See Matt Smith In The Teaser For HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

Okay, so Game of Thrones went out with a bit of a whimper, chased by the screams of angry fans dissatisfied with the events of season 8’s divisive finale… but in all honesty, we’re still intrigued by the upcoming prequel spin-off series House Of The Dragon. 

Depicting the Targaryen family’s reign some two centuries before the events of GoT, HBO Max has just published the show’s first teaser trailer, granting fans a sneak peak into Westeros’ history ahead of a 2022 release.

House of the Dragon still featuring Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy

It’s all platinum blonde wigs, creepy caverns and flickering flames for Daenerys’ ancestors, as the teaser reveals glimpses of Matt Smith’s Prince Daemon Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke’s Lady Alicent Hightower, and Paddy Considine‘s King Viserys Targaryen. As fans of Fire & Blood will know, the ruling family is about to face a civil war known as the Dance Of Dragons, which ended in Aegon III (who would become known in history as Aegon the Dragonbane, as the last dragon would die during his reign) sitting on the Iron Throne. The event marked the beginning of the end of House Targaryen.

Also starring will be Steve Toussaint (Doctor Who), Eve Best (The King’s Speech), Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Sonoya Mizuno (Ex Machina, Crazy Rich Asians), to name but a few.

House Of The Dragon is created by George RR Martin himself, alongside Ryan J. Condal; regular Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik also serves as showrunner.

The series will air in 2022, and will consist of ten episodes. Watch the teaser trailer below: 

Hotel Oblivion? UMBRELLA ACADEMY Teases Major Comic Book Arc for Season 3

The Umbrella Academy Season 2 Key Art

Netflix have released a quick teaser ahead of The Umbrella Academy‘s third season, revealing two bits of news: Firstly, that season 3 will arrive at some point in 2022, and secondly, the strong suggestion that Hotel Oblivion will feature in the story.

The teaser was released on October 1st to mark the show’s unofficial birthday which, in the adaptation’s continuity, is the day in 1989 when 43 women across the world suddenly found themselves in labour despite showing no previous signs of pregnancy. Animated in black and white, we see a sparrow land on an umbrella, the umbrella opening to release a flock and then transforming into a front desk bell.

Netflix teaser for The Umbrella Academy suggesting Hotel Oblivion link

The latter is an undeniable nod to “Hotel Oblivion”, the third volume of Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s original comic – the first being “Apocalypse Suite”, followed by “Dallas”; the volumes roughly correspond to seasons 1 and 2 of The Umbrella Academy, respectively. However, the season 2 finale introduced the Sparrow Academy which, in comic book canon, follows on from “Hotel Oblivion”. The timeline is not yet very clear, but the creative team behind the hit Netflix show have been known to take liberties with the source material.

Hotel Oblivion is about as holiday-suitable as the name suggests – think of it as this world’s answer to Arkham Asylum, The Raft, or Ravenscroft Institute.  A metaphysical hotel on the outskirts of reality where Sir Reginald Hargreeves (aka The Monocle, an alien disguised as a wealthy entrepreneur and world-renowned scientist) imprisoned the many supervillains defeated by the Umbrella Academy, guests have included The Murder Magician, Doctor Terminal, Perseus XI, and Zombie-Robot Gustave Eiffel, to name but a few.

Hotel Oblivion in the comic book volume 3 of The Umbrella Academy

The issue is that, in the television series so far, flashbacks of the Umbrella Academy’s peak crime-fighting days saw the children tackle more mundane criminals like bank robbers, not genius arch-nemeses.

It could just as easily be that the hotel is there to provide an interesting, off-the-grid location for our heroes to organise, now that their home has been taken over by their alternate timeline superhero family, the Sparrows. Whatever the hotel’s purpose turns out to be, fans hopefully won’t have to wait much longer to find out.

Though the exact release date for The Umbrella Academy season 3 is still under wraps, one can assume it will stream on Netflix earlier in the year, considering filming wrapped in August 2021.

 

 

Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Stephen Graham Star In Musical About The Last Human Family

Tilda Swinton singing in A Bigger Splash, set to star in musical The End

Tilda Swinton, George MacKay and Stephen Graham will be starring in The End, a musical about the last human family from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer (The Act of Killing), Deadline has announced. Though very little is yet known of the project, Neon has taken North American rights for the film and production is set to begin in 2022.

Swinton will soon be seen in Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir: Part II, Wes Anderson’s star-studded The French Dispatch, George Miller’s epic fantasy romance Three Thousand Years of Longing opposite Idris Elba, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria about a woman who begins experiencing a mysterious sensory syndrome while travelling through the Colombian jungle. Her main singing credit is in Luca Guadagnino’s A Bigger Splash in which Swinton performs the Rolling Stones song “Worried About You” as well as the duet with Ralph Fiennes, “Miss Manhattan” (though the actress mostly whispers through that second one).

Tilda Swinton previously played a rock star in A Bigger Splash, and will star in musical The End

Graham is perhaps best known for playing Al Capone on Boardwalk Empire, though he most recently appears opposite Tom Hardy and Woody Harrelson in Venom: Let There Be Carnage as Detective Pat Mulligan, with the possibility that he may return as comic book Spider-Man villain (and ally) Toxin. The actor also promises the show off his singing skills in the upcoming Matilda: The Musical from Netflix.

Meanwhile, best known for starring in the Oscar-winning 1917, MacKay will also soon be seen in Nathalie Biancheri’s genre drama Wolf. His singing  talents are of course well-known, having starred in the 2013 musical Sunshine on Leith. 

Stay tuned for more news on Oppenheimer’s The End as we get it.

 

 

TICK, TICK… BOOM! Gets Full Trailer

tick, tick... Boom! poster featuring Andrew Garfield from director Lin-Manuel Miranda

Ahead of the film’s highly anticipated cinema premiere on November 12th, Netflix has just released the trailer, key art and first single from the official soundtrack for tick, tick… BOOM!, the Lin-Manuel Miranda-directed film adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s pre-Rent, autobiographical musical. 

Andrew Garfield stars as Jon, then a young theatre composer making ends meet by waiting tables at a New York City diner in 1990. Days before he is due to showcase his work at a make-or-break performance, Jon’s life is feeling like a pressure cooker: his girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp) is a ballet teacher keen for a life outside New York City; his friend Michael (Robin de Jesús) who has given up his acting dreams in favour of a financially secure profession. Amidst an artistic community being ravaged by the AIDS epidemic, Jon feels the clock ticking and faces a difficult question: What do we do with what little time we have?

tick, tick... Boom! poster featuring Andrew Garfield from director Lin-Manuel Miranda

The first song in the musical, entitled “30/90”, reveals how Jon is nearing his 30th birthday and worrying about his perceived lack of achievement – it is performed by Andrew Garfield and featuring additional vocals by Joshua Henry, Vanessa Hudgens, MJ Rodriguez, Shipp and de Jesús. You can give the song a listen here.

The film, which also stars Bradley Whitford, Tariq Trotter, and Judith Light, will mark Miranda’s feature directorial debut, yet another high-profile success for the Tony Award winner in what many would consider a banner year – with his involvement in In The Heights, Encanto, and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, Miranda pretty much has the musical film genre cornered.

tick, tick… BOOM! releases in US theatres on November 12th, and will be available to stream on Netflix from November 19th. 

 

STARS WE’D LIKE TO SEE ON CRITICAL ROLE

Critical Role Matt Mercer

Cult smash Critical Role hasn’t been shy about inviting stars to its gaming table. Previous guest gamers have included the likes of Felicia Day, Will Wheaton, Patrick Rothfuss, Noell Stevenson and even D&D fanatic (and superb Dungeon Master) Mark Hulmes.

With Campaign Three just announced, the team at Starburst Towers thought it was high time to share our wish list of stars we’d love to see on the show. We know that inviting anyone to a game of D&D  is a big deal; even live-streamed shows have a level of intimacy that you don’t get with other media productions. However, we’d love to see this talent sit down and have fun with Matt Mercer and crew.

Dame Judi Dench
We may as well come out swinging with the big hitters. Dame Judi is one of the greatest living actors in the world today, but they’re also famously up for anything, especially if it seems like a laugh. It would be a total thrill to see a renowned actor of this calibre sit down with some nerdy-ass voice actors and indulge in some ridiculous fantasy improv. We’d love to see how the Dame would tackle the role of an elf, kobold or even a grung.

Regé-Jean Page
The Bridgerton actor has just completed work on the new Dungeons and Dragons movie. The film is keenly anticipated and we’re all hoping it’s going to be a good bit better than previous attempts. It would be nice to see one of the cast sit down and roll dice with some of the world’s best known D&D players.

Adjoa Andoh

Adjoa Andoh
Speaking of Bridgerton,  Adjoa Andoh, aka Lady Danbury, would be a fantastic choice as guest.  Her previous stage roles include the likes of His Dark Materials and Starstruck, and she’s perhaps best known to Starburst readers for her role as Martha Jones’ mother in the TV show Doctor Who. Adjoa has also worked as voice-actor on video games such as Age of Conan  and  Fable, so she’d be perfectly at home with the regular cast. And speaking of Doctor Who…

Jodie Whittaker The very talented actress has recently stepped down from the role of a lifetime as The Doctor in Doctor Who, and though we’re well aware she’s probably already on to bigger and better things, Jodie has that perfect mix of nerd cred and phenomenal talent that would be a joy to watch on a show like Critical Role. Obviously we’d love to see her play an Artificer and introduce Sheffield Steel to the world of Exandria.

David Tenant
David Tennant Sticking with Doctor Who, Tennant has proven time and again that he’s up for anything. In addition to being an outstanding actor on screen and stage he’s also proven his vocal talents on shows such as Star Wars The Clone Wars and Duck Tales.  He’s no stranger to unusual roles and we’d love to see what he’d choose to play at Critical Role’s famous Wyrmwood table.

 

Rufus Hound From Doctor Who to a Doctor Who super fan, Rufus Hound has well established chops as a improvisational actor and comedian. He’s also a massive Dungeons and Dragons fan, having spent over the last year or so playing Dwarven paladin The Rough Knight on UK D&D stream Questing Time.  Rufus has also appeared on official Dungeons and Dragons podcast, Dragon Talk and has talked at length about how beneficial the game has been for his mental health.

Brett Goldstein Moving on from Rufus Hound to the Richmond Greyhounds, Ted Lasso actor Brett Goldstein has wowed audiences with his blunt but brilliantly funny character Roy Kent. The Emmy Award winning actor would bring a presence to the table that would complement the established cast perfectly, bringing a mix of boldness and fun that makes Critical Role so much fun to watch. At a guess, we would say he’d play a Harengon (Rabbit Folk) so he can be ‘Here, there, and every where’.

Paul Foxcroft Speaking of actors who’ve been in Ted Lasso, Paul Foxcroft is an obvious choice for those in the know. The writer, comedian and improviser is probably best known to D&D fans for Questing Time, a live game of D&D that started out as an Edinburgh Fringe show and can now been seen on Twitch. In addition to being Rufus Hound’s Dungeon Master, Paul has shown time and time again that he can bring joy to any gaming table he attends.

Jane Douglas
Sticking with UK based D&D streamers, we’d love to see Oxventure’s Jane Douglas on the show. The Outside Xbox host is no stranger to D&D, having played the Warlock Prudence with her fellow co-hosts for a number of years. She brings an unstoppable energy to the role that would surely mesh well with the established cast, and we can only imagine the glee if she ever got asked ‘How do you want to do this’ by Matt.

Jeannette Ng
The outspoken British Fantasy writer is also a keen table-top roleplayer and LARPer. Ng’s work tends to be quite challenging but also deeply engaging, and this would make for a powerful presence on the show.

Bec Hill
Bec is best known for her Paper Puppetry comedy, but has also written for shows such as the Amazing World of Gumball. She can currently be found on British Kids TV on a manic arts and crafts show called Make Away Take Away. In addition to all this, she’s a keen D&D player, having been a guest on various versions of Questing Time. Bec’s energy, charm and silliness would be a delightful one-shot addition to Critical Role.

Kieron Gillen
Comic Book writer and journalist Kieron Gillen is the mind behind cult comic book DIE. In addition to being a smashing fantasy adventure, DIE also cross examines the nature of games like Dungeons and Dragons, and seems destined to become a cultural touchstone.  An avid gamer and master of puns, he’s done live-show TTRPGs before and would bring a unique mix of gravitas and humour to the show.

Adrian Tchaikovsky Adrian’s best known for his award winning science-fiction and fantasy novels, with several of his works in development for film and TV. He’s also a huge fan of fantasy tabletop RPGs and has talked at length about the various tropes that form the back-bone of the hobby. It would be fascinating to see how this creator’s intelligent and deep style would complement the Critical Role crew.

Elle Osili-Wood Anyone who’s watched one of the official Dungeons and Dragons ‘event’ streams will be familiar with Elle’s work. The TV and Radio presenter gets to introduce, interview and discuss D&D as part of her day job. It would be utterly awesome for her to get to play with some of the hobbies most celebrated gamers.

Jason Blum and Tyler Perry Team Up For HELP

Blumhouse Productions logo

Producers Tyler Perry and Jason Blum have today announced their first feature production together, Help. Plans for the thriller were unveiled at the second annual BlumFest, with Star Trek: Discovery and Wrong Turn writer Alan B. McElroy set to write and direct. Shooting is scheduled to begin next year in Atlanta at the Tyler Perry Studios. Though little-to-nothing is currently known of the project, a collaboration between two such major producers certainly sparks interest.

BlumFest 2021 logo

Blumhouse is readying to release Halloween Kills from director David Gordon Green (returning after helming 2018’s Halloween) later this month, with Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role as Laurie Strodes. Halloween Ends, which promises to be the last entry in the saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strodes, is currently in post-production and slated for a 2022 release.

Stay tuned for more details on upcoming Blumhouse Production projects as the event continues. Last year’s BlumFest, held October 30th, featured panels on Blumhouse films such as Freaky, The Craft: Legacy and Halloween Kills. The 2021 event is also being held virtually.

 

John Benjamin Hickey Joins SALEM’S LOT As Father Callahan

Salem's Lot mini series 1979 by Tobe Hooper

Tony Award winner John Benjamin Hickey (Jessica Jones, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) has joined the cast of Gary Dauberman’s vampire feature Salem’s Lot, Deadline reports, a new adaptation of the Stephen King novel produced by James Wan. Dauberman, best known for It, The Nun, and Annabelle Comes Home, is both writing and directing; this will be his sophomore directorial outing.

Hickey is set to play the character of Father Callahan, a recurring character in King’s works who is first introduced in Salem’s Lot as an alcoholic priest who suffers a crisis of faith.

John Benjamin Hickey in Jessica Jones, will star in Salem's Lot

Previously announced to be joining the cast are Makenzie Leigh, Bill Camp, Spencer Treat Clark, Alfre Woodard, William Sadler and Pilou Asbæk, with Lewis Pullman (Bad Times at the El Royale, Top Gun: Maverick) as the protagonist Ben Mears, an author who returns to his childhood home in search of inspiration for his next book, only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a vampire.

King’s novel was twice adapted for television: first a two-part mini-series in 1979 by director Tobe Hooper (Texas Chain Saw Massacre), and again in 2004 with Robe Lowe starring as Mears. This therefore marks the first time Salem’s Lot is being adapted to the big screen – discounting A Return to Salem’s Lot, which released in 1987 as a theatrical sequel to Hooper’s mini-series.

 

George MacKay Thinks He’s A Wolf In Thrilling Genre Pic

George MacKay in species dysphoria film Wolf

As far as unconventional love stories go, how high does the classic ‘a boy who thinks he’s a wolf falls in love with a girl who thinks she’s a wildcat’ rank? In a world that’s given us a giant monkey/human romance, Joaquin Phoenix falling in love with an operating system, Lars and his not-so-real girl, or hell, even Jean Dujardin’s infatuation with a deerskin jacket (“Killer style!”), we’d still say that’s pretty odd.

Nocturnal’s Nathalie Biancheri directs George MacKay and Lily-Rose Depp in Wolf,  a story about a boy, Jacob (MacKay) who believes that he’s a wolf trapped in a human body, who acts, eats, lives as a wild wolf would – much to his family’s distress. Based on a real illness called species dysphoria (referred to as ‘species identity disorder’ in the film), Wolf is set in a specialist clinic “the zoo”, which treats people with this condition. The “zookeeper” (Paddy Considine), a therapist in charge of the programme, uses extreme “curative” therapies.  As a result, “Jacob’s will is tested as his true nature battles to surface amid the chaos while maintaining his mythological status among the animals that surround him.”

George MacKay and Lily-Rose Depp in Wolf

Depp’s voice gently narrates the trailer as though she were reading a bedtime story: “Once there was a place in the woods, where they sent people who didn’t fit into the real world.” We see a cork board with patients’ headshots lined up next to a photo of the animal they believe themselves to be, displaying everything from a panda, duck or horse, to a small spider. “They say the wolf and the wildcat are natural enemies,” Depp continues. “But they’re wrong.” Blending a thriller feel with arthouse aesthetics, Biancheri’s latest feature promises a tense psychological drama with great performances.

The film premiered at Toronto Film Festival, and is due for theatrical release in the US from December 3rd. No word yet on when it might release in the UK, though it is planned for international distribution by Universal.

Watch the trailer for Wolf below: 

Magic Is Under Threat In ENCANTO

Stephanie Beatriz voices lead in Disney animation's Encanto trailer

Encanto is an upcoming Disney musical comedy set in a magical town in the Colombian mountains, about a young girl called Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz) frustrated with being the only one in her family without magical abilities – the Madrigals each display a range of magical abilities, from super-strength, communicating with animals, shapeshifting and more. That is until Encanto’s magic becomes in danger of disappearing, and Mirabel is forced to go on a journey to save her family, their house, and their magic.

In Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto,” Antonio may be shy, but his huge heart is his biggest asset—rivaled only by his newly received magical ability to communicate with animals.

Directed by Byron Howard, Jared Bush (the pair previously collaborated on Zootopia/Zootropolis) and Charise Castro Smith, with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda (we can’t shake the man!). Encanto also marks a big milestone for Walt Disney Animation, being its 60th film following the release of Raya and the Last Dragon earlier this year; the studio has two other upcoming releases scheduled, with Searcher Clade slated for a late 2022 release and an untitled film directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada planned for late 2023.

The latest trailer looks like a delightfully upbeat, colourful and energetic fantasy tale. See for yourself below.

Encanto is scheduled to release in cinemas November 24th, 2021. It will then migrate to Disney+ on Christmas Eve.

 

NEW CRITICAL ROLE CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES

Laura Bailey_Photo Credit_ Heirlume Photography

Popular online show Critical Role is to launch a new story, with fresh characters from the 21st of October.  Critical Role brings together a team of talented voice actors and improvisers to play a version of Dungeons and Dragons which is  designed to be watched. The show is divided up into ‘campaigns’, long running stories that focus on certain storylines; think of them as TV Seasons, but each season is only loosely connected to the last.

The new storyline will be called Campaign Three. New campaigns are relatively rare and each episode can be over three hours long, so if you ever wanted to find out what the fuss was about, this October is perfect time to jump on-board. The new campaign will also be simulcast live in selected US theatres thanks to Cinemark.

The cast line-up has remained unchanged from the previous campaign and will feature Matthew Mercer (Overwatch), Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us), Marisha Ray (Final Fantasy XV), Taliesin Jaffe (Final Fantasy XIV), Travis Willingham (Marvel’s Avengers), Sam Riegel (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Laura Bailey (The Last of Us: Part II), and Liam O’Brien (Star Wars: The Bad Batch). The show is famous for it’s guest spots, previous walk-on cast members include Felicia Day, Mica Burton, Wil Wheaton, Deborah Ann Woll, Khary Payton, Mark Hulmes and Joe Manganiello. With the rise of interest in both D&D and fantasy in general, we can’t wait to see who else will appear on the show.

Starting from October 21, Campaign 3 will air Friday Mornings at 3AM British Summer Time on Critical Role’s Twitch (twitch.tv/criticalrole) and YouTube (youtube.com/criticalrole) channels. VOD will be available immediately for Twitch channel subscribers and will be available on Critical Role’s YouTube channel the following late Monday evening, BST.  The show will also be available in podcast format one week after its initial airing on the Critical Role podcast feed, which is available via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

More information on the Cinemark premiere can be found cinemark.com/criticalrole, though alas it’s a US only deal.

2019_CR group_PhotoCredit_Anna_Azarov