonderful with these characters...The history has been sh-t! It's been a real f-cked up journey for DC. I think that there was basically no one minding the mint and they were giving out IP to any creative that smiled at whoever was in charge. There was never any real power given to the people in charge, and so somebody could always go over their head and do whatever they wanted. We had the DCEU, which then became the Joss Whedon JUSTICE LEAGUE but it also became the Snyderverse, which became this. And then we have WONDER WOMAN and WONDER WOMAN 2, which doesn't even match what happened in WONDER WOMAN 1 and then we have the Arrowverse and even us coming in with THE SUICIDE SQUAD and PEACEMAKER and y'know what is it exactly? And all of a sudden Bat-Mite's a real guy. So how can we take these things together and make them make sense and have them unified and have them be one real universe - one real world."
Gunn said THE BATMAN: PART II will premiere on October 3, 2025.
Co-head Peter Safran sid there are "Possibilities" that Michael Keaton might return as Batman.

1. CREATURE COMMANDOS---animated tv series featuring The Suicide Squad's Weasel and Rick Flagg, Sr.
2. WALLER---animated tv series featuring Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.
3. SUPERMAN LEGACY---live-action movie written by James Gunn and is describe as, “It is not an origin story, it focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing… He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned.”
4. LANTERNS---live-action tv series starring Finn Wittrock and Jeremy Irvine that is described as, “It’s terrestrial-based, it’s got two of our favorite Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan and John Stewart, star in a TRUE DETECTIVE-type mystery and it plays a really big role leading into the main story that we’re telling across our film and television.”
5. THE AUTHORITY---movie based on the comic book.
6. PARADISE LOST---Wonder Woman prequel tv series about Themiscrya that is described as, “What’s the origin of an island of all women? What are the beautiful truths and the ugly truths behind all of that, and what’s the scheming like between the different power players in that society?”
7. THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD---movie about Bruce and Damian Wayne that is described as, “This is the introduction of the DCU's Batman. It is not Robert Patson. It is not Ben Affleck...This is the introduction of the DCU Batman, Bruce Wayne, and also introducing our favorite Robin, Damian Wayne, who is a little son of a b*tch assassin murderer."
8. BOOSTER GOLD--live-action tv series described as, “it’s about a loser from the future who uses basic future technology to come back to today and pretend to be a superhero.”
9. SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW---live-action movie described as, “In our [DCU] we see the difference between Superman who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he was an infant vs. Supergirl who was raised on a rock chip off of Krypton and watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life.”
10. SWAMP THING---movie described as, "the dark origins" of Swamp Thing.

TO LESLIE---the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is investigating if Andrea Riseborough engaged in a campaign for her Best Actress Oscar nomination that violated rules after she received a nomination over favored actresses Viola Davis and Danielle Deadwyler. The allegations of an overly aggressive campaign with social media and emails involved Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Charlize Theron and others. Some critics claim Riseborough's movie, TO LESLIE, only made $27,000 at the box office which makes it highly unlikely that a sufficient number of voters actually saw the movie.

BAD BOYS 4---Will Smith and Martin Lawrence confirmed the latest sequel is underway.

MICHAEL---Michael Jackson's nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will play his uncle in the biomovie.

SHOWTIME---Showtime will merge with Paramount+ and have a "Paramount+ with Showtime" programming which has led to the following cancellations: AMERICAN GIGOLO, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, KIDDING, SUPER PUMPED, ON BECOMING A GOD IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, AMERICAN RUST, THE END and WAKEFIELD.

HULU---Hulu cancelled KINDRED and REBOOT.

ACAPULCO---Apple TV+ renewed the series for Season 3.

Trivia---three actors who appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's NORTH BY NORTHWEST also appeared in the original STAR TREK franchise.
In NORTH BY NORTHWEST, Stanley Adams played police Lt. Harding. In STAR TREK, Adams played Cyrano Jones in "The Trouble With Tribbles".
In NORTH BY NORTHWEST, Roger C. Carmel played a man in the train station. In STAR TREK, Carmel played Harry Mudd in "Mudd's Women" and "I, Mudd".
In NORTH BY NORTHWEST, Robert Ellenstein played henchman Licht. In STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME, Ellenstein played the Federation Council President.

In NORTH BY NORTHWEST, Stanley Adams played police Lt. Harding (left). In STAR TREK, Adams played Cyrano Jones in "The Trouble With Tribbles".

In NORTH BY NORTHWEST, Roger C. Carmel played a man in the train station. In STAR TREK, Carmel played Harry Mudd in "Mudd's Women" and "I, Mudd".

In NORTH BY NORTHWEST, Robert Ellenstein played henchman Licht (left). In STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME, Ellenstein played the Federation Council President.

 

[dragon53]

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1

THE POWER---trailer released for the Amazon Prime tv series based on the novel.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax1TJngN90w



JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4---sequel photos show Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada and Bill Skarsgard.

SWAMP THING---hours after DC Studios confirmed a SWAMP THING movie is underway, James Mangold posted Swamp Thing art which may indicate he will direct the movie or he wants to direct it.

DEXTER: NEW BLOOD----Showtime cancelled the revival series and is in talks to develop a prequel series about a young Dexter. Season 2 would have featured Dexter's son, Harrison.

THE LAST OF US---Episode 3 had 6.4 million viewers compared to Episode 2's 5.7 million and Episode 1's 4.7 million.

SUPERMAN & LOIS---DC Studios co-head James Gunn said the series will continue for, “one to two more seasons”.

KING OF THE HILL---Hulu revival underway with the original voice cast expected to return.

TO LESLIE---the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer said the campaign promoting Andrea Riseborough's Best Actress nomination did not violate any rules, “Based on concerns that surfaced last week around the TO LESLIE awards campaign, the Academy began a review into the film’s campaigning tactics. The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film’s nomination should be rescinded.
However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed with the responsible parties directly.”

CBS---CBS ordered two pilots for a MATLOCK reboot starrring Kathy Bates and a THE GOOD FIGHT spinoff starring Carrie Preston.

TRIVIA---character actor Anthony Chinn appeared in two adventure movies involving Tom Selleck. Chinn played Mohan, Marion Ravenwood's bartender, in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK in which Tom Selleck was replaced by Harrison Ford due to Selleck's MAGNUM, P.I. commitment. Chinn played Gen. Wong in HIGH ROAD TO CHINA, which was inspired by RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and starred Selleck, who sought an adventure movie after missing out on RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

Anthony Chinn played Mohan, Marion Ravenwood's bartender, in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK in which Tom Selleck was replaced by Harrison Ford due to Selleck's MAGNUM, P.I. commitment.

Chinn played Gen. Wong in HIGH ROAD TO CHINA, which was inspired by RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, and starred Selleck, who sought an adventure movie after missing out on RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

 

[dragon53]

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2

THE MANDALORIAN---featurette released for Season 3.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bpk2k1ug3M



THE COVENANT---trailer released for the Guy Ritchie Afghanistan war movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t4LnMEWE64



BIG GEORGE FOREMAN---trailer released for the George Foreman biomovie.

LINK:Nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yomih-Ta8w0



THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE---Guy Ritchie World War II movie based on the book about the Special Operation Executive (SOE) in which the synopsis says, “UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s and Ian Fleming’s secret WWII combat organization. The clandestine squad’s unconventional and ‘ungentlemanly’ fighting techniques against the Nazis helped change the course of the war and gave birth to the modern Black Ops unit.” The cast includes Henry Cavill, Eiza Gonzalez, Cary Elwes, Henry Golding, Alex Pettyfer, Alan Ritchson and Til Schweiger. Jerry Bruckheimer is the producer.

THE TERMINAL LIST---Amazon Prime renewed the series for Season 2 and is developing a prequel series starring Taylor Kitsch which focuses on how SEAL Ben Edwards became a CIA operative.

FRASIER---Paramount+ posted a teaser image from the Kelsey Grammer revival series.

HERE---the Robert Zemeckis movie based on the graphic novel focusing on people over many years will use AI de-ageing special effects to de-age the cast of Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany and Kelly Reilly. The technology is described as,“high-resolution photorealistic face swaps and de-aging effects on top of actors’ performances live and in real-time without the need for further compositing or VFX work.”

THE BLACKLIST---NBC announced that the upcoming Season 10 will be the last season.

PENNYWORTH---HBO Max cancelled the series.

POWER BOOK: GHOST---Starz renewed the series for Season 4.

THE CLEANING LADY---Fox renewed the series for Season 2.

TRIVIA---Groundhog Day trivia.
GROUNDHOG DAY was originally going to be filmed in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, but because it did not have the suitable filming locations and amenities for the cast and crew, Woodstock, Illinois was chosen. Punxsutawney, unhappy over being rejected for the movie, refused to allow the real Punxsutawney Phil to be used in the movie. A groundhog was then caught in the Illinois woods, named Scooter, and played Punxsutawney Phil in the movie.

 

[dragon53]

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3

TITANIC: 25 YEARS LATER WITH JAMES CAMERON---GOOD MORNING AMERICA featurette released about the National Geographic documentary which will include scientific studies showing the survival chances of Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) in various scenarios. Cameron hired two stunt people with similar sizes to DiCaprio and Winslet to test the various survival scenarios.
If both Jack and Rose were fully on the makeshift raft, their survival was unlikely because of their combine weight would sink the raft, “They’re now both submerged in dangerous levels of freezing water”.
If Jack and Rose had the upper part of their bodies above the water, “Out of the water, [his body’s] violent shaking was helping him. Projecting it out, he could’ve made it pretty long. Like, hours.”
Cameron said the studies showed there was one scenario in which Jack might have lived---if Rose had given her life jacket to Jack, “He’s stabilized. He got into a place where if we projected that out, he just might’ve made it until the lifeboat got there. Jack might’ve lived, but there’s a lot of variables. I think his thought process was, ‘I’m not going to do one thing that jeopardized her,’ and that’s 100% in character.”
The documentary premieres on February 5.

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

THE LAST OF US---trailer released for Episode 4 which premieres on February 5.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDKoYML_fS0



MOVING ON---trailer released for the comedy movie starring Jane Fonda, Malcolm McDowell and Lily Tomlin.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCSKI5nO9V0



1923---Paramount+ renewed the series for Season 2.

NIGHT COURT---NBC renewed the revival series for Season 2.

NOBODY NOTHING NOWHERE---Octavia Spencer, Joseph-Gordon Levitt and Lucy Liu will star in this comedy sci fi movie whose synopsis says, "the story of Ruth, one of the Non-People, human-looking beings designed and trained for the sole purpose of filling in a realistic world for a bland guy named Dave, the only person that actually exists on Earth. Tired of serving as an extra in someone else’s life, Ruth is ready to demand a life of her own.”

LAZARUS---Tom Hardy and Zazie Beetz will star in the Apple+ miniseries based on the Joona Linna books in which undercover cop Saga Bauer is in a psych ward to discover the secrets of serial killer Jurek Walter.

THE FAMILY STALLONE---Paramount+ docuseries that will follow Sylvester Stallone, his wife and three daughters.

MAYFAIR WITCHES---AMC renewed the series for Season 2.

CRIMINAL---Amazon Studios is in negotiations for a tv series based on the comic book that will be, “an interlocking universe of crime stories”.

APPLES NEVER FALL---Annette Bening will star in the Peacock miniseries based on the novel about a family matriarch who mysteriously disappears.

GREEN BANK---Tatiana Maslany will star in this sci fi horror movie about a baby sitter who discovers a child's parents are not what they appear to be.

THE TRAITORS---Peacock renewed the series for Season 2.

SO HELP ME TODD---CBS renewed the series.

TRIVIA---THE GIANT CLAW was a 1957 sci fi movie in which Jeff Morrow played an aeronautical engineer who battled a giant intergalactic bird, the Giant Claw, from destroying mankind. Morrow and the crew never saw the model of the bird until they saw it at the premiere in Morrow's hometown, “We poor, benighted actors had our own idea of what the giant bird would look like – our concept was that this was something that resembled a streamlined hawk, possibly half a mile long, flying at such speeds that we could barely see it.”
When the Giant Claw appeared on screen, the audience broke out in laughter at the comical creature which led to an embarrassed Morrow slinking out of the theater early so no one would recognize him. Co-star Mara Corday said producer Sam Katzman raved about “the wonderful special effects people in Mexico that he had hired” to make the Giant Claw and that most of the movie's budget was spent on the model. A dubious rumor claimed producer Katzman paid a Mexico model-maker a meager $50 for the model which led to Morrow's quip saying the model really cost $19.28.

When the Giant Claw appeared on screen, the audience broke out in laughter at the comical creature.

Jeff Morrow and Mara Corday appear to be horrified by the goofy-looking model of the Giant Claw.

 

[dragon53]

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6

THE LAST OF US---trailer released for Episode 5.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGj1I2PHuDI



AGENT ELVIS---trailer released for the Netflix animated Elvis Presley tv series starring Matthew McConaughey.

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



THE CONSULTANT---new trailer released for the Amazon Prime tv series starring Christoph Waltz.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIB21OhF1e8



WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP---trailer released for the remake movie.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOQWXybHme0



ATLANTIS---Colin Trevorrow will direct the Skydance fantasy adventure movie about the mythical civilization that sank beneath the waves. Charmaine DeGrate (HOUSE OF THE DRAGON) is the writer.

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY---Harrison Ford commented on the de-ageing technology used in the sequel in which Indiana Jones is 45 years old set in 1944, "That is my actual face at that age. They have this artificial intelligence program. It can go through every foot of film Lucasfilm owns. Because I did a bunch of movies for them, they have all this footage, including film that wasn’t printed. They could mine it from where the light is coming from, the expression. But that’s my actual face. I put little dots on my face and I say the words and they make it. It’s fantastic.”

THE WITCHER---author Andrzej Sapowski commented on Season 2, which has deviated from his novels, “I’ve seen better. I’ve seen worse." He also commented on future novels in the series, “They are in the plans.”

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4---Bill Skarsgard commented on his villain role as assassin Marquis de Gramont,"The Marquis is a young man of unknown origin who has quickly climbed the ladder within the High Table doing god knows what. I always saw him as someone from the gutter that now savors the glittery suits he’s wearing. He functions as the new sheriff set out to rid the world of John Wick once and for all."

MICHAEL---Dan Reed, director of the documentary LEAVING NEVERLAND which focused on child abuse charges against Michael Jackson, was critical of the upcoming biomovie starring Jackson's nephew, Jaafar Jackson, "No one is talking about 'cancelling' this movie, which will glorify a man who raped children...To the film-makers, I say: how will you represent the moment when Jackson, a grown man in his 30s, takes a child by the hand and leads him into that bedroom? How will you depict what happens next? By sidestepping the question of Jackson’s predilection for sleeping with young boys, you are broadcasting a message to millions of survivors of child sexual abuse. That message is: if a paedophile is rich and popular enough, society will forgive him."

TRIVIA---more James Bond movie trivia.
Helen Mirren was a candidate to play Bond Girl Solitaire in LIVE AND LET DIE which eventually went to Jane Seymour. Mirren's cousin, Tania Mallet, played Bond Girl Tilly Masterson, in GOLDFINGER. Mirrren said, "The first visit I ever made to a film set was visiting her in a night shoot on the set of GOLDFINGER where she joined the exclusive club of Bond Girls."

 

[dragon53]

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7

HISTORY OF THE WORLD-PART 2---trailer released for the Hulu sequel.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jok7jfOUUxI



YELLOWSTONE---sources say the series may end with the current season due to a schedule conflict with Kevin Costner, who is also working on his HORIZON Western movie project. Taylor Sheridan and the Paramount Network have been unable to work out a solution with Costner which has reportedly led to morale problems with the cast and crew. With the show possibly ending, Matthew McConaughey is reportedly in negotiations to star in a replacement spinoff series. A Paramount Network spokesperson said, “We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of YELLOWSTONE, and we hope that’s the case for a long time to come. Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we’d love to partner."

THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON---photos from the spinoff set in Paris show Daryl Dixon knocking out a man next to a jeep and then placing a case next to an injured man and opening it which releases several pigeons.

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES---Dichen Lachman has joined the cast in an undisclosed role. Also, the plot of the sequel was released, "Many apes societies have grown from when the Moses-like Caesar brought his people to an oasis, while humans have been reduced to a feral-like existence. Some groups have never heard of Caesar, while others have contorted his teaching to build burgeoning empires. In this setting, one ape leader begins to enslave other groups to find human technology, while another ape, who watched his clan be taken, embarks on a journey to find freedom. A young human woman becomes key to latter’s quest, although she has plans of her own."

DEXTER---Showtime is developing two spinoffs. DEXTER: ORIGINS is about a young Dexter joining Miami Metro after college. The second spinoff is about Dexter's son, Harrison, fleeing to New York. A third spinoff is under consideration and would focus on the backstory of the Trinity Killer.

BILLIONS---Showtime is developing four spinoffs: MILLIONS, TRILLIONS, BILLIONS: LONDON and BILLIONS: MIAMI.

THE DEPARTMENT---George Clooney will direct this Paramount+ series which is a remake of the French spy series LE BUREAU de GRANDES in which agents with fake identities recruit new agents.

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER---Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze, Jr. are reportedly in talks to return for the Sony Pictures sequel to the 1997 slasher movie that would continue the franchise.

TRIVIA---in the ALIEN scene where Kane examines the "hero egg", the writhing facehugger was made from sheep intestine and surrounded by a real cow's stomach. Its movement was supplied by Ridley Scott's hand. Co-art director Roger Christian said, "People around him were going, 'Oh my God,' but he was so focused. He just put his hand in there and pushed up, and there it was. It looked gross, but it looked real. [The eggs] looked beautiful, really. And Ridley added smoke to soften the atmosphere."
A high-pressure hose was used to propel the facehugger out of the egg and onto Kane's helmet.

 

[dragon53]

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8

LIAISON---trailer released for the Apple TV+ tv series starring Vincent Cassel and Eva Green.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJXBdH1GfIc



FANTASTIC FOUR---director Matt Shakman explained why he left JJ Abrams's upcoming STAR TREK 4 movie in order to direct the FANTASTIC FOUR reboot movie, "Movies have different journeys and momentums and schedules are a little bit mercurial, and so when the FANTASTIC FOUR opportunity came up, it was just too hard to pass up, and to go back home to Marvel, a place that I worked on WANDAVISION at, with those people who are wonderful collaborators.
It’s really a family there and to be able to go back and tackle something that I truly love, and they’re very similar in some ways: they both were launched in the ’60s at the same time, they’re both about optimism and looking to the stars and technology can solve everything and they’re about family too — the family you have, the family you make. So they’re aligned in many ways and speak to my heart and equally, so I’m excited to be working on FANTASTIC FOUR."
Shakman commented on rumors of John Krasinski returning as Mr. Fantastic, "All the casting stuff you see is just rumors. We are early in our process there. We have nothing to announce right now, and certainly, when we do we'll let you know."
He added the movie will start filming, "early next year."

THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON---photo of Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon and Clemence Poesy (THE ESSEX SERPENT) as religious group member Isabelle on the film set in Paris.

BOSCH---Amazon Prime is developing two spinoffs. The first features Detective Jerry Edgar (Jamie Hector) going undercover in Little Haiti, Miami. The second spinoff is about LAPD Detective Renee Ballard, a character from the novels, who becomes head of the cold case division.

FAWLTY TOWERS---John Cleese and his daughter, Camilla, will star in the revival of the comedy series in which Basil teams up with his newly-discovered daughter, to run a boutique hotel.

SCOOP---Rufus Sewell and Gillian Anderson will star in this movie about the interview with Prince Andrew and his relationship with billionaire/sex predator Jeffrey Epstein that led to Andrew being stripped of his Royal duties.

THE MOLE AGENT---Ted Danson will star in this comedy tv series based on the Chilean documentary THE MOLE AGENT in which a private investigator hires a man to be a mole in a retirement home where the residents are being abused by the staff.

THE PORTABLE DOOR---Sam Neill and Christoph Waltz star in the MGM+ fantasy movie based on the novels.

BOUNTY HUNTER---untitled Michael Bay/Amazon Prime tv series about a bounty hunter who goes to Mexico to apprehend a fugitive who gets him in trouble with a drug cartel.

THREE WOMEN---Starz picked up the the series that Showtime cancelled.

TRIVIA---Richard Boone starred in the hit tv Western HAVE GUN-WILL TRAVEL. After the series ended, Boone moved to Honolulu, Hawaii where he persuaded Leonard Freeman to film the upcoming tv series HAWAII FIVE-O entirely in Hawaii instead of California. Freeman agreed and also offered Boone the starring role of Steve McGarrett. After Boone turned it down, Jack Lord got the role which led to stardom.
Ironically, Boone and Lord appeared in the first episode of HAVE GUN--WILL TRAVEL titled "Three Bells to Perdido".

Richard Boone starred in the hit tv Western HAVE GUN-WILL TRAVEL.

After the series ended, Boone moved to Honolulu, Hawaii where he persuaded Leonard Freeman to film the upcoming tv series HAWAII FIVE-O entirely in Hawaii instead of California. Freeman agreed and also offered Boone the starring role of Steve McGarrett. After Boone turned it down, Jack Lord got the role which led to stardom.

Ironically, Boone and Lord appeared in the first episode of HAVE GUN--WILL TRAVEL titled "Three Bells to Perdido".

 

[dragon53]

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9

PAINT---trailer released for the comedy movie starring Owen Wilson.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ObPQyc6Qsk



GREASE: RISE OF THE PINK LADIES---trailer released for the Paramount prequel series to GREASE.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N84xfXMe9B8



TOY STORY 5---Tim Allen confirmed he is returning as Buzz Lightyear for the Walt Disney sequel and hinted Tom Hanks is also returning as Woody, "See ya soon Woody, you are a sad strange little man and you have my pity. And off we go to a number 5! To infinity and beyond!" Disney also announced FROZEN III and ZOOTOPIA 2 are underway.

FRANKENSTEIN---Oscar Issac is reportedly in talks to play Dr. Frankenstein and Andrew Garfield in talks to play Frankenstein's monster in the Guillermo del Toro/Netflix horror movie. The plot reportedly has Dr. Pretorius in search of Frankenstein's monster in order to continue his experiments.

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL---Harrison Ford replied to critics of the sequel, “I mean, [the critics] were harsh on it, but what are they doing now? I understand. But those were their rules – not [director Steven Spielberg’s and co-writer George Lucas’] rules. They were imposing their rules on what the movie should be.
I don’t feel it’s necessary to address those issues. I think that everyone has a right to their opinion. The film was not as successful as we wanted it to be, perhaps. But it didn’t create an attitude or a behavior that carried over into this film.”

BATGIRL---Brendan Fraser commented on playing villain Firefly in the cancelled movie, “It was a story about a guy who had been in the service and his benefits were cut, and he was very angry with the system and what else is he gonna do but burn it to the ground. That’s all you need to know. That’s a supervillain right there.
You’ve got some sympathy for him. You’ve also got some humanity to him and on top of that a screw loose cause you know he’s the bad guy, but is he really like all the best bad guys, you kinda like them a little bit. That was this role. On paper, very, very good. I relished this part.”

SWITZERLAND---Helen Mirren will star in this movie about author Patricia Highsmith, who is visited by a young literary agent in the Swiss Alps, as he tries to persuade her to write another Tom Ripley novel.

NOT WITHOUT HOPE---Zachary Levi will star in the Joe Carnahan survival movie based on the Nick Schuyler book about his survival ordeal after the fishing boat he, a friend and NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith were on, capsized during a violent storm in the Gulf of Mexico.

KAY SCARPETTA---Nicole Kidman will play coroner Kay Scarpetta and Jamie Lee Curtis will play her sister, Dorothy, in the Amazon Prime tv series based on the novels.

SPLASH---remake of the 1984 Ron Howard movie is underway with Sarah Rothschild (THE SLEEPOVER) as the writer. The original movie starred Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah.

WALT DISNEY---Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger announced corporate restructuring, a $5.5 billion cost-cutting plan and 7,000 job cuts after Disney+ lost 2.4 million subscribers in the last quarter of 2022. Most of the losses were in Asia and India due to Disney+ losing cricket rights to Paramount. Disney+ increased its US subscribers by 200,000.

TRIVIA---STIR CRAZY was a hit comedy movie starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor and was directed by Sidney Poitier. Poitier's daughter, Pamela, made her first movie appearance in the kitchen scene as the cook's helper who accidentally thinks Pryor's marijuana is oregano and puts it in the dinner party's food.

 

[dragon53]

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10

AIR---trailer released for the Amazon Studios movie about how Nike shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro got the Michael Jordan endorsement deal.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss8dY6xXNtI



65---Super Bowl commercial for the sci fi dinosaur movie starring Adam Driver.

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



DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES---Super Bowl commercial released for the movie based on the game.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEAqVYahr0o



FAST X---trailer released foe the latest sequel.

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



SNYDERVERSE---DC Studios co-head James Gunn commented on Snyder fans who want Warner Bros. to sell the Snyderverse to Netflix so he can continue his DC superhero movies, “I have to say, this has got to be the wackiest hashtag ever since 1) Netflix hasn’t expressed any such interest (although we’ve discussed other stuff) & 2) Zack hasn’t expressed any interest & seems to be happy doing what he’s doing (and, yes, we too have talked). He contacted me to express his support about my choices. He’s a great guy. Again, he seems really happy with the massive world building he’s doing now.”

IN THE LOST LANDS---George RR Martin posted about the status of the movie based on his short story, "That’s why it thrills me to announce that she will soon be appearing on the big screen. IN THE LOST LANDS, the movie, wrapped filming in Poland a few weeks ago! Paul W.S. Anderson, director of MONSTER HUNTER, EVENT HORIZON, and the RESIDENT EVIL series, helmed the picture. Milla Jovovich stars as Gray Alys, and Dave Bautista as Boyce."

GODZILLA AND THE TITANS---executive producer Matt Shakman commented on if the Apple TV+ tv series will overlap with Legendary Pictures' Godzilla movies, “There is some overlap, though we were not heavily involved in talking about it with [GODZILLA VS. KONG director] Adam Wingard and his team. Legendary is the studio for our show, as well as for the films, and so they sort of sit at the juncture there between the two, and they have a mythology department there which is wonderful.
So they weigh in on how things might overlap, how certain creatures need to stay on one side or the other, and so there is a lot of conversation about it. But in terms of how closely the narratives overlap, it’s not as involved to say, an MCU kind of Disney+ film crossover. It’s less organized.”

SPARTACUS---Starz sequel to the gladiator series is underway and is set after the defeat of Spartacus' revolution.

THE PERIPHERAL---Amazon renewed the series for Season 2.

SUPER TOYS---Sacha Baron Cohen and Keke Palmer will star in the David O. Russell movie about hippie toy salespersons and their 12 year-old daughter as they try to save their crumbling marriage.

TRIVIA---NIGHT STALKER was an ABC 2005 tv series reboot of its 1972 tv movie THE NIGHT STALKER starring Darren McGavin, which was the most-watched tv movie in history at that time. The reboot included a "digital cameo" from the original tv movie of Carl Kolchak (McGavin) putting a mallet and a wooden stake in his bag in order to kill vampire Janos Skorzeny. The reboot deservedly lasted only six episodes before being cancelled.

NIGHT STALKER was an ABC 2005 tv series reboot of its 1972 tv movie THE NIGHT STALKER starring Darren McGavin.

The reboot included a "digital cameo" from the original tv movie of Carl Kolchak (McGavin) putting a mallet and a wooden stake in his bag in order to kill vampire Janos Skorzeny.

 

[dragon53]

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY---Super Bowl spot released for the sequel.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQpwONzpcy4



GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3---Super Bowl ad released for the sequel.

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



M&M'S---the M&M's announcement that the candy spokespersons were being retired due to criticism that they were too woke and being replaced by Maya Rudolph turned out to be a publicity stunt as shown in its Super Bowl ad (Link #1) and its post-game ad (Link #2).

LINK #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV2ARgWiGok

LINK #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv0vPHWIX8U&t=15s



TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS---Super Bowl ad released for the sequel.

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



THE FLASH---Super Bowl ad released for the superhero movie.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0zdJOM_5Vg



FAST X---Super Bowl as released for the sequel.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upiz5vewayU



AIR---trailer released for the Amazon Prime movie about Nike and Air Jordan starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Euy4Yu6B3nU



RIDDICK: FURYA---Vin Diesel and writer/director David Twohy are reuniting for the sequel which has Riddick returning to his home planet where its inhabitants are battling a new enemy.

LOCKED---Anthony Hopkins and Glen Powell star in this remake of the Argentinian movie 4X4 in which a thief breaks into a SUV which is really a trap set by a mysterious stranger.

SHIP---PLANE sequel underway with Mike Colter returning as murderer Louis Gaspare, who escapes the Philippines and boards a cargo ship which is involved in human trafficking. He teams up with the ship's second mate and another passenger to battle the corrupt captain and free the imprisoned passengers.

DANIELLA FOREVER---Henry Golding stars in this sci fi movie about a man who volunteers for a scientific experiment in which he can use lucid dreaming to live a life with his girlfriend who died in an accident six months earlier.

TRIVIA---more James Bond movie trivia.
Sean Connery starred in two movies set on the Orient Express. In FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, Connery played James Bond, who boards the Orient Express where he is targeted by SPECTRE assassin Red Grant. In MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, Connery played Col. Arbuthnott, a passenger on the Orient Express who is one of 12 suspects in the murder of an American tycoon.

In FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, Connery played James Bond, who boards the Orient Express where he is targeted by SPECTRE assassin Red Grant.

In MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, Connery played Col. Arbuthnott, a passenger on the Orient Express who is one of 12 suspects in the murder of an American tycoon.

 

[dragon53]

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14

CHILDREN OF THE CORN---Red Band trailer released for the remake movie based on the Stephen King short story.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HK41isxFC34



ANDOR---photo from the Season 2 film set shows a meeting between Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard).

THE MANDALORIAN---Jon Favreau said he is more interested in continuing the tv series instead of a movie, “There’s always an opportunity when you have a set of characters and stories that people connect with that you could cross media into different areas. Marvel does it quite effectively...It’s just a matter of where our time should be spent and what the appetite of the audience is. With all these stories we’re telling, it definitely is a full-time job just keeping this going with what we’re doing now. Television has a much different rhythm and schedule than film does.”

DEADPOOL 3---Emma Corrin (THE CROWN) has joined the sequel cast in what is believed to be the lead villain role. Corrin will also co-star in the NOSFERATU remake starring Bill Skarsgard and Lily Rose-Depp.

BARNEY---Mattel is relaunching its purple dinosaur franchise with new toys, movies, tv, Youtube videos, clothing, books and music. Mattel Television head Fred Soulie said an animated tv series titled BARNEY will premiere in 2024, and the relaunch will, “properly reflect the world that kids today live in so that the series can deliver meaningful lessons about navigating it”.

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4---the sequel's runtime is two hours and 49 minutes with credits which makes it the longest movie in the franchise.

FRED ASTAIRE---Paul King (PADDINGTON) will direct the untitled Fred Astaire biomovie starring Tom Holland.

THE WINTER KILLS---Kiefer Sutherland stars in this movie whose synopsis says it is about a, "disgraced cop [that] pursues the serial killer who murdered his partner ten years ago - and has resurfaced, killing again."

TRIVIA---Valentine's Day romance movie trivia.
Actress Teresa Wright was connected to two romance movies involving life after death. Wright played Laura Roberts in the cult classic SOMEWHERE IN TIME which starred Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. In GHOST, the highest-grossing movie of 1990, Whoopi Goldberg said her character, psychic Oda Mae Brown, was originally conceived with Wright in the role.

Teresa Wright played Laura Roberts in the cult classic SOMEWHERE IN TIME which starred Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour.

In GHOST, the highest-grossing movie of 1990, Whoopi Goldberg said her character, psychic Oda Mae Brown, was originally conceived with Wright in the role.

 

[dragon53]

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15

TOP GUN: MAVERICK---at an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences luncheon for Oscar nominees, some attendees saw Steven Spielberg's conversation with Tom Cruise in which Spielberg said, “You saved Hollywood’s a*s and you might have saved theatrical distribution. Seriously. MAVERICK might have saved the entire theatrical industry.” TOP GUN: MAVERICK has earned $1.48 billion worldwide.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZUDIMzdy4ig



JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX---Todd Phillips posted a photo of Lady Gaga in the sequel.

DEAD RINGERS---photo released of Rachel Weisz starring in the Amazon Prime six-part miniseries based on the 1988 David Cronenberg movie that starred Jeremy Irons.

SQUID GAME---Lee Jung-jae gave information on Season 2, "As we all saw at the end of Season 1, the main plot of Season 2 will be revenge, and the key figure who controlled the workings of the games in Season 1 was Lee Byung Hun sunbae, so it seems that the two of us will be the central figures of this next story. This is the first time that I'll be working with Lee Byung Hun sunbae, actually. Well, we worked on a drama called 'White Nights 3.98' back in the day, but we didn't have any scenes together. Anyways, 'SQUID GAME 2 will begin filming in the summer and the filming will likely last for about 10 months. We were working on Season 1 for about 10 months as well, but that was with delays caused by COVID-19. But seeing as Season 2 will be bigger in scale, it will probably take longer to complete."

DOCTOR WHO---new photo of Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor Who.

THE WALKING DEAD---photo posted with the caption "Dad's back" shows Andrew Lincoln leaving his trailer on the New Jersey film set for the spinoff series.

METROPOLIS---Briana Middleton (THE TENDER BAR) will play a lead role of Finnie Polito in the Apple TV+ eight-part miniseries based on the 1927 Fritz Lang sci fi movie.

WATCHERS---Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan, will direct this sci fi movie based on the novel about a female artist who is stranded with three strangers in an Irish forest where they are stalked by mysterious creatures.

TRIVIA---the Western comedy movie SOMETHING BIG starred Dean Martin, Honor Blackman and Brian Keith. The movie's villain was Mexican outlaw Emilio Estevez, who was played by Jose Angel Espinosa "Ferrusquilla". Ironically, the real Emilio Estevez, son of Martin Sheen and brother of Charlie Sheen, played outlaw Billy the Kid in the Western movies YOUNG GUNS and YOUNG GUNS II.

The Western comedy movie SOMETHING BIG's villain was Mexican outlaw Emilio Estevez, who was played by Jose Angel Espinosa "Ferrusquilla".

Ironically, the real Emilio Estevez, son of Martin Sheen and brother of Charlie Sheen, played outlaw Billy the Kid in the Western movies YOUNG GUNS and YOUNG GUNS II.

 

[dragon53]

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17

LOVE & DEATH---trailer released for the HBO Max true murder miniseries starring Elizabeth Olsen.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvVyz1k2B6M



JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4---new trailer released for the sequel.

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



TETRIS---trailer released for the Apple TV+ biomovie starring Taron Egerton as Henk Rogers and the Tetris video game.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BLM1naCfME



KANDAHAR---trailer released for the action movie starring Gerard Butler.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDXjNkm_-s0



EXTRAPOLATIONS---trailer released for the Apple TV+ anthology series about climate change starring Meryl Streep, Kit Harington and Tobey Maguire.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QP-xrG0kZk



LUCKY HANK---trailer released for the comedy tv series starring Bob Odenkirk.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY4jhr4_PF0



THE MANDALORIAN---Season 3 concept art shows Grogu playing with space crabs.

TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY---photo released of Jodie Foster starring in Season 4 with the synopsis saying, "When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro must confront their pasts and the dark truths lying underneath the Arctic ice."

DAREDEVIL---director Mark Steven Johnson commented on his 2003 superhero movie that starred Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, "Looking back on it, one of the mistakes I made with the film was wanting to put everything in. I wanted to do Daredevil’s origin story, and I wanted to do the Elektra Saga and I wanted to introduce Bullseye and Foggy.
I wanted everything to be in there, but the film could only support so much. Then when you’re told to cut a half-hour out and and make it more of a love story, things start to feel rushed and not quite right. It’s a fan thing: when you love something so much, you want to tell it all.”
He also talked about changing villain Kingpin from white, as in the comic book, to black, “I got a lot of blowback. It’s the strangest Catch-22, because you want to have opportunities for everybody. You say, ‘I’m not going to pay attention to race: I’m just going to cast the right person for the role.’
But then you get killed for that [from some fans] who say: ‘The Kingpin should be white’ or ‘He’s not my Kingpin’ and all that kind of stuff. So I definitely got heat on that, but I don’t regret the decision at all. Michael was fantastic. It’s hard to find a guy who is that big and also that formidable, and Michael was definitely that guy. God bless him.”

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON---Universal Pictures live-action remake movie of the animated trilogy and fantasy books is underway with Dean DeBlois returning as writer/director.

ALL MADDEN---miniseries underway about NFL coach and commentator John Madden.

BILLY THE KID---Barry Keoghan (THE BANSHEE OF INISHERIN) will star in this untitled biomovie about the Irish background and dysfunctional childhood of Henry McCarty, who became Western outlaw Billy the Kid.

POKER FACE---Peacock renewed the series for Season 2.

TRIVIA---director Colin Trevorrow had a cameo in JURASSIC WORLD as the voice of Mr. DNA. The original voice of Mr. DNA in JURASSIC PARK was by voice actor Greg Burson, who replaced the late Mel Blanc as the voice of Bugs Bunny and voiced many other cartoon characters.
In 2004, a drunk Burson was arrested after he barricaded himself in his house he shared with three female roommates, one of whom he took hostage. Burson surrendered after six hours with a police officer saying, "He was so drunk, we couldn't tell if he was trying to do one of his voices or was just slurring his words." The incident led to Burson being blacklisted which ended his career and led to chronic alcoholism. Burson died of diabetes and arteriosclerosis in 2008.


LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Uq5WSzUaTQ

 

[dragon53]

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17

HELLBOY: THE CROOKED MAN---Millenium Media live-action reboot movie underway based on the comic book. It is not connected to the Guillermo del Toro or David Harbour movies. Brian Taylor (GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE) is the director.

AMATEUR---Rami Malek stars in this 20th Century movie about a CIA cryptographer who blackmails the CIA to train him as an agent so he can seek revenge on the terrorists who killed his wife in London. James Hawes (SLOW HORSES) is the director.

STARSKY AND HUTCH---Fox all-female reboot of the cop series is underway which has police detectives Sasha Starsky and Nicole Hutchinson investigating who framed their fathers and sent them to prison 15 years before. David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser starred in the original tv series that ran on ABC from 1975-1979.

BRUCE WILLIS---the family of the DIE HARD star released a statement saying that Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia which leads to deterioration of personality or behavior and difficulty in speech and communication, “While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.” Willis retired from acting after being originally diagnosed with aphasia.

THE LEADER---Tim Blake Nelson and Vera Farmiga will star in this movie about the founders of the UFO religious cult Heaven's Gate that committed mass suicide in 1997.

DEADPOOL 3---Patrick Stewart commented on if Marvel Studios or Hugh Jackman asked him to do a cameo for the sequel, “I’ve been told to stand by. That’s all. And I know nothing more than that, I promise you.”
Stewart also commented on if he and Ian McKellen might return in another MCU project, "Actually, it went very well. He did say something like ['Hey, I would've done this!'], yes that's true. But we're not done, Sir Ian and myself. We're... we got plans."

MIDAIR---Aaron Eckhart stars in this action movie about a CIA pilot who must save his airplane and passengers from a terrorist out to kill him.

DUSTER---the LOST team of Josh Holloway and JJ Abrams reunite for this HBO Max cop series set in 1972 where the first black female FBI agent teams up with a getaway driver to take on a crime syndicate. Rachel Hilson also stars.

TRIVIA---Steven Spielberg said he turned down an offer to direct HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE which would have been a big money-maker, "shooting ducks in a barrel. It's just a slam dunk. It's just like withdrawing a billion dollars and putting it into your personal bank accounts. There's no challenge."
Instead, Spielberg opted to spend time with his family, “And there were several films I chose not to make. They offered me HARRY POTTER. I chose to turn down the first HARRY POTTER to basically spend that next year and a half with my family, my young kids growing up. So I sacrificed a great franchise, which today looking back I’m very happy to have done, to be with my family. Other times, my family stayed in Los Angeles, and I went abroad to tell a story.”