The movie season is picking up considerably as November delivers major award contenders and blockbuster fare. “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” will try to attempt a “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer-style box office boost. Festival favorites like “A Real Pain” and “Bird” arrive for their official, long-awaited premieres. Elsewhere, there are two Dwayne Johnson films, an animated sequel, the second film from Luca Guadagnino in 2024 alone, and even some holiday-inspired features to help roll us into December. 

Continue reading 17 November Films To See: ‘Blitz,’ ‘Queer,’ ‘Maria,’ ‘Gladiator II’ & More at The Playlist.

An October, well, November surprise has arrived this awards season. Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked,” which some early box office forecasts have penciled in for a $100 million+ U.S. opening the weekend of November 14, has screened for select members of the media and the current Broadway cast. A formal review is prohibited, but we are currently allowed to discuss its charms in terms of awards season. And that surprise we just mentioned? It’s none other than Ariana Grande.

Continue reading Ariana Grande Will Cast A Spectacular Spell As ‘Wicked’ Drops On Oscar Season at The Playlist.

“The Wizard of Oz” is often cited as one of the greatest films of all time. And though we tend to poopoo any talk of prequels and sequels to treasured classics, there’s no denying everyone’s excitement for “Wicked.” The two-part film debuts its first half later this year and is expected to have the potential of being a major blockbuster.

READ MORE: Summer Movie Preview: 50 Must-See Films To Watch

As seen in the trailer for “Wicked,” the film is based on the acclaimed Broadway musical and tells the story of Glinda and Elphaba, two budding witches as they go to the Shiz University to help grow their craft.

Continue reading ‘Wicked’ Trailer: Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande Lead Jon M. Chu’s Adaptation Of The Broadway Musical at The Playlist.

It’s been a long time coming, as the musical is one of the most beloved in recent decades, but “Wicked” is finally hitting the big screen this fall. Split into two parts, the first part of “Wicked” is set to showcase the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda, as they grow into the “Wizard of Oz” characters that we know and love.

READ MORE: Summer Movie Preview: 50 Must-See Films To Watch

As seen in the new featurette, we get a behind-the-scenes look at “Wicked,” specifically focusing on the two leads in the film, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

Continue reading ‘Wicked’ Featurette: Get A Peek Behind The Scenes Of Highly Anticipated Film From Director Jon M. Chu at The Playlist.

LAS VEGAS – Universal Pictures has some potential big hits on its upcoming release slate. There’s “The Fall Guy” with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. Illumination returns with “Despicable Me 4.” It’s taken decades, but a “Twister” sequel, “Twisters,” arrives this summer. Blumhouse has adapted the Dutch horror film “Speak No Evil” with James McAvoy. DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” is based on a wildly popular children’s book.

Continue reading ‘Wicked’ Soars For Universal Pictures But Focus Features’ ‘Nosferatu’ Stuns At CinemaCon at The Playlist.

There’s that one note. That incredibly high note at the end of the song “Defying Gravity” from the musical “Wicked.” A note, until the success of “Let It Go,” which defined Idina Menzel’s career. That note was the last thing heard at Universal Pictures’ CinemacCon presentation on Wednesday evening. But this time, the note was sung by Cynthia Erivo and it was glorious. Truly glorious.

Continue reading Universal Pictures Reveals New ‘Wicked,’ ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Fall Guy’ Footage [CinemaCon] at The Playlist.

For a period of Hollywood history where box office success is a complicated equation thanks to streaming and PVOD options, it’s somewhat disheartening how Jon M. Chu’s “In The Heights” has seemingly fallen out of Oscar contention. With vaccines driving down COVID cases and a “party like it’s the 1920s” atmosphere expected for the summer of 2021, “Heights” was positioned as a crowd pleasing movie that could help drive audiences back to theaters.

Continue reading Jon M. Chu On The Legacy Of ‘In The Heights’ & A ‘Wicked’ Update [Interview] at The Playlist.

Despite the box office and critical disappointment of “Dear Evan Hansen,” Hollywood is still really excited about the possibilities of bringing famous Broadway musicals to the big screen. This year alone, we’ve had the aforementioned “Dear Evan Hansen,” “In the Heights,” and in December, “West Side Story.” And one of the biggest musicals of all time, “Wicked,” is now bringing in two incredibly talented singers to bring that show to life in film.

Continue reading Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande Cast In Lead Roles For Jon M. Chu’s ‘Wicked’ Adaptation at The Playlist.

The buzz around “In The Heights” has been building for a year. Warner Bros.’ crowd-pleasing movie musical that helped Jon M. Chu land the coveted gig directing the long-awaited film adaptation of “Wicked.” Through all the murmurs of how impressive “Heights” is, and trust, it’s likely your first Best Picture nominee of 2022, there was still one surprise, the star-making turn of Anthony Ramos.

READ MORE: “In The Heights” Is A Joyous Celebration Of The Latinx Diaspora [Review]

Granted, anyone who saw the original stage production of another Lin-Manuel Miranda production, “Hamilton,” or his supporting turn in “A Star is Born” knew he had talent, but “In The Heights” is the sort of performance that comes along once in a blue moon.

Continue reading Jon M. Chu On Putting ‘In The Heights’ Through The Filter Of Anthony Ramos [Interview] 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.

Continue reading Stephen Daldry Gets ‘Wicked’ While Jon Favreau Will Hang With ‘Jersey Boys’ at The Playlist.