The UK Tabletop Industry Network has teamed up with the critically acclaimed SoulMuppet Publishing to organise a Table Top Roleplaying Meet-Up for creators, publishers and the like. This is a last-minute replacement for a Tabletop Creator’s Summit, which was abruptly cancelled.
The meet-up will be held this Friday, May 24th, 2024, from 14:00 to 18:00 BST at the Commercial Tavern near Spitalfields.
The event will run until 6pm, with talks and opportunities to network, before moving downstairs for drinks in the evening.
Event Itinerary
14.00-14.30: Turn up, settle in.
14.30-15.15: From Idea to Book, Tabletop RPG Production with Zach Cox at SoulMuppet Publishing
15:15-15:30: Break
15:30-16:15: Understanding Intellectual Property: The IP Champion’s Toolkit with Anna Poulter-Jones at Sheridan Solicitors
Scotland’s annual Science Fiction Literary Festival, CYMERA, has attracted some of the world’s most exciting science fiction authors. With over 50 events and 70+ authors, there’s plenty for everyone. CYMERA runs from Friday, the 31st of May, to the 2nd of June at The Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh.
Events include a chance to pitch your work to a top agent, various panels on publishing and science fiction, workshops, a quiz and performances such as Dune! The Musical and Terry Pratchett’s Men At Arms.
An online version of the event is also available for those who are not lucky enough to live in Scotland.
After much speculation, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Adam Wingard will not be returning to direct the next Godzilla x Kong film for the Legendary MonsterVerse.
Wingard, who has directed the last two of the franchise’s entries – Godzilla v Kong, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire– won’t be returning for this upcoming film, though the parting of ways has been described as amicable and stems solely from scheduling issues. Insiders state that he may return to direct the building-smashing kaijus further down the line.
The big question mark over his involvement in the next film has been hanging there since Adam Wingard revealed he would be directing a new original feature before taking on any other projects. Said feature, an action thriller titled Onslaught, was recently picked up in a competitive sale by A24, and is preparing to start filming this autumn.
#In their corner, Legendary was keen to move on swiftly with another monster flick, and have already hired Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsscribe Dave Callaham to begin penning the new script. There’s no word yet on what direction any future films might take, nor on who may star, but stay tuned for more information on the upcoming actioner as we hear it.
The revival of I Know What You Did Last Summer has a release date and, appropriately, it’ll release smack dab in the middle of summer. Sony Pictures has announced that its upcoming film, a reboot of the original 1997 slasher, will release in cinemas on July 18th, 2025. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, best known for helming the Netflix black comedy Do Revenge, is directing the sequel from a screenplay she co-wrote with Sam Lansky, after an initial script by Leah McKendrick.
The cult classic I Know What You Did Last Summer starred Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie 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.
Hewitt and Prinze returned for the 1998 sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, while 2006’s I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer featured an entirely new cast. Prime Video also launched a short-lived streaming series based on the IP in 2021.
We don’t yet know if any of the original cast will be returning for this reboot/sequel/legacy sequel, but it was previously reported that both Hewitt and Prinze were in negotiations to return.
In Never Let Go, Halle Berry plays the mother to twin sons battling an evil spirit closing in on the family’s wilderness home after a world-ending event, as seen in the trailer for Lionsgate’s horror-thriller.
Hailing from The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and Crawlfilmmaker Alexandre Aja, the film centres on a remote house in the woods, fitted with long ropes that enable mother and sons to remain connected in the face of unseen dangers. “The evil out there is clever. One touch without a rope is all it takes… that rope is your lifeline. Never let go.” Berry’s character explains in the trailer. But as a supernatural force engulfs their home, one of the twins begins to question whether this evil truly exists.
Speaking at CinemaCon (via THR), Berry states she took the role because she’s a “bona fide adrenaline junkie” who has always loved thriller movies. “These boys have never left the house that they were born in for 10 years,” Berry continued. “Right away, it was a creepy environment. I was challenged to bring reality to what that would be like. What does mothering look like in a house in the woods with no one around?”
For the role, she learned survival skills and said there was “a little bit of Method acting” going on. “There was no electricity, no lights, my character skinning squirrels, and they’re eating bugs and frogs — raw frogs — in the woods,” Berry said. “I had to really skin a squirrel. These things wildly challenged me to create some reality within this world that felt so foreign.” And she said she pulled from her own life as a mother of two to inform her performance: “Since I became a mother 16 years ago, playing these kinds of roles has wildly excited me. With this movie, it reminded me how I would protect my children with my life. We often say, ‘I would take a bullet for my kids.’ Would you take a knife for your kids?”
Never Let Go comes from the producers of Stranger Things and Arrival, and is being released by Lionsgate. Anthony B. Jenkins, Percy Daggs IV, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Christin Park and Stephanie Lavigne also star.
The horror-thriller is set for a theatrical release September 27th. Watch the trailer below:
Sales company Film Seekers has acquired the international rights to production company View35’s sci-fi thriller, The Draw, and will launch sales at the Cannes market.
The film, which is being billed as 1984 meets Equilibrium and stars The Hobbit’s Ryan Gage and War of the Worlds: The Attack’s Lara Lemon, hails from writer-director Tom Ruddock and producer Shelley Ruddock. Sanjeev Kohli, Samuel Clemens, Marie Everett, and Rozelle Gemma also star. The story is by Tom Ruddock and Dr Matthew Mills.
This debut feature from the filmmaking duo is set in an overpopulated world which is becoming increasingly digitised, with all analogue imagery restricted and replaced with a new technology called ‘The Eyelight’. In The Draw, two uncompromising characters try to navigate the system in a game that fights back.
Caroline Couret-Delègue, Managing Director of Film Seekers, says, “We are delighted to be able to present The Draw to buyers at the Marché du Film. The exciting debut of promising filmmaker Tom Ruddock is a poignant and thrillingly smart look at the continual integration of technology into all facets of our lives and feels all too close to the current trajectory of our future.”
Shelley Ruddock, producer, adds, “We wanted to create an energizing and thought-provoking film that explores the rise of technology and how it connects us so quickly, yet we somehow seem more and more dissociated with each other. The film is a conversation on human connection and relationship with the thrilling challenge of what the future might hold, in our rapidly fast paced society. We’re really excited to launch The Draw into the Cannes Market.”
A new podcast well worth checking out has been launched. It is presented by FrightFest co-director Paul McEvoy and produced by legendary UK genre filmmaker Jake West (Mancunian Man).
Stark Raving Cinema is a guest-based series that starts with celebrated filmmaking duo Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson (Something in the Dirt) and actor/director/novelist Andy Nyman (Ghost Stories). Next up, on May 28th, is a special interview with Issa Lopez (Tigers Are Not Afraid).
Further guests lined up for Season 1 include Ted Raimi (Failure!), Ti West (Pearl), Corin Hardy (The Nun), Brandon Cronenberg (Infinity Pool), Roxane Mesquida (Rubber), Steve Oram (Sightseers), Jennifer Reeder (Knives & Skin) and Joanne Mitchell (Bait).
Paul said: “Stark Raving Cinema’s mission is to entertain and showcase the most exciting guests working in all sectors of the creative industries. The podcast will cover movies, music, TV, songs, bands, books and graphic novels, and our guests will talk about the experiences of pop culture that influenced them to become the creators they are today”.
Jake added: “Listeners will soon be compiling lists of the recommendations that influenced some of the most creative people working in the industry today!”
You can listen online via Linktree or on the website. The podcast will also be available via Spotify and other major platforms. Stark Raving Cinema is presented by Paul McEvoy and produced by Jake West, with original music by renowned film composer Simon Boswell (Santa Sangre). Award-winning designer and animator Ashley Thorpe (Borley Rectory) provided the graphic design, and the web design and digital content were created by up-and-coming director Aaron Truss (Pareidolia).
Andy Samberg is set to star in a comedy feature from Radio Silence, the filmmaking team behind Ready or Not, the two most recent Scream films, and Abigail. Amazon MGM Studios has landed the comedy pitch package for the film, titled The Robots Go Crazy, with Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett attached to direct from a script by Andrew Lanham, and Samberg aboard to star. Plot details are still unknown, but the flick has been labelled as an action comedy.
Samberg, Ali Bell, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone are attached to serve as producers for The Lonely Island’s production company, Party Over Here. Bettinelli-Olpin, Gillett, Chad Villella (the third member of Radio Silence) are also producing with Silk Mass’ Jon Silk. Screenwriter Lanham, best known for his work on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsand Just Mercy, will executive produce.
Following the conclusion of the hit cop-comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine, SNL alum Andy Samberg starred in the time-loop romantic-comedy Palm Springs, and voiced the Scarlet Spider in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. He currently voices the title character in Digman!, and is set to give a rare dramatic performance in the biopic of American war photographer Lee Miller, Lee.
No release date for The Robots Go Crazy has been set yet.
Up-and-coming actor and director Megan Tremethick, known for films such as The Slave and the Sorcerer and The Vance Instituteand the glamorous face of the new incarnation of Amicus, has announced a new project, Spoiling You.
Taking inspiration from the cultural phenomenon of anime cosplay and ASMR YouTube performers, Megan is set to produce a psychological horror that follows the clandestine activities of a lonely girl who discovers a liberating second life through a character she uses to perform ASMR on YouTube. As ‘Miss Mutter’, she soon acquires a legion of devoted fans, but as her popularity grows, so do the lines between fantasy and reality, which begin to blur. As the world learns more about Miss Mutter, we soon realise that the woman underneath all the makeup and costume remains a mysterious figure with a spine-tingling secret. A secret is revealed when Miss Mutter invites her number one fan to spend the night with her for an intimate in-person session.
In Spoiling You, Tremethick ventures into new horror territory, taking the emotional relief brought about by ASMR and dragging it down into the dark realms of the uncanny. Citing inspiration from classic J-Horror and horror anime, such as Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse, Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s Wicked City, the psychological intensity of Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue, and the sheer dread of Takashi Miike’s Audition, Tremethick aims to make a film inspired by the golden era of J-Horror.
Megan said of the project, “I want to lure an audience used to the emotional comfort of ASMR and the sensuality of anime in order to create a horror experience that strikes at the softest core of the viewer. I want to build so much dread, that you’ll almost will yourself to pull away from the screen. I want to create a darkness that will draw you in… like a siren to the rocks. And, hopefully, you’ll love every minute of it.“
Sound will have a special part to play in Spoiling You, as it perverts the popular comfort ASMR has brought millions of people worldwide into a disturbing source of fear. Tremethick explains, “Sound plays such an integral role in horror films—be it the piercing strings that accompany a knife thrust, or the haunting atmosphere, that leaves you holding your breath. ASMR is a cultural phenomenon in which sound helps you to relax, and I want to do the opposite. I want to use sound as a weapon of terror that sends shivers down your spine. Actually… some of my tight-fitting costumes might have the same effect!”
Tremethick also has the support of experienced horror producer Lawrie Brewster of Hex Studios and Amicus Productions, who said: “Spoiling You focuses on the audience and their state of mind in a way that rekindled my fond memories of watching J-Horror for the first time, which for me consisted of Ju-On the Curse, on VCD before the sub-genre exploded into a cultural phenomenon. When Meg explained what a fan she was of Suicide Club (Suicide Circle) as well, I became excited at the prospect of just how creepy and fearless this film might become. So, I was delighted to lend whatever support I can, with gear, resources and distribution help from Hex Studios.“
Spoiling You has a Kickstarter Pre-Launch page, where those interested can select the ‘notify me on launch’ button. The campaign aims to go live later this month and will offer Blu-rays, film merchandise, and opportunities to play a small role (perhaps a victim!), or as a producer on the film. You can follow Megan on Instagram.
We have an exclusive clip from the upcoming Pandemonium, a unique cinematic blend of fantasy, drama, genre, and humour, ahead of its Blu-ray and ARROW streaming release.
In Pandemonium, director Quarxx (All the Gods in the Sky) explores the peculiar, welcoming all those hungry for wonder.
Synopsis:
Nathan (Hugo Dillon) and Daniel (Arben Bajraktaraj) are caught in a road accident that kills them both. As they come to grips with their deaths, Nathan confronts his past and the consequences of his actions. Now trapped in the hellish void of Pandemonium, he encounters tortured souls like Jeanne (Manon Maindivide), a disturbed child; Julia (Ophélia Kolb), a grief-stricken mother; and Norghul (Jean Rousseau), the guide of the great void. Will he find a way to escape the torment that awaits him for eternity?
Pandemonium takes the viewer on a chilling journey as three interconnected stories unravel in this macabre exploration of tales depicting fallen souls. From the intricacies of everyday drama to the realms of supernatural intrigue, each narrative weaves a haunting tapestry that blurs the lines between the mortal and the supernatural.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation • Original uncompressed stereo and 5.1 surround French audio • Optional English subtitles • Different Textures, a brand new interview with writer/director Quarxx • Tony The Monster, a brand new interview with writer/director Quarxx and special make-up/FX supervisor Olivier Afonso • Filming A Real Birth, a brand new interview with writer/director Quarxx sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of a birth • Footage from the film’s 2023 premiere in Paris • Making of featurette • Trailer • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Dare Creative • Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Dare Creative • Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anton Bitel, and a director’s statement and director Q&A
Pandemonium will be released on Blu-ray and available to stream on ARROW from May 27th.
