Ana de Armas sizzles as Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe in the official trailer for Netflix’s Blonde. Based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, the film examines the torment small-town girl Norma Jeane underwent as she transformed on screen into one of the world’s most recognizable stars.
“She’s deeply traumatized, and that trauma necessitates a split between a public self and a private self, which is the story of everyone, but with a famous person, that often plays out publicly, in ways that may cause additional trauma,” stated writer/director Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford). “The film’s very much concerned with the relationship with herself and with this other persona, Marilyn, which is both her armor and the thing that is threatening to consume her.”
Ana de Armas (Knives Out, The Gray Man) describes Blonde as exploring Norma Jeane’s feelings while allowing the audience to see what it was like to be Norma and Marilyn at the same time.
“Andrew’s ambitions were very clear from the start — to present a version of Marilyn Monroe’s life through her lens,” said Ana de Armas. “He wanted the world to experience what it actually felt like to not only be Marilyn, but also Norma Jeane. I found that to be the most daring, unapologetic, and feminist take on her story that I had ever seen.”
The cast includes Adrien Brody as The Playwright, Bobby Cannavale as The Ex-Athlete, and Julianne Nicholson as Norma Jeane’s mother. Xavier Samuel, Lily Fisher, Evan Williams, Toby Huss, David Warshofsky, Caspar Phillipson, Dan Butler, Sara Paxton, and Rebecca Wisocky also star.
Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Tracey Landon, and Scott Robertson produce, with Christina Oh executive producing.
Netflix’s official trailer release was accompanied by new photos and a poster. Blonde premieres on September 28, 2022.
The Plot:Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe. From her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, Blonde blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.
You’d be hard-pressed right now to find a better original science fiction series than The Orville: New Horizons. Season three is truly firing on all cylinders. The writing’s outstanding, the cast is nailing it, and can we talk about that Dolly Parton cameo? How incredible was that?
The Orville: New Horizons cast and producers hit the stage at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con to discuss season three, now airing on Hulu. They also took part in roundtable interviews in support of what I consider to be the show’s best season yet.
During our roundtable, executive producer Brannon Braga and editor/co-producer Tom Costantino credited series creator/star Seth MacFarlane with securing the Dolly Parton cameo. “The Dolly Parton references began fairly early. We really took a gamble by writing her into the actual story without fully knowing whether she would do it,” explained Braga. “It’s definitely a little bit of a YOLO,” added Costantino.
“Seth worked his magic and she did it, which could not have been [better]. The hard part was keeping it a secret. We wanted it to be a surprise. And COVID helped us there because we shipped the set to Tennessee to film it with a skeleton crew. So, it actually helped that it was filmed in isolation. Word didn’t get out,” said Braga.
Costantino added: “Most of the crew on Dolly’s side was Dolly’s studio crew. And they were the nicest people ever. But, yeah, I think it was one of those things with a lot of wishful thinking and the sheer will of Seth.”
“It turns out she likes science fiction! Makes you love her even more,” said Braga.
One of the benefits of moving from Fox, where seasons one and two aired, to Hulu is that the episodes aren’t limited to 43 minutes.
“I think what you’re seeing in the move to Hulu and the New Horizons of it all is really about the ability to do the stories, to take the time they need to take. And the reward of that is that you can find yourself crying when you watch an episode. I think that’s the cumulative effect of all the changes that have been done,” explained Braga. “It’s an investment in the characters and it’s a testament to the writing and the editing and the acting – all of it. But I do believe that Seth’s genius move to get the stories more breadth and depth has resulted in very powerful emotional moments we might not have gotten in a 43-minute running time.”
I feel like The Orville has really hit its stride this season. Did it feel that way to you?
Penny Johnson Jerald: “Oh wow, that’s a good observation. However, I just beg to differ a little bit because I think that season one, we delivered what it is we were going to deliver in season one, which was real stories sprinkled with comedy. And with season two, we started to see the dramedy, truly the dramedy. And season three, I call it the tripod of The Orville, which is now you’re seeing the adventure, you’re seeing the dramedy, and there are some funny moments.
And so, I think that there are three separate things, but in the third season it’s able to encompass everything on a level that is palatable. Palatable, meaning that you really want to take it in because it matters and the subject matters matter.”
Mark Jackson: “And what I love about it is the comedy…we are always asked about the comedy and the content of the show. It started off a lot more humorous, I’d say, which is a fair enough observation but the great thing about this season is that you’ll have beautiful drama which is undercut now and again with a bit of classic Seth MacFarlane comedy. And it’s observational and it’s that slightly biting East Coast undermining kind of sense of humor, which I really like, and I think the fans really enjoy.
It’s refreshing. You know, it’s the sprinkle of lemon juice on your pancake. You need it. [Pointing at Anne Winters] Well, you don’t. You don’t like anything on your pancakes. But you need it. It’s balance.”
Anne Winters: “I’m just happy to be here this third season so…”
You’re shaking things up a little.
Anne Winters: “Yes. Yes, luckily. I come in hot, but I hope the audience sees her journey, which I think people are starting to see. There are a couple more episodes of the season so I’m hoping that there’s still a bit more room for everyone to change their opinions.
People are like, ‘Oh, she’s just a hater,’ you know? I love what you said – love and hate are kind of the same emotions. She definitely has something that she’s holding onto, but I think that they have a great relationship. And at the end of the day, she kind of, you know, changes a little.”
Mark Jackson: “I was doing a roaring trade in Charly Burke dartboards. I don’t know if you’ve seen them. I’ve got one ordered as well.”
Anne Winters: “I’d order one.”
Charly came in with a lot of rage. Was it a questionable decision to be on board the same ship as Isaac? Why did she make that choice?
Anne Winters: “I think it was her only option, it seems like. I mean, all the other ships pretty much burst into flames. I don’t think she really had the choice.
It probably is her first time working on the Orville, and the Orville – and just the show in general – is just a very encompassing ship of multiple different worlds and everything, and that may not be every single U.S. ship. Just like maybe not every single state has the same laws…random things like that. So, I think it was her first kind of experience on such an open-minded ship and that’s why she ends up changing her mind and seeing different perspectives throughout her stay on the Orville.”
Charly’s role is to remind the audience that what Isaac did was heinous. There are consequences, and that seems to be a theme this whole season.
Mark Jackson: “I think you’re absolutely right, yes. Yes. You know, it was so important to address right at the beginning of the season what had happened and the role that Isaac had played in that and how that can’t be brushed under the carpet. And what I find is really interesting is when Gordon later on in the season comes to [Charly] and says, ‘Well, listen, I kind of feel the same.’”
Penny Johnson Jerald: “I think it’s art imitating life imitating art.”
Anne Winters: “It was also having a new character coming in because I feel like everyone on the Orville and those bonds that you guys already had, it wouldn’t really make sense for someone to genuinely hate Isaac with the bond that everyone has.”
Penny Johnson Jerald: “I don’t think she hates him. I never thought that she hated Isaac.”
Anne Winters: “That I did?”
Penny Johnson Jerald: “No. I got that your word was more correct – rage. Because rage, there’s a reason for rage and you show that in the character.”
Anne Winters: “I understand what you’re saying.”
Penny Johnson Jerald: “Rage is something that is real. Hate – you could just put that on somebody.”
Anne Winters: “I understand. A lot of people say the hate word, but as an actor obviously I’m not like, ‘I just hate Isaac.’ There’s other things but in a simpler form. I mean, hate is kind of…”
Penny Johnson Jerald: “Hate is strong.”
Anne Winters: “But I like rage. If I could correct something, I would correct people to say rage.”
Penny Johnson Jerald: “Because they get enraged and you were raged. But when I see it – because I do read it – and when they say that Charly’s hateful and all that… No, I never saw her that. She had a reason.”
Anne Winters: “Passionately rageful.”
On the topic of emotions, obviously, in this season of The Orville: New Horizons, there are a lot more emotions from Isaac in a couple of different scenes. How did that affect you on the Orville: New Horizons set filming those scenes? Was it jarring?
Mark Jackson: “Well, that only happened in that one scene where he did have the emotion chip. We knew it was coming and we talked about it beforehand.”
Penny Johnson Jerald: “What we talked about was the fact that it was new. It wasn’t just new for Isaac; it was new for Claire, too. So, we talked about being kids like that.”
Mark Jackson: “Teenagers, I think it was that kind of thing.”
Penny Johnson Jerald: “We wanted to explore something for the first time. That’s what emotions are. When your kid discovers they’ve got toes and it tickles when they touch them, it’s something like that.”
Mark Jackson: “Yeah, but we did have to talk about it first. So, we kind of went to the set understanding each other.”
I love Bortus and Klyden’s relationship so much. How much fun has it been to play this evolution in your characters’ relationship?
Chad L. Coleman: “The chemistry was always there. Both of us are trained classical actors who are just batshit crazy.”
Peter Macon: “And it’s like, ‘You’re my kind of crazy so let’s go. Are we going to have a food fight today? Let’s do it! Are we going to smoke some cigarettes? Let’s do it! Let’s go.’ Whatever it is.
There’s a level of trust and understanding, and it really is a dance. It’s like we take care of each other. Somebody asked me a long time ago, we both grew up in the theatre and someone asked me a long time ago – or someone told me a long time ago, ‘If you ever want to know if you have a good show, ask your scene partner how the show went.’ And I check in with him, like, ‘Was that good?’ We just ask questions about each other. We just get in there, we do it, and I miss it when we don’t get to do it. It’s so easy. It’s easy.”
Chad L. Coleman: “Yeah, we got some…what do you call it? We don’t need words. We could look at each other. We can go places because we just get it.”
Peter Macon: “And the stuff that we are asked to do is, okay, not your typical day at work. But the fact that whatever we get thrown at us we handle it together in conflict, right? So, that’s the execution of great writing with great practitioners. You have great writing, and you have the personnel to handle the score, as it were.”
Chad L. Coleman: “It creates a different level of anticipation. Like, I love not knowing. We get in there and we just gotta go.”
Peter Macon: “We are going to get in there and surprise each other and take care of each other and go for it 100% until they yell, ‘Cut!’ And we’re like, ‘Let’s go again. Let’s see what we can get this time.’ That’s the kind of juice, that’s the kind of workplace I love to be in.”
Chad L. Coleman: That’s why I’m able to watch it and lose myself in it because we are so committed.”
Peter Macon: “I forget what we did and I’m like, ‘Oh, that was that take we did, and they cut this together.’ I almost watch it as a fan because we do six, seven, eight, nine takes or whatever and you don’t know, you don’t remember it was months ago, but you know that whatever they chose you can trust the editor. And I get to watch it like, ‘Which one is it?’ They put this together. I’m watching it not as, ‘Oh, I can’t – I can’t look.’ It’s exciting and it’s brand new.”
Chad L. Coleman: “That scene we did – the dinner scene – and then we had the conflict after. I forgot that was so charged.”
You guys have had an incredible storyline this season.
Chad L. Coleman: “They served us up some really juicy stuff.”
Peter Macon: “Great writing and also, I feel like not necessarily a book end but like how we were presented and set up. Our relationship throughout all of season one, season two, season three, and now it’s culminating in this way. And it’s relatable in the sense that anybody who’s in a long-term relationship, like parents, that you go through the trials and tribulations and all these tests of conflict, and tests that challenge your relationship, and it’s so great to play that and be in there.”
Chad L. Coleman: “People care because we care. They care because we care. It matters to us. We know what’s on the table. We know what we didn’t sidestep. We are taking on stuff that many people…it’s polarizing for people, it’s frustrating, and people don’t know how to have the conversations about things. And Seth’s writing – and all the other things as well – just go at it in such a 360 way.”
Peter Macon: “I know that I haven’t seen this last episode because we’ve been on the road; I haven’t seen it because we’ve been traveling for days.”
Chad L. Coleman: “He’s in a traveling band.”
Peter Macon: “Yeah, there’s a harmonica. There’s like a jug. [Laughing] But, yeah, I remember shooting this last episode when I’m like screaming and calling out trying to find Topa. And I have two small boys and I’m getting a little choked up right now, but I remember when we were shooting that I broke. I just dropped to my knees because I’m imagining screaming out, trying to find my child.
This is the writing that got served up to me and I feel so grateful to sort of compartmentalize and organize that ethos of understanding what it means to be a parent and bring that to [this] – not that it was like a therapy thing. But it surprised me because we were shooting and shooting and I’m screaming for Topa and then I just ran off in the woods. I just dropped to my knees and I was sobbing and crying because I was thinking about what that would be. And so, when you have this relationship with someone, you make that real.”
Chad L. Coleman: “Our kids play together.”
Peter Macon: “Yeah, we are parents. Our kids come over and they hang out. And that’s such a gift because that’s not every day. It’s just wonderful, man. [To Chad] I love working with you.”
Chad L. Coleman: “Me too.”
This season seems to be a lot about consequences. What other consequences are left for Bortus and Klyden?
Chad L. Coleman: “I’m curious. I haven’t completely mulled that over. Now is when I’m starting to go, ‘Okay season four, where are we going to go with this thing now?’”
Do you think there are still lingering issues from season three to be addressed in season four?
Chad L. Coleman: “Well, I feel like it’s a complicated fence-mending deal. We’re trying, so I don’t know for sure. Something that was teased with you and Adrianne…”
Peter Macon: “Why are you looking at me like that? I see the way you are looking at me. You’re looking at me like a cheating husband!”
Chad L. Coleman: “You cheated in the simulator. I don’t know.”
Peter Macon: “You’re looking at me like a cheater. I didn’t write it!”
Chad L. Coleman: “But wouldn’t that be the ultimate betrayal? The one that I couldn’t stand the least and then we bridged the gap and invite her in, back into my home.”
Peter Macon: “Okay, okay, I’m guilty before I haven’t done anything. I’m just saying! But on a macrocosmic level I feel like where we level off, again, I haven’t seen this episode, but I know what happens but macrocosmically if like the Union – the Planetary Union – I feel like the notion or the identity of the Planetary Union is in question. You can go for two, 10 seasons. Five seasons.”
Chad L. Coleman: “He’s absolutely right. We denounced our citizenship to our home. What are the consequences of that?”
Peter Macon: “Just like Isaac has done. So, it’s like, ‘Well, is the Planetary Union a good thing where everybody has to turn their back on their own planet?’ I don’t know. I’m just saying can we all get along?”
A wooden boy with a borrowed soul comes to life to fill an elderly man’s world with love in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. Netflix’s official teaser trailer, narrated by Ewan McGregor as Cricket, introduces the key players while showcasing the gorgeous animation.
In addition to Ewan McGregor, the voice cast includes David Bradley as Geppetto, Gregory Mann as Pinocchio, Finn Wolfhard, Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman, Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, and Oscar winner Tilda Swinton.
Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson directed from a screenplay by del Toro and Patrick McHale. Producers include del Toro, Jim Henson Company’s Lisa Henson, Alex Bulkley, Shadow Machine’s Corey Campodonico, and Gary Ungar. Jason Lust serves as an executive producer.
The behind-the-scenes team includes composer Alexandre Desplat, production designer Guy Davis, co-production designer Curt Enderle, art director Rob Desue, and director of photography Frank Passingham. Brian Hansen is the animation supervisor, Georgina Hayns is the puppet supervisor, and Ken Schretzmann is the editor.
The Plot: Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents Carlo Collodi’s classic tale of the wooden marionette who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto. This whimsical, stop-motion film directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world.
Poster for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Photo Credit: Netflix)
#Daxton just became an actual thing but now there’s a new guy who’s grabbing Devi’s attention in the season three trailer for Never Have I Ever. Step aside Ben and Paxton, Des has arrived to complicate Devi’s world.
“Ben and Paxton should feel worried. Des is the total package,” stated Never Have I Ever co-creator (with Mindy Kaling) and showrunner Lang Fisher in an interview with Tudum. “When he shows up, it’s a little hard for Devi to focus her attention on anyone else. I think you can imagine how that might shake up the season.”
The cast is led by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi Vishwakumar. Darren Barnet is Paxton Hall-Yoshida, Jaren Lewison is Ben Gross, Poorna Jagannathan stars as Nalini, Richa Moorjani plays Kamala, Lee Rodriguez is Fabiola, and Ramona Young is Eleanor. John McEnroe returns as the narrator.
Season three will introduce Terry Hu and Deacon Phillippe as guest stars. Hu plays Addison, “a crazy hot non-binary person from the local private school, Addison brings more than just their impressive trivia skills to Devi’s friend group.” Phillippe is Parker, “Devi’s debate team rival from a well-funded private school, he’s able to coast through debate tournaments thanks to his school’s advantages and is always down to party.”
According to showrunner Lang Fisher, the new season’s theme is self-confidence. “We wanted to show that it doesn’t matter if you have everything you’ve ever wanted on the outside if you don’t believe in yourself on the inside. Devi’s greatest hurdle this season — like many teen girls’ — is to learn to love herself,” explained Fisher.
The 10 episode third season premieres on Netflix on Friday, August 12, 2022.
The Plot: In season 3 of the coming-of-age comedy Never Have I Ever, Indian American teenager Devi (Ramakrishnan) continues to deal with the everyday pressures of high school and drama at home, while also navigating new romantic relationships.
Sylvester Stallone stars as a retired superhero living a simple, uncomplicated life hauling garbage when a neighborhood kid figures out his secret identity in MGM and Prime Video’s Samaritan. The just-released trailer shows Stallone being pulled back into action to save his new friend – and the neighborhood – even though he’s been out of the game for 25 years.
In addition to three-time Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone, the PG-13 action thriller stars Javon “Wanna” Walton (Euphoria), Pilou Asbæk (Game of Thrones), Dascha Polanco (Orange is the New Black), and Moises Arias (The King of Staten Island).
Son of a Gun‘s Julius Avery directs from a screenplay by Bragi F. Schut. Stallone and Braden Aftergood produce, with Schut, David Kern, Adam Rosenberg, and Guy Riedel executive producing.
Samaritan premieres on Prime Video on August 26, 2022.
The Plot: Thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary (Walton) suspects that his mysterious and reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith (Stallone) is actually a legend hiding in plain sight. Twenty-five years ago, Granite City’s super-powered vigilante, Samaritan, was reported dead after a fiery warehouse battle with his rival, Nemesis. Most believe Samaritan perished in the fire, but some in the city, like Sam, have hope that he is still alive.
With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to coax his neighbor out of hiding to save the city from ruin.
Norman Reedus, Ross Marquand, Lauren Cohan, and Seth Gilliam in ‘The Walking Dead’ (Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC)
San Diego Comic-Con roared back to life after two years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic just in time to host the final panel for AMC’s The Walking Dead. The post-apocalyptic zombie series has spent 11 seasons entertaining fans, and the upcoming final episodes promise to send off the series with a bang.
Although The Walking Dead is ending, zombie lovers have multiple spinoffs to look forward to. Andrew Lincoln (“Rick Grimes”) and Danai Gurira (“Michonne”) surprised fans by hitting the stage in the San Diego Convention Center and announcing a new spinoff series coming to AMC in 2023.
Following the panel in Hall H, cast members Norman Reedus, Seth Gilliam, Josh McDermitt, Cailey Fleming, Lauren Ridloff, and Michael James Shaw joined showrunner Angela Kang, executive producer/director Greg Nicotero, and The Walking Dead Universe’s Chief Content Officer Scott Gimple for the show’s final Comic-Con press conference.
It looks like we are seeing the smart walkers coming into the main show. How are we going to see the cast deal with that threat?
Angela Kang: “I think with the walkers in some ways it’s a throwback to some walkers we saw back in the very, very first season of The Walking Dead. But not everybody ever encountered those walkers; it’s almost like it was a variant that just was regional.
Any time there’s been a change to the rules, that means that our people just need to be that much more on their game because they’re realizing that the methods that they used to survive don’t quite work the same way. And so, our survivors being very, very smart, they are going to try to adjust to that. And it will just be one of many conflicts they are dealing with in the final block of the season.”
What is your biggest takeaway from working on this series?
Lauren Ridloff: “I think the biggest takeaway from this production would be at the end of the day the most important thing that we have really is our community. I think the things that we do is for our community. And what keeps us human is also our community and the things that we do for each other. And that is The Walking Dead – the things that you can see throughout the seasons. Whatever the storyline is, it’s always about the community.”
With the show ending, how important was it to stick the landing?
Angela Kang: “I think anytime you are tasked with ending a story – and this is true for any show – everybody wants to stick the landing. But particularly for us, this is something that’s been so important to our fans, the community that stuck with us, and for us, too. We are all passionate about this show. We love this show. We love working with each other, and so we want to do it well and do it right. I hope we’ve done that.
We have just been working on some of the post-production processes for the finale which Greg directed and I co-wrote, and many of this wonderful cast have important parts to play. I hope that the audience will go along on the ride with us.”
Greg Nicotero: “It’s definitely a challenge. Other shows if you’re talking about…you know, Game of Thrones had five seasons. Breaking Bad had six seasons. 11 seasons! Our story continued to evolve. The story really did change.
The exciting thing for me after season one is, okay, finally everybody else catches up to me and realizes how cool zombies are. I grew up in the George Romero world where Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, that was sort of like my gossip. Frank Darabont used to say to me that the show was always about survival. He had always wanted to do a zombie apocalypse story. We talked about something years before The Walking Dead comic book even came out, so it was sort of like a match made in heaven when Frank put the ensemble cast together with Sarah, Jon, Steven, Melissa, and Norman. You know, the show certainly has evolved since then.
We differently felt like we had an obligation to make sure that we stuck the landing. That was very prevalent in our thinking. Everybody…all the actors and crew when we were on set, we’re like we can’t screw this up because all eyes genuinely end up on the last episode. You can talk about Seinfeld…you can talk about MASH…you can talk about all these great shows that we’ve loved, and most of the time the historical relevance of the show is judged on the last episode. So, we really struggled and agonized and buckled in to make sure that it served the fans of the show.
There were moments that I shot with each of these people to serve their characters that really went to the heart of the show.”
Seth Gilliam as Father Gabriel Stokes and Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in ‘The Walking Dead’ season 11 (Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC)
If you could choose to have one character who’s deceased come back, who would you pick?
Norman Reedus: “Hershel.”
Josh McDermitt: “I’m going to say Shane. I loved and hated him more than anybody. I just loved that he could be so right in his way of thinking, and you agree with him but you still hated the way he went about it. And I just loved how it didn’t matter what scene he was in, it was just so charged.
I would have loved to work with Jon Bernthal. I mean, he didn’t go that many episodes before I showed up so that would have been cool. I think the Governor and Hershel, too. They went the episode or two before I came on the show and I was like, ‘Oh, I can’t wait to meet David Morrissey and Scott Wilson!’ and they were gone. But definitely Bernthal, Shane.”
Greg Nicotero: “Glenn.”
Cailey Fleming: “I’ll say Carl.” (awws from the audience)
Michael James Shaw: “I hate being on the spot. The character that probably didn’t surface but Mercer and Max’s father.”
Seth Gilliam: “I would say Tyreese. Tyreese and his mighty hammer and his huge muscles and even bigger heart.”
Greg Nicotero: “Which I think was one of the best episodes we ever [shot]. We get text messages from Chad [L. Coleman] at like 2:00 in the morning. ‘Hey guys! How’s it going?’”
Seth Gilliam: “His going off episode was fantastic.”
I’d love to know everyone’s reaction to the news of the Rick and Michonne series.
Norman Reedus: [Laughing] “We knew already.”
Greg Nicotero: “It feels like a long time ago that they left the show, I guess, story-wise. But having been together for so long and then the story continues, so you know we all keep in touch and we all talk all the time. So, it was conversations about the movie and conversations about this, and I remember Norman said one of the most interesting quotes to me one day. He said, ‘Man, if Rick and Daryl ever got together…I like being Robin to his Batman.’ And I loved that quote.”
Norman Reedus: “It lets you be more of an a**hole if you’re Robin, I found out. Didn’t Bernthal get offered Rick at one point and he chose Shane instead, I think for the same reason maybe?”
Scott Gimple: “I don’t know if it was a choice, but he was in the running.”
When it comes to the evolution of your characters, what is the one characteristic that impresses you the most?
Norman Reedus: “I think his honesty. He’s very honest. He doesn’t really lie to anybody. He says what he means, means what he says. I like that.”
Josh McDermitt: “For Eugene, I would say his heart and selflessness. I think that obviously when we meet him, he’s a very selfish man. And I think where he is now, he would lay down his life for his friends if it meant that his friends could continue fighting the good fight. That, to me, is a great evolution for the guy.”
Seth Gilliam: “Is honesty taken? [Pointing at Norman] You already said that. I would go with Father Gabriel’s furor and resiliency. I think the kind of a combination…I think he’s got a burning desire to do the right thing by those that he cares about and those that he loves. He’s got a burning cauldron in him that will set ablaze anything around him that threatens that. I think his furor…his desire to be closer to God and then reject God and accept himself – I think all those kinds of things.”
Lauren Ridloff: “I would probably say Connie’s stalwartness. I think she’s just brave. She’s not the kind of woman that would just tuck her tail back and run. She would go back. She does what she believes in; she believes what is right. She supports Daryl in regard to Lydia, and she goes back into the cave to help Magna.
I think she believes in what she does in her actions that she takes. She’s willing to sacrifice for the sake of her community.”
Cailey Fleming: “I love how Judith always wants to make sure her family’s protected, and she always wants to do what’s right – even if that means she has to fight for it.”
Michael James Shaw: “I guess for me it was his unyielding loyalty, to the point where it almost gets him in trouble. He wants to keep people safe and sometimes that task is a little bigger than what he’s expecting, or it may take a different choice to create that safety for his loved ones. He’s got to be willing to look outside the box for that.”
Michael James Shaw in ‘The Walking Dead’ season 11 (Photo Credit: Josh Stringer/AMC)
Which character alive, deceased, or even your own character, do you feel you connected with the most?
Norman Reedus: “I’d say Carol and Rick, probably the most for Daryl. For obvious reasons, if you watch the show. [Joking] I don’t even like the rest of them. I know Connie and Daryl connected quite a bit. Judith. I connected with all these guys, actually.”
Josh McDermitt: “Dale. I mean the older I get, the more balanced in my views I become of just like, ‘Hey, what’s the right thing? How do we make sure I’m doing the right thing?’”
Norman Reedus: “Oh wait, did I answer that wrong? Is this who Norman connects with or who Daryl connected with?”
Norman.
Norman Reedus: “Oh, sh*t, sorry! Let me think…Dog, maybe.”
Seth Gilliam: “I’m drawn to Judith. I’m drawn to what’s it like to grow up as a child in a zombie apocalypse and have all this history of heroism that rains down on your head. People coming to depend on you for some kind of leadership position, and you are still dealing with maturing and growing. Your brain is still developing, you know?
I think is a fascinating character that Cailey just did an amazing job with. I think that I could rock that character, too.”
Lauren Ridloff: “Please don’t get me wrong but I have to say Connie because I feel like it is my job as an actor to really connect with the character I’m portraying. So, of course, I love the characters on the show, but which character do I actually connect with mostly? The one I actually have to play. What she does becomes mine, and that becomes Connie.”
Michael James Shaw: “From my experience this past season I think Mercer and Mike connect well with Angel (Kelly). It’s a good vibe. It’s like you share that look on set and it’s like, ‘Oh, we cool.’ That energy, I love it.”
It seems the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves trailer has struck the right tone with D&D fans – at least among those who post comments on YouTube. The two-minute trailer, which debuted at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, is loaded with action, weird creatures, and witty wisecracks.
“What is it exactly that you bring to this?” asks The Druid (Sophia Lillis, IT).
“I’m a planner. I make plans,” replies The Bard (Chris Pine, the Star Trek film franchise).
“You’ve already made the plan, so…” says The Druid.
“If the existing plan fails, I make a new plan,” explained The Bard.
“So you make plans that fail?” asks The Druid.
“He also plays the lute,” quips The Barbarian (Michelle Rodriguez, the Fast & Furious franchise).
“Not relevant,” replies The Bard.
The cast also includes Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Chloe Coleman, Daisy Head, and Hugh Grant. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Gilio and direct. Jeremy Latcham, Brian Goldner, and Nick Meyer produce, with Goldstein, Daley, Denis L. Stewart, Chris Pine, Zev Foreman, and Greg Mooradian executive producing.
Paramount Pictures is targeting a March 3, 2023 theatrical release.
The Plot: A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.
Poster for Paramount Pictures’ ‘Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves’
Netflix’s hefty investment in the star-studded action thriller The Gray Man appears to have paid off, and now the streaming service is ready to bring further stories based on Mark Greaney’s bestselling book series to life. Netflix has confirmed they’re moving forward on a The Gray Man sequel as well as a spin-off film.
Ryan Gosling will return to star in the sequel, and directors Joe Russo and Anthony Russo are also on board to helm the sequel. Stephen McFeely, co-writer of the first film, is adapting Greaney’s book. The Russos, AGBO’s Mike Larocca, and Roth Kirschenbaum Films’ Joe Roth and Jeffrey Kirschenbaum are producing.
Viewers made The Gray Man the most-watched movie on Netflix in 92 countries over its first weekend. Audiences rated it 91% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics weren’t quite so generous, with the film earning a rotten rating. Only 48% of the submitted reviews rated it fresh.
Netflix’s announcement didn’t reveal who will star in the spinoff film or provide a plot description. The streaming service did say Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (Deadpool, Zombieland) are writing it and that it will “explore a different element of The Gray Man universe.”
“The audience reaction to The Gray Man has been nothing short of phenomenal. We are so appreciative of the enthusiasm that fans across the world have had for this film. With so many amazing characters in the movie, we had always intended for the Gray Man to be part of an expanded universe, and we are thrilled that Netflix is announcing a sequel with Ryan, as well as a second script that we’re excited to talk about soon,” stated Joe and Anthony Russo.
The Plot: The Gray Man is CIA operative Court Gentry (Gosling), aka, Sierra Six. Plucked from a federal penitentiary and recruited by his handler, Donald Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton), Gentry was once a highly-skilled, Agency-sanctioned merchant of death. But now the tables have turned and Six is the target, hunted across the globe by Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), a former cohort at the CIA, who will stop at nothing to take him out. Agent Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas) has his back. He’ll need it.
Kevin Hart (The Man from Toronto) stars as a stay-at-home dad who winds up with a full week of alone time he can spend however he wants in Me Time, an R-rated comedy from writer/director John Hamburg (I Love You, Man, The Unicorn). Mark Walhberg (Uncharted) stars as his out-of-control, hard-partying BFF who fills his buddy’s downtime with a series of wild adventures.
The cast of the Netflix comedy includes Regina Hall, Luis Gerardo Mendez, Jimmy O. Yang, John Amos, Anna Maria Horsford, and Andrew Santino. Deborah S. Craig, Naomi Ekperigin, Drew Droege, Ilia Isorels Paulino, Tahj Mowry, Carlo Rota, Che Tafari, and Amentii Sledge also star.
Writer/director John Hamburg, Kevin Hart, and Bryan Smiley produced. Lauren Hennessey, Mark Moran, Patricia Braga, and Joe Gatta served as executive producers.
Me Too premieres on Netflix on August 26, 2022.
The Plot: “When a stay-at-home dad finds himself with some me time for the first time in years while his wife and kids are away, he reconnects with his former best friend for a wild weekend that nearly upends his life.”
Happy marriages don’t make for great noir tales, and writer/director Neil LaBute’s Out of the Blue focuses on a wife who’s definitely not happy. The trailer introduces Diane Kruger (Swimming with Sharks) as Marilyn Chambers, a seductive woman who lures in an ex-con to knock off her husband.
Ray Nicholson (son of Jack) stars as Connor Bates, the ex-con who falls under Marilyn’s spell. Hank Azaria (Brockmire) plays Connor’s parole officer and Chase Sui Wonders (Bodies Bodies Bodies) is Marilyn’s teenage daughter.
Quiver Distribution’s Out of the Blue opens in theaters and On Demand on August 26, 2022. The MPAA has given the thriller an R rating for sexual content, language, and some violence.
The Plot: After spending time in prison following an assault charge, Connor Bates now works in a library and spends his free time running, swimming, and trying to piece his world back together. When he meets Marilyn Chambers, the wife of a wealthy businessman, they collide into an intense physical and emotional relationship that quickly escalates into idle talk about her husband’s murder.
