Hulu looks to get 2025 off to a strong start with “Paradise,” which features a cast full of Emmy winners and nominees, headlined by the always entertaining Sterling K. Brown.

READ MORE: ‘A Thousand Blows’ Teaser: Steven Knight’s New British Period Crime Series Hits Hulu In 2025

In the series, Brown plays Xavier Collins, a secret service agent who’s the last person to see the US President alive before his assassination.

Continue reading ‘Paradise’ Trailer: Sterling K. Brown Stars In Hulu’s Upcoming Political Thriller Series In 2025 at The Playlist.

The video game curse seems to have lifted in recent years. For what seemed like decades before, movie studios, for years, could not get a decent live-action video game adaptation to the screen. Sure, there were dozens of them, but they had a reputation for being awful. Now that the hump seems to be overcome—not to mention studios making quality films out of seemingly unadaptable material like “The LEGO Movie” and “Barbie”— the successful “Sonic The Hedgehog” franchise returns with its third installment.

Continue reading ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 3’ Trailer: Shadow Joins The Video Game Adaptation Coming In December at The Playlist.

The winner of today’s “Weirdest Title” award goes to an apparent buddy crime comedy, titled “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice.” However, despite the mouthful title, this is a project you should keep an eye on, especially as it is slated to feature two great actors in lead roles. 

According to Deadline, James Marsden is joining Vince Vaughn in the cast of the upcoming crime comedy, “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice.” The film is set to be written and directed by BenDavid Grabinski (coming off his well-received “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” animated series).

Continue reading ‘Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice’: James Marsden & Vince Vaughn To Star In BenDavid Grabinski’s New Comedy at The Playlist.

In this week’s episode of The Discourse, host Mike DeAngelo weaves through memory to discuss the film “Knox Goes Away” with director and star Michael Keaton (“Batman,” “Beetlejuice”) and co-star James Marsden (“X-Men,” “Sonic the Hedgehog”). The film follows the story of Knox (Michael Keaton), a seasoned contract killer whose life takes a dark and unexpected turn when he’s diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease while also needing to help his estranged son (Marsden) before he loses his mind completely.

Continue reading ‘Knox Goes Away’: Michael Keaton & James Marsden On Their Crime Drama, Batman, ‘Sonic 3,’ & ‘Beetlejuice’ [The Discourse Podcast] at The Playlist.

Is everyone and their mother in “Deadpool & Wolverine”? Filmmaker Shawn Levy has hinted at cameos several times (as has filmmaker Matthew Vaughn), and so has ‘Deadpool’ actor Karan Soni. The expectation, in general, seems to be: expect a ton, with many speculating that the upcoming third ‘Deadpool’ movie will be a goodbye to the 20th Century Studios era of Marvel movie-making.

Continue reading James Marsden Walks Back A Potential ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Tease: “That’s A Pandora’s Box…” at The Playlist.

The hitman has proven a consistent source of inspiration for movies, from 1942’s “This Gun For Hire” to 1967’s “Le Samourai” to the recent “Hitman.” With so many movies centered around a hitman, it’s hard not to feel derivative. One of the ways that filmmakers make their take on the hitman feels fresh and unique is to give the contract killer a quirk, an easily distinguishable characteristic. Some examples include Alain Delon’s love of birds in “Le Samourai,” Michael Fassbender’s The Smith’s playlist in “The Killer,” or Tom Cruise’s use of taxis in his murder method in “Collateral.” “Knox Goes Away,” directed by and starring Michael Keaton (“Batman” “Birdman”), tells the story of John Knox, a hitman dealing with a degenerative brain disorder, Cretuszfeldt-Jakob Disease, similar to Alzheimer’s. 

Continue reading ‘Knox Goes Away’ Trailer: Michael Keaton Directs & Stars In A Crime Noir About Dementia- Afflicted Hitman at The Playlist.

Michael Keaton has been acting in movies long enough to know that if you’re making one, as he does for the second time with the proficient neo-noir “Knox Goes Away,” your opening shot needs to say something. His says it all: a tight close-up inventories the personal affects of an unseen figure taking them one by one, heading out the door, then doubling back to grab the watch, filling the audio track with its relentless ticking.

Continue reading ‘Knox Goes Away’ Review: Michael Keaton Directs Himself In A Slickly Somber Neo-Noir [TIFF] at The Playlist.

While DCU fans wait for Michael Keaton‘s brief return as Bruce Wayne/Batman in “The Flash” next year, there’s some other news on the Keaton front. The actor just wrapped photography on his second directing effort after 2009’s “The Merry Gentleman,” entitled “Knox Goes Away.” The noir thriller stars Keaton as Knox, a contract killer diagnosed with rapid-onset dementia who vows to save his estranged adult son’s life before his mind totally deteriorates.  

Continue reading ‘Knox Goes Away’: James Marsden, Marcia Gay Harden, Al Pacino & More Join Michael Keaton For His Noir Thriller at The Playlist.

Back in 2007, audiences were first introduced to Amy Adams‘ Giselle, an upbeat singing animated princess that travels to the real world, specifically, New York City. Mixing the animated princess film genre with a fish-out-of-water romantic comedy, “Enchanted,” very much became a hit for Disney, and its belated sequel is finally on the horizon. “Disenchanted,” not to be confused with the Netflix animated series, is a direct sequel that will be released by Disney+ this fall, and the studio finally released the first trailer at the D23 Expo event, showcasing the new cast and tunes.

Continue reading ‘Disenchanted’ Trailer: Amy Adams Returns As Giselle In Highly Anticipated Sequel [D23 Expo] at The Playlist.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but “Sonic The Hedgehog 2” really cannot be the swan song for the great Jim Carrey. One of the great comedic careers of recent years cannot end on such a whimper. The star is, of course, free to pursue what makes him happiest, as he’s indicated on the film’s press tour. But it would be a real shame to cap off with a work that so thoroughly misunderstands his unique gift for bodily humor.

Continue reading ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 2’ Review: This Speedy Sequel Zooms Past What Makes The Series Special at The Playlist.

While they’ll try and make I.P. and franchise out of anything these days, Paramount’s live-action animated hybrid, “Sonic The Hedgehog” film was surprisingly endearing, watchable, and entertaining, perhaps thanks to the voice work of Ben Schwartz as Sonic, the surprising chemistry he had with straight man James Marsden and the inclusion of rubber face Jim Carrey as the bad guy, the brilliant, evil Dr.

Continue reading ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 2’ Trailer: Sonic’s Next-Level Adventure Features Tails & Knuckles at The Playlist.

If you thought a TV series about the misadventures of a group of catering employees would be boring, you obviously haven’t seen “Party Down.” The cult classic Starz series, “Party Down,” is one of the most underrated comedies of the late 2000s. Thankfully, even though we have to sift through a bunch of terrible TV revivals in recent years, Starz has understood that the world needs a reintroduction to “Party Down.” And while we’ve already known about the revival for a while now, it appears the upcoming new season of the series is getting an infusion of some serious star power.

Continue reading Jennifer Garner, James Marsden & More Join Growing Cast Of ‘Party Down’ Revival at The Playlist.

Did the world ask for a sequel to 2020’s “Sonic The Hedgehog?” All things considered in the world arena, probably not. However, before COVID-19 shut down the globe last March, Jeff Fowler‘s directorial debut raked in nearly $320 million on a $90 million budget. In studio logic, that’s grounds for a follow-up–even if audiences really, really don’t need it.

READ MORE: ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 2’: Idris Elba Announces He’ll Voice Knuckles 

Still, the main rule of the sequels is to up the ante of its predecessor.

Continue reading ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 2’ Trailer: Sonic & Tails Team Up To Take On Dr. Robotnik & Knuckles This April at The Playlist.

British actor Idris Elba is having a bit of a moment after the release of James Gunn‘s “The Suicide Squad” as his character Bloodsport is one of the highlights of the new DC Comics characters in the well-received R-rated sequel.

READ MORE: The Suicide Squad’: James Gunn Inspires The DC Universe With Gnarly Irreverence, Superhero Subversion & A Big Beating Heart [Review]

Well, Elba has landed another key role in another fan-driven studio sequel, as he announced on Twitter that he’ll voice the CGI-animated character Knuckles (A red anthropomorphic short-beaked echidna) in Paramount Pictures‘ kid-friendly “Sonic The Hedgehog 2,” which is currently in post-production after filming in Vancouver.

Continue reading ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 2’: Idris Elba Announces He’ll Voice Knuckles at The Playlist.

The “Enchanted” sequel, titled “Disenchanted,” is finally moving forward, as James Marsden and Idina Menzel are both confirmed to be reprising their roles, alongside returning Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey.

READ MORE: Disney+ Developing A Reimagined ‘National Treasure’ TV Series Directed by Mira Nair

“Disenchanted” was only just confirmed last year during the 2020 Disney Investor Day, confirming that Adams would return for the sequel.

Continue reading ‘Disenchanted’: James Marsden And Idina Menzel Returning For Disney+ Sequel at The Playlist.

Need a second to catch your breath to settle into the world of “The Stand” after two hours of dual-timeframe world-building and about 8 new characters? Too bad. In “Blank Page,” the series’ most dense episode to date, the audience meets no less than three new characters, get further information on the established player’s pre/post-pandemic, and comes to understand the series’ central conflict: all packed into a collection of dizzying location and time-jumps that demand one’s full attention.

Continue reading ‘The Stand’ Episode 3 Recap: The Series Exposes Its Seams By Over-Stuffing “Blank Page,” Which Is Anything But at The Playlist.

Tired of global pandemics yet? CBS All-Access hopes not, and for a good reason: their nine-episode adaptation of Stephen King’s 1141-page behemoth, “The Stand,” is damn good. A sprawling post-apocalyptic epic about the flu-immune survivors of a deadly pandemic, and the figureheads of good and evil that draw these characters into opposing camps, the series spans several months, the full breadth of the United States, and contends with heady questions about the human condition and man’s struggle to define itself as either builders or destroyers.

Continue reading Stephen King’s ‘The Stand’ Is A Sprawling Post-Apocalyptic Epic About A Global Pandemic With Human Resonance [Review] at The Playlist.

Based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel, the full trailer for “The Stand” debuted yesterday at New York Comic-Con. “The Stand” is King’s apocalyptic vision of a world decimated by plague and embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil, sounds timely, right? Cast members Whoopi Goldberg, James Marsden, Greg Kinnear, Odessa Young, Jovan Adepo, Amber Heard, and Owen Teague, as well as Executive Producers Benjamin Cavell and Taylor Elmore, made themselves available for a lively NYCC chat too.

Continue reading ‘The Stand’ NYCC Trailer: Stephen King’s Apocalyptic Pandemic Vision Looks Scarier Than Ever at The Playlist.

Let’s get this out of the way quick so we can move on, shall we? It hasn’t been a great week for director Josh Boone. His long-delayed X-men/Marvel movie “New Mutants” finally came out after nearly 3 years of delays and was trashed by critics as soon as it arrived (many calling it the worst “X-Men” movie of all time, he even deactivated his Instagram it got so bad).

Continue reading ‘The Stand’ Trailer: The Long-Awaited Stephen King Pandemic Thriller Miniseries Arrives December 17 at The Playlist.

Unless you are a hardcore Republican conservative or political junkie you probably have never heard of Phyllis Schlafly. She is one of the most influential women in American history and is known as the “First Lady” of the modern conservative movement. On the other hand, even if you barely paid attention in your history classes you should still know the name of the woman who was her polar opposite on Schlafly’s ideological spectrum, Gloria Steinem.  A key figure in the rise of feminism, Steinem has been a mainstay in pop culture for over 50 years.  How these two women became intertwined is one of the most fascinating aspects of the new FX mini-series “Mrs.

Continue reading ‘Mrs. America’: Cate Blanchett & Rose Byrne Are Stellar In ERA Fight Mini-Series [Review] at The Playlist.

A kinetic, electrically-paced buddy comedy starring a lighting fast, motormouth-talking anthropomorphic hedgehog (Ben Schwartz), and a zany Jim Carrey that began its life with a debilitating, life-threatening narrative—CGI so poor and unlike the video game whence it came that the entire character was reanimated again due to a public backlash— “Sonic the Hedgehog” has every right to be a full-on disaster. Instead, and seemingly against all impossible odds— in spite of having to go back to the drawing board to recreate a new look for the animated character— ‘Sonic’ is one of the first video game movies worth watching.

Continue reading ‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ Races To Victory Fueled By Big Jim Carrey Energy & The Power Of Friendship [Review] at The Playlist.

As we approach the end of 2019, it’s good to look back at the year’s most interesting, and perhaps embarrassing, news stories in the world of film. And without a doubt, the release of the first “Sonic the Hedgehog” trailer fits in that category. However, months later, Paramount returns with a second trailer and we’re sure the executives are hoping fans don’t universally destroy this one.

Back in April, fans revolted in a way that no one in the film industry has previously seen, as they tore apart the first “Sonic the Hedgehog” trailer.

Continue reading Sonic The Hedgehog’ Trailer: The Character Gets A New Look & Paramount Hopes Fans Don’t Hate It This Time at The Playlist.

“Journalists-as-heroes” seems to be a genre of filmmaking all its own. Perhaps the crown jewel of this genre is the Academy Award-winning “All The President’s Men.” However, in recent years, the genre is coming back strong (perhaps due to our toxic political climate) with films like “The Post” and “Spotlight,” which won the Best Picture Oscar in 2016. This summer, we have another new entry to the genre, Rob Reiner’s “Shock and Awe.”

As seen in the first trailer, and if the name didn’t make it obvious enough, the film follows a duo of intrepid journalists (played by James Marsden and Woody Harrelson) in the days leading up to the most recent Iraq War.

Continue reading ‘Shock And Awe’ Trailer: Woody Harrelson & James Marsden Attempt To Uncover Conspiracy Behind The Iraq War at The Playlist.

Last year, Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan‘s HBO sci-fi drama “Westworld” dropped jaws with its balls-to-the-wall first season finale.  Set in the future in a Wild West theme park where morality is removed and human desire is indulged without consequence, “Westworld” follows the park’s hubristic engineers, uncannily humanoid hosts, and often-sadistic guests as they embark on paths of dark, twisted fantasies (sex, murder, rape, etc.). The show’s Shakespearean axiom, “These violent delights have violent ends,” proved true in the final hours of season one, as once-mild-mannered country girl host (aka artificial intelligence android) Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) gained sentience and murdered Westworld genius and creator Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins).

Continue reading Toned-Down ‘Westworld’ Season 2 Prizes Refinement Over Ribaldry [Review] at The Playlist.

Honestly, the only thing I want to know about the second season of “Westworld” is how many samurais we’re going to see to see. If HBO doesn’t deliver on that season one stinger, I’m gonna flip. Anyway, it’s one of the most anticipated shows coming ’round the bend this spring and naturally, the biggest show on TV is getting a spot during the biggest sports event of the year. And of course, the next season is gonna be bigger and badder.

Continue reading ‘Westworld’ Season 2 Super Bowl Trailer: Kanye West Soundtracks More Violent Delights at The Playlist.