P.R.O.B.E Returns to DVD

p.r.o.b.e. dvd

Created in the downtime when Doctor Who was off the air, the exploits of P.R.O.B.E – the Preternatural Research Bureau – gave fans a gateway into the worlds of their favourite series in new adventures starring Caroline John reprising her role as Dr Elizabeth (Liz) Shaw, an assistant to Jon Pertwee’s third Doctor during his first season in 1970. Created and directed by Bill Baggs for BBV Productions and with scripts largely written by Mark Gatiss the straight-to-video/DVD series  – which also featured guest appearances from Jon Pertwee, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy with other Who luminaries such as Louise Jameson, Sophie Aldred, Terry Molloy (Davros), Geoffrey Beevers, and Mark Gatiss’ League of Gentleman colleague Reece Sheersmith appearing in the initial releases – saw Liz Shaw and the P.R.O.B.E. team investigating supernatural and preternatural mysteries in present-day England.

P.R.O.B.E has more recently lived on in a new series of video diaries available exclusively on the BBV Productions YouTube channel starring BBC Producer Bill Baggs as Giles, the organisation’s new leader in a narrative format imposed by Covid production restrictions. The series began in 2020 and continued into 2021 with a compilation video DVD released in the same year. February 2022 sees the arrival of Volume 2 (on DVD and available to download) and the debut of Simon Fisher-Becker (who played Dorium Maldovar in several TV Doctor Who episodes from 2010-2011) as Giles’ boss Sir Andrew Williams. This is a new and more ambitious version of P.R.O.B.E featuring the live-action debut of beloved time-travelling cult Faction Paradox and with plenty more surprises in store for hard-core Doctor Who enthusiasts. With Caroline John having tragically passed away in 2012 Hazel Burrows now takes on the role of Dr Liz Shaw and P.R.O.B.E Case Files Vol 2 includes ten brand new adventures entitled A Message From Sir Andrew, Daylight Savings, Ichor, Out of the Shadows of Doubt, Fog, Lauren Anderson, Living Fiction, The Only Cure, Ex-President, and Legend. The DVD will also include exclusive bonus feature material.

Check out the exclusive trailer:

For more information on P.R.O.B.E Files Volume 2 and other productions, head over to: bbvproductions.co.uk.

Joe Hill Developing Post-Apocalyptic THE FIREMAN Series

Joe Hill's The Fireman being adapted to tv series

Horror author Joe Hill is teaming with Walden Media to develop a television series based on his 2016 book, The Fireman. 

The novel unfolds in the United States, amidst a highly contagious plague that causes those infected by the fungus to develop dark patterns on their skin, and eventually burst into flames. Upon combustion, the bodies release spores that infect further numbers; millions have died from the disease, for which there is no cure and which has been nicknamed Dragonscale. In response, cremation squads have been created to exterminate those they believe carry the disease, in an attempt to slow the spread.

Amid all of this, Harper Grayson, a nurse and carrier of the disease, is set on a new path after a chance encounter with a mysterious man known only as the Fireman.

Hill has already had a number of his works adapted to the screen: his novel NOS4A2 was adapted to television in a series starring Zachary Quinto, his debut novel Horns made into film starring Daniel Radcliffe, his Locke & Key comics adapted by Netflix, while the upcoming Universal/Blumhouse film The Black Phone is adapted from his short story of the same name. And that’s just to name a few. Bring on The Fireman series.

 

 

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 Debuts Super Bowl Trailer

Idris Elba voices Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 super bowl ad

The Super Bowl may still be a couple of days away, but Paramount have gone ahead and released their Sonic the Hedgehog 2 “Big Game” trailer ahead of the weekend.

After settling in Green Hills, Sonic (Ben Schwartz) is eager to prove he has what it takes to be a true hero. His test comes when Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) returns, this time with a new partner, Knuckles (Idris Elba), in search of an emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and together they embark on a globe-trotting journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands.

James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell and Adam Pally also return, with Shemar Moore joining the cast in an unknown role. Sonic the Hedgehog director Jeff Fowler also returns to helm the sequel.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 releases April 8th in the US, and April 1st in the UK. Check out the trailer below, and refresh your memory by reading our review of the first film here.  

Witness A Global Dino v. Human Clash In JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION Trailer

Jurassic World: Dominion T-Rex

The Wild West meets the dinosaur era in the first full trailer for Jurassic World: Dominion, the third and last entry in the Jurassic World trilogy that will see two generations unite for the first time.

From Jurassic World architect and director Colin Trevorrow, Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed. Dinosaurs now live—and hunt—alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.

Chris Pratt in Jurassic World: Dominion

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard join forces with OG gang Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill in this third Jurassic World film, a bold and breath-taking new adventure that spans the globe. DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, BD Wong, Omar Sy, Isabella Sermon, Campbell Scott, Justice Smith, Scott Haze, Dichen Lachman, and Daniella Pineda also star.

And in a nod to the film’s choice of title, Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm warns: “We not only lack dominion over nature, we’re subordinate to it.”

Check out the official trailer below. Dominion releases in cinemas in June 10th, 2022.

Full Trailer Drops For Horror Icon Dario Argento’s DARK GLASSES

Dark Glasses by Dario Argento

Ahead of the film’s world premiere tomorrow at Berlin Film Festival, the first full trailer for Dario Argento’s horror film Dark Glasses (Occhiali Neri) has released. This highly-anticipated film marks the iconic filmmaker’s first directorial outing in a decade.

Dark Glasses is described as a Rome-set giallo about a luxury escort, Diana, who is blinded by a serial killer in a botched attack, and takes in a young Chinese boy named Chin whose life has also been abruptly and forever altered the maniac’s actions. The boy will become her ally in a struggle to destroy the serial killer once and for all – before he returns to finish the job.

Dario Argento horror film Dark Glasses

Argento –best known for directing cult movies such as Deep Red, Phenomena, The Bird With The Crystal Plumage, Suspiria, Tenebre, Inferno, and Opera – directs and co-writes the screenplay with frequent collaborator Franco Ferrini. Dark Glasses stars Ilenia Pastorelli as Diana (They Call Me Jeeg), the director’s daughter Asia Argento (Land of the Dead, Agony), and Andrea Zhang in his acting debut.

The full trailer to Dark Glasses comes courtesy of Deadline, so head here to watch. 

 

 

 

 

LIGHTYEAR Reveals Full Cast Line-Up With Trailer Drop

Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear in full trailer

After a gorgeous teaser released last year, Pixar has finally launched the official trailer for its Toy Story prequel, Lightyear.

Though Tim Allen voiced the toy in the past, this latest animation tells the origins of the real Buzz Lightyear, the astronaut who inspired the toy’s creation. Chris Evans stars as the intrepid Space Ranger in this sci-fi action-adventure, directed by Pixar veteran Angus MacLane from a script by Pete Docter.

Zurg in Pixar's Lightyear trailer

The newest trailer reveals more about the exact form this adventure will take: “After a full year of being marooned on this planet, our first test flight is a go,” Evans narrates in the clip. In order to make it off the dangerous and faraway planet, Buzz is charged with piloting the rescue flight and getting the others help.

Lightyear looks like it has everything: a wholesome hero, a robot cat, attack robots, tentacled aliens, armoured aliens, flying aliens, space ships, space travel, and more.

Joining the previously announced Evans are Keke Palmer, Dale Soules and Taika Waititi as a group of ambitious recruits. Peter Sohn voices Buzz’s aforementioned robot cat, Sox, amongst a voice cast that also includes Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez and Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Lightyear releases June 17th, 2022. Check out the official trailer below: 

Jessie Buckley Is A Haunted Woman In Alex Garland’s MEN Teaser

Alex Garland horror Men teaser trailer

Jessie Buckley (I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Beast), having just been nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter, battle inner and outer demons in the final teaser trailer for Alex Garland’s Men.  

From the mind that gifted us the incredible Ex Machina and ambitious sci-fi tale Annihilation, this A24 horror follows Harper (Buckley) who, wanting time alone, goes on a solo retreat to the English countryside after the death of her ex-husband.

Men teaser trailer starring Jessie Buckley

Things take a darker turn when, from her first walk through the surrounding woods, she senses she is being followed. What begins as simmering dread became a full-fledged nightmare, complete with a strange male apparition (Rory Kinnear; Years and Years, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels), an abandoned churchyard, and a haunted house.

That’s as much as we know of the synopsis, with the teaser heavy in atmosphere and light on details; but with Buckley, Garland, and A24 all attached, it’s safe to assume this will be another must-see film.

Garland writes and directs the project, with I May Destroy You‘s Paapa Essiedu also starring.

Men releases May 20th, 2022. Check out the teaser trailer below: 

NATIONAL TREASURE Series Casts Catherine Zeta-Jones

Nicolas Cage in National Treasure film

It’s been announced that Catherine Zeta-Jones will lead opposite Lisette Alexis (We Need To Do Something) in Disney+’s National Treasure series, an expansion of the Nic Cage-starring movie franchise.

The series is told from the point of view of Jess Morales (Alexis), a DREAMer in search of answers about her family who embarks on a quest to uncover the truth about the past and save a lost Pan-American treasure. Meanwhile, Billie (Zeta-Jones) is a badass billionaire, black-market antiquities expert and treasure hunter who lives by her own code. She transformed herself from a penniless orphan to a stylish businesswoman and adventurer. She too is after the Pan-American treasure.

The two actresses are joined by Lyndon Smith (Parenthood), Zuri Reed (Flatbush Misdemeanors), Jake Austin Walker (Stargirl), Antonio Cipriano (Safehaven) and Jordan Rodrigues (Light as a Feather) as series regulars. The pilot episode is directed by Mira Nair from a script by Cormac Wibberley and Marianne Wibberley, the duo behind the original films.

National Treasure is due to start shooting this month. A third film is still in development.

 

 

Elisabeth Moss Jumps Through Time In SHINING GIRLS Trailer

Elisabeth Moss stars as Kirby in Apple TV series Shining Girls

Apple TV+ has released the first teaser for Shining Girls, a  thriller-mystery series starring a seemingly time-travelling Elisabeth Moss (Shirley, The Invisible Man).

Based on South African author Lauren Beukes’ best-selling 2013 novel of the same name, Shining Girls follows Kirby Mazrachi (Moss), a Chicago newspaper archivist whose journalistic ambitions were put on hold after enduring a traumatic assault. When Kirby learns that a recent murder mirrors her own case, she partners with seasoned yet troubled reporter Dan Velazquez (Narcos’ Wagner Moura) to uncover her attacker’s identity. As they realise there are more cold cases connected to the event, their own personal traumas and Kirby’s blurred reality make it difficult for them to get ahead of the mysterious assailant.

Moss and Moura are joined by Phillipa Soo (Hamilton, Dopesick), Amy Brenneman (The Leftovers) and Jamie Bell (Rocketman). The first two episodes of the series are directed by Michelle MacLaren (Breaking Bad), with The Handmaid’s Tale’s Daina Reid and Moss herself also directing further episodes.

Apple TV+ premieres the first three episodes of Shining Girls from April 29th, with subsequent episodes releasing weekly every Friday. Watch the teaser trailer below:

INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Director Peter Ramsey Helming Vampire Thriller

Into the Spider-Verse director Peter Ramsey to helm vampire thriller Blood Count

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse co-director Peter Ramsey will soon be directing a period vampire film titled Blood Count. 

Ramsey wrote the spec script package, which was quickly scooped up by Paramount. LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill is aboard to produce, with James, Jamal Henderson and Spencer Beighley also attached as producers. The project is still in the early development stages.

Details on Blood Count are sparse, but it has been described as a film noir social thriller set in 1950s Los Angeles. Including supernatural elements (it’s got vampires, after all!), it’s also said to be loosely inspired by the life of Ramsey’s own father, a jazz musician.

In the meantime, Ramsey serves as executive producer on the two back-to-back Spider-Verse sequels and has directed fantasy miniseries Lost Ollie, which will release to Netflix later this year.