The long-awaited DC Universe “Black Adam” superhero film premiered recently in New York, the review embargo has been lifted (read our review here), and everyone is free, per Warner Bros., to discuss the film in whatever terms they like. If you’re online, especially on Twitter, you’ve likely already heard all about the film’s post-credit scene, what that means for the future of the DC Universe, and more.

So yes, **SPOILERS ABOUND,** if you don’t want to know, please turn around, and wait until the film comes out.

Continue reading ‘Black Adam’: Dwayne Johnson Talks Pushing For The Justice Society, The Superman Of It All & More [Interview] at The Playlist.

Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” has many sights that awe its adventurers—a cove of towering waterfalls that empties from below, a spindly mega tree that sprouts luminescent red flowers in the moonlight, a violent set of rapids ready to suck boats over the edge. On the other hand, viewers will only see numerous uncanny valleys, related to when a visual is recognizable but distractingly not real. CGI is a major choice for an adventure based on setting, texture, and sweating, along with its characters, and an extremely disagreeable one.

Continue reading ‘Jungle Cruise’: Dwayne Johnson & Emily Blunt Have Ample Charms, But This Is A Shallow, CGI-Muck Adventure [Review] at The Playlist.

Following
standout dramatic turns in “Clemency,” Showtime‘s
“City On A Hill,” and most recently, the critically acclaimed
“One Night In Miami” from director Regina King, actor Aldis
Hodge is about to try something different and take flight in the superhero
genre. Today, Warner Bros. cast the actor as Hawkman in their upcoming “Black
Adam” film, news of which Hodge confirmed on Instagram.

Continue reading Aldis Hodge Will Play Hawkman In ‘Black Adam’ at The Playlist.

A trip down a mighty river in cinema has proven that it can be both a grueling, physical challenge and an opportunity to reflect, quite literally. Perhaps, no two films embody those qualities more than the weekend trip from Hell in “Deliverance” and the quest to confront madness head-on in “Apocalypse Now.” But, let’s stop and take a breath for a second. At its heart, what makes such a journey fundamentally thrilling the most is seeing what might be encountered next.

Continue reading ‘Jungle Cruise’ Trailer: Dwayne Johnson & Emily Blunt Head Up River To Adventure at The Playlist.

It’s officially happening folks. After a decade of starts and stops, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is actually going to suit up and become “Black Adam” for Warner Bros. And not only did the actor take the time to debut a new piece of art to celebrate the announcement that it’s actually happening, but he was kind enough to give us a release date.

On Instagram, Johnson released a new poster showing an image that hints at what the actor will look like in the black and gold armor of Black Adam in the “Shazam!

Continue reading Dwayne Johnson Announces ‘Black Adam’ Will Take On ‘Avatar 2’ In December 2021 at The Playlist.

With “Hellboy,” “Men in Black,” “Charlie’s Angels” and a handful of Disney classics, 2019 seems to be the year of the reboot. We’re clocking in one more with “Jumanji: The Next Level” before the year’s end. With the tragic death of Robin Williams in 2014, creating a soft reboot of one of his movies a mere three years later seemed like a huge risk.

Continue reading ‘Jumanji’ Sequel Trailer: Dwyane Johnson, Kevin Hart & The Gang Take It To The ‘Next Level’ at The Playlist.

Back before Zack Snyder unleashed his “Man of Steel” and kickstarted the DCEU, and hot on the heels of Marvel Studios hitting it big with the ambitious “Iron Man” film, Warner Bros. began developing a “Black Adam” superhero film with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson attached. It was 2009, and boy, oh boy, how things were different.

Continue reading Dwayne Johnson Says Long-Awaited ‘Black Adam’ Film Will Actually Film In July. For Real This Time. at The Playlist.

What won’t Disney remake? The studio, notable for its endless imagination, seems to have run out of ideas. Just this year alone, we have seen a “Dumbo” that never soars, an “Aladdin” whose rug resembled Lebowski‘s and a “Lion King” that couldn’t take its own advice: “Remember who you are.” With “Jungle Cruise” the studio has outdone themselves.

Continue reading ‘Jungle Cruise’ Trailer Promises Adventure, Romance, And The Rock’s Biceps at The Playlist.

If you’re a fan of the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise, you’re likely familiar with the seemingly never-ending feud between Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and series star Vin Diesel. The latter has been driving cars and saying badass one-liners in the franchise since the very beginning, while the former was seen as the “franchise viagra” that came in and catapulted the ‘F&F’ films to new box office heights.

Continue reading Dwayne Johnson Squashes Feud With Vin Diesel & Teases ‘Fast & Furious’ Return at The Playlist.

“Ballers” is an interesting curio if you’re not quite paying attention. It’s not a prestige, Peak TV show, it’s never part of the awards conversation, but apparently, everyone involved is happy. And it’s an oddity, on the surface anyhow, because Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of the biggest movie stars in the world, but he has no issue with juggling the “Ballers” duties and shooting schedule with his film career.

Continue reading ‘Ballers’ Season 5 Trailer: To The Victor Goes The Spoils As Dwayne Johnson Takes What’s His at The Playlist.

As an actor that has to be featured in multiple fight scenes with people like Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, you’re definitely not going to want anything come up that would undermine your “manliness.” Much like the locker room behavior in high school, it appears that the set of ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ was subject to some good-natured teasing at the expense of Idris Elba due to his next project after the ‘Fast & Furious’ spin-off.

Continue reading Idris Elba Says Dwayne Johnson & Jason Statham Used To Tease Him About ‘Cats’ While Filming ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ at The Playlist.

Even without ever meeting the actors in person, it’s clear just from the way they present themselves in the franchise, the muscle-bound leads in the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise are very particular about how they look in the film series. And according to a new report, stars Jason Statham, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Vin Diesel are allowed to dictate exactly who gets to punch who, in what is seemingly a way to make sure everyone continues to look like a badass, while also making sure no one is the top badass.

Continue reading The Macho, Muscle-Bound Stars Of The ‘Fast & Furious’ Series Are Reportedly Insecure About Looking Bad In The Fight Scenes at The Playlist.

Gear shifting from very self-serious, dated, racecar bros actioners, to ridiculous, self-aware racecar bros spectacles, perhaps no mainstream franchise of the last 20 years has reinvented itself the way the “Fast & Furious” films have. Ever since Justin Lin went under the hood and retooled things with “Fast Five,” the series has embraced absurdist action extravaganza and in doing so, has super-fuel-injected new life, commercial success, and relevancy to the franchise.

Continue reading ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ Takes Ridiculousness To A Whole New Nos-Fueled Level But Survives On Pure Chemistry [Review] at The Playlist.

After the massive box office success of “Aquaman,” fans, and the folks at Warner Bros., were excited to see what the studio’s newest superhero franchise, “Shazam!” would do in theaters. While the film received pretty glowing reviews and was largely seen as another fun action-adventure film after “Aquaman,” the newest franchise in the DCEU didn’t exactly light up the box office. That being said, it appears that there aren’t just plans for one sequel, but a trilogy, as well as a huge spin-off film.

Continue reading Zachary Levi Says WB Has Wildly Ambitious Plans For 3 ‘Shazam!’ Films & At Least 1 ‘Black Adam’ Film at The Playlist.

“Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle” was a surprise hit in 2017 and it took the movie world off guard for dozens of reasons. First, no one really knew there was that much affection for the “Jumanji” franchise—the movie based on the original 1995 film starring Robin Williams— though the truth may be, it wasn’t so much the brand itself, but an entertaining movie that really pleased family audiences looking for something to watch during the Christmas season of that year.

Continue reading ‘Jumanji’ Sequel Trailer: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart & Co. Try And Take Things To The ‘Next Level’ at The Playlist.

SANTA MONICA – On Saturday, in an aircraft hanger that has hosted more famous faces than arguably any aircraft hanger in the world, Viacom put on the 2019 MTV Movie and TV Awards.  This pundit was on hand to take in a three-hour production that was widdled down to a two-hour telecast for your enjoyment this evening.  Like all awards shows there were highs and lows and, luckily, if you wanted to partake this one provided a wide assortment of alcoholic beverages and snacks.

Continue reading 9 Things You Didn’t See Watching The 2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards at The Playlist.

In case you may have tricked ourselves into believing that the ever-lucrative “Fast and Furious” films are beginning to wind down, a casting update for the bombastic cars-and-guns franchise is proving that they’re only ever looking to get bigger. According to Deadline, John Cena’s massive biceps – fresh off roles in “Blockers,” “Bumblebee” and “Fighting with My Family” – are set to be the latest to join the series, having been inked for a role in the upcoming ninth installment of the mainline franchise.

Continue reading John Cena Joins ‘Fast & Furious 9’; Dwayne Johnson Not Expected To Return at The Playlist.

At this point, Warner Bros. has to celebrate every small victory it has when it comes to the slate of DC comics films. After a rough (to say the least) start to the DCEU, WB has appeared to bounce back with the massive successes of “Wonder Woman” and last year’s “Aquaman.” And while “Shazam!” isn’t the box office behemoth the studio probably wanted, the film seemed to strike a chord with critics and fans, and so, WB is ready to move forward with the film’s first spin-off, “Black Adam.”

Yes, “Black Adam” has been talked about since before the DCEU was the DCEU, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson attached for what seems like a decade, at this point.

Continue reading ‘The Shallows’ Director Jaume Collet-Serra In Talks To Direct ‘Shazam’ Spin-Off ‘Black Adam’ at The Playlist.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is at the level that he can pretty much do whatever he wants. He has a following on social media that is absolutely massive, and he’s probably the most recognizable film star on the planet right now. So, if the man wants a meeting with Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, you better believe that’s going to happen. And according to a new video from Johnson, it looks like the actor is trying to set up that meeting.

Continue reading Dwayne Johnson Congratulates ‘Avengers: Endgame’ On “Shattering That Sh*t” At The Box Office & Wants To Meet Up With Kevin Feige at The Playlist.

This weekend saw the successful release of Warner Bros./DC Films’ “Shazam.” After the success of last year’s “Aquaman,” many were wondering if WB could make it two quality films in a row (a feat that they haven’t been able to do previously) with “Shazam,” and judging by the box office and critical reception, it appears the studio has another hit on its hands. And while the top brass at WB is probably breathing a sigh of relief, the happiest person in the world right now is probably Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Continue reading Dwayne Johnson Teases ‘Shazam’ Spin-Off ‘Black Adam’ Yet Again & Says Filming Should Begin Next Year at The Playlist.

Did you ever think a 5’4 little English actress could pull off the role of a WWE star? Well, the 23-year-old Florence Pugh, the breakout star of “Lady Macbeth” and “The Little Drummer Girl,” may be tiny in size, but she has a massive presence, and that’s really more than enough to convince. Ever since her breakthrough turn in “Lady Macbeth,” she’s been bagging roles everywhere.

Continue reading ‘Fighting With My Family’: Florence Pugh Drops The Finishing Move In Final Trailer at The Playlist.

With the Oscars ceremony only a couple short weeks away, film fans are bracing themselves for the first telecast from the Academy to be without a host in decades. After Kevin Hart was hired (and then subsequently left), the AMPAS struggled to find a replacement, ultimately deciding to let the presenters become the de facto hosts. However, in an alternate universe, where the Academy’s first choice for host came through, we could be anticipating a Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson-hosted awards show.

Continue reading Dwayne Johnson Reveals He Was The Academy’s First Choice To Host This Year’s Oscars at The Playlist.

Earlier last year, the gimmick of the Spin-Off was dealt a death-card in the form of “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” where the troubled production couldn’t escape the looming shadow of Harrison Ford or impress an audience that the franchise, at this point, seemed to guarantee. But these sort of failures are not always the case: “Creed” proved itself a poignant modernization of the “Rocky” franchise; the most recent major spin-off, “Bumblebee,” gave fresh breath to an exhausted series.

Continue reading ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ Trailer: ‘Fast & Furious’ Presents A Kick-Ass New Adventure With A Super-Powered Idris Elba at The Playlist.

We’re not saying that these two points are 100% related, but it’s certainly interesting that the “Fast and Furious” franchise really took off and became such a behemoth in “Fast 5,” which was the first film to feature Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Hobbs character. Since then, Johnson has been a fixture in the ‘Fast’ films and each one has gone on to become massive, massive hits.

Continue reading Dwayne Johnson Says Hobbs Will Not Show Up In Upcoming ‘Fast 9’ at The Playlist.

PARK CITY – A movie centered on the rags to riches story of a female WWE champion might not sound like a fit for the Sundance Film Festival, but push your prejudices aside and look closer.  Yes, “Fighting With My Family” is produced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and we admit having the WWE Studios banner on it could make it look like a simple marketing ploy.  In truth, it’s a feel-good flick from acclaimed writer and comedian Stephen Merchant (in his solo feature directing debut) that is hard to resist even if you haven’t watched more than a minute of televised wrestling in your life.  

Continue reading Florence Pugh Will Make You A Believer In ‘Fighting With My Family’ [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.