The Waves of James Bond Speculation and the Emergence of a New Favourite The frenzy around who will be the next James Bond is nothing short of a gripping saga, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson previously leading the pack. Yet, despite his acclaimed performance in high-stakes roles like Tangerine in Bullet Train, there’s a shift in the air. Amid the deafening buzz, there’s been a pivotal twist. A new actor has begun to eclipse Taylor-Johnson as the frontrunner, shaking up the odds and public expectation. This turn of events is not just about talent but perceptions and the ever-swinging pendulum of public
The post Aaron Taylor-Johnson Faces New Competition in James Bond Casting first appeared on TVovermind.
The post Aaron Taylor-Johnson Faces New Competition in James Bond Casting first appeared on TVovermind.
- 4/24/2024
- by Steve Delikson
- TVovermind.com
Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s turn in Bullet Train has led to theories he’s going to play Bond next. But do actors who play Bond-like characters go on to actually play 007? We take a look.
At the time of writing, at least, there’s much speculation about Aaron Taylor-Johnson and his connection to the James Bond franchise. In March, a British newspaper with a big red masthead spread the rumour that the actor is secretly being lined up to play 007, taking over from Daniel Craig.
It’s a rumour so persistent that Taylor-Johnson has started to get a bit cross when ‘The Bond Question’ is brought up in interviews. When asked by an Associated Press reporter about the whole matter, Taylor-Johnson looked down at his feet, as though trying to repress some terrifying wellspring of anger, before abruptly marching off with a chirpy, “Alright, have a good one!”
Adding fuel to...
At the time of writing, at least, there’s much speculation about Aaron Taylor-Johnson and his connection to the James Bond franchise. In March, a British newspaper with a big red masthead spread the rumour that the actor is secretly being lined up to play 007, taking over from Daniel Craig.
It’s a rumour so persistent that Taylor-Johnson has started to get a bit cross when ‘The Bond Question’ is brought up in interviews. When asked by an Associated Press reporter about the whole matter, Taylor-Johnson looked down at his feet, as though trying to repress some terrifying wellspring of anger, before abruptly marching off with a chirpy, “Alright, have a good one!”
Adding fuel to...
- 4/24/2024
- by Ryan Lambie
- Film Stories
Disney World is six miles away, but its Cinderella Castle might as well be outer space for those who live in the candy-colored budget motels up the highway, subsisting on its margins and absorbing its fairy dust fantasy. A buzzy premiere at Cannes, several breakout performances, and a career-high performance by Willem Dafoe were among the surprises of the critically acclaimed indie The Florida Project when it arrived in 2017. Directed by Sean Baker (Tangerine), the slice-of-life film mirrored the pace of a hot slow summer in Florida — one saturated in dreaminess, punctuated with mounting dramas on its edges, and building to a stunning and unexpected ending that continues to dazzle, haunt, and perplex viewers. With the film streaming on Netflix again, you can ponder it yourself —...
- 2/5/2024
- by Rebecca Johnson
- Tudum - Netflix
The plot of the romantic dramedy has not been revealed.
Neon has acquired the North American rights to Anora, the upcoming romantic dramedy from writer-director Sean Baker.
FilmNation Entertainment is handling worldwide rights to the film and has licensed the project to Le Pacte in France, Lev in Israel, Kismet in Australia and New Zealand and Focus Features/Universal Pictures International for the rest of the world.
Neon is planning a 2024 theatrical release for the film, whose plot has not been revealed. The project shot on location in Brooklyn earlier this year and is currently in post-production. Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn,...
Neon has acquired the North American rights to Anora, the upcoming romantic dramedy from writer-director Sean Baker.
FilmNation Entertainment is handling worldwide rights to the film and has licensed the project to Le Pacte in France, Lev in Israel, Kismet in Australia and New Zealand and Focus Features/Universal Pictures International for the rest of the world.
Neon is planning a 2024 theatrical release for the film, whose plot has not been revealed. The project shot on location in Brooklyn earlier this year and is currently in post-production. Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn,...
- 11/2/2023
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
On paper, Bullet Train should be the can’t-miss action film of the summer. It sports a talented cast, a fun premise, and a director who knows his way around a fight scene. But Bullet Train derails as soon as it leaves the station. Instead of an adrenaline-pumping action adventure, it’s a loud, obnoxious and pointless pileup that’s the cinematic equivalent of a toddler slapping you on the head with plastic nunchucks for two hours.
It’s probably well past time for Brad Pitt to be given his own “John Wick”-style franchise, and the star is easily the best thing about Bullet Train. As a criminal with the codename of Ladybug, he’s a navel-gazing self-improvement addict who vents his anxieties to an unseen handler (Sandra Bullock) and dreams of putting peace out into the world. The fact that he’s an assassin is meant to be...
It’s probably well past time for Brad Pitt to be given his own “John Wick”-style franchise, and the star is easily the best thing about Bullet Train. As a criminal with the codename of Ladybug, he’s a navel-gazing self-improvement addict who vents his anxieties to an unseen handler (Sandra Bullock) and dreams of putting peace out into the world. The fact that he’s an assassin is meant to be...
- 8/6/2022
- by Chris Williams
- CinemaNerdz
Warning: Spoilers ahead for “Bullet Train,” now in theaters
It sounds like the start of a joke: “A bunch of assassins walk onto a train…” So what exactly is the punchline? In the case of “Bullet Train” it’s pretty predictable — almost everyone dies. And in this case, it’s all at the hands of one mastermind. Of course, one giant plan featuring many different players can get pretty confusing, and that’s probably why you’re here!
Don’t worry, we picked it apart for you. Here’s what you need to know for sure; just about every assassin on that train was put there intentionally by one man. That man is known as the White Death, and he’s played by Michael Shannon. He’s a Russian crime lord, who climbed the ranks by killing everyone in his way. He’s ruthless and terrifying and vengeful.
And that...
It sounds like the start of a joke: “A bunch of assassins walk onto a train…” So what exactly is the punchline? In the case of “Bullet Train” it’s pretty predictable — almost everyone dies. And in this case, it’s all at the hands of one mastermind. Of course, one giant plan featuring many different players can get pretty confusing, and that’s probably why you’re here!
Don’t worry, we picked it apart for you. Here’s what you need to know for sure; just about every assassin on that train was put there intentionally by one man. That man is known as the White Death, and he’s played by Michael Shannon. He’s a Russian crime lord, who climbed the ranks by killing everyone in his way. He’s ruthless and terrifying and vengeful.
And that...
- 8/5/2022
- by Andi Ortiz
- The Wrap
“Bullet Train” is quite the wild ride.
The film focuses on a criminal, codenamed Lady Bug (Brad Pitt), who gets on a super-fast train in Japan and is soon confronted by a gaggle of trained killers. Why is everyone after the mysterious silver briefcase and what awaits them all when the train reaches its final destination are among the mysteries that unravel along the train’s high-speed track.
The question of who is orchestrating the very bloody mayhem is an easier one to answer. That would be director David Leitch, a former stunt performer and choreographer who has become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after filmmakers, thanks to hits like “Deadpool 2,” “Hobbs & Shaw,” “Atomic Blonde” and now “Bullet Train.”
TheWrap chatted with Leitch about how he got involved with the project, leaning into the comedic tone, finding the right structure in editing and the unexpected train movie that inspired him.
The film focuses on a criminal, codenamed Lady Bug (Brad Pitt), who gets on a super-fast train in Japan and is soon confronted by a gaggle of trained killers. Why is everyone after the mysterious silver briefcase and what awaits them all when the train reaches its final destination are among the mysteries that unravel along the train’s high-speed track.
The question of who is orchestrating the very bloody mayhem is an easier one to answer. That would be director David Leitch, a former stunt performer and choreographer who has become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after filmmakers, thanks to hits like “Deadpool 2,” “Hobbs & Shaw,” “Atomic Blonde” and now “Bullet Train.”
TheWrap chatted with Leitch about how he got involved with the project, leaning into the comedic tone, finding the right structure in editing and the unexpected train movie that inspired him.
- 8/5/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
1997 called and wants its Quentin Tarantino knockoff back. That’s the bottom line on Bullet Train, a new dark comedy/thriller directed by David Leitch. Overlong, tedious, and endlessly self-satisfied, this is a movie that thinks it’s funny to score a montage of violence to an Engelbert Humperdinck song (which is announced as it happens).
Even 25 years ago, the idea got stale fast as one Tarantino wannabe after another tried and failed to emulate the original. The film thinks it’s being clever, but the mix of pop culture-drenched, faux-savvy dialogue, ironic and plentiful needle drops, “look at me” cameos, and cartoon-y violence was a lot better back when Qt was first doing it.
Based on a novel by Japanese author Kōtarō Isaka, the movie is slightly enlivened by hard-working performances from Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Joey King, and Brian Tyree Henry, as well as some striking design and cinematography, but...
Even 25 years ago, the idea got stale fast as one Tarantino wannabe after another tried and failed to emulate the original. The film thinks it’s being clever, but the mix of pop culture-drenched, faux-savvy dialogue, ironic and plentiful needle drops, “look at me” cameos, and cartoon-y violence was a lot better back when Qt was first doing it.
Based on a novel by Japanese author Kōtarō Isaka, the movie is slightly enlivened by hard-working performances from Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Joey King, and Brian Tyree Henry, as well as some striking design and cinematography, but...
- 8/4/2022
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
For a film filled with piles of dead bodies, generational family trauma, and a general bad-luck vibe, David Leitch’s Bullet Train lacks any sense of authenticity. Leitch and screenwriter Zak Olkewicz adapt a Japanese novel into a supposed thrill-ride, high-speed chase through train cars brimming with famous actors waiting to make short and ineffectual cameos. Starring Brad Pitt as Ladybug, a too-tired, zen-focused assassin, the action flick beats its audience over the head with constant gags, humor that will likely appeal to those under the age of 18, and slapstick jokes with no meaning behind them.
Pitt revels in his role as a sad sap of a hitman, a character focused on talking rather than fighting, eventually killing all of his adversaries by accident. His pure stardom carries the film during portions of inactivity, and Leitch’s action sequences remain some of the genre’s best, using the confinement of...
Pitt revels in his role as a sad sap of a hitman, a character focused on talking rather than fighting, eventually killing all of his adversaries by accident. His pure stardom carries the film during portions of inactivity, and Leitch’s action sequences remain some of the genre’s best, using the confinement of...
- 8/2/2022
- by Michael Frank
- The Film Stage
Updated with video review: Right from the start, you know exactly what you are in for with Bullet Train, a non-stop mix of violence, comedy and more violence, Japanese-style, as filtered through the lens of director David Leitch, a stuntman-turned-filmmaker whose past credits of Atomic Blonde, Fast & Furious: Hobbs and Shaw, and Deadpool 2 pretty much prepare you for what to expect here. However, even though this was mostly shot on the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, with some killer production design and a cool train courtesy of David Scheunemann, it undoubtedly feels we are in Tokyo where I am sure the Sony bosses were delighted with the dailies as they came in.
Unfortunately, from my vantage point this just seems like a lark for star Brad Pitt, coming off an Oscar for the far superior Quentin Tarantino masterpiece Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, also from Sony,...
Unfortunately, from my vantage point this just seems like a lark for star Brad Pitt, coming off an Oscar for the far superior Quentin Tarantino masterpiece Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, also from Sony,...
- 8/2/2022
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Let us now praise Brad Pitt. Or rather, the whole repertory company of Brad Pitts — the leading man who chased kooky character-actor roles, the matinee idol who stopped worrying and learned to love movie stardom, the wild-card outlier, the endlessly snacking comic relief, the grungy sex symbol, the All-American Adonis next door, the A-list veteran who lets his supernova aura do the talking. You get every single one of them in Bullet Train, the ballistics-and-whistles blockbuster adaptation of Kotaro Isaka’s 2010 crime novel about a commuter train filled with killers...
- 8/2/2022
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
‘Bullet Train’ Review: Brad Pitt Even Shines in an Action-Packed Star Vehicle that Goes Nowhere Fast
If “Bullet Train” is one of the worst movies that Brad Pitt has ever starred in — better than “Troy,” but a hair short of “The Mexican” — this big shiny nothing of a blockbuster is also a remarkable testament to the actor’s batting average over the last 30 years, and some of the best evidence we have as to why he’s been synonymous with the movies themselves for that entire time. Because that’s the thing about movie stars, and why the last of them still matter in a franchise-mad world where characters tend to be more famous than the people who play them on-screen: They often get minted in good films, but they always get proven in bad ones.
“Bullet Train” is not a good film, but Pitt is having a truly palpable amount of fun in it, and the energy that radiates off of him as he fights...
“Bullet Train” is not a good film, but Pitt is having a truly palpable amount of fun in it, and the energy that radiates off of him as he fights...
- 8/2/2022
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto takes about two hours and 15 minutes — just the right amount of time to pull off a cartoonishly over-the-top action movie, in which half a dozen assassins shoot, stab and otherwise perforate each other’s pretty little faces in pursuit of a briefcase stuffed with cash. It’s a high-stakes game of hot potato, choreographed and executed by “Atomic Blonde” director David Leitch, in which a self-deprecating Brat Pitt wears a bucket hat and oversized specs, Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson play bickering “twin” hitmen Lemon and Tangerine, and “The Princess” wedding crasher Joey King (known here as “the Prince”) is a cunning killer who can fake-cry on command.
These quirky characters — and half a dozen other lethal so-and-sos, with names like “the Hornet” (Zazie Beetz) and “the Wolf” — are identified by giant on-screen labels superimposed over their flash-frozen mugs, the way Martin Scorsese...
These quirky characters — and half a dozen other lethal so-and-sos, with names like “the Hornet” (Zazie Beetz) and “the Wolf” — are identified by giant on-screen labels superimposed over their flash-frozen mugs, the way Martin Scorsese...
- 8/2/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
So many things went through my mind while watching “Bullet Train”: Bullet trains seem great; why don’t we have them in the United States? Will I ever get to see Mount Fuji? I wonder what flavors of Kit Kats they sell on that train?
These thoughts occurred because my brain refused to engage with this glib, terminally self-satisfied blood-and-bullets extravaganza, one that feels like it was plucked from what we might call the “Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead” period of American cinema, when Quentin Tarantino’s first two features emboldened far too many young filmmakers to think that they, too, could make a zippy comedy with excessive gunplay, explicit gore, pop-culture references, needle drops, and a briefcase full of cash.
Having programmed a film festival from 1995 to 1999, I was subjected to more bad “Reservoir Dogs” wannabes than the average filmgoer, which might explain why...
These thoughts occurred because my brain refused to engage with this glib, terminally self-satisfied blood-and-bullets extravaganza, one that feels like it was plucked from what we might call the “Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead” period of American cinema, when Quentin Tarantino’s first two features emboldened far too many young filmmakers to think that they, too, could make a zippy comedy with excessive gunplay, explicit gore, pop-culture references, needle drops, and a briefcase full of cash.
Having programmed a film festival from 1995 to 1999, I was subjected to more bad “Reservoir Dogs” wannabes than the average filmgoer, which might explain why...
- 8/2/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
The early work of a string of directors comes to mind while watching Bullet Train, among them Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Guy Ritchie, Joe Carnahan and Timur Bekmambetov. The difference is that those filmmakers have mostly moved on from this kind of assaultive bloodbath, which pummels you into numbness with its onslaught of glib dark comedy, escalating carnage and over-the-top gore. David Leitch’s directing credits — Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Hobbs & Shaw — have remained firmly tethered to his stunt background, occasionally with entertaining results. But his latest is so busy delivering violent action with a self-satisfied wink that its contorted plotting and one-note characters get real tedious real fast.
Leitch has served on multiple occasions as Brad Pitt’s stunt double, so there’s a certain symmetry in him shepherding a movie that relies so extensively on the star’s insouciant charisma. But...
The early work of a string of directors comes to mind while watching Bullet Train, among them Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Guy Ritchie, Joe Carnahan and Timur Bekmambetov. The difference is that those filmmakers have mostly moved on from this kind of assaultive bloodbath, which pummels you into numbness with its onslaught of glib dark comedy, escalating carnage and over-the-top gore. David Leitch’s directing credits — Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Hobbs & Shaw — have remained firmly tethered to his stunt background, occasionally with entertaining results. But his latest is so busy delivering violent action with a self-satisfied wink that its contorted plotting and one-note characters get real tedious real fast.
Leitch has served on multiple occasions as Brad Pitt’s stunt double, so there’s a certain symmetry in him shepherding a movie that relies so extensively on the star’s insouciant charisma. But...
- 8/2/2022
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
To celebrate the release of Bullet Train, which opens in UK cinemas this week, we had the distinct pleasure of chatting with some of the film’s eclectic cast about the new action/thriller/comedy set to take the late summer by storm.
In Bullet Train, Brad Pitt stars as Ladybug, an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans, as Ladybug’s latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe – all with connected, yet conflicting, objectives – on the world’s fastest train…and he’s got to figure out how to get off. From the director of Deadpool 2, David Leitch, the end of the line is only the beginning of a wild, non-stop thrill ride through modern-day Japan.
Chatting to Taylor-Johnson and Henry, who portray Lemon and Tangerine in the film,...
In Bullet Train, Brad Pitt stars as Ladybug, an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans, as Ladybug’s latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe – all with connected, yet conflicting, objectives – on the world’s fastest train…and he’s got to figure out how to get off. From the director of Deadpool 2, David Leitch, the end of the line is only the beginning of a wild, non-stop thrill ride through modern-day Japan.
Chatting to Taylor-Johnson and Henry, who portray Lemon and Tangerine in the film,...
- 8/1/2022
- by Scott Davis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
"He doesn't need a reason to kill people... he needs a reason not to." Sony Pictures has revealed another 60-second official trailer for Bullet Train, the upcoming summer action movie set mostly on a Japanese bullet train. Can't wait to watch this soon! The plot involves five assassins aboard this train who discover their missions all have something in common. From the director of Deadpool 2, David Leitch, "the end of the line is only the beginning in a wild, non-stop thrill ride through modern-day Japan." This trailer focuses on the "Big Bad Wolf", another assassin with a connection to Brad Pitt. The Wolf is played by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, who also gets his own individual character poster (as seen below). He co-stars with Sandra Bullock, Aaron Taylor-Johnson ("Tangerine"), Joey King, Zazie Beetz, Logan Lerman, Michael Shannon, Brian Tyree Henry ("Lemon"), Hiroyuki Sanada ("Elder"), Andrew Koji ("Kimura"), with Masi Oka & Andrea Muñoz.
- 7/5/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
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