In what is now becoming an annual tradition, a new FrightFest Guide from FAB Press is being launched at this year’s event. The FrightFest Guide to Mad Doctor Movies from author Dr John Llewellyn Probert will be available to purchase over the full festival, with Probert (a practising surgeon!) signing copies on Friday, August 25th and Saturday, August 26th.
Here’s the book’s official blurb:
Ever since the dawn of cinema, filmmakers have been depicting on screen the potential outcomes of medical madness and science gone sick. Now join surgeon, author, film critic and not-at-all-mad Doctor (at least according to him) John Llewellyn Probert as he takes a detailed look at the history of one of the most enduring archetypes in cinema, with an introductory overview of the genre followed by reviews of over 200 key mad doctor movies.
In addition to critical appraisal, the author’s own medical background allows him to provide a unique insight into just how well the filmmakers have done their homework. And who better to provide a foreword than notorious director Tom Six, who shocked filmgoers across the globe with his 100% medically accurate Human Centipede and its sequels.
So, thrill to monsters and mutations, creatures and creations, horror hospitals, isolated mansions and underground laboratories as we enter a world of research gone rogue, of frightening philosophies and dread disease.
This will be the seventh edition of the popular FrightFest Guidesfrom FAB Press and will be available in hardback at the event and to pre-order from www.fabpress.com. Books will ship in the first week of September, ahead of the official publication date of October 24th.
Samara Weaving, eternal holder of our horror-loving hearts, is set to star in the 20th Century heist thriller Eenie Meanie from writer and director Shawn Simmons. Deadpool franchise and Zombieland scribe duo Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are also aboard to produce.
Simmons is best known for creating the action comedy series Wayne and is currently developing The Continental, a series from the world of John Wick centring on a young Winston.
Eenie Meanie follows a former teenage getaway driver who is dragged back into her criminal past when a former employer offers her a chance to save the life of her ex-boyfriend. It’s fair to assume that Weaving will play said getaway driver.
Weaving is perhaps best known for her breakout role in Ready Or Not, as well as Netflix’s The Babysitter duology and the Hulu series Nine Perfect Strangers. The actress also gave a scene-stealing performance in Scream VI. Other recent roles include a co-leading role in the musical biopic Chevalier opposite Kelvin Harrison Jr., and a briefer turn in Damien Chazelle’s extravagant love letter to Hollywood, Babylon. Weaving was also recently cast in the action-horror film Azrael.
Stay tuned for further casting and release updates for Eenie Meanie!
Ahead of the SAG-AFTRA strike taking hold, Disney has tied up the cast for Tron: Ares, announcing the addition of Yellowjacketsstar Sarah Desjardins and Shameless alum Cameron Monaghan to the cast.
They join Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Greta Lee and Jared Leto for the threequel, which is directed by Joachim Rønning from a script by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne.
The original Tron released in 1982 and starred Jeff Bridges as a video game designer who is transported inside his own creation and teams up with Tron, a security program. The 2010 sequel brought back Bridges but took on a generational approach to the story by bringing in new characters. Tron: Ares, however, takes a different approach and will focus on the emergence of a sentient program that crosses over into the human world.
Leto will portray Ares, the program’s physical manifestation, while Lee will star as a video game programmer and tech company CEO who has to go on the run in order to protect her world-altering technology and keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Monaghan and Desjardins’ roles have not yet been confirmed.
Beyond Showtime’s Yellowjackets, Desjardins is also known for starring in the Netflix spy thriller The Night Agent, as well as Under the Banner of Heaven and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Cameron Monaghan, meanwhile, is known for his genre work starring in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and holding a dual role in Fox’s Gotham.
The much-loved and eagerly-awaited film festival FrightFest has revealed its 2023 line-up, which includes films from all over the world. There is also a new headline sponsor, Pigeon Shrine, a cutting-edge technology and entertainment company set up by filmmaker Tom Paton, alongside Jamie McLeod-Ross and Charley McDougall.
This year’s event takes place at Cineworld Leicester Square between Thursday, August 24th and Monday, August 28th.
The opening night movie is the European premiere of Joe Lynch’s brilliant Suitable Flesh, starring the legendary Barbara Crampton, who will also be in attendance. Closing the festival on the Monday is Jenn Wexler’s The Sacrifice Game. Jenn’s previous film, The Ranger, opened proceedings in 2018.
Suitable Flesh
Other films screening include:
The Blue Rose, the debut of 18-year-old George Baron T Blockers, an Australian trans-horror from Alice Maio MacKay Doctor Jekyll, an update of Robert Louis Stephenson’s classic tale starring Eddie Izzard Farang, the latest from Xavier Gens Founders Day, from Erik and Carson Bloomquist Where the Devil Roams, from the team of John Adams, Zelda Adams, and Toby Poser (The Deeper You Dig) That’s a Wrap, from Pretty Boy director Marcel Walz
Doctor Jekyll
Failure!, another single-take shocker from Alex Kahuam (Forgiveness), starring Ted Raimi Punch, from Andy Edwards (Midnight Peepshow) A Million Days from Mitch Jenkins How to Kill Monsters from Stewart Sparke (Book of Monsters) Werewolf Santa, the latest from Airell Anthony Hayles (They’re Outside) To Fire You Come, from Sean Hogan I am Monsters!is a filmed version of Nicholas Vince’s autobiographical one-man show
T Blockers
Hostile Dimensions from Graham Hughes, whose Death of a Vlogger was a FrightFest hit in 2019 Lore, from James Bushe (Cannibals and Carpet Fitters) Cheat, from Nick Psinakis Creeping Death, from Matt Sampere Faceless After Dark, from Raymond Wood Herd, from Steven Pierce Transmission, from Michael J. Hurst Cold Meat, from Sébastien Drouin Home Sweet Home: Where Evil Lives Raging Grace, from Paris Zarcilla It Lives Inside, from Bishal Dutta Piper, starring Elizabeth Hurley and diected by Anthony Waller
Minore
The Dive, New Life, from John Rosman Pandemonium, from Quarxx Monolith, from Matt Vesely The Seeding, from Barnaby Clay Cobweb, Samuel Bodin’s eagerly-awaited shocker, which will have an extra closed captions screening My Mother’s Eyes, Takeshi Kushida’s latest River, from Junta Yamaguchi (Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes) The Ghost Station, from Yong-ki Jeong Trigger, the first FrightFest film from the Philippines! Good Boy, from director Viljar Bøe The Knocking, from Jonaas Pajunen and Max Seeck Minore, from Konstantinos Koutsoliotas – the first Greek film to screen! Poundcake What You Wish For, from Nicholas Tomnay Black Mold, from John Pata (editor of The Stylist) Spookt, from Tony Reames Thorns, from Douglas Schulze
Founders Day
Here for Blood, from Daniel Turres The Black Mass, the directorial debut of Devanny Pinn The Weird Kids, from Zach Passero Departing Seniors, from Claire Cooney Trim Season, from Ariel Vida Eight Eyes, from Austin Jennings The Moor, from Chris Cronin Isaac, from Tariq Sayad and starring STARBURST Fantasy Awards winner Johnny Vivash and Catriona MacColl Haunted Ulster Live, from Dominic O’Neill
There are also retrospective screenings of Lewis Teague’s classic Alligator, It Follows has a 4K restoration world premiere, a tenth-anniversary screening of James Wan’s The Conjuring, and a fiftieth celebration for William Friedkin’s The Exorcist, hosted by (who else?) Mark Kermode.
As always, there are also some great documentaries in the line-up including: Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow, a profile of the multi-talented writer/director/actor/musician/nightclub bouncer from Jake West (Midnight Peepshow) Otto Baxter: Not a Fucking Horror Story – in which director Otto Baxter uses a short film to explore his birth, adoption, and battle living with Down Syndrome [REC] Terror Without a Pause looks at the Spanish classic The J-Horror Virus from the makers ofThe Found Footage Phenomenon The Darkside of Society focuses on the making of Brian Yunza’s Society 1982: The Greatest Geek Year Ever! A celebration of an epic year of fantasy productions Kim’s Video is a quest to track down a collection of rental videos Enter the Clones of Bruce Lee hones in on the strange world of Bruceploitation
The festival guest line-up and details of the Short Film Showcase will be announced soon.
Passes are on sale from noon on Saturday, July 15th and single tickets from noon on July 22nd. For booking and programme details: https://www.frightfest.co.uk
Warner Bros has been busily growing its cast for the DC franchise resetter Superman: Legacy, after recently announcing that David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan would take up the mantles of Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane, respectively. Studio co-chief Peter Safran broke the news in a new piece with Vanity Fair that Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, and Edi Gathegi would be joining Legacy’s call sheet.
Fillion will portray Guy Gardner, one of Green Lantern’s iterations, while Merced is aboard as Hawkgirl and Gathegi as Mister Terrific. DC co-chief James Gunn is directing the pic from his own script, with Safran as producer.
None of the three actors are new to the superhero world: Fillion recently appeared in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Suicide Squad(both of which were helmed by Gunn), while Merced is due to star in Sony’s upcoming Madame Web. Gathegi, meanwhile, long ago starred in X-Men: First Class.
Taking to the social platform Threads, Gunn also clarified that Fillion will play Green Lantern “in all parts of the DCU,” including The Green Lanterns show, which is part of the same universe.
Superman: Legacy has a release date of July 11th, 2025, with Gunn expecting to film early next year. The casting search now continues for characters such as Lex Luthor and the superheroes The Authority, who are expected to debut in Legacy before starring in their own film.
Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano must rally allies against Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) and prevent him from waging a galactic war in the new, full-length Star Wars: Ahsoka trailer.
Set after the fall of the Empire, Star Wars: Ahsoka follows the former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy. The character made her screen debut as the Jedi apprentice to Anakin Skywalker in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and later starred in Star Wars: Rebels, also an animated series. Dawson’s portrayal in the second season of The Mandalorian marked the beloved character’s live-action debut.
Star Wars: Ahsoka launches on Disney+ on August 23rd, premiering the first two episodes simultaneously, with new episodes released each week. Watch the full Ahsoka trailer below, or check out the previously-released teaser trailer here.
After debuting the first footage from Paul King‘s chocolate-maker origin story at CinemaCon last year, Warner Bros has today released the first official Wonka trailer, starring Timothée Chalamet in the titular role. Wonka works as a prequel to Roald Dahl’s beloved and ever-popular kids’ novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
In the first Wonka trailer, chocolate aficionado Willy Wonka must face off against a chocolate cartel that wants to prevent him from practicing his craft. Cue a fantastical adventure filled with singing, dancing, and wildly imaginative (perhaps deadly) chocolate confections.
Chalamet spoke to Vogue about his desire to take on this role, stating that “to work on something that will have an uncynical young audience, that was just a big joy. That’s why I was drawn to it. In a time and climate of intense political rhetoric, when there’s so much bad news all the time, this is hopefully going to be a piece of chocolate.”
The stacked cast also includes Hugh Grant, Keegan-Michael Key, Rowan Atkinson, Sally Hawkins, Olivia Colman, Jim Carter, Matt Lucas, Natasha Rothwell, Tom Davis, Mathew Baynton and Simon Farnaby.
The candy-coloured prequel releases in cinemas on December 15th. Watch the latest Wonka trailer below:
Jennifer Garner is donning her Elektra leathers for the first time in twenty years, returning to the role of the Marvel assassin antiheroine for Deadpool 3, THR reveals.
The actress joins Ryan Reynolds in his fourth outing as the beloved Merc with a Mouth, with Hugh Jackman also back to play Wolverine. Deadpool 3 marks the first film that will feature any character from the stable that used to belong to 20th Century Fox.
Jennifer Garner first played Elektra in the 2003 film Daredevil, in which Ben Affleck starred as the blind lawyer and night-time vigilante. Garner then went on to solo topline with Elektra in 2005.
Exactly how Elektra and Wolverine will return is anyone’s guess, given the complicated timeline entanglements between the X-Men franchise, the Deadpool films and the mainline MCU – but given the Merc with a Mouth’s propensity for fourth wall-breaking humour, the characters’ return may just be explained away with a couple of jokes.
Shawn Levy is directing Deadpool 3, which will bring its R rating to the MCU for the very first time. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick return to pen the script, with previous drafts written by Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin.
Deadpool 3 is due to release in cinemas from May 3rd, 2024.
The Nun 2, a sequel to the highest-grossing Conjuring film of all time, has released its first trailer. 2018’s The Nuncentred on a demonic nun played by Bonnie Aarons, who first held the role in The Conjuring 2, and was set in 1952. This sequel again stars Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene and Aarons as the titular character, with Storm Reid joining the cast for a tale set in 1966.
James Wan and Peter Safran are producing under their Atomic Monster and The Safran Company banners, respectively. Michael Chaves, who helmed The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, directs this latest entry in the popular horror universe. Chaves directs from a screenplay by Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing and Akela Cooper (M3GAN, Malignant), with a story by Cooper, based on characters created by James Wan and Gary Dauberman.
The Nun 2 picks up with Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), a friend of Sister Irene’s, being possessed by the demon Valak. After a terrible incident at the school Maurice works at in France, Sister Irene goes to the country to investigate.
Elsewhere in the New Line universe, The Conjuring: Last Rites is being billed as the final instalment of the main franchise that stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.
The Nun 2 releases in cinemas on September 8th. Watch the trailer below:
Greta Lee, who delivers a breakout performance in the upcoming A24 romantic drama Past Lives, and After Yang star Jodie Turner-Smith have joined the cast of Tron: Ares, the latest instalment of Disney’s cybertech adventure franchise.
They join Jared Leto and Evan Peters, ahead of filming beginning in August. Joachim Ronning, best known for helming Maleficent: Mistress of Eviland Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, is directing the feature from a script by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne.
The original Tron released in 1982 and starred Jeff Bridges as a video game designer who is transported inside his own creation and teams up with Tron, a security program. The 2010 sequel brought back Bridges but took on a generational approach to the story by bringing in new characters. Tron: Ares, however, takes a different approach and will focus on the emergence of a sentient program that crosses over into the human world.
Leto will portray Ares, the program’s physical manifestation, while Lee will star as a video game programmer and tech company CEO who has to go on the run in order to protect her world-altering technology and keep it from falling into the wrong hands.
