Recently, I watched the trailer for Transformers One, the Cybertron-set sequel about the origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron. Every time I see that trailer attached to whatever movie, an unenthusiasm washes over. It’s mainly a byproduct of Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry’s casting as pre-Adam’s-apple-dropped versions of their respective characters. And make no mistake, they did not change their voices at all for these roles.
It’s not just Transformers One that’s the butt of this phenomenon though. Nearly every animated movie emphasizes a celebrity voice cast as part of its marketing. How else can you explain the overexposure of Chris Pratt as this weekend’s Garfield and last year’s Super Mario? It’s even standard day practice now for the character poster to also feature an actor’s name above the animation design, a la “Zendaya is Meechee.” This exists, presumably, to lure adults into the theater.
It’s not just Transformers One that’s the butt of this phenomenon though. Nearly every animated movie emphasizes a celebrity voice cast as part of its marketing. How else can you explain the overexposure of Chris Pratt as this weekend’s Garfield and last year’s Super Mario? It’s even standard day practice now for the character poster to also feature an actor’s name above the animation design, a la “Zendaya is Meechee.” This exists, presumably, to lure adults into the theater.
- 5/23/2024
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Dive into Darkness: "INfernal" Unleashes Its Official Trailer: "Horror aficionados and metalheads, brace yourselves! Grime House Films' Eric Mathis and his creative partner Drake Teer of Teer/Mathis Productions proudly announce the release of the thrilling official trailer for their upcoming film, "INfernal." This film melds the sinister with the symphonic, presenting a Faustian tale wrapped in a heavy metal overture that promises to captivate and terrify."
"INfernal" tells the gripping story of four friends—two undead, one a pig demon from the depths of hell—who find themselves in a desperate race against time after a summoning ritual backfires spectacularly. Now, they must outwit the Devil himself to save their souls, all set against a backdrop of relentless metal music and unrelenting horror.
Director’s Statement: “This film is really balls to the wall. I wanted to do a fearless, bold, and unapologetic movie. I think we really succeeded. The story is so much fun,...
"INfernal" tells the gripping story of four friends—two undead, one a pig demon from the depths of hell—who find themselves in a desperate race against time after a summoning ritual backfires spectacularly. Now, they must outwit the Devil himself to save their souls, all set against a backdrop of relentless metal music and unrelenting horror.
Director’s Statement: “This film is really balls to the wall. I wanted to do a fearless, bold, and unapologetic movie. I think we really succeeded. The story is so much fun,...
- 5/22/2024
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Los Angeles, California – May 01: Barbara Crampton attends the Film Independent special screening of “The Last Stop in Yuma County” at Harmony Gold on May 01, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Umbrelic Entertainment’s Brian Katz and Thomas Zambeck are proud to announce that filming has commenced for the horror film, The Possession At Gladstone Manor. Starring Caylee Cowan (Hypnotic), Jesse Metcalf (John Tucker Must Die), Charlotte Kirk (The Reckoning), Darren Weiss (Inside Man), Barbara Crampton, William Mapother (Blackhat), and Lin Shaye (Insidious Franchise), production is underway in Kansas City, utilizing the new Missouri state tax incentives.
Amp’s Anthony Buckner will be handling international sales at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival.
“As die-hard fans of the horror genre, this project feels like a dream come true,” says Zambeck. “We’re thrilled to bring this dark vision to life, and scare audiences with this...
Umbrelic Entertainment’s Brian Katz and Thomas Zambeck are proud to announce that filming has commenced for the horror film, The Possession At Gladstone Manor. Starring Caylee Cowan (Hypnotic), Jesse Metcalf (John Tucker Must Die), Charlotte Kirk (The Reckoning), Darren Weiss (Inside Man), Barbara Crampton, William Mapother (Blackhat), and Lin Shaye (Insidious Franchise), production is underway in Kansas City, utilizing the new Missouri state tax incentives.
Amp’s Anthony Buckner will be handling international sales at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival.
“As die-hard fans of the horror genre, this project feels like a dream come true,” says Zambeck. “We’re thrilled to bring this dark vision to life, and scare audiences with this...
- 5/20/2024
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Mother’s Day weekend 2019 marked a turning point in the young life of Madhuri Shekar.
It all started two years before with a phone call from a woman named Kate Navin, then head of theater for Audible. Navin said she’d recently been armed with money to develop original works from emerging play- wrights, and she was calling to offer Shekar, just a year out of Juilliard, the chance to write. The only catch: Shekar’s play would have to be crafted as an audio-only production.
Shekar’s answer to this challenge was “Evil Eye,” a 100-minute potboiler that revolves around daily telephone conversations between a mother in India and a daughter in Los Angeles. The finished play was released on Audible in May 2019. For Shekar, the impact on her career was immediate. Within weeks, she was negotiating a deal with Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Blumhouse for the movie version...
It all started two years before with a phone call from a woman named Kate Navin, then head of theater for Audible. Navin said she’d recently been armed with money to develop original works from emerging play- wrights, and she was calling to offer Shekar, just a year out of Juilliard, the chance to write. The only catch: Shekar’s play would have to be crafted as an audio-only production.
Shekar’s answer to this challenge was “Evil Eye,” a 100-minute potboiler that revolves around daily telephone conversations between a mother in India and a daughter in Los Angeles. The finished play was released on Audible in May 2019. For Shekar, the impact on her career was immediate. Within weeks, she was negotiating a deal with Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Blumhouse for the movie version...
- 3/27/2024
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Channel 4 bosses will take home reduced bonuses in 2024 as 250 staffers are laid off.
Deadline can reveal that the vast majority of Channel 4 staff will receive a bonus this year around half the level of 2023, including CEO Alex Mahon, content boss Ian Katz and Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Allan. The trio will see their pay reduced by around 30% to 40% from last year’s record highs, we are also told.
The decision on bonuses was recently rubberstamped by the network’s Remuneration Committee and a Channel 4 spokesman told Deadline the bonus was calculated from the network’s “annual targets, remit and business goals.” This decision to award them bonuses was made in the past few weeks as the redundancy program has been in full flow – the biggest such program initiated by the broadcaster for 15 years.
Senior bosses’ separate six-figure loyalty bonuses, which Deadline revealed had been indefinitely deferred last year amidst a revolt from producers,...
Deadline can reveal that the vast majority of Channel 4 staff will receive a bonus this year around half the level of 2023, including CEO Alex Mahon, content boss Ian Katz and Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Allan. The trio will see their pay reduced by around 30% to 40% from last year’s record highs, we are also told.
The decision on bonuses was recently rubberstamped by the network’s Remuneration Committee and a Channel 4 spokesman told Deadline the bonus was calculated from the network’s “annual targets, remit and business goals.” This decision to award them bonuses was made in the past few weeks as the redundancy program has been in full flow – the biggest such program initiated by the broadcaster for 15 years.
Senior bosses’ separate six-figure loyalty bonuses, which Deadline revealed had been indefinitely deferred last year amidst a revolt from producers,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Billie Eilish was almost cast in new horror movie 'Azrael'.The 'Bad Guy' hitmaker is yet to make her debut in a feature length film, but 'Azrael' director E.L. Katz has revealed how one of the main characters was created with the 22-year-old pop star in mind.She told Collider: "So, Azrael, [Simon Barrett] wrote that in what felt like two weeks or three weeks or something."It was something I’d never read, even from him, and it was almost like all of his sensibilities distilled in this austere experiential thing with no fat at all."I loved it and I just wanted to see it get made. At first, Simon was going to direct it. I wanted that to happen. We wanted Billie Eilish to be in it, or something.”The movie stars Samara Weaving in the lead role, and she suspects Eilish...
- 3/12/2024
- by Alistair McGeorge
- Bang Showbiz
The Overlook Film Festival announced today their initial lineup for the upcoming 2024 edition, taking place April 4 – April 7 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
“We are finally able to see the fruits of post-pandemic productions and it’s a sight to behold,” said Michael Lerman, co-founder and director of film programming of The Overlook Film Festival. “This year’s lineup is full of bigger, scarier, more personal, more bombastic fever dreams that are sure to haunt you for the rest of 2024.”
This wide-ranging initial festival lineup includes 43 films (20 features and 23 shorts) from 11 countries, as well as four live presentations and five immersive experiences.
“This festival has always been as much about horror’s history as it is about its future,” said Landon Zakheim, co-founder and executive director of The Overlook Film Festival. “The expanded retrospective screenings, with some of our favorite heroes once again joining in person, allow us to celebrate what drew...
“We are finally able to see the fruits of post-pandemic productions and it’s a sight to behold,” said Michael Lerman, co-founder and director of film programming of The Overlook Film Festival. “This year’s lineup is full of bigger, scarier, more personal, more bombastic fever dreams that are sure to haunt you for the rest of 2024.”
This wide-ranging initial festival lineup includes 43 films (20 features and 23 shorts) from 11 countries, as well as four live presentations and five immersive experiences.
“This festival has always been as much about horror’s history as it is about its future,” said Landon Zakheim, co-founder and executive director of The Overlook Film Festival. “The expanded retrospective screenings, with some of our favorite heroes once again joining in person, allow us to celebrate what drew...
- 3/6/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Anchor Bay Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights to “Daddy,” a sci-fi film that will be released in 2024.
The news comes as Anchor Bay is being relaunched after Umbrelic Entertainment chiefs Thomas Zambeck and Brian Katz bought the company’s trademark. Anchor Bay was included in Starz’s 2016 sale to Lionsgate. Under Zambeck and Katz, Anchor Bay is looking to release genre films and cult favorites.
In the case of “Daddy,” the movie was co-written and co-directed by Neal Kelley and Jono Sherman in their feature debut. It stars Yuriy Sardarov (“Chicago Fire”), Jacqueline Toboni (“The L Word: Generation Q”), Pomme Koch (“WeCrashed“) and Britt Baron (“Glow”).
The film is set in a dystopian society where the state has the power to determine who can and cannot father children. Four men attend a government-mandated retreat in the remote mountains of California. When they arrive, there’s no guide or instructions waiting for them.
The news comes as Anchor Bay is being relaunched after Umbrelic Entertainment chiefs Thomas Zambeck and Brian Katz bought the company’s trademark. Anchor Bay was included in Starz’s 2016 sale to Lionsgate. Under Zambeck and Katz, Anchor Bay is looking to release genre films and cult favorites.
In the case of “Daddy,” the movie was co-written and co-directed by Neal Kelley and Jono Sherman in their feature debut. It stars Yuriy Sardarov (“Chicago Fire”), Jacqueline Toboni (“The L Word: Generation Q”), Pomme Koch (“WeCrashed“) and Britt Baron (“Glow”).
The film is set in a dystopian society where the state has the power to determine who can and cannot father children. Four men attend a government-mandated retreat in the remote mountains of California. When they arrive, there’s no guide or instructions waiting for them.
- 2/29/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Yvonne Strahovski has landed her next series project.
The Handmaid’s Tale star will lead the cast for Teacup, a horror thriller series at Peacock that counts James Wan among its executive producers. Strahovski will also be a producer on the project, which is inspired by author Robert McCammon’s 1988 novel Stinger.
Teacup will center on a group of people in rural Georgia (replacing the novel’s Texas setting) who must come together in the face of a mysterious threat in order to survive. Strahovski will play a character named Maggie Chenoweth.
Ordered to series in late 2022, Teacup comes from Universal Studio Group’s UCP and Wan’s Atomic Monster banner. Ian McCulloch (Yellowstone) adapted the novel, and E.L. Katz (The Haunting of Bly Manor) is set to direct the first episode.
McCulloch also executive produces with Wan and Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear and Rob Hackett, Katz, McCammon, Francisca X. Hu and Kevin Tancharoen.
The Handmaid’s Tale star will lead the cast for Teacup, a horror thriller series at Peacock that counts James Wan among its executive producers. Strahovski will also be a producer on the project, which is inspired by author Robert McCammon’s 1988 novel Stinger.
Teacup will center on a group of people in rural Georgia (replacing the novel’s Texas setting) who must come together in the face of a mysterious threat in order to survive. Strahovski will play a character named Maggie Chenoweth.
Ordered to series in late 2022, Teacup comes from Universal Studio Group’s UCP and Wan’s Atomic Monster banner. Ian McCulloch (Yellowstone) adapted the novel, and E.L. Katz (The Haunting of Bly Manor) is set to direct the first episode.
McCulloch also executive produces with Wan and Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear and Rob Hackett, Katz, McCammon, Francisca X. Hu and Kevin Tancharoen.
- 2/28/2024
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Time is a tricky adversary in "Futurama." It's been 24 years since the show first debuted in 1999, but in the latest season, available on Hulu, the characters clearly haven't aged 24 years. But, unlike on "The Simpsons," the characters have aged at least a little bit. Bart Simpson has been 10 years old for 35 years. Fry and Leela (Billy West and Katey Sagal) seem to have grown together as a couple and both have matured ever so slightly, implying the passage of real time. In 24 years, they have aged maybe seven. Hilariously, the Professor (West) seems to have continued aging apace, remaining the doddering old fool he always was. The alcoholic robot Bender (John Dimaggio) hasn't really grown up, but he has changed over the years, remaining criminal but growing a sense of self-pity. Amy (Lauren Tom) has graduated from college, gotten married, and has three newt-like children with her invertebrate husband Kif (Maurice Lamarche).
Throughout the show,...
Throughout the show,...
- 12/17/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Traina Productions, in association with Rbf Productions, has launched production in New Jersey on One Stupid Thing, a suspense/drama directed by Linda Yellen, and written by Yellen and Michael Leeds. The film stars Corey Fogelmanis (Girl Meets World), Jack Wright, Sky Katz (Surviving Summer), Shelby Simmons (Stargirl), and Alfredo Narciso (The Summer I Turned Pretty).
Three high school friends share a deeply bonded friendship, until one winter night on a Nantucket rooftop, a harmless game takes a fatal turn, and the course of their lives changes forever. For nearly a year, they keep what they did a secret until the following winter break when they meet a girl (Katz) with her own dark past who helps them uncover what really happened that night – and who is behind it.
“When I read the script, I loved that it featured four completely different young leads who are so bonded,...
Three high school friends share a deeply bonded friendship, until one winter night on a Nantucket rooftop, a harmless game takes a fatal turn, and the course of their lives changes forever. For nearly a year, they keep what they did a secret until the following winter break when they meet a girl (Katz) with her own dark past who helps them uncover what really happened that night – and who is behind it.
“When I read the script, I loved that it featured four completely different young leads who are so bonded,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Zach Braff has shared his mixed feelings of sadness and joy at Gwyneth Paltrow’s trial coming to an end.
On Thursday (30 March), jurors found that Paltrow was not at fault for a 2016 ski collision, effectively awarding the Goop founder and actor a symbolic $1.
Retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, who had claimed Paltrow crashed into him on the slopes at the luxury Deer Valley Resort in Utah and was seeking $300,000 in damages, was found to be 100 per cent at fault for the ski accident.
During the high-profile case, clips and photos from inside the courtroom were shared widely and memed on social media, with fans obsessing over everything from the lawyers’ lines of questioning and Paltrow’s body language to her “courtroom chic” outfits.
Following news of the verdict, Scrubs star Braff, who had been closely following the case and even suggesting which actors should star in a fictional film adaptation,...
On Thursday (30 March), jurors found that Paltrow was not at fault for a 2016 ski collision, effectively awarding the Goop founder and actor a symbolic $1.
Retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, who had claimed Paltrow crashed into him on the slopes at the luxury Deer Valley Resort in Utah and was seeking $300,000 in damages, was found to be 100 per cent at fault for the ski accident.
During the high-profile case, clips and photos from inside the courtroom were shared widely and memed on social media, with fans obsessing over everything from the lawyers’ lines of questioning and Paltrow’s body language to her “courtroom chic” outfits.
Following news of the verdict, Scrubs star Braff, who had been closely following the case and even suggesting which actors should star in a fictional film adaptation,...
- 3/31/2023
- by Isobel Lewis
- The Independent - TV
Emmy, SAG and Golden Globe nominee Evan Rachel Wood (“Westworld”) has joined the cast of D.W. Waterson’s feature directorial debut “Backspot.”
Executive produced by Elliot Page and starring Devery Jacobs and Kudakwashe Rutendo in lead roles as queer young athletes, the film has wrapped principal production after weeks of filming in the Toronto area. Wood stars as professional cheer coach Eileen McNamara, head coach of the high-performance Thunderhawks squad who pulls Riley (Jacobs) and Amanda (Rutendo) from their mid-level cheer team to be a part of her group of intensely competitive athletes.
Matthew Jordan Smith, J.C.Davidson and Katisha Shaw serve as executive producers alongside page. The film is produced by Alona Metzer, Waterson, Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs and Martin Katz.
“Backspot” will be distributed by levelFILM in Canada and will subsequently stream on Crave, followed by CBC and CBC Gem. The film is produced in association with Telefilm Canada,...
Executive produced by Elliot Page and starring Devery Jacobs and Kudakwashe Rutendo in lead roles as queer young athletes, the film has wrapped principal production after weeks of filming in the Toronto area. Wood stars as professional cheer coach Eileen McNamara, head coach of the high-performance Thunderhawks squad who pulls Riley (Jacobs) and Amanda (Rutendo) from their mid-level cheer team to be a part of her group of intensely competitive athletes.
Matthew Jordan Smith, J.C.Davidson and Katisha Shaw serve as executive producers alongside page. The film is produced by Alona Metzer, Waterson, Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs and Martin Katz.
“Backspot” will be distributed by levelFILM in Canada and will subsequently stream on Crave, followed by CBC and CBC Gem. The film is produced in association with Telefilm Canada,...
- 3/20/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Last year, Disney+ brought back the infamous Sanderson sisters to great success with “Hocus Pocus 2,” but the kids who defeated them in the original 1993 cult classic didn’t return with them. The actors who played them just revealed why.
At 90s Con in Hartford, Connecticut, original “Hocus Pocus” stars Omri Katz, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw and Jason Marsden appeared at a panel and discussed the absence of their characters. In the original film, Katz and Birch played Max and Dani Dennison, two siblings whom alongside Max’s classmate crush Allison (Shaw) accidentally revive the Sanderson witches. The three kids must find a way to defeat the coven with the help of Thackery Binx (Marsden), a teen boy who was transformed into an immortal cat by the Sandersons 300 years prior.
Birch said that there had been ideas about ways to bring Max, Dani, Allison and Binx back in a sequel...
At 90s Con in Hartford, Connecticut, original “Hocus Pocus” stars Omri Katz, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw and Jason Marsden appeared at a panel and discussed the absence of their characters. In the original film, Katz and Birch played Max and Dani Dennison, two siblings whom alongside Max’s classmate crush Allison (Shaw) accidentally revive the Sanderson witches. The three kids must find a way to defeat the coven with the help of Thackery Binx (Marsden), a teen boy who was transformed into an immortal cat by the Sandersons 300 years prior.
Birch said that there had been ideas about ways to bring Max, Dani, Allison and Binx back in a sequel...
- 3/19/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Now that the noise has subsided, were there any helpful takeaways from the Oscars?
If you ask the leaders of A24, the distributor that swept six categories, their answer would be the same as it was six years ago when Moonlight was the surprise winner. “Can’t think of a thing to say,” is what they said.
Related Story Oscars Analysis: First-Timers Lift Spirits And Emotions In Ceremony That Was Old-School Academy Awards In A Good Way Related Story 'Everything Everywhere All At Once', 'The Boys' Top Critics Choice Super Awards Related Story A24 Acquires Talking Heads 1984 Concert Film 'Stop Making Sense', Will Restore In 4K For Theatrical Release
A24 likes to surround its victories with the sounds of silence, as they made numbingly clear when last I had a sit-down with them (they resist sit-downs: more below).
But there were, in fact, some questions...
If you ask the leaders of A24, the distributor that swept six categories, their answer would be the same as it was six years ago when Moonlight was the surprise winner. “Can’t think of a thing to say,” is what they said.
Related Story Oscars Analysis: First-Timers Lift Spirits And Emotions In Ceremony That Was Old-School Academy Awards In A Good Way Related Story 'Everything Everywhere All At Once', 'The Boys' Top Critics Choice Super Awards Related Story A24 Acquires Talking Heads 1984 Concert Film 'Stop Making Sense', Will Restore In 4K For Theatrical Release
A24 likes to surround its victories with the sounds of silence, as they made numbingly clear when last I had a sit-down with them (they resist sit-downs: more below).
But there were, in fact, some questions...
- 3/16/2023
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
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