The new trailer for Twentieth Century Studios’ Free Guy finds Ryan Reynolds starring as a background video game character who leaps into the spotlight after learning he’s not actually a living, breathing human. Reynolds tosses out one-liners while taking over the game and catapulting himself into the role of the story’s hero.
Ryan Reynolds is joined by Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), Joe Keery (Stranger Things), Lil Rel Howery (Rel), Utkarsh Ambudkar (Brockmire), and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit). The adventure comedy also features cameos by real video gamers Imane “Pokimane” Anys, Lannan “LazarBeam” Eacott, Seán William “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, and Daniel “DanTDM” Middleton.
Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn wrote the screenplay and Reynolds, Levy, Sarah Schechter, Greg Berlanti, and Adam Kolbrenner produced. Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen, George Dewey, Dan Levine, and Michael Riley McGrath executive produced.
Directed by Shawn Levy, Free Guy‘s heading to theaters on August 13, 2021.
The Plot, Courtesy of Twentieth Century Studios:
In Free Guy, a bank teller who discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game, decides to become the hero of his own story…one he rewrites himself. Now in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way…before it is too late.
The first teaser trailer’s arrived for Netflix’s tick, tick…BOOM!, the directorial debut of Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In the Heights). The nearly two-minute teaser focuses on Andrew Garfield as a theater composer with dreams of hitting it big on Broadway.
Jonathan Larson (creator of Rent) wrote the autobiographical musical in 1990 prior to Rent. Nearly 15 years later, Lin-Manuel Miranda actually performed the lead role during a two-week Encores! “Off Center” production. Producer Julie Oh caught a performance and at her recommendation – and with the blessing of Larson’s estate – Imagine Entertainment acquired the film rights.
“tick, tick…BOOM! is a corner of the world I know from every angle. I know what it’s like to be a struggling songwriter. I know what it is to be in your 20s writing that one musical, what it’s like to be in New York with a bunch of friends with artistic dreams and then watch them drop off one by one, to real life, while you’re still hanging on,” explained Miranda. “It’s a story of doubling down on your craft in the face of impossible odds, which is not unique to musical theater — it’s the struggle of any artist trying to make a living doing the thing they love.”
Tony Award winner Steven Levenson wrote the screenplay based on Larson’s musical, with Miranda, Julie Oh, and Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer and Ron Howard producing. Levenson, Celia Costas, and Julie Larson executive produced.
Netflix will release tick, tick…BOOM! in select theaters and on the streaming service this fall.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his feature directorial debut with tick, tick…BOOM!, an adaptation of the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, who revolutionized theater as the creator of Rent. The film follows Jon (Academy Award nominee and Tony Award winner Andrew Garfield), a young theater composer who’s waiting tables at a New York City diner in 1990 while writing what he hopes will be the next great American musical.
Days before he’s due to showcase his work in a make-or-break performance, Jon is feeling the pressure from everywhere: from his girlfriend Susan, who dreams of an artistic life beyond New York City; from his friend Michael, who has moved on from his dream to a life of financial security; amidst an artistic community being ravaged by the AIDS epidemic. With the clock ticking, Jon is at a crossroads and faces the question everyone must reckon with: What are we meant to do with the time we have?
The official trailer’s just been released for the new Gossip Girl series which focuses on a new generation of private school teens. The two-minute, attitude-packed trailer arrives a month out from the series’ premiere on HBO Max on Thursday, July 8, 2021.
The 2021 series’ cast includes Jordan Alexander, Eli Brown, Thomas Doherty, Tavi Gevinson, Emily Alyn Lind, Evan Mock, Zion Moreno, Whitney Peak, and Savannah Lee Smith.
Writer and executive producer Joshua Safran developed the series and serves as showrunner. (Safran was a writer and executive producer on the original series.) Fake Empire’s Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage also executive produce with Alloy Entertainment’s Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo. Karena Evans directed the pilot and episode two.
The drama is a Fake Empire and Alloy Entertainment production in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios.
2021’s Gossip Girl is based on Cecily von Ziegesar’s bestselling novels as well as the original series developed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. The original show aired for six seasons and starred Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick, Kelly Rutherford, and Matthew Settle.
Evan Mock, Thomas Doherty, Emily Alyn Lind, Eli Brown, Jordan Alexander, Savannah Smith, and Zion Moreno star in ‘Gossip Girl’ (Photo Photograph by Karolina Wojtasik / HBO Max)
The Plot, Courtesy of HBO Max:
This extension of the pop culture classic takes us back to the Upper East Side finding a new generation of New York private school teens being introduced to social surveillance nine years after the original blogger’s website went dark.
Gossip Girl explores just how much social media — and the landscape of New York itself — has changed in the intervening years.
Cynthia Nixon as “Miranda Hobbes,” Sarah Jessica Parker as “Carrie Bradshaw,” Kristin Davis as “Charlotte York in ‘And Just Like That…’ (Photograph by Courtesy of HBO Max)
Mario Cantone, David Eigenberg, Willie Garson, and Evan Handler will be reuniting with Sex and the City stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis for the And Just Like That… sequel. HBO Max previously announced Chris Noth is also returning to the fold as Mr. Big.
“Everyone at And Just Like That… is thrilled to be able to continue the storylines of these beloved Sex and the City characters with the actors who made them so lovable,” said writer/executive producer Michael Patrick King, commenting on the latest casting announcement.
Mario Cantone (Better Things) will return as Anthony Marentino, David Eigenberg (Chicago Fire) is back as Steve Brady, and Willie Garson (White Collar) is slipping back into the role of Stanford Blatch. Evan Handler (Californication) is reprising his role as Harry Goldenblatt.
Series stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon will serve as executive producers along with King, Julie Rottenberg, Elisa Zuritsky, and John Melfi. King’s co-writers include Samantha Irby, Rachna Fruchbom, Keli Goff, Rottenberg, and Zuritsky.
Filming on the 10-episode half-hour series is expected to begin this summer in New York.
The Plot, Courtesy of HBO Max:
This new chapter of the groundbreaking HBO series Sex and the City follows “Carrie” (Parker), “Miranda” (Nixon), and “Charlotte” (Davis) as they navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s.
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists* (AWFJ) and Kino Lorber are combining forces to showcase the work of outstanding female directors with the “AWFJ Presents’ screening series. The series is curated by AWFJ members and will screen via Kino Lorber’s digital platform, KinoMarquee.
The selection of films from Kino Lorber’s catalog represents some of the finest work by female directors.
Commenting on the partnership with the AWFJ, Kino Lorber SVP Wendy Lidell said, “It is as important to increase the number and presence of female film critics as it is to increase the presence of women filmmakers – in fact the two go hand in hand. Which is why we are especially gratified to be partnering with AWJF on this initiative to present just a sampling of our deep catalog of great films by women.”
“The alliance is very proud to partner with Kino Lorber for our inaugural ‘AWFJ Presents’ series to highlight some truly outstanding films by some of the world’s finest women directors,” stated AWFJ President Jennifer Merin. “The films tell stories that are true to women’s experiences and represent women’s perspectives, but have universal appeal. We are also beyond appreciative of their enthusiasm and generosity regarding this partnership.”
Films included in the first “AWFJ Presents” screening series include Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014), Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust (1991), Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Mustang (2015), Diane Kurys’ Peppermint Soda (1977), Caroline Link’s Nowhere in Africa (2001), and Joan Micklin Silver’s Between the Lines (1977).
The films are currently available via the KinoMarquee streaming platform. Individual films in the series cost $8 to stream or you can purchase a pass to the series for $30. 20-minute pre-recorded discussions of each film conducted by AWFJ’s curatorial team – film critics Ulkar Alakbarova, Margaret Barton-Fumo, Betsy Bozdech, Sandie Angulo Chen, Leslie Combemale, Marilyn Ferdinand, Pam Grady, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Jennifer Merin, Kristen Page-Kirby, Jeanne Prisyazhnaya, and Susan Wloszczyna – are currently viewable on AWFJ’s YouTube Channel.
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* Disclosure – I’m a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists
Netflix is teasing the upcoming second season of the coming of age drama Outer Banks with a one-minute trailer that finds John B. (Chase Stokes) and Sarah (Madelyn Cline) relaxing on a beach. Meanwhile, John and Sarah’s friends are mourning their deaths.
Season two’s cast also includes Madison Bailey (Kiara), Jonathan Daviss (Pope), Rudy Pankow (J.J.), Austin North (Topper), Drew Starkey (Rafe Cameron), and Charles Esten (Ward Cameron). Elizabeth Mitchell (Limbrey), Caroline Arapoglou (Rose), Carlacia Grant (Cleo), Julia Antonelli (Wheezie Cameron), Deion Smith (Kelce), Cullen Moss (Deputy Shoupe), and Nicholas Cirillo (Barry) are also featured in the new season.
“Season 2 is going to test our crew like never before. We’ve turned up the dial on everything fans loved about season one – more mystery, more romance and higher stakes. It’s a full-throttle, action-packed adventure and these photos offer a glimpse into the next chapter for our Pogues. All we can say for now is buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride,” said executive producers/series creators Jonas Pate, Josh Pate, and Shannon Burke.
The 10 episode second season will premiere on July 30, 2021.
Outer Banks is a coming of age story that follows a tight-knit group of local teens (the “Pogues”) in the beach vacation destination of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. After their near-death escape, Season Two finds John B & Sarah on the run – and in over their heads – in the Bahamas.
New friends also bring new foes as they’re back on the trail of the gold, while the stakes for Kiara, Pope, and JJ rapidly escalate at home. The $400M is still in the game, but will the uncovering of a new-found secret reunite the group for a fresh mission? The adventure of a lifetime awaits, but uncharted waters ahead mean our Pogues must do all they can to make it out alive.
The first trailer for Searchlight Pictures’ The Eyes of Tammy Faye has just dropped, launching what’s sure to be the start of the studio’s Oscar campaign. Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield normally look nothing like either Tammy Faye or Jim Bakker but gobs of makeup, combined with their acting skills, and both are completely transformed into these controversial, disgraced televangelists. And Chastain’s voice as Tammy Faye is pitch-perfect.
In addition to two-time Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain (The Help, Zero Dark Thirty) and Oscar nominee Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge), the cast includes Cherry Jones, Fredric Lehne, Louis Cancelmi, Sam Jaeger, Gabriel Olds, Mark Wystrach, and Vincent D’Onofrio.
Michael Showalter (The Big Sick) directed from a screenplay by Abe Sylvia. Chastain, Kelly Carmichael, Rachel Shane, and Gigi Pritzker produced.
Searchlight Pictures has set a September 17, 2021 theatrical release.
The Plot:
The Eyes of Tammy Faye is an intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker. In the 1970s and 80s, Tammy Faye and her husband, Jim Bakker, rose from humble beginnings to create the world’s largest religious broadcasting network and theme park, and were revered for their message of love, acceptance and prosperity. Tammy Faye was legendary for her indelible eyelashes, her idiosyncratic singing, and her eagerness to embrace people from all walks of life. However, it wasn’t long before financial improprieties, scheming rivals, and scandal toppled their carefully constructed empire.
There’s more than just bragging rights on the line in the upcoming much-anticipated Space Jam sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy. If LeBron James and his “elite” Tune Squad don’t win, James will lose his family and all the Looney Tunes will be deleted. (It could happen…they’ve already pressed ‘delete’ on Pepe Le Pew.)
Joining LeBron James in the sequel are Oscar nominee Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda), Khris Davis (Judas and the Black Messiah), Sonequa Martin-Green (Star Trek: Discovery), newcomer Cedric Joe, Jeff Bergman (Looney Tunes Cartoons), Eric Bauza (Looney Tunes Cartoons), and Zendaya (Euphoria).
Malcolm D. Lee (Night School) directed from a screenplay by Juel Taylor, Tony Rettenmaier, Keenan Coogler, Terence Nance, Jesse Gordon, and Celeste Ballard. LeBron James, Ryan Coogler, Maverick Carter, and Duncan Henderson produce, with Sev Ohanian, Zinzi Coogler, Allison Abbate, Jesse Ehrman, Jamal Henderson, Spencer Beighley, Justin Lin, Terence Nance, and Ivan Reitman executive producing.
Space Jam: A New Legacy premieres in theaters and HBO Max on July 16, 2021.
The Plot, Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures:
This transformational journey is a manic mashup of two worlds that reveals just how far some parents will go to connect with their kids. When LeBron and his young son Dom are trapped in a digital space by a rogue A.I., LeBron must get them home safe by leading Bugs, Lola Bunny, and the whole gang of notoriously undisciplined Looney Tunes to victory over the A.I.’s digitized champions on the court: a powered-up roster of professional basketball stars as you’ve never seen them before.
It’s Tunes versus Goons in the highest-stakes challenge of his life, that will redefine LeBron’s bond with his son and shine a light on the power of being yourself. The ready-for-action Tunes destroy convention, supercharge their unique talents and surprise even “King” James by playing the game their own way.
The official trailer for Netflix’s Fear Street triology is three minutes of creepy goodness. The new trailer lays out the story of Shadyside, nicknamed “Killer Capital U.S.A.,” and its documented history of massacres dating back to 1666.
“As a filmmaker making Fear Street, but also just as a movie lover, I was so excited to pay homage to some of the great eras of horror movies. For 1994, Scream stood above all rest — it’s peak ’90s horror and, I think, one of the most brilliant movies ever made, period. Then for 1978, I got to look at the heyday of slasher films — Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street. For 1666…I found the best inspiration for me lay in the beautiful world made rotten of Terence Malick’s The New World,” explained Leigh Janiak, director of the Fear Street trilogy.
R.L. Stine, author of the Fear Street series, added, “The thing that ties Fear Street to people all over the world is that we all have the same fears. It doesn’t matter what country you’re in, everyone is afraid of the dark, or afraid somebody’s lurking in the closet, or afraid of being in some strange new place they’ve never been before. We all have the same fears.”
The Fear Street trilogy will kick off with Fear Street Part 1: 1994 on July 2, 2021. Fear Street Part 2: 1978 follows on July 9th, and Fear Street Part 3: 1666 wraps things up on July 16th.
Producers include Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, David Ready, and Kori Adelson (on 1666). Adelson is an executive producer on 1994 and 1978. Director Leigh Janiak, Timothy M. Bourne, Yvonne M. Bernard, Joan Waricha, and Jane Stine also executive produce.
The Fear Street Plots and Casts, Courtesy of Netflix:
In 1994, a group of teenagers discover the terrifying events that have haunted their town for generations may all be connected — and they may be the next targets. Based on R.L. Stine’s best-selling horror series, Fear Street follows Shadyside’s sinister history through a nightmare 300 years in the making.
FEAR STREET PART 1: 1994 – A circle of teenage friends accidentally encounter the ancient evil responsible for a series of brutal murders that have plagued their town for over 300 years. Welcome to Shadyside.
FEAR STREET PART 2: 1978 – Shadyside, 1978. School’s out for summer and the activities at Camp Nightwing are about to begin. But when another Shadysider is possessed with the urge to kill, the fun in the sun becomes a gruesome fight for survival.
FEAR STREET PART 3: 1666 – The origins of Sarah Fier’s curse are finally revealed as history comes full circle on a night that changes the lives of Shadysiders forever.
FEAR STREET PART 1: 1994 CAST:
KIANA MADEIRA
OLIVIA SCOTT WELCH
BENJAMIN FLORES JR.
JULIA REHWALD
FRED HECHINGER
ASHLEY ZUKERMAN
MAYA HAWKE
DARRELL BRITT-GIBSON
JORDANA SPIRO
JORDYN DiNATALE
JEREMY FORD
FEAR STREET PART 2: 1978 CAST:
SADIE SINK
EMILY RUDD
RYAN SIMPKINS
McCABE SLYE
TED SUTHERLAND
JORDANA SPIRO GILLIAN JACOBS
KIANA MADEIRA
BENJAMIN FLORES JR.
ASHLEY ZUKERMAN
OLIVIA SCOTT WELCH
CHIARA AURELIA
JORDYN DiNATALE
FEAR STREET PART 3: 1666 CAST
KIANA MADEIRA
ASHLEY ZUKERMAN
GILLIAN JACOBS
OLIVIA SCOTT WELCH
BENJAMIN FLORES JR.
DARRELL BRITT-GIBSON
SADIE SINK
EMILY RUDD
McCABE SLYE
JULIA REHWALD
FRED HECHINGER
JORDANA SPIRO
JORDYN DiNATALE
ELIZABETH SCOPEL
RANDY HAVENS
Author Neil Gaiman begins the two-minute sneak peek behind the scenes of The Sandman series by describing it as “the story of the place that we go when we close our eyes at night.” Gaiman, who also serves as a co-writer and executive producer, is joined by cast members on the set to give fans a quick preview of the props, effects, and spectacular sets.
The Sandman is based on Gaiman’s comic book series, with executive producer David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight trilogy) and executive producer Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman) joining the author in adapting the comics. Heinberg also serves as the season one showrunner.
The cast includes Tom Sturridge as Dream of the Endless, Gwendolyn Christie as Lucifer, Sanjeev Bhaskar as Cain, and Amid Chaudry as Abel. Charles Dance is playing Roderick Burgess, Vivienne Acheampong is Lucienne, and Boyd Holbrook plays The Corinthian.
Kirby Howell-Baptiste is on board as Death, Mason Alexander Park plays Desire, Donna Preston is Despair, and Jenna Coleman takes on the role of Johanna Constantine. Niamh Walsh plays young Ethel Cripps, Joely Richardson is the adult Ethel Cripps, David Thewlis plays John Dee, and Kyo Ra is Rose Walker.
Rounding out the cast are Stephen Fry as Gilbert, Razane Jammal as Lyta Hall, Sandra James Young as Unity Kincaid, and Patton Oswalt as the voice of Matthew the Raven.
The series is a Warner Bros. Television production.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
A rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven, The Sandman follows the people and places affected by Morpheus, the Dream King, as he mends the cosmic — and human — mistakes he’s made during his vast existence.
