When people talk about fighter pilot movies from the past year, many will probably think about “Top Gun: Maverick.” And though that film is great, there’s another fighter pilot film out now that might actually be, dare I say, better? That movie is “Devotion,” directed by J.D. Dillard. And in this episode of The Playlist Podcast, I got the chance to talk to Dillard about his new film and working with breakout superstar Jonathan Majors. 

READ MORE: ‘Devotion’ Review: Jonathan Majors Thrives In A Biopic That’s A Cut Above The Rest [TIFF]

For those unaware, “Devotion” stars Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell and tells the inspiring true story of Jesse Brown, a Black fighter pilot in the ’50s at the onset of the Korean War.

Continue reading J.D. Dillard Talks ‘Devotion,’ The Greatness Of Jonathan Majors, Franchise Filmmaking & More [The Playlist Podcast] at The Playlist.

Lucasfilm giveth and Lucasfilm taketh away. On a day when it was reported that Shawn Levy is the latest filmmaker to get hired to develop a new “Star Wars” film, it has now been revealed that J.D. Dillard is no longer attached to a new film in the galaxy far, far away.

READ MORE: Shawn Levy To Direct A ‘Star Wars’ Film After His Work On ‘Deadpool 3’ & ‘Stranger Things’

According to a new interview with The Wrap, filmmaker J.D.

Continue reading J.D. Dillard Says He’s No Longer Working On A ‘Star Wars’ Film Or The Sequel To ‘The Rocketeer’ at The Playlist.

The next year is expected to be massive for Jonathan Majors. Not only is he the co-lead in the upcoming drama, “Creed III,” but he also happens to be the villain of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” as well as the overall next Marvel big bad. But before we get those films, Majors is set to debut a new film with far fewer multiversal/time-travel shenanigans.

Continue reading ‘Devotion’ Trailer: Jonathan Majors Is A Navy Pilot During The Korean War In J.D. Dillard’s New Drama at The Playlist.

The looming specter of whiteness often plagues stories of Black achievement, overshadowing what should be singular moments of triumph. Though it is true that these legends disrupted the framework of whiteness and pushed the world towards progress, the films about them don’t necessarily need to follow that same structural path. There is an option to foreground these people’s interior lives, with whiteness instead functioning as mainly an obstacle within the narrative. But films like “Hidden Figures” and “Green Book” are choked by their white characters, both good and bad, taking time and focus away from the Black historical figures we came to the theater to learn about.

Continue reading ‘Devotion’ Review: Jonathan Majors Thrives In A Biopic That’s A Cut Above The Rest [TIFF] at The Playlist.

Good news for those who loved the look of Glen Powell in a cockpit as Hangman in “Top Gun: Maverick.” Powell stars in another fighter pilot movie this Fall, assured to meet anyone’s “Powell in a cockpit” needs. And better yet, Jonathan Majors serves as Powell’s wingman.  

READ MORE: ‘Devotion’ Trailer: J.D. Dillard’s Korean War-Set Drama With Jonathan Majors & Glen Powell Flies In The Fall

Based on Adam Makos‘ 2014 book of the same name, “Devotion” follows Powell and Majors in the true story of two fighter pilots who become fast friends in the lead-up to the Korean War.

Continue reading New ‘Devotion’ Trailer: Jonathan Majors & Glen Powell’s Korean War Drama Has Its World Premieres At TIFF This September at The Playlist.

“It’s rare when the thing that you’re working on so deeply reaches in your own life, your own history, your own family,” says director J.D. Dillard, whose forthcoming “Devotion” is as much a historical drama as it is an exploration of his own ancestry and childhood. While the script focuses on pioneering Naval aviator Jesse L. Brown (Jonathan Majors) and his unlikely friendship with fellow pilot Tom Hudner (Glen Powell), a friendship that crossed racial lines of demarcation in the 1950s, Dillard also cites the influence of having grown up the son of a Naval aviator.

Continue reading ‘Devotion’ Trailer: J.D. Dillard’s Korean War-Set Drama With Jonathan Majors & Glen Powell Flies In The Fall at The Playlist.

While we still try to get over “The Rise of Skywalker” and wait for news on Rian Johnson’s movie trilogy, there seems to be a disturbance in the Force, which heralds the arrival of a new and exciting voice helming a new movie in the franchise far, far away. Turns out, “Sweetheart” and “Sleight” director, J.D. Dillard is set to develop a new “Star Wars” project, whatever that means.

Continue reading New ‘Star Wars’ Project Planned Helmed By J.D. Dillard And ‘Luke Cage’ Writer at The Playlist.

Do you remember watching the pilot of “Lost” when it aired 15 years ago, one of the most tense and ominous episodes television had seen to date, with incredible characters and more mysteries than the writers knew what to do with? Audiences were on the edge of their seats, but it was the characters that drove the story. By the end of the show’s first hour, the eerie genre stakes were established, when the pilot of Oceanic Flight 815’s mangled corpse was left hanging in a canopy by an unseen monstrous entity.

Continue reading ‘Sweetheart’ Is A Tense Deserted Island Thriller That Can’t Survive Its Own Bad Writing [Review] at The Playlist.

After the success of the genre-bending, sci-fi, fantasy favorite “Sleight” at the 2016 Sundance awards, director JD Dillard has regrouped with his co-writers and the Blumhouse team for this new film. “Sweetheart” is an adrenaline-filled thriller in which Kiersey Clemons struggles to survive on a deserted island, only to learn that there is a malevolent creature that emerges at night, looking for something to feed on.

Continue reading ‘Sweetheart’ Trailer: Director JD Dillard Reunites With Blumhouse For New Survival Thriller Starring Kiersey Clemons at The Playlist.

“Anyone can learn a trick, but doing something that no one else is willing to do makes you a magician. I can do what no one else can,” Bo (Jacob Latimore) attests in a critical moment of confession, avowing his commitment to achieving the extraordinary in “Sleight.” It’s a line that wouldn’t feel out of place in Christopher Nolan’s “The Prestige,” as Christian Bale’s thaumaturge pledges similar sacrifices to his craft at all costs.

Continue reading Low-Budget Superhero Tale ‘Sleight’ Makes Director J.D. Dillard One To Watch [Review] at The Playlist.

Jason Blumhouse and his Blumhouse Productions seems to be on roll with their two recent films “Split” and “Get Out” dominating the box office. Fresh off the success of Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” closing in around $200 million in the global box office, Blumhouse has announced a few new features.

In keeping with the sci-fi/horror vibe that has launched the company to success, Blum have come on board to help out the release of the upcoming J.D.

Continue reading ‘Get Out’ Producers Blumhouse To Make David Oyelowo Time Travel Film ‘Only You’ at The Playlist.

Continue reading ‘The Fly’ Remake Is On The Way, But We’d Still Prefer The David Cronenberg Version Fox Passed On at The Playlist.

Earlier this month, we debuted the first installment of our On The Rise series for this year by looking at the actors and actresses we’re tapping for big things to come. But looking at the talent in front of camera only tells a small portion of the story: they wouldn’t be anywhere without the people who actually make the movies.

It’s an infectious feeling to walk out of a film and know that you’ve watched the start of what promises to be an enormously exciting career, and the emergence of new voices is one of the things that makes the movies so exciting.

Continue reading On The Rise 2016: 20 Filmmakers To Watch at The Playlist.

Sundance Review: ‘Sleight’ Is An Intriguing Blend Of Street Sensibilities, Mysterious Magical Science & Coming Of Age Tropes

Continue reading Sundance Review: ‘Sleight’ Is An Intriguing Blend Of Street Sensibilities, Mysterious Magical Science & Coming Of Age Tropes at The Playlist.