Paramount Pictures and Hasbro/eOne are on a great quest for an actor to play a fantasy hero and they may have just found them. The Hollywood Reporter has learned that “Star Trek” franchise actor Chris Pine is now in talks with the studio to take the heroic lead in their upcoming “Dungeons & Dragons” remake.

READ MORE: ‘Game Night’ Directors Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley In Talks To Direct New ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Film

“Dungeons & Dragons” is based on the famous table-top game from Gary Gygax, which is directly inspired by the various fantasy worlds created by authors Robert E.

Continue reading ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Movie: Chris Pine In Talks To Play The Dashing Hero at The Playlist.

On this episode of The Playlist Podcast, I’m joined by Editor-in-Chief Rodrigo Perez and Managing Editor Charles Barfield, to discuss the 20 Breakthrough Directors of 2018, though it cannot be stressed enough that our topic at hand today was a collective pick from many members of our staff to which we are merely the mouthpiece for. We continue our extensive year-end coverage with our director’s conversation.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2019

It’s been talked about at-length how strong the year in film was for 2018, but maybe not as much about how some of the best, most-acclaimed films of the year were from either first-time directors or filmmakers with few directorial credits who made a huge splash with a recent release.

Continue reading The 20 Breakthrough Directors of 2018 [Podcast] at The Playlist.

The recent history of movie comedies is a set of fairly tried and true formulas: parents attempt to stop their kids from growing up; adolescents try to survive school and its social strata; upstart young people duel their out-of-touch superiors to rise professionally. These are tales as old as time — or at least the 1980s. But when standard premises aren’t drawing at the box office, where is your average low or mid-budget comedy suppose to go?

Continue reading The Best (& Worst) Of 2018 Comedies [Podcast] at The Playlist.

As the year races to a close, we’re all on the verge of killing each other, at least on Film Twitter. Everyone’s ornery as we sprint to make those deadlines, but before we declare war on one another, remember we still have inspiring and movie music to celebrate and soothe us. In crafting this piece over the years – Best Soundtracks and Scores – we’ve discovered it’s one of the most soothing, one of the best balms of the end of the year.

Continue reading The 20 Best Film Soundtracks & Scores Of 2018 at The Playlist.

Now it’s time to get our action yah-yahs out. 2018 is coming to a close so as is our usual wont to do, we’re running down many of the particulars of the year in cinema; Best Films, Posters, Trailers, Breakthrough Performances, and much more to come. Action is an art, but it’s not always artfully crafted, sometimes placing a premium on noise, loudness, chaos, and all the things Michael Bay values. But the best action sequences we always tend to love always put a focus on staging, crafty editing, tension, and orchestration.

Continue reading The 20 Best Action Movies Of 2018 at The Playlist.

2018 has been an odd year. The days churn by with grueling intensity, draining you emotionally with every single blow. Yet, you blink and suddenly, it’s June. How did that happen? Regardless of how 2018 has treated you, personally, the year has presented cinephiles with plenty to laud over, already. In a year that continues to challenge us like 2018, it’s a relief when art can continue to surprise you, impress you, move you, persuade you, gratify you or just simply entertain you.

Continue reading The Best Films Of 2018… So Far at The Playlist.

Perhaps the second biggest surprise of last weekend’s box office (besides another terrific showing by “Black Panther”), was the strong debut of the comedy “Game Night.” Rocking a B+ Cinemascore, a haul of $16.6 million, and strong reviews, the movie was a nice little hit for New Line. Moreover, word of mouth seems to be pretty strong so the inevitable question of a sequel is already cropping up.

Continue reading Screenwriter Says ‘Game Night’ Is “Genetically Built To Have Sequels” at The Playlist.

It was your standard week at the box office: a massive blockbuster stayed on top at the multiplex, a big, broad comedy packed ’em in, and a brainy, critically acclaimed movie got sunk.

In developments that will shock no one, “Black Panther” stayed king, earning an astonishing $108 million. Just how big is that number? It’s bigger than the second-weekend figures of “The Avengers,” and by the end of today, “Black Panther” is expected to hit $400 million domestic — the fastest any Marvel movie has accomplished that feat.

Continue reading ‘Black Panther’ Is Still King In Second Week, ‘Annihilation’ Flops [Box Office] at The Playlist.

“Game Night” is something of a rarity — it’s a smart, consistently entertaining, and actually funny studio comedy. There are so many ways it could’ve gone wrong, yet like actual game nights with the right people, the newest film from directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein deliver something that’s genuinely fun. Not likely to break any new ground like some of its R-rated peers such as “The Hangover,” “Bridesmaids” or “Girls Trip,” “Game Night” remains fresh simply for being a crude-yet-sweet mainstream comedy for the middle-aged crowd that doesn’t belittle their intelligence.

Continue reading ‘Game Night’ Starring Jason Bateman & Rachel McAdams Is A Winner [Review] at The Playlist.

Having just stepping into the world of Dungeons & Dragons, I know all about the good time spirit of the weekly hang with the gang. However, for Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, their own “Game Night” goes out of control in this upcoming romantic action comedy thing.

Directed by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein (“Vacation“), the premise for this one is pretty simple: competitive gamers get way in over their head, when a murder mystery party gets a bit too real.

Continue reading ‘Game Night’ Trailer: Jason Bateman & Rachel McAdams Take It Up A Notch at The Playlist.

Any movie directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein — who helmed the poorly reviewed “Vacation” — should be approached with caution. But thanks to a cast that includes Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, Lamorne Morris, Jesse Plemons, and Kyle Chandler, “Game Night” might just earn the benefit of the doubt.

Continue reading ‘Game Night’ Trailer: There Are No Rules For Jason Bateman & Rachel McAdams at The Playlist.

There’s a pretty dull formula for comedies developing around Hollywood that sees creatives cherry picking an innocuous event (“Office Christmas Party“), adding a thin plot and some raunch, and calling it a movie (see also: “Date Night“). And now another one is coming with “Game Night.” Sigh.

Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams will cash easy paychecks for this one, which is being dreamed up by writer/directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (“Vacation,” “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”) with the story centering around, you guessed it, the wild shenanigans of one game night, and what happens when things go off course when a variety of couples are brought together for their regular hang. 

Continue reading Rachel McAdams & Jason Bateman Will Have A Wild ‘Game Night’ at The Playlist.