Gerard Butler stars as a hitman chasing down a con artist in the official trailer for Open Road Films’ Copshop. Bullets fly and lines are drawn in the lengthy action-packed trailer for the R-rated action thriller.
In addition to Gerard Butler, the cast includes Frank Grillo, Alexis Louder, Toby Huss, Chad L. Coleman, and Ryan O’Nan. Jose Pablo Cantillo, Robert Walker-Branchaud, Kaiwi Lyman, Christopher Michael Holley, Marshall Cook, and Tracey Bonner also star.
Director Joe Carnahan (The Grey, Smokin’ Aces) co-wrote the screenplay with Kurt McLeod. Carnahan, Butler, Grillo, Mark Williams, Tai Duncan, Warren Goz, Eric Gold, Alan Siegel, and James Masciello serve as producers. Tom Ortenberg, Matthew Sidari, Scott Putman, Robert Simonds, Adam Fogelson, and John Friedberg executive produce.
Open Road Films has set a September 17, 2021 theatrical release.
Gerard Butler stars as “Bob Viddick” in Joe Carnahan’s ‘COPSHOP’ (Photo Credit : Kyle Kaplan / Open Road Films / Briarcliff Entertainment)
The Plot:
Tearing through the Nevada desert in a bullet-ridden Crown Vic, wily con artist Teddy Murretto (Grillo) hatches a desperate plan to hide out from lethal hitman Bob Viddick (Butler): He sucker-punches rookie officer Valerie Young (Louder) to get himself arrested and locked up in a small-town police station. Jail can’t protect Murretto for long, and Viddick schemes his own way into detention, biding his time in a nearby cell until he can complete his mission.
When the arrival of a competing assassin (Huss) ignites all-out mayhem, mounting threats force Viddick to get creative if he wants to finish the job and escape the explosive situation.
Disney+ made it official by announcing today Star Wars: The Bad Batch has been renewed for season two…as if there was ever any doubt. The Lucasfilm animated series’ second season is expected to air in 2022, according to Disney+’s announcement. Season one arrived on Star Wars Day, so it’s likely that’s the target premiere date for season two.
“Fans have enthusiastically embraced the action and drama of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and we are excited to see the Star Wars animated universe continue to expand on Disney+,” stated Michael Paull, President of Disney+ and ESPN+. “As the dedicated streaming home for the Star Wars franchise, we can’t wait for the second season of this fan-favorite animated series.”
The confirmation of a second season order comes just hours before the release of the first half of season one’s two-part finale.
“The entire Lucasfilm Animation team and I would like to thank Disney+ and our fans for the opportunity to continue telling the story of the Bad Batch,” said executive producer Dave Filoni (The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Clone Wars).
Additional executive producers include Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) and Carrie Beck (The Mandalorian, Star Wars Rebels). Josh Rimes (Star Wars Resistance) and Alex Spotswood (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) serve as producers.
Executive producer Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance) is the supervising director and executive producer Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) is the head writer.
The soul of the valley is on the line in Netflix’s Cobra Kai season four. The streaming service just dropped a teaser promising the new season will arrive in December and announcing season four will feature the return of the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament.
Returning series stars include Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso), William Zabka (Johnny Lawrence), Courtney Henggeler (Amanda LaRusso), Xolo Maridueña (Miguel Diaz), and Tanner Buchanan (Robby Keene). Mary Mouser (Samantha LaRusso), Jacob Bertrand (Hawk), Gianni Decenzo (Demetri), Vanessa Rubio (Carmen), Peyton List (Tory), and Martin Kove (John Kreese) also star in the upcoming fourth season along with Dallas Dupree Young (Kenny), Oona O’Brien (Devon), and Thomas Ian Griffith (Terry Silver).
The series continues the story first played out in 1984’s The Karate Kid. Counterbalance Entertainment’s Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg write and executive produce the popular series. Series stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka also executive produce with Susan Ekins and Westbrook Entertainment’s Will Smith, James Lassiter, and Caleeb Pinkett.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
Cobra Kai takes place over 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament with the continuation of the inescapable conflict between Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (Zabka).
Season 4 finds the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang dojos joining forces to take down Cobra Kai at the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament… and whoever loses must hang up their gi. As Samantha and Miguel try to maintain the dojo alliance and Robby goes all in at Cobra Kai, the fate of the Valley has never been more precarious. What tricks does Kreese have up his sleeve? Can Daniel and Johnny bury their decades-long hatchet to defeat Kreese? Or will Cobra Kai become the face of karate in the valley?
Apple TV+’s exercised its options and is stretching Rose Byrne’s run as a fanatic fitness, renewing Physical for a second season. The renewal announcement arrives just days ahead of the series’ season one finale.
Physical season one also stars Rory Scovel, Dierdre Friel, Della Saba, Lou Taylor Pucci, Paul Sparks, Ashley Liao, and Geoffrey Arend.
Series creator Annie Weisman serves as showrunner, writer, and executive producer on the half-comedy adult dramedy. Director Craig Gillespie, director Stephanie Laing, Byrne, Alexandra Cunningham, John McNamara, Sera Gamble, and Tomorrow Studios’ Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements also executive produce.
“We couldn’t be more proud to showcase Annie Weisman’s singular take on this darkly funny, heartbreaking and bold story,” stated Michelle Lee, director of Domestic Programming, Apple TV+. “And then we got to watch Rose Byrne inhabit this incredible, multi-layered character, giving us an unforgettable tour de force performance. We have been thrilled to see audiences around the world fall in love and feel seen by this show and we can’t wait for everyone to experience the next chapter in Sheila’s journey towards personal empowerment.”
The Plot, Courtesy of Apple TV+:
Set in the idyllic but fragile beach paradise of sunny 1980s San Diego, Physical is a half-hour dark comedy following Sheila Rubin (Byrne), a quietly tortured, seemingly dutiful housewife supporting her smart but controversial husband’s bid for state assembly. But behind closed doors, Sheila has her own darkly funny take on life she rarely lets the world see. She’s also battling a complex set of personal demons relating to her self-image … that is, until she finds release through the unlikeliest source: the world of aerobics.
At first hooked on the exercise itself, Sheila’s real road to empowerment comes when she discovers a way to merge this newfound passion with the burgeoning technology of videotape to start a revolutionary business. The series tracks her epic journey from a stifled, overlooked enabler to a powerful, confident economic force, as Sheila transforms into someone we take for granted today (but was entirely radical at the time)—the female lifestyle guru.
1999’s She’s All That becomes 2021’s He’s All That with a gender switch and an updated storyline involving a social media influencer. The official trailer stars TikTok celeb Addison Rae as the social media influencer – obviously – and Cobra Kai‘s Tanner Buchanan as the “project” she takes on in order to win a bet.
The original film was released back in 1999 and starred Freddie Prinze Jr as the popular high school football player who fell for the socially awkward ugly duckling (played by Rachael Leigh Cook) who transformed under his tutelage. Cook shows up for the remake as does Matthew Lillard who played a narcissistic reality TV star in the original. The 1999 coming of age romantic comedy also featured Paul Walker, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Anna Paquin, and Kieran Culkin.
Madison Pettis, Peyton Meyer, Isabella Crovetti, Myra Molloy, and Annie Jacob co-star in the 2021 release.
He’s All That was directed by Robert Iscove while She’s All That has Mean Girls‘ Mark Waters at the helm. R. Lee Fleming, Jr. returns as screenwriter, with Andrew Panay, Jennifer Gibgot, and Bill Block serving as producers.
Netflix has set an August 27, 2021 premiere date.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
Padgett (Rae) has mastered her perfect high school life: She’s a popular beauty influencer with a huge following, and her hot pop star boyfriend makes her the envy of everyone on her feed. But after she catches him cheating while livestreaming, she goes viral for all the wrong reasons. To repair her reputation, Padgett makes a risky bet that she can turn her scruffy antisocial classmate Cameron (Buchanan) into prom king material.
Things get complicated when she finds herself falling for him IRL—and learning no one is quite who they seem on social media, least of all herself.
Apple TV+ has set a September 10, 2021 premiere date for the filmed production of Come From Away, the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. The Apple Original Films production was shot in May at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in front of an audience made up of 9/11 survivors and front-line workers.
Cast members from the original production star alongside members of the current production. The Broadway musical’s original director, Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley (Best Direction of a Musical), is at the helm of the filmed production which features choreography by Tony Award nominee Kelly Devine.
Olivier Award winners Irene Sankoff and David Hein wrote the original book, music, and lyrics. Sankoff and Hein serve as executive produces along with RadicalMedia’s Jon Kamen, Dave Sirulnick, and Meredith Bennett.
Come From Away earned seven Tony Award nominations and won four Olivier Awards. The popular musical also picked up five Outer Critics Circle Awards and three Drama Desk Awards.
Apple TV+ released the following description and cast list:
“Come From Away tells the story of 7,000 people stranded in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland after all flights into the US are grounded on September 11, 2001. As the people of Newfoundland graciously welcome the ‘come from aways’ into their community in the aftermath, the passengers and locals alike process what’s happened while finding love, laughter, and new hope in the unlikely and lasting bonds that they forge.”
• Petrina Bromley (original cast member of Come From Away, The Sound of Music) as Bonnie and others.
• Jenn Colella (original cast member and Tony Award nominee for Come From Away, If/Then) as Beverley/Annette and others.
• De’lon Grant (National tour for Jersey Boys) as Bob and others.
• Joel Hatch (original cast member of Come From Away, Billy Elliot, Annie) as Claude and others.
• Tony Lepage (Rock of Ages) as Kevin T. and others.
• Caesar Samayoa (original cast member of Come From Away, Sister Act, The Peewee Herman Show) as Kevin J./Ali & others.
• Q. Smith (original cast member of Come From Away, Mary Poppins, Les Misérables) as Hannah and others.
• Astrid Van Wieren (original cast member and Dora award nominee for Come From Away) as Beulah and others
• Emily Walton (Peter and the Starcatcher, August: Osage County) as Janice & others.
• Jim Walton (Sunset Boulevard, The Music Man) as Nick/Doug and others.
• Sharon Wheatley (original cast member of Come From Away, Avenue Q, Les Misérables, Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera) as Diane and others.
• Paul Whitty (Once, Gettin’ the Band Back Together, Amélie, The Full Monty) as Oz and others.
The official casting announcements have begun for Paramount+ and MTV Entertainment Studios’ upcoming Yellowstone prequel, 1883. The streaming service confirmed the Grammy Award-winning couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill will play James and Margaret Dutton, with Oscar nominee Sam Elliott (A Star is Born) on board to star as a rugged cowboy named Shea Brennan.
Paramount+ released the following description of the prequel:
“1883 follows the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. It is a stark retelling of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land — Montana.
Elliott is set to play Shea Brennan, a tough-as-nails, handsome cowboy with immense sadness in his past. He has the herculean task of guiding a group from Texas to Montana, and he does not suffer fools. McGraw and Hill will portray James and Margaret Dutton, the patriarch and matriarch of the Dutton family, respectively.”
The Yellowstone prequel was created by Taylor Sheridan, with Sheridan, John Linson, Art Linson, David Glasser, Ron Burkle, and Bob Yari executive producing.
“It all starts with the writing, and Taylor Sheridan is a brilliant writer,” stated Elliott. “I think the Western genre speaks clearly to both of us. The classic struggles of man against man, man against nature, and man against himself. It’s all there, in 1883, and I’m honored to be a part of it.”
Commenting on the project, Faith Hill said, “This is the opportunity of a lifetime. The Duttons are a formidable family and it is an absolute dream to bring such a strong female character like Margaret Dutton to life. I am humbled and honored to work with Taylor and his entire team.”
“This is truly a dream job,” added Tim McGraw. “Taylor has found a way of storytelling that brilliantly creates these epic dramas and family sagas with so much depth and creativity. The Duttons are tremendous characters and it’s so thrilling to be able to bring them to life. As a kid growing up riding horses, you think about dream jobs like this and I am just so excited to work with this amazing cast and crew.”
The new series has 101 Studios and Bosque Ranch Productions on board as production partners.
“We are thrilled to have Academy Award nominee and acting legend Sam and hugely talented, award-winning artists Faith and Tim all join the Taylor Sheridan universe,” said David Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios. “Taylor’s proven his immense capability of creating captivating characters and immersive worlds, and there’s no exception here with 1883 and Sam, Faith, and Tim’s characters. We are looking forward to this further expansion of the world of Yellowstone and bringing it to audiences everywhere.”
Season three of Yellowstone finished up in August 2020. Season four, starring Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Luke Grimes, and Cole Hauser, is expected to premiere this fall.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars as an assassin with a limited time to live in Netflix’s action film, Kate. The streaming service just dropped an official trailer and poster for the thriller set to premiere on Netflix and in limited theaters on September 10, 2021.
Screen Actors Guild Award nominee Winstead is joined by Tadanobu Asano, Miyavi, Michiel Huisman, Miku Martineau, Jun Kunimura, and Woody Harrelson in the R-rated action-heavy drama.
Cedric Nicolas-Troyan (The Huntsman: Winter’s War) directed from a screenplay by Umair Aleem. Bryan Unkeless, Kelly McCormick, and Patrick Newall served as producers.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
Meticulous and preternaturally skilled, Kate is the perfect specimen of a finely tuned assassin at the height of her game. But when she uncharacteristically blows an assignment targeting a member of the yakuza in Tokyo, she quickly discovers she’s been poisoned, a brutally slow execution that gives her less than 24 hours to exact revenge on her killers. As her body swiftly deteriorates, Kate forms an unlikely bond with the teenage daughter of one of her past victims.
Kate follows a burned assassin’s furious pursuit of one last self-appointed job.
Will The Suicide Squad do for rats what 101 Dalmatians did for spotted dogs? Rats have a bad rap but they’re actually smart, sort of cute, and love to cuddle. And, as seen in The Suicide Squad, they can be quite heroic. #TeamRats
Granted, kicking off a review of The Suicide Squad with a paragraph on a rodent is a weird choice. But embracing the weird is key to enjoying James Gunn’s gory, expletive-filled, hilariously twisted take on DC Comics’ fictional antihero team.
The Suicide Squad assembles in much the same way as the group did in 2016. Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) selects a group of super-villain convicts with special skills, injects them with a chip that can literally blow their minds, dubs them Task Force X, and sends them off on a mission with the promise of knocking 10 years off their sentences if they survive.
Savant (Michael Rooker, James Gunn’s good luck charm) has the honor of being the first of the dozen+ players introduced. Savant’s highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat and a beast at handball. Blackguard (Pete Davidson) has super strength; T.D.K. (Nathan Fillion, another frequent James Gunn collaborator) can send his arms into a fight without his body; Mongal (Mayling Ng) is an alien with anger issues; and Javelin’s (Fiula Borg) name pretty much describes his particular talent. (Borg insists Javelin’s second superpower is his lovemaking skills.) Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), the sole member of the squad who doesn’t care if he survives, tosses dots of death as a form of therapy to deal with his mommy issues.
Bloodsport (Idris Elba) is the most reluctant member of the squad, forced into joining only after Amanda Waller threatens his daughter with life in prison. The tough-as-nails, take-no-prisoners killer who never misses his target has his title as the most lethal assassin challenged by Peacemaker (John Cena), a muscle-bound douchebag version of Captain America with a broken moral compass.
Returning players include everyone’s favorite squad member, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). Harley’s freed to unleash mayhem as a more fully evolved badass than in previous films. She’s also allowed to let her emotions and wicked sense of humor show more so this time around. Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) returns as the wrangler of the squad, a dedicated military man forced into keeping this gang of lethal lunatics in line. And Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) comes out to play once again, complete with his infectious gold-toothed grin and new and improved versions of his weapon of choice.
Among the squad members representing the animal side of supervillains is King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone), the son of a shark god who’s on the slow side, has trouble making friends (because he eats them), and will absolutely steal your heart with his innocence and basic goodness (if you can overlook the eating people for lunch part). Think big, dumb, goofy dog but with razor sharp teeth.
There’s also a bizarre hairy thing that’s called Weasel (Sean Gunn) but could quite possibly be a werewolf. And last but not least, there’s Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior) and her trusty companion, Sebastian the rat. Ratcatcher 2’s capable of controlling rats, a superpower that comes in handy in nearly every environment and geographic location. She’s also capable of pulling the protective instincts out of Bloodsport.
Once assembled, Task Force X is sent off to the island of Corto Maltese to infiltrate and destroy Project Starfish, a super-secret operation under the control of Thinker (Peter Capaldi) and Corto Maltese’s corrupt government. Chaos ensues, bodies are ripped apart/blown up/squashed/otherwise obliterated, and sides are taken as two jam-packed, gloriously deranged, explosive hours of entertainment pass by on screen.
Everything fans and critics (and critics who are fans) hated about the 2016 adaptation has been fixed in Warner Bros. Pictures’ R-rated 2021 release. My review of the 2016 film warned moviegoers to save their time and money by avoiding the film and instead just watching the trailers. The exact opposite can be said about the newest take. Go all in on this one and see it on the largest screen possible while keeping safe, of course.
The Suicide Squad outdoes Deadpool 2 and James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2 in sheer over-the-top explosive action and adult jokes that hit their marks. It sounds cliché but The Suicide Squad is exactly what we need at the moment. Free to let loose, Gunn makes full use of the film’s R rating and ups the bar on comic book-inspired insanity.
The chemistry between the actors playing the assorted supervillains is better than anything we’ve seen in recent films of this genre. It’s difficult to decide which of the pairings winds up with the best lines, but I’m going with the “who’s got the biggest one” battle between Bloodsport and Peacemaker. Bloodsport’s lines bite harder but Peacemaker’s warped interpretation of righteousness gives John Cena the chance to play the dude who doesn’t get that he’s the butt of the joke.
Every delicious line of dialogue Margot Robbie delivers as Harley perfectly fits the character, and Harley’s costumes are infinitely better in The Suicide Squad than her previous onscreen apparel. Gunn and Robbie incorporate more levels and even – in a strange and unexpected way – more nuance to her madness.
The action scenes are explosive, ultra-violent, and gleefully absurd. From the opening kill, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad embraces anarchy and signals nothing and no one is safe. That opening scene and the first action sequence also send a warning to the audience not to get overly connected with any one character as he/she/it is likely to bite the dust before the credits roll. (And speaking of the credits, yes, there is an extra scene worth waiting around for.)
Writer/director James Gunn’s extensive knowledge of the source material is evident in every line, and he maintains a firm grip on the tone throughout. If ball juggling were an Olympic sport, Gunn would nab the gold for being able to keep so many characters actively involved and the audience engaged during the film’s swift two-hour and 12 minutes.
The best thing about The Suicide Squad…it’ll wipe away the bad taste left lingering from the 2016 film.
GRADE: A
MPAA Rating: R for drug use, brief graphic nudity, language throughout, some sexual references, and strong violence and gore
Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (The Help) returns as podcaster Poppy Parnell in the second season of Apple TV+’s critically acclaimed drama Truth Be Told. The new trailer introduces Oscar nominee Kate Hudson (Almost Famous) as an old friend of Poppy’s who reaches out for help.
Season two of the anthology series marks Hudson’s first starring role in a TV series.
The cast also includes Mekhi Phifer as Markus Killebrew, Christopher Backus as Holt Redding, Tracie Thoms as Desiree Scoville, and Haneefah Wood as Cydie Scoville. In addition, season two features Alona Tal as Ivy Abbott, David Lyons as Detective Aames, Andre Royo as Demetrius, and Merle Dandridge as Zarina Killebrew.
Ron Cephas Jones plays Leander “Shreve” Scoville, Katherine LaNasa is Noa Havilland, Mychala Faith Lee is Trini Killebrew, Michael Beach is Ingram Rhoades, and Tami Roman plays Lillian Scoville.
Truth Be Told‘s 10-episode second season premieres on August 20, 2021. New episodes drop on Fridays.
Nichelle Tramble Spellman created the series and writes, executive produces, and serves as showrunner. Mikkel Nørgaard, Octavia Spencer, and Hello Sunshine’s Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter also executive produce along with Chernin Entertainment’s Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping.
The Plot, Courtesy of Apple TV+:
Descending into the world of true-crime podcasts, season two follows Octavia Spencer as podcaster Poppy Parnell, who risks everything — including her life — to pursue truth and justice. Poppy dives into a new case that deeply involves her childhood friend, media mogul Micah Keith (Hudson). As developments unfold, their lifelong friendship is put to the ultimate test.
