PIG Director Michael Sarnoski To Tackle A QUIET PLACE Spinoff

Michael Sarnoski to direct A Quiet Place 3

Following Jeff Nichols’ departure from the project in October last year, Paramount Pictures has tapped Pig director Michael Sarnoski to helm the as-yet-untitled A Quiet Place spinoff, according to Deadline. Sarnoski would also assume writing duties.

Little is known about the upcoming instalment, other than it is based on an idea from A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II actor-director John Krasinski. Neither a prequel nor direct sequel to the aforementioned titles, this third film would be a spinoff still set in the same silent, creature-filled world. Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller are producing alongside Krasinski and partner Allyson Seeger.

The Nicolas Cage-fronted Pig is Sarnoski’s first feature directorial effort, a thriller-drama which put the filmmaker on the map and earned him the Chicago Film Critics Association’s Most Promising Filmmaker award last year, as well as the National Board of Review Award for Best Directorial Debut. The film has also put Cage in the Best Actor Oscar conversation.

 

Dave Grohl Makes Killer Music In Foo Fighters’ STUDIO 666 Trailer

Dave Grohl in Foo Fighters horror Studio 666

Dave Grohl goes full Dave Ghoul on his Foo Fighters bandmates in the first full trailer for their horror-comedy feature, Studio 666. 

Written by Jeff Buhler (Pet Sematary, Grudge) and Rebecca Hughes and based on an original story by Grohl, Studio 666 is inspired by the true story behind the band’s tenth album Medicine at Midnight. The setting for the film, a mansion in Encino, California is the same house in which the band recorded said album, and a site which Grohl believes is haunted. As he succinctly told NME, “when we walked into the house in Encino, I knew the vibes were definitely off but the sound was fucking on.”

The band’s frontman reported strange happenings at the time: instruments would be detuned overnight, recording software would experience interference, tracks would be deleted and new ones would appear with strange open mic noise. The band then set up secret cameras and captured unexplainable appearances… exactly what those were however, they cannot disclose.

Dave Grohl in Studio 666 trailer

“When we found out about the history of the house,” Grohl recounts in that same interview, “I had to sign a fucking non-disclosure agreement with the landlord because he’s trying to sell the place. So, I can’t give away what happened there in the past but these multiple occurrences over a short period of time made us finish the album as quickly as we could.”

NDA or not, it seems the events provided Grohl with plenty of inspiration for this wacky haunted house comedy, which is directed by BJ McDonnell – though we hope the rock icon going full murder demon, “one flew over the cuckoo’s nest crazy” on his bandmates is a strictly fictionalised element. Alongside the Foo Fighters, Studio 666 also stars Whitney Cummings, Leslie Grossman, Jenna Ortega, Will Forte and Jeff Garlin.

Studio 666 releases February 25th. Watch the trailer below.

 

 

Zoe Kravitz Is On The Run In Cyber-Thriller KIMI

Zoe Kravitz stars in Kimi from director Steven Soderbergh

HBO Max has released the trailer for Kimi, a new sci-fi cyber-thriller from Steven Soderbergh starring The Batman‘s Zoë Kravitz as an agoraphobic voice-stream interpreter, who becomes convinced that she has overheard a murder.

The titular KIMI is a voice-activated digital assistant not unlike Amazon’s Alexa; unsettlingly, it also records every sound and image around their homes, feeding its parent company invaluable insights into people’s personal lives. Set during the COVID-19 pandemic in Seattle, Kravitz’s unnamed, blue-haired protagonist discovers evidence of a violent crime while reviewing a KIMI data stream; when she tries to report it to the device’s company however, it becomes clear that those in charge will do anything to keep secret just how invasive their technology really is.

Directed from a script by David Koepp – whose credits include Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, Panic Room and Mission: Impossible, Soderbergh’s latest also stars Byron Bowers, Jaime Camil, Erika Christensen, Derek DelGaudio, Robin Givens, Charles Halford, Devin Ratray, Jacob Vargas and Rita Wilson.

Kimi will stream exclusively on HBO Max from February 10th. Watch the trailer below:

VAN HELSING The Complete Collection is Available Now

van helsing

Dazzler Media has released the final season of hit fantasy-horror series Van Helsing, alongside The Complete Collection boxset. The show is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and download-to-own now.

 

Van Helsing has become one of the most exciting and entertaining fantasy-horror shows of recent times, combining brutal action with compelling storytelling and memorable characters. Inspired by the Helsing graphic novel series, the show has gone on to earn a loyal fan following worldwide.

Following an event referred to as “The Rising”, vampires now dominate the world. Vanessa Van Helsing (Kelly Overton, True Blood, Legends), the great-great-great-granddaughter of vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing, is resurrected to lead the surviving humans in their struggle against the vampires.

 

 

Van Helsing The Complete Collection features all 65 episodes from every season, including the eagerly awaited fifth and final season.

You can WIN a copy of Season 5 here.

You can buy Van Helsing here.

Dystopic Fever Dream BOY KILLS WORLD Casts Andrew Koji

Boy Kills World casting announcement

Snake Eyes and Warrior star Andrew Koji joins the ensemble cast for the action-fantasy film Boy Kills World, from first-time feature director Moritz Mohr. Sam Raimi and Roy Lee are on board to produce, with Bill Skarsgard (It, Hemlock Grove), Jessica Rothe (replacing Samara Weaving, who had to exit the project due to scheduling conflicts), Isaiah Mustafa (It: Chapter Two, Shadowhunters) and Yayan Ruhian (The Raid, Beyond Skyline) also starring.

Described as a one-of-a-kind action spectacle, the wittily-titled Boy Kills World is set in a dystopian fever-dream reality and follows a boy who deaf and mute, and who possesses a vibrant imagination. When his family is brutally murdered, he escapes to the jungle and is taken in by a mysterious shaman who teaches him to repress his childish imagination, and trains him to become an instrument of death.

Arend Remmers pens the script with Tyler Burton Smith, from a story co-created by Remmers and Mohr. Production on the action flick is due to begin early this year.

THE NEVERS Star Joins Marvel’s Halloween Special

The Nevers star Laura Donnelly cast in Marvel halloween special

Laura Donnelly, best known for her starring role in the science fiction drama The Nevers, has joined Gael Garcia Bernal (Old, The Motorcycle Diaries) in Marvel Studios’ untitled Halloween special for Disney+.

In typical Marvel fashion, plot details are being kept under lock and key, but Deadline reports that Bernal will likely be playing a character based on Werewolf by Night. The mantle was given to two separate characters in the comics, Jack Russell and Jake Gomez, both of whom are able to transform into a werewolf while retaining their human intellect.

Marvel's werewolf by night for halloween special on Disney+

Although it seemed more likely that Bernal would play Russell, given Gomez is a 17-year-old Native American in the comics, the synopsis posted to Production List reads:

“A new Werewolf by Night is prowling the Southwest, but all is not as it seems! A young man, a family curse and an unholy experiment prove a dangerous combination for a small town in Arizona. All young Jake wants is to protect his people, but who will protect him from the monster within?”

If Bernal plays Russell, it could well mean that Donnelly will take on the role of Nina Price/Vampire by Night, his niece and a vampire-werewolf hybrid. Unlike her uncle, Price cannot control her werewolf instincts, and turns into a white wolf rather than a humanoid werewolf. Otherwise, it’s unclear who else the actress would play in the upcoming project.

Could it be that the Halloween special will feature both Werewolves by Night? Or will Bernal play another role entirely? Your guess is as good as ours. On the upside, answers will undoubtedly come soon – with production starting next month, you can expect the special to land on Disney+ as early as Halloween 2022!

Cynthia Erivo Develops Savant Abilities In BLINK SPEED

Cynthia Erivo to star in and produce Blink Speed

Two-time Academy Award nominee and British actress Cynthia Erivo (who, at just 35 years old, is already just an Oscar shy of an EGOT) is set to star in and produce Blink Speed, an upcoming Netflix science fiction film.

Erivo will play a woman plagued by a rare and mysterious savant ability, which she suddenly develops following a near-death experience. Turns out, her new skill may also be the key to unlocking the truth behind her fractured memory and past.

The film, which is co-produced by Matt Jackson (The Trial of the Chicago 7, Molly’s Game), is based on a short story by Virex trilogy and Helix author Eric Brown. Brown is also on board to write the screenplay.

Blink Speed is just the latest in a long line of projects for Erivo, who will next be seen opposite Tom Hanks in Disney’s Pinocchio (the Disney live-action adaptation, not the identically-titled Guillermo del Toro film that’s also releasing this year) and is currently in production on Luther with Idris Elba. And if that’s not enough, she will also be beginning production on Jon Chu’s Wicked this summer, starring as Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande.

THE BOYS Sets Season 3 Release Date

The Boys season 3 premiere date announced by Amazon Prime Video

It’s been a long wait folks, but The Boys Season 3 has finally set an official release date: the superhero satire series will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on June 3rd. The announcement dropped on Twitter by way of a short teaser video showing Homelander’s (Antony Starr) unsettlingly wavering ‘photo op’ smile, as the press snaps picture after picture. Let’s just say that we’re sensing another murder spree up ahead.

Although the news reports from the Vought News Network channel have served to bridge the extended hiatus between seasons, it will still have been 20 long months since we last Butcher’s band of rebels – fair to say that fans have shown remarkable patience. The hit show will return with a three-episode premiere that Friday, with new episodes releasing weekly leading to a season finale July 8th, 2022 – including the much-publicised “Herogasm” episode, which is confirmed to drop June 24th.

In the meantime, we’ve compiled all that we know so far about The Boys’ upcoming third season, including Jensen Ackles’ highly anticipated series debut as Soldier Boy and potential new heroes joining the fold.

You can also check out the Season 3 First Look clip for yourself below, though (in typical fashion) it gives near-nothing away:

SCOTT PILGRIM Anime Series In The Works

Scott Pilgrim vs the World film poster by Edgar Wright

Scott Pilgrim is making its way back to the screen as a planned anime series courtesy of Netflix and UCP (the same people behind The Umbrella Academy and Chucky), reveals The Hollywood Reporter in an exclusive. Originally a hit graphic novel series created by Bryan Lee O’Malley, Scott Pilgrim later gained further recognition after Edgar Wright’s 2010 film adaptation garnered an impressive and dedicated cult following – this despite Bob-ombing at the box office.

Part action fantasy, part romantic-comedy, Scott Pilgrim centres on the titular character and slacker musician (played by Michael Cera), as he attempts to win a competition to receive a record deal while also battling the seven evil exes of his love interest Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). The impressive cast also included future MCU heavy-hitters Chris Evans and Brie Larson, and Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, Aubrey Plaza and Mae Whitman.

O’Malley is writing and executive producing the series with BenDavid Grabinski (Are You Afraid of the Dark?) and, should the project receive a series order, would serve as showrunners. Wright and producing partner Nira Park would also receive executive producer credits, along with the Marc Platt Productions team and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World‘s co-writer Michael Bacall.

Fingers crossed it gets picked up, then!

 

 

 

THE LAST THING MARY SAW Brings 1800s Religious Terror To Shudder

The Last Thing Mary Saw trailer lands on Shudder

Orphan star Isabelle Fuhrman heads back to 1843 in the upcoming period horror The Last Thing Mary Saw, releasing exclusively to Shudder on January 20th.

Written and directed by Edoardo Vitaletti in his feature-length debut, The Last Thing Mary Saw opens in Southold, New York. As per the synopsis, we first meet Young Mary (Stefanie Scott, Insidious: Chapter 3), blood trickling from behind the blindfold tied around her eyes, as she is being interrogated about the events surrounding her grandmother’s death.

As the story jumps back in time, we witness Mary, raised in a repressively religious household, finding fleeting happiness in the arms of Eleanor (Fuhrman), the home’s maid. Her family, who believe they are seeing, speaking, and acting on God’s behalf, view the girls’ relationship as an abomination, to be dealt with as severely as possible. The couple attempt to carry on in secret, but someone is always watching, or listening, and the wages of perceived sin threaten to become death, with the tension only heightened by the arrival of an enigmatic stranger (Rory Culkin, Lords of Chaos) and the revelation of greater forces at work.

Reviewed by STARBURST as part of our FrightFest coverage, The Last Thing Mary Saw is described as “a stunning piece of cinema, beautifully filmed and seething with an oppressive atmosphere… It’s less a story of witchcraft, supernatural, and more of feminine power and the power puritanical religion has to blind and control.”

The Last Thing Mary Saw releases Thursday, January 20th on Shudder. Watch the official trailer below: