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.

 

 

 

 

Comic Relief and D&D Team Up for Fantasy Island Prize Draw

Comic Relief have teamed up yet again with Wizards of the Coast to produce a unique D&D experience for one lucky winners.

The Dungeon Master for this event will be Johnny Chiodini, the host of hit D&D show Oxventure.

Wizards of the Coast, the creators of the popular storytelling game, are hosting a special Charity Prize Draw from February 8th to April 10th 2022. Fans can enter here, where they have the option to donate £10 per entry. All money raised for Red Nose Day will help support people living incredibly tough lives in the UK and around the world.

Entrants can also enter for free via post and must be over 18 and residents of the UK. The winner will be randomly chosen on April 10th 2021.

The epic prize includes:

  • A two-night stay for a winner and guest marooned on the remote but hauntingly beautiful Osea Island at the stunning Captain’s House
  • A chance to embark on a D&D adventure inspired by this epic island experience alongside members of Oxventure and led by Dungeon Master, Johnny Chiodini
  • Quest both at the table and around the island, foraging for clues on a bespoke treasure hunt – leading you to a whole host of prizes
  • The opportunity to try axe throwing and archery
  • Gorge in delicious delicacies from a tailored menu of food, while learning how to prepare a gourmet dinner on the campfire

Entrants must be UK residents and aged 18 or over. For more information on the full prize details and full T&Cs please visit here.

Red Nose Day is back on Friday 18th March 2022 and hopes to inspire people across the UK to make a difference, no matter how big or small. This Red Nose Day, we want to remind people that they have the power to change lives.

Eliza Taylor & Bob Morley Set For Sci-Fi Thriller I’LL BE WATCHING

The 100 stars Eliza Taylor and Bob Morley to star in sci-fi thriller I'll Be Watching

Real-life couple and The 100 leads Eliza Taylor and Bob Morley are set to play husband and wife in the upcoming sci-fi thriller I’ll Be Watching, Deadline has announced.

Taylor plays a woman trapped in her isolated new home who becomes caught in a fight for survival, while Morley will play her technological expert husband. An unverified synopsis expands on the premise, claiming that after the death of her sister, Julie (Taylor) fights to revisit the success and inspiration she lost. Lost and unsure of her ability to continue her career as a painter, she finds herself isolated in a home miles away from civilization. Trapped in a failing relationship, and manipulated by the virtual assistant that her husband Marcus (Morley) has been working on, Julie suddenly has to fight to save more than just her sanity.

Joining the duo are David Keith (An Officer and a Gentleman, 2003’s Daredevil), Bryant Batt (Mad Men, 12 Years A Slave), and Hannah Fierman (V/H/S, St. Agatha).

Erik Bernard, writer-director of action film Free Dead or Alive, will helm the project from a script penned by Sara Sometti Michaels (Darren Lynn Bousman‘s St. Agatha) and Elisa Manzini (writer of upcoming horror-thriller Angel Baby).

I’ll Be Watching is currently shooting in Atlanta.

 

 

More SCREAMING Awaits!

Scream 6 greenlit at Paramount, Ghostface will return

You haven’t seen the last of Ghostface yet. Paramount has ordered up a new Scream sequel – making this Scream 6 – following this year’s legacy slasher horror, with the same 2022 creative team at the helm.

Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett will therefore be back in the directors’ chairs, with James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick also returning to pen the script. Production on the as-yet-unnamed sequel is slated to begin this summer.

“Working with such a wonderful and talented family of creators — and in the lineage Wes [Craven] and Kevin [Williamson] so expertly built — has been the thrill of a lifetime, and we’re so excited to bring the next chapter in the Scream saga to life,” Radio Silence said in a statement.

Vanderbilt and Busick also expressed their enthusiasm at the news: “Is this real life? Getting to collaborate once again with our friends on the next instalment of the Scream story is more than we could have hoped for. We are overwhelmed that we get to continue to play in the sandbox that Kevin and Wes created. It is, as Ghostface would say, an honour.”

We, for one, can’t wait to see where the franchise goes next.

 

 

Dakota Johnson Joins The Sony Spider Family As MADAME WEB

Madame Web to star Dakota Johnson

Dakota Johnson looks to be joining the Sony spider family! The actress is in talks to star as the titular character in Madame Web, with S.J. Clarkson (The Defenders) signed on to direct from a script by Morbius duo Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless.

Madame Web, aka Cassandra Webb is a character who first appeared in issue 210 of The Amazing Spider-Man, published in 1980. It introduced an elderly blind woman who suffers from myasthenia gravis, a chronic neuromuscular disease that left her on life support. Madame Web is a clairvoyant character with precognitive abilities who once helped Spider-Man find a kidnapping victim.

Dakota Johnson starring as Madame Web for Sony Pictures

Now, given Johnson’s age, it could well be that this Madame Web film with centre not on Cassandra Webb but on Julia Carpenter, the second person to adopt the Madame Web mantle. In the comics, Cassandra passed her powers of precognition and her blindness onto Julia right before she was killed.

Johnson would play the first female superhero star in Sony Pictures’ universe of Marvel heroes, joining (of course) Spider-Man, Venom, and (soon) Morbius. Another upcoming film within that world includes Kraven the Hunter, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and directed by J.C. Chandor, while The Sinister Six, Nightwatch, and Jackpot are amongst a handful of projects in development.

 

Check Out an Exclusive Clip from RAGING FIRE

raging fire clip

To celebrate the home release of brand new, fight-filled Hong Kong action movie, Raging Fire, starring Donnie Yen (Ip Man 1-4, Rogue One) and Nicholas Tse (New Police Story, Shaolin), we have an exclusive fight clip to share, which offers a taste of the action!

While conducting a raid to arrest a drug lord, police encounter a group of masked thugs. In a violent act of sabotage, the gang steals the drugs and murders the police officers on the scene. Arriving late, Inspector Cheung Shung-bong (Donnie Yen) is devastated to see the brutal aftermath, discovering the cop killers are led by Ngo (Nicholas Tse, New Police Story, Shaolin), his former protégé. Once a rising star in the police who was driven to a life of crime, he now bears a grudge. As their fates become entangled again, a score will be settled once and for all.

Packed full of exhilarating action and Yen’s signature world-class fight scenes, Raging Fire is one of the best Hong Kong movies of recent times and a throwback to the golden age of action cinema. It also marks the final film of veteran writer and director Benny Chan (Invisible Target, Call of Heroes) who tragically passed away shortly after filming. It’s a must-see for action film fans, so check it out.

Trinity CineAsia presents Raging Fire out now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital. You could win a copy here.

 

SUICIDE SQUAD: KILL THE JUSTICE LEAGUE Looks Delayed To 2023

still from Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League video game

It seems that the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League video game will be pushed back until 2023. Although there’s been no official announcement yet from Warner Bros. or the developer, Rocksteady Studios, Bloomberg reports that people familiar with the project have confirmed the delay.

Rocksteady has not released a game since Batman: Arkham Knight in 2015. Kill the Justice League is set in that same Arkham universe, of which we saw a little in the Game Awards trailer released in December – though the story will be set in an open-world Metropolis.

In the game, the Suicide Squad includes Harley Quinn, King Shark, Deadshot and Captain Boomerang, as they are sent by Amanda Walker to kill a brainwashed Justice League being controlled by Brainiac.

 

 

 

TALES OF THE WALKING DEAD Spinoff Series Announces Cast

Tales of the Walking Dead series casts Terry Crews and Parker Posey

The latest spinoff series set in The Walking Dead universe, the ever-inventively titled Tales of the Walking Dead, has announced its initial cast. Joining the anthology show are Anthony Edwards (Top Gun‘s Goose, Zero Hour, ER), genre queen Parker Posey (Superman Returns, Blade: Trinity, Lost in Space), Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Deadpool 2), Poppy Liu (Better Call Saul, Dead Ringers), and Jillian Bell (Rough Night). All are cast in as-of-yet undisclosed roles.

The spinoff also assembles an exciting directorial slate, with Haifaa al-Mansour (Mary Shelley, The Perfect Candidate), Deborah Kampmeier (Clarice, Hounddog) and Tara Nicole Weyr (Fear the Walking Dead, The Purge television series) all aboard to direct one episode each. In addition, series producer and Walking Dead franchise veteran Michael Satrazemis is directing the other three episodes.

Each standalone episode of Tales of the Walking Dead will reportedly focus on both new and established characters set in the world of the original series. It’s also set to premiere sometime this summer.

This spinoff adds to an already expansive cannon, which so far includes the original 2010 series The Walking Dead; Fear the Walking Dead, which began as a prequel series; and the now-concluded World Beyond. There are also plans for an untitled Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier spinoff, an untitled villain prequel spinoff being developed by Scott Gimple, an untitled comedy spinoff, and a film trilogy starring Rick Grimes.