Trieste Science+Fiction Festival 2024 Poster and First Films Revealed

Taking place from October 29th to November 3rd, the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival has unveiled the poster for the 2024 edition of the premiere Italian sci-fi festival, as well as the first wave of movie announcements.

The poster was designed by Michele Rech, aka Zerocalcare, one of the most beloved authors of the Italian and international comics scene. The poster illustrates the challenges and fears that generative artificial intelligence has brought up. As Zerocalcare explains, “The poster tells the story of the distance between how I imagined science fiction as a kid and how my expectations have evolved: we used to think that in the future machines would do the alienating and exhausting jobs, leaving humans free to dedicate themselves to the arts. Today, quite the opposite, the evolution of artificial intelligence shows us a possible dystopia in which machines replace us in drawing and writing, while people continue to wake up in the morning to go to their worksite”.

The first films announced that will be screened at this year’s festival are: Frédéric Jardin’s Survive, Brian Hanson’s The Bunker, starring Tony Todd, Clark Baker’s Test Screening, Joanne Mitchel’s Broken Bird, Mike Hermosa’s hilarious The Invisible Raptor, Michael Felker’s Things will be Different, Amanda Kramer’s documentary So Unreal, Calvin Lee Reeder’s The A-Frame, and Jon Spira’s The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee. These films will form part of the alliance the festival has with the UK’s Pigeon Shrine FrightFest. Alan Jones, co-director of FrightFest is also the artistic director of Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, and he said of the announcement: “Because I am also the co-director of FrightFest, I see a very wide selection of genre films on both the busy FrightFest and Trieste Science+Fiction submission platforms. So there is a certain crossover aspect that I wholeheartedly embrace because if a title works for the discerning FrightFest audience, I know it will also work for the Trieste Science+Fiction spectator too”.

Speaking of the AI element, Alan said: “From the past to the present and the future, AI is in all our lives. That’s the reason the Trieste Science+Fiction mission statement this year is ‘BrAInstorm the MegaFuture’, something the global community needs to do as a matter of urgency”.

The Bunker
Things Will Be Different
So Unreal

The 24th edition of the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival promises a packed schedule of events and film previews. Held at the Politeama Rossetti and Teatro Miela, this year’s festival will showcase the finest global science fiction productions, encompassing a spectrum from horror to classic sci-fi. There will be no shortage of events dedicated to the connection between science and science fiction: Mondofuturo, the series of meetings to dialogue with popularisers and communicators of science about the world of tomorrow; IVIPRO Days, the annual event dedicated to video games as a resource for telling the story of cultural heritage; and the Fantastic Film Forum, a series of events dedicated to professionals in the film and audio-visual industry. Among this year’s novelties is the first edition of the Mondofuturo Literary Prize, an award for the best original science fiction book published in Italy in 2023, promoted by the national research organisation Area Science Park and the Film and Audiovisual Research and Experimentation Center ‘La Cappella Underground’.

For more information head over to https://www.sciencefictionfestival.org/en/

Indie comedy SECRETS OF A WALLABY BOY gets digital release

The cheeky British comedies of the 1970s – Confessions of a Window Cleaner and its various follow-ups – get a modern, queer reimagining in Secrets of a Wallaby Boy, a fantastic new indie comedy made in Manchester.

Weird Rainbow Films today announces – exclusively via STARBURST – that Secrets of a Wallaby Boy has been picked up by distributors Bohemia Media and will be released digitally on 28th October this year.

The movie stars Brandon McCaffrey (Spectrum, Braxton Butcher) as Tim Coaster, a horny and inept young lad who gets a job for cycle courier service Wallaby, alongside Billie Hindle (known for horror podcast The Magnus Protocol) as his best friend Jade.

There are some recognisable stars involved too. Mark Benton (Anna and the Apocalypse) plays Tim’s bumbling dad, horror icon Laurence R. Harvey (The Human Centipede 2) plays a sinister MP, and the Sixth Doctor himself Colin Baker provides the voice of Bruce, Wallaby’s animated mascot.

We love to champion indie movies here at STARBURST, but this is one that we’re particularly thrilled to talk about, as it’s the debut feature as writer/director from our own senior editorial assistant, Kieron Moore.

Kieron said: “I think STARBURST readers will really enjoy Secrets of a Wallaby Boy – it’s a retro-meets-modern comedy with some real indie spirit (by which I mean, we had barely any money), and there are a few genre-related surprises too. It’s really exciting to announce our partnership with the lovely people at Bohemia Media, and I can’t wait for the movie to find its audience.”

Secrets of a Wallaby Boy will be released on digital platforms, in the UK and US, on 28th October. The team are also planning a number of screenings across the UK in the weeks building up to it. Check out the trailer below, and follow Weird Rainbow Films on social media for updates.

‘Hitchcockian’ Horror BLACK CHARIOT is Coming

Hex Studios has announced their next movie, Black Chariot. Said to be an intense and deeply disturbing supernatural horror in the vein of Alfred Hitchcock, it’ll be directed by Lawrie Brewster (Lord of Tears). As well as the master of suspense’s films such as Rebecca (1942) and Psycho (1960), Brewster wants to combine with his love of classic film noir and Val Lewton’s atmospheric classics. The film is set to be launched on Kickstarter and you can sign up to prepare for the crowdfunding blast-off now.

Director Lawrie Brewster said of the project, “My childhood was spent haunted and mesmerized by the romantic and seductive veil Hitchcock cast over me. It shaped my vision of horror, sensuality, and my understanding of fear and obsession. I am thrilled to finally produce a horror film that combines my love for the genre with inspirations drawn from his incomparable genius. Creating a period film and a love letter to that era, in a portrayal of horror that is as hauntingly beautiful as it is terrifying, is a dream come true.”


Black Chariot stars Laurence R. Harvey of The Human Centipede series, in an intense dramatic role that may evoke comparisons with Peter Lorre’s notorious child-killer in Fritz Lang’s M (1931). Harvey plays a ruthless manipulator who coerces three young men – Hex Studio newcomers Novarro Ramon, Dorian Todd, and Sam Barclay – into carrying out the perfect crime: stealing a valuable red briefcase whose mysterious contents drive our characters to a dark meeting place. Here, they encounter a spine-tingling figure known as ‘The Devil’ (Richard Pate), along with two vicious private detectives played by Nick Ford and Marco Rinaldi.

A regular in Hex movies, Megan Tremethick also stars, and she commented, “I felt irresistibly drawn to Black Chariot… by its ethereal and uncanny storyline, which felt so, so reminiscent of the heart and spirit of Carnival of Souls, one of the most haunting films I’ve ever seen.” Tremethick’s images from Black Chariot on Instagram caught the attention of renowned horror filmmaker James Wan, who sent a personal message wishing the team good luck.

Producer Sarah Daly added, “With Black Chariot, we’re pushing the boundaries of indie horror and the genre. Our films and storytelling defy trends and pop culture norms. We are unapologetic in our love for past cinema, and we aim to champion and resurrect a style of genre filmmaking that is timeless and will be enjoyed for years to come.”

The enigmatic Novarro Ramon, who intriguingly lives his life as the imagined reincarnation of silent era star Ramon Novarro, stated, “Black Chariot is more than a film for me; it’s a spiritual journey through time, merging the silent era’s mystique with modern-day horror.”

In Black Chariot, the gang’s crime and ensuing tragedy culminate in the release of supernatural forces, forcing the criminals and a beautiful hostage in their charge, played by Megan Tremethick (aka Miss Amicus), into a battle for survival against an unlikely foe. As night falls, they must evade the red headlights of a black Wolseley 15/50 that moves silently through the dark. But that is the least of their problems, for this black chariot does not drive itself alone – within travels a figure of nightmares, dressed in white and moving silently through the shadows.

Shot in black and white, Black Chariot will usher in a new era in Hex Studios’ line-up of retro-inspired horror films. This follows the wake of sister company Amicus Productions’ record-breaking crowdfunding campaign and Megan Tremethick’s groundbreaking campaign for Spoiling You, which raised the most funds for a horror film directed by a woman.

The pre-launch page for Black Chariot is now available on Kickstarter. Once the campaign launches, fans will be able to pre-order Blu-rays and other merchandise, as well as other special offers.

David Dastmalchian Writing Horror Comic For Panick

panick entertainment poster david dastmalchian to write comic

Late Night with the Devil actor David Dastmalchian is diving back into the world of comics, partnering with the newly-launched genre company Panick Entertainment for a new horror.

Dastmalchian previously made his comics debut with Dark Horse title Count Crowley, and will co-write an untitled revenge tale with longtime associate Leah Kilpatrick. The comic is set to be a five-issue limited series.

Via THR, Dastmalchian said, “I am so excited because Leah and I are joining the Panick team and we are cooking up some very gory, scary, spooktacular comic ideas… Beware.”

Panick Entertainment is headed by Kris Longo, the former publisher of Heavy Metal Magazine. Panick is being described as a new horror and science fiction venture founded by a coterie of entertainment and comics industry veterans, including several from the world of DC. They aim to focus on genre storytelling, beginning in the field of comics and graphic novels, then platforming that into films, television, games and other media.

Other than David Dastmalchian and among other talents expected to contribute to Panick’s initial slate are comics veteran Bart Sears and Michelle Sears, Shannon Eric Denton, screenwriter Dirk Blackman, Brendan Columbus, and artist Tehani Farr.  

Check out the first look at Panick’s brand below:

Blumhouse On The Hunt For SPAWN Director

spawn comic book art by todd mcfarlane

Comic book creator Todd McFarlane has been promising an upcoming Spawn movie for many years now, and while it’s had its setbacks, it looks like a significant part of its development hell is coming to an end: King Spawn now has a completed script, and McFarlane and producer Jason Blum’s Blumhouse are beginning to meet with directors for the film.

The update comes two years after they commissioned a script from rising scribe Matt Mixon, Falcon and the Winter Soldier creator Malcolm Spellman, and Joker Oscar nominee and Joker: Folie A Deux writer Scott Silver. It’s unclear whether Jamie Foxx, who has long been attached to star, will still be involved.

The Spawn comics centre on a former black-ops agent who makes a deal with a demon after being betrayed and killed. McFarlane notes that, as they prepare to approach studios with their script, it helps that two of the year’s biggest tentpoles are R-rated.

“Deadpool is a fun R. Something like Joker 2 is a serious R. Our movie is going to be super serious and dark and gritty,” says McFarlane via THR. “It’s going to be an at times a heavy movie. If you like serious drama, with meaningful themes that are relevant and that may even some reflection of the world we live in, then this has a lot of those elements in it.”

MINOR THREATS Comic Book By Patton Oswalt Heads To Netflix

characters from minor threats comic book cover issue 1

Minor Threats, the hit comic book from actor-comedian Patton Oswalt and screenwriter Jordan Blum, is being adapted to television at Netflix.

Oswalt and Blum will both serve as writers, showrunners, and executive producers on the live-action adaptation. Scott Hepburn, who drew the title, will also executive produce, alongside Dark Horse Entertainment’s Mike Richardson and Keith Goldberg. As you may remember, Dark Horse has a first-look deal with Netflix, which is how we got the popular superhero series Umbrella Academy, whose fourth and final season will release to the streamer August 8th.

Similarly to Umbrella Academy, Minor Threats offers an off-kilter take on the superhero genre. In the first issue of Minor Threats: “It’s hard out there for a supervillain. Not the world conquerors, chaos engines, or arch-nemeses . . . but the little guys. The ones who put on uniforms, knock over jewelry stores, and get tied to poles. And things are about to get worse. The psychotic Stickman has murdered Kid Dusk, sidekick to Twilight City’s premier crime-fighter, the Insomniac. The Insomniac’s teammates are tearing Twilight apart, turning it into a police state–desperate to capture Stickman and stop the Insomniac from crossing that final line which he may never come back from. Caught in the middle are the small-time c-list villains, finding it impossible to walk down the street without being harassed by these heroes. With a bounty on the Stickman’s head, former villain Playtime decides to assemble a ragtag team of villains to take down the Stickman and kill him themselves.”

Oswalt and Jordan previously created and showran Marvel’s stop-motion animated series, M.O.D.O.K., which streamed on Hulu.

The Minor Threats adaptation is still in early development, according to THR’s exclusive.

JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX Drops Second Trailer

lady gaga and joaquin phoenix in joker: folie a deux second trailer

In the second trailer for Joker: Folie À Deux, director Todd Phillips’ much-anticipated sequel to the 2019 Best Picture Oscar-winning Joker, Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck is finding himself in the throes of fame as he endures “the trial of a century” and finds himself a “martyr” to the people of Gotham City.

After murdering Murray Franklin (Robert de Niro) live on television, Arthur Fleck is incarcerated in Arkham State Hospital, where he meets music therapist Lee (Lady Gaga). The two fall madly in love and experience musical madness through their shared delusions, while Fleck’s followers start a movement to free him from Arkham, ultimately giving rise to the Clown Prince of Crime’s criminal empire.

In addition to directing, Phillips also wrote Joker 2 alongside Scott Silver and produces the upcoming film. Harry Lawtey stars as s Harvey Dent, Gotham City’s District Attorney who plans to prosecute Arthur for his crimes. The film also stars Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener. Zazie Beetz will reprise her role from Joker.

The Joker sequel belongs to the DC Elseworlds banner, which explores stories set outside of the shared DC Universe being crafted by James Gunn and Peter Safran. Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II movie and HBO Max Penguin series, for instance, also under that banner.

The sequel releases to cinemas from October 4th, 2024. Watch the full-length, second trailer for Joker: Folie À Deux below:

Conor Leslie Stars In Horror Thriller ARCHANGEL

donna troy titans actress conor leslie to star in upcoming horror thriller archangel

Conor Leslie, who played Diana Prince/Wonder Woman’s protegee Donna Troy on the DC show Titans, is starring in Archangel, a horror thriller from comic book and screenwriter Bryan Edward Hill.

Hill was a writer and supervising producer on Titans, and will make his directorial debut with Archangel. The film has quietly just wrapped shooting, a THR exclusive reveals. It will be unveiled at San Diego Comic Con next week with a first-look at the film and with Leslie and Hill in attendance.

The feature hails from Spooky Pictures and Image Nation Abu Dhabi, who previously collaborated on Chloe Okuno’s thriller Watcher, starring Maika Monroe (who can currently be seen in Longlegs), and Late Night with the Devil, which became a box office and festival hit despite a very small production budget.

Archangel centres on a privately funded organisation researching the possibility of life after death. It is targeted by an ancient entity that wants to keep making from understanding the true nature of the supernatural. Starring opposite Conor Leslie are Greg Hovanessian, Alyshia Ochse, Azure Parsons, and Trevor Riley.

Hill is also developing and writing a graphic novel with a story set within Archangel’s world, which is currently being shopped to publishers.

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER Reboot Sets Cast

madelyn cline of outer banks fame set to star in i know what you did last summer reboot

The upcoming reboot of the 1997 horror hit, I Know What You Did Last Summer, has announced its cast ahead of a planned released next year. Madelyn Cline, best known for starring in Outer Banks and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, is in talks to star opposite Camila Mendes, who played Veronica on the long-running series Riverdale and was recently seen in Do Revenge.

Also in final negotiations are Sarah Pidgeon, Tyriq Withers (Atlanta) and Jonah Hauer-King, the latter of whom recently played Prince Eric in the Disney live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. As we previously wrote, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. were also in talks to reprise their roles from the original movie.

The cult classic starred Love Hewitt, Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe. It was written by Scream‘s Kevin Williamson and based on the 1973 novel of the same name by author Lois Duncan. The film followed four friends who, after a night of heavy partying, accidentally ran over and killed a man. When they decide to dump his body to conceal their secret, they’re unaware that the following year will see consequences knocking at their doors.

Do Revenge filmmaker Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is directing the project from a screenplay she co-wrote with Sam Lensky, from an original script by Leah McKendrick. Neal Moritz, who produced the original, is back to produce this reboot.

Sony Pictures has set their I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot to release July 18th, 2025.

Ruth Wilson to narrate His Dark Materials

Actress Ruth Wilson, best known for her role as the villainous Mrs Coulter in the BBC adaptation of His Dark Materials, is to be the new voice of the audiobook versions of the classic Phillip Pullman novels.

The new audio editions are due to launch on September 5th with the first novel, Northern Lights. The new edition of The Amber Spyglass will also feature a conversation between Philip Pullman and Ruth Wilson, recorded at the Bodleian Library in 2021. The original recordings of the novels, narrated by Philip Pullman and featuring a full cast, will continue to be available alongside the new editions.

Ruth Wilson said: “I fell in love with Philip’s world of His Dark Materials when I first read the books: they’re so complex in their themes and playing Mrs. Coulter on screen allowed me to explore themes deeper than just her villainy: narcissism, freedom, motherhood, imagination. Having the opportunity to narrate this series of audiobooks and delve further into Philip’s profoundly intricate world was an honour and a pleasure.”

Head of Audio Production at Penguin Audio and award-winning audiobook producer Chris Thompson said: “It’s been a wonderful experience to produce the audiobook editions of such globally beloved novels and to work with Ruth and Philip, who are masters of their craft. Ruth’s dedication to understanding each character, each line of dialogue, and every shift in her vocal performance is a testament to her passion for the series and her work. These audiobooks will be a truly memorable way for listeners to rediscover the series or step into Philip’s world for the first time.”

Find out more here.