Mads Mikkelsen’s Unhinged Comedy RIDERS OF JUSTICE Gets Remake

Mads Mikkelsen in Riders of Justice

The excellent, darkly funny comedy-thriller Riders of Justice is getting an English-language remake, courtesy of Lionsgate Studios. Yes, we are indeed talking about the film that was only released last year, from writer-director Anders Thomas Jensen and  starring the always-great Mads Mikkelsen. Why a remake so soon, you might ask?

Because Riders of Justice is a Danish-language film that will this time be done in English.

It brings to mind Bong Joon-ho’s quip upon receiving a Golden Globe for his masterpiece thriller, Parasite: “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” A shame really that instead of uplifting global cinema, Hollywood continues to co-opt non-English language films for their own profits – most recently, with Netflix’s Jake Gyllenhaal-starrer, The Guilty, itself a near scene-for-scene adaptation of the 2018 Danish film of the same name.

Still from Danish film Riders of Justice, starring Mads Mikkelsen

Bitterness aside for a moment, Riders of Justice’s original co-writers Jensen and Nikolaj Arcel will also write the English-language version of their “ageing man guns down everyone to avenge their family” film, about a war vet who returns home to care for his teenage daughter after his wife is killed in a tragic train accident – or so it seems, until a team of statistics experts claim foul play.

The adaptation will be produced by 21 Laps’ Shawn Levy, Dan Levine and Dan Cohen, who are still riding their Free Guy commercial and critical success. It’s still very early days on the production, so no word yet on who might be directing and starring in this version.

“There are few films that balance the action, emotion, and dark humour that Anders did so successfully in Riders of Justice,” said Lionsgate president of production, Erin Westerman. “We’re confident that the movie will translate perfectly to English-language audiences as well.”

For the love of Mikkelsen, can’t English-language audiences just ride over that subtitles barrier and give “foreign” films the justice they deserve?

 

Eight UK TV Premieres Heading to Horror Channel in December

horror premieres december

As it’s almost the season of goodwill, Horror Channel has lined up a whopping eight UK TV premieres for December, giving everyone reason to celebrate!

The British TV firsts include recent FrightFest favourites Sacrifice – starring Barbara Crampton – anthology Tales from the Lodge with Mackenzie Crook and Johnny Vegas, and the gore-filled Aquaslash. Also making their debut on UK TV are Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s brilliant Spring, Greg McLean’s The Darkness starring Kevin Bacon, Desolation, The Young Cannibals, and Forget Everything and Run.

Channel premieres include Benicio Del Toro as The Wolfman and Gus Van Sant’s remake of Psycho.

Sacrifice

The films in transmission order:

Friday, December 3rd

Desolation (2017)

Forget Everything and Run (2021)

Saturday, December 4th

Psycho (1998)

Sunday, December 5th

Spring (2014)

Friday, December 10th

Aquaslash (2019)

Saturday, December 11th

The Darkness (2016)

Sunday, December 12th

Sacrifice (2020)

Friday, December 17th

The Young Cannibals (2019)

Saturday, December 18th

The Wolfman (2010)

Sunday, December 19th

Tales from the Lodge (2019)

Desolation

For more information, head over to http://www.horrorchannel.co.uk

Tune in on Sky 317, Virgin 149, Freeview 68, Freesat 138.

HEROQUEST COMES TO UK RETAIL

HEROQUEST

A modern version of the classic boardgame HeroQuest will be available to buy via UK stores from the 15th of January 2022.

This semi-coop board game has one player taking on the role of the evil wizard Zargon and his hoard of monsters, while 4 mythical heroes team up to solve puzzles, bash beasties and win the day. The new set is the basic game, and comes with over 65 detailed miniatures and 14 quests. It’s seen by many as a solid introduction to fantasy table top gaming.

Heroquest originally came out in 1989 and was the result of two UK games companies teaming up.  It sparked new interest in fantasy table top games that continue to this day. The original has long been out of print, but the rights now belong to Hasbro. The new game was announced last year and was only available via Hasbro’s HasLab  pre-ordering service or approved distributors. (In the UK this has been geek-merch website Zavvi.)  Those pre-ordered games are now en-route, which means that those who missed their chance will soon be able to buy their own copy of the game via your friendly local games store, as well as Amazon, Smyths etc.

Further expansions have already been announced, expect to see  news about a new character expansion pack called Commander of the Guardian Knights appear soon. Modern versions of old-school expansions such as Return of the Witch Lord and Kellar’s Keep made up part of last year’s pre-ordering campaign and though they aren’t on general sale right now, are expected to appear some time in 2022.

HeroQuest Game System Tabletop Board Game can be ordered here.

 

Kristen Stewart Is Developing A Gay Ghost-Hunting Show

Kristen Stewart in still from Happiest Season comedy

As Kristen Stewart continues her press tour for the Princess Diana anti-biopic Spencer – which will almost certainly nab the actress her first Academy Award nomination next year – more information continues to trickle out about Stewart’s upcoming projects.

Today, a new profile by The New Yorker reveals that “Stewart is developing a gay ghost-hunting reality show with a friend” which she describes as “‘a paranormal romp in a queer space,’ with elevated aesthetics.” The actress reportedly adds that “Gay people love pretty things, so we are aiming for a richness.”

Beyond that, the Underwater and Personal Shopper star has a host of upcoming projects, including a David Cronenberg remake of Crimes of the Future. 

Kristen Stewart in Happiest Season

We previously reported, via an Entertainment Weekly interview, that Stewart would also co-star with Steven Yeun in what she at the time described as “a love story between a satellite and a buoy; it’s hard to explain. I hope I don’t botch it, because it’s a really revolutionarily written script.” Within The New Yorker piece, she elaborates that “it has something to do with getting computers to love one another” and that the machines are “sort of morphing in and out of every gender and race, and, like, there’s no orientation, there’s just humanity.” The film has since been revealed to be titled Love Me. 

Stay tuned for more details on Kristen Stewart’s Queer ghost-hunting series and her upcoming sci-fi project.

 

 

GERRY ANDERSON’S UFO COMIC BOOK LAUNCHES

The comic strips for cult TV show UFO are finally going to be reprinted and should be on sale by the end of the year.

The sequential art adventures of Commander Ed Straker and Colonels Alec Freeman and Paul Foster of SHADO first appeared way back in the 1971 in the comic book Countdown, which focused on space exploration, Gerry Anderson related stories.

Jamie Anderson, Managing Director of Anderson Entertainment and son of Gerry Anderson is available for all media. “Our amazing team has put together a book that the company is incredibly proud of, and I can’t wait for fans to see it.”  This new publication is part of an agreement with rights-holder ITV Studios, allowing Anderson Entertainment to expand its ranges of product derived from its classic brands. This agreement will enable a wide range of new and innovative products inspired by the best-loved Gerry Anderson creations.

The book should be available to pre-order now, and on general sale 09/12/21.

If you can’t wait, we have a couple of sneaky peeks below.

 

 



PREDATOR Prequel Gets New Title

The Predator prequel titled Prey

On Disney+ Day, the streamer has announced that its Predator prequel will release in summer 2022, and has been renamed from Skulls to Prey. 

The project, which wrapped filming earlier this year in September, is directed by 10 Cloverfield Lane‘s Dan Trachtenberg. Prey will recount the Predator’s very first visit to Earth: set in the world of the Comanche Nation some three centuries ago, it follows Naru (Amber Midthunder), a skilled female warrior who fiercely protects her tribe against a highly evolved (highly ugly) alien predator.

Prey release date announced, renamed from Skulls

Producer John Davis previously explained that Prey “goes back to what made the original Predator movie work. It’s the ingenuity of a human being who won’t give up, who’s able to observe and interpret, basically being able to beat a stronger, more powerful, well-armed force.” He went on to describe the prequel’s tone as “more akin to The Revenant than… any film in the Predator canon.” For her sake, we hope this project doesn’t require Midthunder sleeping in an animal carcass or eating raw bison.

Prey will release on Hulu in the United States and on Star internationally, though we don’t yet know whether it’ll receive a complimentary theatrical release. This marks the fifth instalment in the main film franchise (not withstanding the Alien v Predator crossover films), following 2018’s The Predator. 

 

 

Ben Stiller, Cate Blanchett Cast In Forgotten British Gem THE CHAMPIONS

The Champions 1960s television series

Ben Stiller and Cate Blanchett are due to star in  and produce the film adaptation of the late 1960s British sci-fi espionage series, The Champions. Stiller is also attached to direct the project.

The original show ran for 30 episodes and followed three ‘Nemesis’ agents – Craig Stirling (Stuart Damon), Sharron Macready (Alexandra Bastedo), and Richard Barrett (William Gaunt) – who, after crashing in the Himalayas, are rescued by an advanced and secret civilisation who grant them enhanced abilities. These include telepathy, precognition, enhanced sensory abilities, and intellectual and physical prowess, all of which help the team defeat various villains throughout the world.

The Champions original cast

The film adaptation of The Champions was originally due to be written and produced by Guillermo del Toro, with Christopher McQuarrie signing on to co-write and co-produce shortly after.

Though unconfirmed at this time, it’s probably fair to assume that Stiller will be playing Agent Stirling, and Blanchett Agent Macready. This leaves casting wide open for the role of Richard Barrett, the team’s codebreaker.

Will this be a present-day adaptation à la Mission Impossible, or will it be hailing back to more Cold War paranoia like Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E.? With Stiller attached to helm, we can at the very least hope for the project to lean into its campier, B-movie influences rather than a too-glossy blockbuster remake.

 

 

Fantasy Epic THE LEGEND OF OCHI Assembles All-Star Lineup

Willem Dafoe to star in another A24 film, The Legend of Ochi

A24 has brought together an all-star cast for Isaiah Saxon’s debut feature and fantasy epic, The Legend of Ochi. Based on Saxon’s original characters, world, and screenplay, the upcoming animated film brings together A24 favourite Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson (Chernobyl), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things, the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and Helena Zengel, recently seen opposite Tom Hanks in Netflix’s period adventure News of the World. 

News of the World breakthrough actress Helena Zengel to star in The Legend of Ochi

The Legend of Ochi follows a young girl (Zengel) who runs away from home and learns to communicate with an elusive species known as Ochi. Though little more is yet known about the project, insider sources told Deadline the film is “a throwback to old-school pre-Lord of the Rings Peter Jackson pics” and that “execs were so blown away by the world Saxon created that A24 jumped at the chance” to produce.

The Legend of Ochi marks A24’s first venture into animated feature films, an exciting development for the indie darling studio that gifted us such gems as The Lighthouse, Hereditary, The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Climax. As always, more news as we get it.

 

Tentpoles TRANSFORMERS And STAR TREK Suffer Delays

Chris Pine in Star Trek Beyond

The Transformers franchise is still going, but it’ll be a while longer before we’re treated to more Autobot action; Paramount has just announced that two of its upcoming tentpole releases have been pushed back.

A follow-up to the excellent Bumblebee, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will centre on Optimus Prime in 1994 Brooklyn, and stars Anthony Ramos (In The Heights), Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah, Project Power), Luna Lauren Valez (Dexter), Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime and Ron Perlman as Optimus Primal. Initially set for a June 24th 2022, Rise of the Beasts falls prey to a severe delay, opening instead on June 9th, 2023.

Optimus Prime heads up Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Also delayed as the long-awaited and as-yet untitled fourth Star Trek movie, initially for June 9th 2023. With its spot now taken up by Transformers, Paramount has pushed Star Trek to the Christmas season with a release date of December 22nd, 2023. Directed by WandaVision‘s Matt Shakman (not Quentin Tarantino), this will be the first time fans will see Chris Pine’s Kirk and Zachary Quinto’s Spock reunited on the big screen since 2016.

Long story short, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will release June 9th 2023, and Star Trek 4 will bow December 22nd 2023. So yes, a while still to wait… though by now we should be used to delays.

 

HITMAN’S BODYGUARD Director Sets Sights On Sci-Fi Genre

Hitman's Bodyguard director Patrick Hughes next project will be War Machine

Patrick Hughes, director of the Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson-starrers The Hitman’s Bodyguard and The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, is setting up his next feature project at Lionsgate: an action and science fiction film called War Machine. 

According to Variety, who broke the news, the story centres on the final recruits of a gruelling special ops boot camp who encounter a deadly force from beyond this world. Hughes will write and direct.

The project was announced by Lionsgate president of production Erin Westerman, who described Hughes as “one of the best action directors today.” She went on to state that “what sets his movies apart is his focus on characters that cut through the mayhem. He came to us with a tremendous original idea and we’re thrilled to be shepherding it with Patrick in the driver’s seat.”

It’s still very early days for War Machine, and though we know nothing of the cast, release date, or storyline beyond that very short synopsis, we can say with near-certainty this won’t be a Rhodey MCU spinoff.

Up next for the director though is The Man From Toronto, starring Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson, and which is due for release in August 2022.

Feature image by Austin Hargrave