FEAR THE WALKING DEAD Adds Karen David

Karen David

It feels like only yesterday that Fear the Walking Dead started, but the show is currently gearing up for its fifth season. And now, we have word on another new addition for the spinoff series.

As first reported by Deadline, Galavant’s Karen David has joined Fear the Walking Dead as a series regular called Grace. There’s no news at this stage on just who Grace is or what role she’ll play in Fear, but the “series regular” label means that she’ll clearly have an important role to play.

All that we really known about Fear the Walking Dead’s upcoming Season 5 is that Austin Amelio’s Dwight is joining the action, seemingly taking Daryl’s advice and going in search of his wife Sherry.

Fear the Walking Dead’s fifth season will premiere at a to-be-confirmed date later this year.

Tyrese Gibson in Talks for MORBIUS THE LIVING VAMPIRE

Tyrese Gibson

With production now underway on the Jared Leto-headlined Morbius the Living Vampire, now comes word on a potential new addition for the second of Sony’s shared Spider-Verse movies that began with last year’s Venom.

Courtesy of Variety, Tyrese Gibson is in talks to join the picture in an unknown role. Gibson is likely best known to genre fans for appearances in the Transformers and Fast & Furious franchises.

If Gibson does indeed join Morbius, he’ll join a cast that currently includes the aforementioned Leto as the titular vamp and to-be-revealed roles for Matt Smith, Adria Arjona and Jared Harris.

For those not familiar with the vampiric Michael Morbius, he’s a character who debuted in 1971’s Amazing Spider-Man #101. A scientist with a rare blood disease, Morbius ends up with vampiric abilities – and also the bloodlust that comes with being such a being. Over the decades, he’s been both a friend and foe of Spider-Man, and he’s also often tied to Blade.

To be directed by Life’s Daniel Espinosa, Morbius the Living Vampire is due to start shooting imminently ahead of a July 2020 release.

Russell Hornsby to Headline NBC’s BONE COLLECTOR Series

Russell Hornsby

Hot off the heels of starring alongside Denzel Washington in Fences, Russell Hornsby has now landed a role once played by his Fences co-star.

Via Deadline, Hornsby has signed on to play Lincoln Rhyme in NBC’s Lincoln pilot. That pilot, of course, is a new take on Jeffrey Deaver’s The Bone Collector; a book turned into a Denzel Washington-starring 1999 movie.

The early word on Lincoln reads:

The series follows legendary forensic criminologist Lincoln Rhyme, who was seriously injured during his hunt for the diabolical serial killer known as the Bone Collector. Called back into action when the killer re-emerges, Lincoln forms a unique partnership with Amelia Sachs, a young beat cop who helps him hunt the deadly mastermind while also taking on the most high-profile cases in the NYPD.

VJ Boyd and Mark Bianculli are developing the series, with Seth Gordon on board to direct said pilot outing.

As ever, expect more on Lincoln as we get it.

BLACK MASS Gets off to a Flying Start on Kickstarter

black mass

The latest project from British writer/director Scott Lyus, Black Mass, has gotten off to a flying start on its Kickstarter campaign, raising nearly a quarter of its goal within two days. Lyus is responsible for the festival hits Silently Within Your Shadow and Echoes of the Passed, which won Best Short at the 2018 STARBURST MediaCity Festival.

Black Mass is a dark and atmospheric story about a demonic presence that haunts a bereaved Father and his two adopted daughters. The film promises to be Lyus’ most ambitious project to date, and he has assembled an incredible cast and crew to bring it to life.

“Black Mass is a film that is born out of my own personal battle with depression and the depths it has taken me to,” he said, “For me, it has been the darkest and scariest period of my life, and while it’s a battle I still suffer with, it’s something I’m ready to be open about and help shine a light on. The story is a passionate take on a very tough subject and I don’t want to shy away from or sugarcoat what people with depression go through and horror is the perfect genre to explore that story. I promise Black Mass will be the scariest and darkest film I have ever made.”

The film also boasts one hell of a cast, with Johnny Vivash, Charlie Bond, and Sophia Eleni stepping in front of the camera to bring this terrifying gothic horror to life.

Johnny has featured in multiple award-winning productions such as Book of Monsters, Charismata and The Creature Below. Charlie has been a stalwart of British indie films, having appeared in The Rise & Fall of a White Collar Hooligan, Hellraiser, and King Lear. With Sophia most well known for her roles in American television series Tyrant and romantic comedy feature Finding Fatimah, as well as upcoming TV mini-series Whatever After.

The film will be produced by both Lyus and the production arm of The London Horror Society; with Director of Photography Neal Parsons, who was part of the crew behind 2017’s Oscar-winning short film A Silent Child behind the camera and musician Mitch Bain creating a unique and spine-tingling score.

The film is being funded by a mix of personal investment and crowdfunding, with the Kickstarter campaign now live. The team has got off to an amazing start; as well as raising over 20% of the total, it has risen to the No.1 horror film project on Kickstarter in less than 3 days, but there’s a long way to go. Be it a like, a share or a donation, you’re invited to join the team and help bring an original and unique horror story to life. And there’s plenty of awesome perks available too.

This is one horror project you don’t want to miss. Darkness is Coming horror fans.

Check out the Kickstarter page now: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scottlyus/black-mass-a-gothic-horror-film

Home to Host BARBARELLA Screening and Discussion

Barbarella

It has come to our attention that the rather wonderful Barbarella is being shown at Home cinema in Manchester for one night only as part of the Women in Global Cinema course that has been on from the start of the year. It is followed the week after with a talk about the cult film’s impact by Dr Amy C Chambers Senior Lecturer in Film and Media Studies at Manchester School of Art, Manchester Metropolitan University. Exploring the relationship between women and science fiction film and how they have been represented. You will be hopefully be introduced to central ideas surrounding women’s depiction in science fiction and consider how changing attitudes towards gender (alongside race and sexuality) are mediated through this stereotypically male-dominated genre. It sounds fascinating but there are only a few tickets remaining for it, so grab them quickly from the link at the bottom of the page!

Mon 11 Mar

Barbarella (Roger Vadim, 1968)

Mon 18 Mar

Discussing Barbarella

From symbolic annihilation and sexy space sirens to putting women on and behind the screen.

Synopsis:

Space adventuress and ‘astronavigatrix’ Babarella (Jane Fonda) is assigned by the President of Earth to retrieve missing scientist Durand Durand (Milo O’Shea), inventor of the Positronic ray, a weapon capable of appalling destruction should it fall into the wrong hands. Barbarella’s ship crash-lands in the Tau Ceti region, whereupon the camp antics are cranked to maximum cheese in aid of this cartoon orgy-come-psychedelic pantomime. From killer dolls to a hirsute child catcher, flesh-eating budgies, a blind angel, the Palace of Pleasure, a sea of sex-and-crime imbued slime and knife-wielding, libidinous villainous, the Great Tyrant (Anita Pallenberg – riotously dubbed, such was her flatness in the role). Based upon Jean-Claude Forest’s Barbarella comic book series, Barbarella functions as both a pinnacle and nadir in fantasy filmmaking, albeit an unquestionable cult classic.

TICKETS AVAILABLE DIRECT FROM HERE

Oscar Isaac to Star in Sony’s METAL GEAR SOLID Movie?

Metal Gear Solid Oscar Isaac

Well, this sounds like a rather perfect match, right? Maybe – just maybe – we might be about to see Oscar Isaac star in a Metal Gear Solid movie.

To give some background on all of this, a Metal Gear Solid picture has been in loose development for a couple of years now. Being housed over at Sony Pictures, Kong: Skull Island’s Jordan Vogt-Roberts is on directing duties, with Jurassic World and Skull Island’s Derek Connolly writing the big-screen take on a truly iconic video game franchise.

When speaking to IGN recently, modern Star Wars fave Oscar Isaac surprised us all by saying, “Metal Gear Solid, that’s the one. I’m throwing my hat in for that one.”

With Isaac clearly keen to tackle the role of Solid Snake, that news has now been responded to by director Vogt-Roberts as he explained that the ball is in Isaac’s court:

Looking at that, it appears that the Solid Snake gig could well be Oscar Isaac’s should he want it. And from what he’s said, he certainly wants it.

Of course, this is all far from official, but it’s most definitely a situation to keep an eye on.

As ever, expect more on all of this if and when it develops further.

Dee Wallace Starring in New CRITTERS Movie?

Critters

In addition to a new TV series – Critters: A New Binge – due to land on Shudder later this month, now comes an update on that secret new Critters movie.

Courtesy of JoBlo, the yet-to-be-made-official Critters film has actually now finished shooting over in South Africa. The Cleanse’s Bobby Miller is on directing duties, for the Syfy-developed feature, but what’s likely most interesting to fans of the franchise is the rumour that Dee Wallace is starring in the picture.

Wallace, of course, headlined the original 1986 Critters offering, and the big rumour is that she’ll be back to star in this new movie. In fact, the actress herself has recently confirmed that she’s been in South Africa.

As a franchise, Critters began life back in 1986, with the series focussing on a race of flesh-eating aliens who look to satiate their huge appetites with human flesh. The practical effects work of these beasties was done by the iconic Chiodo Brothers – who would later create Killer Klowns from Outer Space. That first Critters would be followed up by 1988’s Critters 2: The Main Course, 1991’s Critters 3 and 1992’s Critters 4; the third picture featuring a young up-and-comer by the name of Leonardo DiCaprio.

Despite many labelling Critters as nothing more than a Gremlins knock-off, the script for Critters was actually written way before Gremlins was ‘a thing’, and the script was even rewritten to avoid too many similarities to the antics of Gizmo and Co.

While we wait for more official news on this new Critters film, the eight-part Critters: A New Binge series is due to debut on March 21st.

Santiago Cabrera and Michelle Hurd Join CBS’ Picard Series

Santiago Cabrera Michelle Hurd

With CBS All Access currently at work on a new Star Trek series based on Sir Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard, now comes word on some new additions for the show.

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, the to-be-titled Picard effort has brought in Heroes’ Santiago Cabrera and Blindspot’s Michelle Hurd. Both Cabrera and Hurd have landed to-be-revealed series regulars roles alongside Sir Patrick.

No major specifics are known about this new show just yet, bar the fact that Stewart’s Picard will be the focal point.

Expect more on this – and all the other new Star Trek projects in development – as we get it.

Jared Harris Joins Sony’s MORBIUS Picture

Jared Harris

With Sony’s Jared Leto-headlined Morbius picture slowly beginning to amass its core cast, now comes word on another new addition for the shared Spider-Verse effort.

Via Deadline, Jared Harris has signed on for the picture in a to-be-revealed role. Harris is likely best known to genre fans for the likes of The Terror, The Expanse, The Quiet Ones and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

The hugely talented fella joins a cast that currently includes Matt Smith and Adria Arjona alongside the aforementioned Leto.

For those not familiar with the vampiric Michael Morbius, he’s a character who debuted in 1971’s Amazing Spider-Man #101. A scientist with a rare blood disease, Morbius ends up with vampiric abilities – and also the bloodlust that comes with being such a being. Over the decades, he’s been both a friend and foe of Spider-Man, and he’s also often tied to Blade.

To be directed by Life’s Daniel Espinosa, Morbius the Living Vampire is due to start shooting imminently ahead of a July 2020 release.

LIFE AFTER FLASH Heading to VOD, Blu-ray and DVD

Life After Flash

One of the most intriguing documentaries to have come around in many a year is Lisa Downs’ Life After Flash, and now we have word on when UK fans can check out this tale of Sam J. Jones and 1980 cult classic Flash Gordon.

Initially screening across the globe in late 2017, Life After Flash is now heading to Blu-ray and DVD on April 5th, with the fascinating documentary available on VOD as of tomorrow (March 5th).

An Indiegogo-funded effort, Life After Flash serves both as a biography of Flash Gordon star Sam J. Jones and also as a retrospective on the making of the beloved movie itself. In addition to focussing on Jones himself, there’s plentiful interviews with various cast and crew members to flesh-out what is an utterly mesmerising watch that will tick a whole host of boxes for fans of the 1980 movie.

For full details on Life After Flash, be sure to head on over to www.lifeafterflash.com.