Producer Jason Blum believes what sets Five Nights at Freddy’s apart from other adaptations is “the care that was taken with the story to create something based on a beloved game.” Universal Pictures’ new featurette is dedicated to the game’s fans, and director/co-writer Emma Tammi says that every creative decision they made was with the goal of doing justice to the game and its massive fan base.
Josh Hutcherson (Ultraman, The Hunger Games franchise) and Elizabeth Lail (You, Mack & Rita) lead the cast of the horror film. Piper Rubio (Holly & Ivy, Unstable), Kat Conner Sterling (We Have a Ghost), Mary Stuart Masterson (Blindspot), and Matthew Lillard (Good Girls, Scream) also star.
Scott Cawthon created the Five Night at Freddy’s game and is involved as a writer and producer. Seth Cuddeback also co-wrote the screenplay, with Bea Sequeira, Russell Binder, Marc Mostman, and Christopher H. Warner executive producing. Jim Henson’s Creature Shop created the film’s animatronic characters.
Five Nights at Freddy’s opens in theaters and streams on Peacock on October 27, 2023.
The terrifying horror game phenomenon becomes a blood-chilling cinematic event, as Blumhouse — the producer of M3GAN, The Black Phone and The Invisible Man — brings Five Nights at Freddy’s to the big screen.
The film follows a troubled security guard as he begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the night shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.
The CW Network is all-in on Everyone Else Burns, picking up a second season of the British comedy ahead of its season one U.S. premiere. The half-hour apocalyptic family comedy’s first season aired in the UK on Channel 4 in January 2023 and was renewed in May 2023.
Season one debuts on The CW on Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 9:30pm ET/PT.
“Everyone Else Burns is a brilliant and bitingly funny series that is as much about family as it is about the end of days,” stated Brad Schwartz, President of Entertainment, The CW Network. “There is truly no other comedy on television like it, and we are thrilled to work alongside the immensely talented writers and producers to bring the uniquely hilarious Lewis family to The CW for another season.”
Created by Dillon Mapletoft and Oliver Taylor, the series stars Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners) as David Lewis, Kate O’Flynn (Landscapers) as Fiona, Amy James-Kelly (Military Wives) as Rachel, and Harry Connor as Aaron.
Mapletoft and Taylor serve as writers and executive produce along with Tony Hernandez, Brooke Posch, and Molly Seymour. Season two is produced by Jax Media and Universal International Studios in association with The CW Network and Channel 4.
The CW released this description of the series:
“Everyone Else Burns follows the Lewises, a strictly religious family who believe the world will end within the decade. Patriarch David (Bird) longs for the church to promote him. Long-suffering Fiona (O’Flynn) hungers for a life beyond sermons and squash. Aaron (Connor) is a model young believer – except his drawings feature the rest of the family burning in hell. And anxious 17-year-old Rachel (James-Kelly) is about to fall for someone who could save her social life, but also damn her soul.”
Discovery Channel’s set a November 15, 2023 premiere for season three of Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch. The premiere date announcement was accompanied by the first trailer for the upcoming season which shows that the Ollingers believe they are closer than ever to recovering $3 billion in Aztec gold.
New episodes will air on Discovery Channel on Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT.
Blind Frog Ranch covers 160 acres in remote Northeastern Utah and belongs to the Ollinger family. Legend has it that the location was the site of ancient civilizations, and Duane and Chad Ollinger have been sacrificing time and money in an attempt to find buried treasure.
Chad Ollinger, Duane Ollinger, and Charlie Snider using robot camera in ‘Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch’ (Photo Credit: Discovery Channel)
Discovery Channel offered this description of the upcoming third season:
“Duane and Chad Ollinger have spent close to a decade trying to unearth $3 billion in Aztec gold that they believe is hidden in a vast network of underground caverns deep within the ranch. After arriving for the season, they discover that claim jumpers have been illegally digging on the property, attempting to locate and steal the treasure – leading to a tense and volatile confrontation.
The threat of poachers only fuels the urgency of the Ollingers’ pursuit for treasure. This season, they bring in cutting-edge quantum technology, as well as new experts, uncovering an enormous cavern system that could house the treasure. They also discover a series of clues, leading them to believe that the Aztecs were not the only ones hiding treasure below Blind Frog Ranch. No one can predict the strange things that surface when they begin the underground search, changing everything they thought they knew about what really lies beneath the ranch.
Fighting the land and risking their lives to track down the Aztec billions, Duane and Chad might finally find what they’ve been searching for…and more.”
Is it possible to sway members of a jury from their predisposed positions? Alec attempts to answer that question on NBC’s The Irrational season one episode six. “Point and Shoot” will air on Monday, October 30, 2023 at 10pm ET/PT.
“Point and Shoot” Plot: Alec agrees to testify as an expert witness in a wrongful death trial for a friend of Kylie’s. As he faces an old nemesis, he discovers competing emotions around an accidental shooting. Marisa reaches a decision about the bombing investigation.
Jesse L. Martin stars as Professor Alec Mercer, Maahra Hill is Marisa, Travina Springer is Kylie, Molly Kunz is Phoebe, and Arash DeMaxi plays Rizwan. Executive producers include Arika Lisanne Mittman, Mark Goffman, Sam Baum, and David Frankel.
Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer and Travina Springer as Kylie in ‘The Irrational’ episode 6 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)
Season 1 Description, Courtesy of NBC:
A new spin on the procedural genre, The Irrational follows world-renowned professor of behavioral science Alec Mercer (Martin) as he lends his unique expertise on an array of high-stakes cases involving governments, law enforcement, and corporations. His insight and unconventional approach to understanding psychology and human behavior lead him and the team on a series of intense, unexpected journeys to solve illogical puzzles and perplexing mysteries.
Maahra Hill as Marisa, Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer, and Brian King as Jace Richards in episode 6 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Emidio Lopes as Mason Hill-Jones, Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer, Neville Wingo as Donald Sales, and Travina Springer as Kylie in episode 6 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Maahra Hill as Marisa and Brian King as Jace Richards in episode 6 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Maahra Hill as Marisa in episode 6 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Dustin Atwood and Michael Querin as Judge Haynes in episode 6 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Travina Springer as Kylie in episode 6 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)
Netflix dropped the full trailer for Leave the World Behind one day prior to the film’s world premiere at AFI Fest. The teaser trailer released earlier this month set up the apocalyptic events that send the film’s central figures into a panic. The official trailer reveals additional details and expands on what’s happening as a cyberattack takes down infrastructures and disables electronics across the globe.
Oscar winner Julia Roberts, Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans, and Kevin Bacon star. The thriller’s based on the National Book Award-nominated novel by Rumaan Alam and was directed by Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot). Esmail also adapted the novel and serves as a producer.
Additional producers include Chad Hamilton, Julia Roberts, Marisa Yeres Gill, and Lisa Gillan. Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Tonia Davis, Daniel M. Stillman, Nick Krishnamurthy, and author Rumaan Alam executive produce.
Poster for Netflix’s ‘Leave the World Behind’
“Amanda (Roberts) and her husband Clay (Hawke), rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie (Evans) and Rose (Mackenzie). Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers — G.H. (Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la) — arrive in the night, bearing news of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs,” reads Netflix’s synopsis. “The two families reckon with a looming disaster that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world.”
Leave the World Behind will open in select theaters on November 22, 2023 followed by its streaming premiere on Netflix on December 8.
Ryan Gosling as Ken in ‘Barbie’ (Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)
Barbie‘s Ryan Gosling picked up an acting nomination, but the film’s star, Margot Robbie, did not make the cut for the 33rd Annual Gotham Awards. Gotham Film & Media Institute’s Gotham Awards nominees include 20 feature films, 11 series, and 30 actors (in gender-neutral categories).
“We are proud to announce this year’s Gotham Award nominees and look forward to celebrating these amazing storytellers in a few weeks. The Gotham Awards in many ways reflects the industry and community we serve. Seen by this year’s nominees, storytelling knows no boundaries as our industry continues to find new audiences across the globe,” said Jeffrey Sharp, award-winning film producer and the Executive Director of The Gotham.
Winners will be announced on Monday, November 27, 2023.
2023 Gotham Award Nominees
Best Feature Passages
Past Lives
Reality
Showing Up
A Thousand and One
Best International Feature All of Us Strangers
Anatomy of a Fall
Poor Things
Tótem
The Zone of Interest
Best Documentary Feature 20 Days in Mariupol
Against the Tide
Apolonia, Apolonia
Four Daughters
Our Body
Breakthrough Director Award, Presented by Cadillac
Raven Jackson, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (A24)
Georgia Oakley, Blue Jean (Magnolia Pictures)
Michelle Garza Cervera, Huesera (XYZ Films)
Celine Song, Past Lives (A24)
A.V. Rockwell, A Thousand and One (Focus Features)
Best Screenplay All of Us Strangers, Andrew Haigh (Searchlight Pictures) Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet, Arthur Harari (NEON) May December, Samy Burch (Netflix) R.M.N., Cristian Mungiu (IFC Films) The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer (A24)
Outstanding Lead Performance
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Origin (NEON)
Lily Gladstone, The Unknown Country (Music Box Films)
Greta Lee, Past Lives (A24)
Franz Rogowski, Passages (MUBI)
Babetida Sadjo, Our Father, The Devil (Cineverse)
Andrew Scott, All of Us Strangers (Searchlight Pictures)
Cailee Spaeny, Priscilla (A24)
Teyana Taylor, A Thousand and One (Focus Features)
Michelle Williams, Showing Up (A24)
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
Outstanding Supporting Performance
Juliette Binoche, The Taste of Things (IFC Films)
Penélope Cruz, Ferrari (NEON)
Jamie Foxx, They Cloned Tyrone (Netflix)
Claire Foy, All of Us Strangers (Searchlight Films)
Ryan Gosling, Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Glenn Howerton, BlackBerry (IFC Films)
Sandra Hüller, The Zone of Interest (A24)
Rachel McAdams, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (Lionsgate)
Charles Melton, May December (Netflix)
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers (Focus Features)
Breakthrough Series – Under 40 minutes Beef High School
I’m A Virgo
Rain Dogs
Swarm
Breakthrough Series – Over 40 minutes Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire
Dead Ringers
The English
The Last of Us
A Small Light
Telemarketers
Outstanding Performance in a New Series
Jacob Anderson, Anne Rice’s Interview with The Vampire (AMC)
Dominique Fishback, Swarm (Amazon Studios)
Jharrel Jerome, I’m A Virgo (Prime Video)
Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face (Peacock)
Bel Powley, A Small Light (National Geographic)
Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us (HBO | Max)
Chaske Spencer, The English (Prime Video)
Rachel Weisz, Dead Ringers ((Prime Video)
Ali Wong, Beef (Netflix)
Steven Yeun, Beef (Netflix)
The following tributes will take place during the 2023 ceremony:
Maestro (Netflix) will receive The Gotham Cultural Icon & Creator Tribute, honoring Leonard Bernstein, the legendary musician, conductor, composer, teacher, and author, while celebrating Bradley Cooper’s masterful achievement that cinematically captures Bernstein’s story;
Air (Amazon MGM Studios) will receive The Gotham Visionary Icon & Creator Tribute honoring the visionaries behind the Michael Jordan partnership and celebrating Ben Affleck’s superb film;
Rustin (Netflix), the upcoming film starring Colman Domingo, and produced by President Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground, will receive The Gotham Cultural Icon & Creator Tribute for Social Justice, honoring Bayard Rustin, the activist and organizer of the 1968 March on Washington, and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, while celebrating director George C. Wolfe’s spectacular achievement in bringing Rustin’s story to life.
Series creator J Blakeson enjoys heist films but wanted to do something different with the subgenre. The trailer for Hulu’s Culprits shows that he did just that, setting the story years after a heist when the robbers have put their former criminal ways behind them and have established new lives.
“Heists have been done so many times, the great thing about this is that you can sort of play in that sandbox with the tropes and the expectations and the iconography of the heist, but actually tell a story, which is much more about these people who are dealing with this bad thing they’ve done and the consequences of their actions and trying to escape who they were and are trying to become a person who they’d like to be,” said Blakeson in an interview with Variety.
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Candyman) and Gemma Arterton (The King’s Man) lead the cast that includes Niamh Algar (Raised by Wolves), Kirby (The Good Place), and Kamel El Basha (The Insult). Tara Abboud, Kevin Vidal (Working Moms), Ned Dennehy (Good Omens), and Eddie Izzard (Victoria and Abdul) also star in what Hulu describes as a darkly funny crime series.
J Blakeson and Claire Oakley direct and executive produce, with Stephen Garrett and Disney+ EMEA’s Johanna Devereaux also executive producing.
The eight-episode series premieres on Hulu on Friday, December 8, 2023.
Gemma Arterton stars in ‘Culprits’ (Photo Courtesy of Hulu)
The Plot, Courtesy of Hulu:
Culprits kicks off where most crime stories end: after a high-stakes heist, when the crew of elite criminals have gone their separate ways and have tried to leave their old lives behind. Past and present collide when a ruthless assassin starts targeting them one by one. Why are they being stalked, who is behind the mayhem, and will they be able to find one another in time to protect themselves and the people they love?
This Is Us star Mandy Moore and Florida Man‘s Edgar Ramirez star in season two of Peacock’s Dr. Death anthology series, based on the “Miracle Man” season of Wondery’s Dr. Death podcast. The streamer’s trailer for season two introduces Ramirez as professor, researcher, and thoracic surgeon Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, a despicable doctor whose carefully constructed facade cracks when it’s discovered what he’s really doing to patients.
The eight-episode season also features Luke Kirby, Ashley Madekwe, and Gustaf Hammarsten. Ashley Michel Hoban writes, executive produces, and serves as showrunner. Additional executive producers include Patrick Macmanus, Lisa Gase, Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, Taylor Latham, and Wondery’s Aaron Hart, Hernan Lopez, and Marshall Lewy.
Executive producer Jennifer Morrison directs episodes one through four, with Laura Belsey directing episodes five through eight.
Discussing the appeal of the anthology series, showrunner Ashley Michel Hoban said, “The joy of an anthology series is the freedom to explore variations on a theme. Dr. Death is a show about systemic failures, and this season, these issues reach a global scale. Amid complex narratives, we’ve been fortunate to delve deeply into a story that, while entirely unique, remains surprisingly familiar, as it taps into a truly universal part of the human condition: illness. Even putting aside any recent global pandemics, we all know what it’s like to feel sick. It renders us vulnerable, small, in desperate need of help. A doctor we can trust.
This pursuit of trust and truth is what ties our two stories together this season. Two stories that, on the surface, may not seem to have much else in common: Doctors in Sweden on the verge of a breakthrough. A journalist in New York falling in love. However, both revolve around individuals made to feel small. They’re about people standing up to something bigger, for something bigger, and how their seemingly small choices ripple out into the world to give power and voice to those who have been made to feel powerless and silenced. These are stories that you don’t think could happen to you, until you watch this season of Dr. Death.”
All eight episodes will be available to binge on Peacock beginning December 21, 2023.
Edgar Ramírez as Dr. Paolo Macchiarini and Mandy Moore as Benita in ‘Dr. Death’ season 2 (Photo by: Peacock)
The Plot, Courtesy of Peacock:
This season of Dr. Death, based on the Wondery podcast, follows “Miracle Man” Paolo Macchiarini, a charming surgeon renowned for his innovative operations. When investigative journalist Benita Alexander approaches him for a story, the line between personal and professional begins to blur, changing her life forever. As she learns how far Paolo will go to protect his secrets, a group of doctors halfway across the world make shocking discoveries of their own that call everything about Paolo into question.
Mandy Moore as Benita in season 2 (Photo by: Scott McDermott/PEACOCK)Edgar Ramírez as Dr. Paolo Macchiarini in season 2 (Photo by: Peacock)Edgar Ramírez as Dr. Paolo Macchiarini (Photo by: Peacock)Gustaf Hammarsten as Dr. Svensson, Luke Kirby as Dr. Nathan Gamelli, and Ashley Madekwe as Dr. Ana Lasbrey in season 2 (Photo by: Barbara Nitke/PEACOCK)
Prime Video revealed the nine pairs who will be competing on 007: Road to a Million hosted by Succession‘s Brian Cox. The reality competition series, inspired by the adventures of Bond, James Bond, is set to premiere on November 10, 2023.
The eight-episode season will find the contestants traveling to locations that hold a special significance to Bond fans, including the Scottish Highlands, Venice, and Jamaica. During their globetrotting adventures, the nine pairs will tackle difficult physical challenges.
Commenting on his involvement as The Controller, Cox said, “I got to see how ordinary people would cope with being on a James Bond adventure. As they travel the world to some of the most iconic Bond locations, it gets more intense and nail-biting. I enjoyed my role as both villain and tormentor, with license to put the hopeful participants through the mangle.”
Prime Video offers this description of the series:
“The Controller (Brian Cox) is the on-screen mastermind behind the game, he dictates where the pairs go and what they must do and sets their questions. He watches on from the shadows, following the pair’s every move, reveling as his often merciless and punishing plans unfold in front of him.
In total, The Controller has hidden 10 questions around the world for each pair, who each have a chance of winning a £1,000,000. Find them, answer them, win £1,000,000…But it won’t be that easy!
To reach these questions, the pairs face gut-wrenching Bond-inspired challenges that will push their physical strength and mental reserves to the limit. Each question is worth an increasing amount of money, if answered correctly, they bank the cash and continue to the next question, get it wrong their journey is over.”
Season 1 ‘007: Road To A Million’ contestants (Photo Credit: Prime Video)
007: Road to a Million Contestants:
JAMES AND JOEY
James and Joey grew up in South West London in a family of four siblings. Despite the six-year age gap the brothers have always been good friends. Joey trained as an electrician before becoming a black cab driver in his twenties. He has since returned to the trade and runs his own electrician business. James is a creative and describes himself as a “copy writer by day and musician by night”.When his copyrighting work dried up at the start of the pandemic, he returned to his first love, music, and recorded a folk/punk-inspired album. He has also dabbled in stand-up comedy, putting on shows at the Edinburgh Fringe.
BETH AND JEN
Jen trained as a nurse in Dorset and became a prison nurse, then joined the Royal Air Force reserves and trained to go to Afghanistan to assist with Aeromedical evacuation in 2010, bringing injured soldiers’ home. She then ran a medical clinic in Kabul at the British Embassy before going to Australia, where she worked on Christmas Island with asylum seekers. Recently, Jen has been working in Guyana, providing medical care to crews working offshore on drill ships, and now is back in the UK doing local agency work. Beth has worked in emergency departments internationally, and her specialty is emergency care. She’s worked in expedition medicine with ultra-marathon runners in the Amazon and the Arctic Circle. She now works as an advanced clinical practitioner in Gloucestershire in the urgent care clinic.
KAMARA AND JOSH
Kamara and Josh met at work while they were working as youth workers in their local community. They bonded over their shared love of travel, anthropology, and interest in different cultures. Despite their different cultural backgrounds and worries that their families would disapprove, love blossomed, and they became an item. Kamara is more daring and riskier than Josh, when a decision needs to be made, she will take the lead.
SANA AND SAIQA
They’re only 18 months apart and their family sees them more as twins than older or younger siblings. They’ve lived in Bahrain and Dubai but also spent time growing up in the UK, deciding to do their university studies there. They now live with their grandparents in London. They see ‘home’ as between the UK and Dubai, where their parents live and work. Sana is a process engineer and Saiqa is a fraud analyst.
JAMES AND SAM
James and Sam are father and son who share a close bond, but James is often away for up to eight weeks due to working on oil rigs, which has left him feeling like an ‘absent father’, but he now wants to make up for lost time and make lasting memories with his teenage son before he becomes an adult. Sam idolizes his dad, describing their relationship more like a ‘friendship’. Sam recently moved out after studying for his A-levels during the pandemic and has been working as a bartender in a tapas restaurant (he’s trying to learn Spanish).
KEITH AND NICK
Peas in a pod, these two retired police officers enjoy laughing their way through life, but their years of service mean they’re calm under pressure. Having found themselves in many dangerous and life threatening situations throughout the years, they tend to look for the lighter side of things to help them cope. Their M.O. is ‘Take nothing seriously.’
COLIN AND DANNY
They met 10 years ago through their wives when Danny was new on the scene and was being introduced as his now-wife’s new partner. They soon connected over the fact that their fathers come from the same parish in Jamaica, which has given them a good grounding and understanding of each other. Fast forward a decade and Danny says they are “brothers from another mother.”
GRACE AND DANIELLA
They met in 2012 while they were both working at Capital Radio in Glasgow and bonded over giving out leaflets in cold shopping centres and driving around as runners for the station. Both are now fully fledged radio presenters, with Daniella having presented on BBC Radio 1 and Grace has her morning breakfast radio show. They share a love of their native Scotland and feel passionately about representing their beloved nation as wee Scottish lasses.
TANAKA AND JAMES
Tanaka describes James as a ladies’ man and remembers a “swarm of girls” around him at school, whilst Tanaka was the school sports star. They remained close friends throughout university and often visited each other and have since shared travelling trips to Brazil, South Africa, and Colombia. They have a warm, loyal, fun friendship and are full of respect for one another.
The series comes from the producers of the James Bond film franchise and is a collaboration between Amazon Studios, EON Productions, 72 Films, and MGM Alternative.
456 people strive to survive brutal challenges and backstabbing to take home a massive prize on Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge. The season one trailer shows contestants getting a taste of life inside the game, and taking part in the same challenges as the series that inspired it.
The 10-episode season will premiere on Netflix on November 22, 2023. Unlike most bingeable Netflix releases, Squid Game: The Challenge will drop episodes weekly, leading up to the December 6th finale.
“456 real players will enter the competition show in pursuit of a life-changing reward of USD $4.56 million,” reads Netflix’s synopsis. “As they compete through a series of games inspired by the original show – plus surprising new additions – their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them.”
Anna Kidd, Louise Peet, The Garden’s Nicola Brown and John Hay, and Studio Lambert’s Tim Harcourt, Toni Ireland, Stephen Lambert, Nia Yemoh, and Stephen Yemoh serve as executive producers.
“Squid Game took the world by storm with director Hwang’s captivating story and iconic imagery. We’re grateful for his support as we turn the fictional world into reality in this massive competition and social experiment,” stated Brandon Riegg, Netflix VP of Unscripted and Documentary Series, in June 2022 when the competition spinoff was announced. “Fans of the drama series are in for a fascinating and unpredictable journey as our 456 real-world contestants navigate the biggest competition series ever, full of tension and twists, with the biggest ever cash prize at the end.”
