As the renewed effort of recent years to capitalize on the ever-growing trove of Stephen King stories for both big and small-screen projects continues, yet another of the author’s bestsellers has found its way into the film development pipeline, with the upcoming “The Dark Half.”

According to Deadline, writer-director Alex Ross Perry – fresh off one of 2019’s most underseen movies, “Her Smell” – has been tapped to helm “The Dark Half,” a 1989 novel that King wrote in response to his experiment of writing multiple books under the name of Richard Bachman.

Continue reading ‘The Dark Half’: ‘Her Smell’ Director Alex Ross Perry To Helm Yet Another Upcoming Stephen King Adaptation at The Playlist.

Cinephiles who don’t have an opportunity to see movies come to life on set can appreciate the sanctity that goes into how our favorite actors prepare for their roles. But that doesn’t mean we can’t – or don’t – revel in the occasional wild story, from the shocking (Christian Bale’s drastic ping-ponging weight fluctuations) to the bizarre (Nic Cage preparing for a sex scene by pouring hot yogurt on his toes) to the utterly vile (Jared Leto sending used condoms to his “Suicide Squad” costars).

Continue reading ‘The Crown’: Helena Bonham Carter Used A Psychic To Consult The Deceased Princess Margaret For Guidance at The Playlist.

As Spain’s Pedro Almodóvar continues making the festival circuit rounds for his new film “Dolor y Gloria” – “Pain & Glory” – he spent an evening at the New York Film Festival with Kent Jones, the festival’s director, to discuss some of the cinematic influences that make up the thematic infrastructure of his new Oscar contender.

Over the course of the roughly 50-minute conversation, which can be viewed in full below, Almodóvar and Jones touch on a handful of films that encompass not only various styles but also different countries and perspective—including Roberto Rossellini’s “Journey to Italy” and Joseph Mankiewicz’s “All About Eve.”

READ MORE: Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Pain and Glory’ Is A Beautiful Celebration Of Filmmaking & Love [Cannes Review]

Almodóvar’s career is peppered with works centered on female protagonists in which he explores their relationships—a characteristic that the writer-director suggested can be attributed to his homeland, where there are “many more great actresses than actors.”

The inspiration is rooted in an even more personal place for Almodóvar, however—his own home life.

Continue reading Pedro Almodóvar Connects Childhood Experiences With Career Inspirations In 50-Minute NYFF Conversation at The Playlist.

There are two sides to the coin every time we choose to pluck a film from the past and observe it—we can focus on what’s gotten better with age and what’s rusted. Often, and it seems to increasingly be the case lately, inflection points in the conversation are focusing on the latter, especially when viewed through 2019’s cultural lens. For better and for worse, everything is examined with a raised eyebrow. That includes Cameron Crowe’s turn-of-the-century classic “Almost Famous.”

Despite its enduring popularity, the film’s presentation of Kate Hudson’s Penny Lane – a figure inseparable from thinking about the movie, thanks to its iconic poster – has received its fair share of criticism in the nearly-two decades since, namely for the character never truly transcending a dream girl trope to achieve her own personality.

Continue reading Cameron Crowe Says Penny Lane From ‘Almost Famous’ Is Not An Example Of A Manic Pixie Dream Girl at The Playlist.

Markdown Amanda Seyfried as the latest combatant entering the fray of the great streaming wars set to begin in a few weeks. From Pedro Pascal and the MCU’s cast of heroes to Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, the incoming Apple+ and Disney+ streaming platforms have fortified their armories of A-list talent for original shows that will be fighting for the attention of a Netflix-loving world.

Continue reading Amanda Seyfried Joins Horror Thriller By The Filmmakers Of ‘American Splendor’ at The Playlist.

Among the more unexpected developments regarding the looming launch of Disney+ in November—and the Marvel TV shows that will be exclusive to the service—is the fascination with “WandaVision.” Just what, exactly, is it?

READ MORE: Marvel’s Disney+ Series: Wyatt Russell Joins ‘Falcon & Winter Soldier,’ Directors Of ‘Loki’ & ‘WandaVision Revealed [D23]

The series sees Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen returning to the shows of their Avengers, Vision and Scarlet Witch, respectively.

Continue reading ‘WandaVision’ Cast Says The Series Is A Mashup Of American Sitcoms & Epic Marvel Movies at The Playlist.

Update: Just shortly after this piece was written, Netflix let the cat out of the bag and released the poster, teaser trailer, release date, and details. Clearly, the discovery of the show on Netflix, precipitated the release of all materials. The story is as follows.

We may still be recovering from (wrongly) assuming that the immortal “Breaking Bad” duo of Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul were teasing a project based on the uber-popular TV series over the summer, but Netflix may have just made it a whole lot easier to move on from that.

Continue reading ‘Breaking Bad’ Movie ‘El Camino’: Netflix Reveals First Look Teaser & Poster at The Playlist.

Choose your fighter. Hot on the heels of today’s Liu Kang casting news, The Hollywood Reporter says several actors have signed on for roles in the next “Mortal Kombat” movie being produced by James Wan and currently slated for a spring 2021 release.

A few hours after Chinese actor Ludi Lin— best known for roles in 2017’s “Power Rangers” reboot along with last fall’s “Aquaman”— was set to rip out some spines and pulverize brains alongside Joe Taslim of “The Raid” fame, THR now is adding to more names to the mix: Mehcad Brooks (“Supergirl,” “True Blood”), Tadanobu Asano (“Thor,” “Thor: Ragnarok”) and Sisi Stringer, who would be making her big-screen debut.

Continue reading Choose Your Fighters: ‘Mortal Kombat’ Casts A New Crew Of Killer Champions at The Playlist.

It’s been six years since The Rock, Bruce Willis and Channing Tatum teamed up to fight Cobra in the last “G.I. Joe” film, “Retaliation” for Paramount Pictures, and if you’ve spent that time calmly waiting for more big-screen adaptations of the popular military action figure line, you may be in luck.

Even as “RED” and “R.I.P.D.

Continue reading New ‘G.I. Joe’ Movie Featuring Uncover Character Chuckles In The Works at The Playlist.

Jaeden Martell is about to have a pretty great autumn. About a month after he returns as young Bill Denbrough—alongside his adult counterpart, James McAvoy— to do battle with Pennywise in “It: Chapter 2,” the young actor will star in a story that looks just as dark, albeit without the killer clowns.

A24 has released its first trailer for “Low Tide,” the directorial debut for Kevin McMullin which looks like equal parts modern noir, suburban western and character-driven drama.

Continue reading ‘Low Tide’ Trailer: ‘It’ Actor Jaeden Martell Stars In Another Coming-Of-Age Thriller Coming This Fall at The Playlist.

The slow-bleeding death of the Marvel-Netflix partnership earlier this year may have irked fans with the subsequent cancellations of “Daredevil,” “Luke Cage,” “Punisher,” “Iron Fist,” and “Jessica Jones”—all semi-well-regarded shows— but those looking to get their small-screen superhero fix, have reason to be excited about the future.

READ MORE: Krysten Ritter Shuts The Door On Returning As Jessica Jones In The Future: “I Feel Good About Closing The Door”

Along with the shows recently announced as part of Marvel’s Phase 4 —the first of which, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” is expected to premiere on the world’s new favorite streaming service Disney+ in the fall of 2020— the Marvel Cinematic Universe is expected to continue its ancillary network TV presence as well.

Continue reading ABC & Marvel TV In Talks About A New Series Focusing On A “Mostly Brand-New” Female Superhero at The Playlist.

The heart of great horror and suspense lies in the genre’s examination of the human condition, of stories past and present that some would rather leave untold. And of the realization that dastardly acts are always motivated from within, sometimes mysteriously so. These seem to be ideas encapsulated by the upcoming second season of AMC’s “The Terror,” this one titled “Infamy” and focusing on the notorious Japanese internment camps that popped up around America during World War II.

Continue reading ‘The Terror: Infamy’ Trailer & Featurette Is Here To Provide A Terrifying New History Lesson at The Playlist.

It isn’t even out yet, but the upcoming “Fast and Furious” spinoff “Hobbs & Shaw” is already looking like one of 2019’s most gloriously self-aware titles—over-the-top action, cheeky one-liners and all. Just when it seems the Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham spectacle, as much of a sure bet as anything to come out this summer, couldn’t blow the top off the meta factor any further, another of the film’s stars is contributing to the movie beyond just acting in it.

Continue reading Listen: DJ Big Driis Aka Idris Elba Contributes A New Hi NRG Dance Track With Cypress Hill To ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ Soundtrack at The Playlist.

As Jon Favreau moves from one mega-sized Disney asset in “The Lion King” following its release this weekend to focusing full-time on another mega-sized Disney asset in the “Star Wars” universe, he recently sought out the godfather of the series set in a galaxy far, far away for some advice, telling GQ in a recent interview about his ambitions to get back to the core of what makes “Star Wars” so special in the first place.

Continue reading More Jar Jar Binks? George Lucas Told ‘Mandalorian’ Creator Jon Favreau To Not Forget The Kids When Making ‘Star Wars’ Series at The Playlist.

After plenty of speculation and buildup over the past few days, the wait is over. We’re not talking about a long-awaited release date or first footage for an anticipated movie, but rather which film would have the distinction of gracing Criterion’s so-called spine No. 1000. The answer? The kaiju king.

The Criterion Collection – the curators of classic taste for contemporary movie-watchers – announced on Thursday that the OG Godzilla himself is getting the preservation treatment this fall.

Continue reading Criterion’s 1000th Title Revealed To Be An Epic 15 Film ‘Godzilla’ Boxset — Watch The Trailer Announcement at The Playlist.

In today’s age of bloated cinematic universes, storytelling homogeneity, and corporations forsaking finality for a whiff of financial longevity, it seems even classic American franchises aren’t safe from continuous expansion and reimagining. Less than a year after Sylvester Stallone very publically, very cordially said goodbye to the character of Rocky Balboa – a social media farewell that coincided more or less with “Creed II,” his eighth time playing the iconic boxer – it seems there are already plans in the works for him to return to the role.

Continue reading New ‘Rocky’ Sequel & Possible Prequel Series In Development With Stallone Expected To Return at The Playlist.

The superheroes-on-screen landscape is in an interesting place. The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is as ambiguous and rumor mill-worthy as its ever been; the DC brand in 2019 is limited to the upcoming “Joker” and a handful of reliable TV mainstays in “Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Supergirl” and others; and the recent cancellation of “Jessica Jones” on Netflix hammered the final nail into the coffin of a relatively short-lived partnership with Marvel.

Continue reading New ‘The Boys’ Trailer Is Here To Wreck What You Think Of Superheroes at The Playlist.

Whatever your thoughts on 2019’s movies, the tail-end of this year continues to look like it will offer an impressive mix of high-concept genre fare, long-awaited auteur experiments and your typical period movies whose sole purpose, it seems, is to rack up as many Oscar nominations as possible. But make sure to leave room in your calendar for “Uncut Gems,” which now has a set release date of December 13, at least, according to the director’s Elara Pictures production company who tweeted out the date this weekend (however not confirmed by A24 yet, but presumably they aren’t speaking out of turn).

Continue reading ‘Uncut Gems’: Safdie Brothers Production Co. Say Adam Sandler Drama Comes Out This December at The Playlist.

As the streaming wars churn on, fortifying their genre assets and enticing new viewers to their ranks with enticing trailers premiering at San Diego Comic-Con this week, one sci-fi show is preparing for its resurrection on Amazon Prime after being previously dumped by SyFy.

READ MORE: The Best TV Shows Of 2019… So Far

The cancellation of “The Expanse” last year was a shocker for fans of the show, and for a good reason: It garnered an immense Rotten Tomatoes average audience score of 97 across its three seasons, and the critical rating wasn’t too shabby either at 91.

Continue reading ‘The Expanse’ Prepares For Resurrection On Amazon Prime With New Trailer, Season 4 Clip at The Playlist.

Coming squarely amid an era where reboots of beloved animated properties are myriad is the reimagining of another story integral to millions of childhoods, and one slightly darker than your standard Aladdins, Jungle Books and Lion Kings.

READ MORE: The Best TV Shows Of 2019… So Far

Anticipation is high for “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” the Netflixication of Jim Henson’s beloved 1982 fantasy film that still feels singular in tone and aesthetic—a gateway for children of the ‘80s to the dark side of their imaginations.

Continue reading ‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance’ Sneak Peek Brings A Dark Fantasy World Into The 21st Century [Comic-Con] at The Playlist.

It’s easy to get cynical when contemporary events and scandals in our day and age are quickly adapted for the big or small screen seemingly to capitalize on their hot-topic notoriety. You can be certain that, over the coming years, we’ll be hearing rumblings about projects depicting the Donald Trump presidency, #MeToo movement and Venezuela crisis—the 2010s have provided an endless amount of fodder for potential prestige vehicles.

Before all those, though, and in an especially timely manner, we’ll be getting a TV show about the life, times and alleged crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.

Continue reading ‘Zodiac’ & ‘Black Swan’ Producer’s Company Options Sex ‘TrafficKing’ Book About Jeffrey Epstein’s Criminal Case at The Playlist.

With the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as murky as it’s ever been following the recent releases of “Avengers: Endgame” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” the rumor mill continues to turn at Mach 1 when it comes to future projects and the stars attached to them. But at least one high-profile name is going out of her way to debunk whispers of her involvement, specifically in the upcoming Chloé Zhao-directed “The Eternals.”

The movie is already rumored to sport an enticing, borderline prestige cast – yes, there are A-listers out there who haven’t yet treaded MCU waters – but “Stranger Things’” Millie Bobby Brown took to social media this week to dispute reports that she’s part of it. 

Continue reading Millie Bobby Brown Debunks Rumors That She’s Starring In Marvel’s ‘The Eternals’ at The Playlist.

Part of the journey is the end, and given that statement, one of the biggest surprises of “Avengers: Endgame” is that death appears to be permanent for most of its characters (Gamora aside). But one character ending in ‘Endgame’ isn’t a death and gives Marvel and Kevin Feige wiggle room for a return down the road. In the film’s postscript, Chris Evans’s Captain America is sent back in time to put each Infinity Stone back in their rightful places.

Continue reading Russo Brothers Say Old Cap Has Created A Branch Reality In The MCU at The Playlist.

A few months after the Disney/20th Century Fox merger was inked into completion, cinephiles are still seeing the fallout in the form of project developments and priority shifts.

READ MORE: The Best Films Of 2019… So Far

While it may be some time before we see the X-Men or Fantastic Four in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, another anticipated sci-fi movie is looking like it’s being put on hold. Last fall, “Midnight Special” and “Mud” director Jeff Nichols said his upcoming iteration of “Alien Nation” – a remake of the 1988 sci-fi actioner starring James Caan and Mandy Patinkin – would be an “epic” film…but only if it survives the Disney/Fox merger, still a few months away at the time. 

Continue reading Jeff Nichols’ Alien Nation Remake Becomes A Fox/Disney Merger Casualty & Is Now Shelved at The Playlist.

Employing nimble meta fingers to play around with Agatha Christie tropes in contemporary Europe, the latest Adam Sandler/Netflix collaboration could’ve endlessly riffed on a something it never acknowledges: Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, America’s eternal schmuck and its ageless beacon of beauty, playing a couple of 15 years. Suspension of disbelief breaks immediately and there’s an opportunity to explore your incredulity. Sadly, the film doesn’t bother attempting a self-deprecating savaging of this farfetched set-up and it’s a shame, cause there could’ve been worthwhile comedy there.

Continue reading ‘Murder Mystery’ Lacks Any Real Intrigue Or Cleverness To Honor Its Agatha Christie Inspiration [Review] at The Playlist.