Directed by Chris McKay, The Tomorrow War is a sci-fi action flick that releases on Amazon Prime Video this Friday, July 2. The film features a star-studded cast featuring Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons, Edwin Hodge, Sam Richardson, Jasmine Matthews, and Keith Powers.
“The world is stunned when a group of time travelers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species,” says the official synopsis. “The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester (Chris Pratt). Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist and his estranged father in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of the planet.”
Ahead of its release, ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with The Tomorrow War star Sam Richardson about working with Chris Pratt, his everyman character, and his upward trajectory as an actor.
Tyler Treese: Sam, you really steal some of the movie here. Your chemistry with Chris Pratt’s character is so great throughout the film. Can you talk a little bit about working on set with him and how much was improv for your lines?
Sam Richardson: It was so much fun working with Chris. He’s such a dynamic, brilliant action star, but also a really intelligently funny guy. So getting to play with him and like play off of him, it kind of felt very natural. As unnatural surrounding was as what surroundings were in the film being in this future war, and also in the filming of the film, you have like a bunch of cameras and sets around you. It still felt very easy to do because I think it was just really easy to work with him. He’s so great.
Your character is such a great everyman in the film. You get thrown into these just beyond belief action scenarios, fighting the wickedest-looking aliens. How did you turn down your natural, like bad-ass self to try to act like you didn’t know what you were doing.?
That was the hard part. What I did was I kind of like went and carbo-loaded to get rid of my six-pack. Then I had to make sure everybody [had] no nunchucks on set. Cause if I see them, I’m going to use them. No butterfly knives. Had to just kind of just imagine that I was like a schlubby, mid-thirties comedy actor. Then the rest did itself.
There’s so much heart in The Tomorrow War, which really surprised me, and your character has a really great story to tell. How satisfying was it that you had a character with such depth and how did you relate to your character in the film?
It was really great. Charlie is a great part to play because he is such an everyman, you know what I mean? Like he is sort of what the average person would kind of be like if they get put in this scenario. Maybe he’s a little bit quicker-witted than most people are, but there’s so much emotion with him because you see he’s scared and like he’s emotional about like his wife and like all these things. There’s so much emotion in him. I think it’s a fun character to navigate. Cause when you put a regular Joe in an extraordinary circumstance, there’s so much going on that it’s a really fun sort of dynamic to play with.
Both in this and Werewolves Within you play such a likable character that’s just like out to do good. How refreshing is it to just be a good guy and not have like some gritty backstory or anything like that?
It’s fun. I mean, I’ll tell you, I do pine to play like a really nasty person. I played a pretty gross guy in Promising Young Woman that just came out, but I really want to be somebody who’s terrible. That’s what I hope to do that soon in the future. But you know, it’s nice to be able to play characters who are buoyant and nice and kind, and well-intentioned cause you can’t help but absorb some of that. You know what I mean? So that’s the problem. If you play nice people, you feel nice, but also if you play dumb people, you start to get a little dumb, it feels like sometimes,.
You’re in a really interesting point in your career. It seems like you’re kind of starting to blow up, Sam. How exciting is it to see all that hard work, pay off?
It’s great. You know, I have a bad sort of macro view of myself. I’m always surprised when somebody recognizes me on the street or something. I’m like, “Oh. Hey. Yeah, this.” So I love being in these movies and I love doing these things, but the idea of like, blowing up. Me, I’m like, “Oh, I don’t know. We’ll see, we’ll see.” I’ll I’ll know I’ve blown up when I’m like looking back on my life and I’m doing my Hollywood star and I’m like, “Oh, maybe I’ve made it,” but until then, I don’t know. I mean, thank you.
The Forever Purge follows Adela, her husband Juan, and the Tucker family. Adela and Juan are Mexican immigrants who were smuggled into the States ten months before the Purge. The Tuckers are wealthy Texan ranch owners who hire Juan as a ranch hand. They can afford to have their home kitted out to protect them during the Purge, while Adela and Juan go stay in a shelter for the night. The Purge night is quiet for both families.
Things go askew a few hours after the Purge ends. Adela gets caught in a trap that would make Jigsaw proud, and she is surrounded by bunny-masked Purgers who inform her this is the “forever Purge.” We are led to believe that they are Purge Purifiers, white supremacists whose main focus is to rid the country of all “foreigners.” A co-worker comes by and rescues Adela by killing her attackers. The police show up and arrest the two of them, throwing them in a police van. An explosion by a forever Purger kills the cops and knocks over the van, allowing them to escape.
Meanwhile, the Tuckers are dealing with their own forever Purger. Kirk, one of the ranch hands, hid out until morning and is there with some of his buddies, claiming this is a revolt by the poor against the rich ranch owners. The Tuckers are tied up, and Pa Tucker takes a bullet to the head before Juan and T.T., another immigrant ranch hand, show up with guns and save the Tuckers: Dylan, his sister Harper, and his pregnant wife, Cassie. They pile into a big rig and set off to find Adela.
Martial law is enacted as groups of forever Purgers spring up across the country in what law enforcement suspects are coordinated attacks. The situation has gotten so bad that Canada and Mexico open their borders to allow Americans seeking asylum. With Adela picked up, the group has six hours to make it to the Mexican border.
The Purge films have always had socio-political messages, and The Forever Purge is no different. In fact, this film probably has the strongest and most obvious messaging in the franchise. Unfortunately, there are two issues that the forever Purgers seem to be purging against, and that seems to take the wind out of the sails of both reasons. Early on in the film, we are introduced to both white supremacists looking to make the country less diverse; and poor people who are rising up against the rich. Both concepts are given short shrift, with rich versus poor seemingly abandoned in favor of immigration commentary.
Ana de la Reguera, who plays Adela, is the stand-out in The Forever Purge. She is the star of the film; she is the hero of the film. The other characters are really there to make Adela shine. Will Patton as Pa Tucker is a kindly, though brief, role. Josh Lucas’ Dylan seemed to be set up as a villain, with his belief that people of different races and nationalities should “stick with their own.” He didn’t exactly redeem himself for that comment, but he also didn’t get any worse.
The Forever Purge loses a bit of horror cred. There is still plenty of death, but most of it is action-movie gunfire. Lost is the tense stalking of the Purgers, and there are not many creepy masks. I guess when purging becomes an insurrection, no one is concerned about covering their face. After the last four years, when I was getting pummeled with anti-immigration rhetoric, The Forever Purge feels less like a horror movie and more like a documentary.
If you are a fan of The Purge franchise, you are going to see this one, and it is a fun movie that continues The Purge fun. But if you are new to the franchise, don’t start with this one.
Score: 6/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 6 equates to “Decent.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means it fails to reach its full potential and is a run-of-the-mill experience
Disclosure: The studio provided a screener of the film for our The Forever Purge review.
Standing Stone Games announced on Wednesday that two new legendary servers have arrived in The Lord of the Rings Online. The two new legendary servers, titled Shadowfax and Treebeard, will feature either faster or slower gameplay mechanics for fans. These servers come alongside the new Landscape Difficulty option, which is only on the two aforementioned servers.
According to Standing Stone Games, the Shadowfax server — much like the horse its named after — will be for players who want to speed through Middle-earth. The Treebeard server, on the other hand, is aimed for those who would rather enjoy every moment that The Lord of the Rings Online has to offer, and experience a more difficult journey.
For those choosing to play on the Shadowfax server, you’ll get 50% more XP, Legendary Item XP, and Mount XP along with 20% more Virtue XP. Unlocks will often happen more quickly than normal, with players only having to wait about two months. The Treebeard server is a more level experience, with players only receiving 40% of the XP they would normally receive and unlocks happening less frequently than normal, around every five or six months.
A brand new Landscape Difficulty option has also been included in the servers, which “increases the challenge of enemies” on the landscape. Players can talk to Berthadan near the Prancing Pony in West Bree to get started
The addition of the new servers will allow both new and old players to start fresh again, and dive into some of the most iconic tales of Middle-earth, chapter by chapter, as they visit iconic locations and adventure with friends both new and old while on the path of Frodo, Gandalf, and the Fellowship of the Ring.
(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images & Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
Amblin’s horror film Last Voyage of the Demeter has added David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad) and Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones) to the project’s cast, along with Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale) and creature feature actor Javier Botet (IT, The Conjuring 2, Crimson Peak) according to The Hollywood Reporter. André Øvredal (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark) is directing the project, which began production this week in Berlin.
The group will join Corey Hawkins (Survive), Jon Jon Briones (Ratched), Stefan Kapicic (Deadpool), Nikolai Nikolaeff (Daredevil), Woody Norman (The War of the Worlds), Martin Furulund (Monster), and Chris Walley (The Young Offenders) in the movie. Dastmalchian will portray Wojchek, the Demeter’s first mate, while Cunningham will play the ship’s captain. Franciosi is Anna, a stowaway; Briones is the ship’s cook; Kapicic and Nikolaeff are crew members; and Botet will portray Dracula.
Last Voyage of the Demeter will be set in the midst of Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula, focusing on the ship the Demeter, which transported Dracula’s coffin from Transylvania to London. In the 1897 novel, the ship washes up on the shores of England, tattered and broken, with one raving-mad survivor.
Originally written in 2002 by screenwriter Bragi Schut (Season of the Witch, Escape Room, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions), the film will tell the story of that journey, in which the crew is slaughtered one by one by a mysterious passenger. Zak Olkewicz (Bullet Train, Fear Street) wrote the current script.
The film will be produced by Bradley Fischer, Mike Medavoy, and Arnold Messer (Black Swan, Shutter Island). Amblin’s president of production Jeb Brody and senior vp of creative affairs Mia Maniscalco are overseeing for the company. The project has been in development since 2002 with a number of filmmakers previously attached to helm the horror film including Game of Thrones‘ Neil Marshall and 30 Days of Night‘s David Slade.
HBO’s The Last of Us series has added another cast member, with Variety reporting that Nico Parker (Dumbo, The Third Day) has joined on to play the role of Joel’s daughter, Sarah.
Parker will take on the role of Sarah, the daughter of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and someone players were introduced to at the beginning of the PlayStation game the series will be based on. Parker will join a cast that already includes Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, and Merle Dandridge.
Developed by Naughty Dog, The Last of Usis an action-adventure survival horror video game that has already sold more than 17 million copies worldwide. The game follows hardened survivors Joel and Ellie, a young and capable girl, on their journey through a radically transformed world. Set twenty years after an infectious pandemic spread by the cordyceps virus ravaged the course of humanity, these two people, who were brought together by chance, must make life-altering decisions in order to survive.
The HBO series will be led by Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. Luna will play Joel’s brother, Tommy. Co-written by Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and original game writer Neil Druckmann, the series adaptation will tackle the events of the first game.
Kantermir Balagov is attached to direct the pilot episode. Mazin will executive produce along with Carolyn Strauss, Naughty Dog president Evan Wells and PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan. The project is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television in association with PlayStation Productions.
Sony has finally unveiled the PlayStation Plus July lineup on the very last day of June. Users will receive Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII, WWE 2K Battlegrounds, and A Plague Tale: Innocence remaster, the latter of which is only available for PS5 owners (however, PS4 owners can still redeem it on the PlayStation Store website or app). Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown is also available for one more month.
While likely the least recognizable title of the trio, A Plague Tale: Innocence is the most prominent one, even though it’s not surprising since insiders had already pointed to it being in this month’s offering. It’s the PS5 title of the month and comes on the same day that the current-gen remaster is releasing (which will also be on Game Pass on Xbox and PC). Just be warned that the above trailer contains major spoilers for the game.
The Last of Us-style adventure game previously came out on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2019, but Asobo Studio announced this upgrade right after E3 2021 where it also revealed the current-gen-only 2022 sequel, A Plague Tale: Requiem. Innocence‘s current-gen upgrades include a native 4K resolution, 60 frames per second target, faster loading, and “highly improved visuals,” but those improvements were not spelled out.
Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII is the second title. This multiplayer-only entry in the series from 2018 introduced battle royale to the Call of Duty before 2020’s Warzone expanded upon it. Of course, it has many of the other traditional Call of Duty modes like Zombies and competitive multiplayer.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds is the third game in the lineup and is the only one with a poor critical reception as it stands at a 59 on OpenCritic. It’s an arcadey arena fighting game with tons of recognizable stars like John Cena, The Rock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. This title released in the absence of a traditional wrestling game because WWE 2K20 was so horrendously received the year prior.
And while not a new game, players can still redeem Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown for one more month until August 2, the day before the August PlayStation Plus titles come out. This remade fighting game was one of the titles that Sony offered in June alongside Star Wars: Squadrons and Operation: Tango.
Netflix has officially given viewers their first look at Emmy nominee Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) in the streaming platforms’ upcoming comedy series The Chair ahead of its debut on August 20.
The brief look at the opening scene of the show shows Oh as Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim, as she arrives on campus at Pembroke University to begin her new job as Chair of the English department. Of course, things don’t go swimmingly in the trailer, as Oh takes a seat at her desk only to have the chair break and collapse from underneath her.
You can check out the sneak peek for The Chair below:
After becoming the Chair of the English department, The Chair will follow Oh’s character as she begins to face a handful of unique challenges as the first woman to ever head up the department, as well as being one of the few staff members of color at the prestigious university.
When The Chair launches later this year, it will feature six half-hour episodes, with Amanda Peet serving as showrunner, writer, and executive producer. Also attached to the project are David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Bernie Caulfield, and Daniel Gray Longino as executive producers. Annie Julia Wyman, Richard E. Robbins, Jennifer Kim, and Andrea Troyer all serve as writers as well.
For those of you living under a rock these past several years, there’s a little show called Cobra Kai on Netflix that continues the story of The Karate Kid trilogy — and it absolutely rocks! With a fourth season on the way, ComingSoon.net reached out to series composers Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson, who were kind enough to discuss their musical approach to the ongoing adventures of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence.
Oh, and if that weren’t enough, the duo was excited to reveal the upcoming Cobra Kai – Original Soundtrack 3XLP from Mondo — a must-have for fans of the show.
Here are some more details from Mondo’s site:
“Mondo and Madison Gate Records are proud to present the premiere vinyl release of Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson’s incredible score to the Netflix streaming phenomenon Cobra Kai. The 3 disc vinyl set features music from the first 3 seasons of the hit series, curated by the composers into themed collections of music: Disc 1: Cobra Kai – a mix of music scoring the most badass dojo in the Valley, Disc 2: MIYAGI-DO – selections from the music scoring the LaRusso family and its ties to the Miyagi legacy, and last but not least Disc 3: FINAL FIGHTS – the music from all three of the explosive season finale episodes. All of the music has been hand-selected, and in some cases expanded from its original form, for the most definitive Cobra Kai listening experience available.
The Mondo Exclusive version comes with a Bonus cassette.”
[As an aside, we did ask about Cobra Kai Season 4, which Zach and Leo answered enthusiastically. However, in order to avoid spoilers, we refrained from printing their response. Suffice to say, fans are going to dig Season 4!]
Jeff Ames: What drew each of you to Cobra Kai?
Robinson: So a few things, one of which was Leo and I, before Cobra Kai had been announced, really before we knew what it was, I saw in the trades that there was a Karate Kid sequel show being made by YouTube Red and Leo and I had just done a project for YouTube Red — that was a small show called Sing It! — and we had had that relationship with them as a network, so we figured, “Why don’t we have our agent just kind of look into this, because it seems very much up our alley.” We have no idea what the show is. We did not know Ralph Macchio was coming back. We did not know Billy Zabka was coming back. We didn’t know the tone of the show. We didn’t know anything. We just said, we have the relationship with YouTube Red.
We also like to identify as ’80s enthusiasts, especially me. That was one of the things that drew us to [the project]. Then what ended up happening was we put together a reel — kind of a spec reel — like, we don’t know what you’re asking for, but this is what we think Cobra Kai should sound like. And a lot of the stuff on that reel definitely translated into what we have now, because [when] Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg heard it, it immediately clicked. And they’re like, “How did these guys know what we were going for without hearing anything about the show or reading the script?” It was one of those synergistic things that the universe brought us together. But we also very actively sought it out and it just happened to work out that way we were very fortunate.
Birenberg: It was all our music and it was a mix of big action — there was a very cinematic component to it because Zach and I’s background, when we were getting started in the industry, was working on some pretty big movies. So we had these big action cues to just show the cinematic scope a bit and we had a lot of 80s inspired pieces that — Zach has this parallel music project called D/A/D that’s amazing, first of all, and a treasure trove of hip hop sound — but I think what really tied it all together is before this, we had been working on some comedy shows where we had been continually asked to write “training montages,” but always as a joke, because any TV show on television, if you make enough episodes of it, somebody will be like, “We gotta do an 80s training montage,” like around the yard, run off the steps; and they always want some kind of ’80s, Rocky-like, “Eye of the Tiger”-inspired kind of thing.
We had put at least one of these training montage tracks on this reel because, even though we knew nothing about the show, we couldn’t imagine that they could do Cobra Kai and not have training montages be a major part of the equation. So, we put that front and center on there and when we got into a meeting with Jon, Josh, and Hayden, they were like, “This is what we wanted!” It was such a springboard for our relationship with them. Basically, our pitch to them in the meeting was “We keep getting asked to write ’80s training montages, and it’s always a joke! We want a genuine 80s-inspired training montage where we are in it with the characters for real!” And they were like, “That’s the show we’re making! Let’s do it!” And the rest is history.
One of the interesting aspects of the show is how it’s able to poke fun at the previous Karate Kid films while still serving as a sequel.
Birenberg: Exactly. The show is super self-aware. So, it pokes fun at itself as a property and franchise through those moments of awareness, but it’s never a joke.
How do you determine how much of Bill Conti’s score to use alongside the new material?
Robinson: It starts out mostly as a directive or a creative choice from the creators. They generally, especially in the first couple of seasons, there are a lot [of callbacks] when you’re getting back into this world or when you reintroduce a legacy character or a location like Okinawa, those are times where they do want to needle drop a piece of score from The Karate Kid. Or, if there’s a character that comes back, same type of thing. We’re in the middle of our fourth season, but we have three seasons of lots of themes that we’ve created for the show that are new. You know, Johnny has a theme, Daniel has a theme, etc. Everyone has a theme and we spend a lot of time using those and we get a lot of mileage out of them.
I think we tend to want to use those because this is a different story; and we feel that when they choose to use Conti for a specific reason that it’s really for that nostalgia of, “Hey, remember this from this movie?” There are times where we quote some of Conti’s theme, there’s a particular theme that we use fairly frequently, but we only use that again when there’s a very clear reference to something from the original film. We try our hardest to — as much as we love Conti’s theme and we honor it and the show honors it — this is our show. One of our biggest challenges was, “How do we call follow in Bill Conti’s footsteps?” So we’re constantly aware of it. And we’re just happy that we were able to successfully navigate all of that.
Can I just nerd out a bit here, but one of the defining moments of the first season of Cobra Kai was the moment where Daniel starts training again, and you work in “Daniel’s Moment of Truth,” which I thought was brilliant.
Robinson: That’s a perfect example of the guys Jon, Josh, and Hayden knowing when to utilize those Conti moments, because when they do it’s a really great, big part of the story and that’s an excellent example.
Birenberg: A huge part of those moments being so successful was that those are the original recordings — with making it sound like 2021, pristine or rearranged, or beefy. That’s the original recording. So, it’s a double punch of that nostalgia for the fans.
How would you say the music has evolved now, especially considering the way the show expanded in Season 3 — going to Vietnam, bringing back even more familiar faces, etc.?
Birenberg: Well, it just gets more and more fun to tell you the truth, because like Zach said, we’ve been setting up themes for all of these characters and concepts and rivalries … there’s so many themes and you get to a season, like Season 3, where suddenly we’re in Okinawa with Daniel and we’re digging up ancient Miyagi Do teachings. Meanwhile, you’ve got Kreese who’s already come back from the dead, basically, and now you’re getting this flashback to Vietnam and suddenly turning him into a lot of shades of gray. Half the season you’re cheering for him and the other half you’re not cheering for him, like in parallel. We basically just get to go hog wild with our thematic development and find more ways to weave things together and find new ways of interpreting melodies or material.
I think one other thing that is really exciting about that is that the pool of influences for Zach and I really opens up when you start suddenly bringing Vietnam war movies into it and anime or samurai epics. Suddenly, there’s just more for us to draw inspiration from, because Zach and I, we really like doing things that are stylized in such a way that it’s totally new music, but can also be evocative of the same feeling one might get when you are watching an animated movie or something, or a Western, or a war movie — we love tapping into those pallets.
Robinson: We’re constantly, like, wink, wink, nudge, nudging in our music. If you get it, you get it. And a lot of people get it. Sometimes you don’t get it, just enjoy!
What is the one thing this show has taught you from a musical perspective as a composer?
Robinson: That’s an interesting question. There’s two parts. One part is it has taught me that I am able to get things done on a tight deadline. (Laughs) I am capable of physically surviving and doing that. So that’s one. And then on a more emotional level, it has proven to me, I think our dreams as composers, in general, is to write music that we’re proud of, and the show has proven to me that it is possible, to be able to successfully use your voice and feel creatively fulfilled. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into it between me and Leo and our whole team that helps us out. I think everyone is just incredibly passionate about the project. Every year, as you can tell, it just pushes us to our limits.
Birenberg: I will say one thing that I think is really fun for me and I think I can speak for Zach too, is unlocking the power of collaboration — and Zach and I are really lucky in that. We do a lot of stuff and a lot of times we work separately and sometimes we work together and it’s a different creative process. As a result, you write things you wouldn’t otherwise, write when you’re locked in a room by yourself. I think we both really enjoy that constant back and forth during the couple of months, every year, that we are working on Cobra Kai — they’re the most fun months of the year. Like Zach said, we just create something that we’re super, super, super proud of, and so I’m just really thankful that we have that outlet.
Sometimes what Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement do in the shadows is a vampire-based comedy series and other times, it is an “action-adventure comedy” series.
Clement told EW of this upcoming television show, but didn’t give too many details so don’t expect a premise or a release date as they “just started writing” it. However, he did state that he wants it to be different from his other work.
“Taika and I are working on a new series right now which we just started writing,” said Clements. “I can’t tell you much about it yet, but what’s fun about it and what makes it exciting for me is it’s something I always wanted to do which is long-form episodes in a sitcom. It’s an action-adventure comedy. It’ll be different from what I’ve usually done. I’ve made three sitcoms now, and I hope this one is still funny but more of an adventure series.”
He did say that he missed working with Waititi on What We Do In the Shadows Season 2 and that it would be nice for the two to collaborate once again. The two have worked together in some capacity on multiple projects including the film and TV versions of What We Do In the Shadows, its spin-off Wellington Paranormal, Eagle vs. Shark, The Breaker Upperers, Flight of the Conchords, and more.
You’re cordially invited to watch the first look of Cinderella, the upcoming reimagined take on the classic fairytale that will arrive on Amazon Prime Video on September 3.
Written and directed by Kay Cannon (Blockers), the movie features an all-star cast including Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Camila Cabello, Idina Menzel (Frozen), and Emmy winner Billy Porter (Pose).
Check out the first look below:
Cinderella is described as a musically driven, bold new take on the traditional story you grew up with. Our heroine (Cabello) is an ambitious young woman whose dreams are bigger than the world will allow. With the help of her Fab G (Porter), though, she is able to persevere and make her dreams come true.
The highly anticipated musical incorporates pop songs from contemporary global artists and original songs by Cabello and Menzel, and also stars Minnie Driver, Nicholas Galitzine, and Pierce Brosnan.
Silent Hill has been dead for so long, yet rumors surrounding its revival are anything but. Those rumors may have gotten slightly more official as horror studio Bloober Team and Konami have officially announced a partnership together. The two didn’t speak about Silent Hill so that still is just a rumor, but it is the Pyramid Head in the room.
Bloober Team went into some detail on its website, but not much. Bloober called it a “strategic cooperation agreement” that will “include jointly developing selected contents and exchanging know-how.” While Konami Digital Entertainment President Hideki Hayakawa said he wanted to “create high-quality contents,” President of the Bloober Team Piotr Babieno’s quote was a little more insightful.
“It is a historic day for me and the culmination of several years of our work,” he said. “The fact that such a renowned company as Konami has decided to strategically cooperate with the Bloober Team means that we also joined the world leaders in gaming and became an equal partner for the leading players in this market.”
This being the “culmination of several years” of work does point to this being something related to horror as Bloober Team has made many horror games over the past decade including Layers of Fear, Layers of Fear 2, Observer, Blair Witch, and, most recently, The Medium. Making 2019’s Blair Witch also shows that Bloober is willing to work within established IP.
There have been both rumors and hints saying that this is a Silent Hill project. Babieno said in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz from February 2021 that the studio had been working on a horror IP for over a year at that point with “a very famous gaming publisher” that will make fans “excited.”
VideoGamesChronicle couldn’t verify that Bloober was making a Silent Hill title, but did hear that a prominent Japanese studio was developing a unique entry in the series. If Bloober Team is also making a Silent Hill game (which could likely be a more traditional outing), then that would corroborate other rumors that there are multiple Silent Hill games in development. Noted insider DuskGolem, who has been right in the past (although they’ve also admitted to making some things up), claims that Konami greenlit two Silent Hill games. DuskGolem even recently chimed in to say that it is “very, very likely” this deal will result in a Silent Hill game.
TheGrateDebate compiled a ton of other evidence in the above video, too. Essentially, the beginning of the video goes through all of the times Bloober Team has hinted at a big project with a major publisher as well as the multiple scenarios where Bloober and Silent Hill veterans have crossed paths. Konami even requested that an interview with series composer Akira Yamaoka go private on YouTube after he said his next project was “the one you’re hoping to hear about.”
Things are ramping up in the world of the TVA as worlds collide and enemies clash. Lots of reveals this week so expect plenty of spoilers in ourLokiSeason 1 Episode 4 recap, including spoilers for other Marvel shows and related Marvel films.
Aquick recap of the previous episodekicked off Episode 4 with a highlight of the relationship between Judge Ravonna and Mobius, as well as a look at Sylvie’s enchanting powers and how they affected both C-20 and Hunter B-15. Loki and Sylvie’s adventure on Lamentis is also detailed with a reminder that the duo was left stranded with no way out of an impending apocalyptic event.
Escaping an Apocalypse
A pristine Asgard opens the episode where a young Sylvie plays with a toy ship in the palace. The peaceful moment is quickly interrupted with the appearance of Minutemen entering through a Time Door. Judge Ravonna is among them and personally takes Sylvie back to the TVA. Young Sylvie goes through the new variant process as we saw with Loki in thefirst episode, right down to her presentation in front of a judge. Sylvie pulls a quick one, stealing Ravonna’s TemPad and hopping through a Time Door. Cut to the present day where Ravonna enters the chamber of the Time Keepers.
A similar recounting of past events goes on over in Lamentis. As rocks plow through the planet and the world literally crumbles around them, Loki and Sylvie completely put their distrust and grievances behind them as they face their impending doom. Sylvie gives Loki a rundown of her abduction by the TVA and explains how she was on the run after her entire reality was erased. “The universe wants to break free, so it manifests chaos,” says Sylvie of her creation, giving credence to the nefarious goals of the TVA.
Realistically, Sylvie doubts their survival. Loki reassures her that a Loki will often lose, but a Loki will always survive. Off in the distance a massive rock slams into the ground creating a speeding wave of debris in all directions. The two brace for impact and hold each other close, causing an unusual Nexus Event that gets picked up by the TVA. The two are located and convenient Time Doors pop up, ready for escape. Captured, but not dead!
Dealing With the God of Mischief
Back at the TVA, Sylvie is taken in one direction and Loki is sent back to the original questioning room with Mobius. Without much discussion, Mobius tosses Loki through a red Time Door even after Loki yells to him that the TVA is lying. This time loop of a bad memory sees Sif, the Asgardian warrior from the first twoThormovies, enter the room with a fistful of her own cut hair before smacking Loki around. Whatever trick Loki pulled to cut her hair leads her to tell him he deserves to be alone, an insult he cares greatly for after repeated runs of the loop. By the end, Loki apologizes to Sif and claims he’s a narcissist who seeks attention. A somewhat sympathetic Sif helps Loki up but stands firm on her view of Loki.
At this point, Mobius yanks Loki back to the questioning room where he doesn’t believe Loki has anything meaningful to say about his newfound TVA realization. Loki goes into full-on deception mode stating he was pulling the strings all along having met with Sylvie long ago to devise a plan to take down the TVA. Mobius gets his own round of lies by sharing they’ve already pruned Sylvie, much to Loki’s disappointment. Seeing this reaction, Mobius realizes Loki has fallen for Sylvie and deems him the ultimate narcissist. Loki falling in love with himself, how fitting.
The persistent teasing gets Loki to fold and he screams out his secret. The TVA is made up of variants. All the workers are people plucked from throughout time to do the Time Keeper’s bidding. Seeing as this comes from Sylvie and her ability to see into people’s minds and memories, Mobius remains unconvinced and sends Loki away.
Realizations Galore
Meanwhile, Hunter B-15 is dealing with her own crisis. After having an encounter with Sylvie and her powers inEpisode 2, B-15 is left confused and questioning her existence. B-15 enters the holding cell for Sylvie and takes her through a Time Door returning to an apocalyptic hurricane in 2050. There Sylvie explains she can’t create memories, she can only access what is already there. B-15’s memories are real and she is on board to help stop the TVA.
Mobius and Ravonna chat once again. As they celebrate the upcoming pruning of the Loki variants, Mobius manages to switch TemPads with Ravonna. In the library Mobius watches an interrogation tape where he sees C-20, the supposed unable to speak commander that was kidnapped by Loki in Episode 2, speak clearly about her realization that they’re all variants. Mobius has now jumped ship too.
A fully realized Mobius enters Loki’s time loop and both team up once again, this time to take on the TVA. Ravonna waits on the other end of the Time Door. The two confront each other and Mobius plays dumb, but only for a moment. Without much hesitation, Ravonna orders the pruning of Mobius. And just like that, he’s disintegrated.
A Meeting With the Time Keepers
Both Loki and Sylvie are pushed through the gold elevator doors with Ravonna at their side. The trio walk in the Time Keeper’s chamber and the three gods begin to speak. They offer the two a few final words before getting pruned, but this gives Sylvie a chance to deduce that the high beings floating in front of them are actually scared. Before things could proceed, B-15 appears at the elevator doors and disables the time controlling neck braces of the two prisoners, then throws a sharp sword Sylvie’s way.
A fight erupts. B-15 is knocked out, the two variants fight off a bunch of guards, and Sylvie disables a capable Ravonna. As a final act of defiance, Sylvie throws the knife at the head of the center Time Keeper only to realize they’re a group of mindless androids. As Loki reassures Sylvie they will figure it out and as he begins to profess his love, Ravonna prunes poor Loki. An angered Sylvie pins down Ravonna and demands to know everything.
Yes, there’s a post-credits scene! Loki awakens in a strange world and looks up to see three more Loki variants. One is a child, one holds a Thor-like hammer, and the other wears a classic Loki suit. Exciting stuff!
Loki’s story is almost over and the Disney+ exclusive show will continue to release each of its six episodes on a weekly basis. Catch each episode ofLoki, along with our detailed recap, every Wednesday.
On August 1, TBS will air a one-hour cross-over episode, Wipeout: The Suicide Squad Special, featuring writer/director of the upcoming superhero action-adventure film James Gunn with cameos from stars Nathan Fillion, Joel Kinnaman, David Dastmalchian, and Daniela Melchior, along with Wipeout hosts John Cena (The Suicide Squad, F9, Peacemaker), Nicole Byer (Nailed It!, Girl Code) and Camille Kostek (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Model 2019).
Additionally, in support of the premiere of The Suicide Squad on August 6 in theaters and on the HBO Max Ad-Free plan, The TNets (TBS, TNT, truTV) will air a weekend cross-network event kicking off July 30th through August 1st and featuring programming of fan-favorite squads from iconic films and TNets’ franchises.
Check out the teaser below:
The Suicide Squad takes over Wipeout this August with special guests and another set of teams battling it out for $25,000!
Wipeout is an extreme course obstacle series that pushes the athleticism and willpower of each contestant to great extremes for an ultimate cash prize — all while delivering more than a few epic fails. Each game is divided into three rounds and features a jaw-dropping, three-stage, obstacle course consisting of multiple strategy and decision points designed to test the stamina of the competitors. The series’ iconic big balls also made a comeback during the April launch of Wipeout, which ranked as Cable’s #1 new unscripted series for 2021.
Endemol Shine North America produces the series for TBS, with Sharon Levy, DJ Nurre, Shyam Balsé, and Keith Geller, serving as executive producers. John Cena serves as an executive producer. Matt Kunitz, creator of the original series, serves as executive producer and showrunner.
Way back in 2008, Tim Roth’s Emil Blonsky transformed into the Abomination in Incredible Hulk, and he hasn’t been seen since. Regardless, Marvel announced last year that Roth will reprise his role in She-Hulk. However, last week’s trailer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings revealed that Abomination’s return is happening sooner than expected (via SuperHeroHype).
While some fans have speculated that the Abomination seen in the trailer isn’t Blonsky, Marvel’s Kevin Feige has put those rumors to rest during a new interview with Rotten Tomatoes.
“Yes, we just recently released the final trailer for Shang-Chi,” said Feige. “Some fans said, ‘This looks like a character they hadn’t seen in many years named the Abomination, fighting a character that looks like Wong.’ And I can say that the reason it looks like that is because that is Abomination fighting Wong.
Additionally, Feige expressed his enjoyment at the fan reaction.
“[It’s] a fun thing to have a character that we haven’t had on screen in over a decade show up again in the MCU,” added Feige. “And to see fans on that little tag of the trailer recognize that and embrace that is great fun.”
However, Feige offered no insight as to why Abomination and Wong are fighting. Abomination was last seen in captivity in Incredible Hulk. The Marvel One-Shot short, The Consultant, also addressed Abomination’s fate. Nick Fury didn’t want Abomination anywhere near the Avengers. That’s why Phil Coulson and Jasper Sitwell sent Tony Stark to sabotage the World Security Council’s request when he confronted General Ross. Regardless, somebody has freed the Abomination. Perhaps we’ll even find out who did it soon.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters on September 3.
Are you looking forward to Abomination’s return? Let us know in the comment section below!
Two new Jungle Cruise trailers have been released with one focusing on Dwayne Johnson’s character, Skipper Frank Wolff, and the other showing Emily Blunt’s Lily Houghton. They both give viewers a great look at what the film will offer when it releases in U.S. theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 30, 2021. Several character posters were also released (seen in the gallery below), which show off the cast of characters Inspired by the famous Disneyland theme park ride. The film stars Johnson, Blunt, Edgar Ramírez, and Jack Whitehall, while Jesse Plemons and Paul Giamatti round out the cast.
Check out the Lily and Frank Jungle Cruise trailers below:
Disney’s Jungle Cruise is an adventure-filled, rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff (Johnson) and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton (Blunt). Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank’s questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila—his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities—possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest. But as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank and their fate—and mankind’s—hangs in the balance.”
Jaume Collet-Serra directs the film. While the producers are John Davis and John Fox of Davis Entertainment; Johnson, Hiram Garcia and Dany Garcia of Seven Bucks Productions; and Beau Flynn of Flynn Picture Co., with Scott Sheldon and Doug Merrifield serving as executive producers. The story is by John Norville & Josh Goldstein and Glenn Ficarra & John Requa, and the screenplay is by Michael Green and Glenn Ficarra & John Requa.
ComingSoon.net was invited to watch early footage and the new trailer, which you can check out below, for Don’t Breathe 2 at an in-person screening with the filmmakers.
It’s been five years since the highly unsettling gore and suspense fest of Don’t Breathe and now the filmmakers behind the Screen Gems hit thriller are back. Swapping roles this time around, Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues co-wrote the sequel with Sayagues taking the helm this time.
The duo behind the reimagined Evil Dead (2013) reunites to continue their own imprint on the horror genre. During the panel where they introduced the preview footage, they shared that the idea for the first film was born out of traveling out of Comic-Con after doing press for the home release. They plotted the story for their sophomore debut on that fateful long drive, which proved to have legs far surpassing their work on Evil Dead. “Back then we thought it had no chance,” Alvarez described, feeling as if they stood in the shadow of their own Evil Dead. “It’s an original, has no brand. It opened bigger than Evil Dead. We are super proud and happy that it happened. Right away we thought: we’re going to make another one.”
Watch the official Don’t Breathe 2 trailer:
The sequel picks up on Norman Nordstrom (Stephen Lang) living with an 11-year-old Phoenix (Madelyn Grace) as part of a twisted family he’s recreated eight years after the first film’s events. The new family is attacked by stronger and much more capable intruders who set their sights on the kid. In the first clip we saw, the intruders lure Norman out of the house through the mysterious disappearance of his trusty dog and break in to get the girl. Grace jumps into action aware of the danger she is in but it’s unclear if she is aware of the danger her father figure poses. We’re excited to see where her character goes in the film as she’s poised as the film’s final girl. From the clip we saw, she’s like a horror film Kevin McCallister if trained by an evil Old Man Marley. In the additional clip, we see Lang slip back into the cold and calculating blind military vet’s training to disarm his attackers. Particularly vicious was a scene where Norman seals an assailant’s mouth and nose with industrial super glue. Their partner comes in and well…operates with the available tools to keep hunting the hunter.
Tonally and visually the change of hands is seamless. Sayagues was encouraged by Alvarez to do it, he had stuck with his writing partner all through the editing of the first one and so he offered him the opportunity. Sayagues shared he was on his way to a trip when it came up, “Funny enough I was going to Vegas that weekend with a friend. So I said let me go meditate on this. Where (else) can you go looking for clarity to make a decision like that?” he laughed. Fede stayed on to advise and the team who worked on the first film returned under Sayagues.
The film explores Norman as a father and gives him a more visible protagonist role alongside Phoenix. Alvarez clarifies, however, “Protagonist, yes but never an antihero. It’s tricky how to navigate a character like this. Really hard to forgive him and we don’t really. This is about coming to terms with who he really is. You might f—ing hate the guy at the end.”
While we only saw about a quarter of the opening and the brutal trailer that just dropped that showed more locations, the duo assured that the story changes beyond the scope of another home invasion with tables turned. Inspired by Hitchcock and the use of sound to build tension and suspense, they say fans should expect real stakes amped up by the quiet and muted tracks that don’t depend on a traditional score. A tool that comes back from the first film to get audiences to pay attention.
Don’t Breathe 2 is a Screen Gems and Stage 6 Films presentation associated with Ghost House Pictures and a Bad Hombre production. The film stars Stephen Lang, Brendan Sexton III, and Madelyn Grace. Directed by Rodo Sayagues. Written by Fede Alvarez & Rodo Sayagues. Based on Characters Created by Fede Alvarez & Rodo Sayagues. Produced by Fede Alvarez, Sam Raimi, and Rob Tapert.
The film will be released in theaters nationwide on August 13, 2021, and is Rated R.
As production continues on Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 2 in Greece, the first behind-the-scenes photos from the set of Netflix’s star-studded whodunnit sequel have finally arrived online. The Knives Out 2 set photos, which you can check out below, provided us our first look at most of the main cast including Daniel Craig return as Benoit Blanc along with Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, and more.
In addition, the photos have also confirmed that Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke has indeed joined the all-star cast as he was also seen filming a scene with Army of the Dead star Dave Bautista. It’s unclear if Hawke is the only surprise cast member for the project or if fans should also expect to see appearances from other unannounced stars.
We have lots of photos of from the “Knives Out 2” set including Daniel Craig and Dave Bautista sharing a hug, plus Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr., Madelyn Cline, and more in costume! https://t.co/SVOiGI65Ht
Knives Out 2 will once again be written and directed by Rian Johnson. It will be produced by Johnson and Ram Bergman. The first film had grossed over $311 million at the worldwide box office and had also received acclaimed and multiple award nominations including an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Further details about the plot and its characters are still being kept under wraps, but Daniel Craig is expected to reprise his role as private detective Benoit Blanc. Just like the first film, Rian Johnson has assembled another star-studded cast who will be joining Craig in the second installment.
This includes Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Edward Norton (Fight Club), Janelle Monáe (Hidden Figures), Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision), Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton), Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), Madelyn Cline (Outer Banks), and Jessica Henwick (Love and Monsters).
Knives Out featured an all-star cast led by Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, and more. It followed the mystery behind the murder of rich novelist Harlan Thrombey, portrayed by the late Christopher Plummer in one of his final movies.
ComingSoon is excited to debut a new clip from Season 2 of DreamWorks Animation’s The Mighty Ones. The series’ second season will premiere on both Peacock and Hulu on July 1. The series features Josh Brener voicing Twig, Alex Cazares voicing Verry Berry, Jessica McKenna voicing Rocksy, and Jimmy Tatro voicing Leaf in the lead roles.
In every backyard exists a secret world filled with tiny creatures, and The Mighty Ones follows the hilarious misadventures of the smallest of them: a twig, a pebble, a leaf, and a strawberry. Living in the unkempt backyard belonging to a trio of equally unkempt humans – who they mistake for gods – these self-proclaimed Mighty Ones are determined to live large and have fun in their wild wonderland, despite their diminutive stature.
In Season 2, the misadventures of The Mighty Ones continue as they explore their backyard wonderland and learn more about the strange creatures they share it with. A flood forces the group to live as pirates searching for dry land, Rocksy dabbles in a home makeover, and Very Berry makes a new feathery “friend” who may or may not see her as food. These mighty little beings are relatively fearless, a little misguided, and always have each others’ backs come snow, wind, or any atmospheric phenomenon that threatens the yard they call home.
The Mighty Ones Season 2 premieres on July 1 on both Peacock and Hulu.
Amazon Prime Video has released the official Jolt trailer for Tanya Wexler’s forthcoming action revenge movie, which features an all-star cast led by Underworld alum Kate Beckinsale. The film is scheduled to make its debut on July 23, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
The Jolt trailer, which you can check out below, introduces Beckinsale’s Lindy as she manages her anger issues and murderous impulses through electrocuting herself. However, a heartbreaking event will lead her to finally let go of herself and take revenge on those responsible. It also gives us a preview of some of Beckinsale’s action-packed sequences.
Jolt centers around Lindy, a beautiful, sardonically funny woman with a painful secret: Due to a lifelong, rare neurological disorder, she experiences sporadic rage-filled, murderous impulses that can only be stopped when she shocks herself with a special electrode device. Unable to find love and connection in a world that fears her bizarre condition, she finally trusts a man long enough to fall in love, only to find him murdered the next day. Heartbroken and enraged, she embarks on a revenge-filled mission to find his killer, while also being pursued by the police as the crime’s prime suspect.
The film is directed by Tanya Wexler from a screenplay written by Scott Wascha. It stars Kate Beckinsale, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Bobby Cannavale, Laverne Cox, Jai Courtney, Ori Pfeffer, and David Bradley.
Jolt is produced by Sherryl Clark and Millennium Media’s David Bernardi and Les Weldon, with Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, Jeffrey Greenstein, and Jonathan Yunger set as executive producers.
